Saturday Speaks: The worst and best of times...

So, the best thing I heard this week came from two special guys... they both passed the bar exam! After seeing the way one of them studied day in and day out, I'm not surprised. After seeing the other one did not study, I am mystified.

You're both amazing anyway. Congratulations!

Friday Sabbath: Sukkot

(from www.keshertalk.com)

Today is the final day in the seven-day observance of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The basic story behind the holiday involves the trek of the early Hebrews across the Sinai desert to find the Holy Land. During this long and dangerous journey, it was said that Gd sent cloudy skies to protect His people from the harsh climate.

Jewish people celebrate this holiday by constructing a temporary house outdoors, a sukkah. This hut of sorts is constructed in such a way that the people inside should be able to look up and see the sky through a roof of spaced out branches, lights, fabric, or what have you. There are a few specific, traditional measurements to the structure and there's usually a preference to four walls, though many of these huts have three. This sukkah must be built again every year... it's not the sort of thing you should leave out in the garage all year. Part of the ceremony is to put it together again or reinvent it for the needs of the moment... each year is different.

The idea is to have all the meals out in this sukkah. Unlike most Jewish holidays, there is no traditional menu... other than kreplach to be served today, the seventh day of Sukkot. It's basically pasta dough filled with ground beef or chicken and then rolled into triangles. The triangles can then be boiled and served in soup or fried as a side dish of dumplings.

There's an element of getting people back in touch with the outdoors, of dealing with the weather. After all, the instruction is to build a hut with a leaky roof. So, even though you have protection (your branches on the top are meant to represent Gd's divine intervention with the "clouds of glory") you're still going to get wet if it rains. Now, the Talmud is not completely unreasonable... it commands that once it's truly uncomfortable, you should go inside to your solid roof. It's not an endurance issue... the point is to understand that things aren't going to be perfect on the journey, but it does not mean that we have been abandoned.

The huts mimic what the Hebrews must have made for themselves along the journey. In a way, this holiday speaks to the ability to find shelter and survive any trip. Perhaps it's a gift to be asked to rebuild this little house every year so that, if you find yourself in a bad position, you can either build your shelter or be resourceful enough to not be left out in the cold.

I appreciate that this holiday occurs during the harvest season... when, around this region, it's starting to get comfortable enough to sit outside. The food available is warm and comforting. It's also a beautiful excuse to get the family together and shake up the scenery a little. Though I was not raised Jewish, it puts me in mind of things I would have loved to do with my family. I remember a few breakfasts outside with everyone... Mom has this outdoor dining set with a lazy Susan in the center of the table on which to place the jams, creamer, butter, rolls, etc. On that same set, we've had a few dinners together with friends for random celebrations. From one or two of the comfy chairs, one can see a patch of sky. If you sit still long enough, the outdoor light will turn off and you can see some stars. Daddy, Mom, and I have sat there to observe meteors and chat with a glass of wine... these are among my best memories of living at home with my folks.

I live in an apartment, so, no sukkah building for me this year, but perhaps after work I'll get a drink and sit outside in honor of Sukkot... a holiday on which to feel less alone surrounded by family, or nature, and the stars...

(from www.moderntribe.com)

Thursday Kitchen: What the...?

Okay, aside from the fact that I'm wiped out from the day's activities, I am still exhibiting some of the symptoms of Monday... Where is this coming from? So many people I know are ill... my professor canceled class last week due to a stomach ailment, the gal down the street is sick, my boss has a sinus problem, etc...

So, there's a significant portion of the peninsula eating soup (for those of you not into chicken, I found a lovely recipe for a vegetarian cold remedy: VEGETARIAN SOUP) or chewing on bland crackers or rice. When I have a plain old head cold, I like spicy food to clear out the sinuses. Either way, we drink tea, take our vitamin C (and zinc), and try to sleep. The idea with colds is warm, bland, and runny foods... yeah... just like a sick person's insides...

So, if you're woozy, do not check the link I'm placing at the end of this entry...

If your stomach can take it, I've decided that this link says more than I am able to this evening... I was looking for food quotes... and got more than I could handle. Scroll along, you will see several funny quotes... some really stupid ones, too, but all in all, they're amusing. I didn't read them all... because I was distracted by some of the disturbing pictures featured on the page. There are a few pictures of foods purchased at the grocery, brought home, and found... well, not fit for consumption. There are pictures of animals doing odd things... like trying to eat things they shouldn't. Anyway, if you can handle something a little gross while being entertained, take a look at this: DISTRACTION FOR THOSE TOUGH IN THE TUMMY

Enjoy!
(P.S. to vegetarians... I'd skip the section on vegetarianism if I were you... not very bright that section...)

I'm going to sleep this stomach cramp away...

Wednesday Valuables: Remembrance of sick days past...

(from www.albany.edu)

Feel like you have the plague?

There is a small handful of people who have taken care of me during those pathetic icky days of colds, stomach flus, intense migraines, etc. They are the ones on my mind today as I try to be one of these heroes myself choosing a soup to make or pick up for my laid up sicko down the street...

Mother, naturally, has been that hero most frequently. I can't start this entry without acknowledging her. She was exactly what a mother should be... tucked the blankets around me good and tight... made me bowls and bowls of noodle soup... made my tea better than anyone else on the planet (even me)... rented my favorite movies... and best of all, she managed not to kill me as I rested on the rocker moaning. Thanks, Mom.

I'm thinking of my high school nearest and dearest, too. When I was being tested for everything under the sun my eleventh grade to see what was wrong with me (eventually I was diagnosed with FMS), my friends would come over occasionally. Murray, Caleb, Tristan, and Anya would bring me flowers, send me cards, bring me tea or coffee, etc. I had heard of another young girl (she was diagnosed after two full years of testing at age 13) who actually lost the majority of her friends after she became ill. No one seemed to believe her. She's not alone. FMS works like that... because there are virtually no physical, outward signs distinguishing its victims from healthy people. You know how most sick people... well, look sick? FMS patients look like everyone else. All you might pick up on is how tired they are... So, I consider myself lucky. My friends stuck with me.

There was the time I caught my roommate's stomach flu. She was on her way out to visit her family just as I was exhibiting symptoms. I had taken care of her while she was ill, but now I was on my own. I felt particularly weak one day and dropped a glass in the kitchen. I decided I needed to sit down and I called my aunt. She came over and cleaned up the glass for me (I was paranoid about my cat stepping on it and felt I could not trust myself to do a decent job). I encouraged her to stay away from me, but she grabbed me a drink on her way out. I will never forget this... she lives in Hampton, so, that was quite a trek in the middle of her weekend when she could have been relaxing, grading, or spending time with her family. I felt loved that day despite my condition.

I remember one summer in France, my skin broke out all over my right hand. I had carried a heavy suitcase all over the countryside, from train to train, trying to get to Silvia's mother's house. The stress and frustration of travel added to the weight and my hand looked like I had put it in a blender and hit the puree button. When I arrived, I tried hiding my hand, but once Silvia's mother saw it, about five people came flocking to me and babbling in faster French than I could compute. Silvia's mother found a way to cool the skin down, clean it, and then her husband gave me a Ricard. The next day, I was taken to a very friendly doctor who gave me some of the most beautiful cream of all hand creams. I still have the handkerchief Silvia's mother gave me with which to wrap my hand as I carried my case a few days later to the airport to fly home.

I've had scary, throw-down migraines. I've had to ask David, and always unintelligibly, to put pressure on my brain. I imagine that's a scarier thing to do than to ask for... when I'm in that much pain, for some reason, intense pressure on the head helps. I wonder if it's because my head is splitting in two and I need help to hold it together. I lay there, sputter through tears and gasps for air, and David dutifully takes most of his arm strength and squeezes my head back into place. It takes courage to do something strange like that to someone for whom you greatly care...

There are also brief moments when someone steps in before you have an opportunity to feel bad. I am thinking back to my yoga teacher training days. I remember there was a low pressure system blowing through one weekend. Low pressure tends to inspire my headaches. I'm one of those people though... I'm stubborn about how much pain I should be in before I medicate. I guess it stems from the early years of FMS... I was on so many medications and just felt tired and groggy all the time. I don't like leaning on pills, so, I don't for the most part.

But this one afternoon, Stacy could see I was fighting something off. She looked at me and said, "It's your head, isn't it?" I agreed but insisted that I would be fine. She glared at me. She reached into her bag. I heard the clacking of pills and plastic. She produced two Excedrin. "Don't make me hurt you," she said with a smile. I took the pills. I felt better. What a concept, right? My moronic method has been to wait until the pain is bad enough to treat.... Stacy says you should nip it in the bud before it gets out of control. Since then, I'll admit it, I give in a little sooner.

So, if anyone else is feeling rotten, curl up with a book or a movie. Distract yourself from the nose, the shivers, the aches, and the neighbors. Give your loved ones a chance to bring you some comfort.

Now, off to figure out a soup for tomorrow...

Tuesday Favorites: Sick Day Joys

I apologize for my lack of a review on Monday... at some point this week, I will make up for it. I'm still not 100%, but it puts me in mind of the things I do when I'm sick to cheer myself up... or at least to distract myself from the discomfort.

It all revolves around the TV, of course...

I have talked to a few people recently who enjoy The Lord of the Rings, but one has this feeling when one gets started that he/she has to keep going through to the third movie. But, who has time for that? What is that? Nine hours on your behind staring at a screen?

When you're sick, that can be nine hours of blissful distraction. I remember I had a pretty rotten cold on a rainy day in autumn. I could hear the rain tapping on the dry leaves while I sat in my room and watched the saga unfold. I remember the way that day of rest felt better than hundreds of very productive days...

I also appreciate this age of recording entire seasons of TV shows on DVD. It really makes the sick day go by... We no longer must settle for the one or two back-to-back reruns on cable. No feeling like you have to be awake for it, either. You can always rewind a DVD and start and stop a show whenever it's convenient for you.

Besides, I think I like shows that are no longer aired on regular TV. I love my 60s-70s variety shows... a time when a healthy majority of people on screen actually had to have real talent to be behind a camera. My favorites, at the moment, are The Dean Martin Show and The Muppet Show. So many great singers, actors, dancers, and comedians appeared on both shows.

The genius of Dean Martin was his ability to do it all. It didn't matter what you threw at the man, he could roll with it. He was multi-talented enough to keep up with anyone whether he had to sing, act, or attempt to dance. There was a great relaxed feeling about the show... a lot of mistakes were left in to both give the feel of a live show and to add a "realness" that made one feel as though the performers were having just as much fun as the audience.

This particular sick day or two, I've been enamored with The Muppet Show. Jim Henson- way to show those elitist academics wrong! Our programming has died with you. Your style of puppetry took over and dominated childrens' entertainment for years. You inspired quite a number of great talents to your artform... and what brilliance to create a children's program that adults can enjoy, too! Not to mention, though the episodes and movies appeal to an adult sense of humor, parents are largely comfortable with the humor. It talks pretty covertly to subjects kids can't really understand... I remember the difference when I watched the Muppet Caper at the age of 19. I could remember what I thought was funny as a kid, but then watching it as an older person made it a whole new movie.

My new favorite episodes on The Muppet Show feature guest stars George Burns, Bernadette Peters, Madeline Kahn, and Dom Deluise (Well, okay... the Bob Hope episode was pretty funny, too). The show takes their pure talents and colors it with the silliness, absurdity, and admiration of the Muppets.

I know some people push through when they get a cold or feel rotten... but I take it as a sign that I need to slow down or stop thinking. These jewels that modern technology has made available to us soothes all sorts of ills.

So, I'll get back to them in hopes to write something worth reading tomorrow.

Sick Day

Due to illness, I am not able to publish a regular blog post tonight. I will hopefully resume my regular posts tomorrow.

Sunday Reflections: Remember Bilbo's Birthday?

It's the eve of the first day of my 28th year... and, as it seems to be the M.O. lately, I'm pooped!

Rather than go into the details of my day, I've been thinking about our friend J.R.R. Tolkien and his take on the hobbit customs concerning birthdays. Instead of others giving gifts to the birthday boy or girl, the celebrated hobbit offers gifts to his/her family, friends, and acquaintances. I've always thought that this is a brilliant idea... Yes, yes, it's good to be alive and I appreciate that people spoil me and honor my life and interests, but my life would not be what it is without the people in it and their own lives moving alongside mine.

Without specifics, I'm thinking of what I would give to the people in my world... not so much because of things that they may want, but because of the spirit that the things may represent.

I'd find a book... something that offered both an escape as well as validation for feelings, experiences, pains, and victories. Something that would cause one to read until he or she fell asleep in bed... something that made that person want to rise a bit earlier the next morning to continue the story. What was that book that moved one in childhood and made him or her wish the tale would continue indefinitely? I want to find a story that will capture the same awe, the same sense of identity, the same sense of inspiration...

There should also be a song... some sort of music. I can't think of too many other elements of human creativity that speaks louder to the soul, to the heart rhythm of every individual. Remember the first few songs of one's life that he or she had to sing to, hear again and again, a song one couldn't help but quote while talking to a friend? I'm looking for something that resonates with those esoteric fibers in the being, something that reminds a person of who he or she is and makes the spirit lift with magic and self-acknowledgment.

I also would prepare a meal... the kind that quiets a room. Everyone is so preoccupied tasting everything that went into the mix... every spice, every juice, every subtle flavor combining so succinctly into an experience. A meal that one remembers. Something that reminds one of how good it is to be alive, to have taste buds, to be in this room with this company and sustaining one's body on such food.

If I could, I'd find a jewel... a rock, a gemstone, a vile of water... and I would find a way to make it easy to carry this object wherever one may go. Something with some weight, but not so much that it's a burden. Something with significance to a specific person that reminds one both of the self as well as the love that surrounds him or her. Something that serves as a physical reminder that one is remembered, loved, needed, admired, and thought of daily.

Lastly, I want to offer a plant. This can represent so many things, but the goal, within the birthday custom, would be to symbolize a relationship. It takes care, time, and patience to help a plant to grow. Some plants require more or less attention than others... and I'll find the one that best remarks on us. Something that survives the necessary in-between times, and thrives as though no time was ever lost when one can return and tend to it. Something that changes with the seasons in appearance... just as relationships must grow and evolve. This may sound like a delicate process, but never fear. As much neglect as my plants have suffered and still live on, surely our togetherness can brave the winters, too.

Happy Birthday, to all my nearest, dearest, and influential people. May you be presented with the sort of gifts that remind you of you, how indispensable you are, and your unique beauty.