Aunty Cici?

Being home for Christmas has made me think of nicknames. I kind of wish that my family was one to give out nicknames, nice ones, to each other. I'm not saying I want my family to call me "Beefcake", but I always wished I had an aunt CiCi or Tootie or an aunt named Rebecca Anne that everyone called "Rose" for some forgotten reason. I think it sounds affectionate, and well, fun.

I've had a few nicknames throughout my life, but none of them have stuck for more than a few years. I once dated a Cuban guy who gave me all sorts of wondeful and affectionate nicknames: Pelusa, Pelusina, Patacoja, M-sona, and Mamita. I adored the habit (more than the man?) and I will never forget it. But the beauty of a nickname, and of nicknaming, is that it has to come naturally.

Beefcake?

I made a new friend recently, and one of the things we have in common is an interest in the WWF as a youngster. (Don't ask!) As we were conversing with each other, the common theme of wrestling kept coming up. We talked about all the old wrestlers like Supafly Jimmy Snooka and Ravishing Rick Rude. You know the ones! In a later conversation, this friend said that he was suggesting someone purchase a hedge clippers for their father for a Christmas present, and subsequently thought of another wrestler named Brutus "the barber" Beefcake, and finally thought of me.

"Wow," I replied, "I've never been associated with Brutus Beefcake before. Not even close."

And, thus, somehow I've been dubbed the wholly unfeminine "Beefcake." Ick. What a nickname. Also, hilarious! This friend writes to me in an email, "Not cool, Beefcake, not cool." Hee! It makes me laugh.

A Word to the Wise, Young, Single Men Out There...

Don't take this the wrong way...

Well, let me specify that this is not directed to anyone in particular, (you know, it's NOT one of those passive-aggressive blog posts favored by the tech-savvy hipsters to communicate frustration with each other) but rather a trend I've noticed in my dating travels about single men in their 20s and 30s. In fact, I'm seriously concerned about the straight men of my generation! I've met some awesome guys this year. Guys who I definitely appreciate more now than I would have 5 years ago - they are funny, smart, kind, have stable jobs, interesting ambitions, etc. etc. Only, they need to lose about 20-30 lbs., and stop smoking!

Since so many people are single longer, there is a different kind of responsibility for a person living alone to take care of their own health. Not to say that just because people are married or in a couple that they necessarily take better care of themselves. But, unlike other demographics, most straight guys do not face the same pressures as women or gay men to keep their looks and health together. (And don't even start about the "metrosexual" thing. That's bullshit and affects about 2% of the population - all stockbrokers or whatever.)

But, I'm talking about that guy who has all his hair, and is a bit of a diamond "in the rough" because of his weight. Maybe the guy has been single for awhile, had a few bad relationships, or are a little shy around the ladies. So, they kind of "give up" about their appearance. Or they don't want to do the hairless, prettyboy thing, which, thank god! But boys, that doesn't mean you should let it go all together! Get to the gym! Eat some veggies! It's genetics, fellas! Take better care of your health and the gals will come to you!

California Knows How to Party

I sent in a graduate school application yesterday to a certain school in California. Whoo-whoo! One more to go before the holidays, and then I'm cruising on the holiday party tip!

Cocktail Wieners in the Crockpot

So a friend and I are hosting a work-related party tomorrow, and we decided to make those magically delicious cocktail wieners that sit in the crockpot. When they are served at parties, they are super tasty and disappear much more quickly than anything with, say, spinach in it. Of course the special ingredient is the delicious sauce. A little research revealed many different concoctions for the sauce which included varieties of the following ingredients:
- grape jelly or currant jelly
- cocktail sauce or chili sauce
- ketchup and/or mustard
- bourbon
- brown sugar

Finding this variety of recipes was no easy matter. Apparently, cocktail wieners in the crockpot is too low brow for epicurious.com. Hee! But since the recipes varied so widely, and since it was difficult to use a cook's intuition to evaluate the different recipes (um, grape jelly and cocktail sauce? how could that possibly be good???), I had to consult an expert. Conference with my mother revealed her grandmother's recipe:

"Oh, DEFINITELY currant jelly. And, um, chili sauce that would be in like a ketchup-type bottle. And, you know, the cocktail wieners."

Jobim's Magic Number

Against my better judgement, I must post about my awesome date last night! I went out with a kind man, and a good dancer to boot! Yo, I don't want to sound egotistical, but it is hard to find a guy that can match me on the dance floor. I'm usually happy if the guy will go out on the dance floor at all. Seriously! But, with a nice dinner and a little Brazilian Jobim tribute music, a little magic can happen. Hee!

Jams I Get My Obsession On

Better late than never I succumbed to the iTunes temptation and downloaded some songs. Unfortunately for my coworkers, this means I can exercise my innate ability to obsess on certain jams, especially R&B/Neo-soul jams. (Past roommates can attest to this fatal flaw - that is probably why I now live by myself.) Obsessing on a jam is one of those things that seems normal, but becomes totally embarrassing as soon as anyone else is around. I kind of laugh to myself when one of my coworkers pass my office on the way to the printer and says to him/herself, "Shit, she's listening to Janet's 'That's the Way Love Goes', again?!?"

But of course, they are too polite to say anything to me directly. Too bad for them~!

So Janet's the jam of the day/week (7 times today).
Past obsessions include:

• TLC's "Creep" (53 times on iTunes - thank god for that counter)

• Thom Yorke's "Black Swan" (33 times)

• Jane's Addition's "Summertime Rolls" (a mere 13 times)

Whoop-whoop, I did fine on the GRE!

It's over! It's finally over! I've been agonizing over taking the GRE for like two years! I took the test yesterday after a few weeks of studying and my score was higher than my practice tests. So, yay! I was happy about that. My score was fine!

Getting over that huge obstacle makes me able to focus on my grad school applications again. I've turned in one grad school application so far, and I'll turn in one or two more next week. Then another two in January. I'm applying to two schools on the west coast, two on the east coast, and one in Chicago. It's fun (especially this time of year) to dream about being in another place with a better climate doing something totally different.

Test Stamina Is a Learned Skill

Two more days until I take the GRE. It has been so long since I've taken such a test, and I'm nervous! I've been holed up in my semi-cold apartment practicing math questions, reviewing vocab, writing "i-just-pulled-this-out-of-my-ass" issue arguments. What a weekend.

I'm also trying to rack my brain for "test smart" aids from my college days. One friend told me that eggs are brain food, and that you should eat eggs before an exam. Hmm... better get some. Also, I took a Chinese massage class in college once where the teacher said you should press on this one spot on your head each day. He said it would make you smarter. Maybe he just wanted to know who in the class was gullible? But whatever, I totally press on the spot each day. Also, I read in Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" that people that visualize themselves as successful and smart right before a test do better than people that visualize themselves doing sports right before a test. Huh?! Well, I might as well try that too...