Well let's see. On Friday I was up in time to list 10 things, I'd rather have listed like, 30, but I chose 10 fairly high-value things. Then I packed the things that had to be shipped and got going a bit before 4.
I got going on my way downtown to dump trash, then stopped by Nijiya hoping to get an onigiri but there were only ume ones left, so I just bought a can of coffee to be buying something.
Next was the post office, where I mailed the things. Then over to Whole Foods. I just got a couple of those "Volcano" lemon juice things and some food and a can of seltzer water. I ate, going from hungry to, well, I think my stomach was confused by my combination of grilled asparagus, feta cheese, a samoza, a dolmas, Kalamata olives, red onion, and I'm probably forgetting a thing or two.
I went over the Recycle Book Store next, because I had a little over $20 in credit. I got two Primo Levi books and a Torah. Now, this is an English-only Torah but at least the print's big enough to not need a magnifying class, and it was $10 whereas the really good ones, with Hebrew also and even some commentary, are like $60 or $75. This one is good for now. I can read each week's Torah portion online of course but it's nice having it on paper.
Next I went over to the temple and sat and read outside for a bit, sipping on the can of coffee. I had my "new" glasses with me, all cleaned up and ready to go. Then I realized the service was outdoors and they had siddurs to read out of because there are no screens outdoors. I didn't need the glasses after all, not this time.
So we did the service and sang our cowboy songs and it was a fine ol' time. I sat next to a big tall guy and we helped each other stay on the right page here and there. The cantor's a wonderful singer, my only bug being that in the key she sings, myself singing an octave lower, I can't do about the bottom 3 notes of her scale very well. I try to sing the best I can though, because maybe it will help me be a better trumpet player.
Being outdoors was great. There were birds doing all kinds of bird-drama up in the trees overhead, and it was very cheerful being in the fresh air. At the end of one verse or prayer or something that Rabbit had just finished, I let out this huge sneeze. (If I were indoors I'd have jammed my finger under my nose or ducked down behind the pew like I was diving on a grenade but this was outdoors and it was one big sneeze or two smaller ones) and several people said "Bless you!" and I said "No one said 'Gesundheit'" and Rabbit said sometimes the services feel like he's in a Marx Brothers movie.
Seriously though, I grew up with "Gesundheit" and "Bless you" has always sounded weird to me. It's what the Christians say and I never want to be confused with a Christian.
The "oneg" food after the service, was almost all sweets. It's like no one's heard of diabetes. Actually out of a congregation of a few hundred, only one was lost to covid which is pretty amazing considering the average age has to be north of 50. So it's a deceptively healthy bunch. I just had one lemon bar because I had good food to eat back here at home.
That one cop I've talked to a bunch was parked there in his police car, and I stopped by to tell him that the Recycle Book Store has an amazingly good section of books about guns and gun smithing and reloading. He's particularly keen on books about reloading so I'll have to keep an eye on that section in case anything good comes through.
I looked around in the gift shop but didn't see anything I needed very badly. Actually I should buy some of the Shabbos candles they have, big boxes of 72 of them and maybe not as cheap as the ones from Walmart but I'd be helping the temple not Walmart.
I just rode home along Hedding, right on back here, got my dinner things out and opened the wine and lit candles and found "Jewish" things to watch on YouTube. And went to bed fairly early, midnight or 1? I drank the whole bottle of wine.
I woke up about 8:30 this morning and it wasn't long after I was awake that the guys next door did their pressure washing for a few hours. I felt OK despite drinking the whole bottle of wine. I can probably do that on a Friday night as long as I don't drink any other nights.
As usual I started my day with good old Elite instant "can also be used to make Cold Coffee" and cream. Then made an interesting smoked salmon salad/spread and tried it with the Straits matzos I'd bought at Whole Foods yesterday. That came out pretty well.
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