tommy! I'm so with you. I'm trying to gear myself up for a trip to the grocery store. But I may only have the oomph for a trip to the corner Walgreen's.

I'm out of food yes - and I have to make cookies for my office's cookie thing tomorrow. I'm thinking of doing something experimental, i.e., adding crushed Christmas candy to tollhouse cookies.

I, too, am out of food and need to go to the grocery store. I think maybe I'll make a big batch of chili.

Msbelle, that picture is priceless!

Hivemind: anyone has good, rich vegetable soup recipe?

No recipe, but for Vsoup, I usually just toss a bunch together with appropriate spices. The last one I made had carrots, onions, cabbage, celery, tomatos, radish leaves cooked in chicken broth with wine, olive oil, honey, garlic, parsley, dill, red pepper, black pepper, marojam, sweet basil, thyme. Veggie soup is a great place to improvise. Just make sure the flavor to liquid ratio is high enough (higher than you think.) You can make it richer in terms of more calories by adding beans (for carbs and protein) or potatoes or noodles (for just carbs). You could use veggie broth instead of chicken broth for vegans. And of course the veggies were just examples. Turnip would have added nicely to that soup, but I did not have one. Use whatever you like and is in your budget. You can also add meat or cheese (at which point it is no longer primarily a veggie soup). You can use various canned and jarred tomato products. (salsa, tomato paste, even ketchup. You can skip the tomatoes entirely if you you'd rather, and make other flavors stronger.

PixKristin - Chili was what I was thinking too. I'm going to have to wait to catch the next bus though. I'm picturing a late afternoon and evening of cookies in the oven, chili on the stove and a Librarian movie on the tube. (They're repeating the first two before they show the new one.)

Quick! Go say good bye to the puppies. Cuteoverload heard it from a dude, who heard it from another dude that three are going home today...the rest to follow shortly.

Sigh.

I really enjoyed them.

But wait, there's more. Another shiba inu puppy cam is up.

I think I'm going to have to agree with Delisted on this one...better not to get involved and end up missing even more puppies.

I'll just have to accept the SF Shiba Inu 6 as a perfect moment in time.

NPR told me this morning that the breeders are keeping one of the puppies (and so the camera will continue). Of course, it's not the same as having six puppies wild rumpus-ing for my entertainment.

Ack. Please lock your doors, y'all. I got mugged and almost raped when I left my door unlocked to go get a 2nd load of groceries out of my car -- the guy walked into my apartment and was waiting for me.

I am kinda of a freak about door locking now. Although I am happy I know how I would react in a violent situation.

Tip: never pull a knife on anyone as a threat. Just grab it and keep it close, and then just stick it in 'em. And run like hell.

Brought to you by There Are Crazy People All Over.

Damn, Erin. That's really scary. And reinforces my policy of shutting a propped-open front door to my building if there's no one standing there.

So, I accidently find myself serving as Santa for a Disadvantaged Child (I asked for more info about the expectations, and got a kid's wish list). The list was "bettyboo pocketbook, scotter, hand bracelets." I assume she wants a Betty Boop pocketbook, which I can't find in a store, a scooter, and bracelets, right? So I just got a scooter (off-brand, so $25 instead of $35, and it was the last one on the shelf, because I guess that's how we roll in Queens -- there were stacks of Razor scooters), and some stretchy beaded bracelets. That'll do, right? I am paranoid about not doing enough or something. There is a Betty Boop purse on Amazon, which I might have time to get, so what do you all think?

Sounds about right, Jesse. Although I am surprised youngsters would know about Betty Boop.

Did she make a comeback?