a history of me

Well, boys and girls, it's Passover. Those of you who know me know I don't pay much attention to these sorts of things, but I'm always up for a dinner with old friends. I'm reminded of a dialogue exchange from the movie Clerks:

[Dante]: But you hate people!
[Randall]: Yet I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?

(i'm paraphrasing)....but anyway, I went to a seder Monday night with my (local) family to visit some folks I haven't seen in well over a decade. It was great to see them again after so long, but it was easily the strangest seder I've ever been to. They had found a more modern version of the haggadah, which is a book you read at the table and use to conduct the "ceremonies," so to speak. You can follow the link and read for yourself, as this new version contained some bizarre prayers regarding holidays with pay, an end to sweatshops, and the tradtional Ten Plagues had been replaced by social concerns such as domestic violence and illiteracy. Call me a cynic, but how do you abandon "death of the first born" to shed a tear for kids who can't read?

But seriously, dinner was wonderful. I was particularly impressed by the unconventional chocolate "cake" we had for dessert. Long story short, no flour or yeast was used, as that would violate the rules of Passover. And my dad was delighted because one of the guests asked if we "were brothers or something."

Damn his youthful charm.