In this magical memoir, author Noelle Oxenhandler explores the power (and danger) of the art of wishing. After a series of tumultuous personal events, Oxenhandler finds herself divorced, spiritually bereft and raising her daughter alone in a rental house. Simultaneously envious and suspicious of her friend Carole’s ability to manifest her desires through wishing (a husband! a successful art career! three houses in France!), Oxenhandler decides to research and explore the history and power of wishing.

She embarks on a year-long journey to fulfill three wishes: to find love with a man, to buy a house and to heal her soul and spirituality. She reads all that she can on wishing in its various manifestations (prayer, magic, positive thinking, etc.) as she struggles to reconcile the sacred and the profane (is it okay to ask God for more money?) and magic versus hard work (do shrines, wishlists and ceremonies have any place in modern society?).

To her surprise, her wishes do begin to come true, in a variety of ways. She discovers that she spends as much time wishing for her friends as she for herself, and after a year of startling discoveries, begins to feel comfortable with the blessings appearing in her life. An intriguing, compelling read for believers and non-believers alike.

I like making this shake – it’s vegetarian (not vegan, because of the honey), full of protein and superfoods, and tastes a lot like a chocolate shake. The amounts of the ingredients vary depending on how you like your shake (super chocolatey, lots of protein, runny vs. thick), so you might have to experiment to find your blend. But here are the ingredients (try to use as many organic ones as possible):

1-2 bananas, depending on size (use frozen bananas to make it extra cold and thick)
Goji berries
Chocolate rice protein powder
Raw cacao powder
Raw maca powder
Bee pollen
Raw honey (raw honey is generally solid, not liquid)
Cold-pressed coconut butter
Ice
Hemp milk

The bananas, honey and coconut butter add smoothness and sweetness.
The cacao, protein powder and maca make it nice and chocolatey.
The protein powder and hemp milk pack it with protein.
The goji berries, maca, bee pollen and cacao are all superfoods.

Put everything in a high-speed blender and give it a whirl (I guess you can use a regular blender on this, but you won’t get as smooth a consistency, because of the berries and the bee pollen). Serve cold – I like to sip mine with a straw. Enjoy!

I get a kick out of Christmas music. Even after years in retail, being forced to listen to Windham Hill’s Christmas music on an endless loop, I still enjoy it. It’s festive, and can remind you of the spirit of the season, even when you’re stuck in traffic. My taste in Christmas music spans from classic to pop to New Age to traditional. I even still like the Windham Hill Christmas sampler that’s left over from my Barnes and Noble days. BUT. There are some “Christmas” songs I cannot stand. These are my top 3:

Dan Fogelberg, Same Old Lang Syne. What is this song? This isn’t Christmas music, so why do I hear it every year? Just because the song is set on Christmas Eve, doesn’t make it a holiday tune. It’s not even festive. Seriously, take a minute to google the lyrics. In it, Dan runs into his old flame at the grocery store. They want to catch up, but all the bars are closed, so they buy a six-pack of beer and drink it in the car. It turns out that they are both unhappy and unfulfilled in their lives. Then the girl goes back to her husband and the life she loathes. Cheerful.

Paul McCartney, Wonderful Christmas Time. Arg. This songs makes me grind my teeth. First of all, it’s completely inescapable. I hear it more than any other song on the radio every December. Yes, McCartney is a legend. Yes, he is an amazing songwriter. But this song sucks. It has about 4 lines that just keep repeating, with each verse reminding us that we’re having a wonderful Christmas time, ad nauseum. You know what makes for a wonderful Christmas time? Not hearing this song.

Newsong, Christmas Shoes. Honestly, does anyone like this song? It’s horrible. Basically, a cranky guy in line at a store helps a poor urchin buy shoes for the urchin’s dying mother so that she’ll look pretty for Jesus (who, as we all know, is pretty strict about footwear in Heaven). As others have pointed out, this guy gets a kick out of being reminded of the true spirit of Christmas, all thanks to some poor kid’s dying mother. It’s complete drivel, and Rich over at FourFour has a great commentary on this song. He says it better than I could, so just read his opinion.

But, lest you think I’m a total Grinch, let me close with one of the cutest renditions of one of my favorites:

So, there you have it. What are your favorite (and least favorite!) holiday songs?

After years of ho-hum programming and too many reality shows, I think the current TV season is really hot. Some of my faves are taking off (The Vampire Diaries, Glee), some got canceled (Dollhouse. Boo.) and some are on hiatus (True Blood, I miss you!). And with this hot season have come some really hot men. I might post later about the sexiest ladies on the small screen, but for now, let’s ogle the man candy.

The New Kid: Mark Salling, for making a mohawk hot, as Puck on Glee.

The Steady: David Boreanaz, for stealing hearts as a tortured vampire (on two different shows!), then making them melt as heroic FBI agent Seeley Booth.

(And Speaking of Vampires) Best Vamp: Alexander Skarsgard, as hilarious and twisted Eric Northman on True Blood.

(And Speaking of True Blood) Best Human on True Blood: Ryan Kwanten, who manages to make stupid sexy as Jason Stackhouse.

Best Comeback: Ian Somerhalder, for bouncing back from Lost with his turn as deadly Damon on The Vampire Diaries.

Best Import: Ed Westwick, as Gossip Girl’s resident bad boy Chuck Bass.

Hottest Guy I wish were still on TV: Ryan Reynolds. For obvious reasons.

Now it’s your turn to nominate your favorites. Who did I leave out?