Look at this. Two days in a row of posts. Excellent.
So, where have I been since January you may (or may not) be asking yourself? Well, I've been around. I went through a few more bad months, but after some discoveries about my allergy medicine (don't take Zyrtec if you have a tendency towards depression or are currently being treated for it, and if you do, talk to your doctor!) I am beginning to feel on track.
Over the past 4 months or so I spent a lot of time at temple. A lot. Many weeks I was there 5 out of 7 days (Friday-Saturday for Shabbat services, Sunday for Religious School, Monday for a beginning Hebrew class I taught to newly arrived students, and Tuesday for Hebrew School and/or Board Meetings). For the most part it was a good thing to be there so much; I was around people I cared about, I had the support of my community, and it kept me busy and occupied, which was a key thing for me.
But, a couple of weeks before Passover I got a cold. Which turned into a sinus infection. And lingered for a month (though the infection cleared up w/ antibiotics within a week of finally going to the doctor). I was drained. I had no energy. And one weekend, for the first time in ages when I have been in town, I didn't go to temple for services Friday or Saturday. Friday night I went to a friend's house for a lively pot luck and outdoor service. And the next day I decided to take a long drive out into the country. I can't explain it, but those couple of days away from temple were needed. I needed to recharge. I needed to not feel like this was just an obligation, that it was a job to be there. I love my temple, and I needed a little bit of distance to renew that love.
Now the school year is over. My fourth graders ended their first year of Hebrew on a high note and my Monday night class was reading, if haltingly, and learning grammar by our last evening together. It was a good school year, and I am incredibly proud of all of my students. Last year I felt a bit over my head when teaching Hebrew; this year I think I was beginning to hit my stride and I am excited for next year.
Over the last few months I have also read Torah a few times (once for the anniversary of my bat mitzvah, once to fill in for our ailing intern, and once on Passover - the Song of the Sea). I rocked my bat mitzvah portion, did decently with the next one, and after only preparing for 2 days I muddled through reasonably well for the Song of the Sea, which happens to be the hardest portion, or so says my rabbi. I don't know when I will read next, but I am hoping it will be this summer.
Oh, and last, but not least, I passed my 5 year mark since my conversion. It isn't like when your car turns over from 99,000 to 100,000 miles. Maybe it should have been, but it was more like "Hmmm. I've been a Jew for 5 years. That's pretty cool." Somewhere along the way since my conversion I began to truly think of myself as a Jew and not a convert. So, while it was momentous in a way, it is also something I don't feel the need to make a big deal over.
Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts
5.21.2009
9.18.2008
Back in Ohio
I am back from my business trip and am still exhausted. I don't really like being awake for 40 hours straight. The one good thing about the trip is that I got to miss most of the chaos surrounding the big power outage here in Cincinnati after the massive windstorms we had on Sunday. My power came back on about 2 hours before I returned home yesterday, though I did have to throw out everything in my freezer and fridge. However, I believe there are still around 200,000 people in the area with no power.
Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little worried right now? I mean, there is all the crazy weather, the economy, and the election. It seems like things could get really really bad in the next couple of months.
And on that uplifting note, it's time for lunch.
Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little worried right now? I mean, there is all the crazy weather, the economy, and the election. It seems like things could get really really bad in the next couple of months.
And on that uplifting note, it's time for lunch.
9.11.2008
Let's Gain Momentum
It's been awhile since I posted, and I have no real excuse other than not having a lot to say that is blog-appropriate. Life has been interesting. So, in lieu of anything terribly exciting, here is a rundown of what is going on in my life:
• My 10-year high school reunion is next Saturday. I'm looking forward to it if for no other reason than to see the reactions of my fellow all-girls-Catholic-school-mates to my very obvious Jewishness. Admittedly I'm also looking forward to seeing some people who I haven't spoken with in a very long time.
• The weather if finally cooling down here in Cincinnati and my allergies seem to also be calming down, at least until the leaves start falling. All of which means I can now open up my windows again and enjoy the fresh air and breezes through my apartment. I love Fall. I love the way the air smells when it starts getting a slight chill to it. I love the colors and the smell of the leaves on the ground. The first day that requires a sweatshirt is always a good day.
• With the new season comes a new year of Religious School at my temple. This is my fifth year teaching, though only my second consecutive in the same class/subject. I have Alef Hebrew students again and our first class was this past Tuesday. They are an energetic bunch in a completely different way than last year's kids who I adored. It looks like it will be a fun year.
• A friend of mine from high school (the only one I've kept up a good friendship with over the years) has moved into my neighborhood, just a couple streets away. Last weekend we had dinner, beer, and played Carcassonne, one of the most addictive board games ever. I'm very happy to have a good friend within walking distance to hang out with. It's been since college that I could just walk to someone's house to see them and not need to take the car.
• For the first time in a really long time I had feelings for someone (a crush!). While it isn't going to work out it has been a nice little refreshing diversion. I'd forgotten how fun those emotions can be. And also how easy it is to revert to feeling like a sixth-grader when thinking about if the object of your affection has feelings for you in return.
• Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are fast approaching. I wrote a post over at JBC.org last week about how much I love YK and my strong connection to it. I find myself really looking forward to this High Holy Day season more than usual. There is just something completely satisfying emotionally and spiritually with ending one year and beginning another by accounting for what has happened. It is a good time to reflect and to ponder what could be for the year to come.
• I deleted my LiveJournal account a couple of weeks ago. I haven't really posted in over two years, but for about 4 years after college it was a large part of my online life. After a falling out with a friend from college, however, I just didn't feel like posting anymore. After contemplating it for awhile I finally decided to just delete it all together after downloading all of the old entries. It was interesting to read some of the stuff I wrote 6 years ago and to think about how different I was. It was cool getting to read my entries from when I was beginning my formal studies with my rabbi and to remember how exciting and new it was for me back then (and to realize how exciting learning still is). So, in a sense, I felt like I am closing that chapter of my life. Not to sound cliché, but I'm older now and my priorities have shifted. I feel that I am a much different person today than I was when I first set up that account.
• My 10-year high school reunion is next Saturday. I'm looking forward to it if for no other reason than to see the reactions of my fellow all-girls-Catholic-school-mates to my very obvious Jewishness. Admittedly I'm also looking forward to seeing some people who I haven't spoken with in a very long time.
• The weather if finally cooling down here in Cincinnati and my allergies seem to also be calming down, at least until the leaves start falling. All of which means I can now open up my windows again and enjoy the fresh air and breezes through my apartment. I love Fall. I love the way the air smells when it starts getting a slight chill to it. I love the colors and the smell of the leaves on the ground. The first day that requires a sweatshirt is always a good day.
• With the new season comes a new year of Religious School at my temple. This is my fifth year teaching, though only my second consecutive in the same class/subject. I have Alef Hebrew students again and our first class was this past Tuesday. They are an energetic bunch in a completely different way than last year's kids who I adored. It looks like it will be a fun year.
• A friend of mine from high school (the only one I've kept up a good friendship with over the years) has moved into my neighborhood, just a couple streets away. Last weekend we had dinner, beer, and played Carcassonne, one of the most addictive board games ever. I'm very happy to have a good friend within walking distance to hang out with. It's been since college that I could just walk to someone's house to see them and not need to take the car.
• For the first time in a really long time I had feelings for someone (a crush!). While it isn't going to work out it has been a nice little refreshing diversion. I'd forgotten how fun those emotions can be. And also how easy it is to revert to feeling like a sixth-grader when thinking about if the object of your affection has feelings for you in return.
• Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are fast approaching. I wrote a post over at JBC.org last week about how much I love YK and my strong connection to it. I find myself really looking forward to this High Holy Day season more than usual. There is just something completely satisfying emotionally and spiritually with ending one year and beginning another by accounting for what has happened. It is a good time to reflect and to ponder what could be for the year to come.
• I deleted my LiveJournal account a couple of weeks ago. I haven't really posted in over two years, but for about 4 years after college it was a large part of my online life. After a falling out with a friend from college, however, I just didn't feel like posting anymore. After contemplating it for awhile I finally decided to just delete it all together after downloading all of the old entries. It was interesting to read some of the stuff I wrote 6 years ago and to think about how different I was. It was cool getting to read my entries from when I was beginning my formal studies with my rabbi and to remember how exciting and new it was for me back then (and to realize how exciting learning still is). So, in a sense, I felt like I am closing that chapter of my life. Not to sound cliché, but I'm older now and my priorities have shifted. I feel that I am a much different person today than I was when I first set up that account.
6.13.2008
Things That Make Me A Geek (TM)
I'm going to depart from my normal blog subjects and do a little fun blog on other things that I am interested in--in top ten form!
1. NASA and the moon missions.
I have been mesmerized by NASA and space for years, reading everything I could about the moon missions, about the space race, etc. If there is a documentary on TV about NASA I'll watch it. My interest doesn't really translate to astronomy, really. It's the exploration in the past century that has fascinated me. Recently a friend's husband went to the shuttle launch and I was extremely jealous...
2. WWII
I a bit of a history buff and love to read about the battles, but more specfically about individual soldiers and outfits that sacrificed to get the job done. When those who fought in WWII and the others of that generation are described as The Greatest Generation, I can't help but agree.
3. TV Shows that bring out the Obsessive Geek (tm) in me.
These include: Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, Sports Night, West Wing, Alias, the Gilmore Girls, Angel, and Bones. I like a lot of other shows, too, but these seem to be the ones I geek out on and amuse my friends and co-workers with my excited blathering. Mostly Battlestar Galactica right now as it is the only one currently showing new episodes since Bones finished its season. (By the way, mental_floss.com has a great blog about Battlestart v. Star Trek that I enjoyed, being a fan of Star Trek as well).
4. Painting
I was a painter once upon a time. I've recently taken it up again as a way to reconnect with my creative side and relax a bit. But, there was a time when the best way for me to express myself was through painting. I was an art major in college, and while I didn't have the drive and ambition to make fine art my career, I still love it. I mostly worked in oil when I painted, but as it is such a mess and I have such a small space, when I began painting again I tried water color. Having not picked up water colors in over 10 years I was worried that I wouldn't remember how to paint with them, but I've found that not only do I remember, but I'm enjoying it more than I ever did with oils.
5. Sudoku
This might be a weird thing to admit obsession with, but I can't help it. I actually have to regulate my enjoyment of it otherwise I will sit for hours with a pen (no wimpy pencils for me!), doing puzzle after puzzle. I even dream about it if I've been doing a lot of puzzles... It's a sickness, really.
6. Coca-Cola
Another weird thing to be obsessed with, but alas, I'm weird. When I was in Atlanta a couple of years ago for a business meeting I made sure my flight arrived early enough to ensure I would get to visit World of Coke. Seriously, I got there 5 hours before I was to meet my colleagues for dinner... I just love the taste, and I have my preferences as to which is better--regular Coke in a cold can is tops, 2nd only to regular Coke in a glass bottle, followed closely by a fountain Coke w/ cherry syrup added from Frisch's Big Boy.
7. Corn Fields (and clouds)
Admittedly I wouldn't call my fascination with fields in general, and corn fields in particular, an obsession, per se. It's just that I love to look at them. My idea of a relaxing summer afternoon would be to go for a drive in the country and look at the fields. I have rolls of film devoted to fields and clouds and clouds over fields with fences or roads or farm houses...
8. Cheese
This is the one food I couldn't live without. I'd be fine without chocolate, bread, etc. But take away my cheese and you might as well tell me the sun is about to burn itself out and all life on earth will end in about 2 minutes. All kinds of cheese--American, French, stinky, mild, shredded, sliced, moldy. It's great. Goes with everything.
9. Books
This is kind of general, but I'm fairly obsessed with books. When I moved a couple of years ago I moved very close to my favorite bookstore and I have to limit my enjoyment of said bookstore to once a week. And I try to just browse, but I love books. The feel of the covers, the smell of the page and the ink, the information and stories contained within them. I have 5 bookshelves in my small apartment and I'll need a 6th soon. I love to read and think there is nothing better than to take a vacation so I can go away and read.
10. Hats
I love ball caps. Love them. I wear one probably every other day, but I if I'm wearing a team hat it must be the Cincinnati Reds. I may not watch them all the time, but I have a hometown loyalty and would never wear another team's hat. The most recent addition to my collection was a NASA hat, brought back from the Kennedy Space Center---a wonderful intersection of two of my obsessions. My love of hats is probably also why I have many different kippot and not just one that I wear.
Now, wasn't that an interesting trip into my mind?
1. NASA and the moon missions.
I have been mesmerized by NASA and space for years, reading everything I could about the moon missions, about the space race, etc. If there is a documentary on TV about NASA I'll watch it. My interest doesn't really translate to astronomy, really. It's the exploration in the past century that has fascinated me. Recently a friend's husband went to the shuttle launch and I was extremely jealous...
2. WWII
I a bit of a history buff and love to read about the battles, but more specfically about individual soldiers and outfits that sacrificed to get the job done. When those who fought in WWII and the others of that generation are described as The Greatest Generation, I can't help but agree.
3. TV Shows that bring out the Obsessive Geek (tm) in me.
These include: Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, Sports Night, West Wing, Alias, the Gilmore Girls, Angel, and Bones. I like a lot of other shows, too, but these seem to be the ones I geek out on and amuse my friends and co-workers with my excited blathering. Mostly Battlestar Galactica right now as it is the only one currently showing new episodes since Bones finished its season. (By the way, mental_floss.com has a great blog about Battlestart v. Star Trek that I enjoyed, being a fan of Star Trek as well).
4. Painting
I was a painter once upon a time. I've recently taken it up again as a way to reconnect with my creative side and relax a bit. But, there was a time when the best way for me to express myself was through painting. I was an art major in college, and while I didn't have the drive and ambition to make fine art my career, I still love it. I mostly worked in oil when I painted, but as it is such a mess and I have such a small space, when I began painting again I tried water color. Having not picked up water colors in over 10 years I was worried that I wouldn't remember how to paint with them, but I've found that not only do I remember, but I'm enjoying it more than I ever did with oils.
5. Sudoku
This might be a weird thing to admit obsession with, but I can't help it. I actually have to regulate my enjoyment of it otherwise I will sit for hours with a pen (no wimpy pencils for me!), doing puzzle after puzzle. I even dream about it if I've been doing a lot of puzzles... It's a sickness, really.
6. Coca-Cola
Another weird thing to be obsessed with, but alas, I'm weird. When I was in Atlanta a couple of years ago for a business meeting I made sure my flight arrived early enough to ensure I would get to visit World of Coke. Seriously, I got there 5 hours before I was to meet my colleagues for dinner... I just love the taste, and I have my preferences as to which is better--regular Coke in a cold can is tops, 2nd only to regular Coke in a glass bottle, followed closely by a fountain Coke w/ cherry syrup added from Frisch's Big Boy.
7. Corn Fields (and clouds)
Admittedly I wouldn't call my fascination with fields in general, and corn fields in particular, an obsession, per se. It's just that I love to look at them. My idea of a relaxing summer afternoon would be to go for a drive in the country and look at the fields. I have rolls of film devoted to fields and clouds and clouds over fields with fences or roads or farm houses...
8. Cheese
This is the one food I couldn't live without. I'd be fine without chocolate, bread, etc. But take away my cheese and you might as well tell me the sun is about to burn itself out and all life on earth will end in about 2 minutes. All kinds of cheese--American, French, stinky, mild, shredded, sliced, moldy. It's great. Goes with everything.
9. Books
This is kind of general, but I'm fairly obsessed with books. When I moved a couple of years ago I moved very close to my favorite bookstore and I have to limit my enjoyment of said bookstore to once a week. And I try to just browse, but I love books. The feel of the covers, the smell of the page and the ink, the information and stories contained within them. I have 5 bookshelves in my small apartment and I'll need a 6th soon. I love to read and think there is nothing better than to take a vacation so I can go away and read.
10. Hats
I love ball caps. Love them. I wear one probably every other day, but I if I'm wearing a team hat it must be the Cincinnati Reds. I may not watch them all the time, but I have a hometown loyalty and would never wear another team's hat. The most recent addition to my collection was a NASA hat, brought back from the Kennedy Space Center---a wonderful intersection of two of my obsessions. My love of hats is probably also why I have many different kippot and not just one that I wear.
Now, wasn't that an interesting trip into my mind?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
