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i normally don't celebrate christmas but i was invited to a small holiday dinner by my neighbors bruce and jack, along with their landlord friends susan and dennis. bruce wore special glasses for the occasion. i brought some flowers and two bottles of wine (australian red and a japanese plum wine). jack made dinner: pork tenderloins wrapped in bacon, a potato stew with fruits and dates, and some string beans. susan and dennis had presents for everyone. bruce and jack got an amaryllis plant while i got a southeastern asia dvd. dessert came in form of an apple cake made by susan, served with heaps of ice cream. by the second piece i almost burst from overeating and sheer sugar overload. the visual highlight of the evening was when bruce brought out his ice penguin centerpiece, dyed with food colors for those holiday hues. later he brought out two abortive attempts, a blue penguin and a blueish green penguin. we talked about finding televisions, eskimo cholesterol, neighborhood gossip, baby seal blubber, nagging aging parents who are seemingly immortal, natural springs (sulfurous or carbonated kind), why dennis is so thin and hairy, and seeing famous local politicians.

the rest of the day i woke up late, had some pound cake with a glass of coffee milk, and then watched movies from my bedroom. although my roommate was home, he stayed in his room throughout the day and we never actually saw each other. it's weird to think today is only a thursday, since it feels like the weekend.