A co-worker sent me this today, and I felt the need to share it with you all–personally, I wish I could say any number of these on a daily basis. I would love to see the full list, but this is all I could find (the top 10 of 38 in all). If you’ve seen the full article somewhere, please send it on over. Also, if you’ve got your own little gem, please, comment away. Enjoy!

10 Things You’d Love to Say at Work… But Can’t

1. I’ll try being nicer if you try being smarter.
2. I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ll bet its hard to pronounce.
3. I’ll pencil that in for never. Does never work for you?
4. I see you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
5. It sounds like English, but I can’t understand a word you’re saying.
6. Ahhh … I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again.
7. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
8. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don’t give a rip.
9. I will always cherish the positive initial misconceptions I had about you.
10. The fact that no one understands you doesn’t mean you are an artist.

I must say, working in publishing, that last one is far and away my favorite. Thanks, PK, for sending this along!

I got a pleasant little post on Facebook last night…

T.B. wrote at 10:00pm
I find myself getting upset if your blog is not posted by the time I go to bed.

Since tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, I figured it would be appropriate to list a few things I am thankful for this year (insert “Friends” reference here):

- My family. As maddening as they may be at times, you’ll never find a more caring and emotionally-invested group.

- My health. It’s not resolution time just yet, but we’re going to make an effort to work out more in the future. But overall, the health thing is going pretty well. Except for the chronic allergies and the tuberculosis. But hey, could be worse, right?

- The W. It’s a pretty incredible thing to have someone in your life who can calm you down, cheer you up, and generally just make things better. Xoxo.

- My friends. Some of you have been around for years, others have been lost and found again. Without you all, well, I honestly don’t know what I’d do with myself.

- My job. OK, OK, most of the time it drives me to hysteria, but at the end of the day, I love my job. And I am so grateful to have job security–especially during the holidays this year, when so many do not.

- Thanksgiving. I am soooo thankful for a four-day weekend! And my first-ever family holiday with significant other. I am so excited, I can almost taste the pumpkin cheesecake!

- Texas weather. How much do I love that it’s 70 degrees outside in late November? A lot. A whole stinkin’ lot.

OK, as cheesy as that was, it was all true. I’m also thankful for some less substantial things, like DVR, wine, this blog, cheese (to go with the wine), boots, and my red hair. Anyone else have stuff they’re thankful for (don’t worry, it’s OK to be thankful for shallow things, I give you permission)?

This weekend was my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday party, so W. and I drove down Friday and spent the night rocking away with her and my brother, and all their med school/residency/NASA friends…

…They’re a pretty fun crowd. We had a blast–and how much do you love that t-shirt??

W. spent most of the evening laughing with two of my favorite people (who happen to be two of my favorite Houstonites ((Houstonians?)), and were my brother’s groomsmen), while I rocked out with Rock Band and predominantly 80s pop karaoke. And no, I wasnt’ alone.

I have no idea what my new friend Jen (at least I think it’s Jen–if not, so sorry) and I are singing here. But I do remember that the mojitos were delicious!

I don’t remember this girl’s name either, but kudos to her for working it! And below, a nice group shot of the rest of the room, hanging back and being entertained by all the silly drunk people.

Cap it all off with brunch at one of the best places in Houston, Baby Barnaby’s, and you’ve got a nice little weekend trip.

Ok, before I go, I have to tell you about Baby Barnaby’s. It’s this adorable little restaurant with a technicolor ceiling and funky, hip decor…

…and some of the best (and most reasonably priced) breakfast around!

My personal favorites: The Green Eggs (eggs scrambled with spinach, artichoke hearts and jack cheese, and served with these fantastic little crispy potatoes and incredible chicken-apple sausage,) and their banana-walnut pancakes are out of this world. Seriously, it’s like fried banana pudding. Drool!

So, next time you’re in Houston, check them out!

Update: The first version of this post was way too rant-y and judgmental, so I’ve decided to cut it down and let you judge for yourself. Enjoy!

Editor’s note: OK, a young Neil Patrick Harris has nothing to do with this post, but I thought he’d help brighten things up a bit. You’re welcome.

In a new article on the Time Magazine website, America’s Health Check-Up by Alice Park, paints a very clear picture of some of the primary pitfalls of our national health care system–and why we rate much lower than we should in comparison with the rest of the world, even though we spend roughly 16% of our GDP goes into health care (a whopping $2 trillion. Geez.) Check out her article for an interesting look at a big, fat problem (Side note: The article also linked to another piece outlining Obama’s health care plan and the challenges he faces, here.)

As you may have noticed, this is not a regular blog topic for me (in fact, I think I’m going to have to create a new category for this post), but I stumbled upon the article in question after going through a really cool piece on Time.com called The Year in Medicine 2008. It gives a great overview of what’s happened this year in terms of medical discoveries, and is full of interesting information about studies on everything from child obesity as related to day care, to advances in organ transplant procedures, to the differences between the brains of people (both men and women) attracted to men, and those attracted to women.

All in all, both articles make for very interesting (sometimes encouraging, other times, not so much) read. Anyone else have an opinion/perspective on this they’d like to share?

The American History Museum in Washington, D.C. (officially, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History) is finally reopening after a two-year and $85 million dollar renovation.

This is, by far, my favorite museum of all time. Thanks to my parents’ foreign service jobs, I have spent a lot of time in Washington, D.C. over the years, and taken countless trips to the Smithsonian. There are so many awesome museums–old classics like the Air & Space, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Natural History, and new ones like the Spy Museum and the Newseum (which I still haven’t been to and am more than a little excited about)–but the American History museum is far and away my absolute favorite. Where else can you see an actual “whites only” Walgreens lunch counter, where a few brave African Americans helped spark the Civil Rights Movement, or a hand-written copy of the Gettysburg Address, penned by Lincoln himself?

What about the original Kermit the Frog, or George Washington’s uniform, or Dorothy’s ruby slippers? What about the first ever computer (which takes up an entire room), or Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy shirt? What about a painstakingly-restored, 200-year-old Star Spangled Banner? What about the desk Thomas Jefferson sat at while writing the Declaration of Independence, or the hat Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated?

For me, the American History museum is like the world’s largest candy store, video arcade, and Neiman Marcus Last Call all rolled into one. It is the coolest place in the United States.

Museum Director Brent Glass puts it quite nicely in a statement quoted by CNN:

“For people of all ages, a visit to the National Museum of American History can be a defining event, providing a deep and fundamental understanding of what it has meant to be an American. Millions of visitors will enjoy new opportunities to explore the American narrative and the core stories of our national experience in an inspiring and memorable setting.”

In case my gushing isn’t clear enough, W., it’s time to start planning this trip.

An anthropology professor from Texas A&M led an expedition in Indonesia and found this guy:

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Pygmy Tarsier. Creepy little bugger, isn’t he?

Here’s some more info on this furry little guy, who can apparently swivel his head 180 degrees. (Again, creepy.)

“The pygmy tarsier, or Tarsius pumilus, weighs about 50 grams (1.7 ounces), and has dense fur, large, protruding eyes. In addition to seeming as a living, breathing version of the Furby, it also appears as though it ought to have had appeared in the 1984 movie “Gremlins.”"

Uh, thanks, CNN, for that interesting commentary.

The really cool thing about this, IMHO, is that we’re still discovering new species. Kind of incredible, isn’t it? I mean, how often is a new species discovered, or one that was thought to be extinct? Pretty neat.

Read the full article here.

This Christmas, The Gap has gone above and beyond with its gift ideas–sure they still have super-bright scarves, hoodies, and all the other moderately-priced standards, but they’ve added one large, unexpected big-ticket item. Behold:

As strange as I think it is that Gap is selling cruisers for Christmas (and not cheap ones, either), on some level, I actually really want one. I mean, who doesn’t love blue argyle? I bet it’s super fast. Santa, did you get that? If not, I’d be happy to send you a link….

Is anyone else surprised by the randomness of this? Have gas prices not dropped everywhere else as much as they have in Texas? Or have cruisers made bikes “hip” in the eyes of masses (that is, people who don’t already own five, with a total value worth way more than my car, and spend every available moment–day or night–tearing around on them. Ahem. And ahem.)? Maybe people are finally trying to do something about the climate crisis. What do you think, world?

Stephen Colbert’s Christmas special, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All, (yes, it’s a musical) airs this Sunday, November 23 at 10:00 pm EST on Comedy Central. Colbert was on Good Morning America talking about the special (and, because we apparently don’t have anything else to talk about, the election), which he says he made because he “needed to save Christmas.”

I have to say, I am very excited about this. Plus, love watching Colbert interact with “serious” TV news anchors… they always seem just a little nervous and intimidated. It’s a nice change. Check out the interview, below.

I don’t know about you, world, but I cannot wait to see this. For more info on the special, including other new songs (like “The Little Dealer Boy,” a duet with Willie Nelson) check out Comedy Central Insider.

So W. and I have gotten into cooking to a degree, and I have found a fun new hobby–searching the web for recipes! And with the cold weather setting in, staying home and cooking up something tasty is quickly becoming a favorite pastime of mine. Last weekend, we made W.’s dad’s apparently-famous minestrone, which was absolutely delicious. This weekend, with winter arriving rather suddenly to Austin, we opted again for a soup recipe–this time, a cheesy baked potato soup that I found on CookingLight.com (coincidentally also one of my favorite magazines; the parent site, MyRecipes.com, is home to Southern Living, Real Simple, and others, and is definitely also worth checking out). Of course, I added extra cheese and bacon, which hurts the healthful aspect of the dish, but makes it taste fantastic! Plus, it’s super easy (recipe here).

In addition to the thick, creamy, cheesy soup, I tried out a new recipe for a Caramel Apple Crumb Pie (I made W. take pictures, and will upload one once I get him to put them on the computer for me). I have to say, while I am certainly not the best baker, the pie turned out really well–I think it’s one we’ll definitely make again (recipe here).

I’d also like to say that I intended to post this on Saturday, after baking the pie in question, but, well, I forgot. I don’t think this should reflect on my daily-posting pledge, however, because I had fully intended to post over the weekend–the weekend just kept getting in the way.