Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Folk Music in Milwaukee

Evidently folk music is alive and well in Milwaukee. We wouldn't have known this except two of the three emergency room personnel though Ronnie was hurt on a musical instrument and not a very sharp slicing mechanism.

Six stitches and one tetanus shot later, he's almost as good as new.

When it was determined that a hospital might be able to stop the bleeding that superglue and liquid bandages couldn't, we had to remember where the hospitals in town are. It turns out there's one not too far away and they have free parking very close to the ER door (but no cell phone reception in the ER waiting room).

After 20 minutes of solid bleeding we were running out of gauze and decided to make a break for it and go to the Urgent Care clinic instead. After a 10 minute drive and another 20 minutes of bleeding, he was finally seen. There they have cell phone reception but won't let you use it back where they actually make you wait after having waited in the waiting room. He has to go back in 10 days to have the stitches taken out unless we feel comfortable enough with needlework to do it ourselves.

In case you were curious, the mandolin was used to make garlic potato chips last night that turned out to be quite tasty.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Passover shopping

I realize I may seem a little obsessed with Passover shopping, which is even stranger when the fact that we don't eat much bread to begin with is considered. Nevertheless, yesterday we stopped at two stores in the north suburbs of Chicago before going to seder. Despite each of them clearly not having the same selection they probably did even a week ago, they both had full aisles and sections devoted to the unleavening. It was almost, but not quite, like being back in Kemp Mill. The one thing I really was hoping to find was jelly. Evidently jelly was a hot commodity this year because I only found a few jars and they were all black currant. I've never tried it, but how bad can it be?

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

We're not in Kansas anymore

So far, other than the persistant snow, Milwaukee has been great. And it's even finally spring-ish and getting a bit warm. Today I went out to start doing a little shopping for Passover. There was really no point. Not only were the shelves bare, but it looked to me like they had never been filled.

And what there was could have been purchased only if a bank had been robbed in advance. Living in Kemp Mill for the last several years made Passover very easy. Milwaukee for Passover will not be easy. That much is clear.

I believe that this year we may finally fully embrace kitniyot. It will mean that beans, tofu and brown rice could be part of our menu. It also means that Passover food won't actually differ much from non-Passover food. I realize that's not actually the point of Passover, but in the whole "why is this night different than other nights" kind of perspective, for it not to be different may mean it won't actually feel like Passover....

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Mice

I've been traveling all week. Sunday was LA, Tuesday was Tampa, Thursday DC. Monday will be back to Milwaukee.

In LA, at our first stop (before checking into the hotel) my traveling companion realized that her mousse had exploded in her bag. Nothing was ruined, but some things were wet. The bigger problem of course was that she no longer had any mousse.

I had only flown half-way across the country while she had flown half-way across the globe. Either way, by the time we checked into our hotel later that night, we were both exhausted.

But it was still only 8pm on the west coast and still a bit light outside. Too early to sleep. So in addition to asking the hotel clerk for directions to a drugstore, she also began explaining (hopefully for reasons that can only be explained by the sheer tiredness) to this poor clerk why she needed a drugstore. So again, I hear the story of her mousse exploding.

To which I finally respond "you should have seen it, there were antlers everywhere!"

My traveling companion did not think this was nearly as funny as I did. And nearly a week later, I still think it's funny. So there.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Traveling

Here's the thing about flying these days. And not actually these days, for the last several years. You have to take your shoes off at security. Everyone knows that. Even people that don't fly know that. And yet, somehow, I am always either immediately in front of, or worse, behind, someone who has yet to hear this news.

This morning, thankfully, the person was right behind me. She looked to somewhere in her 30s or maybe early 40s and didn't seem like the type that was taking her first flight ever. Now I realize I am in the airport fairly frequently (but not nearly as much as some other people I know) but I think that if you've flown in the US anytime in the last 5 years, which I would venture to guess is a lot of people, you shouldn't be surprised when you're asked to take your shoes off at security. Or finish your water. Or take your laptop out of your bag. Or take your jacket off. Or not put your boarding pass through the scanner. Or.....

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Could it be?! Could it really be?

It's possible that spring is on the brink of being sprung here in Milwaukee. Today it was in the 50's and maybe even the 60's if I believe the temperature reading in the car. I think it would be foolhardy to take out the storm windows and put in the screens yet, but maybe in a week or two. What I do know, is that we may not get more snow. Now that would be a miracle....