I am not religious in any sense, but I do enjoy taking part in some of the rituals (mostly the food ones) of various religions. Intellectually I am an atheist, but also a spiritual omnivore of sorts.So last night, gf and I set out to go to Queens to join her Jewish family in the Rosh Hashanah feast. She decided to drive, since generally I prefer not to drive in the city and she prefers to sleep on long trips-- it just works out better for us both that way.
Predictably, the exodus of Type-A Jews leaving Manhattan to go toward Queens & Long Island for Rosh Hashanah made traffic even more horrendous and aggressive than usual, stressing poor gf to her limit. After nearly rear-ending a bus and cutting off countless other drivers, we ended up getting totally lost in the wasteland that is Queens. An hour and a half into the trip (which should have taken half an hour), we were on Rockaway Blvd, which should have been Rockaway Tpk, near the vast sodium-lit expanse of JFK. At this point, gf makes ME call her relatives to get directions, which she then proceeded to ignore-- "No, I remember it's this street!" (Squealing the tires to make an illegal turn against the light on what turns out to be, indeed, the wrong street.)
By the time we FINALLY got there and park edat the end of a quiet suburban street that is apparently part of a secret government program as it appears on no map, and is marked by no street signs, I was so cranky that I didn't even find humor in it when she (I kid you not) walked into the WRONG HOUSE, me behind her, carrying apple cake like a grinning idiot. The fact that it didn't even LOOK like the right house, which turned out to be two houses over, made me even madder.
Still, after a glass of wine, and the general chaos of a household with three kids and three teens with their various parents and cousins and aunts, I managed to shake it off and have a lovely time. I really do enjoy her family once we're with them. It's the getting there that might kill us both one day. [Mental note: get gf a GPS system for xmas.]
Above: Me studying my Leviticus in our Virginia hotel in preparation for a gay wedding. I prefer my religion naked.
Predictably, the exodus of Type-A Jews leaving Manhattan to go toward Queens & Long Island for Rosh Hashanah made traffic even more horrendous and aggressive than usual, stressing poor gf to her limit. After nearly rear-ending a bus and cutting off countless other drivers, we ended up getting totally lost in the wasteland that is Queens. An hour and a half into the trip (which should have taken half an hour), we were on Rockaway Blvd, which should have been Rockaway Tpk, near the vast sodium-lit expanse of JFK. At this point, gf makes ME call her relatives to get directions, which she then proceeded to ignore-- "No, I remember it's this street!" (Squealing the tires to make an illegal turn against the light on what turns out to be, indeed, the wrong street.)
By the time we FINALLY got there and park edat the end of a quiet suburban street that is apparently part of a secret government program as it appears on no map, and is marked by no street signs, I was so cranky that I didn't even find humor in it when she (I kid you not) walked into the WRONG HOUSE, me behind her, carrying apple cake like a grinning idiot. The fact that it didn't even LOOK like the right house, which turned out to be two houses over, made me even madder.
Still, after a glass of wine, and the general chaos of a household with three kids and three teens with their various parents and cousins and aunts, I managed to shake it off and have a lovely time. I really do enjoy her family once we're with them. It's the getting there that might kill us both one day. [Mental note: get gf a GPS system for xmas.]
Above: Me studying my Leviticus in our Virginia hotel in preparation for a gay wedding. I prefer my religion naked.
you know the last time i called and you were driving to dc... i just kinda thought to myself, remember to mention gps to her next time. of course it won't get you into the right family house but maybe iphone can do that for yo now?
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