Throwback Thursday…
The blog post title is to be read to the tune of “Mambo Number 5.” And now that we have the same song in out heads,I can begin telling you all about the amazing Chanukah season (last December — yay for getting caught up!) which began with a chance encounter. I reread the blog from last year’s Chanukah party and saw a good tip – the basketball dreidel is the one who gives out all the gimmels.
That first night of Chanukah, I found a different dreidel on the street. Now, if that isn’t a good sign then I don’t know what is. A sign of what, you might ask? Who knows… maybe just a good omen that Chanukah December 2017 was going to be a blast.
And blast, it was. It was a white Chanukah, and unexpectedly so. While Ben and I were out one night, it started pouring snow… Can you use “pouring” for snow, or just rain? I’m just gonna go with it. It was pouring snow, and since Ben is from California, it was actually the first time he had seen it fall from the sky quite like this. He said he didn’t know it was going to happen all of a sudden. “It’s snowing!!!! Help, what do I do?!” – Ben He asked if he should use an umbrella, and since he lives by a school he watched lots of children and their mothers do it. He thought he should. Before I could answer him he had walked to work but by the time he got there he had realized that umbrellas are for children under the age of five and grownups don’t use them in the snow.
Goin’ to a shindig.
So along with the snow and the good-omen dreidel, another wonderful standout from Chanukah 2017 was going to Ben’s office Christmas party. You know how in TV shows, the office Christmas party gets a little wild? I was expecting a couple of employees scandalously making out in a bathroom stall, the intern puking on the carpet because he drank too much eggnog, and someone (potentially the boss) walking around with a lampshade on her head. Well, it wasn’t that extreme, but it was a ton of fun. I met his co-workers, who were really great. We talked about their work, inside jokes that I wasn’t apart of, and dynamics I didn’t understand (I promise, it was a lot more fun that I’m making it out to be), and it was incredibly entertaining. There was great food, free drinks, and by the end of the night, I was even in on the office gossip. I think that counts as a success.
Later that week, I met up with one of my friends from the Peace Corps, Andy. It had been so long (too long!) since we had seen each other, so it was really great to catch up and learn about all of the life events that had happened since we last met. We did some sightseeing and ended up going to an art gallery opening for a professor at CMU. We also went to go see improv, (her first time!), so I was really excited to share that with her.
Taking a break from catching up to snap a pic.
Of course, taking her to a comedy show just made me crave even more comedy. So I when Ben’s brother Noah visited for the holidays we took him to see a show, too.
Chanukah season — although only 8 days — was very eventful. I’m going to stretch it and call it most of December, actually. For the first time (out of the rest of forever), I got to use the use the menorah from the kibbutz my family and I bought together in Israel. Very special.
I think finding that dreidel on the first day was definitely a good sign because without even playing (okay, Bel and I did play), I felt like I got a gimmel (should out to Jimmy Gimmel!) because I got everything I needed this Chanukah.
Festive friends.
Burning all the candles,
‘mi
Adventuresam 
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