Weblog » Archives » December 2005

  • Hanukkah? Chanukah? Hanaka?

    When I was in grade school, I was taught to spell Hanukkah three different ways. And today I’m often asked, “how do you *really* spell it?” The answer is there’s only one way to spell it correctly, and that’s in Hebrew.…

  • It’s not a holiday without a nosh: Traditional Food

    If there’s one things we Jews are good at, it’s eating. We have special foods for almost every occasion, and this holiday is no different. In terms of traditional Hanukkah fare, there’s really only one biggie: potato p…

  • Kids game *and* drinking game: Spinning the Dreidel

    I’m sure at one point in my life I made one out of clay. The dreidel is a four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. Each letter is the first initial of a word, and together, form an acronym for “A Great Miracl…

  • Stay away from the curtains: Lighting the Menorah

    The most well-known symbol of Hanukkah is the menorah. Some of my most fond Hanukkah memories are of my family gathered in the living room with all house lights off and the menorah’s candles glowing in the window. Conv…

  • Hanukkah Gifts: They're not as good as you think

    Ok, now that we’ve got all that religious and historical stuff out of the way, let’s talk about something we all can celebrate:  Presents. Truth be told, Hanukkah is not a gift-giving holiday.  In fact, in comparison to …

  • Oy vey, we’re out of oil: The Legend of Hanukkah

    Glad to see you back for our second night of Jew U. A quick note before we begin. I'm giving Grapeclover five extra-credit points for being the first to raise her hand and ask a question.Now, for today’s lesson…Everyone…

  • Professor eff has returned.

    Welcome back to Jew U, everyone, and thanks for coming to our special Hanukkah session. I see we have a full class – for those of you getting here late, we still have a few seats up front. Before we begin, I’d l…

  • When I retrieve my mail, I’m frequently reminded of the old saying, “You can’t fit ten pounds of crap in a five pound bucket.” Evidently my mailman doesn’t pay attention to the laws of physics. Or conversely, he’s bril…

  • It’s been ages since I’ve been on a school bus.But today for our company holiday party, we were all bussed to the event location.It wasn’t yellow on the outside, but the inside was classic school bus. Sliding, two-latch…

  • Five(ish) Things.

    Mark Twain once said, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times."Proving the point, the “five weird things about yourself” tag thing has finally reache…

  • Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.Or in my case, sir.On my drive home through yesterday's snow, I got rear ended by a guy in a pick-up truck. (No anal jokes, please.)Now, instead of sleeping late and loafing on the couch, I’l…

  • For whatever reason, I needed a plunger yesterday.Not owning one, I rushed to my local hardware store where they directed me to the proper aisle. There were about six different models to choose from.Different sizes, dif…

  • Douglass, my “stylist,” cut my hair today.Douglass is way out of the closet and has been living with his partner, Michael, for about 10 years now.Douglass: I’m taking Spanish classes.Eff: Is this for an upcoming trip o…

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