yay for the possibility. It's especially sweet since I didn't actually apply for it.

Well, I'm making travel plans, so that's okay.

But, DAMN if Africa isn't 'spensive.

On the fetish front, at least one of the instructors has turned it into "Guess the fetish." Which means that one sentence in five is followed by "if that's your fetish" And I answer "Could be, could be."

ita, I have a friend spending the summer in Madagascar, if you end up going there. FYI.

But, DAMN if Africa isn't 'spensive.

Dude, I've been saying that about South Dakota today. Well, flights, anyway. I think you are going to have more fun. Where all?

I always thought the male-pattern baldness thing was about your uncles, not maternal grandfather. And this sucks, because now I know that any future son of mine will be a total baldhead. Signed, my father went seriously bald in his early 20s, but my bother at 26 has still got plenty o' hair.

A man would get this gene from his maternal grandfather only 50% of the time. He could instead get it from his maternal grandmother's line, in which case the maternal grandmother's relatives ( especially her father) would be the best indicators of his future baldness. But he can't get it from his father's line.

I have a friend spending the summer in Madagascar, if you end up going there. FYI.

Pfah! No, I decided to visit my sister when she's in Kenya. Make your friend go back next year, please.

Whoa. I'm suddenly misanthropic. I swear, this morning, I couldn't remember what my day job was.

Jesse, right when I typed down my plan, I cheated by doing a fifth thing I didn't remember until typing. In my plan I was fifth-part-less, but in real life, not so much.

she illustrated the idea of mitzvot by lighting Shabbat candles, and invited all the women to come up and light small candles as well.

I've never heard of a bat-mitzva being celebrated that way. Interesting. The bar-mitzva is usually mentioned on the shabbat right after the boy turns 13. In the morning prayers of each shabbat a certain section from the Torah is read (it's in a cycle - the whole 5 books of the Torah are finished in one year, each year). The bar-mitzva boy reads aloud at least part of that, instead of the usual person who reads it (I want to say cantor, but I'm not sure that's the word), up to the whole thing. It's nice that they found a way to tie the bat-mitzva to shabbat, as well.

getting to spend Shabbat with you at Deb's house, and how lovely it was.

Remember the part where you asked me to translate the words I was saying, the blessing on the whine? I hardly get to say them aloud on my own on regular shabbats (usually the father of the family does that), but nearly whenever I get to do that, speaking them out loud, I remember that evening. I notice the meaning of the words more now, that they're not just the ones I know by heart from pretty much the time I can remember myself. I'm not sure I'm making myself clear. I'm trying to thank you. It was a lovely weekend, wasn't it?

catching Lori will be a trick, Robin. She's off to yosemite on Thursday.

It's Kat. Good times! The doppelkats ride again.

Job offers when you've not even applied for the job are the best. I will hold a good thought.

Also, "Guess the Fetish" would make a great game show.

ita, I have a friend spending the summer in Madagascar, if you end up going there. FYI.

What IS IT with Madagascar?!