Dim Sum and Christmas Cookies

I mentioned that I went to Writers With Drinks on Saturday; I didn't mention that my parents stopped in the City to visit that afternoon. They were driving up from San Jose to Davis to see my bro and spent most of the day here.

When the folks visit SF, they like to get dim sum, but they hinted they didn't like the place we went to last time, so we tried a place my friend Mark recommended: S&T Hong Kong Seafood. Result? The best dim sum I've had in SF. Sauteed broccoli, crispy noodles, sticky rice we gobbled right out of the lotus leaf, potstickers, and mushroom shumai.

For the rest of the afternoon, I put Jake and Glinda to work in the garden. After taking them to Sloat Garden Center, I got their help potting plants, digging holes for shade-loving shrubs, and weeding. Jake was happy to help, so long as I got him a beer and loaned him my soccer cleats (these days my father either wears dress shoes or crocs and Saturday he was feeling dressy). Glinda was happy to help as well as point out that we bought the wrong size pots (but then she went down to Plant It Earth with me to buy the right one).

On Sunday, I mentioned I went with St. Frances to church; I didn't mention that night she got all of us together to decorate Christmas cookies, drink eggnog (which Ash generously spiked), and watch Love Actually. Thanks to St. Frances, it's become something of a holiday tradition, and we can quote most of the movie, calling out the lines right before the actors say them:

"There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?"

"Duh."

And finally, after a trip to the dollar store to buy pink and purple candles, St. Frances and I made and advent wreath. Today, I've tried to limit my Christmas cookie intake to no more than four.