Slungover.

Yeah. It's been a while. Truth is, I finished classes for the semester and have promptly checked out of all my daily life responsibilities, save for working and engaging in basic daily hygiene. So while I continue to floss, I'm not up to the task of waking before 9:30 am during the week, or blogging. Before I know it, I'll be back to waking up at 7:30 am and returning home at 10:00 pm, and I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of extra sleep while I can....

Anyhow, today I familiarized myself with a whole new world of pain: The Hungover Nanny. As the kids say, I was "like OMG so bad." Yesterday was a truly fantastic holiday party. In true Sunday Funday style, drinking started around 2:00 in the afternoon. I was pickled by 6:00 pm but just for good measure, stopped eating and continued drinking for two more hours. I didn't drive, but I did manage to fall asleep in the bath tub (why was I in there in the first place??) then wake enough to crawl into bed, still clutching a Santa hat from CVS pharmacy. Class, all the way.

This might not be so bad except that the girls are out of school, which means I take care of them from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. When my alarm when off at 7:00 this morning, I was thirsty, starving (didn't I eat half an egg casserole the night before??) angry, and suffering from what felt like a giant sweater wrapped around my brain. I was running late so there was no time for an emergency trip to Torchy's. Upon arriving at the house, I realized I work in the single worst environment for nursing a hangover. Not only are there two diabolical munchkins to contend with, but it's also a vegan household, with a parent that works for Whole Foods. So. Not a bit of grease or fat in the whole damn place. In place of chips, queso, a Dublin Dr. Pepper, and a Dirty Sanchez taco, I forced down coconut juice, and brown rice with tofu. Note to self: *not* the same. I survived the day. Just barely.

On a positive note, my holiday cookies were a hit (I'll throw the recipe at the end of this). Plus, I invented a new drink! Ding Ding! So I'm a fan of the Colorado Bulldog. Yesterday, when all the champagne and beer had mysteriously disappeared, I moved onto vodka. We also had cream. But no Kahlua or Coca-Cola in sight. But I did improvise with some Dr. Pepper and voila! The Texas Bulldog was born:

• Ice
• Shot of cream
• Vodka (whenever you think you've poured enough, pour for another three seconds)
• Splash of Dr. Pepper

Oh yeah, and here are the cookies. You can thank me later:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I also add in nutmeg)
3 cups quick cooking oats
*Optional: raisins, nuts, choc chips (I add in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda,and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. If you are using nuts or raisins, mix into dough, combining well. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Note: they don't spread out much during baking, so I roll them into a ball then flatten slightly.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Makes about 24-36 cookies, depending on size.