Last night I .... are some dinner and did some Ebay stuff - mainly making deals etc. which keeps the numbers good - and practiced a bit and then practiced my little shofar a bit, and watched Youtube and drank wine. And washed my hair and made sure my shoes were shined and little things like that, just in case I had to dash out the door when I got up.
I had to be at the temple at 10. I woke up at 9:40. I essentially had to do a time-trial, took the shortest route which is 10th to Hedding and over the hill, turning just one street short of the Alameda. Then lock the bike up and find the class. In the end I was maybe 5 minutes late.
The class was "Preparing for Passover" and it was pretty interesting. We had some charoset, which was kind of meh, and matzo ball soup which was excellent. Then we all went into the kitchen and made these things. There was much discussion of the various types of matza, what things are forbidden on Passover by Ashkenazim and Sefardim, much discussion of haddadot (Rabbi has a big stack of 'em) and we each got handouts like a printed out JewishBoston haggadah so I'm already started on my collection as I have the ArtScroll one I got for $2 in the gift shop.
All in all it was pretty great, and Mr. H- who made the matzo ball soup, gave me an extra bowl of it because I liked it so much.
After all that I found the guy running the public service thing where it's something like Abramic Alliance getting together and assembling hygiene kits to hand out to homeless people, and I told them I have 126 bottles of Purell hand sanitizer I could donate, and he said the kits are going into sandwich bags and I said the bottles are probably a little bit too big. So, no problem, I can donate them somewhere else.
After all that, I went to Whole Foods and got some chicken and zucchini and one of those little 4-packs of wine so I could have wine with my meal, and relaxed a bit. Then, I had a plan. Shopping!
I went to the Recycle Book Store and got two books, and with the trade credit I had, only had to pay $3-odd more in cash. Then I went to the bike shop to see if they had any good jackets which they did not, but at least I looked.
Then I rode down to San Carlos and went to the Goodwill where I found a pale yellow rain jacket that actually has an intact lining - in fact it looks new - so that ups my foul-weather gear game. That was $22.
Then it was on to Antique Row. I found a pair of candle holders "Lossell Kristall Handschliff" basically the same kind of lead-crystal prism-y things my dad used to be into, but in the form of candle holders. Those were $24 and I just checked, they're $35 on Ebay so I did all right on those.
They kept the candle holders by the register for me while I hunted for the other thing. I wanted a kiddush cup. On Passover, you're supposed to drink 4 cups of wine. Well, the kiddush cups in the gift shop at the temple are made to hold a lot more wine than I'd want to deal with. If I could find a nice, acceptable, cup/glass to use, then I'd be really happy.
I hunted and hunted around the store, and in the end I actually found one and the lady whose booth it was in was there. She had the perfect German accent, right out of Central Casting, to be Sheba, the She-Wolf of the SS or some damn thing. Well, she wanted $175 for the little cup that I thought was pewter at first, but is sterling. I said I had the budget for $50 and she wasn't having that. So I said I'll keep looking.
I looked in the next couple of stores, and also had time to think. If I got that sterling cup, it'd be one and done because it's the real McCoy; it's an actual kiddush cup. And not plated, not pewter, but sterling silver which is as traditional and proper as you get in the area of kiddush cups. I counted my money and figured I'd make an offer of $100.
So I went back and found the lady again and said I could offer $100 and I'm probably overpaying but it's my first Passover and so it's important to me, and she said she'll do it. So I got it for a flat $100 out the door. All she seemed to know is, it's "ceremonial".
I checked Crossroads for shoes and they had one pair of Doc Martens that are my size but are boots not shoes, and one pair that are a size too big. Two close misses means if I keep checking them, I should find what I need fairly soon.
I headed back to Whole Foods and on the way, it had dried out enough that the tree stuff was in the air again and I had to stop and cough and hack and gag and gargle some Listerine. Two nice Black ladies passing by were concerned and I said I'm OK, it's the trees etc., and as they walked on they wished me well. I wished them well too and said it's a beautiful day for a walk.
I got back to Whole Foods and got a couple samosas because their samosas are really good, and drank a little wine with them because that really helps my throat. Then rode for home, stopping at the park for some chin-ups and exercises.
I got back here and put things away and did some checking on the kiddush cup. I did all right indeed as I paid what is the "melt" value of the silver. And it's not one that just pops up online. It could have been made in 2020 or 1920 for all I know. I wonder how this cup could have ended up in that antique store, and ultimately into my hands? The She-Wolf said she's got another that's different that she'll put in her booth, and I'm not sure why I'd need another but it's something to know.
The antique store was interesting anyway. Everyone working in there was white and old as the hills. The buyers besides myself seemed to be Asian and younger than myself. Things that might seem boring to me might be really cool or interesting to them.
After I got back here and put things away and rested a little, I was off again to H Mart where I locked the bike, and I walked the long way around to Sprouts because on the corner I'd have to pass, were 3 police cars and a bum going off on some kind of wingding, saying he'll take all the cops on and such things. But by the time I walked around the cops and the bum were gone and it was like it never happened.
I went to Ross first, and bought a pair of pants. Then went to Sprouts for cucumbers and stuff like some of the Chilean wine they sell that's pretty good. So I got to walk back with a bag in each hand, each bag containing a 3 liter box of the wine and a few other things.
I went to H Mart and it was well after 7PM. I got some TP and since it was after 7, the foods in the hot case were 2 for 1. I got two $9.99 kalbi and rice boxes for, well, $9.99. And that much food for 10 bucks is a pretty good deal. I was starving.
I got back here and chowed down, and did various little things like pull things out of the warehouse that have sold on Ebay, verify that I have a check to use to pay my taxes (so I won't have to dash to the bank tomorrow to get a check) and just various odd little tasks that needed doing. I also had to get rid of the chametz, which is anything that's made of wheat etc. that's leavened. The wheat gluten pieces I had in the freezer, that I love to put in curries, were the very definition of chametz. So I thawed them out and cut them up to look like French fries because crows and gulls like French fries, and put 'em out with the scraps from my dinner, for the birds.
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