B, you know me.

My friend Beth is pretty great. She knows how much I love a good birthday fortnight, and so extended it to a birthday fiscal quarter. She treated me to a belated Jucy Lucy–from Matt's Bar, of course. I'm not an animal–on Sunday, but that was not all.

She gave me a kitchen scale (I love free kitchen equipment!) and also this mug:

Awesome New Mug (center), pictured with
my Kitchen Dinosaurs (remember them?) and elephant teapot

I love it, of course, and told her I'd been eyeing it but didn't think I could justify yet another coffee mug (seriously, I have so many, and love them all equally), especially as I had bought myself and several friends and family either this monogrammed lady mug or this monogrammed gentleman's mug for Christmas last year. And also because I have a souvenir mug from the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas that says "Stephanie" in hieroglyphics (the monogramming of the ancients!) (thanks, mom!). I figure there's a limit to how many identifying mugs a person can reasonably buy herself, but if you are gifted them, well, there is always room in the cabinet.

Beth said, "I saw this and thought, 'I bet Stephanie has been eyeing this but didn't think she could justify buying it for herself.'"

BRAIN TWIN. (For real, my vast Baby-sitters Club-and-grammar knowledge base is matched only by hers, plus we have the same lip balm in our purses.)

I require more successful sandwich containers.

Well, I love Rye. I'm just a deli kind of girl, and this restaurant makes me supremely happy. So far all of the food I've ordered has been appropriately savory–except for the cheesecake, which is different in that it's actually cakey (and a little lemony) with a really pleasing top layer and crust. Perfect with an after-dinner cup of decaf (it settles the stomach and makes room for cheesecake faster).

Emily and I had dinner there last Friday with our friend Steph, and what with the pre-Reuben kreplach and the Reuben-adjacent mashed potatoes, I knew I would need to save some food for later if I was going to enjoy that cheesecake. I asked our server for a box so as not to waste any of the precious deli goodness, and here is what they gave me: