Susan's Blog

Friday, December 15, 2006

Sue Da Maccabee

Lots going on today.
I am a sick puppy.
Well, it’s just my throat. It’s very weird. I feel otherwise okay, because I slept a bunch, but my throat hurts and feels closed up. I’m thinking strep, because I had that so much as a kid that I got my tonsils out and the doc said he’s almost never seen such a huge pair of tonsils. I still got strep once more, but as an adult, a few years ago. My boys tend to get it, too. It seems to run in families; some get it, some don’t. But this feeling in my throat is awfully streppy. The only thing that gives me pause is that — thankfully — I don’t feel any other symptoms. My appetite is good and I do not feel feverish, although I did last night. It’s like when I was a teenager, and I had had a cough for months. My pediatrician finally gave me a blood test and found I had mono! I still ran track and went off to Israel anyway (btw I am really, really pissed at Jimmy Carter with that new anti-Israel/anti-semitic book of his; what the hell has gotten into him? Jimmy Cracked his Corn, you know what I mean? And I do care. What’s next, Jimmy? Revisit the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? God forbid. Maybe he and Mel Gibson will start a club!)

Anyway. Would it be wrong for me to still go to my gym just to sit and soak in that wonderful hot whirlpool? Would I make others ill, possibly? I would hate that. Ned says I shouldn’t but I am dying for a soak in that hot churning water. I’ll also be going to the doctor around lunchtime; hopefully I can pursuade him to give some antibiotics even if he doesn’t believe that I have strep. I love antibiotics; they work so quickly!

Speaking of being a Semite, I am going off to the Jewish part of town (yes, Virginia, there is such a thing in my lovely town of Brookline; I live in the relatively non-Jewish part) by which I mean there are kosher butchers, bagel bakeries, Jewish art and bookstores, lots of people who look like my grandmothers, etc. I plan on buying a corned beef and some Chanukah swag so I can get my house ready for that cute little holiday. Despite my throat feeling all closed up and hurting like a MoFo, I am going to buy some gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in gold paper) for my boys, some non-tacky decorations (good luck finding that!) and the hunk of meat for to boil. My sweet grandfather Paul Adelman, on my mother’s side used to own a delicatessen in Brooklyn, NY, and I have his recipe! It doesn’t get any more authentic that that. Maybe I’ll call it Jimmy Cracked Corn Beef, in the ex-president’s dishonor.

But seriously folks, I am psyched for Chanukah, even without a usable throat. I plan on making potato latkes, which my boys love. So nice to have a meal that they actually love! I make them with a little onion and actually my secret is to put butter in the pan, along with a little oil (you have to use oil as a nod to that famous lamp that stayed lit for eight days after the Maccabees beat the sh** out of the Assyrians, emphasis on ASS). The butter gives them an extra good flavor, trust me. Although technically I guess you are then not supposed to eat them with corned beef, that would be mixing milchig with fleischig and that is strictly verboten. Except I don’t keep Kosher; I just like buying Kosher meat, it’s a reflex, it’s how I was raised. They have to answer to both the FDA and a Higher Authority.

I will close with “Chappy Chanukah” to all of you out there, and remember to stay polite when you’re commenting; I hate nasty anonymous and I will delete you every time. I will emerge victorious against all oppressors. Chanukah is not, after all, the Festival of Slights. Call me Sue Da Maccabee.

15 comments

How’s the throat feeling? Mine is sore too, btw, but it doesn’t feel like strep. My daughter is recovering from an itchy case of Fifth Disease and Daniel has a cold. Tis the season!

Your latkes sound delicious, though, and hopefully you’ll get those magic pills so that you can get to the gym and soak. My plan is to sleep while the kids are in school!

— added by Carolyn Murray on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 7:30 am

Why are you surprised at the rantings of that crapulent, worst-ex-president Carter? He has been an anti-semetic loon for at least 10 years. He and Chomsky are indistinguishable.

— added by andrew on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 8:34 am

Mmmmmm…Andrew. I was hoping I’d hear from you. Crapulent, eh? That’s a new one.

— added by Susan Senator on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 8:46 am

Oh me too…so sick and we’ve been this way for about a month now.

And me too…so pissed at Jimmy Carter’s book. Let’s call it “hatred politics.” Man, so much bias in that one.

— added by Estee Klar-Wolfond on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 9:07 am

I vote to give Carter the Nobel Piece of S**T prize. He is certainly not promoting peace by fanning the flames of hatred with his “dare I say Christian beliefs”.
I am so sick of people using G-d as the excuse for their political agendas.
Chanukah is going to a bit difficult for me . I fell in my family room and broke my leg so bad latke for me.

— added by Dori on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 9:34 am

Happy Hanukkah!
I love reading your post every day. Although we are not Jewish, I am starting a tradition this year of making potato latkes on the first night of Hanukkah! My kindergartener is very interested in learning about it and I am very willing to teach diversity!

In addition to the anti-biotics – try either the Emergen-C – Super Vitamin C packets – Trader Joe’s sells them. You put them in water. Airborne really works to keep you on a healthy track. Feel better soon but stay away from the gym until you know for sure if you have strep.

Peace to all at this special time of year!

— added by Anonymous on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 11:19 am

Non-kosher hot dogs, even if they’re supposedly 100% beef, disagree with my insides. I stick with Hebrew National. My digestive system objects to some things.

— added by Julia on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 12:39 pm

I got my meat and I went to the doc; she did the “rapid” strep test but has not called with the results! I did not go to the gym; too lazy even just for a whirlpool bath! Took a tiny nap which was just right. The rest of the afternoon: corned beef and latkes…

— added by Susan Senator on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 1:39 pm

strep is very contagious. I would be pissed if I knew someone was spreading it around. It would breed like crazy in that environment. Take a hot bath and play it safe until you know.

— added by Anonymous on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 3:54 pm

Susan, I was looking at your speaking engagements and noticed you are on NPR next week. I’m in Austin Tex. Will I be able to hear you on our local NPR at 8:30 CDT? Hope you’re feeling better. Carol

— added by Anonymous on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 3:56 pm

I know of great sore throat remedy. Mix warm water with salt and gargle. Trust me, it tried it before and my sore throat went soon thereafter.
By the way, I am 18 years old and autistic.

— added by Anonymous on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 6:01 pm

Hi –
I do not have strep! Good.
thanks for the tips regarding sore throat.
Carol, I will be on Cape Cod NPR, not national. Sorry!

— added by Susan Senator on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 7:18 pm

I hope you feel better soon! Hey, MY grandmother always put a little dab of butter in the cooking oil too! Maybe we are related from way back in Mother Russia.

— added by n.b. on Friday, December 15, 2006 at 7:49 pm

Dori,

It isn’t Carter’s “Christian beliefs” that are driving this insane hatred of Israel. I am a Christian and ALL evangelicals support Israel with a fervor that far surpasses American Jews. No, Carter’s antisemitism is a product of the values of the modern progressive movement.

Look around at your peeps! They march in solidarity with Hiz’b’allah, whose sole purpose is the destruction of Israel for crying out loud!

No, Carter is just the latest manifestation of a rabid antisemitism that has been fomenting on the left for quite a while as it made its bed with radical Islam and took its place as a hater of America.

— added by andrew on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 8:08 am

Andrew
I am sorry if I offended you. I put it in quotes because I felt his rantings were in fact not “Christian”. I find it very offensive when anybody spews hatred and then hides behind their religion.
You know the old quote there are not any atheists on death row.

— added by Dori on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 8:46 pm

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