Return to Campus

I didn't get enough work done today. That doesn't surprise anyone, I'm sure. It oughtn't, at least.

So, HaMakor rehearsal fell through, as Samara couldn't get back in time to get herself, Matthew and I there. But we do have our 6th person: Judith, a long-time haMakor member who hadn't intended to dance this year as she has a very small baby and a sick mother. SO they worked on Shibolim, the middle piece that's just the three non-Brandeis folks, and on some of the last piece. Next week will be lots of work. Now to find costumes.

What I'd forgotten was that I'd agreed to go to a Rosh Hodesh event run by a friend this evening. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it: I tend to like the idea of these interperative events much more than their actual practice- they usually feel tacky and new-age-y. (Where did I find something that said something along the lines of "Newage, rhymes with sewage"? That's a bit extreme, but...) This one, which, despite my skepticalness, the fact taht I returned to my room for just an hour between dinner with KoP-Dave and it, and that tovaks and I got all mixed up about its location and we wandered around campus a bit before we found it, and were already running late, was fun. Not super-focused, but fun. We made masks, with the excuse that one can read the root "seter" (hidden/secret) from Esther's name, and Purim is coming this month.

[Of course, scientifically, Esther is probably a Hebraicized version of Ishtar, a local goddess, and Mordechai, her uncle/cousin is derived from Marduk, a Babylonian major god. How do I fit this all together as an at least somewhat observant Jew? I'm not sure, but somehow it seems to all work. It shouldn't, from all the ideas I accept. I guess I tend to feel like if G-d wants things that way, written by however many people, or whatever, than that's ok with me. If it gives people the connection they need to the text, why should I complain?]

COntinuing with the event- we then had a discussion of what happened when our opinions or ideas weren't the same as our parents'. I felt a bit out of place- besides when I'm in their house, I tend to do my own thing. And even then- sure, it causes issues, and sometimes I give quite a bit, but over all, I'm getting to be an adult, and I feel ready to make my own decisions, or at least to do so with advice and help from my folks and friends. A lot of the people at the event were freshmen, and I was amazed once again at the differences. Sure, I just came back from a week of having some issues with my Mom, but she recognized that I have some differnet beliefs from hers, and that that's ok. I think my parents are, much as they sometimes feel hurt by my growing up and getting more independant, pretty confident in my abilities, and believe that I should be making my own decisions. It's nice to remember that, amidst all the empty nest anxiety. And after that, we sang: a weird mix of stuff: Debbie Friedman (not usually my favorite at all), Od Yavo Shalom, Roch of Abraham, Lean on Me (bringing back horrid memories of 6th grade Recognition Day- yuck, ptooey), a song I hadn't encountered before but which got darn close to the too-predictable-tune and bad-English-lyrics-with-gratuitous-Hebrew-inserts issue, and Mishe Nikhnas Adar.

An interesting day of return to campus. It feels good to be back, but I wish I weren't already behind where I want to be in my work.

Return to Campus

I didn't get enough work done today. That doesn't surprise anyone, I'm sure. It oughtn't, at least.

So, HaMakor rehearsal fell through, as Samara couldn't get back in time to get herself, Matthew and I there. But we do have our 6th person: Judith, a long-time haMakor member who hadn't intended to dance this year as she has a very small baby and a sick mother. SO they worked on Shibolim, the middle piece that's just the three non-Brandeis folks, and on some of the last piece. Next week will be lots of work. Now to find costumes.

What I'd forgotten was that I'd agreed to go to a Rosh Hodesh event run by a friend this evening. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it: I tend to like the idea of these interperative events much more than their actual practice- they usually feel tacky and new-age-y. (Where did I find something that said something along the lines of "Newage, rhymes with sewage"? That's a bit extreme, but...) This one, which, despite my skepticalness, the fact taht I returned to my room for just an hour between dinner with KoP-Dave and it, and that tovaks and I got all mixed up about its location and we wandered around campus a bit before we found it, and were already running late, was fun. Not super-focused, but fun. We made masks, with the excuse that one can read the root "seter" (hidden/secret) from Esther's name, and Purim is coming this month.

[Of course, scientifically, Esther is probably a Hebraicized version of Ishtar, a local goddess, and Mordechai, her uncle/cousin is derived from Marduk, a Babylonian major god. How do I fit this all together as an at least somewhat observant Jew? I'm not sure, but somehow it seems to all work. It shouldn't, from all the ideas I accept. I guess I tend to feel like if G-d wants things that way, written by however many people, or whatever, than that's ok with me. If it gives people the connection they need to the text, why should I complain?]

COntinuing with the event- we then had a discussion of what happened when our opinions or ideas weren't the same as our parents'. I felt a bit out of place- besides when I'm in their house, I tend to do my own thing. And even then- sure, it causes issues, and sometimes I give quite a bit, but over all, I'm getting to be an adult, and I feel ready to make my own decisions, or at least to do so with advice and help from my folks and friends. A lot of the people at the event were freshmen, and I was amazed once again at the differences. Sure, I just came back from a week of having some issues with my Mom, but she recognized that I have some differnet beliefs from hers, and that that's ok. I think my parents are, much as they sometimes feel hurt by my growing up and getting more independant, pretty confident in my abilities, and believe that I should be making my own decisions. It's nice to remember that, amidst all the empty nest anxiety. And after that, we sang: a weird mix of stuff: Debbie Friedman (not usually my favorite at all), Od Yavo Shalom, Roch of Abraham, Lean on Me (bringing back horrid memories of 6th grade Recognition Day- yuck, ptooey), a song I hadn't encountered before but which got darn close to the too-predictable-tune and bad-English-lyrics-with-gratuitous-Hebrew-inserts issue, and Mishe Nikhnas Adar.

An interesting day of return to campus. It feels good to be back, but I wish I weren't already behind where I want to be in my work.