The most wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmastime. Have I mentioned that? I work at a college and a public school district, so I don't have to work during the winter break. That means I've been spending all my free time engaging in my favorite activity, shopping! For other people, of course. I did buy myself a new black coat and a red purse, but the coat was only $23 (and it's so pretty...) and I had $70 in gift cards to DSW (best store EVER in so many ways, especially the rewards programs and the FB page, not to mention the pretty stuff!)

Tis the season for engagements as well, it seems. My Facebook newsfeed showed 4 engagements last week.  I will, of course, not be getting engaged anytime soon. And by soon, I mean not within the next 5-7 years if it happens at all. However, I do have a great boyfriend that I've been with for !? months! And by that I don't actually remember how long it's been. Since last spring. It's been more than 2 months, which is something to be said. My friends are astounded.

Probably the biggest reason I'm still with this guy is our shared interests. Sci-fi, bookstores, baking, cooking, getting drunk and being obnoxious, etc. When I got to his place yesterday for our Christmas stuff, he gave me a tart pan. With an apple pie in it.

And then we made Indian food for dinner. It was our first real attempt at making curries and all. So while it wasn't terrible, it wasn't great. Between our lack of ingredients and knowledge at what we could substitute, it was a learning experience.

Paneer in curry, rice, and a potato, spinach, and carrot dish.

If you mixed it all together and had low enough standards, it wasn't that bad. The pie was good.