Cold Christmas Eve

I wake up with a stuffy nose and a dry throat. It is five AM. It is 0 degrees Fahrenheit outside. It is Christmas Eve.

I down a cup of instant coffee and eat three of brazil nuts and then begin my workout. 30 minutes later, drenched in sweat, I make my breakfast and listen to ESPN radio over the internet. I shower and dress for the office. Christmas Eve is just another day here. Well, mostly. The kids being in the international department of Fangcaodi have the week off school whereas the rest of the students need to go to school. For our house these means the kids are still asleep when I head out the door for work. Normally, they are leaving at the same time as me and I get to harass them about waking up and eating some breakfast. On this morning, I am missing that.

0F is cold even for for Beijing. It is especially cold for someone who grew up in California. Cold enough that I would not want to make the 15 minute bike to the subway that I do most mornings. But today isn't most mornings. The kids are not going to school which means the man who drives our kids to school isn't coming over either. Which means I get to drive to work.

I get to work and breeze through the day. I am on-call this week which means I could be interrupted for some faux emergency at any time. It also means I have a license to not do any real work but being on-call. Need to be prepared with fuel in the take should that call come in at three in the morning. Surely, it won't be Santa.

I take off and get home early from work which means I get home at a reasonable time. I shop for the food that I feel compelled to make. Mom's lasagna. Apple pie. Gingerbread men. It is hard to find certain ingredients such as Ricotta for the lasagna and molasses for the gingerbread men. I never do find the molasses.

It is 6pm now and Yang just picked up the elders to pick up gifts at the new mall. Christmas is about gifts for them. Wrapped or unwrapped. They will have sushi for dinner while me and Elisa will eat something here and the Ayi and her husband will cook for themselves.

Tomorrow is expected to be as cold as today.