2004-12-25 - 1:34 a.m. Reflections on a Great XMAS Eve Yesterday was the best XMAS Eve I recall having in a very long time. The lovely Miss Sharon picked me and my 2 heavy bags of crafting supplies up in the morning (I had the day off from work), and we slowly schlepped across town to the Art Store. Once inside the art store, I proceeded to spend about twice as much as I should have thanks to those amazing Italian papers that come in the venetian papered boxes being on sale. I also picked up some gorgeous map papers to support my day's main project: finally compiling my Italy scrapbook from the bags of ephemera that have sat next to my bed for the past 3.65 years. Before getting into the serious crafting, however, I met up with my friend Katie to exchange gifts and then have a fancy lunch at Chez Papa. Katie went the 2 appetizers route: Baby beet salad with green beans, feta cheese and a basil lemon vinaigrette and the open-faced mushroom ravioli with garlic, leeks, fried sage and truffled demi glace. I adore fried sage, but would have liked it to be a tad bit more crispy. It did have a nice earthiness though. I had their Salade Nicoise with seared tuna and whole grain mustard dressing, which was served plated with a mound of frisee and potatoes in the center (with the awesome mustard dressing), and ringed by 3 small pink slices of seared tuna, 3 tiny hard boiled quail eggs, and 3 toasts with a tapenade and an anchovie filet. It makes me want to spend all day making variations on french potato salads. Alas, with the grocery stores closed, that can't happen. For dessert, we had a terrible lavender creme brulee that sported a chewy top layer and a lumpy custard filling. The shortbread cookies sticking out of it were OK though. We did a nice bit of catching up, including conspiring about meeting up for a day in Paris during the Spring when we are both on vacation, and deciding between a handful of cooking classes to take together this Spring (part of her Christmas present to me is her treating me to a HomeChef cooking class that we both attend!) It's funny that she gave me a cooking class -- that was my runner up choice for what I was going to give *her*. We're choosing between a paella, indian, and french/NOLA class. Post-lunch, I went back to Sharon's and got down to some serious crafty business. And despite our breaking for dinner at Luna Park (goat cheese fondue!), and stopping by SF's own Scary XMAS house, and watching Party Monster whilst drinking Roederer champagne, I actually managed to get all my ephemera into my scrapbook. No, I haven't done all the writing or captioning yet, but the basics are finished. And there wasn't even 1 tear shed... well, except over how I wished I could go to Rome right now and take photos. haha. I came home to a bunch more holiday cards and a mix CD from her (yeah! thank you!), and to my happy and warm kitty cat. All in all, a very nice XMAS Eve. Today is a nice lazy day, with picking up the living room and baking my only 2 daytime plans. This evening is all about watching The Life Aquatic + eating thai or chinese food and drinking in the 'loin. Merry Chrismukkah! any comments? (1 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09