Christmas Eve

Lunch at Paprika with Elizabeth. It was busy, and the diners scooped up the shrimp tempura faster than you can say,....well....fast? I enjoyed a taco (though I wish they wouldn't put corn in the watery meat mixture) with delicious jalepenos and guacamole. I ate many artichoke hearts in their new salad. I had capers and lemon on many slices of their smoked salmon. Two bowls of cream of broccoli soup. I had about ten cubes of bread speared on sticks and dipped in their cheese fondue. I could eat that fondue with a spoon, I tell ya. Their salad of matchstick pieces of apple with cheese was deelish. Curried rice with shrimp, deelish, but I had to pick around the peas. Hate the peas.

When I was young I hated peas, but I was ordered to eat them. So I did, by the spoonful. Un-chewed and swallowed with a gulpful of milk, which I also hated but was made to drink, I swallowed them like pills. I've grown to love loads of things I disliked as a child, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower, for example. I used to hate them but I LOVE them now. Peas, though, I can't bite into them to this day. Milk I can drink, but it tastes like blech.

After lunch, shopping. Fun, but I sort of flashed on shopping back home, man it was busy! Here, though, there's less of a sense of personal space, so it's really not unusual to get bumped or jostled or have someone stand ON you, pretty much, when you're browsing the goods. It's a little troublesome for someone like me who's a bit claustrophobic. No bother, though, I picked up a couple gifts for my friend's kids and a vat of The Body Shop's "Passion Fruit Body Butter" I'm going to slather on tomorrow before I don my fuzzy green socks and have myself a Christmas nap.

Then back to Elizabeth's house where we drank a little beer and ate a little nuts. It was really great, and I got to know her even better. She likes me a lot, and I like how easy it is to make her laugh. She's already worrying about what life will be like after I'm gone, even though I'm not leaving for months. I told her we'll find a funny teacher to replace me. She's such a nice lady.

So I'm back here and it's officially Christmas, and I officially couldn't care less. I've NEVER felt so un-Christmassy. It's cool. I feel ok, just sans Xmas spirit.

Regardless, to anyone who reads this, MERRY CHRISTMAS ad HAPPY HOLIDAYS. I mean that! Safe and happy times for all!!