Everone in the P– household except for me is recovering from the flu. Apparently, last year’s flu shot that I received provided some protection. After my half-baked attempts to provide tea for everyone, P-‘s mom came over and whipped up dinner, a variety of chinese teas and soups, and steamed the place with vinegar to disinfect the house. P was still sick today, so she skipped out on Christmas dinner with my family, which was just as well.
A 9.0 earthquake near Sumatra, Indonesia (a place Americans only know as some place where Starbucks gets their coffee) set off a massive tsunami that wiped out 9 countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, killing upwards of 15,000 people. Malaysia was one of them, so there was consternation in figuring out if any relatives were involved, and apparently they were not. We had thought that it had hit the eastern coast, but actually it was the western one. It only goes to prove that maybe Americans are not that good at geography, but it’s not our fault if the locals can’t figure it out either. Everyone will be looking at this disaster as a dozen times worse than the summer hurricanes.
We had brunch at Chango on Sunday. OK, but we went crazy with the included mimosas and bloody marys. The mariachi were also good (the title is from a sappy song that they were singing).
It’s the first serious snowstorm in New York, with 1-3 inches expected. I’m headed to Toronto on Tuesday, so I hope that things clear up (the weather and P’s flu) by then. I’m also putting together my annual New Year’s message by tomorrow, in lieu of Christmas cards. I hope to have it done by tomorrow night.