Friday report

My Adult Hebrew class is turning into more of a general Adult Education prayer class. They really like it when I go over historical context, so we've been doing less grammar and more history. Yay! That's much more fun for me.

It's 2 degrees out today. Two. Even Osher decided to stay indoors. I must admit, while I complain about winter, the cold really doesn't bother me all that much. I don't like it, but I can deal. What I hate is the ramifications OF the cold - like dry skin and absolutely no fresh produce. I'm not a fan of cooked veggies, so while I have some frozen vegetables, it just doesn't do it for me.

So I was proud today when I tried to make a salad. At the store the tomatoes were dry (and Xander doesn't like it when I eat them anyway), the cucumbers were shriveled, the peppers sad-looking, the carrots scary looking, the romaine brown, etc. The only robust vegetable in the supermarket was the display of onions! So, I made an unconventional salad: following Holly's recipe, I made my own dressing at the bottom of the bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and salt/pepper. Then I added bagged lettuce, onion, a hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, and dried cranberries. Even though it barely qualified as vegetables (bagged romaine?) I still felt like I was a bit healthy.

While the baby napped I got to read some homework, part of Modern Jews Engage the New Testament, and it's fascinating! The book is written by our professor, which would usually turn me off, but I actually really like it (and the professor is quite funny, so it makes up for a lot). It discusses why Jews know next to nothing about the Christian Testament, and how we only shoot ourselves in our collective feet when we remain willfully ignorant. Aside from the book, class itself is interesting. It's an "e-learning" class, so we sit in a high-tech room wired with microphones and cameras, and people on the New York campus sit in a similar room and we can all hear and see each other. It's part of a program to integrate all three campuses, so that anyone in LA and NY can take classes with the profs at Cinci and vice versa. Nicole in NY is taking the class with us, hooray, so yesterday was the first time I got to "see" her since her wedding.

I'm almost finished with Around Sarah's Table: Ten Hasidic Women Share Their Stories of Life, Faith, and Tradition. Chana P., you'd like it. The book centers around Sarah's weekly Torah study group, and each chapter discusses a different woman's life and how the Torah portion and/or Hasidic teachings relate. Think of a Joy Luck Club or Ya-Ya Sisterhood for ultra-Orthodox women, and you'll have a good idea of what it is. I like the plot, but occasionally the religious teachings can get a bit heavy-handed.

Off to fold laundry...