The Nutcracker

I just watched The Nutcracker at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. It was beyond gorgeous. This was the best part:

Marie and the Nutcracker Prince leaving the Sugar Plum Forest

 Check out the adorable snowball ballerinas! And the Christmas ornament hot-air balloon... definitely wish that was real. This part of Oakland is actually really nice and I hope to hang around here more in the future.

Tree Camping?!

Another adventure for another day. When will I DO all of this??

Igloo Village

I'm obsessed with this hotel - the Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. It is an IGLOO VILLAGE. The igloos are made out of thermal glass that never frosts over and keeps the inside warm. You can see aurora borealis just by lying in bed and looking up. Isn't this the most magical thing you've ever seen in your life? I really, really want to go.

William and Kate

Will and Kate's engagement photos <3. I know I don't know them personally but I think I share the opinion of the entire world that they're adorable, Kate Middleton is stunning and makes William look more attractive than he actually is, and these are amazing photos, taken by Mario Testino. I'm a little bit obsessed with them.

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

I know I've been neglecting to post. I didn't even post anything about Thanksgiving or Christmas caroling, two very food-centric events that I otherwise would have been on top of. It's a combination of being very busy and sort of sick, both of which add up to a dearth of blog posts. But I thought I'd take advantage of my sore throat and clue you all in to the best invention on Earth: honey lemon ginger tea.

My mom used to make this for me whenever I was sick, no matter what kind of sickness it was, and I'd invariably be cured. Now that I'm living at home again (woohoo!) I can take advantage of this fact, though now I'm making it for myself. It's not as good when I make it though.

1. Take three or four thin slices of fresh ginger and place them in boiling water (about a mug's worth). Steep until the water is a little bit golden.
2. Squeeze half a lemon into a mug, add two spoonfuls of honey. Or more, if you have a sweet tooth like me. Or brown sugar, if you don't have any honey. Or any kind of sweetener.
3. Pour the hot water through a strainer into your mug (or leave the slices of ginger in there, like I do).
4. DRINK. BE CURED OF ALL YOUR AILMENTS, physically and emotionally.

SkyGrid

So tomorrow I start my new job at SkyGrid and I am beyond excited. Their website calls it a "new experience on the web,  a platform for browsing streams of relevant, personalized and prioritized information as it happens". I just call it a sweet way to get your news, when you want it, just the way you want it. 
I'm going to be the Assistant Editor. So. Excited.

Screenshot of the app. Get it, it's FREE!

It's a startup (sort of, they're five years old) so it doesn't feel stuffy and corporate - everyone is enthusiastic, brilliant, and great at their job. Did I mention that there are free lunches and a dog named Peter Pan at the office and that I'm STOKED?!?! 

_____ is not The Event

I absolutely LOVED Lost. I was a Fan with a capital F. When it ended (and I was more than disappointed by the finale) I lamented loud and long. Imagine my joy when NBC, my favorite network, picked up an awesome new show entitled The Event, about a government conspiracy, horrific lab experiments, and creepy cliffhangers (AND John Ritter's son!)

The plot twists are phenomenal and the acting is delicious (with the exception of Leila's character, but I liked her before so maybe she's just going through an irritating phase). I encourage everyone, Lost fan or not, to watch it.