Tres Leches New Year

Last Saturday, my parents and I went to the Monet in Normandy exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It was extremely crowded and the exhibit hall was very cramped. I thought it was a very nice collection of his work, but it was a shame to not be able to see some of the paintings at a distance. I guess I've been jaded by seeing some of the extensive collections in Boston and Philadelphia, where you can take your time and see works from almost any distance. I'm also just not crazy about being in crowds. That said, I thought it was very cool and I recommend that local readers go, if you haven't already, by January 14th.

I've been enjoying my new Philips HS820 Compact Foldable Neckband Headphones, which I got for Christmas, from my Amazon wish list. My main criteria when picking them out was that it would be more obvious that I was wearing headphones so people at work would understand why I was not answering them. I also wanted a behind the neck band and for the headphones to sound at least quasi-decent. I'm not entirely sure yet how long I can wear them and have them stay comfortable, but I'm pleased so far. I think they do sound better than earbuds and the walkman salvaged headphones that I had been using.

One cool thing that I was introduced to this Christmas by E&ES was wrapsacks. They are reusable cloth giftbags, which are made out of pretty batik fabrics. They also have serial numbers so recipients can register and track the bags as they are reused. So overall, they are pretty, fun and less wasteful than dumping a lot of barely used paper into the landfill. The only downside is they are comparatively expensive.

On New Year's Eve, I went to JJ and JA's house for a party. It was fun talking to people and eating lots of good food. I had hoped that JA would make his Tres leches cake again and he did! I actually had two fairly large pieces. I am not a big cake fan, in general, but it is so unbelievably good.

On New Year's Day, I spent most of the day cleaning. JJ and JA came over and I made shrimp and bacon pasta for them and my parents. After dinner JJ and I played guitar and then we lit the tree for the second time this year.

That reminds me. Happy New Year everyone!