a very punk rock easter
2004-04-12, 8:20 p.m.

i used to think the easter bunny was green. in fact, i still think of him as green. when i told my mother that i was going to watch for the easter bunny so i could see where he hid the eggs in our yard, she said "you can't see him!" and i said "why" and she explained that he "hides in the grass." well, this may have been a perfectly acceptable explanation when my grandmother told my mother and they were in, like, the black forest in germany, with tall swaying blades of grass. but in the little suburban development where i was growing up, the lawns were mowed. so i figured the easter bunny was green.

my favorite easter commercial:

"thank you easter bunny. bawk! bawk!"

easter candy:

cadbury cream eggs? no, too sweet.

chocolate bunny? well, they have their place. in my easter basket!

peeps -- sugar coated colored marshmallow in the shape on a chick? no.

marshmallow eggs? it's very sad; i wasn't allowed to have these when i was growing up. circus peanuts either. so i never developed the taste. though i still get them once in a while. for spite.

jelly beans? YES. I know they're boring but they are the essential easter candy. the licorice ones are my favorite.

a few years ago i had a friend (roommate even) in town who was being confirmed in the episcopalian church. i attended, for the occasion, at the service called the "easter vigil" - on the saturday evening before easter. it's a lonnng mass. but what surprised me the most was that after the mass we went to the church basement and everyone was drinking wine and eating hot cross buns and cookies in the shapes of crosses. the snacks seemed odd to me, but the wine-in-the-church really freaked me out. i grew up going to methodist church and they won't even have wine with communion (they serve grape juice instead) and if one has a wedding and reception at a methodist church, one can serve no champagne, because no alcohol is allowed in the church. then when i attended episcopalian high school, well, it was a high school, so no drinking was allowed (except the communion wine of course). since then, i've of course heard the stories about how much episcopalians like to drink. - "wherever there's four episcopalians, there's sure the be a fifth." - "whisk-apalians." but it was all new to me that day. this drink mixed with church business.

i went somewhere unusual for easter this year, but where likewise no liquor was served: to see a punk rock band at an all-ages show. it was a true all ages show (not just 18 and up) and the liquor was put away and covered up. my friend robin, who, for purposes of this diary, prefers that i call him: robin, almost went into anaphylactic shock when he realized that there would be no liquor at the show. i can't tell you how upset he was.

we had just been to another bar to see a singer-songwriter at an early show, and we drank rolling rock beer in honor of easter. i don't much care for beer or rolling rock, but it was so worth the $6 to make my friend diaryname:bella, who never comes out anywhere, laugh. fairly wholeheartedly, i might add. by the way, bella? if you're reading, that little pink midriff easter blouse was so cute.

easter eggs. i've understood how these symbols of fertility made it from the pagan spring fertility rituals to easter. but i never thought about the easter bunny. oh, bunny rabbits would be fertility symbols too, wouldn't they? oh. uh, yeah, somehow that disturbs me. well, okay, moving on then, pass me the green dye to color my bunny. belated happy easter everybody.