Somewhere inside me there is a tiny Jewish grandmother trying to get out.

During the summer, the buses have a hard time with the heat, particularly on the 95+ degree days we have here. The TTA has been parking an empty bus here and here around the Triangle, so it's ready and waiting when a bus in use breaks down. They leave an extra one in downtown Raleigh, downtown Durham, at the District Drive Park and Ride, at the Transfer Center, etc. This is a great policy. There was one day the my bus broke down in front of the Vet School. Within ten minutes, a new bus was there ready to go. They have also been keeping a mechanic handy at the Transfer Center. That mechanic is Lester. Lester is the nicest guy in the world. He always comes to ask me how my day was. He says when he hits the lottery, he's going to buy the TTA new buses and himself a hammock to tie up between these two trees at the Transfer Center. I see Lester every day, so naturally we've become quite friendly. He works two jobs. The other one is at a drug company fixing the equipment. To be honest here, there's something about Lester that reminds me a little of my grandfather, which is why I think I like him so much. As usual, I saw Lester today. He wasn't feeling well, but he was there to make sure the buses were running, out in the wind and rain. I am making a batch of matzo ball soup and will bring him some tomorrow. That should fix him up real good.

The matzo ball soup got me thinking. My friend Jake and I have been scheming for as long as I can remember, trying to come up with a food booth we can set up at the NC State Fair. Jake is, according to his wife, "Jew-ish." I think we've tossed around the idea of selling his Heeb-B-Q. He makes a fantastic smoked pork butt, North Carolina style. My latest idea is Jewish fair food. "Rabbi Jake's, Good For What Ails Ya!" will have deep fried matzo balls, brisket on a stick, gefilte fish on a stick...you can see where this is going, can't you? I think this is it. The Million Dollar Idea! We'll make everything Kosher. Our truck will have a picture of him dressed like a Hassidic Rabbi. It'll be awesome. What do you think?