Christmas

A lot of people have noted in recent emails that it must be difficult to be so far from home during the holidays. And they were right. Of course it's tough. What kind of a machine would I be if it wasn't tough?

Especially this year. Some things about this year made it especially tough. But there were also some things that made it easier. Like having good people here to celebrate with, and good people back home sending me lovin.

So I want to dedicate this blog [albeit a little belatedly] to the people who made these holidays great. The e-mailers, the text-messagers, the fed-exers. You made me feel like I was back home even though I was eating camel hump instead of roast turkey.



[Your eyes don't deceive you. In this picture I am holding in my hands focaccia from the Liguria Bakery in North Beach. While this photo might make you think "Wow she sure is happy, maybe I'll go to SF and get some for her and send it to Kazakhstan," I have to tell you that I don't recommend doing so. I don't deny that it was the emotional high point of my holidays when I opened this package, sat for a moment staring in disbelief, and then frantically started the oven, waited like a kid on christmas for it to heat up and sat all jittery watching it cook through the little window in the oven door, and then devoured it all before my host bros got a chance to try to steal any. This is all true. However I do question whether it's healthy to eat focaccia bread that has been through the journey that this focaccia bread had. So as much as I want to say "Hey! Send me my favorite parishable food items, it's ok!" I think I should quit while I'm ahead.]