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BIG NEWS!! (not related to coronavirus)
Many of you know that our son Elliott published his first novel, “Baghdad Central” in 2014. Set in Baghdad after the invasion in 2003, the main character, Muhsin Khadr al-Khafaji, is a detective in the Baghdad police, but now is working with the invaders.
It has now been adapted into a six-episode TV series, and is available on HULU now. Good review in yesterday’s LATimes.
If you don’t have HULU, and would like to watch it on your computer, send me an email and I’ll reply with a link to a Google drive location where it can be viewed.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25:
Still trying to refine our ability to order from WholeFoods successfully. Just realized there are two Amazon services: Whole Foods, and Amazon Fresh. Some items come from one, some from the other. Who nu? Also using Yummy.com, which I think is only in LA.
Afternoon walk, in Pan Pacific Park. Three mothers are standing at the bottom of a rise; coming down from the top is a concrete walkway; hurtling down this walkway, towards and then past the women, comes a boy, maybe 8-years-old, on a 3-wheel scooter. He has that look of combined thrill and terror, that comes when you are on the edge of loosing all control. I say to the mothers: “Looks like an accident about to happen”. One of them replies: “Yeah, but the kids need exercise, to burn off extra energy”.
On the radio, someone says "the epidemic may crest in LA in 6 to 12 days”. I get an image of the enemy coming; we can’t see it, we can’t hear it, we can’t feel it. (And if we get it, we may not be able to smell it, or anything else). In my imagination, it is flowing, like an invisible oil spill, down the streets and sidewalks, and into our homes and apartments, seeping in thru the crack under the front door.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26:
As I mentioned in an earlier letter, Thursday used to be my day to attend three classes, which I was now missing so much. Thanks to the internet and Zoom, they are making a return, for me and all the others who attended.
Rabbi Wolpe at Sinai Temple is now recording his Thursday AM Torah study classes (1/2 hour) on YouTube. His talk today included the issue of plagues, and how they usually do not discriminate between the good and the not-so-good. (For you non-Jews out there, Torah Study = Jewish Bible Study, Old Testament only.) If you have any interest in trying one out, search on YouTube for “Sinai Temple”.
Rabbi Lebovitz at Adat Shalom is conducting his Thursday class on Zoom. Did the first class today, and it went well. He had to leave for a moment, to let in the dog Wrigley (their family is from Chicago) who was making noise because he wanted in.
Of course, most travel plans have been cancelled. We were planning to go to Vancouver for Passover with our son, Adam, his family. My cousin Ada has had to cancel their cross-country car trip she and her husband Don had planned for May/June. We hope they can do it later this year, and we can see them when they get to LA.
Our daughter Ashley knows that Nadine likes yoga, and suggested “Yoga with Adriene” on YouTube. So I decided to join Nadine today. Had to take a rest after a 25-minute “beginner" session. Very hard for me to sit on the floor with my legs crossed for any length of time. Or just sit on the floor, period.
FRIDAY, MARCH 27:
Morning walk. The sycamore trees, which a month ago were bare, are now fully in leaf after the rain we got, and the warming sun of spring. No entry lines nor checkout lines at our local CVS. Controlled entry at Whole Foods, about 2 persons every minute or so. The line was about 30 people, stretched out almost a block due to social distancing. About a 15 minute wait to get in.
We have finally run out of peanut butter, one of my favorite foods. A PB&J sandwich was a treat when I was a kid, and still is. Have not been able to find any available yet in our on-line shopping at Amazon/WholeFoods. If you run across any, I prefer crunchy and unsalted (but beggars can’t be choosy). Disregard this last sentence; PB arrived Saturday morning from Yummy.com.
Our Leader says he would like to see all the Christians back in church by Easter. Just before Easter, Passover will start, traditionally a time for large family gatherings, and discussion about, among other things, plagues…how timely is that!
See 'guidelines for Passover at the time of coronavirus pandemic' attached at the end of this email, from our friend Mona in the OC.
Stay well, keep your distance, call your mother, wash your hands, and love one another.
Coleman
Guidelines for Passover at the Time of Coronavirus Pandemic
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