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Happy Eliza Doolittle Day!
Today is the 20th of May. Sit in an enormous chair and eat lots of chocolate.
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Today is Erev Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot starts tonight. We have been counting the Omer since the second night of Pesach (Passover), seven weeks ago.
There's a concept in Judaism of Gematria, which involves the assigning of numerical values to letters of the Hebrew alphabet. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the 33rd day of the Omer, known as Lag B'Omer because the Hebrew letter Lamed (the "l" of "lag") is assigned the value of 30 and Gimel (the "g" of "lag") is assigned the value of 3.
Well,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
batyatoon reminded me that the 49th day of the Omer -- today -- has an interesting letter combination. Mem is assigned the value of 40. Tet is assigned the value of 9. Thus, the 49th day of the Omer is...
( Wait for it... )
(Also this means I'll be offline tomorrow and Thursday for Shavuot. Have a good couple of days, all!)
There's a concept in Judaism of Gematria, which involves the assigning of numerical values to letters of the Hebrew alphabet. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the 33rd day of the Omer, known as Lag B'Omer because the Hebrew letter Lamed (the "l" of "lag") is assigned the value of 30 and Gimel (the "g" of "lag") is assigned the value of 3.
Well,
batyatoon reminded me that the 49th day of the Omer -- today -- has an interesting letter combination. Mem is assigned the value of 40. Tet is assigned the value of 9. Thus, the 49th day of the Omer is...( Wait for it... )
(Also this means I'll be offline tomorrow and Thursday for Shavuot. Have a good couple of days, all!)
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Shabbat Food, Thanksgiving Weekend
Yesterday we hosted for Shabbat lunch. I made the following:
-- Roasted turkey
-- Herbed stuffing
-- Mashed potatoes
-- Roasted squash
(mabfan is quite fond of Thanksgiving food, and we have a tradition of Shushan Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving Sheini/Sfeika d'Yoma) in our household.)
Our guests brought cookies that served as dessert. A fine time was had, five children (two of ours, three of our guests') ran around and were generally silly, and the adults had good conversation.
So now, even though we did not host actual Thanksgiving, we can still participate in the mitzvah of post-Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.
-- Roasted turkey
-- Herbed stuffing
-- Mashed potatoes
-- Roasted squash
(
mabfan is quite fond of Thanksgiving food, and we have a tradition of Shushan Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving Sheini/Sfeika d'Yoma) in our household.)Our guests brought cookies that served as dessert. A fine time was had, five children (two of ours, three of our guests') ran around and were generally silly, and the adults had good conversation.
So now, even though we did not host actual Thanksgiving, we can still participate in the mitzvah of post-Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.
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Happy Sukkot!
I have been offline since, basically, Friday morning. Sukkot, the festival of booths, started on Sunday night, and we got to have three out of the four yom tov meals in the sukkah. Lunch yesterday was rained out (well, our shul's new rabbi, who was a guest at the same home we were a guest at, asked the question "If this much rain was coming into your dining room, would you eat in it?"), but that's a pretty good record in Boston in early October.
We don't have space to build our own sukkah. Because of Muffin and Squeaker, I was reluctant to accept dinner invitations. So what is a family to do? My solution was to ask if we could use the shul's sukkah, and we were given permission. In fact, the shul sukkah was made available to anyone who wanted it, but we were the only ones who took the shul up on the offer. So I made a simple dinner of tortellini salad first night and a similarly simple dinner of pasta salad for the second night, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mabfan and the girls and I hosted one person each night (first night was the rabbi; the second night was a young woman new to our community).
Now we are in the chol hamoed of Sukkot, and then next Monday and Tuesday will be the holidays of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Our shul is doing some new things this year for Simchat Torah; if you are local and interested, please e-mail me and I can point you to the information.
ETA: The flyer for Simchat Torah has been posted to the shul's website.
All this to say my pants are bankrupt. Please let me know if anything of import has happened since Friday afternoon.
We don't have space to build our own sukkah. Because of Muffin and Squeaker, I was reluctant to accept dinner invitations. So what is a family to do? My solution was to ask if we could use the shul's sukkah, and we were given permission. In fact, the shul sukkah was made available to anyone who wanted it, but we were the only ones who took the shul up on the offer. So I made a simple dinner of tortellini salad first night and a similarly simple dinner of pasta salad for the second night, and
mabfan and the girls and I hosted one person each night (first night was the rabbi; the second night was a young woman new to our community).Now we are in the chol hamoed of Sukkot, and then next Monday and Tuesday will be the holidays of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Our shul is doing some new things this year for Simchat Torah; if you are local and interested, please e-mail me and I can point you to the information.
ETA: The flyer for Simchat Torah has been posted to the shul's website.
All this to say my pants are bankrupt. Please let me know if anything of import has happened since Friday afternoon.
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L'Shannah Tovah... Onwards to Yom Kippur
Rosh haShannah was, for the most part, good, except for mabfan getting sick second day morning. First-day lunch and second-night dinner went well. Davening at Kadimah broke new speed records (this is not a complaint); done by 1:20 first day, and rumor has it 1:05 second day (I missed shul due to aforementioned ill husband). The rabbi came by our house in the afternoon on second day to blow shofar for us and amused Muffin and Squeaker.
Now I have to review the haftarah for Shabbat Shuva (as I will be leyning it at Minyan Kol Rinah) and then start making firm plans for Sukkot. Yom Kippur, of course, requires more mental preparation (fasting is much easier for me since I gave up caffeine a number of years ago) but less logisitical prep aside from figuring out Muffin and Squeaker's food.
(Now if I just could get past having to remind myself constantly that today is Wednesday, not Monday...)
mabfan getting sick second day morning. First-day lunch and second-night dinner went well. Davening at Kadimah broke new speed records (this is not a complaint); done by 1:20 first day, and rumor has it 1:05 second day (I missed shul due to aforementioned ill husband). The rabbi came by our house in the afternoon on second day to blow shofar for us and amused Muffin and Squeaker. Now I have to review the haftarah for Shabbat Shuva (as I will be leyning it at Minyan Kol Rinah) and then start making firm plans for Sukkot. Yom Kippur, of course, requires more mental preparation (fasting is much easier for me since I gave up caffeine a number of years ago) but less logisitical prep aside from figuring out Muffin and Squeaker's food.
(Now if I just could get past having to remind myself constantly that today is Wednesday, not Monday...)
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Entering the Jewish Holiday Period
...and the period of falling behind on LJ. I will be offline from tonight until Tuesday night. Shannah tovah to those celebrating.
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Some Links About Today
::points to icon::
Today is the thirty-third day of the Omer. Thus, I bring the following:
-- Counting the Omer
-- Lag B'Omer (today)
-- ( Matt B'Omer )
Today is the thirty-third day of the Omer. Thus, I bring the following:
-- Counting the Omer
-- Lag B'Omer (today)
-- ( Matt B'Omer )
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We Talk Like This at the Seder
Scene: On Saturday night, mabfan and gnomi are at the seder with lcmlc and Abba-with-no-LJ. gnomi has just broken the Afikoman for distribution.
gnomi: There are pieces of varying size.
mabfan: Pieces of Varying Size? I don't believe they exist.
This subsequently sparked a conversation about "The Princess Bride," the fact thatlcmlc has never read the book, and whether Goldman should do a digital enhancement.
mabfan: It would be like what Lucas did with "Star Wars."
gnomi: Inigo parried first!
mabfan and gnomi are at the seder with lcmlc and Abba-with-no-LJ. gnomi has just broken the Afikoman for distribution.gnomi: There are pieces of varying size.mabfan: Pieces of Varying Size? I don't believe they exist.This subsequently sparked a conversation about "The Princess Bride," the fact that
lcmlc has never read the book, and whether Goldman should do a digital enhancement.mabfan: It would be like what Lucas did with "Star Wars."gnomi: Inigo parried first!Today in Brief
Chinese food, new Doctor Who (no movie watching, though we had a Bursteinflix pickup by new members), and sleeping Muffin and Squeaker. This was all following a lovely afternoon with my parents in honor of Chanukah. Tomorrow and Tuesday I will be making latkes to share with visiting friends. And what minimal snow we got didn't stick.
New Patch Column Up
In this week's The Brookline Parent, I discuss how Muffin and Squeaker celebrate Chanukah all year round. Click to read Not Even Eight is Enough.
(no subject)
In this week's The Brookline Parent column, I talk about celebrating Thanksgiving with Muffin and Squeaker in Muffin and Squeaker Give Thanks.
Yom Tov Prep, Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Edition
mabfan has town-related commitments tonight, so after I got Muffin and Squeaker to finally go to bed*, I started getting ready for Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah,** which end the fall Jewish holiday sweep, and Shabbat. To that end, I have:-- Cooked two pans of macaroni and cheese
-- Cooked a lasagna
-- Baked a pan of chocolate chip cookie bars
-- Made a thing of home-made whipped cream (in this household known as "splorp")
-- Set out the candles for yom tov, including the yahrtzeit lights*** and the candles for lighting things****
-- Cooked eggs for the eiruv tavshilin*****
-- Confirmed location of our Sukkot machzorim******
-- Checked the tires on our big stroller to confirm that they were full of air*******
-- Torn enough toilet paper to get us through yom tov and Shabbat********
And now I'm catching up on TV (some online, some on DVR) that I've missed (and that
mabfan doesn't watch) due to yom tov.( Notes back here )
OK, so the notes are almost as long as the post. :-)
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Holiday of Edwin (But Not John Wilkes) and Seeley
Tonight starts Sukkot, so I will be offline from tonight through Saturday night (this is a year of multiple "three-day yom tovs," with the holidays ending as Shabbat begins). For those celebrating, chag sameach (and don't forget to do an eiruv tavshilin); for everyone else, have a good rest of the week and a good weekend!
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As I Mentioned In the Patch Column...
...Tonight starts Rosh Hashanah. So I wish shannah tovah (a good year) to all those celebrating.
I'll be back online (and way, way, *way* behind) on Saturday night.
I'll be back online (and way, way, *way* behind) on Saturday night.
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Today I am 101,000...
...or so said my cake.
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| Nomi's Birthday Cake 1/17/2011 Photo copyright ©2011 Michael A. Burstein. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. |
Busy and Ridiculously Social Weekend
This is what it's been like since Wednesday:
-- Wednesday: Finished my Thanksgiving cooking (I did half andlcmlc did half, and a guest brought a dish): pumpkin bread, crustless pumpkin pie (so more like a pumpkin custard), brisket, stuffing/dressing (it was outside the bird), and cranberry-apricot chutney. Also, saw "Harry Potter and the First Half of the Book Deathly Hallows Part I."
-- Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner atlcmlc and Abba's. Lots of food. Everyone around the table was family. Small crowd: to Muffin and Squeaker, it was Mommy and Daddy, Sabba and Savta, Uncle Bill, and Uncle David. Plus, of course, Muffin and Squeaker. Who loved all the food.
-- Friday: Home withmabfan and Muffin and Squeaker during the day. Cooked Shabbat lunch during girlie nap time. Took advantage of crazy-early licht bentchen (candle lighting at the beginning of Shabbat) (3:58, and that's not the earliest this year) to be able to have dinner out and still be home not too late for girlie bedtime. Also, our next column came out.
-- Saturday: Shabbat. Went to shul after hour-long power outage resolved. Upstairs neighbor had urge to run around our apartment and adjust our timers. Odd impulse that I was glad to take advantage of. ;-) Hosted lunch at our place foraunt_becca and R and B. Much fun was had. Much mac and cheese was consumed.
-- Sunday: Had Lexington-based family visiting for brunch combined withgnomi's Tailoring Services. Security blanket repaired.
-- Today: Up at 3:30 AM with a Muffin who is cutting four new teeth simultaneously. Somehow, Squeaker slept through the hullabaloo but was awake at 6:30. So far I have attended a webinar, made a job-search-related appointment for tomorrow afternoon, and put in a laundry. I am playing the hours thatmabfan is at work as a hermit, only socializing with Muffin and Squeaker and their babysitter.
-- Wednesday: Finished my Thanksgiving cooking (I did half and
lcmlc did half, and a guest brought a dish): pumpkin bread, crustless pumpkin pie (so more like a pumpkin custard), brisket, stuffing/dressing (it was outside the bird), and cranberry-apricot chutney. Also, saw "Harry Potter and the -- Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner at
lcmlc and Abba's. Lots of food. Everyone around the table was family. Small crowd: to Muffin and Squeaker, it was Mommy and Daddy, Sabba and Savta, Uncle Bill, and Uncle David. Plus, of course, Muffin and Squeaker. Who loved all the food.-- Friday: Home with
mabfan and Muffin and Squeaker during the day. Cooked Shabbat lunch during girlie nap time. Took advantage of crazy-early licht bentchen (candle lighting at the beginning of Shabbat) (3:58, and that's not the earliest this year) to be able to have dinner out and still be home not too late for girlie bedtime. Also, our next column came out.-- Saturday: Shabbat. Went to shul after hour-long power outage resolved. Upstairs neighbor had urge to run around our apartment and adjust our timers. Odd impulse that I was glad to take advantage of. ;-) Hosted lunch at our place for
aunt_becca and R and B. Much fun was had. Much mac and cheese was consumed.-- Sunday: Had Lexington-based family visiting for brunch combined with
gnomi's Tailoring Services. Security blanket repaired.-- Today: Up at 3:30 AM with a Muffin who is cutting four new teeth simultaneously. Somehow, Squeaker slept through the hullabaloo but was awake at 6:30. So far I have attended a webinar, made a job-search-related appointment for tomorrow afternoon, and put in a laundry. I am playing the hours that
mabfan is at work as a hermit, only socializing with Muffin and Squeaker and their babysitter.Entry tags:
Back from Sukkot Part I
First part of the holiday is past, and I'm back online. Weather was amazing for a New England Sukkot. Am too far behind to even contemplate reading back. Please let me know if there's something I should see.