Three nights of Hanukkah down, five to go. I have presents for tonight and the seventh night (they know what they are getting for that one, just not WHAT), and something that I COULD give for the sixth night. So I still need something for tomorrow and the last night. I guess that's not SO bad.

It's been a very busy few days since I've last written. The girls and I saw their schools production of Curtains, which I actually liked more than I thought I would. I'd heard some of the music from the show and was not overly impressed with it, but the songs in context worked well, and the performances were quite good. I should have said something about it earlier, back when there was a chance that people reading this could see it, but we were so busy the rest of the week, I never got the chance and now the show is gone. Um. Sorry?

On Saturday, we went to see something that you can still go and see. We saw the new Disney movie Princess and the Frog. I liked it. I think of Disney in phases. There was the old times, when Walt was still alive, that time was filled with wonderful movies, most of which have become classics, they might not hold up as well next to newer movies, but for their time, they were pretty amazing. Then Walt died and what came out of the studio was as good, and eventually fell into the not much good at all. Then Little Mermaid happened, and suddenly the studio figured out how to make awesome movies again. More recently, there have been a bunch of movies that were back to being ok. Most of them were still better than the movies that came out in the "in between" years, but not as good as the Menken and Ashman years. These times are not precise, there were good movies coming out in "the dark times" and there were not so good movies coming out in the "new golden age." It's just the way my mind processes the history/quality of the films.

The Princess and the Frog is not as good as Little Mermaid and that ilk. It reminded me just a bit of things like Hercules and Emperor's New Groove, but I think it will stand the test of time better than either of those two. I liked. I didn't love it. I would see it again. I think that young children, or children that scare easily, will have a problem with it, but most won't. If a child has trouble with the scary parts of Hunchback than they likely will get scared with this. I kept worrying that Winter would get scared, then I would look over at her, and remember that she is now 14 and doesn't scare easily.

The part that weirded me out the most however, is that they seemed to find a way to make the prince's skin lighter when he was with the light skinned girl, and darker when he was with the dark skinned girl. I understand that it was probably done so that it would be less offensive to the easily offended in the audience, but the idea that they thought that they had to do that bothered me. On the other hand, Disney Studio's and the Powers That Be should be commended for making a movie featuring protagonists with dark skin, even if they had to turn them into frogs for most of the story.

I am surprised that that is the only movie we managed to see this weekend. Scott, Winter and I watched the new Phineas and Ferb Christmas special which was lots of fun, but that's about all we got to watch. Part of the problem is that Scott is securely ensconced in Deadline Hell. He had planned on finishing they layouts/first draft a month or so ago. But he's still not done. He figures he has about 40 more pages to go (though that's what he said a few days ago, so I figure it's less than that by now). But it's the holidays. He was supposed to have a big break when he was done (a month or so ago, remember) and we were going to have fun and get things done. That was the plan. That time would give the people who are reading the rough draft time to read it and offer comments, so that Scott could spend a few months making corrections before the due date for the layouts. (then there'll be a couple of years to draw the book)

He only has so much time, until it's due, and he really wants to be done with this part yesterday. So, to get it done Now Now NOW, he has decided to work even longer hours than he was already working. That means that he's getting up very early, going into work, then coming home as late as we can deal with, and going to bed early (he doesn't do well without lots of sleep). BUT THERE ARE THINGS TO DO! It's the holidays.

We have to buy a tree (hopefully this week, though Sky would prefer we wait 'till Wednesday), there's several nights of Hanukkah left, and LOTS of presents to buy. I'm really bad at buying things, and my family is very hard to buy for. I come up with ideas then I can't find them for the people I need to send things to, and I'd better do that soon, or it won't get there on time.

But the worst, is buying for the kids and Scott. But for very different reasons. Scott doesn't want anything. Really. When he does, he just goes and buys it. And if it's something that would make a good gift for him but not something that I would have reason to encounter, he doesn't bother telling me. So I'm afraid to buy anything, because he very easily could have already acquired it. If it's in his studio or on his laptop, I would have no way of knowing. The girls, on the other hand, want lots and lots of stuff. So the only way to know what they want now tends to be to ask them, and then they know what they are getting. They are very good at asking, but that takes all the surprise out of the holidays; they wake up and can usually figure out what's in every package. (though I did manage to happily surprise Winter last night for Hanukkah, and since it took FOUR HOURS to find what I got her, I figure it was time well spent).

I am likely worse to get things for, because I never buy things for myself. I want lots of things, but I hate the lack of surprise, so I tend not to tell anyone what I want. Which is very hard for people to get me stuff, I know. And when I open things I tend to be disappointed. I also tend not to let anyone know that I am, and I usually get over it rather quickly; I realize that what I was given is wonderful and am very thankful. I'm one of those people who much prefer to give than to receive. I just have trouble deciding on what to give.

Which leads back to the fact that Scott is in Deadline Hell and is not available to help (he is SO much better with this whole thing than I am). So, I've been quietly freaking in a corner, and it looks like I will continue to do so for the rest of the week. I just hope Scott really can get the layouts done by Friday (which is also the girls' last day of school), and that my away relatives are ok with the fact that things might be late because I don't seem to be coping with decision making alone very well.

First off, I want to thank zia_narratora for the snowflake cookie! Mmm, pretty and tasty!

Tomorrow is the first night of Hanukkah (Chanukah, however you want to spell it, I never seem to do it the same way twice). This has got me thinking about how traditions start and then evolve over time.

For those who don't know this, I am Jewish. Not a practicing Jew, a cultural Jew. As I define it, what I mean is that if you asked me my ethnicity I'm most likely to say Jewish. I identify with what has happened to the Jewish people through history, and I like being part of that lineage. But, since I'm an Atheist, I am far from living the "proper life" of a good Jew. I like pork and shellfish (in fact for many years shellfish was the only fish I'd eat). I eat meat and dairy together all the time, and don't even think about it. Yiddish was used in family like spelling to little kids, I could read VERY young, so my folks would speak Yiddish when they wanted to say things that they didn't want me to hear, so I was never taught the language. Neither of my parents knew it all that well anyway, so there wasn't anyone to teach me. I have not been to temple in years. My only memories of temple as a kid was watching my mom in plays there, and watching the movie Mr. Magoo Strikes Gold in the basement, while the parents were doing something without us somewhere else. I was very young, it's a fuzzy memory. I've been to temple as an adult, but only a handful of times.

BUT, my family always observed some of the holidays. There is always a feast and Seder on Passover, with lots of extra people invited. I always fast on (or at least near) Yom Kippur, and we always celebrate Hanukkah. Always. Which is not always easy. We also always celebrate Christmas (I'll likely tell that story again before the month is out). My birthday is between Christmas and New Years, and sometimes Hanukkah is over all of them. So everything gets jumbled in my memory.

When I was a kid, my folks gave us presents for every night of Hanukkah, more on Christmas, and then I got more on my birthday (well, oft times I'd get something that was for both, like the bike would be given on Christmas and I'd be told that it was my birthday present as well, which is why I made such a big deal of getting separate gifts as an adult). The Hanukkah presents weren't as big maybe, but as the nights went on they would get bigger.

And we always lit the candles. We had two menorahs, even though only one was ours. The other appeared in one of our houses, we figured it came from someone who lived there before us, but I liked it, and it was cool to have a spare. I remember lighting candles on the dashboard of the motor home when we were on the road. It was kinda cool, and a little bit scary (no, we weren't moving, but there was lots flammable in the small space). We always seemed to miss days (we were frequently on the road that time of year, and there were times when we just didn't have the time), and I no longer remember if they made the presents up or not. I do remember that every night consisted of lighting the candles, singing our silly song, and getting gifts.

When I was on my own the first year, I bought myself a menorah. I don't remember much about that year, I just know that when I put the menorah away, I put it "somewhere safe" which is an Ivy euphemism meaning that I had no idea where it was. I know this because the next year I had to buy another one. I eventually found the one I'd lost, so when Scott and I started celebrating together, we each had one. The first one I bought was very simple, I had little money and just wanted something. The second one was much more ornate. When Scott, Alice and I had our Hanukkah's together we decided that we couldn't spend much money on each other. Those years, the gifts were all about being creative with almost no money. We had put a spending limit of something like no more than a dollar on any of the first seven nights and like ten dollars for the last night. It was fun and we were very creative.

It was sometime around then that I was working at The Children's Museum in Boston, and that's where I found The Book. I love this book and it's become synonymous with Hanukkah for me. The Power of Light is a collection of eight stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, all with a Hanukkah theme. We have been reading one story each night of Hanukkah since I first found the book. I have bought the book at least twice, maybe three times, maybe more, because we couldn't find it in a move. I think if I look hard I can find two different copies, I know for sure where one is, which is all we need. As the kids came, and as they got older we have taken to taking turns reading different stories. Everyone fights over which one they want to read as we all have favorites. I love this book. There are some years where not all the stories get read, and other years where we read more than one a night because we've missed the previous night.

When the kids came, the gift giving tradition changed. My family had given nicer gifts as the nights went on; when it was just Scott and I (and sometimes Alice) the gifts were more creative than nice (I remember one year where plastic hors d'œuvre swords were gifted to someone, we had those things for ages!); when the kids came, the gifts became all about them. Scott and I stopped giving gifts to each other, and we just gave gifts to the kids. And the gifts became consistent. When they were little, there was always a night where they got Disney cups with straws built into them; there was a night where they got a coloring book, there was a night that they got something for the bath, and another where they got something for their hair . I would forget what they were supposed to be getting, but they would remind me so that I didn't miss something important. And the things that they got have evolved. The coloring book became art supplies, the hair thing became earrings. The Disney cups they out grew and were replaced with other things. The only thing that has remained the same for as far back as I can remember is that the first night of Hanukkah is always chocolate gelt (coins). The only other constant since Scott and I got together is that on the last night we always give each other a calendar, it's the only gift Scott and I give each other for Hanukkah anymore. The girls get their calendars on the seventh night because it seemed anti-climactic for that to be their last gift. They get something nicer on the last night.

When we moved in with my folks we inherited that other menorah that no one was sure where it came from, so now we had three. When Sky was old enough, we started lighting one for her. One year on the last night of Hanukkah the kids gift was a menorah each. I think that means that we now own five, but we only light four of them. What a beautiful light it makes, especially on the last night when they are all lit. We turn out all lights in the house, light the menorahs, sing our Hanukkah song, then read a story. When the story is over, the girls get their gifts, and the candle burn until they burn out. When our dogs were still alive, they went crazy as soon as we started taking the menorahs out. As we sung the song they would jump up and down and wag tails and be a complete nuisance. They got their gifts early (usually an edible treat of some kind). I miss them.

Hanukkah is a silly holiday. It really is. It's meant to commemorate when the Jews were under siege and the temple flame had only enough oil to last one night, but instead lasted eight. But what it really about is that they Jews needed to have a holiday that commemorated the sun coming back and the days getting longer. There must be lights and there must be celebrations and this is ours. My family never fried pancakes (you are supposed to) and we didn't dance (I don't know if you're supposed to but it's in the song), we played dreidel when the kids were younger (second night present for years was a dreidel, found some really interesting ones), but don't any more. But, we have lights and stories and families and fun.

Yesterday, I went to Albertsons to buy the candles and they didn't have any. None. The cashier said that she hadn't rung any up this year, so it's likely they just didn't have them. The Hanukkah section was hidden away in the back of the store. They had gelt and some juice, but not much else. It was rather sad. I went next door to Vons and they hid their section in the back of the store, but they did have candles! They had two kinds, one of which the boxes were sealed. I opened one of the kind that weren't taped and found that there were no blue candles in the box. We like the blue ones, so I started checking boxes. A woman saw me, and it reminded her that she needed candles as well, she also liked blue ones. We had fun opening boxes and checking them. We each bought four boxes. We bonded. It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Having our section be in the back of the store, and not even having candles in the one, makes you feel like you are alone. It was nice to have that instant reminder that, though they try to make us feel like second class citizens, we are here.

Celebrating this year will be difficult as it starts tomorrow, which is a Friday and hence Game Night. And if it's starting on a Friday, it will be ending on a Friday. Since Scott goes from work to sushi on Game Night, we have to do our Hanukkah with other people around. I always feel guilty when this happens because it takes a while to light four menorahs, sing a song, read a story and give out and open presents. Our friends always look bored (since the holiday is eight nights, Game Night always falls on one of them). Sometimes we postpone the Game Night night, and double up the next night, but this year there will be two of them, and I really don't want to do that. I guess our friends will just have to make the best of it.

As usual, I have almost no presents yet, it's always harder when it comes early. But, I have the candles and tomorrow's present, I know what I want to get for the second night, and I have ideas for the other nights. It will work out. It manages to every year. And it will be fun.

So. HAPPY HANUKKAH, EVERYONE!

Don't forget; Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last open curling (or curling of any kind) at our rink for this year!!!

The fun starts at 7pm and it's only $20. So come join us. Lots of fun, and it's your last chance this year.

The other day I wrote a blog entry, but I wasn't sure if it worked, so I didn't link to it from Facebook and Twitter. Almost no one commented on it, which I figure means it was either too long for people to bother reading, they didn't like it so they didn't comment, or people only find my blog posts when I tell them about it on FB or Twitter.

I have been thinking about these three sites that I post on. There are people who read things from me on only one of the three, and there are people that I have friended on all three. In return, there are people that I read in only one place, and others that I read in all three. And I use them all very differently.

My favorite is Live Journal. I like the communities, I like the conversations, I like the people that I've met through LJ. I like the freedom. I am far too long winded to be happy with the smaller amount of room that people have on FB and Twitter. I like to tell stories. In a way, I'm doing it more for me than for the people reading it. I like knowing people have read or care about what I've written, but, much of it I'm doing so that I can remember things that are/were important to me at the time. Things I've done, places I've been, people I've met, feelings I've had, the important things.

For me, Facebook has been really great at reuniting with people that I'd lost touch with. The weird part is that most of the people my age are either using FB as a means to promote their career, or to play games on, so even though it's been awesome to reconnect, mostly all we've done is confirm that we are both still alive (and at my age, that is no longer a given) and then that's about it. Partly my fault, as I rarely know what to say on FB.

Sky on the other hand LIVES on Facebook. She is on all the time, she chats with friends, she posts lyrics to songs, starts groups, joins others, posts pictures, comments on others pictures, she is almost always on. And she has lots more friends than I do. Partly, she friends anyone that I'm friends with if she has the slightest clue who they are. She'll friend people that comment on something that she's commented on, she has most of her class/school mates as friends. and they all use it much differently than the people that are my age. I have many of Sky's closest friends on my list as well, so I see the amount and what they post. I almost never see them playing FarmVille.

Then there's Twitter. I like Twitter better than Facebook. Like FB, I only follow people I know or have met (it's a weird thing with me), but I follow enough people that there's pretty much always something new every time I check. I don't use Twitter the correct way either. I tend to only click on links when I'm using my laptop because my iPhone takes too long to load the pics and then I ofttimes lose my place in what I'm reading. Since I tend to check Twitter more often on the phone than the laptop, this means I frequently miss things (I have many times promised myself to go back and check out a link, but I almost never remember to). I find catching up on Twitter easier than catching up on Facebook. I'm pretty sure I miss huge amounts of things on FB as I will go a few days between checking and when I do check, and then reload things appear that weren't there before, so who knows what I've missed thinking that I've seen it all. On Twitter, things disappearing seems to happen less often. I think.

I haven't completely figured out the proper etiquette on Facebook or Twitter yet. On LJ I tend to answer every comment I get. Sometimes I miss some, and sometimes it takes me a really long time, but I do try. On Facebook and Twitter, I'm not sure what's expected of me. I try to comment back, but some comments don't seem to need an answer, and if it's days later, it frequently seems weird to be commenting since the subject is long gone. I am much more likely to comment on something posted recently than several days ago, even though I might have something I want to add. Actually, that is true on LJ as well. But I don't have time to read everything and then I feel guilty.

I am a slow reader, have I mentioned that? I mean really slow, so something that would take most people a short time, takes me muuuuch longer. I write slow as well (I was going to tell you when I started to write this, but LJ seems to have changed format and the post time is now displaying the actual time rather than the time I started typing, which I know has to have been over an hour ago). Everything I do takes more time than it should.

Actually, this has taken so long to write that I need to go as Scott and I will be having lunch together soon (Fuddruckers, ftw!) and then trying to get some shopping done, because, omg, it IS DECEMBER(!!) and the holidays are RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!

I had more to say, hopefully I'll remember it for the next post. Have a great weekend all. Friends in the area: don't forget, Game Night tonight. Everyone in the area: don't forget, CURLING TOMORROW NIGHT!!!