1. It’s National Fig Week! We sing about figgy pudding in the carol We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

Ever eaten figgy pudding? Or its close relative, plum pudding? How about cooking or baking with figs? Or plums?

No, I don’t think I have eaten the pudding. I know my grandma used to make fig preserves. I don’t bake or cook with either but I do enjoy a plum now and then.

2. It is also Intimate Apparel Week. Lace push-up balconette underwire bra and matching thong? Or the comfort of practical and machine washable 97% cotton with 3% Lycra?

It’s rare I match. Always a black bra but I have a variety of underwear, mostly purchased by my husband. It’s all pretty practical, some of it is sexy. Bras are always underwire, only a little sexy.

3. And it is National Animal Shelter Awareness Week. Have you adopted an AniPal®?

Nope. I know it’s so negative but I don’t want any pets anymore. We had dogs for about 14 years and I am glad to be out of that phase. We no longer have to worry about traveling or waling them or all the money involved. I enjoyed those animals, sure, but I am ready to be done with that for now.

4. National Nachos Day. Credited to Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya who combined corn tortilla chips with melted cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers.

Any recipes you’ve invented? Or tried-and-true dishes that you can make by heart?

I mean, I just tend to throw leftover beef or chicken on chips and slather with shredded cheese, guac, and sour cream. All of that sounds amazing right now too.

5. Happy Birthday, Opal Kunz! (1894 – 1967.) Opal was an aviatrix at a time when women were discouraged from flying. In 1929, Opal raced in a transcontinental “powder puff derby” in a borrowed airplane. Her beloved 300-horsepower Beech Travel Air was ineligible as it was too fast and powerful; therefore, “inappropriate for a woman.”

It seems we have all had such moments in our lives when we are held back because we are women. What’s one of yours?

Hmm, I don’t even think I have one. Honestly, it never held me back. Sorry!

6. Please share with us something interesting about your week.

We are going to Disney World this weekend and I am conflicted. I used to love Disney so much when I was a kid. And even as I grew older, I enjoyed how magical it all seemed, even when I had to pay for my own ticket – unlike when I was a kid and it was all fun and no responsibility. My disdain for it grew out of, well, partially how goddamn expensive everything is and in part because of how Disney runs the company now. They buy up everything, ruin it (ahem – Star Wars), then charge more for it. And don’t let them fool you; they are definitely in bed with China. So I will go because my children will enjoy it. I will go because my mom and dad are coming too and want that experience with my kids. I will go and try to find joy in small things. I will go and try not to complain about the long lines or paying twelve dollars for a frozen hamburger. I will go and try to enjoy a mini vacation because I need one and I like when my family gets to steal away from the norm now and then.