Passover

It would be fun to live blog Passover, but it's impossible because it's so much damn work.

This year, the food didn't come out quite as well as in years past. The haroset didn't 'pop' (I blame the not-quite-firm-enough apples), the matzo balls were misshapen (though the texture was right) and my famous annual gelatinous/custardy/almondy dessert didn't quite set (though the flavor was good).

In fact, the auxiliary dessert that Pele made was just as good as mine, if not better. And the lamb and vegetables provided by my guest/co-host were excellent.

But, it was still one of the more enjoyable Seders I've held. Even though I insisted on doing a ridiculous amount of the cooking and prep myself (started on Tuesday night, continued all through Wednesday afternoon), I was more relaxed and at ease than I've been in the past. I actually enjoyed myself for most of the night. I like to think I'm a good hostess, but I get so focused on making sure everything is going ok, that I forget to have a good time. Last night started like that, but I eased up and my guests were no small part of that.

As usually, I combined friends from at least three different parts of my life. Only Pele had met every one there before. But these folks were all a pleasure to be around AND they got along with each other exceedingly well. This group took the (self-imposed) pressure off me. They happily went along with the religious exercise of reading the Haggadah, even though the co-host was the only other Jew. I even made her sing a few times. A drawback to not having lots of Jews is that I don't get to sing, which I really enjoy. I feel silly doing more than one verse solo.

So, even though I was a complete wreck today (I swear I'm coming down with meningitis--a stiff neck is an early symptom), I'm very happy about how things went last night.

And next year, the food will be even better. Never say I don't learn from my mistakes.

Grateful for: tolerant guests.
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