In the nuclear business, you do a lot of emergency drills and spend a lot of time ending every communication with "This is a drill." This is why "This is a drill. If it were your real life, you would have been given better instructions." makes me laugh and laugh.

My (Midwestern) exposure to Judaism was working for a neighbor family when I was about 14, 15. They had a big extended family, and would hire me to help prepare and clean up after Seder dinners, but they invited me to share dinner with them, and it was neat.

My little sister took over the gig when I went to college, and was pretty close to them until they moved.

And my bf in high school was Irish Catholic, but really, everyone else was mostly some flavor of Baptist, Protestant or Lutheran. Mid-town Missouri in the 80's wasn't terribly diverse. Two Indian kids, maybe 5 kids of some type of Asian variation went to my high school of about 2500, and they were all 2nd gen American; no idea what faith they followed, and if there were any Muslim kids that went to my hs, I certainly didn't know. A couple of mid-sized temples in town, and a gracious plenty of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Since alcohol is my religion, I post the following (which J just suggested for before our next opera):

Bourbon and Branch Fall Menu

"William Won't Tell" by Jayson Wilde
Black Maple Hill, Smoked Apple Calvados Liqueur, Carpano, Benedictine

"The Golden State" by Darren Crawford
Sazerac Rye, Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy, Pear Shrub, Lemon Juice, Egg White

"Cloak and Dagger" by Ryan Hazen
Bushmills Black Bush, Dolin Blanc, Maple Liqueur, Cinnamon Pear Gomme, Old Fashioned Bitters

"Plum Line" by Tony Devencenzi
Plum and Tarragon Infused Gin, Benedictine, Honey Syrup, Lemon Juice, Old Fashioned Bitters, Soda Water

"Lolita" by Ian Scalzo
La Gitana, Lemon Juice, Bartlett Pear and Mission Fig Syrup, Peychauds, Egg White

it's not as important as a performance

That's really all I take away from it.

Me, too. But, not an actor, so what do I know.

but it suggests that dress rehearsal isn't important, which is not correct.

Doesn't it mainly just imply that there isn't an afterlife? It's not that the dress rehearsal isn't important, it's that there isn't one. There's only the (metaphorical) performance. (Which is presumably one-night-only, though I suppose if you believe in infinite reincarnation it could be read differently.)

Doesn't it mainly just imply that there isn't an afterlife?

That's what I always think of, but I don't think most people who use the phrase mean that.

I got a quote on the asbestos removal (which has to be done separately from the furnace replacement) that's about 1/3 of what I expected it to be. Downside is this particular company can't do it until the end of October, which is farther out than I want.

Bourbon and Branch Fall Menu

WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT

Though, having discovered Cure here has been fun. When we went for my birthday I had:

"Cease & Desist" (Maksym Pazuniak)
Carpano Punt e Mes, Rittenhouse Bonded Rye, Fernet Branca, Orange Peel

"William Wisecracker" (Danny Valdez)
Evan Williams Single Barrel, Cynar, Demerara Sugar, Lemon, Maraschino Liqueur, Mint

And Tom had:

"Trouble & Desire" (Mike Yusko)
El Dorado 5YR Rum, Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum, Licor 43, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Orange Peel

Yeah, but the dress rehearsal is precisely the one where you're doing your damnedest to rock it like there's a paying audience.

Yeah. It's later in the run where people start to coast. "Life isn't a show late in the run where closing has been announced and half these ass-holes are too busy worrying about their next gig and are phoning this shit in" just doesn't roll off the tongue though.

"Life isn't a show late in the run where closing has been announced and half these ass-holes are too busy worrying about their next gig and are phoning this shit in" just doesn't roll off the tongue though.

There's also "Life isn't that rehearsal a few days before you have to be off book but the blocking is just about done and the costume designer was supposed to be by to measure everyone but couldn't make it so you're all just drinking coffee and faffing around seeing who can turn their half-remembered lines into the most gleefully moronic single entendre theatre," but that's even windier.