Just Practicing

Sukkatastic! (Or, how I built a sukkah for under $40)

There's still a lot to talk about with Yom Kippur, but it's hard to focus on anything but my fabulous sukkah!

(Complete with computer and breakfast)

Sukkot, the Jewish festival of  tabernacles/harvest/tents is this week and it's right up my alley. How many holidays are there that you get spiritual brownie points for building & playing ("dwelling") in a giant fort?

My husband didn't want me to spend a lot of money because he foolishly believes I won't want to do this every year. So I bought a few things and dug the rest out of the house or basement.

Want to play along at home? Here's what you'll need:

    6 - 8ft bamboo poles
    2- 6ft bamboo poles
    4- "S" shaped garden hooks
    3 or 4 - full or queen size flat sheets, or equivalent cloth
    4 - 2ft pieces of rope or cloth
    a lot of straight pins
    a ladder
    a rubber mallet
    a tent stake

First, I laid out 2 8ft poles and 2 6ft poles to get a sense of the dimensions:

Then I pounded a tent stake in the inside of each corner to create a starter hole for the poles. After removing the stake, I began banging the poles into place:

I only put them in about 3 inches because I got lazy, but I recommend that you go for at least 6 inches because as I sit here in the sukkah writing this, the wind is having a very easy time of pushing it around. It is looking pretty wobbly. . . . maybe if I take a break to fix that pole right there. . .

Fuck.

Helpful Yesterday

Things that would have been good to know YESTERDAY, and why:

1. Before the Yom Kippur fast, you should stop drinking caffeine to avoid caffeine headaches. I've already had a cup of coffee and 2 diet Pepsi's today. Tomorrow is looking painful.

2. To minimize thirst from excruciating to merely unpleasant, avoid salty foods the day before the fast. Salty foods like the pretzels and pistachio nuts that I just ate.

3. During Yom Kippur, you are not supposed to eat or drink, have sex, wash, wear leather shoes, or apply lotion.  My plan to do laundry for our trip tomorrow is screwed. Also, it's a bad idea to go to the gym. On the upside, it will be one of the few days when general dishevelment and smelly breath indicates religious piety.

I should probably add that as a Catholic, I am a terrible observer of the fasting & dietary rules. I have no qualms about eating a donut on my way into Mass, I generally forget about the no meat-on-Fridays thing from years of vegetarianism where it didn't matter. I know from experience that it's embarrassing to bite into a ham sandwich in Good Friday. I generally come up with whatever excuse that I can to avoid the sissy fasting we do only 2 days a year.

So obviously, I'm a little reluctant about the serious fasting tomorrow. But I'm talking myself into it. Or at least I'm trying to.