a message from Honolulu

Just heard from one of last term's young students, telling me how much she enjoyed the class.
I'm so glad I took your course. Digging up those stories from the past was really important for me. It also led me to have some very honest conversations with my parents. Our relationship is a lot better for it now. 

Glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know. 

And I received a beautiful letter from Harriet in Honolulu, my friend Penny's friend who last December lent us her condo in Kauai and later an apartment in Honolulu too - a kind and generous friend indeed. She had asked to read my books so I brought them to her. She wrote that she has read the "Jewish Shakespeare" twice "and enjoyed learning about early Jewish culture and their theatre and about your family. I contacted the Jewish community here in Honolulu. They said they would like to add the book to their library so I took it to their office. Wouldn't it be exciting to find a connection to someone here?"

Yes it certainly would. Yes right about now, as I get over this cold and look out at the frozen wasteland that is Toronto in January, discovering a relative in Hawaii that I need to go and visit would be very fine. But in the meantime, I have a good friend there, which is just as important. Thank you, Harriet, for the calendar you sent with pictures of your hot bright homeland. Makes me want to get on a plane right now. 

I'm human today, actually got dressed and went out into the bitter cold briefly and then did some editing work. Must not overdo it or it'll hit again, so now it's back to bed. A hard life - but someone's got to live it, and it will just have to be me.

P.S. FYI, below, the NYT just listed the places you MUST VISIT next year, and the #1 place is - yes, it is - #1 is Canada! So those of you who have not visited this glorious country yet, please come. Only not in January. Or February. Or March. And April's not so great either. Anytime between May and November, fabulous. See you soon.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/travel/places-to-visit.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur