Magic Jewball

Sorry I’m late! It’s been a hectic few days… Purim really needs to fall on a Monday more of the time. Anyhoo, this post is really for me, because I have found this blog to be an invaluable tool to remembering what I make each year. I actually wanted to make a cookie I saw from a few years ago and have totally forgotten what it is or where I got the recipe. Oops.

Most of these are old standbys, but here goes, around the horn:
1. At top, brown sugar poundcake. So easy, so tasty.
2. At right, chocolate chip crack, everyone’s favorite (seriously, people at work want to marry this).
3. Mid-bottom, Hamantaschen, in my traditional raspberry and Nutella (I found better quality seedless raspberry jam this year – hurrah!).
4. New entry this year, although I used to make them all the time, orange spritz cookies. I love these but getting the cookie shooter out and then cleaning it is always a pain. Making up for that slightly is that the cookies are super-quick to actually form (that’s the “shooter” part of the thing). Also, that they’re fabulous, with fresh orange taste. Zesty!

Guest-starring: various Israeli candies, a tea bag.

So there we are, hope you had a happy Purim or live near someone who shared cookies!

Title comes from a comment I saw on Slate in response to someone who made that tedious “I don’t even own a television” comment someone always has to make on posts about modern life.

I really want to title this post, “I got home, sat down, and was asleep eight minutes later” but it seemed a little bit literal. Anyway, I’m writing this at 1:30am and backdating it (I have done that quite often this week, you may have noticed) and it is less than well thought out, sorry. This is the problem with this challenge. But I am up to writing a half-assed post in the middle of the night!

Wait, no I’m not. I need to go to Real Bed rather than Fake Bed aka, the sofa. So one more happy song and tomorrow I promise a picture of the delightful baked goods which have caused me to average 3.5 hours a night of sleep this week.

In the vein of yesterday’s choice, I picked the sprightliest Depeche Mode song with the most unfortunate title. In case it isn’t peppy enough for you, it’s one of their earliest songs and this live video from 1981 shows Dave Gahan’s unfortunate fashion choices of that era. I like to think the pants tried to swallow him whole that morning.

Happy Purim!

In lieu of a post, I really wanted to just list various lines of songs that I’ve been listening to over some eight hours of baking these last two nights. Things like:

And so I quit the police department, and got myself a steady job.

Dear hero imprisoned….

It’s a beautiful life, my life.

I’m lying on the floor of the night before, with a stranger lying next to me.

On dit qu’il y fait toujours beau, c’est là que migrent les oiseaux.

There’s a knock on the door, and just for a second I thought I remembered you.

You never loved your frozen freight, perishables and bloodless meat.

Anei ra maua e piri tahi nei.

Oh, hey I just did! Music to bake by, it makes me happy. I remember the first Purim I baked on my own, in my sophomore year of college. I was listening to the classic rock station in Baltimore and thinking of holidays at home. Good times… and I mean that sincerely.

And now for the video. You know what the happiest song of the ones above is? The one about the murderers. I’m not sure what that says about my musical taste. North of the City will know that the thing about this song that makes me the happiest is how Morrissey can make the word “playboys” into three syllables.

Title comes from:

This is going to be one of those song posts. I’m up late baking and will be again tomorrow, so that might be one of those song posts, too. Please be happy anyway! I mean, listen to the song, watch the video… could there be anything more frothy and fun? Everything is sunny and everyone is pretty! ~sigh~

Or: The Jewballs are going to Britannia!

In case you’re late to our party, the blog is celebrating the Hebrew month of Adar by blogging happy thoughts and reasons to be cheerful through March 23rd. This has been (expectedly) difficult but maybe not as tough as I’d have thought. In any case, today I actually have something cheerful that’s happening to me. I’ve booked my first trip back to the British Isles in… years and years! I used to go practically every year because it was so cheap (usually $200-$300 round trip with B&B’s at <$50 a night). Sometimes, I'd go for the weekend. But then I bought an apartment and then I went to Israel a lot after my parents bought a place and then I redid my kitchen and then I quit my job and became a student. I tried to go over winter break with Pi but we couldn't get a good fare. Now that spring break is coming, I tried again (alone) and got a great fare! The catch is, it's only for five days and it's to Dublin. Now wait, lovers of Ireland, don't be mad! It's just that I've been there and for over a week which is more than I can say for Scotland (a weekend) or Wales (4 days). But I think I can just use Dublin as my arrival stop and then go somewhere I haven't been or haven't seen a lot of. So maybe Northern Ireland. Or maybe the northern coast of Wales (I was on the southern coast last time). Or Anglesey where dear Prince William is stationed. I'm sure he would like a visit. Or Manchester to see the Hacienda. Don't tell me the Hacienda no longer exists! Now comes the planning time, which is the best, most agonizing time. I hope to stay cheerful, as I only have three weeks. There is also another short trip scheduled for just before but it's domestic and already planned. But, yay, somewhere, who knows where, in the UK! In more universal happy news, I want to wish a great big congrats to my friend and teammate, Rachel, who got married this weekend. Rachel is truly one of the greatest, most fun humans out there. I wish her and the new Mr. Rachel a wonderful and happy life together. Mazal tov!

Title from:
Simple Minds – Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)