Pink

On Sunday I went to my book discussion meeting. The Grapes of Wrath seems topical now. When I read it as a High School student, the 1930s seemed primitive and remote. It was akin to reading about feudalism or ancient Egypt. Since then, I've seen parallels to the depression, with displaced workers after factories have closed and refugees after the Katrina Hurricane. It was fun to recognize the heavy handed propaganda techniques Steinbeck used to make readers love the ordinary people characters and to hate the corporate big guys and their evil minions.
Then, as it started to snow, I dashed over to U Village shopping center in the annual quest for Chanukah candles. My neighborhood stores can never be relied on to carry any. A few days later, I've finally gotten curious enough to check out what colors they are. First of all, the two boxes I bought were taped shut. (Because, someone might try to eat them and they want to prevent tylenolesque tampering?) And more strangely, there are no blue and no green. The mix consists of red, orange, yellow, white, and pink. The pink is completely unexpected.

Gyrations

I went to see a modern dance performance today. All I knew beforehand, was that my daughter’s friend was in it. It was an end of the year recital by 7 to 15 year olds. They all participate in the choreography, and the work was quite advanced. I thought about how much communication there is in gesture as they were able to transmit mood. Some of the dance steps were straight out of yoga class, and they used muscle to lift each other. Facial expressions were a big part of the storytelling as well.

It was a mother-daughter day, my son having demurred at the balletic excursion, and we also went to a vegetarian restaurant to hang out with some raw fooders. I traded lists of smoothie ingredients with a few people. One guy said that he feels an energy rush every time he drinks coconut water. Sometimes pineapple does the same thing to me.

On the way home, we stopped for produce at the Jedi market. I bought a cactus leaf, which has now been shredded in the cuisinart, and mixed with cilantro, onion, lime juice, tomato, and mexican spices.

We did quite a bit of walking too. I feel tired, but also, really good.

The Egress Boogie

As to my Passover song of the previous post. http://pr1ss.blogspot.com/2008/03/not-too-early-to-start-preparing-for.html
I have a feeling that there will be more verses and some choruses, maybe many more.The bird watching reference has me particularly intrigued.

What if The Children of Jacob, and the Israelites, (whom I am not convinced were at that time precisely synonymous,) used the ploy of ornithological passion as a cover for their planned emigration? I can see them getting together ostensibly to discuss avian migration patterns and habitat, and to assemble gear for the upcoming observation expedition. Everyone, down to the the tiniest toddler, would be outfitted with hiking boots and canteens. They would monitor the phases of the moon and wait for weather conditions most conducive to egress activity.

On the street in passing, an Egress Society member would make a `quack-quack` gesture with one hand. Upon recognizing it, a fellow member would make the `quack` sign in return. In this way, Bird Watchers could safely become known to each other.

And now for a few more stanzas of the Egress Boogie

oh children of jacob,
we`re going to the dessert
soon the departure
the quest to be a nation
oh people of israel
we`re getting out of egypt
the prospect is daunting
but we`ll soon be on our way

now`s the time to go to the border
find a spring of mineral water
tell the story in the right order
it`s sahara time

passover, this is the time to remember
holiday, let`s have a good time
passover, this is the time to remember
holiday, let`s have a good time

Not too Early to Start Preparing for Passover

(Sing this to the tune of "Safari Time")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpCpXfihXZU&feature=related




we are going to the sahara
hike the desert in my jalaba
hope i do not fall in the water
it's hegira time

soon it will be time for departure
roast a lamb and serve in a saucer
pack some meal to bake into matzah
it's sahara time

come along if you're a bird watcher
show egress to your son and daughter
hope i don't forget my binoc'lar
it's sahara time

Banana-vairsare

My new glasses are here! Fun that they arrived on my Birthday. I'm very happy with the appearance and the fit. The directions for measuring made it easy. I'm reserving judgment on the prescription, it will take a few days to see if it needs tweaking.

My little brother Leo (aka the LBL) asked me in a phone call if I had cake. So I explained about the whole raw vegan thing. I did have some amazing longan berries berries today. They look like lychees, and my daughter said that they taste like wine. We put a few of the seeds into a flower pot to see if any of them sprout. The LBL said that limited diets always lead to binges on hamburgers for him, and that he expects the same for me. But I don't crave red meat at all. Chicken soup or sardines are another story. I can see wanting those occasionally. For now, I'm still charged up about how much better my joints feel, and my skin feels smoother too. Plus, unlike with a strictly reducing diet, I haven't felt hungry at all. If this keeps up, there is every indication of wearing very cute low-waisted jeans by summer.

Oz Eggmore? I know Ozymandius! He's Lady Eggmore's grandson.

So there was no interpretive dancing.

There wasn't even any circle dancing.

But there were cookies and latkes and stories and songs

Including one surprising new song. The lyrics were about flickering candles.

Our song leader played a few bars on the electric keyboard. The tune was strangely familiar. It had a shrill syncopated honky-tonk feel to it. I started to laugh. A few people looked at me oddly. How could notes without words be funny? I looked over at my daughter. She was laughing too.

Maddy said: do you know what this is?

 I replied: Peter Cottontail!

She said: I know!

The vamp bars concluded. As we launched into the words, we both applied that slight southwestern rasp to our vowel sounds best befitting the style of the music.

Happy Holidays from Priss Prisstofferson 21314 to Blogshares and to all of my readers near and far!




 

Dancing in the trees

(Sing this to the tune of Dancing In The Streets by Martha And The Vandellas)


It’s reforrestation for your airport vacation
A chance to see a tree
They’ll be red lights blinking
And glasses clinking
And smatterrings of greenery

It doesn’t matter where you were born
Or where you are headed today
Just walk your feet in a vector
Through our metal detector
A tannenbaum will send you on your way

Everyone will be dancing, to celebrate the trees

It’s a fascination with conifloration
And a natural antifreeze
A medication for your irritation
As we check you through security

It doesn’t matter where you were born
Or where you are headed today
There’s a pine scent in the air
As we x-ray your hair
And a tannenbaum to see you on your way

All over the runway
Next to the coffee pot
Can’t forget the people mover
And the parking lot
Everyone will be dancing, to celebrate the trees

Everyone will be dancing, to celebrate the trees

Flying in a Winter Wonderland

In a developing news story around these here parts, some frequently flying Rabbis found that the seasonal greenery decorating Seatac airport diminished their travel experience. One of them, a cheerful black-hatted beard-wearer, notified the Port Authority that unless a Menorah fitted with electric light bulbs were installed next to the Christmas tree, he would be forced to file suit.

The airport responded by removing the trees. This disappointed the Rabbi, he wanted equal interior decoration. It also infuriated airport workers. No longer would their bleak existences be brightened by a triangle of green above the door to the concourse. Today they are buttonholing travelers and asking them to militate for tree-instatement.

Taken to its extreme, fulfilling a request for equal representation in decoration would lead to ever expanding collages of religious symbols posted in our public places. In my book, that would make for an overly graven image laden environment.