$20 Date

Yesterday, Nidhal and I had a nice little night out... and it only cost us $20. First, we had our wonderful and delicious dinner at Subway (the prime rib with provolone cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, black olives, green peppers, banana peppers, and the southwest sauce is very tasty). We topped off the meal with a lap through Whole Foods, where we took full advantage of the available samples. And then we had a relaxing end to the evening, sipping our coffees and talking for hours at Starbucks. By the way, the peppermint white chocolate mocha is definitely worth the $4 (and the caffeine buzz I had until 3am).

Have I mentioned that I am excited about Christmas?!?!?! I love Christmas. Our tree is up and decorated, and there are a couple presents underneath... for my mother. There are still a few things that I need to get for Nidhal. I've barely started buying stuff for my dad. I hardly ever know what to get him. Last Christmas, there was a coffee theme. I got him Starbucks coffee, a coffee grinder, and a Starbucks coffee cup. He'll get the coffee again this year, but I don't know what to add to that. I still need to get some things for Anna and Steph/Dan. For Anna, I'm thinking about a Michigan shirt and a plastic food set or a play-doh set (both currently on sale at the house of evil). ...I just realized that I have a lot of shopping to do.

Working at the house of evil has been taking some of the pleasure out of the holiday season. I always knew that Christmas was a big commercial holiday, but I never really experienced it until now. YOU CAN NOT RUIN MY CHRISTMAS, YOU BAD BAD STORE!

What was I going to say?

I am incredibly jealous of Joslyn (a friend currently in Japan). I want adventure! I want new experiences! I want out of this country!

Oh, I remembered. I like cooking, or at least the idea of cooking. I like cookbooks. I like finding new recipes. I like being triumphant with a meal or a dessert. And the Food Network website has a lot of recipes.

Tomorrow will be a busy day even though I don't have to work. Bank, post office, stores, Blockbuster, cooking... It doesn't sound like much, but we could be out and about all day.

I miss all of my friends from everywhere... Au Gres, the University of Michigan, AYF, etc. I miss you all! And I think about you often! (And I stalk you a little, too).