The Stuffed Animal Pogrom

I woke up this morning thinking about The Stuffed Animal Pogrom, an event in my life where my Mother purged myself and my two sisters of all our stuffed animals. I was very young, around 6-7, and had been constantly ill with strep or an ear infection. My Mom was at her wits end with the sickness and, since she assumed it was due to my stuffed animals (which apparently I was constantly sucking on or putting tails into my ear, etc.) she decided to get rid of them all. I remember that night clearly; I was asleep on the bottom bunk of the wooden bunk bed in the room we shared and the door opened. The hall light illuminated the shadowy figure of my Mom, who was caring a big pillowcase, quite Santa like although I knew she wasn't depositing any gifts. Methodically, she walked from bed to bed and felt around our bodies for the stuffed animals. I feigned sleep, even when Mom took away my beloved snuffaluffagus (sp?). And that is the end of the memory - I don't even know how I reacted the next morning! And, the moral of the story is that I still had to go get my tonsils out before the strep would end.

Today is a writing, working and cooking day. I decided to update the blog first before hitting the kitchen. I am going to attempt to make chicken soup for the very first time in my life. Last night, I went across the street to visit Boris, the owner of a very small fruit and vegetable store. He actually supplies the fruits and vegetables to the supermarket down the block, and since it's cheaper to purchase directly from him, I go there. A recent Russian immigrant, he runs the store with his wife, young son and the tallest man I've ever seen in my entire life. He is circus tall and bald, with big blue eyes and shoelaces that are perpetually untied. I see him walking the older women in my neighborhood back to their apartments, carrying their purchases and chatting along amicably. I've never spoken to him myself, his height is a bit unnerving.

So, I went into the store and told Boris my latest attempt at cooking and he helped me gather up all of the vegetables I need. He tried to give me this celery that didn't really have any celery on it but had a big root and I explained that I'd never seen my Mother or Grandmother cook with that kind of vegetable before. He laughed and told me he kept the American celery in the back and then went back to get me a bag. I'm glad he did cause if I'm going to try to cook, I'd like to make sure I'm using familiar ingredients!

Oranges are really ubiquitous right now and, ever since Daniel peeled two in class on Tuesday, I'd be hankering for one. I'm usually not a big orange person, but my body must be craving Vitamin C cause I had one last night and another one for breakfast this morning. They were really good, but I wonder when orange season ends in Israel. Again, we're in the beginning of Strawberry season which is a Summer fruit in the States, so it will be interesting to see if I can get oranges all year round.

Last week, Michael Kramer told a story about the Lower East Side and it sparked an idea in me, and I've been working on this new piece for next week. I guess I just needed a familiar setting to get the creative juices going. I hope this one comes out better than the last one.

Oh, the above photo is of my Chanukiah! I lit candles last night just before Vera came in to clean the apartment, which is looking so nice right now that I'm upset I had to mess up my kitchen by cooking! I wish she could come on Fridays, but since she is also Shomeret Shabbat, she needs her Fridays to prepare for the weekend. Very understandable!

Since today is December 21st, I'd like to wish my Cousin Neil a very Happy Birthday!!!. I owe you a movie once I'm back in town! I'm glad you liked the sweater, I hope it fit and that you've been able to wear it already! It's perfect for the next time you're in prison!

Literature of the day is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Follows is background information about the author taken from the Barnes and Noble website. Happy reading!

About Paulo Coelho
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city where he now lives, his own life has in many ways been as varied and unusual as the protagonists of his internationally acclaimed novels. Like them, Paulo Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." He was 38 when he published his first book.

In 1970, after deciding that law school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he began a successful career as popular songwriter. In1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used for centuries by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral said to house the remains of St. James, he achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage.

Paulo Coelho once said that following your dream is like learning a foreign language; you will make mistakes but you will get there in the end. In 1988, he published The Alchemist, a novel that explores this theme, and it launched him as an international bestselling author. Specifically, Paulo Coelho is recognized for his powerful storytelling technique and the profound spiritual insights he blends seamlessly into his parables. Since then, The Alchemist has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages. In addition to The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho has written luminous novels about the different streams of our lives, including By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept, The Valkyries, The Fifth Mountain, and Veronika Decides to Die. A winner of numerous literary prizes, Paulo Coelho is also a prominent speaker for humanitarian causes. In 1999, he received a Crystal Award for Artistic Achievement at the Davos Economic Forum Conference.