Saturday was a blast. First I drove to Baltimore to honor the matriarch of my father's side of the family, Sarah Belle Cullison, on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Sarah Belle isn't actually related to us, but she was my father's nanny and raised him and his two siblings. She still travels with our family: to Maine, Las Vegas, California, wherever. Unfortunately, Sarah Belle had no children of her own, but helped raise several children in her community (starting with her sister's daughter). About 200 people showed up, a testament to her active role in her neighborhood, something she continues to this day. Sarah Belle received citations from the city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and even President Bush.
My family (the two tables of Jewish white folk in the midst of protestant African Americans) honored Sarah Belle, as we are wont to do, with original poetry. My father read an acrostic poem, and each member of the family held up the a placard with the corresponding letter to spell out "Sarah Belle." My uncle played the harmonica and sang some blues. My aunt named a star after Sarah Bell in the constellation Sagittarius.
Saturday night was a West Wing crew Holiday Party. Over twenty people showed up to enjoy a white elephant gift swap, charades, and a game of dreidel. The hostesses made great food, and with everyone also bringing a dish (I made potato latkes, which went over well), I have a feeling that we'll be eating the leftovers on Wednesday. I finished the gift swap with Harry Potter stationary (!)--I donated half the gift (HP address book) to Justin, who really wanted the present as well but was stymied by the three-steal limit. The highlight of the evening though was my successful charade of "Flovilla Thatch Vs. The Virile Garbageman". Thank goodness there was no time limit--it took about 10 minutes. Left well past 1am--a great party by the West Wing hostesses.
Sunday I procrastinated and worked on my grad school essay. Three apps (Michigan, Columbia, Yale) go out via FedEx tomorrow.
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