Category: Holidays

Slumbering Inspiration

Dreams, Holidays, Judaism, Twitter, Web Development

nicubunu_Emoticons_Sleeping_face"It came to me in a dream, and I forgot it in another dream." – Professor Hubert Farnsworth (Futurama)

I’ve had a few times when ideas came to me when I couldn’t write them down.  At one point, this might have been when I was out and about.  Of course, since the advent of texting (and, later, Smartphones), this isn’t a problem.  A quick text or e-mail to myself and I’m good to go.

Recently, ideas seem to come to me on the Jewish holidays.  You see, during certain holidays, I refrain from "working at my occupation."  I take this to mean that anything that I could use to do work for my job is off-limits.  I’m a web developer, so computers are no-nos as are pen and paper (could write down code/designs to type up later) and phones (could call in to discuss work issues).  (NOTE: I’ll carry a phone with me in case of emergencies, but it is set to vibrate and everyone knows not to call unless it is a matter of life or death.)

So what happens when I get an idea in the middle of a Jewish holiday?  That is, during a time when I can’t write it down, type it up, or use my smartphone to send a reminder to myself?  That’s when I’ve got to exercise that brain of mine to remember it myself.  Kind of like how people used to remember things before computers were all-but-grafted onto us.

A couple of nights ago, I had a weird dream.  In it, I had built a very popular Twitter application.  I was showing it to someone to demonstrate how it worked.  I’m going to leave off the "how it works" details for obvious reasons, but suffice it to say that my dream was quite descriptive.  When I woke up, I remembered it perfectly and realized that this was an application that I could actually develop.  One that people might use.

Of course, the past three days have been Jewish holidays.  (Shabbat followed by two days of Shavuot.)  Since I couldn’t record it in any other manner, I kept it in my mind up until the Jewish holiday ended.  Luckily, by then, it hadn’t been forgotten.  If anything, it’s taken root and expanded.

Now if I only had more free time to work on Twitter applications.

Have you ever had an idea come to you in a dream?

Disclaimer: The "sleeping face" image above comes from OpenClipArt.org.

The Mother’s Day/Birthday Double-Post

Birthday, Holidays, JSL, Mother's Day, Parenting

Yesterday was Mother’s Day.  As such, we attempted to give B a day free from bickering, complaining, and the other pleasantries that come from raising two boys.  B would have to weigh in, but I think we were mostly successful.

The boys snuck into our room at about 6:20am to wake B up and wish her a happy Mother’s Day.  Had I been awake at the time, I would have headed them off and let B sleep in.  Instead, we gave B her mother’s day present, I made everyone breakfast (including breakfast in bed for B), and then kept them as quiet as I could while B got back to sleep.  (NOTE: Next time I let B go back to sleep, I’m confiscating her smartphone so she can’t check Twitter/e-mail/etc when she should be sleeping.)

Eventually, I got the boys dressed and took them to the park and then the grocery store so B could get some true quiet time.  After picking B up, we all went out to eat an ice cream lunch (mine was blueberry flavor which makes it healthy, right?).  We did some shopping and stopped by Mimi’s house to visit and drop off her Mother’s Day present.  Then, we quickly picked up some dinner and had a nice cookie cake for dessert.

ice-cream IMGP9710

Fast forward to today.  Today is a different kind of celebration.  While yesterday was a celebration of B being a mother, today is a celebration of the event that made B a mother for a second time.  Yes, today is JSL’s birthday.

It’s hard to believe that JSL is five already.  It seems like just yesterday that we were welcoming him into our family.  It’s been amazing seeing him grow and learn about the world around him.  He is creative (often performing shows with songs that he makes up on the spot), loving (he adores his big brother and loves cuddling), and surprisingly bright (just when we forget how old he is and think of him as a baby, he shows us just how much he understands).  Oh and he’s quite the little geek-in-training with a special love for Transformers and superheroes.

It’s a weird mixture of pride and sadness to see your little baby grow up.  On one hand, I love the kid he is becoming.  On the other and, I want him to be my baby for as long as possible. (He’ll be my baby for his entire life, but he likely will resent me calling him that when he’s 18.)

Happy birthday to JSL.  Mommy, Daddy, and NHL love you very much and are so proud of you.

JSL-Birthday

Aloha Friday: Picky Passover Progeny and Cuisine I Crave

Aloha Friday, Food, Holidays, JSL, Judaism

Passover means that a lot of our favorite foods turn into shadows of their non-Passover selves.  Cakes and cookies get replaced with bland knock-offs that use matzo meal instead of real flour.  Bread is a big no-no.  Pizza is just sauce and cheese slapped on matzo.  The less said about “Passover Pasta” the better.  (NOTE: Just because a food claims to be “Passover Pasta” doesn’t it will cook up anything even remotely resembling, much less tasting like, real pasta.)

As I posted earlier this week, JSL has had a hard time this year.  He’s a very picky eater and all of his favorite foods are Passover no-nos.  He is refusing to try new things.  Why?  Because he doesn’t try a food unless he already knows he likes the food.  (Yeah, yeah, I know.  Doesn’t make any sense.  You try arguing with the 4 year old.  I’ve already tried tons of times.)  The few times he’s tried something (under heavy protest, mind you), he’s either spat it out or proclaimed that he loves it but doesn’t want to eat it ever again.

All this has got me thinking about what foods I miss.  I certainly miss my usual breakfast of oatmeal and bananas.  Bananas are fine, but replacing the oatmeal with matzo and cream cheese just isn’t the same.  I also miss being able to use beans and corn.  Most of all, I guess I miss the pasta and bread, though.  So much of what I eat contains pasta or bread in some way, shape, or form that I couldn’t imagine not ever eating that again.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: What one food could you never give up for good?

P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #134

A Quick But Tasty Charoset Mix

Food, Holidays

P1080030

One of the traditional dishes to make during a Passover Seder is Charoset.  This dish of wine, apples, and cinnamon is often eaten with matzoh and horseradish or just by itself.

The first step is to peel and chop the apples.  Usually, we take out the food processor to chop the apples.  This time, though, we didn’t feel like having to clean it up after making the Charoset.  After all, we had just cleaned the house and were preparing an entire Seder meal.  Any cleanup cut-backs were greatly appreciated.

P1080031After B peeled and chopped the apples, she put them in a bowl with some wine.  Then, she mixed in some honey, white sugar, and cinnamon.  We had a recipe that we were loosely basing this on, but we didn’t measure out the proportions.  We simply tasted the dish after adding the ingredients and added in whatever we thought it needed.  For example, the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, but I know we added much, much more.  (NOTE:  You’ll notice the recipe I linked to calls for walnuts.  B’s allergic so we obviously didn’t use them.  If allergies aren’t a concern, by all means add some in.)

After the mixture was done, we covered it and placed it in the fridge for a few hours to marinate.  Then, we served it at the Seder.  Everyone, including JSL and NHL, loved it.  The only reason we have leftovers was because we had made such a big batch.  It definitely won’t go to waste though.

Blame the Matzoh

Blogging, Holidays, JSL, Judaism, NHL

blame-matzoh I don’t have a proper post ready for today.  Yes, there’s this, but I don’t consider it a “proper post.”  B and I have been wiped out since Thursday (if not earlier).  You see, all that cleaning took a toll.  Then, after finishing up some cleaning on Friday, I took the Passover items down from the attic.  Then, B and I cooked for the Passover Seder.  Then, the next day, we picked up a few remaining items we felt we needed before having a second Seder that night.

I was supposed to go to temple on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, but couldn’t drag myself out of bed on Saturday.  Honestly, I was surprised that I got there on Sunday.

JSL, meanwhile, has had an awful Passover.  All of his favorite foods (macaroni and cheese, “chocolate drink” – a protein drink he loves having for breakfast, pizza, grilled cheese) aren’t Kosher for Passover.  Sure, you can make Matzoh pizza and you can melt cheese on Matzoh, but it isn’t the same.  We gave him fish sticks (shaped like actual fish – more or less) last night, but he complained the whole time and went to bed hungry.  The happiest I’ve seen him eating was when 1) he was eating melon and 2) he was eating Passover cookies and brownies at temple with me.  (JSL: “This is my bestest day EVER because I get to eat a lot of chocolate!”)

As for NHL, he’s doing fine.  He’s found out that he loves gefilte fish (though not horseradish) and he already knew that he loves hard boiled eggs.  He even tried, loved, and devoured my quinoa pilaf.  His dietary needs are being met.

I’ll try to fight off the Matzoh-carb-sleepiness tonight to get a proper post ready for tomorrow.  If none appears, though, the Matzoh got me.

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