a pinch of holiday cheer

pinched nerves do not a happy blogger make.

in other words, my absence is mostly due to a pinched nerve in my elbow, as confirmed by 2 doctors in the last 2 weeks. plan of action: wait it out (and continue letting a physical therapist torture me). this wispy treatment plan is irrationally more disheartening than having a shiny new cast or hearing the "s" word. so for an indeterminate amount of time, i will be sleeping with a padded tube sock (also known as a "heel-bow") around my arm and sporting a wrist splint, as needed.

in other news, coffeeshopgirl is officially a Certified Octane Barista (COB). this is no push button operation my friends. we're talking a 3 part certification, including a proficiency test, a written exam (do you know where Huehuetenango is?), and the cou de gras: a mock competition that required an original signature drink. i witnessed the competiton section of the ordeal last night, and it was so stressful that i had to bring a book to keep from pacing the counter culture training center.

tomorrow we're headed up to DC for a week of house hopping fun. first stop: coffeeshopgirls' parents, where there will be a wall-faced kitten, lots of good-natured yelling, and shabbat dinner. then we're headed to eastern maryland to have a gentile time with my mom and her husband (read: eating cookie dough and watching Friends on DVD). after that it will be back to civilization to spend christmas with my dad and his wife. ah, the joys of family holidays with jigsaw families.

time to finish packing and don my arm sock (maybe i'll draw a smiley face on it and call it Elliot the elbow puppet).