So begins the last official day of my long Christmas vacation. (I don’t return to work until Tuesday, but since tomorrow will be spent almost entirely on a plane, I’m not counting that as “vacation.”) A quick recap of days 10–15:
What’s the only thing better than Christmas? SECOND Christmas with a seven-course German meal cooked by Heather’s Papa. First, we waited for Heather’s brother and his girlfriend to arrive so we could open presents. Then, food glorious food. Course 1: Toasted pumpernickel bread under grated muenster cheese and tomatoes roasted with honey and alea sea [...]
Delta airlines is ruthlessly efficient. We left Orlando at 1:51 PM EST and arrived in Seattle just after 6:00 PM PST, almost an hour earlier than scheduled. Both flights were thankfully uneventful. During the hour-long layover in Cincinnati, we played “How Many People on This Flight Are From Seattle?” Winners were easy to spot: the [...]
Christmas Eve: Patrick Stewart’s “A Christmas Carol,” midnight mass, then a drive around the neighborhood to look at light displays. Christmas Day: We awoke to a delightful brunch of eggs benedict, then exchanged gifts … like you do on Christmas morning. The highlight of my day: Best. Present. Ever. Thank you, Heather! I write this as [...]
People look at you like you are a crazy homeless murderer when you walk around at night in the Orlando-area suburbs. Heather and I took an after-dinner stroll to the nearest Target and grocery store last night. We walked because we wanted the exercise, and the distance is comparable to not more than ten Manhattan [...]
My fiancée Heather and I decided that we would split our Christmastime family visits this year; the first week in Orlando to see mine, the second week in Seattle to see hers. The second full day in Orlando is wrapping as I write this. The trip thus far has been pleasant and relatively uneventful. We’ve done [...]
A co-worker has a lit menorah sitting near his desk. An actual menorah with real fire. That is awesome, but it also seems to me like a violation of at least a couple corporate policies …
I love Christmas. I love Patton Oswalt. I hate sappy, trite Country songs. Those are the reasons I love this video clip.
When I lived in suburbia, my Black Friday tradition was to stay as far away from malls and shopping centers as possible. I maintained this tradition for seven years after moving to New York City. After all, it can be argued that Manhattan is essentially a 22.7-square-mile mall. However, this year, Heather and I decided [...]
My first Thanksgiving with Heather in our own place was fantastic. It was a small gathering: me, Heather, and our friend Sophie. Sophie is from London, so we had the great pleasure of sharing her first American Thanksgiving. We watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Commercial Parade while we cooked, enjoyed an fantastic spread, then tried our [...]
