Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Up and at ’em!
We were up fairly early and greeted by Mark and Colleen, who clearly had a plan. Before I knew it, we were all in the car headed to South Coast Plaza Crystal Court, where I was gently—but effectively—hog-tied into buying a new computer, since mine had officially entered its “needs reading glasses and complains about updates” phase.
Amy met us there as she was also getting a new computer. We all laughed and giggled a lot as we watched the flow of dollar bills wash over the sales counter. When the lady salesperson hit the buy key, I began gyrating uncontrollably… I almost scared her to death.
The girls left the Apple Store to visit the local shops, with Lululemon as the main attraction.
While Mark and I were inside, the girls went shopping!
At the same time, I finished purchasing the new iMac; the girls texted us and asked for help. Mark jumped up, knowing he needed a two-wheeled cart since the girls were shopping.
They texted us, asking for assistance with their purchases.
I got worried, so I hid my wallet, claiming insanity!
We did order a new shirt for Bill Capps since he likes Lululemon so much! With Bill’s new Lululemon shirt, the restaurant had to dim the lights and provide dark glasses to the other guests. Bill kept humming the tune, “I Feel Pretty”, from West Side Story.
Gee Bill, you light up the room!
We made reservations at “One Hung Low”, also known as “Din Tai Fung”. Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant chain specializing in Chinese cuisine.
Mark and I had martinis; Mark is partial to little flowers!
Drink? Who, me?
This drink required further inspection! It is a Lycee Nut Martini. Despite its nickname, the lychee nut is not actually a nut—it is a tropical fruit from the soapberry family native to southern China. Known for its translucent flesh, floral flavor, and tough, leathery exterior, this delicacy has a fascinating history dating back thousands of years.
I was immediately attracted to the flower; it’s also MY color!
We slurped down the drinks in record time and then began dining on dumplings, ribs, fried rice, and many other goodies. Great fun!
First class Chinese delights.
We ordered ribs, which I thought we were going to share, but I tried to get one with my chopsticks, and whammo, a hand came out of nowhere, inflicting great amounts of pain, and a voice said, “HANDS OFF”.
SLAP !! I dropped my ribs, and Mark immediately picked them up
Mary and I tried to dissuade Mark from attacking anyone who got close to the ribs, but alas, we gave up after several knuckles being hit by chopsticks.
Who? Us?
We left South Coast Plaza and headed home to set up the new router and connect it to the house network. It took about an hour, but once we were finished, we were getting 1,050 Mbps at the router and much faster speeds on the iMac.
When the new iMac arrives in two weeks with its upgraded WiFi capabilities, things will be blazingly fast!
Colleen and Mark headed to La Mirada to visit family before returning to our house.
While the kids were done, Domi called and wanted to bring some REAL Mexican food over! She brought enchiladas, which were “flat” and were delicious. She used the corn husks from our garden. “Flat tamales” generally refers to either tamales oaxaqueños (wrapped in banana leaves) or tamales de elote (sweet corn tamales). They are made with spread masa and a center filling, but instead of being rolled and pinched like traditional corn husk tamales, they are folded into flat, neat squares or rectangles and tightly wrapped in leaves.
Yummy!!
When the kids got home, we all enjoyed Domi’s creation and sat on the patio until it began to get chilly.
