Christmas 2013.....
Dec. 25th, 2013 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1Another Christmas Day has come and gone. How did I spend it?
In the morning, I went to my ex-wife's house and recorded my daughter opening up her presents. Once again, she made out like a bandit. Her haul this year: A Nintendo 3DS game system, games for it, a Polaroid tablet, and three My Little Pony stuffed animals (Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie). She also got some DVDs -- Brother Bear 2, The Croods, and Equestria Girls.
In the afternoon, I attended a Christmas potluck dinner at the Miami Valley UU Fellowship. We had great food and conversation, which is something I crave around the holiday season. I don't have family or relatives nearby (other than my ex), so this time of the year I often feel the pain of loneliness. My contributions to the potluck: green bean casserole, a pannetone (Italian sweet bread), and polpo marinaro (marinated octopus). I used my uncle Yano's recipe to prepare the octopus. I boiled it in red wine and seasonings, then cut it into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears, and had a nice big bowl for the marinade. It came out "right"; it had the flavor I remember.
Since I'm pretty much isolated, I buy my own gifts. The nice thing about this is that I rarely have to go back to the store and spend time in the returns queue. So what did I get for myself this year?
- A Nexus 7 tablet. (I've been wanting one for just over a year.)
- A Garmin Nüvi 50 GPS.
- An Insignia 32" LCD TV. (This will replace the 24-year old 20" RCA tube TV I have in the living room. Plus, Best Buy gave me the proverbial offer I couldn't refuse: A $1000 line of credit, and no interest if I pay it off within 18 months.)
- A Yamaha WX11 wind synth controller.
- Hands Across The Centuries, a book on the history of the Delta Chi Fraternity.
- The 2014 World Almanac and Book of Facts.
- A Macally external hard drive enclosure and a Western Digital 2 Tb drive.
- A 1.5 liter tea pot. (Capacity was estimated.) [Actually, it's closer to 40 oz.]
- A portable room humidifier, which will go in my travel bag.
In the morning, I went to my ex-wife's house and recorded my daughter opening up her presents. Once again, she made out like a bandit. Her haul this year: A Nintendo 3DS game system, games for it, a Polaroid tablet, and three My Little Pony stuffed animals (Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie). She also got some DVDs -- Brother Bear 2, The Croods, and Equestria Girls.
In the afternoon, I attended a Christmas potluck dinner at the Miami Valley UU Fellowship. We had great food and conversation, which is something I crave around the holiday season. I don't have family or relatives nearby (other than my ex), so this time of the year I often feel the pain of loneliness. My contributions to the potluck: green bean casserole, a pannetone (Italian sweet bread), and polpo marinaro (marinated octopus). I used my uncle Yano's recipe to prepare the octopus. I boiled it in red wine and seasonings, then cut it into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears, and had a nice big bowl for the marinade. It came out "right"; it had the flavor I remember.
Since I'm pretty much isolated, I buy my own gifts. The nice thing about this is that I rarely have to go back to the store and spend time in the returns queue. So what did I get for myself this year?
- A Nexus 7 tablet. (I've been wanting one for just over a year.)
- A Garmin Nüvi 50 GPS.
- An Insignia 32" LCD TV. (This will replace the 24-year old 20" RCA tube TV I have in the living room. Plus, Best Buy gave me the proverbial offer I couldn't refuse: A $1000 line of credit, and no interest if I pay it off within 18 months.)
- A Yamaha WX11 wind synth controller.
- Hands Across The Centuries, a book on the history of the Delta Chi Fraternity.
- The 2014 World Almanac and Book of Facts.
- A Macally external hard drive enclosure and a Western Digital 2 Tb drive.
- A 1.5 liter tea pot. (Capacity was estimated.) [Actually, it's closer to 40 oz.]
- A portable room humidifier, which will go in my travel bag.
