Top 100 Signs I Married the Right Man No. 85

85. He cleans the bathroom with surgeon-like precision. And hums the "Zelda" theme song while he does it.

This is why trophy wives don't work.

Do you ever have weeks where you go to bed Sunday night and suddenly wake up the following Saturday morning, not really sure where the five days in between went? Yes. Welcome to my new, working life. (Nine months of unemployment really gets you out of working shape.) On my fourth day of part-time work, the boss man decided to bump me up to three-quarter time, which - while financially nice - is basically full-time when you factor in my double commute. (We only have one car, so my work day is bookended by dropping off and picking Bert up.) So I'm just popping in to say, I'm not dead. Just acclimating to the new sched. ;)

Miss you. Ox.

NTOTD No. 14: Christmas Music

Okay, this is not so new. I can't lie: I started listening to Christmas music in mid-October. (After a brief refresher in July, of course. ;) I LOVE Christmas music. Do you have a favorite album? I'd have to say mine is a three-way tie between Mariah Carey's first Christmas album, Amy Grant's Home for Christmas, and Diana Krall's Christmas Songs.

Bert had Christmas music playing on Pandora last weekend when this song came up. And it's been in my head ever since. *Sigh* I love John Williams too. :)

Cat No. 10: Cat Naps

This is a dangerous place for napping. Sometimes, Nora and I will take a cat nap and when we wake up my camera is full of photos like this:

And this:

What can I say? (Besides "at least I'm not drooling.") Bert's just not a napper. Oy vey. That does not bode well for future offspring. Let's hope they take after me (and Norbit) in that department.

TWOTW No. 2: Phyllis Nefler

Have you ever seen the movie Troop Beverly Hills? It's one of my childhood classics. You know, those movies you watched so many times that - 15 years later - you can still quote them verbatim. No wonder I am the way I am today. Phyllis Nefler (played by Shelley Long) is an inspiration to trophy wives everywhere. Enjoy! (And go watch the whole thing! It's a riot. :)

Culture No. 33: Cafe Beignet

A few weeks ago on a whim, I bought a Living Social Deal for a coffee shop up in Scranton called Café Beignet. We usually don’t travel much farther than our kitchen for a hot cup of joe – except on Fridays, when we go to Dunks – but this past weekend, Bert and I braved the wind and the snow (Hurray for October nor’easters!) for a Saturday morning date in our sister city.

Scranton’s always quiet on the weekends – actually, it’s quiet all the time – and the weather didn’t help any. There were approximately three “occupiers” in front of city hall and only one other brave patron of Café Beignet. The café is just north of Cooper’s Seafood (of “The Office” fame) on Washington Avenue downtown. It’s run by the Milk Saving Starving Children Foundation and all profits go to support child nutrition programs overseas. So you can drink your coffee and feel good about it too. Sweet.

The café is decorated New Orleans style, right down to the Mardi Gras bead-wearing donkey out front. (My inner architect especially appreciated the old school tin-style, stamped metal inserts in the dropped ceiling. Because we all know how I feel about dropped ceilings.) We ordered two mochas – the Carlton Family favorite – and six beignets – the Café Beignet specialty. (Go figure. ;) We didn’t know what a beignet was (or how to say it), but the barista explained that it is essentially a square piece of fried dough covered in powdered or cinnamon sugar. Mmm…he had me at fried. (And it was only $4 for six. What a deal!)

Since it was quiet, the barista went to the back to get our beignets started. (Yes! They make them to order!) He brought them out to our table – three covered in powdered sugar, three in cinnamon sugar – and proudly announced that “lunch had arrived.” (It was about 11:15 a.m.) We laughed, but oh man, was he right. They were hot and amaaazing. Totally worth the snowy drive up 81. The mochas were eh – lukewarm and a little acidic – but in perspective, totally inconsequential. It doesn’t matter what the coffee tastes like when you can eat fresh fried dough. I’m definitely adding Café Beignet onto the “NEPA Highlight Tour.”

PS Cooper's is totally better than that place in Tel Aviv. Just as long as you're at the Scranton one. The Pittston branch? Eh, not so hot.

Top 100 Signs I Married the Right Man No. 86

86. He listens to Christmas music before Halloween of his own free will!

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Be still, my beating heart. <3