Nostalgia for No Sugar Cereals Under a Curtain

My mom wasn't a health nut growing up but as a general rule she didn't buy sugar cereal save for one memorable incident involving my little sister, Reba, and Rainbow Brite cereal.  Don't get me wrong:  I do have memories of a Cap'n Crunch here and a Cocoa Pebble there but for the most part we had "healthier" options like Special K, Cheerios and Crispix. I put that word in quotes because we all now know those cereals still have plenty of sugar.  I don't buy those cereals for my own children, as they are being reared on organic this and Trader Joe's that.

Still, I am nostalgic.  So when I saw this display of retro cereal packaging in Target this morning it brought me right back to 1979.

Even though we didn't get Count Chocula or Boo Boo Berries in my house, I loved watching the commercials and got all warm and fuzzy when I saw these images.  I had a very happy childhood and please me have no regrets that I didn't get to eat this dreck.  Like my mom, I won't buy these cereals for my children.  That they weren't kosher then nor aren't kosher now is also a reason to avoid purchasing them, but just as important, they are junk for the body and soul.

Lest you think I shun this stuff fully, time to reconsider.  All this chit chat of sugar cereals doesn't preclude my children from eating Whole Foods' brand of sweetened chocolate rice cereal on Sunday mornings.   

And now behind Curtain #1, straight from the baby's mouth...

Meltdown Time...Wolfman Wolverine Spins Light Poi!

We didn't let a little Wolfman's Brother meltdown get us down this past Saturday night.  Fall Tour is upon us and with The Nunever in town and for his first visit ever meeting Eddie, we purchased the webcast for the Saturday night show.  There is no finer melava malka that I can imagine.

I love that the Hampton Coliseum, where the 1st three shows of the tour took place, is known colloquially as "The Mothership."  Because here we were, in our own house, me being totally the mama and in our own mothership (i.e. our unfinished basement).  I have never seen a show at The Mothership, and I look forward to when my brother in law visits (that would be Reba's husband, who I once referred to as Fluffhead here but I don't think Reba liked that so I will just call him Pesach as that is his Jewish name) he will be bringing me his hard drive so I can copy a show that the Dead did in this same venue in 1989 which many people hold in high regard.  (shoulda woulda coulda that was my senior year of high school why didn't I go down to Hampton then and see this seminal under-the-radar show not even performed by The Grateful Dead but a band that billed themselves as Formerly the Warlocks but everyone knew they were the Dead!?!?  Regret vent of the day complete)

Until then, enjoy a sample from our evening on Saturday night.  It's tough to get through the Wolfman Brother's kvetching, but wait till you see the Wolfman  himself, a total wook and awesome poi spinner.  That kid's gonna shine on Shakedown one day.  And when that day comes, I will kvell like only a heimish hippy chick mama can.

My Sweetest Little Boogie

Thank god mothers have instilled in them the maternal instinct. We love our babies so much no matter what.  This afternoon I wanted to get supper prepped meanwhile Eddie was kvetching away.  He just fell asleep in my arms after waking up from a 8 minute nap in the crib.  I hope this means a good nap at home.

And I gotta say I love his tiny boogies.  Just love 'em.  And I can see one right now from my vantage point.  Unfortunately my finger isn't small enough to fit into his tiny nostril to get it out and play with it like a little toy from Woolworth (ok I have entered the 21st Century.  Target.  Ya happy now?).  Not even my pinkie works. But ahh the satisfaction of getting out that boogie is bar none. 

Is this not the cutest boogie? Ok ok I admit I am the mother and if anyone is gonna think this is cute, it is me. I remember seeing a photo of my brother Uncle Goalie from around this age (10 weeks) and thinking he wasn't all that cute.  But I will bet my mom thought he was.

Recently people have been mistaking Eddie for a girl. I'm good with that. Maybe it is his luscious lashes. Here is a more flattering photo that features this ocular accent. 

What a blessing to have this sweet angel of a sleeping baby!  Now maybe I will prep my shirt for the upcoming Hazon Philly Food Festival on Sunday. Forget about prepping supper.

Introducing my Baby...Eddie

For the first time ever, I introduce to you my baby Eddie*.  Here he is, about 10 1/2 weeks old.  We arrived home yesterday to Stango playing guitar out on the front stoop.  And supper was all warmed up, too!  Made it a lot easier getting home at 6pm.  Thanks, Stango!




(yes I gotta take the videos horizontal not vertical:  I keep forgetting!)

*Eddie's name has been changed to protect his identity.  Short little story on how he got this name:  My sister Reba thought he looks a little bit Filipino.  So, Concealed Light quickly looked up what Filipino children  looked like in her book of International families called Children Just Like Me, complete with photos of the families (it's a great Unicef/DK Publishing collaboration of a book).  She quickly surmised he was definitely not as dark as the brothers featured with the family.  But there could be a resemblance.  The boys names are Edgar and Edwin.  So I said let's call him Eddie for Whole Phamily.

Purge mode

Part of why I love this blog is that it helps me be ok with purging sentimental items. I just found this pillow my Grandma Martha made for me somewhere around 1980 or so.  It was all smooshed inside my closet. Not like I was using it   I even asked Reba if she wanted it.  Her reply was , "aw too bad it has a hole in it."  

I value my sister's opinion about stuff like this.

And I am not even putting it in a giveaway bag.

Straight into the garbage it shall go.

Thanks Grandma Martha, I really loved making my bed with the heart pillow right in the middle!

Got Brothers? I've Got Chills!

You're thinking I'm all spoofin' the Got Milk? campaign.

Nope.

More like the Gat Brothers.  Arye and Gil Gat to be specific.  The guys who I spotted, like many others, back in the spring, and was searching for them to resurface.

The Nunever, praised be he and thank you for the kesher as always, sent me the link to the other day's post referencing the Gat's recent Jerusalem street performances of Pink Floyd's "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven."

And now we see then surface on the Israel reality tv show "Rising Star" ("Kochav haBa") which I guess must be similar to American Idol, just a few days ago.  Currently this YouTube video is at 20,404 hits.




My prediction?

The Gats go Viral.

However my other prediction didn't come true so I don't think I would trust my predictions.  I'm kinda like The Mighty Wind of predictions.  Meaning it's not coming true.  Shoot, this whole blog could be a Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer mockublog.  Not.  Best In Show this is not.

Remember!  Like 'em?  Email 'em at BreslevBrothers@gmail.com

My girl friend here I will for all intents and purposes call Blondie (not her real name, but it really fits for so many reasons) saw the link of the Gats and she told me she had "chills." upon watching it.  I consider her opinion highly because she knows good music.

And so I thought of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in a seminal movie from my childhood.

Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Jerusalem style

Ever since I first saw these guys perform a Beatles tune this year, I have been curious if they had anything else in them.

Well, it's clear they do.  Roger Waters, Syd Barrett:  look out.  Here are two Breslovers covering Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" in the heart of Jerusalem.  Zion Square, affectionately know in Hebrew as Kikar Tzion, has never looked this shiny, and, dare I say it, sanitized!  With the light rail that passes by on Jaffa Road, you'd think this was a shmancy European city. What I want to know is where is the Kent Stand we all used to visit to exchange currency?

What a wild, wacky, beautiful sight. Just love the motley of people surrounding Reb Arye and Reb Gil, young to old, secular to religious, male, female, and who knows maybe something in between. Just people listening to great tunes in the holy city, albeit the new part.

We need to check our preconceived notions at the door in case you thought "what are these payos-clad guys doing singing these beautiful tunes."  Good music is good music.

If you love 'em so much, email 'em and let 'em know!
BreslevBrothers@gmail.com

Just last night I wore my Cream t-shirt (also my brother's recommendation) to an Amy Helm show, the daughter of Levon Helm, who has already been gone for a year and half.

And now I see that the brothers performed a classic Clapton Tune "Tears in Heaven."  (for those not musically-literate, just Google the band Cream and you'll see the connection).





As Dustin Hoffman said in Tootsie, "Joy. Sheer joy."

Here's Amy Helm & The Handsome Strangers from last night







Buried at the bottom:

Here's my little Floyd story.  They are my brother's favorite band, so in high school he suggested some tapes of theirs I should get. "Dark Side of the Moon," the album on which "Shine On" appears, ended up being one of the few I did actually buy. Probably at Sam Goody or Record World (where I bought tapes not records) in the mall.  Being a suburban kid we didn't have Tower Records...my visits there in 1988 and '89 in Manhattan are a whole other story that involved skipping the Columbus Day journalism seminars at Columbia University. Maybe if I didn't skip those seminars I would actually know how to write instead of my gabbable run-ons.

I brought my Floyd tapes on my teen tour, and one of the girls on the trip was excited to see I listened to them. I liked the music:  who doesn't relate to the lyric "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year?"  But I knew nothing of the band itself.  So when she started waxing poetic over Roger Waters I felt like a real poseur and shied away.

I have learned a bit more about modern rock since then, but I imagine kids these days wouldn't have that type of experience since we live in a wiki, Googled out society. Surely it was a more innocent time. I miss my Sony Walkman and looking out onto the Montana landscape while dozing off to the sounds of cash registers churning and falling bricks in a wall.

Thanksgivukkah...It's Chocolate Lollipop Time

Other than Rainbow Loom, I guess all the rage in the next month among people I know is the once in a lifetime convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.

It also happens to be both my Jewish and Secular birthdays as well as wedding anniversary.  Take that for putting private info out there.  Do you think I really care?  It isn't like I'm putting my social security number out there.  Do the numbers 329-29-1127 mean anything to you, anyway?

As if that's REALLY my social security number. C'mon, what do you think I am...an irresponsible person?

Anyway...lots of articles are out there about Thanksgivukkah.

Personally I'm getting in my order for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah lollipops, like I have done many years over.

Rainbow Loom. When will the madness stop?

I think it's safe to say that every parent of an elementary-school aged child in America knows by now about the Rainbow Loom.  The kids who were really on the ball knew about it this summer.  Who knows, maybe some kids knew about it in the spring.  For sure if you were at the beach or camp in the Northeast this summer, the rainbow loom loomed large.  To say it's all the rage is an understatement.  It's everywhere.  And I mean everywhere.  You can even get knock offs of the elastics from Michael's and probably every local dollar store.

Concealed Light, The Wolfman and The Wolfman's Brother received their first Rainbow Loom as a gift when Eddie was born.  I hadn't heard of it, but our friends, who joined us late in the summer at Sesame Place, told us it's the thing to have.  Within that one week I heard it mentioned numerous times, and now that school is in full swing pretty much all the kids (and many teachers) are wearing the bracelets.


My children started off wearing just one bracelet made of the "original" stitch.  Now they are increasing exponentially up their wrists.  They've got fishtail, triple single, and probably a lot of other stitches we don't know yet.  Kids are learning how do it on YouTube.  There's a special way to roll off the bracelets.

When will it end?  Then again, better they loom than zone out on the iPad, right?

My guess is this craze will outlast Silly Bandz, which were just bracelets you bought.  Here, you're actually making something.  So it's somewhat redeeming.  Kind of reminds me of the ribbon barrettes we used to make in the early 80s with the beads at the end.  In the beginning it was so hard to find the special Goody brand barrettes and particular width satin ribbon needed to make the barrettes.  The way to make them was a carefully-guarded secret:  even a family friend wouldn't teach me because she was in the business of selling the barrettes.  But now with the Internet nothing is sacred and all kids are created Rainbow Loomingly equal.

It's pretty easy to find out the "creator" of the Rainbow Loom, though Concealed Light said the loom is nothing more than a glorified finger knitter.  Still, the gentleman from Michigan, Choon Ng, who created this product is to credit.

I wonder if there is a pot of gold at the end of Mr. Ng's rainbow (loom).

Anah el Nah: Jonah Adels

My main memory of Jonah Adels, who passed away last week due to injuries sustained in a tragic car accident, was that he planted the beginnings of a fruit orchard in Putnam County, New York..

Jonah worked at Concealed Light's camp.  Neither of us actually knew his name until recently.  But we totally "knew" him.  He seemed so sweet and kind.  I don't know why things like this happen, but here is a video that some of Jonah's friends put together a few months ago when they were praying for his healing.

The chant in this video is "anah el nah refah na la":  Answer us, please, God, heal us please, God.  I have never heard this particular melody of this classic Jewish prayer but it is so amazingly beautiful.  When I played it today for Concealed Light she said, "oh, yes, we sing that at camp."  Like it was just so familiar to her.   Then she was like, "wait?  The video is 14 minutes?  We don't sing it that long at camp."

I am so glad to learn that she knows this melody.  It took Jonah's accident for me to learn that my daughter knows a most gorgeous melody to this important tefilah.

Concealed Light saw some of the photos in the video and recognized Jonah.  "Oh, yeah I know him."  Sadness with a mama and her 10 year old daughter.

She didn't know what the additional images in the video were doing there, but I told her they are there to help people get to a place of healing through prayer.  Something like that.  It's hard.

Jonah planted a fruit orchard that will continue for years to come.  What bittersweetness.  All is meant to be.  Children at Concealed Light's camp will bear Jonah's fruit.  How do things like this happen?

From what I was told, Jonah's car accident happened because his car was trying to avoid hitting an animal in the road.  They didn't hit the animal but their own car swerved and crashed.  What kindness, what bittersweet kindness.

It was Rebbe Nachman's yahrtzeit a few weeks ago during Sukkot when  I learned that Jonah was journeying from this world into the next.  His friends were coming that exact shabbes to gather at a friend's home where a woman was about to bring a new life into the world.  I want to believe that Rebbe Nachman was there, holding Jonah by the hand, dancing and rejoicing with him in all that he contributed to the world, and leading him personally into the next world.

Baruch Dayan haEmet.

Nursing is a Great Hobby

Check out how nursing is portrayed in Mister Rogers.  No way would such a natural, normal part of life be on tv like that today.  How sad.

Anyway, I am really enjoying nursing my little baby, the Wolfman's Brother's brother.  I haven't come up with a name to call him yet on this blog.  Truth be told, I don't really mind putting up real names here.  Pretty easy to find that out anyway with a quick Google search.

Nursing is one of my favorite things to do in life and I am blessed with a 4th opportunity.  So far I am enjoying it all, despite the spit up, crying, and sleepless nights.

Making the cut into your school's annual report

Wow: the Wolfman is featured prominently in our school's annual report.  He is playing violin and the photo is placed apropos in the extracurricular section.  Of course I would have loved to see a photo also of Concealed Light on flute, and that would have actually been more appropriate because  she actually takes her lessons after school on-site, whereas the Wolfman went last year to an off-site music school.

Still, I am grateful that their school provided a forum through which my children could express their musical skills.  And I am proud that my child enhances their report.  All the shlepping I did last year for violin which he said he disliked is worth it just for the annual directory photo!  The board of directors did a very nice job with the publication, too.  It must be so much work. 

And now that I have a digital image of the photo, into the recycling the whole glossy publication goes.  Actually no.  I will wait for Stango to return from Copenhagen so he can check it out in hard copy.  Like he will have the time?  That doc has his brain buried in brain research and is either reading brainy stuff or Torah stuff.  

Bad Medicine in Mother's Little Helpers

It doesn't surprise me to learn that some of the moms at my friend's children's school in Los Angeles are popping valiums and even, gasp, oxycontins, deal with the day to day stresses of mommying.  And if you ask me, it's no big whoop (yes I know oxy's are highly addictive and the class action a number of years ago associated with it... Ya gotta be careful for sure if you are using off label or not your own prescription).  

Do what ya gotta do to get through the day.  It's socially acceptable to have a "mother's little helper" if you need it.  Maybe it's a shocker that these moms are Orthodox Jews (both sheitel and non sheitel wearers, if that matters to you, which it really shouldn't because people are people so why should it be).

FYI for the iPad / iPhone impaired among us (that includes me), I am including lots of links to various tunes I am referencing in this post and often they don't come up when reading on those devices.  So you are missing out on the best part of this post which is the music.

 

What bothers me, however, is that it's socially acceptable to take pharmies (legal prescription drugs doled out by your doc) but not to find your chill zone via stuff you can get with an Rx in Colorado these days.  For the record, I am not advocating taking any drugs here.  The point of this post is that I have a big problem with hypocracy (sp?  Too lazy to spell check, sorry).

So many folks buy into the idea that if something is illegal it's bad and if something is legal it's ok.  The truth lies in moderation.  (And I'm certainly not talking about an IV drip of propofol a la Michael Jackson or taking out your crack pipe...hey do people still do crack?  And whatever happened to crank?  What with the drug imagery on Breaking Bad, I'm exposed to this whole world of meth which, b'h, isn't part of my ouvre.  And if you clicked that link for crank you'd learn quickly like I just did that crank is actually meth, which is as we all know what BB is all about!  Cool beans.  Not the meth, no that's not cool, but simply the knowledge is cool.  Wow I haven't said cool beans since like 1989.  I have my friend Darren to thank for that phrase).

I don't know much from benzos, but you remember that Stones tune "Mother's Little Helper," right?  For those of you iPad-impaired, you might not see this YouTube video below.  Sorry.

Wouldn't personally be my way to deal, but to each her own.  I say just get out there and do a great workout.  That'll make you feel better and help melt away the stress.

But, that doesn't always do the trick, right?  If you ask me, and you shouldn't cuz I'm not a pharmacist, therapist, or any other health care specialist thereof, percoset and Valium sound like bad medicine when you look at the alternatives. 

You remember that Bon Jovi tune "Bad Medicine," right?  For those of you iPad-impaired, yet again you might not see this YouTube video below.  Sorry.

Maybe my mom friends of friends should put down their pills and vodka tonics (who needs a hangover?) and be open minded to the alternatives.  Then again, what the heck do I know? Then again...

  I'm guessing that more and more people are becoming open to this thought, but people aren't talking about it. At least not in the mainstream Jewish observant world. 

Look, people, there are dangers everywhere, right?  People can blow their minds out if they want, but most Toms, Dicks and Janes aren't going down that route.  I am not advocating for one way or another:  I just find the hypocrisy in the situation.  Nancy Reagan did a number on my generation with her fried brain eggs on drugs.




My question is what about all the kids that are diagnosed with ADHD these days, all the kids that are taking Ritalin for that purpose and then easily reselling it to their high school and college friends?  Isn't ritalin the No Doz of the millenium?  No Doz was such a weak drug if you think of it and personally made me nauesuous from all that caffiene.  Just because Ritalin is legal, that makes it ok?  I don't get it!

After 30 years, my favorite band made a bold statement by performing Peter Tosh's tune "Legalize It" during a 3 - night run at Dick's Amphitheatre in Denver.  I had never heard the tune (it's from 1979 or so?  Who knew! Gotta love that reggae beat), but thought it was interesting they decided to come public with their opinions and in the state of Colorado no less where legalization is happening.  Or maybe it happened already?

It is big industry for our country and on a tachlis (practical) level could do a lot of people a lot of good.  Even Entrepreneur magazine recently had a very discreet ad for a turn key dispensary machine business (think cigarette machine of lore: but remember you need your Rx. Which gets me back to my original point. 

Valium?  Oxycontin?  Xanax?  Not so much. 

This is what happens when you have a two month old and not a lotta sleep and lots to do and the desire to just do it all ... Thoughts get a little stream of concioisness.

Loony's gotta move on:  do other people agree with me about the whole hypocritical thing that suburban moms can openly chat about their pill popping habits but not other stuff?  

I realize maybe this is a controversial topic and you may ask me why would I even want to write about this given that you are members of a community and your children go to school in said community. I think of Ed Rooney, the principal character in Ferris Bueller's day off , when Ferris picks up Sloane from school and pretend he is her dad and gives her a huge romantic kiss and Rooney goes "so that's how it is in their family".  People can think what they want of me and have that (false) Ed Rooney attitude.  The truth is you'll never really no.  And I'll never really know. 

Only the aybishter knows and he is cool with coming to my shabbes table. 

Still, klonopins I don't think are for me. There. I have gone on the record and you can quote me on that. 

Since we are talking about drugs, You can also quote me that percoset is a dirty old drug and I took it anyway after the baby despite knowing how junky it is and messes up my system.  Let's not get too into the details let's just say my GI tract was hurtin' two months ago and I mean bad. 

Now that's bad medicine!

Let's end positive ...

Moral of the story is think for yourself.  Big  government isn't always right.  And go see Phish. They are great musicians; a group unsurpassed. 

Don't Think Twice It's Alright with S'mores

Stango finished our fire pit.  Great weather, chill vibes, s'mores, family, and Bob Dylan tunes.  Can't get better than that..  Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a baby about three weeks ago.  You'll see him in the video. Just call him Marshmallow for now.

Here's my mother's preference for Dylan's tunes, none other than Peter, Paul, and Mary.

While we're at it, here is the prophet, mystic and poet Mr. Zimmerman himself in 1962.

Friendship found, friendship lost...But how would you Know?

Have you ever had a friendship where it seems like there is more effort from one person to keep the friendship up?  I'm sure you have. We all have.  In general, I enjoy the company of most women I meet and can always find something to chat about.  I always try to find something good in everyone.   But the deeper friendship...there aren't too many people in the world that I have been friends with whom I have felt a really deep connection.  One that you can't really put into words.  All it really takes is one or two really good friends.

There is one person that I have known for close to twenty years, but I guess it had to take me to my 40th birthday to really let it sink in that we're not BFFs, to borrow a teeny bopper term.  Naturally, since we haven't lived in the same town for a while, I knew that we weren't best of friends.  Yet I am the person who always went to seek her out, visited her at her place, made the effort to make plans.  Maybe that's a sign of maturing, getting older, that I am trying to deal with this.  The whole Facebook thing doesn't really help.  We see each other every once in a while, maybe once a year, at events of mutual interest.  Usually we just bump into each other.

It's not fun and it's not easy.  I would rather we be closer friends.  I'd rather her visit or call.  I guess that's just not in the cards.  40 is good like that:  my life is otherwise full and vibrant.  Who needs the sadness of a friendship that was never really what I thought it could be?

And yet, after all these years I continue to think about it.

The 1st verse from Dylan's "He Was a Friend of Mine" makes me think of her.  She is alive and well, so the rest doesn't really apply.  But the 1st verse does.

(s)he was a friend of mine
(s)he was a friend of mine
Every time I think about (her) now
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
'Cause (s) was a friend of mine



"Light," by Phish, a favorite tune of mine especially performed live, also reminds me of this friend.  Especially the less-often heard verse

Obstacles are stepping stones
That guide us to our goals
Fences are filters
That purify our souls

The song has great hope.  It makes me feel like whatever happens in life, this friend and I continue to be connected.  The obstacles that exist in the friendship are there for a reason and perhaps the reason why our friendship hasn't been more than I'd hoped is purposeful and the right thing for me.  Who knows, one day we may cross paths in a meaningful, lasting way.  Doesn't everything happen for a reason?

First There is a Mountain

"Then there is no mountain, then there is."  -Donovan

Pretty sad that I can't make it to Mountain Jam this year, which I really enjoyed last year and wrote about in my first and only piece on Kveller.

This quotation comes from the song "There Is a Mountain" which my friend Adam, ever the joyful Rainbow tribe family member (and holy hassid) introduced me to via his Happy Tapes.  Here is Donovan performing the tune in its original form.




And, further to my late-bloomingness (but who's really counting anyway), little did I know that the Allman Brothers did a pretty famous jam improvisation on their album "Eat a Peach" that they called "Mountain Jam"."  Hence, the name for the music festival that I am missing at Hunter Mountain.

Better late than never.  People write about this album and this jam like they were life-changing musical experiences.  I don't doubt that.

Reason #127 Why My Favorite Band Should Play in Israel

It has taken his entire career to make it to Israel, but former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart will be playing in Jerusalem this August.  He is performing as part of the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival.  He is the only Jewish member of the Grateful Dead.

Mickey Hart  photo from Jpost.com

No doubt, Jewish Deadheads worldwide are kvelling.

I have said it before and I will say it again:  changes a' comin'.  This gives me hope that one day, my favorite band will make it to Israel.  (this isn't the time and place to say how the Grateful Dead leads me to Phish.  For just one convo on that topic, go here)

And despite that my sort of silly sort of not silly calculations that led me to predict that Phish would play there last December didn't come true, it still gives me hope.

Phish is celebrating 30 years this year...the time is now.

If not now, when?  -Hillel

It's Not About the Nail

Going viral as we speak.  Totally awesome short movie about male-female communications.

 

The Rebbe Elimelech

It's an old-world Yiddish tune, and we love it.  Here's Concealed Light on flute playing "Der Rebbe Elimelech," which, incidentally, was written in 1927.  And that year is a permutation of a number we hold so dear to our hearts (yeah yeah, we know the  prediction in that link didn't come true last Chanukah.  Still doesn't matter.  127 totally rocks).




Here are the words (in transliterated Yiddish...Stango will be very unhappy to see "nisht oys"...not a single Hebrew letter...so it goes) if you didn't check out the Wiki link I included above

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh,

(Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh, Elimeylekh,)

Hot er oysgeton di tfilin

Un hot ongeton di briln

Un geshikt nokh di fidlers di tsvey.

Un di fidldike fidlers

Hobn fidldik gefidlt.

Hobn fidldik gefildt hobn zey!

(x2)

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn mer nokh freylekh,

Iz gevorn mer nokh freylekh, Elimeylekh,

Hot er opgemakht havdole

Mitn shames Reb Naftole

Un geshikt nokh di payklers di tsvey.

Un di paykeldike payklers

Hobn paykeldik gepaykelt.

Hobn paykeldik gepaykelt hobn zey!

(x2)

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn GOR SHTARK freylekh,

Iz gevorn gor shtark freylekh Elimeylekh,

Hot er oysgeton dos kitl

Un hot ongeton dos hitl

Un geshikt nokh di tsimblers di tsvey.

Un di tsimbeldika tsimblers

Hobn tsimbeldik getsimbelt.

Hobn tsimbeldik getsimbelt hobn zey!

(x2)

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Tonight we held our now-annual Cinco de Mayo fiesta supper celebration.  Exactly the type of stuff the kids are going to be embarrassed about in years to come.  (Or maybe they already are?)

Whatever Happened to Arsenio Hall?

Just as I'm sitting down to watch some classic "Coming to America," I couldn't help but wonder:  Whatever happened to Arsenio Hall?

I must have some vibe or something because just a couple of weeks ago, he posted the following video that shows him doing a focus group for his new syndicated show to appear on 9/9/13.




Doubtful that I'll watch it, but I'm glad to know he's alive and well.

Meantime, I think I need some Soul Glo

Remember Cinco de Mayo this Sunday!

Here's a relic from a couple of years ago.  And the first time here on Whole Phamily you see me, Ms. Rachel Molly Loonin, on video.  As I have expressed many times over, my blog is a combo of a lot of different things.  Here's a glimpse into Stango and Loony's life.  Let me know what you think.

When you post things of your kids they wouldn't appreciate

I like to think of myself as a loving mama.  I love my children and I love so much of what they do.  I respect their privacy but I am also so proud of some of their things.  Naturally, in this day and age I want to share them on the holy grail of the Internet.

For example.  After test-running the following image created by my beloved near-8 year old the Wolfman with our very special kin The Nunever, I made the executive decision to share on Facebook and Twitter.   The Nunever said it must have been one of my proudest mothering moments.  Indeed, I was kvelling.  Did the Wolfman specifically say don't share it?  No.  But if I asked him would he be happy?  Don't think so.

Still, mama's got to take liberties some time...

Nice...it got retweeted by YemBlog!

This is pretty darn good stuff for your typical Phish-loving mama.  Just don't tell the Wolfman about this.  And, if you do, tell him it's the least he can do for his mama who doesn't even celebrate the upcoming Hallmark holiday of Mother's Day.

Classic Tune All Jazzed Up

Growing up, I never heard the name Shlomo Carlebach.  Unknowingly, I knew one of his classic tunes "Veha'er Eineinu."  I think I heard it at a Chassidic Song Festival that my parents took me to in the late '70s.

Stango, my musical husband, raged this tune tonight on the piano.   Not to be missed!

Here is Shlomo singing his tune, just for comparison sake.  My preference is Stango's funkier one.

 

What? Me? Persnikedy?

As I mention from time to time, this isn't a Phish blog, but as a huge fan, I feel compelled to share this wonderful 2 minute clip from a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning with Phish's lead guitarist, Trey Anastasio.  It shows Trey in such a real way - he loves his fans and that they give him the ability to feel  "openmindness...encouragement to take risks...a desire to go at least a little bit somewhere that is new and unexplored."

As I told the Nunever, the only persnikediness I feel is that I haven't been consulted personally on what I think are great ideas for the band, and that's no joke.

Which leads me to remembering a great lesson I learned this week..."Who is rich?   One who is happy with her lot." -Pirkei Avot

And though I have heard it many times over, the lesson learned is that everyone has a lot, or a portion.  No one will ever have everything.  We all get a portion.  So, perhaps my portion with regard to Phish is simply to enjoy where I am and what I have already experienced with this incredible musical outfit.

Trey Anastasio with CBS Sunday Morning's Anthony Mason     photo courtesy of liveforlivemsic.com

A Couple of Years Behind Schedule

I'll be truthful:  I don't know much about current popular culture.  For whatever reason I decided to finally catch up on the entire 8 years of Entourage, the hit HBO show about life in the Hollywood fast lane.  Putting aside the profanities and sex, I am actually pretty grateful for a lot of the stuff I'm learning from it.  And I'll be ready for the film they're making as a follow-up to the show.  It's been green-lit, so we should hope to expect it soon!

Put aside as well the question that looms through your mind, which is, "Why does Loony really need to poison herself with this meaningless shtuss?"

I don't really feel like defending myself, but first and foremost is all of the music I am hearing for the first time.    From Blind Melon to Jane's Addiction to LL Cool J, I am hearing some familiar tunes but also tons of music that I should know but don't.

With that, I leave you with some Funkadelic circa 1971, which appears at the end of Season 5.  Ya'd think a girl who loves going to see music would know this stuff already.  Think again.  And yet it's never too late to learn new things.  Indeed, I did see Bernie Worrell, an original Funkadelic member, perform a couple of years ago.

me with Bernie Worrell at a Steve Kimock show I think end of December 2011

Mama, I'm Hungry

Here is Stango the other day at the piano, playing "Al HaNisim" which is sung on Purim and Chanukah.  Purim is in less than two weeks, so we're getting ready.  Watch (or, yes you can admit it, skip) till the end when The Wolfman whispers a little thing to me.

Yidl Itzik aka Ed Koch, Of Blessed Memory

Just caught a glimpse of the most over the top Jewish funeral I have witnessed, that of the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch z'l.  I had the privilege of working a temp job in the late 90s where Mayor Koch was renting some office space, so for a couple of weeks there I saw him come in and out of the office.  He was a great mayor.  I liked him.  The funeral was held at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.  I always know it was a shmancy Reform synagogue, and I was happy to see that the rabbi was wearing a kippa.  The irony, though, was that most of the other head-cover bearing men were members of the NYPD.  Not even Bloomberg was wearing one.

And then the casket escort of the synagogue out to the songs "New York, New York" and "Lullaby of Broadway."  As my friend Emily mentioned, it was like a Liza Minnelli concert.  We all joked how we couldn't help think about the Milford Plaza.

I'm glad I was able to catch his name during the memorial prayer.  Baruch Dayan emet to Yidl Itzik.

Stevie, You've Been on my Mind

A bit less than a year ago, I had Stevie Wonder on my mind, and now he's crept back in.  Why didn't I know his funky '70s stuff back in the day?  Stango said it's because I knew his newer stuff in the 80s, Ebony and Ivory and the like.

Now that I know it, I'll stick with the '70s funk.

 

This is from later, but it's got that leftover disco beat from the late 70s





And of course as a Phish loving mama (cuz they cover this tune), I can't forget Boogie On...





If you've gotten this far, here's the inspiration for this blog post title.  Bob, the prophet and poet, yet again saves the day.





Speaking of getting this far, if you're reading this, why not give a shout out and let me know your thoughts.  I feel like Rodney Dangerfield..."I don't get no respect!"  (meaning, I get little feedback and desire it!)

xoxo

Loony

It's a Fruit Rap

Every year around this time I try to find something fun for my children to watch about the birthday of the trees.  Usually  there's nothing great.  Not this year!

With Tu B'Shvat just around the corner this Friday night and Shabbat, you gotta check out this video.  My old friend Elana Greenspan is the talent behind it.  Actually she is my old friend Chana's friend but who's counting.

So cute!

And funny!

This is one great mama doing good things for her family and the world.  Love you Elana!

Only thing to improve is:  Let's see your smiling face, Elana!

Too Jewy For Youie

Really loving the newish neighborhood here in Philly, but I can't get Albert Brooks' line of being "too Jewy" from This is 40 out of my head.

Didn't sit well with me, but hey, that's Hollywood.  Hollywood's just Jewy enough to not be too Jewy.  Just ask good ole uncle Ralph about not being too Jewy.  What Wasp is gonna buy into Lifshitz?  Or wannabe Wasp who hides her Jewyness so well (Yes, Tory, I'm talkin' bout you, sister).

Lest you think I didn't like This is 40, stop right there.  Judd Apatow is basically a genious and I love his writing.  Boy can write.  And of course you might know by now my love for Paul Rudd.  All those years of drooling over Adam Sandler?  Gone?!  Now, finally, ever since I saw him on our honeymoon in Hawaii in 2002, it's all about the positive.  With Adam it was just so much negative.  With Paul, it's all happy and good.

I keep telling Stango that it would be nice to find some more like-minded friends around these parts.  Anybody else too Jewy around here?  The problem is most folks who are too Jewy are just too Jewy.  I'd need you to too earthy, too brainy, too pop culturey, too Gen-Xey, too hippy and still be all good with luxury and Louis.

Ok, if you dig Bottega, that's all good too.








And just because I can, here is the man who I have a very silly Hollywood crush on.  (Yes, I told Stango and he laughed).

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Jewperhero

Leave it to the clever Chabad youngin's - dare I say hipsteresque -  to come up with something like Jewperhero.  Moshe Kravitsky is putting out weekly videos of "The Moshe Show," in which he pounds the New York pavement and does Jewish outreach in his somewhat outlandish, extroverted heimish mitzvah-seeking, light-spreading comedic style that only a Chabad chassid can pull off.  Yasher koach, Moshe!


This video where he goes to Union Square and passes out dreidels is pretty funny.  Love the guy who spins the dreidel upside down on the subway, as if he's saying, "yeah yeah, I know the drill."  Moshe has chutzpah, stamina, and doesn't take no for an answer.  And he does it all in such a mentschluch way!

What a breath of fresh air in light of the Weberman verdict this week.  B'h that animal is going to the slammer where he belongs.  Sorry to bring you down but, as Deborah Feldman said, this court case was a true Chanukah miracle.  Ken yehi ratzon.

Good shabbos!  My challahs are just cooling off and it's fer sure time for bed!

Blues For Challah Setlist Recap

We're nearly done unpacking from Blues For Challah:  The Second Set, and what a weekend it was.  The Whole Phamily was so grateful to have the opportunity to provide social media services and onsite kids' programming to this weekend.  I hope that these efforts were successful.  Here are some highlights:

 Seth Rogovoy's presentation on Bob Dylan's link to Judaism was polished, well-delivered, and entertaining in its own right.  I wrote about Rogovoy's book earlier, but had no clue that his presentation would include live performance.  How happy was I when he confirmed my suspicions regarding the messianic theme of Quinn the Eskimo?!?   And even happier when I shared that Phish's rendition brings Quinn to a new level.





Meeting Michelle Esrick, the brainchild i.e. filmmaker behind the Wavy Gravy movie Saint Misbehavin', was a real treat.  We sat at the same table on Friday night and I was thrilled, since I am connected to challah baking, to be asked to explain the symbolism behind using two challot and salt at a shabbes table.  Her sister and I connected on mindfulness meditation.  I lamented I have yet to read Jon Kabet-Zinn's book on it that Stango gave to me already a few years ago.  Michelle's film was educational about Wavy Gravy's life and mission.  Because of the weekend's intimate setting, I couldn't have imagined a more perfect scene.  I loved that Concealed Light asked after the film's screening, "what's the big deal about Wavy Gravy?"  This film, therefore, opened the door for my 9 year old regarding the whys behind the 60s counterculture.  Sure, she knows we love Dylan and the Dead, and that we read plenty of books about MLK, Jr in February, but a two sentence explanation (end of Camelot, fight for Civil Rights, end of Baby Boom, the Beatles, Vietnam) was a good start.

Me and Michelle Esrick, producer/director of Saint Misbehavin'

Of course, I loved that Michelle expressed that her presence at this weekend was bashert and from Hashem (two terms she learned just this weekend).  Doesn't everything happen for a reason?  Hakol bashamayim hi.  (you can ask your rabbi what that one means).

Meeting Rabbi Moshe "Mickey" Shur finally was inspiring.  He grew up with Stango's close childhood friend's father.  We had long-heard of Berman's dad's hippy cum frum friend.  I was thrilled to see that, even though I didn't know him when he knew Wavy Gravy while living in San Francisco in the 60s, he maintained his open, loving, laid-back, funny, warm vibe that was clearly a product of those years.

Saturday night jam:  a bunch of participants brought out their guitars, drums and voices for a really fun homegrown Dead jam.  What an interesting mix of people.  The diversity of Jewish folks is captured in this brief video where we see Rabbi Moshe "Mickey" Shur's son on vocals (long payos dude).





Stango was most impressed by Arthur Kurtzweil's presentations on lyrics.  He was also the keynote speaker.  Stango liked that he got to the real truth on a high intellectual plane without fluff, pretense, or glamour.  That's my husband for ya.

I ran the kids groups for which I received positive feedback.  We made centerpiece tablescapes for the dining room tables with Duplos .  We acted out a play about the parsha with the parts of Yaakov, Eisav and Hashem.  We read the parsha story.  We visited the goats.  We ate fantastic snacks provided by Isabella Freedman.  We dressed up as turtles, pirates and creative play silk creatures.  We read books about being a young farmer.  We played Uno and Zingo.   We enjoyed Pez as a Shabbes treat which was cleared ahead of time with the program director (since I am sensitive to the healthy food vibe at Isabella Freedman; I am, after all, an advocate of drinking raw milk and eating fermented foods), though it wasn't for everyone.

photo from jkrglobal.com

Pez at a Dead show is just so much fun, so that was where I was going with that.  Or just a couple of Mike and Ike's.  But I don't know if the kids fully understood that this was very specific to being at a Dead show.  They likely just saw it as candy.

Here are some more photos and footage.

Stango and Concealed Light at Dead Jam

Stango and The Nunever.  Rodeo!  Note the lovely Gucci scarf.

these guys knew how to jam!  Another son of Rabbi Shur and Rabbi Jeff Hoffman

Concealed Light felt stifled that she couldn't read chords.  Clearly was too tired to improvise and jam, which I know she is capable of.

 And how is it that I always thought this was a Peter, Paul and Mary song?

 


What a success!  Hope to join again next year!

Jewish Relief Agency: A Miesian Out of the Box Concept

This video brings a lump to my throat.
I am so honored that I know some of the folks responsible for this amazing food-relief agency in Philly.
And I know that if ever we needed the help, we could get it from JRA.

 

Just tonight I was looking at a book entitled 50 Bauhaus Icons You Should Know.  Not too impressed, but I always thought that Mies van der Rohe coined the concept of thinking out of the box.  Didn't think my memory was shot yet, but I found little online to back myself up.  Not that I'm wrong.  And isn't he also credited with "form follows function"?  Yet the wiki entry gives credit to Louis Sullivan.  Must be my 40 year old brain talking.

JRA calls their video Beyond the Box, and I'm good with that.

But the founders of the agency are out-of-the-box thinkers, whether they're interested in the Bauhaus or not.

Lawsuit Filed Against Gay Conversion Therapy Group

Chaim Levin, along with three other gay plantiffs, filed a civil suit today against a JONAH, a New Jersey-based therapy organization, claiming their methods of trying to change their sexual orientation were fraudulent.  The New York Times writes, " the former clients said they were emotionally scarred by false promises of inner transformation and humiliating techniques that included stripping naked in front of the counselor and beating effigies of their mothers."

I have known of Chaim Levin for about a year now.  He is doing very important work and I have the utmost respect for him.  It was very recently that I ruminated over how to keep my children safe from child predators.  As I told Chaim on his Facebook page this evening, I admire him for his kind, level-headed, peaceful demeanor.  No one likes an angry activist (tendencies which I have and need to work on, admittedly), but Chaim is such a wonderful orator and writer.  I know he will succeed no matter what the outcome.  He's a real mentsch.  

I do worry about how the world will view Orthodox Jews as a result of this press.  Naturally, I believe this therapy is a terrible thing and that this awful experience should be given justice.  Yet there are those folks who jump at every opportunity to put down Jews, especially the Orthodox ones.  Don't you have a cousin who thinks that all Orthodox Jews are smelly swindlers who force their wives to shave their heads?  Evidence of forcing young adults to try to change their gay orientation with quackery therapy doesn't look good.  But that doesn't mean it should be kept locked up in a box.  Quite the contrary, as Chaim and his co-plaintiffs are proving.

My hope is that this will ultimately help strengthen the Jewish community.  And that those rabbeim crooks individuals who have gotten away with abusing innocent kids in yeshivas for years, thereby turning people away from their rich heritage, will be exposed and excommunicated.  And that the vibrant percentage of our world that is gay can live in health, happiness, success and harmony.  Because we all deserve to get to the Garden of Eden.

As I mentioned in the past, it is the Golden Age of Miracles, right?

The Green Bubbie and I Wish You a Happy Thanksgiving

I loved the Green Bubbie's photo wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  She just took a trip out to Utah and became buddies with Smokey.

courtesy of The Green Bubbie (tm)

And now the Whole Phamily wishes you a Happy Turkey Day.

The Wolfman's Brother from 2008; handmade Turkey costume by aunt Reba

Sadly we won't be spending the holiday with Reba, my dear sister, who made these fantastic festive costumes 4 years ago.

Concealed Light, then age 5, with her aunt Reba, the best sister and aunt a girl could ever dream of!

Thankfully though, we have our special spot at the parade.
Praying that it is still accessible.

Stango at least year's parade with the cross-dressing clowns.

And we'll be missing our first cousins who normally join us at the parade.  This year they are heading to a warm spot for Thanksgiving.  As I told my sis-in-law, drink a strawberry daquiri.  Have me in mind.  I'm yotzay.

Goobers and The Wolfman's Brother, then age 4.  And Spiderman.

In case you  missed my Thanksgiving chocolate lollipop post a while back, I'll be so proud of my forward-thinking-ness when I bust these out tomorrow morning.

Gobble gobble!  

And we of course remember our brothers and sisters in Israel who are not having it easy right now.

Had To Cry Today, Yep I Got the Faith!

Looking at that subject heading, you thought I cried today?  Had a g'shrai?

I'm talking Steve Winwood sang the life-changing "Had To Cry Today,"  the other night at The Greek.

It's already written that today will be one to remember
The feeling's the same as being outside of the law
Had to cry today
Well, I saw your sign and I missed you there

-Blind Faith

Many thanks to Mr. Bob Lefsetz who continually informs about the music industry.  He heard Steve belt this one out the other day.  About it, Bob says: 

"it connected in a way regular life never did...so as to believe that everything truly could be right with the world, that someone got it, and if we could just go on the road with the band our lives would be perfect."     -Bob Lefsetz

These are pretty powerful words.  Bob knew the scene back in '60s and, from my layperson's perspective, knows the commercialized music scene today.  Music wasn't just a magic carpet ride to an imaginary place, but the young music fans believed wholeheartedly that the music would transform their existence, their country, their planet.  The messages found in music like Winwood's are still fresh and powerful.  Maybe we're not roadies, but we can still apply these words to our daily lives.  Anyway, I like my flannel sheets from the Company Store.  They don't have those on tour.

Do you see or not see someone's sign and ever "miss you there"?

I wonder if Jason Flom, a music industry executive whose daughter I had the pleasure of teaching in the late '90s, respects Bob's insights.  I mean, I  think they're good.  I think historically Jason has been a successful outside-of-the-box thinker in the music biz.   

But, Jason was there, too, well, at least in the 70s. He gets the spirit of the '60s, for sure.  Just don't have peanuts on your breath if you ever have the chance to meet him because he's got a severe peanut allergy.  You'd know that, too, if you kept up with your New Yorker readings.

Here's an incredible preservation of Blind Faith's only live recording of "Had to Cry Today," and their first gig, to boot!

This is an important video for all peoples to view in its entirety.

 

Note Steve's purple shirt.
If you can groove along to this tune, we have stuff to talk about.

Stand With Israel

What a week for the Jewish people and our brothers and sisters in Israel.  Especially a pregnant woman.  "Must be careful with the information coming out from Hamas," is what Mark Regev states.  How true.  I am amazed by all of the wonderful information I get via my friends' Facebook posts.  This one in particular came highly recommended and is worth a watch.

Shabbat Shalom parshat Toldot.

Elmo, the Count and Sesame Street Connections

Of course, the news of sexual allegations by Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash is disturbing, and I certainly hope and pray that these are, indeed, just allegations.  As you know, lately I have been ruminating about child predators and how to keep my own children safe.  I remind myself of the old dictum "innocent until proven guilty."

Yet, H. Melvin Ming, the president and chief executive of Sesame Workshop assured the New York Times that, as with the passing of Jim Henson and, this year, the Count, the brand will endure after this incident.

Wait...that Count passed away?

That's right, folks, Jerry Nelson, the man who played Count von Count for nearly 40 years, passed away on August 23, 2012, at the age of 78.  That makes me sad, very sad.  And, how exactly did I miss that last summer?

courtesy of HLNTV.com

(no need to worry about the Count, he lives on via the expertise of Muppeteer Matt Vogel)

And, now...the connections.

Mr. Nelson debuted his character on November 27, 1972. Just two days before my birth!
And he passed away just one day before Concealed Light's birthday.

I'm no brain scientist, Torah scholar or musical prodigy but this is the kinda stuff that pretty much blows me away.

And just because this video is 1:27 in length (a number I simply love, see here for more despite that my prediction is null and void and yeah I'm ok with that), I shall share it with you:



If you thought I was gonna share an Elmo video, you gotta be kidding me.