Well, the Silly Season is getting underway... I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and tomorrow is December (!!) already.

I've been trying to plan out my gift-giving strategy for this year, and I've come up with a few ideas so far. Mike and I have really tried hard to take advantage of the things this area has to offer in our dining and food shopping, and one thought I had was to extend that "buy locally" concept to holiday gift buying. Apparently, others feel the same way...

Inspired by a recent post on Gothamist, Mike and I decided that we wanted a good, traditional-as-we-can-make-it lasagna… no clunky boxed noodles, no overly chunky fillings, no gobs of cheese, just clean, pure flavors and textures.

Wow. What a weekend we've had.

I'm a little tired, a little achey, but we crammed so much good stuff into the last four days, I can say for certain that it was totally worth it. I love this city, and the ones I share it with, so very much, and I wouldn't be anywhere else - I just wish I could have all of my family and friends here, too.

Thanksgiving is this week. It's a good opportunity to take stock and give thanks for all that is good in your life, but as chef Dan Barber points out, it's also a good opportunity to think about the food on your table, where it came from, and how it got there.

Be thankful, be thoughtful, and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

If you've been paying attention, you'll remember that I have a pretty amazing view of Central Park from the building I work in. So when Dietsch and I first heard that Christo and Jeanne-Claude were planning an installation in the park for this winter, I was really excited. The gates will begin going up next week.

It's going to be really beautiful, I think. And I will, of course, take pictures and post them here.

Aren't swanky office parties with free booze just grand?

So, I've been stressed about a lot of stuff lately. Some of it is stuff I can talk about here, some not. Things are, in general, and in the important areas of my life, going very well. But there is The Stress.