Things of note in San Jose.

La Victoria, particularly their orange sauce; brunch time depravity at Hobee’s (guava and papaya Mimosas, and The Time I Hit an Armored Car (true story)); soy lattes from Peet’s Coffee; Cindy’s famous Christmas cookie platter, including the cakey Christmas trees with pillowy green frosting, Mexican wedding cookies, and chocolate-peanut butter diamonds; troglodytes out en masse (including, and perhaps most especially, us); confessional beer drinking; Christmas Evening Sad Times at the Marmist (the X-Files theme song and lethal vodka tonics); sharp cheddar cheese, Coke, and ibuprofen before 9 a.m. = Best Hangover Cure Ever; I am a teetotaler now (at least until cocktail hour); driving by the fancy houses in Saratoga; driving by our childhood homes; so many orange trees posing against an impossibly blue sky; how many people have been so good to me; Trader Joe’s (deeply missed); Voodoo stationery; the way exhaustion (for those blessed with my good health) is largely mental; fearless flying; Hello, Cleveland; sunbursts sparkling against my wrist; how long have you had your affliction?; the way things change and never do in San Jose; palm trees and neon signs; Trivial Pursuit; cooking show commentary with us serving as the peanut gallery; seeing the place where you grew up with fresh eyes; driving aimlessly with Li; firsthand experience of the way time renders our landscapes obsolete; lifelong friendships; home safe and so very lucky.

 

Look! I have friends! 

 

Christmas Evening Sad Times at the Marmist