A good cry on the train

Well, High Seas somehow knows I've been following the travels and travails of the pirates.....WHO US? No, We're just trying-to-make-a-living pirates....> idiots.

Rule Number One for Pirates: Never steal anything you can't return no questions asked.

buh bye.

Yes. I absolutely think we need a breakdown, a re-cap, a recital of all of Jes's doings during her long abscence.
(I was a complete bore throughout. Save us with some news.)

IZ: Could have used some of that fog today. Called the first of what I think could be several lawyers. Luckily, it's the Jewish New Year and none of the really good lawyers are working. I left a message that "Renee (fill in the REALLY famous name) gave me this number and could you please return my call ASAP????" .

I should hear something maybe Friday.

How did this get to be Tuesday? I think I am still recovering from Sunday's long run. I basically oozed my way through a very long day today. (7:30 AM TO 7:30 pm)(One of the other managers is on vacation.) Now, I am reading your posts, sipping a little wine and watching the clock because I want, I need, I wish for a full night's sleep.

I am reaching for some of that fog to draw it to me,
to wrap me up,
(I don't mind the chill)
and then to let me
sleep,
sleep,
sleep.

What I would really like is to dream I am asleep and in my dreams dream that I am dreaming.

Joe (That might be deep enough.)Nation

I had a long conversation with an author I'm reading, in my sleep. I figured I put my acute analysis on a2k, but... no. I'm only acute in my sleep state. Woke up arguing with him about some sentence, straightening him - whom I mostly agree with - out, book on floor.

May you have more restful rest. G'knows what my opinion was. Much less re which sentence, if it was one, of his.


(Michael Pollan, about building his own writing hut)

One of em'll call back, no?

Probably. If not I'll keep shopping. It's a funny thing about lawyers, I know several who do financial contracts (they are busy these days.) and a few more who do Real Estate transactions, none of them seem to know any other lawyers especially those who do divorce, excuse me, matrimonial law. That's right. They don't like to refer to anyone as a divorce lawyer, that's for the tabloids to do, one is told that a Ms. ______ ________ has a matrimonial practice.

Okay.

Joe(what we all need are writing huts. With periscopes.)Nation

Not sleeping, Possum?

Oy, since you asked.

We attended our older nephew's Bar Mitzvah in Maryland. He's my brother's boy and my parents' only grandchild. It was fun but rather exhausting.

I spent forever picking out a dress. My main requirements were that it have some sleeve, be blue and about knee length. Here's what I came up with:

RP, on the other hand, did not have such issues. He looked like this:

Our nephew did a great job on the parsha (the Torah portion read) and the haftorah (shorter piece but no, it's doesn't mean half-Torah). The Torah portion, because it was just before the New Year, was about the death of Moses. I recited The Prayer for Our Country, which is about asking God to guide our leaders in justice. Oy. And that's been working out soooo well lately. 'Course we all talked about the debate.

The Rabbi was a good guy and pretty much a peer in terms of age. He resembled Red Sox Second Baseman Dustin Pedroia: The Rabbi did not strike a pose like that all weekend. We were very disappointed.

The reception was a blast. It was, heh, a lot of food (see the Everything Eaten Yesterday topic for the gory details). I did what I could to keep it all balanced. Since everything was kosher there were some issues with salt and calcium, e. g. if it's a meat meal, you can't have dairy, so no calcium, plus kosher meat is often prepared with a boatload of salt. We persevered.

We also worked out at the hotel, which had a rather nice weight room and a teeny tiny pool and whirlpool. Very pleasant and relaxing. Fitness stuff also came in the form of dancing. We hora'd and also danced to some more modern stuff. I'm glad to be in better dancing shape; the last time we were at one of these I couldn't make it through a song. I did, though, pay for this one later as I was barefoot for the dancing and so my calves were bothering me for a couple of days afterwards. RP had similar issues. We're both fine now.

It was a weekend to give gifts. We brought books for the adults (Goodnight, Bush for my brother) and a beautiful book of baseball photographs for the nephew; the subject was baseball in the '50s and '60s. The photographer was Neil Leifer. And, in keeping in line with not only baseball but also the occasion, a set of (believe it or not, such a thing is out there, oy!) Jewish Major Leaguer baseball cards. Our nephew is (shocking! ) a Yankee fan and tried to give us the Kevin Youkilis card. We insisted he keep the set together. Here's a picture of that nice Jewish boy from Cincinnati who happens to play for the Boston Red Sox, Kevin ("Youk") Youkilis:

Looks a little like RP, eh?

We got home Sunday evening and were beyond happy to be taking Monday off as we were barely functional. It was a lovely time and remarkably free of family scandal (the cousin who looks like a model still looks like a model, the one who isn't married yet is still not married, the ones who are married are still married, the kids thinking about college still haven't decided on a school and the very, very little kids are still very cute, including one who, if you ask her her name, replies with her big sister's name, every time).

L'Shana Tovah 5769!

Sounds like a good time!
You look amazing, Jespah!

For many years, I've had daydreams about buying a caboose to use as a writing hut. (Really.)

Think of it.
A red caboose, parked in the edge of the woods somewhere.
Perfect.



I'd redo the interior, of course, with lots of bookshelves and a good writing desk and a big, stuffed chair, and maybe a daybed. Cabooses usually had wood stoves for heat. A minimal kitchen and bathroom, and voila! I could stay holed up there for days.

wawaweewa! looking great, jes! how do you do that? no, i don't want to know. then i'd have to think about my diet and feel vaguely guilty. but, damn, what a difference in just a few months!

Happy new year, jes. And you look mahvelous!

Oh my, thank you.

Dag, it was at your farewell, in the pics, that I looked at myself and said, "Self, you don't look super-fat."

I'm, uh, I think about 15 lbs. lighter since then. 100 lbs. off, here I come (probably by Halloween or so).

PS Joe, I hope that fit the bill.

Eva, I love the caboose idea. Neato.

Eva that is just about what is in Pollan's writing hut (something like 8 x 13 feet). Very interesting book - goes into more than his own hut: the nature of shelter, building, and a fair amount of philosophy. A Place of My Own, The Education of an Amateur Builder/Michael Pollan, 1997. Though I know a fair bit about building small shelters/sheds, I'm enjoying some comments on near every page.

I want to sit up high in the catbird seat. You"ll have to change the roof into a glass dome and get seats that recline so you can lie back and watch the Milky Way slide across the nightsky.

Joe(Happy New Year!, Jespah and JP!!)Nation

Dlowan asked

Sleeping some better, some nights some not.
I wake up most mornings at 3:17 with three bars of some song playing in my head.
It's a struggle to get the pillow adjusted just right,
minutes go by,
then,
sometimes,
suddenly I hear the alarm (5:05) going off
and wonder
"Wha?"
other days
nights
I watch the minutes go by
for an hour or so
then sigh
and get up
and do
my
yoga.


Joe(First, I put the coffee on.)Nation

Probably fairly little crying in cabooses. Caboosie. Caboosereni.

Cabooseniks

Oh Joe (do I have a song for you) Nation...

pillow too hot, pillow too cold, does pillow have rocks in

another time...hugs to you.

So... you've had your coffee......whattya up to over the weekend Joe? Hope you gonna go and live, love, laugh a?

Iz (hears that recurring song) zie x

Jes and RP






YOU LOOK FAB!!!!!!!!!! So glad it was a wonderful time. <smiles big>

oh oh oh oh oh.... I WANT ONE!!!!!!! How darn great would that be!

For carboodling in!!!!