I played with software on Christmas day this year, creating two covers for two bogus magazines I’ve written about in years past. And then I smoked and reverse seared three enormous ribeye steaks. Just another day in the Arkansas outback. Christmas day did not materialize quite as the plans had forecast, but that’s okay; too many voices in the house can be deafening. Until around 3:45 p.m., there was just my wife and me. She took a long nap from late morning until mid-afternoon, so I had time to play with Microsoft Publisher and entertain myself with inane endeavors. Later in the day, her sister came over and we finished cooking, albeit with some surprising adjustments. After smoking the steaks until their internal temperature reached 110 degrees, they looked positively raw. I was concerned the meal was not going to play out as planned, but I pan seared three monstrous one-inch-plus-thick ribeyes on a cast-iron skillet, using the propane burner on my grill on the deck. They turned out just fine and graced our Christmas plates with aplomb. But we only needed one of the three to feed us, so we have cooked steak in the refrigerator for future meals. After our early dinner, I played my Spotify playlist of Christmas music while they enjoyed a few games of Sequence. All in all, it was a throwaway day, but one that I enjoyed. I hope that anyone reading these words had an equally enjoyable Christmas. Maybe next year we’ll organize a more traditional day, suited to the season.
