"The strange novelty by which they were characterised..." ~ Jane Eyre

A few Saturdays ago I implored Chaz to let me pack him some of the peppermint cocoa he enjoys so much. He didn't want me to pack it because he wanted to enjoy it here in my apartment and let it be a novelty; something he just enjoys in a certain moment and in a certain place and should be left that way. (I found that extremely poetic of him.) We started talking more about novelties, and I started thinking about my own...

I love buying magazines before an airplane flight. A whole pile. Gourmet, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living. I don't have any of these as a subscription, but I spend a great deal of money before boarding a plane on them. I stick them in my transverse bag and scrutinize them as the flight attendants hand out mini pretzels and diet coke.

The entire Seder at J.Sarah's is a novelty; one I have been enjoying one night a year for the past twelve years. Although I have grown to love the moment I sit down and open the Haggadah printed in the 70's that has been placed on the clear glass appetizer plate, it is the novelty of the meal that I love, thanks to J.Sarah's mom, Nelle. Her menu: choroset, horseradish, gifiltefish (she assembles it herself), matzoh ball soup, brisket, kugel, and asparagus. Fruit compote and chocolate covered matzoh round out this novelty meal, but the favorite novelty of the night is one you don't eat, but drink: Manischewitz!

I love getting massages, but I don't go as often as I'd like. They are a novelty as well (at least manicures and pedicures are weekly). I either go to the Nordstrom Spa and see Claudia, or head to X Salon to see Lisa. What I love the most is the aromatherapy. The lavender lotion smell is a novelty to me; one I always associate with being pampered. As much as I loved smelling like chocolate during the massage at Hershey, nothing beats the soft scent of lavender. Its relaxing and soothing.

Getting my hair blown out is a novelty. It is impossible to do on my own; the thick, abundant curls never cooperate. Usually in the winter, around holiday time, I go at least once a week and have it straightened. Its so much fun seeing how long my hair actually is, and I like feeling that I look less recognizable to others when its straight. It takes around 40 minutes for Jo to blow it out at X Salon, the time making it even more of a novelty.

Showing movies to my students after reading a novel is a fun novelty. While I prefer teaching the text, once in a while its fun to take a break. I get the kids snack packs on the first day and encourage them to bring more snacks the next day. I try to be creative with movie choices. For example, after teaching Malory's "Le Morte D' Arthur," I showed them Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Hey, its teaching them allusion and satire, right? Ni!

Shopping in Betsey Johnson is a novelty. I have three cocktail dresses, and perhaps if the styles and prices are right (they have been too high lately), I will get a fourth and wear it to Jack's christening in May. Going into a boutique in Soho and trying on dresses as I am being critiqued by sales girls with pink hair, zebra tights, and patent leather Mary Janes is, by far, one amazing novelty experience.

Other novelties I love: drinking irish car bombs, picnics at the Oyster Bay arboretum, smelling Easter lilies, seeing Shakespeare In the Park, eating BBQ ribs, riding a horse, sleeping at a Bed and Breakfast, shopping for either a bridal shower or a baby shower, having sugary cereal, eating a McGriddle from McDonald's, reading the Harry Potter book series, and being in a limousine.