She assured me to never go to an acupuncturist who reuses needles and that I was in good hands.  I was still a little doubtful.  I was merely there as a guinea pig for my story.  I wanted to write about the history and benefits of acupuncture and my editors at the time suggested, “Val should try it.”

I had to think of some health problems or concerns I wanted the acupuncturist to treat.  I asked her to treat my recurring sinus headaches/pressure and back of the neck pain.

When the first needle pierced my skin, it was like an alarm went off in my body.  That little needle she placed in my hand unleashed a sensational power throughout my body that awakened my senses.  This weird sensation I experienced was known as “chi.” Chi, in Asian tradition, is the life force, which permeates the world. In addition to being in all living beings, chi is a metaphysical construct used for self-healing.

Whatever “chi” was doing, I liked it! After the first needle, I couldn’t feel the other 13 hair-like needles that were sticking out of different parts of me.  All I knew is that something was happening in my body.  After having acupuncture, I was temporarily relieved (for about two months) of all sinus pressure and neck pain.  However, I was informed that my symptoms may return.  My acupuncturist said I needed several more treatments to rid my sinus problem. But she mentioned, in some rare cases, one treatment could do the trick. Unfortunately I wasn’t a rare case, but I must say the experience made me a believer.  As a holiday treat to myself, I am using the List to find a good acupuncturist to finish what I started.

For some reason, chocolate just seems to call my name repeatedly during the holidays.

It’s as if the last two months of the year were created to serve as fuel for plenty of “I will exercise more this year”-type New Year’s resolutions that likely will never be kept past the first week.

First, there’s Thanksgiving: I’ve always loved to indulge in turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce (the turkey can’t be too dry, though); mashed potatoes; corn; stuffing; and, of course, sweet potato pie and candied yams.

Then, there’s Christmas: Even more dangerous than Thanksgiving, calorie-wise, with its oven-baked ham, macaroni and cheese, collard greens with rice and, of course,x egg nog and some type of fruit-filled pie to go with it.

And for New Year’s, my mom has always cooked our family’s traditional 15-bean soup. I’ll likely take a stab at cooking it this time. In fact, I’m getting hungry just thinking about all of the scrumptious meals embracing me this time of year.

All of this talk — plus years of old-time positive reinforcement from health class — has led my husband and I to get more serious about working out.

I’m not quite sure how that’s working out, though.

Still, we at least have begun to shop around for exercise equipment at area department stores. As we wait to see if a home we recently placed a bid on will end up being ours, we’re already thinking ahead regarding our working-out component.

Right now, we hardly ever use our apartment complex’s workout facility. Our excuse? It’s too far (especially in the cold, for me). And yes, I agree that’s a very lame one. So we figured if we purchased one or two pieces of fitness equipment to put inside our potential new home, we’ll have no excuse not to start a far more consistent workout regimen.

My husband’s really into the treadmill, while I really enjoy using the elliptical trainer. I like how the elliptical makes me feel like I’m jogging without actually jogging and hurting my joints, back or hips. I don’t mind short sprints, but I’ve never been too crazy about long-distance running. (That’s probably because I get winded easily, which is probably because I don’t work out enough — and the cycle continues.) Anyways, I also like the fact that the low-impact elliptical machine additionally works the upper body using the moving handlebars, unlike the treadmill.

In any event, with high blood pressure and diabetes running in our families, my husband and I certainly value the importance of staying fit — in addition to eating responsibly during the holidays. Angie’s List’s fitness equipment and training companies could possibly even offer some good tips on what kind of equipment would good for us to use, or training exercises we can do to stay fit in 2009. And, I guess, the tip end of 2008.

But I certainly won’t mind splurging on some miniature Snickers every now and then.

We don’t know what this car’s name will be yet. Usually they just seem to name themselves. Our late, lamented night-blue Kia Sportage was named “Shadow,” and the old Saturn we’ve been tooling around in picked up the nickname “Shifty” since it’s a stick-shift and Kat is only just now learning how to run one. (I never claimed the names were clever.) We’ll see what develops with our new steed.

Funny how vehicles reflect what you’re doing. When Kat and I were jet-setting newlyweds, the Kia was an ideal sporty little car to get us around. But once you add a car seat and baby bags, it sure gets crowded in a hurry. The minivan is what one of my old friends would have derisively turned up his nose as a “suburban grocery-getter,” but hey, even though I’m very much an urban child, you’ve gotta get the groceries somehow. (Now I would tell my old friend “YOU try fitting two weeks of food for three into a sedan trunk right next to the stroller.”)

Now that we’re squared away, it’s off to the List again — my mechanic to do an overall checkup, a report on the car sales place we bought it from, and now that life has calmed down enough to think more than five minutes ahead, making plans for next spring, fixes to the house and the long-term future.

Granted, I’m not the one cooking the bird this Thursday, but I’ve still got a lot on my plate. We’re traveling out of town for the weekend, which means laundry and packing — and with a 1-year-old you can never pack too many clothes! I’m dreading my trip to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients I need in order to make my “dish.” And, to top it all off I’m running in a 10K Thanksgiving morning. (If you remember from my previous posts I use the term “run” very loosely.) I wonder if the List has anyone who specializes in “holiday help” that I could hire? Or, at this point, I think I’d hire someone just to run the race for me. I know, I know, it’s my own doing. Sigh …

But I know that if I can get the laundry done and clothes packed, if I can tidy up the loose ends here at work, if I can successfully contribute a “dish” to the big meal AND somehow cross the finish line (other than on a stretcher) — I know I’ll have a house full of family and fantastic food to look forward to. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

Thanksgiving dinner is the best. Growing up, I was lucky enough to get to have two Thanksgiving meals in one day: First came lunch with one side of the family, and later was dinner with the other. I got to visit with relatives — some who I’d only see once or twice a year — while we all enjoyed turkey and stuffing. We’d talk, watch football, and make plans for Christmas.

This year, plans have changed a little, and we’ll only be able to make it to Thanksgiving lunch. But that’s OK — I’ve stopped working out as much as I used to (believe it or not — and lately, I can’t believe it — but I used to visit the gym regularly), so I probably should cut back on the holiday food, too. Besides, there will be plenty of leftovers to enjoy over the next few days.

And when I get back to work the following week, I’ll really need to try to start visiting the fitness center again. And maybe, as a way to plan ahead for the “get in shape” New Year’s resolution that will no doubt have to be on my list for 2009, I can check Angie’s List for a personal trainer as an early Christmas present to myself. Because, let’s face it: Christmas time will just mean time to do some extra snacking.

Why Spam? Because I didn’t know there were so many darn types out there!

Here in the Blue House we like to kid around with each other. Typically this involves many “reply all” e-mail chains that spin out of control like a Midwestern tornado. If you step away from your desk during one of these “spam storms” you return to 15,000 e-mails talking about stuff on cats or pies in the office kitchen.

I like to wait for the right moment in these “spam storms.” Typically this happens on e-mail No. 526. Why No. 526? I have no idea, but when we pass that magic number, I like to send out a picture of a Spam can to shut everybody up. I’m sure my co-workers love me for this.

So in honor of Spam (the mystery meat type) killing spam (the electronic type), I’ve decided to post a bunch of Spam can pictures and throw a few interesting facts about Spam out there. Here you go:

• Despite associating Spam with the 1950s, I’ve learned it was actually introduced in 1937.

• The original name was Hormel Spiced Ham, but then shortened it to Spam.

• Austin, Minn. is home to Spam Jam, a carnival devoted to the mystery meat every Fourth of July. Don’t you think they would’ve picked a better day?

• The Spam Jam is not to be confused with Space Jam, Michael Jordan’s best movie.

• The Spam Jam is not to be confused with Spamarama, which is a yearly festival held around April Fool’s Day in Austin, Texas. Really? April Fools Day? OK …

• Spam was one of the few foods excluded from British food rationing during the World War II. Hitler was defeated; Churchill thanked Spam.

• Since World War II Spam has become very popular in Japan. No punch line. That’s the joke.

And that’s all I know. Feel free to pull a picture off this blog to send out when you feel you’re getting spammed (the electronic type).

Being an intern isn’t the most prestigious job. I really resent how I spend half of each workday pushing cars out of the mud and doing frivolous, humiliating parlor tricks to amuse staff members. Of course, I look at the glass as half full: All those ruthless insults were actually “constructive criticisms.”

I’ve been at the List almost two years. As my desk neighbor Matthew likes to joke, that makes me a “senior intern.” Well, I’m sad to say I’m retiring that esteemed, albeit paradoxical, title. It’s time to move on.

In a few weeks, I’m graduating college and beginning a new epoch. I’ve been told the world looks much different to college graduates. Doors open. Gaps close. Wages increase. Mountains crumble.

I’m excited to experience all of that. Yet I won’t encounter this new world without feelings of gratitude and heartache. The truth is, I’ve really loved my internship at Angie’s List. I learned a lot, grew a lot, and never stopped having fun. By title, I was an intern, but not once did anyone treat me as anything but an equal.

So, I’ll miss it. My family lives in Georgia, and that’s where I belong. My second family, though, lives in the Blue House. And how do you say goodbye to such wonderful people? You don’t. You say, “Thanks.”

It’s exciting for me to get familiar with a new climate, albeit the cold end of the climate at this point. The Blue House is endearingly chilly, yet delightfully cozy, with everyone bundled up while working away. I like it in a way. More excuses to drink hot chocolate.

My car on the other hand does not like the weather. Every morning Nadine, my little car, whines and moans. You can tell she thinks that it isn’t time to be this cold. It’s not time to scrape the windshields. She huffs and puffs as I turn the key, trying to get her engine going. I don’t know much about weatherizing an older vehicle, but I bet the List can give me a few ideas to ease Nadine’s creaky sprockets on future — even colder — Indy mornings.

I consider myself lucky. Unlike Paul’s very scary and traumatic collision, I and the other drivers involved left the the scene of the accident without injury and all three of us were covered by insurance. My insurance company, in particular, has some of the best claims service I’ve ever experienced. Three business days after the accident, my truck has been inspected, declared a total loss, and I have a check to go toward the purchase of a new vehicle in hand. These factors will lead me to rate them highly when I fill out an Angie’s List report about their services.

But as I face the prospect of buying a new vehicle, most likely another truck, I’m sentimental for all the memories I made with Mabeliene (the never-spoken name I gave her when we first met). All the moving we helped my friends with; all the furniture we hauled together; the motorcycles we picked up and transported from places like Chicago, Cincinnati and Cicero, Ind., back to Indianapolis; and the road trips to Brown County State Park, Edinburgh, Ind., and Chicago and Michigan — in all, we spent 40,000 beautiful miles together. Most of all,  I’ll miss the daily drives to and from work — though she had her minor problems like a leaky power-steering unit and misaligned driver’s side door, she was dependable and never let me down.

When I collected my personal possessions from the smashed and deformed shell of my beloved friend, I thanked her for doing her job of always getting where I needed to be and ultimately keeping me safe from danger.

Maybe I caught them on a bad day. More likely, I think I used a service that is not their forte: bike rental.

Some friends and I decided to ride mountain bikes on a local trail, and a couple of us, including me, needed to rent mountain bikes.

The bike shop we visited was the natural choice: Its member reviews are filled with reports of excellent customer service. But that wasn’t the case on this day, and not with my bike.

The employees conveyed a blasé attitude and their miscommunication with me and each other resulted in my friend and I standing around needlessly for 20 minutes.

Despite mechanics “checking out” the bike, once I got it on the trail I noticed the kickstand rubbed against the rear tire and several times the seat collapsed — an unpleasant sensation, to say the least. I pointed these flaws out to the mechanic when I returned the bike and he said, “Yeah, the kickstand will rub if it’s not properly adjusted.” OK. Whose job is it to check that adjustment? As for the seat collapsing, he just shrugged.

I’m the first Angie’s List member to rate this company’s bike rental service. My advice to them: Either stop renting bikes or bring that part of their business up to the same high standards their other work is known for and praised for on the List.

I did not enjoy giving this company a bad review, but I feel it’s important to point out the good and the bad. A friend of mine disagrees. She used an A-rated house painter on the List and he did a horrible job. He begged her not to give him a bad review — begged. He gave her a huge discount. My advice to her? “Warn other members about this guy.” Her heart, however, is softer than mine.