HoHoHo from the Old Folks' Home

Tonight was the holiday party here at my condo complex. I didn't go last year as I was just settling in. So this year I decided to make an appearance. We were supposed to bring some food so I thought it would be a good opportunity to test one of the zillion cookie recipes I've saved. I chose ginger cookies. The recipe called for ground mace which I didn't have (cuz really, who has ground mace?) so off to the store I went. After striking out at two stores, I finally found a tiny bottle. For $7! What the?! Anyway, if anyone needs some mace, you know where to find me. But back to the party. So the only person I know here is Jen from downstairs so I asked if she was going, but she was sick and so she wasn't. What to do. I had already made the cookies with the seven dollar mace. I decided to be brave and go to the party alone. Maybe I'd meet a few neighbors, and if the party totally blew I could always just dump my cookies on the table and run. Well...I lasted about 5 minutes. Never even took my coat off. It was just a bunch of old people as I had expected it would be. I don't know why there aren't more people my age living here with it being so convenient to the city and the dozens of Universities in Philly. I was greeted by the lady that runs the social committee (don't even remember what she told me her name was) and had a 15 second convo with another geriatric woman about the gorgeous layered jello trifle that someone had made. It was awesome. Now I'm back in my pj's all worn out from the excessive partying. I'm procrastinating on packing. I get to go home tomorrow! For 5 and a half days! And do nothing but Christmasy things with my mom and hopefully Lacey. On the agenda: make at least 4 kinds of cookies plus the extensive decorated ones that take us the better part of 2 full days, watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Home Alone 1 and 2, decorate the tree, and listen to lots of Mariah's Christmas CD (best part = the Jesus gospel song at the end that mom and I sing to the top of our lungs to :) Can't wait!!!