That night was the start of the 2nd day of Passover, and we went to our friends' seder. There were a lot of people. About 15 altogether. I made enough popovers where people could have 2 each at theirs. They ended up eating up about half of what I brought. So, a lot to take home. Dad brought a lot of salad greens just in case. Ended up bringing a lot of that back home, too.
At the beginning, we always sit around together, chat, and have snacks. One person I sat next to, I've known for a while and we're fb friends. She started talking about agender stuff, which was fine because I'm open about it and she knows that. At some point, she asked: "You're not trans, right?" It sounded almost like she was saying you're 'normal', right? I said yes, I'm trans, too. Close to a whisper she asked: "So...does that mean...you know...you want to be a man?" No, no it doesn't. When I told her that non-binary is under the trans umbrella, she seemed flabbergasted. I really tried to keep my laughter in check, because I know people are still learning this stuff. She was never malicious. I don't think she saw the post I did the day before, but I've also been sharing trans and enby specific stuff. Maybe she thought the trans stuff was in support of my parent who's a trans woman? (Yay, for at least being 2nd generation!) She somehow could get her head around the concept being enby. She seemed to think after telling her I'm also trans that it meant that I was transitioning somehow. Personally, I will probably transition in some ways...It sounds weird to write that out.
It was nice to see everyone there. I knew them all, except one who was someone's boyfriend. There was lots of food, and I was absolutely stuffed afterwards. The only issue I really had was the wording of their old haggadah. It's very masculine-centered. Saying our forefathers instead of ancestors, male pronouns for G-d, saying man (as in referring to everyone this way), etc. others had issues with it, too. So, people tried to reword it as they read their parts. Made it somewhat awkward, but nice that others felt similarly. The one I use isn't like that. It's much more neutral, and it's not all that new.
For our seder the night before, I might have made/planned for too much food for just Dad and I. I was very full afterwards. Used hard-boiled Safeway eggs, instead of making my own. They were perfectly done, and I tried to roast one of them even though it didn't have a shell. That worked out surprisingly well. I asked someone at Safeway's meat department if had chicken or lamb bones. After asking what it was for and my answer, he said the only thing they had at the moment were beef marrow bones. So I got one and roasted it. That was interesting to do. I might keep it for next year. It's impressive looking and doesn't take up much space. The jarred charoset is interesting. It's like jam, but much thicker and stickier. I wasn't used to it at first, but it's pretty good. It was great on garlic matzo crackers. I still have a lot of it left.
Also, I got 2 jars of gefilte fish because I wasn't sure if we'd have guests. I don't think they're the ones I really like, but they're still ok. I always forget which ones I like the most. Made matzo ball soup and added carrots and parsley to it. Still have to get through what's leftover from that. Had roasted chicken from Safeway that was pre-cut, which was great. Only, they were huge pieces. I also made the chicken flavored couscous, which took a while to get rid of the excess liquid. That was tasty, though. Had a little of all the desserts we got that night, too. The cake, chocolate seder plate, marshmallows, macaroons, and fruit slice jelly candies. Great stuff. Still have so many leftovers from it.
The honey flavored ring-shaped cereal is ok. A lot better than I expected. It doesn't dissolve into a nasty mess as soon as the milk touches it. In fact, it stays crunchy. Much better than when I had it in the past. Still have to get through that. The graham crackers are really good. Smelled amazing when I opened them. They're cinnamon flavored. The cinnamon is really strong, which wasn't what I expected. It's not as sweet as I expected either. The egg kichel (basically egg puffs) seem burnt again this year. They're still good. The cherry jam's pretty decent. The teriyaki sauce is amazing! It has no soy in it, yet it tastes like a concentrated version of the real stuff.
I stopped following the dietary restrictions the day before I left for Leavenworth. I had Safeway's chicken teriyaki, chow mein, and a chicken egg roll for that dinner. What a way to end it! So much chametz! (Chametz are things leavened, breaded, noodles, etc.) Also, had a lemon parfait for dessert from there. That has a layer of cake, layer of pudding, layer of lemon filling, and a top layer of whipped cream. Good stuff.
Went to Leavenworth early on Tuesday and came back yesterday. It was to celebrate my birthday and her spring break. My birthday was back in November, but we had planned to celebrate it there. (Just happened to be later than we thought it would be.) I think the last and only other time I was there was when I was 13. 13, because I think it was around my Bat Mitzvah, and my grandparents were with us. It makes sense. Part of that side of the family comes from Germany, so it's also more interesting personally in that aspect. Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed town in central Washington state. It's surrounded by mountains, and pretty much in the middle of no where.
I think this was the first time I stayed overnight somewhere with my iPhone. I think the last place I went to, before this, was Scottsdale. That was a few years ago, and just before I got my iPhone. (My iPhone's the only smart phone I've had.) So, I wanted to share the adventure through pics, check-ins, and just writing it out in statuses. Might have been annoying to some, but it was fun to me.
Something felt off while I was there. I couldn't place exactly what, though. I don't know if it was the remoteness of it, the weather was weird, the food didn't sit well, or what. I just couldn't get comfortable or feel 'right'. I wonder if something happened while I was there when I was 13. Maybe there was something residual going on? Or, it could have been all the Christms stuff that was still there, and probably stays up all year round. Saw a lot of crosses, angels, and other Christian type stuff in the 'regular' shops. That's a deterrent for me, especially if there's a lot of it.
I liked a lot of the food we had. Although, some of it was rather plain and not that great. Pretty much all the desserts were amazing! The Bavarian burger was weird, but ok.
The hotel was nice. Only issue really was the bathroom being so narrow. We were in room 101. Right next to the front desk, near the car, and didn't need to use the elevator that was out of order. Their hot tub is apparently upstairs, but I didn't have a swim suit and didn't want to go up there. They were also painting the hotel pretty much right outside our room. At one point, someone knocked and said they were room service. When we opened the door they seemed surprised. Either it was a prank (they weren't wearing a uniform or anything) or they got the wrong number. After closing the door, that person decided to smoke right outside the door. That was weird. Difficult for me to breathe around people smoking. It was a non-smoking area, too.
There were a lot of pillows on both beds. Beds were huge, too. Probably could fit about 3 more people my size on it. Much bigger than mine at home. It was firm, which was nice at first. After waking up, it made me feel sore. There were a ton of blankets, too. I felt like I got lost in the blankets, pillows, and large mattress. I was swimming in that stuff. Felt good most of the time, but felt suffocated the rest of the time. There was a refrigerator and microwave. That was cool.
I got caramelized onion cheddar from the cheesemonger shop. You could try any cheese they had. They were pushing the samples before I had a chance to look around. This one was really unique and fun to try. I had it in a sandwich today. It was really good that way.
I also went to a shop that laid out samples of pretty much all their mustards, honey cremes, hot sauces, jellies, dressing, etc. There were bowls of pretzels to try the samples with. There were so many different kinds of mustards! I got their dill with a little honey mustard. I never had honey creme before, so those were fun to try. I got their vanilla nut honey creme. Another shop had a lot of huckleberry related things. Their wild huckleberry jam sounded the best. They didn't have samples, and I haven't tried it yet. It should be good.
With almost every shop we went to we were greeted with a 'hello ladies'. I'm neither a lady nor a guy, so this grated on my nerves. Might be another reason why I felt so odd?
There was one lady at a candle shop that greeted us with a 'hello folks'. It was such a small thing, but felt nice. They had 3 menorahs. I didn't expect to see any. Dad got a wooden wick candle. It crackles when it's lit. I thought that was cool. She also got tapered beeswax candles. For some reason, it's hard to find tapered candles and candlesticks locally.
There was a jewelry/knickknack-type shop that had 2 LGBTQ+ related books in the back. That was cool to see. I also talked about writing with the owner. She was nice, but seemed nervous.
There were a lot of candy shops. All of them had samples to try. I tried the maple walnut fudge at one of them. It was amazing! Probably would not have been wise to get...I would most likely eat the whole thing in one sitting. That's how good it was. There were a lot of bakeries. We shared a salted soft pretzel at one place. It didn't taste cooked enough to me, and didn't have taste pretzely to me. Good, though.
Also, went to the Gingerbread Factory. I had their buttercream frosted gingerbread heart and spiced apple cider for a breakfast. I thought the frosting would be hard, but it was soft. The gingerbread was really soft itself. It was a big heart. It was really good, and so was the cider. They also make gingerbread houses. The main one that was on display was impressive.
There was an olive oil and balsamic vinegar shop. They had a lot to sample there with bread. Slightly reminded me of that Israeli olive press I visited in the past. They had a sampling area. Anyways, Dad got the oregano infused olive oil. I was thinking about the pecan praline balsamic vinegar, but it was big bottle and I couldn't think of many things to use it for. It was really tasty and interesting.
I finally have my hair appointment tomorrow. I didn't end up liking what they did last year with the Deva Cut. So, I'm going back to the stylist I went to a few years ago. She was the one that came up with a style I liked. That was after not getting a haircut for 7 years. She's great. I had her one other time before the one a few years ago. I should feel better after this. I might put it up in a bun less often after this. It'll be more out of my face.
I'm thinking of getting a chest binder this month. I'm just nervous about getting the right size. It'd be cool to see how I feel with it. Again, I plan to get an Underworks one that's like a long tank top. That way, with warmer weather clothing, it won't show. Plus, tucking it in will make it ride up less. Someone suggested I should get a 2nd one for when I'm washing the first at least. I'll see how one goes, if it fits, for now. I'll make sure to follow how long I can wear it without causing damage.
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