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Chili and Rice
There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas.
-- Robert Lynd
Wednesday, December 23, 1998
One year ago: Gifts for Who?
Hey, it's the year anniversary of my digital camera! I've certainly had a lot of fun with the Sony Mavica. See my photos page for examples.
I spent yesterday and today buying a few presents, and getting things ready for my trip to dance camp next week. They provided a list of recommended stuff to bring, and since I'm driving myself, I have the room to take whatever I want. I even treated myself to a string of Christmas lights in the form of roses; they'll look very pretty decorating my dorm room.
My throat has been sore for the last few days. I do not want to have a cold during Swingout Northwest! If I do have a rhinovirus, it seems to be progressing fairly fast, so I'll probably be over it by Saturday.
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I don't know if Jack quite had this in mind last Sunday, but when he suggested several possibilities for us to get together before Christmas, I took him up on more than one. So in addition to spending the evening with him that day, we were getting together tonight. (Poor Jack is in the throes of mourning for a crashed hard drive. Back up your files, right now! This page will still be here when you get back.)
I think he had originally envisioned this as a nice, relaxed evening. Maybe we'd go look at Christmas lights, or see a movie, or something. But the weather changed our plans. It's supposed to start snowing late tonight, and snow several inches by midday tomorrow. This would be the very time when Jack and his daughters were going to drive to his parents' place, and the forecast for the Columbia Gorge is even worse! I sent him mail this morning, suggesting that he should leave tonight!
So I went over there in the late afternoon, and gave A---, Jack's older daughter, the news that she and her father would be leaving tonight. Jack arrived from work, and we started wrapping presents. Apparently in Jack's family, presents should be neatly wrapped, and there should be lots of bows and ribbons. No wonder he was amused when I used brown packing tape on the gifts I gave him the other night! A--- was wrapping presents in the living room, and Jack was doing the same in his office, which was rather cramped quarters for the task. I could tell they were related: both kept mislaying the scissors and tape, over and over. Some missing gift tags were also a sore point: Jack knew he'd bought a big package of them, but they couldn't be found until almost all the gifts were already wrapped (and tagged using snippets of wrapping paper). The tags were found inside the cabinet at the foot of the stairs (and I'm guessing Jack put them there).
We ate chili and rice for dinner, the chili containing elk (!), beef, and andouille sausage. My contribution was some of that sage derby cheese with crackers. Jack was dubious because of the green color of the cheese, but his daughter liked it. The chili was good!
When the snow started (earlier in Redmond where he lives than in Seattle where I do), I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and got ready to leave. I asked for a nice hug, and got it. I won't see Jack again until the new year! Even A---- gave me a hug as I was leaving, which surprised and pleased me.
I did slide a bit on the entrance ramp to the highway, which freaked me out, but the closer I got to Seattle, the better the road conditions got. Jack will have a long drive tonight, but if they didn't go tonight, I don't think they'd be able to make it at all!
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