Last night before bed, I managed to watch a bit further, basically the rest of the thing, of the "documentary" titled Israelism. I wanted to watch this awful thing because the Buddhist temple I was going to, Oh such nice people, just showed it at a special event to show what nice and open-minded people they are blah blah yadda yadda.
"Israelism" is essentially what Goebbels would produce with modern equipment and methods. Very slick. And the message very Goebbelian: Jews are evil, they have evil networks through the country, they only want to kill babies, etc. I'm sure all the nice, peaceful Jodo Shinshu Buddhists clapped and cheered. Just like decades ago, they doubtless watched films of their Empire's actions in Nanking and clapped and cheered also.
Yesterday I listed 12 things, shipped 15, got 10 ready last night to list today but I'm not sure if I'll get around to them, shipping has to come first.
I packed 15 things, then loaded up the bike trailer with the things, trash, and donations. I dropped off the trash, dropped off the donations, then stopped in at Nijiya. I thought I'd get some baked mackerel but they didn't have any. But they had two little packages of hamachi sashimi for $4 each, so I got those and a little package of 3 cucumbers. That was certainly in line with the keto diet. I ate over on the steps of the old hospital.
Then I rode to the post office and a guy was hanging out in front and said I'd give him a dollar to watch my bike, and he said no dollar was necessary. I went in and dropped off the packages, then came out and he certainly didn't turn down the dollar. "I can get a Coke or something". I said I only had the one dollar or I'd give him more, then remembered I had about 50c in change to "level up that Coke" and he was glad to get that also.
Then I rode over to the FedEx on the Alameda and dropped off the two large boxes, and now all my drop-offs were done.
I'd also stopped where there were palm trees to cut some leaves. I know the event at the temple was about arts and crafts, and it being Sukkot, palm leaves would be involved.
I got the the temple early, so I ate the other two cucumbers. Then when people were going in, I gathered my bundle of palm leaves and went in. The guy supervising the kids said just put 'em down on the table (where kids were doing arts and crafts with paper and crayons) and someone will use 'em. But then the rabbi came by and said to take them up front, and we came up with the idea of putting one on each of the four posts of the sukkah.
I got zip ties from my bike bag and put one leaf on each corner, except one corner had 3 smaller leaves. They looked good.
There was a nacho bar and I did a sort of nacho salad sort of thing, 2 plates. I tried the sangria but bleh. It tasted like Malolo fruit punch. I poured most of it into the plants actually.
We all ate and pal'd around and it was pretty nice. A guy, Peter, talked shofar-blowing with me and I reiterated that he ought to get a piece of PVC pipe that has an opening just a little bigger than the one in his shofar, and practice blowing that while he watched TV or whatever. We discussed blowing the shofar on Shabbat, and I said it's not normally done but then the rabbi let he try his on shabbat, and I've certainly blown the big one in the gift shop and no one's said anything. So, I'll have my shofar with me on Shabbat, and if he attends also and has his, I can coach him a bit.
The rabbi had two sets of lulav/etrog/willow/myrtle, sent from Israel, and I got to the the actual shaking so that was great. The lulav from Israel is amazing, it's a beautiful leaf. The etrogim from Israel were amazing, much smaller that our local grown ones but very fragrant.
The whole thing was done at about 7, and most people had left, when I took off. I got back here around 8 or maybe 8:30 because I guess I hung around later than 7, helping hang some of the paper chains the kids had made, and hanging out with one of the (adult) regulars who was doing this masterful coloring job of a coloring book page with a lulav and etrog and Hebrew words.
The ride back was uneventful. As I went through the intersection of Hedding and 1st, a guy on a skinny single speed hipster bike ahead of me dropped something and suddenly stopped and started shining his light around. I hope he found it.
I got back here and had time to put things away, clean the place, and finish the load of laundry I had soaking.
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