end of the year odds and ends

As if to assert itself as really being winter, today it is snowing in Chicago:

(the view through our mailbox slot)
Clearly I am no longer in Hawaii. Sigh.

I had a lovely birthday dinner at Las Palmas (after suffering through horrible traffic coming down the Edens). I'll be home to celebrate NYE this year, which I'm excited about - I got a dress as part of my birthday/Chanukah gift from JCrew especially for the occasion! It's made really well, I'm very impressed (it's part of the JCrew Collection, actually, so I would hope that they exceed their regular quality production standards).

Speaking of birthdays, a few years back I received an overwhelming number of rubber ducks from my friends, because watching ducks swim in the lake is a favorite activity of mine. I now have so many absurd ones that I have no real desire to ever receive another one. However, I found this mirror (via Urban Outfitters) which is pretty cute (not to mention surrealist):

Silver Duck Mirror by David Dear

It's hard to believe that tomorrow night is New Year's Eve! I hope that everyone has fun plans to ring in 2010!