And I call to you, I call to you, but I don't call soft enough

The seder was fucking awesome. It was crazy, though. There were I think 13 people total (quick list- me, my aunt, my cousin, my cousin's dad, his aunt, some random couple, their two kids, another random couple, and two friends of my cousin), and it was loud and raucous and everyone talked over everyone, and it took us three hours to get to the meal. Ridiculous. They also busted out the alcohol. I barely had any, it was way strong. There was a plum brandy that was 50% alcohol, and a pear wine that was 43%. And then the 4 cups of wine. I stuck to the good stuff for the first 3, but for the fourth the closest bottle was the manischevitz. Ack. I had never had it before. it's like grape juice with a leather jacket on. But not in a good way. It's like how in Grease, Sandy turns into a total slutbitch at the end, because, you know, it'll make her happy, or something. I always thought that was pretty stupid. Anyway.
I had gefilte fish. It was really good. Other people thought so too, it wasn't just me being weird. I was the youngest, but I weasled my way out of the 4 questions, and only had to ask one. Everyone had a different Hagadah that they were following along with, which was kind of cool because we could read different wordings aloud and see which ones seemed more apt. The woman next to me had one with a little mini-play about Moses and the burning bush and the Pharaoh. She and I did the reading of it. The cast list went something like Moses- a speech impaired Israelite, God- Gruff but affable, Pharaoh- I forget, The People-Slightly inebriated. The dialogue went something like
Moses- a burning buth
God- Behold, Moses
Moses- A talking burning buth
God- Listen and do as I say to you
Moses- a bothy burning buth

And then the people talked in verse. The whole thing was about half a page. Sarah got it on video. Sarah's dad is a cantor, and he was the one, while participating in the merriment, reminding us that this really isn't just a religious holiday. It's a way of keeping a cultural memory, of when Jews were enslaved in Egypt. Which made me feel kind of bad for not really being jewish. The view or belief or whatever that it's not a religion, it's a nation. And so with my non-participation, I'm guilty of forgetting, of not honoring the people who came before me, and I'm allowing this whole history of a people just kind of slip out of the world. By telling the stories and going through the prayers, we're keeping that history alive. Which is a view I'm okay with, I just don't really believe the religious half of it. I don't know. Babbling. Anyway. It was kind of good to have that reminder because the whole thing was so irreverent, and going through the motions, kind of. I mean, fun and joyous and all. But I kind of had to wonder why we were doing it at all. And he provided an answer.
Also, I made whipped cream. It was really good. There was a lot of singing, and Sarah was pretty drunk towards the end. I left around midnight and got home about 1, I think. For the gig dealy at the school that starts on thursday I have to be at Penn station early enough to catch a 6 49 am train. Good grief. So, I should be there by 6 30. So I should leave here by 5 30 (yeah, I know, that's probably too early. Oh well. Better that than late) which means I have to get up at 4 30. Which means I need to get my sleep schedule back on track. And I still need to learn the plot, get really familiar with it. I have today and tomorrow, I should be fine. That, and I have to read As You Like It, and finish this other book. I've got a random book dealer now, so books have been showing up in the mail. All sorts of good.
Leslie talked at me for a while this morning. The highlights- she wants to repaint the bathroom, and mentioned getting a gallon. Which total overkill, most of our bathroom is tiled. She also talked about getting a bucket of white paint, and a couple tubes of color to mix. I set her straight on both of those. Then she told me that she discovered that some popular clothing place sells ivory shit, and she is just APALLED. Apalled, I tell you. She said that she noticed a necklace, and then in the catalogue, there was a dresser. Then she pulls out the catalogue to show me, and of course the dresser is "ebony and ivory poplar" . She had thought that the whole thing was made out of ivory. I'm not sure how big she thinks elephants are. I told her that poplar was wood, and the dresser was very clearly not ivory. Didn't even have inlay or anything. Then she told me all about being adopted, and how she found a sister of hers online, and she's freaking out about contacting her. That was the only potentially valid/interesting topic. But I was tired and feeling indulgent, so I was nice and attentive through all of it. And i was able to get up and leave when I felt I was done listening, so that ws nice. Usually she keeps talking, and you end up standing awkwardly in the doorway for another 15 minutes or so.
Things to do for the rest of the day-
Clean a little
Go grocery shopping a little
Read for work
Read for frivolity
Start learning the plot.

I'm out of here.
Edit- So I also counted my books. Because I felt like it. 305. Granted, I counted my scripts that ar ein bookform as books. But still. And my dad is shipping my a giant box that I left there. I know that it really doesn't matter how many I have, it's just very satisfying to watch the piles grow around me. Anyway. 305 books. Huzzah.