the lead-up to Christmas

I'm writing this after dinner on Boxing Day, leftovers from Christmas (of course!).  It's a nice, easy evening, which aligns with the past couple of days.  Rain aside (and we do need rain, but less at one time and more often), it's been just the most delightful Christmas in some time.  No entertaining, little cooking.  A really good time of it.

Christmas Eve eve, the 23rd, Conrad and I took ourselves to Maestro for the last time this year.  We're heading out of town Sunday, and we have leftovers still to eat, so yes, our last time.  We sat at the bar, as usual, and had drinks to start.  I've been loving the Fall Sour that they've had as a seasonal cocktail lately, so I had that. 

Conrad went with a Last Word. 

I love that he loves those so much.  We shared plantain chips with guacamole

and then the lamb shank, which was a huge portion, wow!

It was an early dinner, and we had the rest of the evening to enjoy, so we came home and put on some Christmas music and read.  I enjoyed a chocolate martini as well. 

The night wound down, we headed to bed, eager for Christmas Eve.

And then it was Christmas Eve.  And it was raining. 

We have a rain gauge on our roof, and it recorded almost 5 inches of rain on December 24 alone.  Official records are sure to be less, but we still had a month of rain in one day, more or less.  Conrad and I made our way - with umbrellas! - to Amara to enjoy breakfast sitting inside,

then came home to toss our clothes in the dryer and relax before heading out on errands.  We got things done on Wednesday:  picking up food, wrapping a few gifts, setting the table for Christmas. 

An accomplished day, not an overwhelming one.  We even made time to swing down by the Rose Bowl to see how much water was running in the channel through the arroyo. 

The answer:  clearly more than usual!

By the end of the afternoon, we were organized and packing up the car and heading to Van's for the evening an overnight.  We had presents to put under his tree

(and one to open early

so that we could use them for the cocktails).  Pre-dinner drinks,

and then a BC wine with dinner (2023 Joie Noble Blend). 

Van made us lobster tails and baked potatoes and peas,

and we dined very well, indeed.  Bellies full, we unwound after dinner (and Olive found her way over to her favoured Plan C). 

There was dessert, but even better, there were Grasshopper cocktails to sip after dinner.

We went to bed by 11, awaiting Santa.  No, not really, but the nostalgia of that is fun!  Just the same, though, we'd had a lovely couple of days in the lead-up to Christmas, and more enjoyable time was to come. 

Christmas Eve 2024

Our first full day with Marie was a good one, and not just because I sent her out to enjoy some time outside of the condo, having lunch and hanging out with Van.  No, it was just a nice day all in all.

Marie's been having some back pain, so we didn't do our usual walk (and I am still battling a low grade cold and sleeping in a whole lot).  We did make it down to Amara for breakfast, though, which was nice.  We picked up the pan de jamon for the next day as well.  Not long after we got back, we headed back out to Delight to pick up the Bûche de Noël for Christmas dinner.  I confess, I couldn't resist the special Christmas raspberry-filled croissant.

Those errands done, I set to work in the kitchen and Marie went out to enjoy her day.  I got some cooking done, Conrad and I popped out to see about one or two other things, then I got to organizing the stockings. 

By end of afternoon, the condo was fully ready for the next day, and we headed over to Van's, full of Christmas cheer

and ready to give Olive some loving.

I love when other people do the cooking.  Oh, sure, I made cocktails and did prep work for the dinner, but Van did the real cooking.

 

A simple meal - three items on the plate.  But three good ones.  Lobster tails!  Loaded baked potatoes!  And green beans for a hint of veg. 

We enjoyed cocktails before dinner, wine with dinner, and Marie and I indulged in some limoncello afterward.

The rest of the evening before bed was devoted to a bit of television, watching the documentary on the making and legacy of Wham's Last Christmas. 

I caught a cute video of the three of them singing and clapping along to the song, but I shall keep that to myself rather than post it here.  Olive did not see any doggies on screen to park at, so she stayed mellow the rest of the evening.

To bed with us.  Christmas was almost upon us, and it would be a good day, too!

Ben Platt brunch

A break from the Italy posts for you all (all two of you!).  Life otherwise continues on, after all.  Heck, I even have to go to the office later this morning (and I am up waaaaay too early - it's 4:45 at the moment), so that will be fun, or something like that.

Yesterday, though, we got to go to a fun little event.  On Saturday, Van had seen an email about a brunch for the benefit of the Grammy Museum at a restaurant in North Hollywood we'd enjoyed in February with Courtney and Robert.  Brunch and a performance.  By Ben Platt.

I've turned into quite the Platt fan this year, it seems.  I've been loving his Honeymind album, and one of the songs will be at or near the top of my 2024 songs list.  His concert at the Greek earlier this summer was fantastic.  So when Van

asked if the three of us should go, it was an easy yes for me.

Verse was once a recording studio, I think.  Now a restaurant with a good bar and food, it's a place with great acoustics for live and intimate music. 

The seating was first come, first serve, and we ended up being not especially close to the front.  Not a concern, happily.  We were placed at a table of six with another party of three and ended up having a good time chatting with them.  The restaurant is clearly not used to sending out a hundred plates of the same course all at once, so the service lagged, but I didn't mind.  I sipped my rose and enjoyed the first course of a little mushroom tart

and then the main of a lobster Benedict. 

And then Ben came on.

The show was like an excerpt of the Greek performance, and that was totally fine.  He focused on his current album, he did the same couple of covers that he had done at that summer concert. 

Conrad, who had missed the Greek concert because he was sick, loved what he heard.  Ben was great.  Terrific singing, clearly so deeply happy and in love with his new husband.  It was well worth going.

And then we came home where, despite my best efforts, I ended up napping late in the afternoon.  Sigh.

Ben Platt

There have been past years when I've gone to more concerts.  2022 was an especially good year, and hey, it's hard to top seeing Pulp last year in Glasgow.  And it's not that this year has been bad, per se.  Kraftwerk was pretty awesome after all.

Last night, though, was one of the best concerts I have been to in ages.  So, thank you, Ben Platt.

I was aware of Ben Platt and Dear Evan Hansen thanks to RuPaul's Drag Race, but the first time I heard anything from him was when Van shared a song, Grow as You Go.  Lovely song.  But I still didn't know his stuff.  The first movie I saw at the theaters after things closed for the pandemic was the film version of Dear Evan Hansen, and that did NOT make me a fan of either the musical (which is really icky if you stop to think about it) or of Platt (he may have won the Tony for the role on Broadway, but he was too old and did not know how to act on camera).  I saw a streaming movie with him, and thought only mildly better of him.  Not a fan for a while.  No hate, just not a fan.

But I saw he was coming to the Greek, and I suggested it.  And Van was resistant at first.  Ah, but the album came out, and he and I listened to it.  A lot.  Andrew is going to be one of my top songs of this year.  Love it.  And I mentioned the concert again, and this time Van was eager to go.

Yes, Conrad was invited!

Conrad, alas, also came down with a cold.  So he stayed home with Olive, and Van and I headed to the Greek Theatre.  We got there early enough to enjoy a dinner of a lobster "po' boy" (a lobster roll, let's be real)

that was sold at concession prices and yet was actually kind of worth it.  Tasty!  We took our seats in time for the opening act,

and then let the night unfold.

Brandy Clark opened for Platt. 

She duets with him on his new album on one song, and it's good.  But I don't know her otherwise.  Country/Broadway, and a great voice.  The lesbians behind us LOVED her (we chatted with them about her).  A worthy opener.

And then Platt came on.

Sparkly shirt. 

Oh yes, he is VERY gay.  And hooray for that!  His set was terrific. 

He brought out Laufey for one song

and Brandy Clark for another.  He sang Andrew and some others that I've been enjoying.  He did not do any Evan Hansen, and I am really very fine with that.

Verdict?  A really great show, and one that (sorry) Conrad would have liked.  A beautiful summer night for it, too.

Next up will be the Greek again, in September.  This time it will be Thievery Corporation.  We'll see how that is by comparison to Ben!