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2009-09-24 - 8:03 p.m. .....Fit to Scale.... I've almost made it to the end of the single parent voyage - he comes back on Saturday. Thank GOODNESS. This whole getting up super early thing is just NOT who I am. But now for the comedy. Sam's class has been given (another) science project. My theory is that their teacher doesn't like to grade homework very often, and so gives projects instead. A few week's off for her, then just looks at them and gives everybody As and Bs. It is a growing trend. This half term's project is to build a model of the solar system. And did I mention that my loser husband is STILL IN CANADA? I have a fine idea, involving a big box painted black with little stars inside to resemble the night sky and hanging planets inside. Easy. No go. Sam wants to have the whole planets on stalks thing. Grrrr. Much harder. Much make base etc. Besides tomorrow I need to go to stinking hobbycraft and buy lots of balls in various sizes. Is Earth about the same size as Uranus and Neptune? Or are they much bigger? I'm hoping to get by with as few differing sizes as possible you see. It will all be based on how big the sun has to be. And we are supposed to include the moon. ????? But not say Jupiter's moons that are as big/bigger than Earth? How about the asteroid belt? Sorry. The BEST part is that no fewer than FOUR women, and I can honestly say that these are intelligent, thinking women, asked if the models are supposed to be made to scale. To scale. Ok. I'll put the Sun (about a meter in diameter) in the park, and you can put the Earth somewhere in the playground, bout the size of a blueberry. I think Jupiter's at my house somewhere. Evil husband thinks I should encourage everyone else to make it to scale, and that way Sam's can look really odd by comparison. A bit glib - a bit serious now. In the meantime, I have not been spending the last 7 days going around making amends to everyone I've wronged in the past year, I have no intention of fasting on Monday or going to synagogue, so the Book of Life will be closed and my name won't be in it. Again. Of course, I didn't do any of these things last year, or the year before, or the year - well you get the idea. Apparently, it is only the GUILT of not repenting when you know you should that never leaves you. Which actually brings me to my favorite story about my dad, who is (or was anyway) extremely conservative in all matters Jewish (except for the whole divorce thing...) One year, at Rosh Hashanah, we were in our synagogue when the Torah (and I'm not exaggerating) LEAPT of its own accord out of the ark, and, despite heroic diving efforts by some very old and not particularly athletic looking men, it hit the floor. Oh. My. The rabbi manages to tell us that he will consult the super rabbis and will get back to us about what kind of penance we will have to do for witnessing the Torah fall. (don't even want to tell you the punishment for actually dropping one) So 10 days later it is Yom Kippur and we are all back, and the rabbi says that he has consulted everyone and the penalty is a 30 day fast. Not 30 days and nights (!), just during the day (and yes, if you thinking that sounds like Ramadan, you are not far off, but we won't go there). My dad, who has never had a sense of humor about religion in any way, leans into me, and mutters "I didn't see it fall. The penalty for lying is less." And right then, on Yom Kippur, in synagogue, my whole attitude towards religion changed. My little family celebrates the holidays I have always liked (Purim, Sukkoth, Passover, Hannukah) and not the ones I always felt were some serious hard work. They have apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah, and do not fast for 25 hours on Yom Kippur. Oh, and I try not to make pork on Fridays (although sometimes I do). Wishing you all a very happy 5770. leave a note
......11+ looming... - 2009-11-19
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