Wednesday, December 25, 2002

Oatmeal and cereal for breakfast at home with Patrick. Dim Sum at Harbor Village (415-781-8833, Four Embarcadero Center). Embarcadero Ice skating. I napped while Patrick did laundry. Skipped dinner because we were still full of dim sum. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. We chatted about the film while I ate leftover dim sum for a midnight snack before bed. The film is visually impressive and was entertaining. I had to set aside multiple disbeliefs. The main characters could go on hundred-mile hikes with no shoes and not complain about their feet. They could fight against-all-odds battles with swords and arrows on an occasional diet of old bread and no water. They could take unexpected dips into swamps and rivers, then change into a fresh set of clothes that you didn't see someone else was carrying. One character could shoot hundreds of arrows, but he always had 12 arrows in his quiver—he never ever ran out but you also never ever saw him making or buying new arrows. Christmas gifts: Sam and his mom Dianne gave us a pound of P.J.'s Viennese blend coffee, a coffee grinder, a book about chocolate called Chocolate by Christine McFadden and Christine France, a Fossil watch with Chinese symbols on the face indicating the hours, and a Burt's Bees gift sampler. We gave Sam chocolates and a pair of workout pants and bumblebee soap from L'Occitane. We gave Brian and Kelly a set of travel postcards. We gave Amy and David a set of Phaidon postcards and for their kitty cat George, a pack of dried herring.