Body Clock Contradictions

Why is it that I can be really awake in the morning, and be happy with that, Or I can be up and seriously productive starting around 11:30, when I get a second wind? I can't do both, of course, and there are chunks of time in the middle that are much less productive, unless I really push myself. It's rather frustrating. (Also it means that Now I'm quite awake, when I should be in bed, asleep.)

Small Torah Thoughts

1. I just thought that I'd share the Torah thought that got me rather excited yesterday during davening. I realized that we end up including most of the Torah reading for fast days within the torah reading for Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot. So we incorporate the same reading that we use for times of sadness into the reading for the middle of Zman Simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing. The fact that it's paired with Kohelet just seems to make it perfect: it seems like a message about striving for balance between the sweet and the bitter, as it were.

I might also suggest that the actual overlap of texts might have something to say about the power and necessity/inevitability of interpretation, as well.

2. I've been thinking lately about my decision-making process when it comes to head-coverings (yes, again, I know I'm repetitive). I know that when I'm doing professional type stuff, I go for kippot almost (but not quite) without fail. And when I'm trying to be unoffensive, or at least vaguely inconspicuous in the Orthodox world, the scarves or headbands come out. Also, when I'm trying to not have to think about the rabbinical school thing. But in between, sometimes the choice is based on how I think I look, and what I have that goes with the outfit- and sometimes I feel like I'm balancing different pieces of my identity, but I don't really know quite what's going on in my subconscious...

I guess it just goes to show, sometimes just getting dressed in the morning is enough to cause introspection...