chol hamoed

it's that time of year. those four days twice a year that invoke delight in the hearts of all children and dread in the hearts of moms. it's the inevitable "what are we doing for chol hamoed?" it means finding an early minyan, packing the family up, and trying to find the best trip that hasn't yet been 'found' by the jewish population. it means uncertainity for dads; go to work, or take a vacation day, spend six hours in the car, eat crummy (no pun intended) matzah with butter or jelly, and come home at six, tired, cranky, and sunburned. my mom always threatened that she'd make us do what our israeli cousins do on chol hamoed: visit relatives. at this point we've done every hike, museum, old house, and park within the tri-state area. and my parents have mellowed somewhat, and took my younger siblings to an amusement park, leaving poor me at home to study for my test tomorrow :( so far my chol hamoed has consisted of studying calcification and remodeling of bones. my big break was when i went to the grocery store to get butter for my sister. and now i'm back home and almost finished muscle contraction. then tomorrow i have school, and on thursday another test. ah, all those wasted chol hamoeds of my youth, when i didn't appreciate the freedom i had.