All I Want for Christmas Is a Comeback

I can't take that my last blog post was over two and a half years ago. Or that the last two posts are just old financial articles I wrote, squatting on my fun and witty blog because they had no where to go when their home was removed from the interwebs.

Alas, my dreams of becoming a famous and wealthy blogger will wait for no one, including me. So what I'm saying is that the blog must come back. It probably won't be pretty at first (kind of like this little blogger space I've created.) I just can't figure out how to get a picture to go all the way across the top or how to insert a recipe so that it can be indexed on Pinterest - what's it called, the java hash script thingy? Don't tell anyone I work in digital marketing.

I spent the last two years trying to decide what my comeback post would be about. It's just a lot of pressure! It has to be good enough that people (you) want to come back. It can't rip off of the other bloggers I've grown to love and envy, it should include a fabulous recipe, and some high-qual photography.

But I'm just a little bit too lazy to re-launch with that much pizzazz. 

I'm narrowing down that list to focus on the most important list of the year. My Christmukkah list. Okay, I never really make a list for myself. I just drop lots of hints, because I'm too focused on my giant Excel spreadsheet tracking what I'm getting for everyone else, including item, store, date ordered, shipping information and price. Every year I end up spending around the same thing, even though I never set a budget upfront. Isn't that weird?

You're welcome in advance for all but sticking the bow on my own gifts this year. 

Dear Santa or anyone who cares,
I want:

• This Fresh Cream flavored (scented?) perfume. Because it would be awesome to smell like whipped cream all the days of my life. And I haven't even smelled it yet.
• A beach cruiser bike - probably in a pastel color with a wicker basket and bell with my name written on it in glitter
• Lifetime supply of these age-defying products because I'm going to be stupid THIRTY next year.
• Kitchen stuff (because who has time to wait for a registry?): Blender, pots, pans, silverware, plates, coffee maker, espresso machine, apple corer, ice cream maker, slotted spoon, kitchen scissors, garlic mincer, round cake pans (tiered and non-tiered), & Magic Bullet
• So I can pretend to know how to curl my hair: Chi Air Expert Classic Tourmaline Ceramic 1-Inch Flat Iron
• Makeup - just all of it
• Tea & Sympathy candles preferably Milk & Cookies but Biscuits & Berries is good too - sold out everywhere, so good luck
• A Christmas Pickle so I can hide it on the tree and then find it and get an extra gift
• Sparkly, diamondy stuff
• Kindle/Amazon gift cards so I can read Outlander for the rest of time. (Jamie = Swoon)
• Yoga stuff
• Iron because I have an empty place on a far-off closet shelf
• Piano, otherwise that decade of lessons just keeps going to waste
• Kate Spade discontinued sprinkles makeup bag
• Taylor Swift album (preferably on Spotify)
• Ugg slippers so my feet can sweat in our non-stop 80 degree San Diego weather 
• Invite to the Star Wars premiere

And while we're asking....

• A bunch of vacation
• A life in Europe
• Hovercraft
• Role on a successful sitcom
• Unlimited free miles and fancy hotel rooms

Sincerely,
Ellyn

Mission: Cake, Central Park, 24

Friday I went to a super secret undercover sample sale with J9 as her +1. We planned to meet on the subway, because there's something spy, action hero movie and exciting about that feat. I was going to get on the first car at 28th and Park and then at the next stop, stick my head out the door. The timing had to be perfect, so no one was waiting around awkwardly on the platform with the rats. So we were thinking we should probably wear cloaks and carry mysterious briefcases and wear sunglasses. "If I wave once.... jump on. If I fist pump... run to the other end of the train and jump on the last car. If I thumbs up... go back to the office. If I thumbs down, I'm being held hostage."

Of course, I was late and she was already at Grand Central, so I stood around in my sunglasses for awhile and then I had to call her (very discreet) and we met in the giant green room with the clocks and I couldn't stop laughing to save my life for some reason. We would be terrible spies. Here we are being ridiculous:










Friday night, Susan, Sarah and Nicole came for my birthday. We got Grimaldi's pizza. It's the best ever, but they said 15 minutes, and it was more like an hour and 15 minutes. Nicole called twice. We were nice about it, but we were starving and then we felt awful when the delivery guy turned out to be way past retirement age. I still feel bad. He probably got fired after 60 years of working there, because we were hungry. Sad face. I bet he was THE Mr. Grimaldi! We then watched Wedding Crashers and some Fashion Week coverage on the local channel. Grammy sent a cake (the most delicious cake in the entire world, hands down. Pink icing and rainbow sprinkles, especially for me!!!!) Instead of singing, they brought it into the living room, still wrapped and put it on the coffee table. Then we each had a piece and used "funtensils." Now, that's style.









Saturday we went to the Central Park zoo. It was smelly, but mildly entertaining. The penguins were cute and the sleepy polar bear was cuddly in an enormous flesh eating carnivore sort of way. I was fascinated by the bats/mice/alligator tank. They were bats on crack. It was pretty cool. I did not enjoy the safari room. Birds flying around as they please with no glass between us? Not cool at all. From there we walked around the park and took pictures.









Then we went to the West side and enjoyed little cupcakes at Buttercup Bake Shop. When Sarah was born, I really wanted to name her Buttercup. I was so disappointed when they made me name my doll that instead. That would've been a great name for a real baby. We kind of nicknamed her that, so I thought it would be cute to take her to the Buttercup Bake Shop . Peanut Butter and jelly cupcake? Delicious. And I'm not really a dessert person. I prefer salt, but between Grammy's cake and the PBJ cupycake, it was a good weekend for sweets. Then we saw He's Just Not That Into You. ("That was stupid.") I was surprised that it was really nothing like the book at all and had a girl ending. As in, it basically nixed the entire premise of the book and gave most of the characters a happy ending. "You're the rule, not the exception" is the book, but the movie was, "But you're my exception." Vom. I did laugh a few times though. We had dinner at Chat N' Chew, and then came back to the Jerz and watched Vanity Fair and Knocked Up.

It was nice not being hungover at all this weekend. This week will be busy though. Concerts Monday and Wednesday, along with turning 24 (ugh) and taking a mid-week day off because I feel like it. Two weeks until Portland and Vegas. Can't wait.