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And the winner is...
Carolynn! Drop me an email and let me know your mailing address (or if you'll be at the meeting next week, I'll just bring it then.)In other news, Passover is well on it's way. Two days in and I'm already tired of matza. This doesn't bode well for the duration. Wednesday was a crazy busy day. I ran around doing last minute shopping until about 3, then came home to have The Boy move furniture while I made soup. Lots of soup. Two big pots of soup. But boy, did my apartment smell yummy.The evening went smashingly, without the smashing of plates or glasses. We managed to fit three tables, 14 chairs, and 14 people into my apartment...and there was still room to maneuver. Well, mostly. Note to self, in the future, don't give inside seat at card table to the 6'1" guy. It's just mean, not to mention a hazard to all wine glasses. I love hosting gatherings at my place, and Wednesday was no exception. Despite the matza crumbs that I'm sure are still hiding in the carpet, despite the fact I've managed to lose (and quite possibly throw out) the spout cover to my tea pot, I'm already looking forward to the next get together.Labels: contests, holidays, Jewish musings
The one where you don't eat...
Anyone who reads my blog even semi-regularly knows that when it comes to the Jewish Holidays, I'm all about tradition. There are special foods, special prayers, special rituals...you get the idea. Of course, my favorite traditions are the special foods. Especially if those foods involve anything with the word "kugel" in them. My least favorite holidays are the ones where you don't eat. The ones where we are expected to fast from one time to the other without even a drop of water. Me and not eating? Yeah, bitter enemies isn't a strong enough description. Ask any Tiara and she'll tell you exactly what happens if I'm not fed regularly...and it's not pretty. However, on those holidays where we don't eat, there is a shining bright light...FOOD! See, before the fast begins it's tradition to eat a big meal. Then it's tradition to Break the Fast with another large meal at the end. So tonight I'm off to Mom's for Kol Nidre dinner, which involved me baking an apple kugel. Hopefully this time the center will actually cook. And maybe, while we're at it, the cleaning fairy will come take care of my kitchen. Yeah, you're right...I better keep dreaming. So here's to an easy fast for those of you fasting. And to a happy and healthy new year. Shanah Tovah!Labels: food, Jewish musings
Yoga, WASL, Passover and writing...
 Also known as: How to drive Erin insane in a week.
My students began the WASL last week. They all seem to be doing fine, and are handling it very well. I, on the other hand, am a basket case. I just want one normal day. One where I don't have to check, double-check, and then re-check what time they all go to recess. One where I know when they have art/music/PE (or if they even have one of them). I want a day where I can plan my lessons and be reasonably assured I'll get to teach them...and not just teach the science lesson (dissecting owl pellets takes forever!!). And since I was such a wreck all week, I decided to give yoga a third (or was it a fourth?) chance. This time it  went fairly well, all things considered. Well, until the next day when moving my arms took an immense amount of effort. I still don't believe humans are meant to bend these ways. One move required me to stand on one leg, bent over at the hips, while using one arm for balance and the other extended up in the air above me. Then I was supposed to twist. The directions alone are were confusing enough, let alone the execution of them. But I will admit to feeling pretty darn zen-like by the end, when we got to my favorite pose. You know, the one where you lie flat on your back like a corspe? Yeah, I really like that one. Saturday brought the first night of Passover (Pesach to those in the know), and 8 guests to my apartment. I worked in the a.m., and the guests were due at 6:30. Theoretically this left me with about 5 hours (give or take 30 minutes) to make the charoset (yummy apples & nuts mixture), clean the apartment and set up the table. At 4:30 I finally made it home from the second grocery store of the day, with most of the ingredients I needed. Among all of this madness (or is this just normal life in my world?) I needed to get 55 pages of my manuscript read so that I can dive back into work this week. It was close. Sunday at noon I was still 25 pages short and looking at another Seder that was guaranteed to go well passed my bedtime (and it did). But I did it. I buckled down at the computer and read. And read. Ate some matza, and read some more. And while I have an obnoxious craving for all things bread/pasta related, I'm just about ready to get back to the writing of WHISI. Labels: Jewish musings, teaching, writers aren't crazy, writing
A pronunciation guide for Rachel Ray...
Okay, I have to write this. You can ignore my rant if you'd like but I'm going to share regardless. Ms. Ray, the word is challah, with a gutteral "ch" sound. It should sound like you are trying to clear your throat, or perhaps hack up something distasteful. It is not pronounced Hallah, Holla, or Hola. Does the word start with an h? No. It does not, therefor it is not pronounced like the Gwen Stefani song "Holla Back." Okay? Are we clear? I enjoy your show, and would like to continue to watch, but will have to stop if you continue to butcher the words you speak. Thank you.Labels: Jewish musings, pronounce it right please, random musings
And the winner is...
The Chanukah festivities began today with a brunch-time gathering with friends. About 14-15 of us gathered in my friends' home to share in latkes (potato pancakes), home-made sufganyot (donuts), and many other yummy treats. It was an afternoon of food, fun, games and conversation...all of which were capped off by our gift exchange. We played by the rules that before you opened a new gift, you had the option to "steal" from another participant. The most traded was probably the Starbucks gift card. Never mind that as one friend pointed out, we could all go and buy  our own $10 card if we really wanted to. It wasn't the amount...it was the principal!
At one point I almost walked away with this lovely prize, but another friend stole it. The menorah lights up when you pour in hot liquid. And in the end? I walked away with the gift card. Yay!Labels: holidays, Jewish musings
Never thought I'd see the day...
when I couldn't even walk into a synagogue without having to explain myself. I attended an even tonight at one of the local synagogues. Not only was I stopped at the door by a security guard in full flak gear (is that the right term??), but he wasn't about to let me pass if I gave the wrong answer. Now, I realize that occasionally I might be what some people consider intimidating...on a bad day. When I'm hungry, tired and have dealt with screaming third graders for 15 hours. But tonight? Tonight I was good. I had good food with good conversation. I was happy, if not a little sleepy after my smashed potatoes. I was looking downright innocent. Still, this guy wasn't about to let me pass. What is this world coming to when I can't walk into a place of worship without announcing my intentions and waiting for clearance? I'm sure if I'd even attempted to joke with this man, he'd have pulled out the handcuffs without evening giving me a chance to explain. What a sad state of affairs when people are so scared, they wouldn't dream of keeping a temple open without an armed (and trained) guard around to protect the people within. *sigh*Labels: Jewish musings, random musings
Just a theory...
***Please note, the following post is purely the product of a mind in desperate need of more sleep...Friday night brought me on my semi-annual Shabbat dinner at the Rabbi's house. Only the hostess was not one of the rabbi's, and I don't think I actually saw any of the rabbi's. But that's neither here nor there. No, what's important is that I went. I left my comfort zone behind and attended dinner with 9 strangers, with the express goal of having a good time. And I did. Have a good time that is. But more importantly, I was remdinded of a theory of mine. See, in Judaism we have many, many, many...many rituals. We have rituals for births, deaths, marriage, bread, wine, dinner...you name it, there's a ritual. We even have one for handwashing before a meal. Which is more like hand rinsing, but again neither here nor there. So the ritual for hand rinsing goes a bit like this: -Wait in line for the sink with the special cup. -Talk to your neighbors while waiting. -Rinse hands while laughing about how you can never remember the words to the prayer; say prayer.-Walk silently back to table to await the blessing over the challah. This last step is the most important. We are not allowed to talk until after we've had a bite of bread. And we can't have the bread until it's been blessed and passed out by whomever is reciting the blessing. (See what I mean about rituals?) So we sit there, silent. Or as silent as we can be, which isn't much. Mostly we end up giggling about the fact we're even expected to remain silent. There are hand gestures, charades, really bad sign language, and head bobs, all in attempts to communicate without using actual words. This is where my theory comes in. I believe that this hand-rinsing ritual was not, in fact, created because it was important to remain silent until the bread has been blessed. Nope. My theory? The whole thing was devised to see just how long you can make a room full of hungry Jews be silent. I know, I know. It probably has some very solemn and important meaning behind it. But it's my theory and I'm sticking to it.Labels: Jewish musings, shabbat
What's wrong with this picture?
 Ms. K. found these jars at a grocery store in Renton, of all places. And in November. Wrong. It's all just so wrong.Of course, I forgot to ask why she was even looking for them. Hmmm...I'll have to go check on that.Labels: Jewish musings
Random thoughts...
- I have a new cd from Megan. Yay! Can't wait to listen
- The Buffy Season 8 comic makes me happy. It's not the same as a new show, but it'll do.
- New season of Grey's, Bones, House start soon. Yippee!
- Third Grade rocks! The kids are great, and the curriculum is right up my alley.
- L'shana tova! Welcome to a new year. This is one of my favorite holidays. Is it the apples? The honey? The big group meals? Maybe all of the above?
- There might actually be something to this whole go to the gym, eat right business. The vote's still out, but something might be there.
- Proxy votes are good, especially on Jewish holidays.
- September means the return of chapter meetings. Yay! Susan Mallery's talk about increasing productivity was inspiring. Now I just have to finish printing up the last 100 pages of my manuscript so I can get started on revisions.
Labels: Jewish musings, life, random musings
Jewish Guilt
A friend recently pointed out to me that I'm suffering from a major case of unnecessary Jewish guilt. I feel guilty that others are having problems with their writing and that things (in my humble opinion) are going in the general direction I want them to. Life's not perfect. I'm still unpublished. I still have to clean my own bathroom. I'm still single. I still wake up every day and go to work.
But life's pretty good.
So how did I get to the point where I feel like something's seriously wrong because nothing is wrong? I know I'm not alone here. I know other's have felt this way before.
And to make it worse? I feel guilty for acknowledging that life is pretty good. Well, again if you ignore the whole having to clean my own bathroom bit. Or the fact that UPS is all set to deliver a package on Monday that ISN'T MY PACKAGE! I've tried contacting the shippers to tell them they are sending me the wrong order, but thanks to Shabbat they aren't answering emails. Or phones (even if I called them). *sigh* And I feel horrible because it's a not-for-profit company, so they'll have to foot the bill for shipping to the wrong location.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we must be closing in on the High Holidays. Only Yom Kippur can bring about this amount of unnecessary guilt.
So Shana Tova to all of my fellow Jews. May this be a sweet and healthy new year for all. As for the rest of you? I'm ducking from the rotten tomatoes I know you're throwing my way.Labels: holidays, Jewish musings, life, shabbat
Day 6 - Masada
 What? You thought I was done? This was a long trip! Sunday morning began for many at 3a.m. (okay, techincally? Most didn't go to sleep so Saturday just continued for them). The busses departed and took them to the base of Masada where they began climbing. The rest of us, I like to think the sane of us, left at the more normal time of 8 a.m. for the drive to the base where we took a cable car to the top.  Masada was the site of another of King Herod's fortresses. It was also the site where a group of about a 1000 Jewish zealots took refuge when the Romans captured Jerusalem around 70 BCE. Roman soldiers laid siege to the fortress and the zealots were forced to make a choice. If they were captured they would become slaves. Needless to say, we've been touchy about the slavery thing since Egypt.
What's amazing to me is the decision they finally made. Historians say that 9 men decided the fate of the rest, killing themselves and their families to avoid slavery. Only three people survived, a woman and her children who hid. When the Romans finally captured the fortress they discovered what had occurred and what they lost.  In the cable car on the way down I had the following conversation: Woman: Oh, I see you're from Seattle. We're from Bellevue!
Me: I teach in Bellevue.
The conversation went from there. Needless to say, the world got just a little bit smaller that morning.
After Masada we took the bus to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the planet. The salt content is so high there, nothing can live and everything floats. The water was amazingly warm, and felt wonderful for the first few minutes. Then it began to tingle. Then it found several cuts in some unfortunate places and it began to burn like the fires of Hell.
That's when I ran for the showers. Labels: Jewish musings, travel
And you thought the birthplace of Kabbalah was Madonna's house...
 I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger. In my defense, I've been trying to take care of a myriad of little life things, not to mention getting back into my writing (can we say 100 pages to go?). But, enough with the excuses, and back to the virtual tour. On our second day (okay, technically our first full day), our buses took us down to the city of Sfat, or Safed as some spell it. Sfat is known as the birthplace of Kabbalah and the seat of Jewish Mysticism. Contrary to popular belief, it is not Madonna's house. Along with Kabbalah, Sfat is also known for it's candles and it's galleries. The most famous candle shop, Safed Candles,  creates beautiful (and fun) works of art, like this candle here. I had to fight to not go completely crazy in this store. The prices were fantastic, and c'mon! They made candles shaped like tiny books! We also visited a few of the galleries, where I managed to buy three gorgeous watercolor prints. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait to see them, because they are at the framers' right now. The streets in town are very narrow, so thankfully we split up to go off on our own, which meant  easy access to moving out of the way of on-coming groups. The energy in Sfat is very calming; until you have to duck out of the way of a tour group. But standing on the cobblestone streets, covered up so as not to offend the sensibilities of the many Orthodox Jews in the town, you can almost understand why the rabbis came to Sfat when they were looking for a mystical center. Labels: Jewish musings, travel
How missions are a lot like Conference...
I discovered a few things while traveling through Israel on a Young Leadership Mission. I discovered it's a lot like going to a writer's conference. The biggest difference is, of course, that many of my fellow traveler's weren't writers. But here are a few things they had in common:
- Buffets. Yes, the bain or pleasure of any conference. Depending on how far away you are from the food stations, you may be in for a long wait, but if you're lucky? The quality of the food will make up for it (and yes, we had our own version of conference chicken).
- People. Suddenly, in the space of a few days, you have eight new best friends from all over the country. If you're lucky? You keep in contact with a few regularly, and others less frequently. Not to mention the sheer numbers. I spend 9 days traveling with 300 people.
- Activities. Missions, like conferences, have an agenda and a time table. Sleep is at a premium and you do what they say when they say it. Of course, if you don't like the plan, you can choose not to participate, just like if you skip workshops.
The trip was an amazing whirlwind, and too much for one post. Check back over the next week, as I'll be adding tidbits of my trip frequently. I'll also be including pictures, once I can get them uploaded to my machine. Labels: Jewish musings, travel
Drive by blogging...
There is nothing more amazing to me than Friday night Shabbat Services in Jerusalem, at the Western Wall. I had chills, ladies and gentelman. There is something intense about that place, something that calls to the very soul of a human, regardless of religion. The wall literally brings tears to my eyes when I see it. When I'm up close and personal, touching the stones that have sat there for thousands of years. You don't think of the bastard who built it, or the number of times the temple there was destroyed. Instead, you think of all the people who have been there before, and will come after you...slipping their prayers into the cracks in the wall, just waiting to receive them.I promise, pictures and stories later. But for now, Shalom to you all...I'm off to party :)Labels: happy times, Jewish musings, life, travel
I may have to rethink my plans...
After careful investigative work, and a few well placed emails, I'm finally getting some answers about my trip to Israel. Like I have to get myself to New York, it's not included in the total cost. And I now know where to find our itinerary. I also found out some very crucial information...
It appears I'm the only person from the Seattle area attending this trip.
Hmmm...
This could get real interesting...Labels: Jewish musings, life, travel
Passover fun...
 Let's be honest. Passover and fun rarely go in the same paragraph let alone the same sentence. But last night, they did. I invited about six of my friends to join me in celebrating the first night seder. I spent most of the weekend cleaning and cooking in preparation. See? Here's what my dining room looked like Sunday night, before everyone arrived.
I have never laughed so hard in my life, during a seder. All I can say is: Cabbage Patch Kids, Evil Troll armies, outstretched arms, G-d v. He, and a darn stubborn bottle of wine. The chicken soup I made came out fantastic, despite not using a real chicken. The charoset? Fantastic. And I have so many leftovers, my fridge won't stop rattling. We even did the whole seder, frankly an unheard of concept in my family o ver the last few years. Low blood sugar and little patience has led to the 30 minute seder (and tonight might have even set a new record).
By the time everyone left, I was beyond exhausted, but at least I could eventually fall asleep knowing the night was a success.Labels: food, holidays, Jewish musings
More Passover fun...
 First off, I should apologize to Ms. K., and anyone else confused by my interchanging of words for Passover. Passover, or Pesach, are the same thing. I tend to slip into the Yiddish for it, simply because it's easier for me.
Anyway, on to the latest. I stopped by our local grocery store yesterday, to pick up a few more items for Monday and Tuesday. As part of the symbolism, we are required to have a Seder plate set up for both meals. The plate includes (I believe) six items, each one is supposed to mean something different. For example, horseradish is used to represent the bitterness of their lives as slaves.
One of the items needed is a shank bone. It represents the Paschal lamb, which in turn represents the blood that was placed around the doors of all the Jewish homes, so that the Angel of Death would know which homes to pass by (pass by, Passover, get it?) during the 10 plagues. So I went up to the meat counter, and asked for the bone. No meat, just the bone. Lucky me, I got a man about 20, who gave me a look that kind of said, "You're odd, but you're a customer, so I have to act like I get this question all the time." Up and down the cooler we walked, looking at different pieces of meat that I might be able to remove the bone from, without having to pay an arm and a leg.
Needless to say, after all that, I decided that I'm not purchasing a bone the size of my fist, just to put it on a plate to look at. Instead? I bought a turkey wing. I still have to pull off all the meat, and I'm feeling very wasteful. But it was the cheapest, and it'll have to do.
It's all about the symbolism, right?Labels: food, Jewish musings
Only four more nights...
 Until the Great Passover Seder (or GPS as it will be known for at least the next few weeks). In light of the fact I've had a very yucky day (I knew I should have sent that chain letter on!) I've decided to enlighten you all about one of the more traditional foods for Pesach. And the one Ms. K. finds either the most amusing, or the most disgusting. Yes, I've probably told this story before, but it makes me laugh, and like I said, I had a yucky day.
So our lesson of the day is Gefilte Fish. See, this is one of those foods you tend to grow up with when you're Jewish. It's a mixture of different white fishes, ground up, formed into balls and then boiled.
Yeah, I know. Not the most appetizing sounding.
But when you stop thinking of how it is made, it's actually fairly good.
Unless you're Ms. K. and you're sitting in on your first ever (and probably her only, though she'll make that final call) Seder. A seder is the special meal we share on the first two nights of Pesach. Literally, the word means Order, and the meal gets its name from the fact that everything in the meal has a meaning. An order.
Anyway, back to the fish. First off, Ms. K. only agreed to come after I promised she wouldn't offend anyone. Then she ran into one of my mother's oldest rules. You can't say you don't like it if you don't try it. (This would be the only reason I've eaten a brussel sprout...ever.) Mom told her she could not claim she didn't like Gefilte fish if she didn't at least taste it. We promised her she wouldn't have to eat the whole thing, which I think she found only slightly comforting.
Ms. K.'s opinion? Taste like tuna with the texture of Spam.
Seeing as how I've never had Spam, I'll have to take her word for it. But it does NOT taste like tuna fish. Labels: food, holidays, Jewish musings
Wandering in the desert for 40 years...
 I realized something last night. When the Israelites were running for their lives through the Red Sea, they never anticipated that the search for the appropriate Kosher for Passover foods would take nearly as long as their 40 years wandering.
Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not by as much as you'd think.
I'm sure many of you are tired of my comparisons between where I grew up and the Seattle area, but this is the one that makes me the most crazy. At this time of year, you can walk into just about every grocery store in Michigan and find a huge Kosher for Passover section (and yes, this is different from simply the Kosher section, but that's not what this post is about).
Here, I walk into my local grocery store, and they still don't know there is a difference between the two. I basically have two options at this point. I can drive over one of two bridges either to the University District of Seattle, or to Mercer Island in search of the two grocery stores in the Greater Metro Seattle Area that actually know what they are doing when it comes to Passover.
It's just not right.
So last night Mom and I drove out to the Mercer Island Albertson's in preparation for the holiday that is still two weeks away. Not really the way I intended to spend my Tuesday night. But I have macaroons now.Labels: food, Jewish musings
Following the leader...
 This morning Mom, Aunt and I went to the annual Sisterhood brunch hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. This is our second year attending, and after last year I learned my lesson and encouraged many of my friends to join us. So thanks to my nudging, we managed to fill almost an entire table simply with my friends and family. This year's guest speaker was chick lit author Jennifer Weiner. Jennifer appears very unassuming at first, but when you put her in front of a mic she has the whole room in her thrall. She regalled us with the stories of how she began writing, of her family and their interactions, and even of her Nana's appearance as an extra in the movie In Her Shoes. As a writer, I was very excited to hear her speak. I love listening to published authors talk about writing and the road to publication. If the author is funny too? Even better. So I wasn't disappointed at all by her stories. I did, however, have to laugh when three of my friends informed me I was their "spokeswoman" today, since none of us actually brought one of Jennifer's books to be signed. "Spokeswoman?" I asked. "Yeah, we want to go get her to sign a program or something. But you need to be the leader since you're the writer." Ah yes, I'm the writer, and therefore I'm the only one capable of stepping up to a woman and saying hi. Ha! So we stood in line, politely informed the volunteer selling books that I only wanted to say hello to the author, and moved along. Finally, it was our turn. I introduced myself to Jennifer, explained I wanted to say hi because I'm also a writer, which lead to the inevitable, "Well, what do you write?" I gave her my brief shpiel, she nodded politely and smiled. Then I introduced my groupies, who gave a lovely chorus of hellos in unison. At this point I'm pretty sure Jennifer was wondering where the bodyguard the Federation had promised her had disappeared to. For her sake, we quickly left the table, and moved along to more entertaining conversations. Looking back, I thought about what turned women who are normally fairly outgoing and comfortable, so insecure. Then it hit me. They don't know writers like I do. These friends are all readers, and they view writers as having reached a level of celebrity status. They don't really understand that writers are (for the most part) fairly normal people. This was really driven home when, during the question and answer session, a woman stood up to the microphone, and informed Jennifer and the crowd how much she loved Good in Bed. In fact, she loved it so much she emailed Jennifer. And wouldn't you know it? Jennifer replied within two days. Oh my goodness! The author responded! This woman was so in awe of the fact that Jennifer had taken time out of her day to respond to her email. It really hit me then, how people view us writers. I think it was an "Ah ha" moment, similar to Christina's from last week. It's that moment when you realize that what you view as normal, others view as special. And let's be honest, I still get a thrill when I email a fellow author about something, and she responds. I think I needed that reminder today, as I came home to fewer hours than planned and 5 pages still to write (and yes, I finished them with plenty of time to spare). I needed the reminder that one day, that will be me up on that stage, talking to 600 women about my journey. It will be me, responding to the email of a reader and giving them that special warm feeling for the rest of the day. It will be my turn to make the crowd laugh so hard they cry. It will be my turn in the spotlight. One day. Soon. Labels: Jewish musings, writing
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