Post-Christmas | Mo 12/26

This entry was condensed since I wrote about it from memory days afterwards. It isn't being published until even later after.

• Woke up at 11, but fell back asleep and woke up again at 12. Hurried to get ready for lunch.
• We went to Umami Burger in the Grove. The restaurant was great, but Adrian spilled his drink and took heavy psychic damage from the experience. The Grove is very cute if pricey as a mall, and I enjoyed the vibe.
• We went back home to pick up Helen for ice cream and let Adrian change. Someone, "Meka J" license plate from Arkansas, cut off Adrian and traumatized him on the way though.
• Adrian and I had a nice conversation about him living in LA, how prices have gone up since he moved, he doesn't feel tied to here, and feels like he did everything he wanted here. It made me ask what I've enjoyed from my trip and if I think it'd be worth the cost of living (even though the "mid-game"/6-fig salary living in the suburbs is very comfortable according to Adrian).
• We went to Portillos with Helen for a cake shake, which was very nostalgic to drink again after so long. Afterwards we visited Adrian's old apartment and gym in OC. Then we explored an HMart to kill time before going to Sup Noodle for dinner with Annie.
• Even though we expected a wait, it was 2 hours in the end. We tried killing time by exploring another HMart nearby and chatting for a while, but it was pretty tiring. The food itself was great though: lomo saltado and pho with free noodle refills were fantastic.
• Afterwards we hung out at HMart a bit more to use their restrooms. Adrian commented on how Helen and Annie were talking a lot and seemed to get along, but my response was something I've felt for a while. I told him that girls can talk a lot even though they may not seem like they would. I swear I overheard them talking about preferences in guys during dinner, which was strange to hear at the time for both me and Adrian, but I guess girls chat about a lot more than guys do on average.
• We went to an ice cream place Honeymee on a whim and it was tasty. It was interesting hearing Adrian share about his experiences when new to the OC, visiting places like HMart, Sup Noodle, and Honeymee. I also shared about K8tvan of all people, which was funny to remember.
• Afterwards we went home expecting to do the diet coke blind test, but decided to save it for tomorrow