We made a hard decision today.

Tuesday was Risa’s ultrasound-guided effusion. The hope was that they’d have a better chance at removing blood from her chest cavity when they could see what they were doing. At first, it seemed more successful than the last one. She seemed much better when we picked her up at the vet last night. But when we got home, she started having serious problems.  She refused to lie down, even to sleep, as if the pressure was uncomfortable. We’d walk into a room and just see her standing there staring at nothing in particular instead of sacked out lying down. Her breathing also became extremely labored.  I wasn’t sure if I was imagining these things at the time.  Then we were up until 3:00 this morning with her.

Through the look in her eyes and her body language, she’s told us both that it’s time.

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As many of you know, I am our congregation's Tikkun Olam Committee Co-Chair. This time of year, that means organizing the Kol Nidre food drive. Last year, our Yom Kippur one day food drive raised 1,000 pounds of food for the Ecumenical Hunger Program. I've been planning to write a diary about YK, which means much more to me than RH, but then this appeared in my mailbox.

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I've been in health care hell the last several weeks. If you dare, read on for my tale of woe. My health should not involve profit in any way. This is the result of a DME and insurance company wrestling and me being caught in the middle. Could somebody please explain to me how it is we've let our society get to this point?

On the principle that "layers are your friend," I carried two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and a fleece. I was DETERMINED not to freeze! The whole time I was fundraising, I was telling people that I'll be braving the cool San Francisco morning air. I planned to start this diary with a pithy, overly-melodramatic statement like, "It was a cold, damp morning as we bravely forged ahead into the famous San Francisco fog."

But I would be lying. Mother Nature just had to go and make a GORGEOUS day for us! 80s, clear as a bell, almost no breeze.

See pix below the fold for proof...

Since I don't know if I'll be on the 'puter tomorrow, I'm posting this a day early:

Tomorrow is Earth Day. As many of you know, there was an increasing environmental movement in the 60s. The response from Congress was the first Earth Day, signed into law in 1970. (As a side note, one of the few good things Nixon did was create the EPA.) Every year, I feel the need to recognize the day. You see, I was born in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, which means I get to say that the entire world is celebrating my birthday. :)

As long as I've been politically aware, environmentalism has been a hot topic of mine. The last couple of years, the day has taken on new meaning. It's become a spiritual celebration as well.

I'm going to keep this short, but this is as good a place as any to trumpet things. So follow me below the fold...

There have already been a couple of wonderful diaries here about Pesach. Wiscmass did a wonderful job outlining what the holiday is all about in We were slaves. And in some ways, we still are. plf515 added some great insight into the Passover story, tying Dayenu to the financial inequity in the world today.

I decided to hold off on my Passover diary until after the first night, in case I had any deep revelations. While it meant a lot to me, no new perspectives came out of that seder. Regardless of whether you believe the Exodus story, it has many lessons to teach us. So here's what Passover has meant to me for years now. If you want to read my ramblings, follow me below the fold...

Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish "New Year of the Trees," begins at sundown on Friday night. Why now in the dead of winter? Tu B'Shevat, a minor holiday, is biblical, and the middle-east is starting to blossom!

In modern times, the holiday has come to be associated with the environmental movement. Tu B'Shevat is my favorite holiday of the year. So much so that this year I'm coordinating our seder.

Why would I spend a whole lot of time coordinating volunteers, getting our elected representatives to come as special guests, assembling grocery lists, researching additions to our haggadah, and shopping and preparing fruits and nuts?

This is why:

The Jewish calendar is tied closely to the Environment. Some holidays, such as the "New Year of the Trees" Tu B'Shevat, have an obvious connection. "The Festival of Lights" is also an opportunity to stop and think about how we are treating the Environment. The following tips from the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) will help us all to preserve the Environment we so closely depend on--and save money at the same time!

Conservative Judaism was a response to the Reform movement. As such, it walks the line between Orthodoxy and Reform and is in a pickle. It has to eventually face the issues of modernity. One of the biggies Arnie Eisen, new Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, was going to face is the many issues surrounding gays.

They've resolved the issue...kind of. It's definitely a step forward for the Conservative movement.

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I just had a moving moment. Today, I took advantage of Tower Records' going-out-of-business sale. I decided to wander around and see if there were any CDs I could think of that I just haven't gotten around to actually buying.

For those of you who don't know, four and a half years ago I had a cerebral aneurysm. I've always been a Neil Young fan. His latest album, Prairie Wind, took on special meaning for me when I found out the story behind it. He was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm, flew back home, Prairie Wind came pouring out of him, then he went in for surgery. The result is an emotional album.

The last song on the album spoke to me. I don't know what Young's spiritual beliefs are, but it's obvious this song questions, to put it politely, the most vocal religious voice in the US today. I wanted to share the lyrics, because they go to the heart of what Street Prophets is all about to me. In one word: Diversity.

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Because we all need a healthy dose of levity, brought to you without commentary...

As many of you know, I'm a Big Brother. The new school year meant the startup of BBBS!

Big Brothers Big Sisters has two programs: Community-based Mentoring, where the Big and Little spend time together doing stuff like going to a ballgame or the park or window shopping or whatever's cheap. I think it's safe to say that's what most people think of when you say "Big Brothers Big Sisters." The other program, which my Little and I are a part of, is School-based Mentoring. Translation: since we meet after school we didn't see each other during the Summer. The last three months, I was limited to looking at a picture of his smiling face on my desk.

What does this have to do with Poverty, Hunger, and the New Year?

More on the flip...