This is my second Christmas now away from home. Last year we were a bit more festive: Christmas Eve MB made a yummy past dish, and on Christmas Day, he prepared some lovely cornish game hens with stuffing and a salad. This year we’ve been very lazy.
Yesterday morning was like any other. I worked a bit in the morning, then hit the gym. Five miles, woohoo! For lunch and dinner, we ate random leftovers and at whichever restaurants were open (Mel’s for a late lunch, a Thai place for a late dinner). We hung out the New People cafe in Japantown for a while. (Vegan donuts for half price after 5 PM!) I brought my writing but didn’t feel like working so I – dangerously – ended up shopping instead.
All I bought was a $45 super soft sweater. It’s dark gray and the material is unbelievably soft and cozy and not scratchy.
In the evening caught we caught Tron: Legacy, which wasn’t as bad as the reviews make it out to be. I mean, a lot of the dialogue was dumb and boring, but there was plenty of action and the special effects were amazing. Plus the music was super-cool.
There were a surprising number of people at the theater. Lots of Asians, as I predicted, and at least one person who wanted to get away from her relatives.
“My family is so dysfunctional!” she said to someone on her cell phone. “I don’t want to hang out with them on Christmas Eve.”
We got home around 11, had our late Thai dinner, and watched an episode of Boardwalk Empire. We would have liked to have gone to sleep shortly after, but we had trouble with our noisy neighbor yet again. This time it was her television, which she apparently moved into her bedroom (which of course is right under ours). It was probably regular volume, but at two, three, four in the morning, regular volume directly under us seems very loud. MB even stomped on the floor really hard (all 180 pounds of him jumping up and down three times). The neighbor gave a little screech, then turned the volume down a tiny smidge.
Made no difference. By 3:30 we decided to give up on sleep and got up for a while. Finally, at 4:30 she turned off the TV, and we were able to go to bed. So annoying that we have to schedule our sleep around the habits of a big fucking loser who happens to live below us.
I slept till about 9:30, and got up only because I had a huge craving for coffee and the vegan donuts from New People. It was so bad, I couldn’t even wait to make new coffee. I zapped yesterday’s leftover while a new pot percolated. Still delish and highly effective.
I called my parents to wish them a merry Christmas. My mother told me that apparently my father is now a huge fan of shopping online. He hates shopping in real life, but loves ordering things like toasters and water heaters off the internet. So the Amazon gift card I got him will be put to good use.
Since this morning I’ve been working on a draft of an essay for a travel writing contest due in early January, and jotting down some weekly goals, to help keep them all straight but also so I can cross them off as I complete them. Check! Or strikethrough! I should say.
Today is gray and rainy. All we have planned is possibly checking out this Chinese restaurant we’ve been meaning to try. Hopefully it’ll be open.
Merry Christmas everyone!