Friends for the holidays

I've written about our dog before.

Santa frog and gingerbread monkey
(click photo to view larger) 

If you've been reading this blog for very long, then you should know by now that our dog is a bit...well, neurotic and a big goofball. (Did I mention he also isn't that fond of having his picture taken?)

1 casserole recipe + 1 dessert recipe = a good deed

I was never that crazy about the tv show ‘Friends,’ but I know a lot of people are (were?). My husband has seen practically every episode. Sometimes when I sit down on the couch, he’s watching it, and I end up getting sucked into an episode.

So there’s this episode of “Friends” where Joey’s agent gets him a gig “co-hosting” a PBS telethon. Joey says he’s doing it because he wants to do a good deed, but Phoebe says his “good deed” is a selfish one (because it will result in him being on TV). Joey argues that all good deeds are selfish because they make the person doing them feel good, and Rachel agrees. For the rest of the episode, Phoebe sets out to prove Joey wrong -- by trying to find a true selfless deed. (For those curious, the episode is The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS.)

Not bragging here, but a few days ago, I did a good deed.

Silicon Valley Reads 2012: "Muslim and American"

A couple of months ago, my mom told me about (and invited me to) an upcoming author event kicking off this year's Silicon Valley Reads. It turns out, this year's Silicon Valley Reads theme is "Muslim and American," and they've scheduled over 100 calendar events between January and April (2012) in support of that theme.