(no subject)
I never post when I have guests. The last guest left yesterday, so I'll be posting again.
This weekend, my old friends from two years ago came to visit! Ash and Drama both came for a few days, Ash bringing her friend Maggie. The three were great fun and also kept me sane as I prepared for my own seder. It went really well, despite a rocky start because I didn't know the haggadah well (I got it from the library midweek, after all), but it all smoothed out by the second cup of wine and especially once dinner was served. It was a big hit, even though the matzah balls (of which Drama insisted on taking charge) were more like rocks than dumplings. Most diners didn't know better. Diarmaid's shaved himself a horseshoe moustache that he likes to call a handlebar. Simon had music theory students' papers to mark and never showed. Colin, whose kitchen table I'd been set to borrow, responded to my text about 20 minutes before I expected guests to say he'd made other plans and go knock on his door. Thankfully Rob was there, and he came in Colin's place. Rachel never showed. Karolina had a migraine. Jdog invited himself by offering me a bottle of KFP wine along with the lamb shank I'd asked him to buy- what was I supposed to do, take his wine and leave? The security guard came at 11:30 and I played the "oh my goodness! We ran late?" card. He gave me 15 minutes; we quieted down and were not bothered again. We wondered if he'd been Elijah and I should've invited him in.
I accompanied all the guests shopping and acquired a springy top and a gorgeous multipurpose brown dress, which I wore to my seder.
The JSoc seder went fantastically. almost 60 people showed up, people asked questions, there was singing, compliments from all around... yay! The hotel did serve corn on the side of the dinners, but those in the know didn't eat it. That's enough for me. Avi and I talked awkwardly. He also failed to impress Candice, the Jew from South Africa (via six years in New Zealand) who's just recently showed up and who I ended up talking to for two hours after everyone left. Arnaud was fawning over me and Sarah- wonder if he has eyes for her? He said he'd invite us to his quarter-century birthday party happening six days before my 23rd.
Avi apparently called at 4am... mercifully, I hadn't switched my phone away from silent after the seder. He sounded like he was crying and he said "Please pick up the phone... you're the only person left to call." Oh, dude, I was passed out- and having nightmares about work. They said they'd given me a pre-advanced class Tues/Thurs (the one that starts tonight), and I dreamed I showed up and it turned out to be a beginner one so I'd just have to use the pictures from the pre-advanced book for an entire beginner vocab lesson. But I'd left my lesson plan at home. Then I learned I was supposed to have led my students on a climbing trip that I thought was midweek but in fact had taken place Saturday. And Michael from CELTA had eaten all my leftover seder compote.
I wanted to write more details, but it's time to go to work now. An hour tutoring Zuzana will get me 100 quid a month (here's hoping she gives it in advance, which I think she said she wanted to so a] I had her trust she'd keep showing up and b] she didn't idly spend it), and then I restart the same book for a new class of pre-advanced students. And I have to eat dinner in 5 minutes.
This weekend, my old friends from two years ago came to visit! Ash and Drama both came for a few days, Ash bringing her friend Maggie. The three were great fun and also kept me sane as I prepared for my own seder. It went really well, despite a rocky start because I didn't know the haggadah well (I got it from the library midweek, after all), but it all smoothed out by the second cup of wine and especially once dinner was served. It was a big hit, even though the matzah balls (of which Drama insisted on taking charge) were more like rocks than dumplings. Most diners didn't know better. Diarmaid's shaved himself a horseshoe moustache that he likes to call a handlebar. Simon had music theory students' papers to mark and never showed. Colin, whose kitchen table I'd been set to borrow, responded to my text about 20 minutes before I expected guests to say he'd made other plans and go knock on his door. Thankfully Rob was there, and he came in Colin's place. Rachel never showed. Karolina had a migraine. Jdog invited himself by offering me a bottle of KFP wine along with the lamb shank I'd asked him to buy- what was I supposed to do, take his wine and leave? The security guard came at 11:30 and I played the "oh my goodness! We ran late?" card. He gave me 15 minutes; we quieted down and were not bothered again. We wondered if he'd been Elijah and I should've invited him in.
I accompanied all the guests shopping and acquired a springy top and a gorgeous multipurpose brown dress, which I wore to my seder.
The JSoc seder went fantastically. almost 60 people showed up, people asked questions, there was singing, compliments from all around... yay! The hotel did serve corn on the side of the dinners, but those in the know didn't eat it. That's enough for me. Avi and I talked awkwardly. He also failed to impress Candice, the Jew from South Africa (via six years in New Zealand) who's just recently showed up and who I ended up talking to for two hours after everyone left. Arnaud was fawning over me and Sarah- wonder if he has eyes for her? He said he'd invite us to his quarter-century birthday party happening six days before my 23rd.
Avi apparently called at 4am... mercifully, I hadn't switched my phone away from silent after the seder. He sounded like he was crying and he said "Please pick up the phone... you're the only person left to call." Oh, dude, I was passed out- and having nightmares about work. They said they'd given me a pre-advanced class Tues/Thurs (the one that starts tonight), and I dreamed I showed up and it turned out to be a beginner one so I'd just have to use the pictures from the pre-advanced book for an entire beginner vocab lesson. But I'd left my lesson plan at home. Then I learned I was supposed to have led my students on a climbing trip that I thought was midweek but in fact had taken place Saturday. And Michael from CELTA had eaten all my leftover seder compote.
I wanted to write more details, but it's time to go to work now. An hour tutoring Zuzana will get me 100 quid a month (here's hoping she gives it in advance, which I think she said she wanted to so a] I had her trust she'd keep showing up and b] she didn't idly spend it), and then I restart the same book for a new class of pre-advanced students. And I have to eat dinner in 5 minutes.