In a nutshell

Where did that saying (up there….the title of the post?) come from? What is the etymology of “in a nutshell”?

Aside: Another reason I love blogging is that I type things, like “in a nutshell”, which I wouldn’t have otherwise said or thought about, and those thoughts lead on a wile google-chase (not to be confused with a wild goose chase – clearly something very different) until I discover the answer.

In a nutshell:   The idea of having a detailed amount of information containing all the facts, neatly contained in a small, compact nutshell somehow evolved into the idea of having *just* the facts you need, minus the superfluous waffle. In a nutshell gradually became connected to the idea of the information itself become compacted. [Source]

And now that I’ve googled and started this blog post, I realize that nothing I have ever done or will do or say and certainly nothing I type here should ever be considered “in a nutshell”. Because I am rarely concise and I hardly ever to-the-point.

Verbose. That would be me.

Translation: Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off (or ROTFLMAO for the hip kids)

But I’m going to try to sum up my weekend….in a nutshell. Or in as few nutshells as possible. Which is exactly NOT the point of that phrase, but what do I care?

So what’s been the haps around here?

In mini-bouts of productivity, between icing/elevating my ankle and hacking up my lungs, I was able to get a few onerous tasks done. (Can one use the word “onerous” in a post that is supposed to be “in a nutshell”? I suck at this whole nutshell thing.)

While listening to my boys kick the pants off of those silly Norskes to the west of our great state (God that was SO not ‘in a nutshell, that sentence is the antithesis of ‘in a nutshell’), I set up my Christmas tree!

The tree that I bought last year for a whopping $15 at a thrift store. The tree adorned with silver and blue ornaments purchased for a grand total of $2.50 at Goodwill last year.

I also put up all my Christmas decorations, which took all of 10 minutes and I’d show you pictures, but when I say “decorations”, I mean a blanket, a few towels, a candle, several coffee mugs. All gifts, costing me nothing.

I’m a big spender when it comes to holiday decorating, obviously. I am still contemplating whether to put decorations outside or not, but given that my neighbors have enough gaudy lawn decorations to cover everyone on the whole block, I think I’ll skip it this year.

So it isn’t this bad, but they do have a whole family of those stupid blow up, light up Santa and snowmen things which just make me angry. So I’ll not be joining in the festivities outside, thank you very much.

Speaking of bah humbug, I got my first Christmas present! Santa shipped my present through the USPS and I got a new food processor on Friday. Naturally, I made both peanut butter and sunflower seed butter as soon as I got to the store to buy them.

I swear that even the freshly ground nut butters just PALE in comparison to stuff you make yourself. But I’m repeating myself.

I’m also reading up a storm, but you’d never notice it if you looked at my Goodreads bookshelf. The thing is that I’m feeling very book ADD right now. I’ve started, stopped, and picked back up no less than three books in the last 2 weeks. Slowly, I’m getting them done.

I’m reading Liesel and Po, The Handmaid’s Tale, and This is a Book right now. I need to finish the first two, as they are library ebooks that were due last week, but I’m having a hard time getting into them.

A book of short stories, complete with graphs and pictures? That is about all my brain can handle right now. If even that much.

So, how’s the 50 books in 2012 challenge coming? I’m at 47, which means I need to read (for those math-averse readers…not that I’m judging) 3 more in 4 weeks. If I can pull my shit together and finish the three I started, I will win ALL THE…..um….umm…….I’ll WIN!

Can she do it?!

What is going on with you, in a nutshell?