Shavuot, the day, and who knows what

Shavuot this year was an interesting holiday. It was my first time doing anything for it at home, unless you count Confirmation in 10th grade, which was as little of an event as I could make it- I didn't find it terribly meaningful. (I was already bat mitzvah, that had been significant, and it didn't seem to mark any particular change in my educational standing, or even any particular accomplishment- several of the other kids in the confirmation class hadn't done anything involving Jewish education since their b'nei mitzvah. I ended up learning to layn torah because otherwise I was going to quit the class.) So I went to shul, realized that this, the one time I just presumed it was at the same time as Shabbat and holiday services always are, was the one time they'd started earlier, and davened quickly on my own, then hung around for food and a discussion of torah and abortion that tried to draw its analogy from the passage in mishpatim, in shmot (exodus) that talks about if two men fight and they strike a pregnant woman. The rabbi tried to read the passsage differently than I've usually seen it translated, and it really didn't work, in my opinion. (He tried to suggest that the "and no harm occured" bit could refer to the babies after they were born- that it just induced labor and the babies were fine, or something- but if that were the case, I would think when it later refers to the husband who gets to set the fine for the damage he would be called the father of the child[ren], but he isn't- he's the "husband of the woman".) From there I went to the chabad house, where it turned out to be just one other guy, the chabad rabbi, his wife, and myself. The other guy left at 1am, leaving me the sole guest. It was an interesting night, and I learned some neat stuff. But it was certainly a bit odd. And I got walked home by a chabad rabbi at 4:30 am- not something most people can say they've done. I accidentally slept through shul, and spent the day sort of migrating and reading and napping- it felt sort of like being home sick.

Today was an awkward day- went clothes shopping with Mom, which was mostly good, except the point where I made a stupid comment and upset her, so we had a not-so-happy conversation on the way home. And then Marvin died/is very ill- and I am not so fond of telephoning strangers and tech support and the like, but I shall have to do so. But between those things, and some general angst about this summer, I had a bit of a rough afternoon. But then dancing tonight was fun- Mom and Dad were running things because Yossi's out of town, so I basically got to program for a good while, and I enjoyed it. I was arranging songs from lists Mom had made, and then supplimenting the lists, so I almost didn't realize that I was in many ways doing the programmng, so I wasn't so nervous about it as I might have been, doing it from scratch- I like this pre-set-up foundations of playlists. It was an ego boost, somehow. There weren't many people there, but it was a friendly evening, and I enjoyed myself, which doesn't happen as regularly with dancing here at home as it does in Boston, where there are more people, more of my friends, etc. I ducked out for a while to call Dave, which was, obviously, a good thing. So- it was a day that started out alright, hit the dumps, and climbed back up.

Shavuot, the day, and who knows what

Shavuot this year was an interesting holiday. It was my first time doing anything for it at home, unless you count Confirmation in 10th grade, which was as little of an event as I could make it- I didn't find it terribly meaningful. (I was already bat mitzvah, that had been significant, and it didn't seem to mark any particular change in my educational standing, or even any particular accomplishment- several of the other kids in the confirmation class hadn't done anything involving Jewish education since their b'nei mitzvah. I ended up learning to layn torah because otherwise I was going to quit the class.) So I went to shul, realized that this, the one time I just presumed it was at the same time as Shabbat and holiday services always are, was the one time they'd started earlier, and davened quickly on my own, then hung around for food and a discussion of torah and abortion that tried to draw its analogy from the passage in mishpatim, in shmot (exodus) that talks about if two men fight and they strike a pregnant woman. The rabbi tried to read the passsage differently than I've usually seen it translated, and it really didn't work, in my opinion. (He tried to suggest that the "and no harm occured" bit could refer to the babies after they were born- that it just induced labor and the babies were fine, or something- but if that were the case, I would think when it later refers to the husband who gets to set the fine for the damage he would be called the father of the child[ren], but he isn't- he's the "husband of the woman".) From there I went to the chabad house, where it turned out to be just one other guy, the chabad rabbi, his wife, and myself. The other guy left at 1am, leaving me the sole guest. It was an interesting night, and I learned some neat stuff. But it was certainly a bit odd. And I got walked home by a chabad rabbi at 4:30 am- not something most people can say they've done. I accidentally slept through shul, and spent the day sort of migrating and reading and napping- it felt sort of like being home sick.

Today was an awkward day- went clothes shopping with Mom, which was mostly good, except the point where I made a stupid comment and upset her, so we had a not-so-happy conversation on the way home. And then Marvin died/is very ill- and I am not so fond of telephoning strangers and tech support and the like, but I shall have to do so. But between those things, and some general angst about this summer, I had a bit of a rough afternoon. But then dancing tonight was fun- Mom and Dad were running things because Yossi's out of town, so I basically got to program for a good while, and I enjoyed it. I was arranging songs from lists Mom had made, and then supplimenting the lists, so I almost didn't realize that I was in many ways doing the programmng, so I wasn't so nervous about it as I might have been, doing it from scratch- I like this pre-set-up foundations of playlists. It was an ego boost, somehow. There weren't many people there, but it was a friendly evening, and I enjoyed myself, which doesn't happen as regularly with dancing here at home as it does in Boston, where there are more people, more of my friends, etc. I ducked out for a while to call Dave, which was, obviously, a good thing. So- it was a day that started out alright, hit the dumps, and climbed back up.

Guess I Took French in High School for a Reason

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.


I also just walked around probably sketchy parts of New Haven, got lost there, took the bus home, and walked the last 20 minutes (from the bus stop) carrying metal kitchen-ware along with my umbrella. I must have been rather a sight. Oh, and someone on the bus asked me if I went to Yale, although one of her companions made it up by actually knowing where Brandeis is.

Guess I Took French in High School for a Reason

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.


I also just walked around probably sketchy parts of New Haven, got lost there, took the bus home, and walked the last 20 minutes (from the bus stop) carrying metal kitchen-ware along with my umbrella. I must have been rather a sight. Oh, and someone on the bus asked me if I went to Yale, although one of her companions made it up by actually knowing where Brandeis is.