Holiday Season

As I've mentioned before, I am a secular-ish Jew married to an atheist recovering from Lutheranism. Due to our religious and familial backgrounds, we get to have an interesting December (December's are also made more interesting by finals at school, but in a less fun way).

Our December holiday season began with Hanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukah is not a 'holy day' unlike the other widely celebrated Jewish holidays throughout the year. What's also neat about it is that my father's family first heard about it in the early 1950's when they immigrated out of Iran. Since my parent's are divorced, we get two family Hanukah celebrations. The first with my mother's family is referred to as the "Present Orgy," and involves latkas (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (donuts, often jelly filled). This year, my three year old cousin got a mound of toys and a *pink toothbrush,* guess which gift she liked best, named, and carried around all night.

All my life our Hanukah celebration with my dad has been a subdued affair, in the Israeli tradition he gives us money and we often get a pizza delivered and play dreidel and just hang out. This year was different. My dad's new girlfriend had kids young and is now a young grandmother to a whole brood. This year we trekked out to her home in Chesterworld for Hanukah with her, her kids and her grandkids. It was fun, and more reminiscent of Hanukah with my grandma, which made me feel very, very old. (Best part, one of her daughters is married to a man who went to high school with *A HAD A CRUSH ON* my mom... that makes my dad feel old).

The next holiday celebration was last night as we sat up with my mom and her husband to welcome the sun on the Solstice. A pair of tickets to Wicked magically appeared in our laps so we saw that (it was great!) and then went over to see my mom. We arrived around 11:30, made hot coco and adjourned to the living room where we sat and ate popcorn covered in chocolate/sugar/nuts/sugar/etc and drank coco and chatted. It was lovely. This is the first year we have gone out of our way to celebrate the winter Solstice with my mom and step-dad, but then again, this is the first year that I have had a step-dad, so I guess it works out.

In a few days we will brave the wilds of Illinois and make the long journey to the Frozen North to celebrate Christmas. We will spend Christmas eve with a dear friend in the process of conversion to Judaism, at which point I believe she will be introduced to the age old Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas. Then in the morning we will drive out to the middle of nowhere to see my in-laws after they get home from church. We will eat ham (yuck!) and then open presents and stay the night.

December holidays end with new years eve, which this year we believe we will celebrate with at a friend's potluck. The new year begins with a luncheon at my uncle-in-laws house back in the Frozen North (how we will get to both event's we are still working on, it will most likely involve waking up at 8 am January 1st and driving up).


With all of this, you would think we were Pastafarians! Happy holidays!

On Why You Need Your Ears

Ears are so amazing, and I admit, I have taken mine for granted. After years of not giving my ears the love and respect they deserved, going so far as to get a stupid piercing at a mall when I was 13 that I have since let close-up, my ears have decided to take a hiatus from usefulness.

While in the frozen nothern wastelands, visiting Boybee's parents, I caught a nasty little virus. I tried to sleep it off and drink lots of fluids, but alas, healthy is not the word I would use to describe a graduate student's schedule during finals. After spending a week voiceless, a few days ago I could speak again, but strangely, I can't hear. I also have a hacking cough, but that isn't too strange.

Right now, I can hear my breath going through my nose and down into my lungs, but I can't hear what people say when they speak to me, especially on my right side. 

Oh, ears, I promise if you come back to functionality, I'll treat you right! I'll clean you regularly with cutips and try not to get over-excited and poke too far back. I'll even get you pierced in a new and nice way, maybe even to cover up that old scar. You would like that, right? Please ears, if you're reading this, I miss you.