1) When I picked Xander up at daycare, he was playing with a plastic plate in the mock kitchen. The moment he saw me, he immediately broke into a big smile, tossed the plate across the room and started charging forward.
2) One of my profs stopped me in the halls to say, "Hey, Michal, I've got a bad gift for you." I was confused, but followed him up to his office. "You're the only student I've ever had who's been interested in Talmudic realia [context of the time], so I thought you might like this. I just got a reprint." And he rummaged around his desk and handed me a book published in 1912, called The Economic Conditions of Judaea After the Destruction of the Second Temple. How cool!
3) Quote from Dan the rare book librarian: "I'm in this profession because I want to touch the ancestors." It made me stop and think about what he does every day. And you know... he's right.
4) You know that my Bible class that meets in the Rare Book Room? Well, we all just got assigned an unpublished manuscript of the Book of Esther to study. We get to spend half of every Tuesday session to analyze it, and write up a report. Mine is absolutely gorgeous!! It's from Morocco, from the 17th century. :)
5) I took an "Interest Profiler Occupations Report" with Jonathan, for fun. My top jobs at my current educational level are supposed to be Archivist and Graduate Assistant. Both of which I've had, so I guess I'm on the right track! (I don't think "clergy" was an option.) Poor Jonathan, though, he's so in the wrong profession: his top jobs are Reporter, Creative Writer, Curator, or Film Editor.
6) Gisele Bundchen had a water birth, at home in her tub. More of us do it than you think! See here for details.
And last but not least, tomorrow we're going to go do something which makes me feel like such a parent: we're taking Xander to get his passport! Kidlet's going to Israel in a few months, he's gotta be legal.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
I love my friends
I'm sitting in the library, at the table *over* from my table, because the rabbi has taken up residence again.
So far, two librarians have come by and given me looks of sympathy.
Then Ben just walked in, glanced at me, and said, "Mmmm.... I think I've got a baseball bat out in the car." Then he walked on. :)
I almost feel sorry for this poor man... he has no idea why he's getting so much animosity!
Edited to add: Jessica just said something similar!
So far, two librarians have come by and given me looks of sympathy.
Then Ben just walked in, glanced at me, and said, "Mmmm.... I think I've got a baseball bat out in the car." Then he walked on. :)
I almost feel sorry for this poor man... he has no idea why he's getting so much animosity!
Edited to add: Jessica just said something similar!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Welcome to the world
Mazel tov to Matt and Erin, on the birth of their son Ayden Micah. 5 lbs, 12 oz, 19in long. I can't wait to meet him!
Now one of my *female* classmates needs to get pregnant. There are quite a few male students out there with kids, but I need a woman to commiserate with. Jessica, Mara, Nicole, Maura, even Stephanie? I know you read this!! Help me out. :)
Now one of my *female* classmates needs to get pregnant. There are quite a few male students out there with kids, but I need a woman to commiserate with. Jessica, Mara, Nicole, Maura, even Stephanie? I know you read this!! Help me out. :)
Monday, January 25, 2010
YES!!!!!!
The rabbi from Columbus left! My library table is mine again!
Oooh, I'm more possessive than I thought....
Oooh, I'm more possessive than I thought....
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Social weekend
Next weekend I'm at my pulpit, so we had to get all our socializing in the past few days, instead. On Friday, Jeffrey and Courtney came over for Shabbat dinner:
What goofy grins.
I'm up high!
Dancing. Or prancing, either or. This was at the toy store in the mall. For the first time in his short little life, Xander actually wanted a material object. He saw it and he lit up, and while Jonathan and I browsed, he pushed that toy back and forth and back and forth. It was 50% off, so we bought it for him. But then when we tried to put him back in the stroller, he had a fit! He wouldn't sit quietly until Jonathan walked right next to the stroller, holding it in his hand, showing Xander that no, we weren't leaving his precious toy behind but were taking it with us. The kid knows what he wants, that's for sure.
Then there was today:
After a Dewey's pizza excursion with Rachel and Evan and their year-old son Liam, we went back to our house to play. The picture came out funny - still not quite sure what happened - but here Liam and Xander are "racing" up the stairs. Imagine lots of giggling throughout.
Also, I think there may be some misunderstandings when I said Xander was communicating with us. He doesn't actually speak any words, he uses sign language. So when he wants more food, or something else on his plate, or to sing another song, he'll put his two index fingers together for "more." When he's done eating and wants to get down from the chair, or is bored with an activity and wants to move on, he signs "all done" by raising both hands and waving them side to side. "Food" when he's hungry is touching his fingers to his thumb, and bringing them to his mouth. We use "gentle," too, when he pets the cats. Or, to be more specific, when he half-lies down on top of the cats, or pats their sides. It's really hard to get a video of him doing any of that because the motion is only a split-second. If you want to see, you'll just have to come visit. :)
What goofy grins.
I'm up high!Ignore our conversation in the background, we're trying to decide what to order from the Thai restaurant.
The next day:
Dancing. Or prancing, either or. This was at the toy store in the mall. For the first time in his short little life, Xander actually wanted a material object. He saw it and he lit up, and while Jonathan and I browsed, he pushed that toy back and forth and back and forth. It was 50% off, so we bought it for him. But then when we tried to put him back in the stroller, he had a fit! He wouldn't sit quietly until Jonathan walked right next to the stroller, holding it in his hand, showing Xander that no, we weren't leaving his precious toy behind but were taking it with us. The kid knows what he wants, that's for sure.Then there was today:
After a Dewey's pizza excursion with Rachel and Evan and their year-old son Liam, we went back to our house to play. The picture came out funny - still not quite sure what happened - but here Liam and Xander are "racing" up the stairs. Imagine lots of giggling throughout.Also, I think there may be some misunderstandings when I said Xander was communicating with us. He doesn't actually speak any words, he uses sign language. So when he wants more food, or something else on his plate, or to sing another song, he'll put his two index fingers together for "more." When he's done eating and wants to get down from the chair, or is bored with an activity and wants to move on, he signs "all done" by raising both hands and waving them side to side. "Food" when he's hungry is touching his fingers to his thumb, and bringing them to his mouth. We use "gentle," too, when he pets the cats. Or, to be more specific, when he half-lies down on top of the cats, or pats their sides. It's really hard to get a video of him doing any of that because the motion is only a split-second. If you want to see, you'll just have to come visit. :)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The world is very strange
One, Jewish Teenager's Tefillin Disrupts US Airways Flight. A flight attendant panicked seeing him pray, and thought the tefillin was an explosive. Our country's ignorance scares me sometimes. I mean c'mon, I'm not asking you to know the ritual, but when you have a 17 year old nerdy looking kid from New York wearing a shawl and swaying, is he really a terrorist? Watch TV at least. Orthodox Jews are all over the news lately, from the corrupt rabbis in NY to West Bank settlers.
On another interesting note, kids of same-sex couples are now testifying in court for their parents to legally marry. It still strikes me how different the world is now from when I was growing up. I'm a member of COLAGE but that's really all I do in this area. I wonder how much more involved I would have been had I been born ten years later.
And lots of strange personal things to tell about Xander and his development, but for once, I actually have pictures to go along with the stories! Alas, they're not uploaded yet. Tomorrow, tomorrow.
On another interesting note, kids of same-sex couples are now testifying in court for their parents to legally marry. It still strikes me how different the world is now from when I was growing up. I'm a member of COLAGE but that's really all I do in this area. I wonder how much more involved I would have been had I been born ten years later.
And lots of strange personal things to tell about Xander and his development, but for once, I actually have pictures to go along with the stories! Alas, they're not uploaded yet. Tomorrow, tomorrow.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Pros and cons of the last two days
GOOD: Funny interaction in my Missionizing class. We were talking about possible motives for missionaries to convert Jews.
Dr. Cook, speaking as a missionary: "What do you do about Jews who hate you because their people have been tortured in the past by Christians? How do you overcome that hurdle?"
Me, whispered to my neighbor: "Bring chocolate."
Without missing a beat, the prof reaches into his pocket, pulls out a packet of Peanut M&M's, and tosses me one. Now that's timing!
BAD: Xander is getting in his two top molars. Cue whining. We feel sorry for him, but still...
GOOD: In my Bible class last week, a classmate mentioned something about the authenticity of the Bible. I said, randomly, "Wow, Jean, I wrote a whole paper on that, and you summarized it in three sentences. I feel stupid." Well, the professor asked me afterwards what paper it was. I said it was from my first year at HUC in Cincinnati, when we spent a lot of time disproving the historicity of the Bible. I wrote a paper on how I could still maintain Torah as a sacred text if it wasn't historically true. He asked to read it. I said sure, so I emailed to him and forgot about it.
Today, he gave it back. Marked up with more comments than the original professor had given. Then he handed me three handwritten pages on his own musings on sacredness of text, as related to my paper. Then he handed me a photocopied academic article, which he said he had referenced in his response and that he thought I might enjoy reading. I LOVE this man. He is so kind, thoughtful, and respectful - he's exactly the reason I came to HUC.
BAD: I have a cold. Sinus infections suck. So do sore throats.
GOOD: So this youth group, bat mitzvah tutoring, and 2nd grader tutoring I started at my pulpit? Going very well. They really like it. But this directly leads to BAD: I have more work to do now. Ugh.
BAD: Probably due to his teething, Xander has been an extremely picky eater this week. So you know what we've done? We ask him if he would like pepper. He makes his chirpy sound for yes. We sprinkle a pretty decent amount of pepper on... peas, chicken, potatoes, most things. And GOOD: he still doesn't eat much, but he eats more than before. Our child is weird.
GOOD: The librarian said I could have a carrel at the library. I would usually like this. Except for the fact that she only said it because, BAD: Some random rabbi from Cleveland is in my library spot! For two days in a row! He's writing a book, he says, and he's covered my table completely with books. I don't think he's planning on moving for at least a week. So I camped out in my carrel today. I was not happy. BAD: The carrel has no window.
And let's end on a GOOD note: each student is required to lead services at school about three times a year. One of my days was yesterday. And I had the kids from JELC (Xander's daycare) come in. Everybody sat on the floor and I led a "Tot Shabbat." It was very cute, and I got some great feedback from the other students and profs who were there. I loved the practice, and the kids were adorable!
Dr. Cook, speaking as a missionary: "What do you do about Jews who hate you because their people have been tortured in the past by Christians? How do you overcome that hurdle?"
Me, whispered to my neighbor: "Bring chocolate."
Without missing a beat, the prof reaches into his pocket, pulls out a packet of Peanut M&M's, and tosses me one. Now that's timing!
BAD: Xander is getting in his two top molars. Cue whining. We feel sorry for him, but still...
GOOD: In my Bible class last week, a classmate mentioned something about the authenticity of the Bible. I said, randomly, "Wow, Jean, I wrote a whole paper on that, and you summarized it in three sentences. I feel stupid." Well, the professor asked me afterwards what paper it was. I said it was from my first year at HUC in Cincinnati, when we spent a lot of time disproving the historicity of the Bible. I wrote a paper on how I could still maintain Torah as a sacred text if it wasn't historically true. He asked to read it. I said sure, so I emailed to him and forgot about it.
Today, he gave it back. Marked up with more comments than the original professor had given. Then he handed me three handwritten pages on his own musings on sacredness of text, as related to my paper. Then he handed me a photocopied academic article, which he said he had referenced in his response and that he thought I might enjoy reading. I LOVE this man. He is so kind, thoughtful, and respectful - he's exactly the reason I came to HUC.
BAD: I have a cold. Sinus infections suck. So do sore throats.
GOOD: So this youth group, bat mitzvah tutoring, and 2nd grader tutoring I started at my pulpit? Going very well. They really like it. But this directly leads to BAD: I have more work to do now. Ugh.
BAD: Probably due to his teething, Xander has been an extremely picky eater this week. So you know what we've done? We ask him if he would like pepper. He makes his chirpy sound for yes. We sprinkle a pretty decent amount of pepper on... peas, chicken, potatoes, most things. And GOOD: he still doesn't eat much, but he eats more than before. Our child is weird.
GOOD: The librarian said I could have a carrel at the library. I would usually like this. Except for the fact that she only said it because, BAD: Some random rabbi from Cleveland is in my library spot! For two days in a row! He's writing a book, he says, and he's covered my table completely with books. I don't think he's planning on moving for at least a week. So I camped out in my carrel today. I was not happy. BAD: The carrel has no window.
And let's end on a GOOD note: each student is required to lead services at school about three times a year. One of my days was yesterday. And I had the kids from JELC (Xander's daycare) come in. Everybody sat on the floor and I led a "Tot Shabbat." It was very cute, and I got some great feedback from the other students and profs who were there. I loved the practice, and the kids were adorable!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
News!
I will be working as a chaplain this summer at Good Samaritan Hospital for my CPE unit. It's especially great because it's literally the hospital next door to HUC. So I can still park at school and drop Xander off at daycare, then walk down the hill to work!
Also, we have our tickets for NY in March, for an HUC conference/mini-vacation. Jonathan and Xander are coming with me, and we're going a few days early to hang out in the Big Apple.
Tickets are also in the ether for Israel over Pesach, for me and the toddler. It looks like one week in Holon with Abba and family, one in Arad with Savta and Avraham.
AND I have a new side research job at the AJA, for a woman who's looking up her family genealogy. I spent the afternoon looking through death records and synagogue membership rosters from the early 1900s. Amazing what's out there if you look.
Also, we have our tickets for NY in March, for an HUC conference/mini-vacation. Jonathan and Xander are coming with me, and we're going a few days early to hang out in the Big Apple.
Tickets are also in the ether for Israel over Pesach, for me and the toddler. It looks like one week in Holon with Abba and family, one in Arad with Savta and Avraham.
AND I have a new side research job at the AJA, for a woman who's looking up her family genealogy. I spent the afternoon looking through death records and synagogue membership rosters from the early 1900s. Amazing what's out there if you look.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Long-awaited (by some) pictures
Two major Xander events last week: one, SNOW! We had about six inches, so Xander got dressed up in his snowsuit. We made a snowball, "plowed" the driveway with his cart, and watched Osher make paw prints in the snow all over the backyard.
We also went to Liam's first birthday party. He's the son of our friends Rachel and Evan. I'm not posting pictures of the party, again, for privacy reasons - the place was literally "crawling" with kidlets :) - but there are a few cute pics just of us that I feel comfortable sharing. Here's one.
There are too many pictures to post up here, so click on this link for the slideshow.
Jonathan made me put this one up. I am such a dork.
We also went to Liam's first birthday party. He's the son of our friends Rachel and Evan. I'm not posting pictures of the party, again, for privacy reasons - the place was literally "crawling" with kidlets :) - but there are a few cute pics just of us that I feel comfortable sharing. Here's one.
There are too many pictures to post up here, so click on this link for the slideshow.
Jonathan made me put this one up. I am such a dork.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Going private
Hi all,
For a variety of reasons, I have decided to make this blog private. What this means is that as of two days from now, you'll have to put in a password to get in. If you check it from the same computer every time, you can click "remember my password," and the computer will automatically enter the password and then open up the blog, so you won't really notice a difference. The first time you click on it, however, it will prompt you to contact the blog owner - that's me - to ask for the password.
Basically, I just want to know who's reading this, and I'll give the password to anyone who asks. Everyone who reads this should have my email or Facebook, so you all know how to get ahold of me.
If anyone's really frustrated, just let me know and I'll help you out. :)
Edited to add: turns out there's no password - I just add your email to the permission list. So if you can get in and read this, it means I added you already.
For a variety of reasons, I have decided to make this blog private. What this means is that as of two days from now, you'll have to put in a password to get in. If you check it from the same computer every time, you can click "remember my password," and the computer will automatically enter the password and then open up the blog, so you won't really notice a difference. The first time you click on it, however, it will prompt you to contact the blog owner - that's me - to ask for the password.
Basically, I just want to know who's reading this, and I'll give the password to anyone who asks. Everyone who reads this should have my email or Facebook, so you all know how to get ahold of me.
If anyone's really frustrated, just let me know and I'll help you out. :)
Edited to add: turns out there's no password - I just add your email to the permission list. So if you can get in and read this, it means I added you already.
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