i've always liked last days of pesach better. i find that i stuff much more holiday celebrating into it than i do to the first days, because once the first days start, i know that pesach will be over in two days. that's not the case with the first days, when i know i still have chol hamoed and the last days.

in addition to the insanely large amount of slightly-off-the-wall family i spent alot of hours with, i got alot of introspection done on my way to shul. with my high-and-very-funky-but-oh-so-uncomfortable shoes, i had to walk really, really slowly so i wouldn't sprain my toes, so the six minute walk to shul took almost thirteen minutes.

and as if those blisters weren't enough, i spent two hours walking around my neighborhood, studying gaseous transfer and disorders of the respiratory system with my neighbor. at least we attempted to. we kept stopping to talk about anything more interesting than lungs (just about anything) and kept getting stopped by one of my neighbors who likes to call to us as we pass by "nurse, nurse! i have left-shoulder pain! my head hurts! i need insulin! take my blood pressure" it was almost funny the first time and mildly funny the second time. by the fifth time, it crossed the line between funny and slightly annoying. next time she bugs me, maybe I'll offer to take her pulse and then cut off both of her carotid arteries.

motzai pesach after havdalah is always a little sad. i never got the obsession to go and get pizza. i mean, I'm always up for pizza, but why pizza and not bagels? or sushi? my uncle found a restaurant that always has pies on motzai pesach and it's not as popular as the pizza stores which are always totally mobbed, so he picks up enough pies for all my cousins, and after we've peeled off the last vestiges of foil from the counters, and stored the last box of pesach dishes, we get our chametz kick.