Errands and memories

This morning I had minor errands to run at large stores in Knoxville. It was interesting to visit the mall on Christmas Eve. It was busy but the stores are large enough that it still felt safely distanced and I found that I even enjoyed the experience. I may not have much reason to visit malls at Christmastime but it is good to know that they are there and accessible and just as before, for when that is more a part of my life again. It probably reminded me of past holidays in the US with family, in easier times. I look forward to next Christmas already been an easier time, once I am settled properly into my home and work.

On the way to Knoxville, on the radio I caught the end of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College. I didn't realize what it was at first, though of course the readings are very familiar. That also reminded me of good things: My time attending church, though now I neither live with a believer nor am one myself, so it would seem strange to go even though I would be at home there. Also, how much I appreciated Evensong in winter at King's, I could come from the dark and cold into the chapel, sit in the stalls near the choir and enjoy the excellent music. I am grateful that I took the opportunity when I could.

A holiday break for nice foods

For these few days around Christmas I have decided to treat myself by dropping much of my routine healthful food and fasting, instead simply eating what I will enjoy. Lunch today includes a ready meal of chicken fettucine alfredo to which I am adding more broccoli as I still had some left in the refrigerator. I also have some jalapeno poppers in the oven. My dessert afterward is some of the parkin I baked last weekend together with a banana and some Reese's pieces. For later on I shall probably opt for a small beef and bean chili cornbread pie and some of a bar of classic fruit cake that I was pleased to find as I can regard it as being this year's Christmas cake.

Update: I should add that I have a Cornish hen thawing in the refrigerator for tomorrow.

A surprising lack of English

Many consumer products come from East Asia and are accompanied by instruction manuals whose writing varies from the strange to the nonsensical. I am surprised to find that even my microwave's manual is so clearly not written with any fluency. Toshiba is a major international corporation, can they really not have somebody whose English is good write or at least review their customer-facing bulk-printed materials? Apparently not.