The problem with Sam being in Vermont is that my motivation to get out of bed becomes nearly non-existant. Never mind that I have to get candy canes on my way to work and that I do still have to be there at 9 to unlock the elevators. Stupid mornings.

Stupid normal body sleep cycle reasserting itself. I am so tired. _

I could never do Nano. I have been working on a Yuletide story for a month. While it is longer than almost all of the papers I ever turned in in college, probably even including my rather wretched Freshman essay on the Oresteia, I'm not done, it isn't 2000 words, let alone novel length. And it's nearly 1, and I have to have it done by tomorrow night.

I am fairly sure I'm very close. I know the scenes that are yet to come, and what I want to have happen. I am less sure about the transition between them.

And Pandora has failed to produce a good Waltz Party for me. Bad Pandora. This bothers me. I was feeling nostalgic for Waltz Parties about the time that I decided that the Halloween Waltz was going to be key for the story. And then Gillen announced on Facebook that apparently the Christmas Waltz had no swing, waltz, or tango. And then I got really nostalgic for waltz parties. (This is why I have had "The Waltz of the Flowers" in my head for a week, except when I have Shoshtokov's Waltz from the Jazz Suite, which may have never been played at Waltz Parties, but it was in the first episode of Nero Wolfe and was fabulous.)

I feel like I'm in college, really. I wrote most of my papers after midnight. It used to bother my senior essay advisor, I would email him my essay as I was going to bed at 3 or 4. Of course, I didn't have anything to do the next day except continue to dither around and not write about Homer until it was really late. But I have to go to work in the morning.

I think I ate too much sugar. (I know I ate too much sugar.) I'm just amazed that I am still high on sugar. _

I have two ice cream/sorbet cookbooks, one creme brulee, one whoopie pie, and now one macaron. Also, I have three bread cookbooks.

I'm looking forward to macaron experiments. And also whoopie pies, but macaron is new, and meringue like, and therefore exciting. _

Woot! We decided to break free of the Pulitzers! Hurrah! We are reading The History of Love! And we're going to read West with the Night, because enough of us thought it sounded really cool that we agreed at some point to read it. _

The candy cane marshmallows were also a success. I have figured out the secret to peppermint marshmallows. (Martin, remember the toothpaste marshmallows?) It is to actually mostly use vanilla and just add a touch of peppermint. Like, 1 tablespoon of vanilla to 1 teaspoon of peppermint.

Also, red food dye making a nice swirl is a pretty touch. _

Also: roasted chestnut cookies a success, but an unbelievable amount of time. Note to self. Next time, check recipe. If it involves steps of things like "roast the chestnuts for half an hour" then "let the chestnuts cool, peel them, and then let them cool all the way to room temperature, takes about an hour" and then "chill the dough for an hour" don't start at 9. _

So, apparently, there is an upcoming movie of Thor. Starring Idris Elba, who I know only from The Office but he was pretty fabulous. After having a sputtering moment of "Viking God who is black?" I figure, he is good enough to make it work. He is also not playing a Viking, so I figure it's more okay. And also, I am probably not going to see it, because, frankly, I have never read Thor nor particularly care. (I would, however, gladly spend another afternoon reading a flamewar showdown about this. It could be fun. But. No flamewar on here, please.)

This sparked an idea for me, though, that if HBO really does go through with their Sandman TV series idea, they could have different actors for the Endless based on who they're around. Multi-racial, mutli-species (remember CatDream?) cast for one character. It would be awesome. _

I had a little meltdown last week in my desire to make things with sugar and I plotted it all out in my Google calendar.

Tonight, I have just been reminded, I am going to make roasted chestnut cookies and candy cane marshmallows. The cookies are for the Pretentious Novels Book Club, and the candy cane marshmallows are for Moss and Julia's Christmas party. _

In the past week, I have read the beginnings of The Enchanted Castle, The Mabinogion, Ballet Shoes, and Anna Karenina. They are all good, and not a single one of them is what I want to be reading right now. ((sigh)) I don't even know what I want to be reading right now. _

I am sitting here, feeling grumpy about my new roommate (I think she is flirting with one of the boys downstairs and I am beyond annoyed, although I suppose it could all go poorly and she'll move out), knitting, watching Psych, and trying to figure out how one would overthrow the Faerie Queen. _

Salted caramel flavored marshmallows are my most successful and fantastic invention in the kitchen. I have now figured out why the first batch was flat, and have a perfect, fluffy batch drying in my kitchen. While the end of the thin dense ones are melting in my hot chocolate.

They feel like marshmallows, but they taste like good sea-salt caramels. _

Sam and I are curled up on the couch, keeping each other warm. I am also in fuggs and my oldest rattiest favoritest hoodie, and wrapped up in my Scottish wool blanket. I have been cold all day, no matter what hot beverages I drink. I need to insulate my windows.

Also, I need to get up at some point. I need a new hat, and was going to see if I can make one this weekend. _

I am feeling rather inexplicably grumpy about my new roommate. Rrr. She seems kind of nice, but also self centered and immature. And, fairly incompetant. (Although, apparently, TiVo is a really complicated machine. None of my roommates have a clue how to work it.) _

Oh my god, and gingerbread marshmallows. That would be awesome. _

Also, regarding Glee. I get that Rachel is Jewish and so she probably doesn't want to sing particularly spirtual holiday songs. However, she and Mercedes are both pretty diva-ish sopranos, how were we not treated to one of them singing "O Holy Night" in last night's Christmas special? _

Why are there so many marshmallow flavors that I want to make right now?! And why do I not have a real excuse for someplace to take candy cane and caramel and honey vanilla marshmallows? I certainly can't bring marshmallows to work. _

Is there any brick and mortar store that sells everything, like Amazon? Harrods, perhaps? _

The only Christmas cookie my family has ever been consistant about making, and we always make them, is what we call Kipling. Most other people probably call them pecan crescents. They are very simple, butter, sugar, flour, ground up pecans. Maybe a dash of vanilla, because, why not. Roll them in powdered sugar when they are done.

Now, all over the internet, because it is Christmas cookie time, there are lots of things popping up on food blogs where people are like "you can use roasted chestnuts" or "try almonds." And I am like "oh, yes, I want to do that! I want to try all the nuts!" (except walnuts, because Brianne used to do that, and they were really totally not for me.) While I am intrigued by almonds and hazelnuts, I am currently obsessed with the chestnut idea. And macadamia. And pistachio, with cardamom mixed in with the powdered sugar. The only problem is, right, that this is suddenly turning into six batches of cookies. What excuse to I possibly have to make six batches of cookies? And I feel like a taste comparison is key. _

My roommates are watching football on my TV (which is in the living room). I find sports dull, and I'm rather annoyed that it means TiVo isn't going to record How I Met Your Mother for me tonight. _

Are there jackets out there like the downfilled warm things with fake down? Does anyone know? I need a warmer winter jacket, but also one that won't give me allergy induced asthma. _