Loot!

I mentioned the other day that Santa was good to me this year. Mr. Philbin asks: So what did I get?

I think he wants to gauge whether I was Nicer than he was. Regular readers of this blog, kind and good-looking as they are, have not actually met Mr. Philbin, but rest assured that he spend most of the year on Santa's Naughty list, only squeaking onto the Nice list with a flurry of good behaviors in December.

But never mind about him. What did I get?

Well, I got a big set of top-notch baking equipment -- Oh, well, so much for that New Year's resolution! -- and some other fantastic cooking stuff as well. I got a Batman & Robin ornament, and a tiny little Pac Man machine, to feed my inner geek. And along those lines...

Yes, the MST3K coffee mug! When cold and empty, you only see the show's logo, but as you fill it with hot coffee, the sky and the chairs and the quippers begin to appear. I love it. It's big enough for me -- most of these kind of mugs only hold maybe 12 ounces, but this sucker can take two Keurig pods, easy. I usually need a double shot of joe to keep mobile.

These kinds of mugs are generally as delicate as eggs -- no dishwashers! no microwaves! hand wash only! don't taunt happy fun mug! -- but I don't care. When we moved from an apartment to a house years ago, one of the biggest bonuses was a dishwasher, but I can still scrub a few things by hand when I have to -- if it's worth it. My neato mug is.

I also got a present that theoretically was for the dogs, but it really for me, and boy was I happy. It's a poop bag dispenser that has a flashlight -- get this - BUILT RIGHT IN! I know, right!??! No more trying to use the flashlight on my phone to clean up after the dogs at night, which isn't a great flashlight and always involved the peril of dropping my phone right in the poop. Now I have a bag dispenser and flashlight COMBINED. This thing is AWESOME!

About now you're thinking that I must be waaaay higher up on Santa's Nice list than you are, to which I say -- hey, what CAN I say? Some of us just have the knack, or should I say... the gift. Better luck next year!

(I have heard that Mr. Philbin got nothing from Santa but toothpaste, plain boxer shorts in the wrong size, and some wax lips, but that has not been corroborated at press time.)