I did pretty much nothing yesterday. Friday was the usual ... doing tons of stuff then went to the service which being the erev pesach one I thought it would be one of those "be there or be square" things but instead there were not very many people there.
The schmooze after the service was great though. There are two regulars whom I thought maybe didn't like me or at least have much use for me, and I got to talk with them both (at different times) and I feel like we're more friends now.
Yesterday I at least caught up on my Torah reading, read the rest of the book Goodbye, Columbus, and worked on my Hebrew alphabet at least a little. I also watched the really outstanding PBS documentary about Rachel Carson. I'd like to have all of her books.
I'm still drinking wine, but just at bedtime, that last hour before I hit the sack. And I have to hit the sack before the brothel starts up, so 1:30 is pretty ideal because it doesn't take me long to go to sleep especially with the help of wine, then I sleep through the noise of all the johns coming in. Plus it's a bit less raucous lately.
In the news it's just more death and despair. The only bright spot being over the last year, the number of Jews returning to Israel is only about 30% down, it's about 25,000 new olim. I've got to expect the absorption process to be fairly well-oiled by now or at least ... operational.
At one point in the past they were just putting olim in tents but they housed them. I'd take that over ending up in a death camp in South America, which is what is happening to some people now.
I eventually got going, "delivered" trash and got over to Whole Foods. I was feeling a bit twitchy so I thought I might have a beer with my food, maybe drink half of it. Then I remembered, beer is chametz! So, I'll be fine. I had fizzy water instead, and some chicken and vegetables.
I had time to sit outside the temple on the wall and do some Hebrew reading practice, the 4 questions actually, and then it was time to go in. I'd brought 5 of the small bottles of grape juice but each table had two larger bottles of the same stuff plus a bottle of Manischewitz. I was told to keep my grape juice for myself, and I went back to the bike and put it away.
Seats were not assigned, and I sat with some random people, except that at the last minute, who should show up but Dr. Saag and a lady who was sort of looking out for him. He was pretty on top of things tonight though. So I had an old friend right by my side.
Last year's seder seems to long ago, like it was really two or three years. And there are always differences, like last year I do not remember grape juice, and maybe there were a couple bottles of Manischewitz. And this year the gefilte fish was fine. And we had chrain, too, good strong stuff.
I think this year was earlier too because it was still daylight outside. Maybe this was to make it easier for the kids. They were running around all over. There was a sort of break halfway through for the actual food and so the kids didn't have to wait so long to eat, and one kid had figured out how to spin coins, just sitting there on the floor ignoring all the hustle and bustle around him, but he didn't have the technique quite right. So naturally I got down there on the floor and showed how to really spin a coin. That should keep his parents annoyed for the next few days...
All in all it was good fun, some good conversations, and I got to do one of the readings so that was cool too.
I rode back here and watched some things about Art Spiegelman and eventually got my 2023 tax papers out and downloaded and printed out two copies of each one for 2024, and downloaded the instructions and now just have to fill them out and write a nice big check and send it in.
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