Numbered post time!
1) Just saw my dad off after his visit this weekend, which was just lovely. We hung out with family, I was reminded that while I love kids (and they love me!), I am not ready for them myself in any way shape or form, and I was able to articulate some things about what I do and don't like in certain kinds of Saturday morning (or any) services. (Cantors: I'm just not that into you. Organs in a synagogue: please no. Audience participation: means everyone saying the prayers together, doesn't it? No? Just me? Also, what on earth are these tunes I don't know?)
It was my cousins' youngest's baby naming, which was sandwiched between two b'nai mitzvot, which were a hell of a spectacle all on their own. (One of them related the Binding of Isaac to the Will Ferrell-Zach Galifinakis vehicle The Campaign and a Cubs player who was hit on the head his first time at bat; the other talked about the rebellion in Syria ["I think Assad's soldiers have a duty not to follow orders!"] and peer pressure on some reality show about dancing, all while completely missing the point of the Torah portion -- like, coming to the exact opposite conclusion the text supports. Really, it's not about our duty to question authority. On the hand, I had the opportunity to reread my own portion, Korach, for the first time since my own bat mitzvah: there is something about my portion being about the guy who calls out Aaron and Moses and leads a rebellion that kind of pleases me now.) The baby naming, on the other hand, was lovely and made me cry, because her Hebrew name is for two really excellent ladies from our family and it was great hearing about them. (It was also the first time we publicly said Kaddish for my mom; my dad couldn't bring himself to say her name when the rabbi asked, so I did, though we both could barely say the prayer.)
This morning my dad and I went to a Dutch pancake house that only seats seven tables, and is cash only. The food was great, my dad and I had a great conversation, and our waiter was a guy I'd known from improv, though it took us both a while to remember why we recognized each other. After, Dad and I walked through the park (I showed him the gazebo) and my neighborhood some, and then he got to see my apartment during the daytime, and we talked some more, and it was just so good to have him here. I think we both were happy he came.
2) Augh, one of my recommenders is having trouble with uploading her letter online, so she's asking me to contact the Admissions office to tell her where to send a hard copy letter, even though they say they don't accept hard copy letters, which I said to her in my reply, along with numbers she can call/links she can follow for tech support... oh no! /o\ I mean, I'll do it, but, augh.
3) Last night was not a good writing night for NaNo, and the previous two days have been absolute and utter garbage. I'm starting to worry that this story is one that I love to outline and imagine, but not to write. Maybe I should switch off to All the Percy AUs for a while? (On which note, I have this snippet that I LOVE that I wrote all in one go a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure where to pick it up, and I kind of love it as a fragment, but... I don't know if I should post it? Continue? Writing angst!)
4) Was there more? Oh! I might get to spend a day with my dear friend Willow in Laramie while I'm in Boulder for Thanksgiving. (Denver-area people, by the way: HI. If we can meet up, I would love to! ♥ Waiting to hear back from my brother about what he's got planned, but if I can steal borrow a car or get a ride, we should be in good shape for something, possibly over that weekend.)
5) I think there was more, but now I'm all caught up in "How do I politely get my recommender to follow directions herself and call tech support so she can upload my letter?" -- I may call tech support myself and see if they can offer any insight, because I don't think the Admissions office is going to tell me they can make an exception for a hard copy, you know?
6) Oh. OH. Yes. Yuletide. Mwahahaha, oh gosh -- I matched on the fandom I was secretly convinced I would be matched on. Luckily my recipient's favorite part of the canon is also my favorite part, though I'm not entirely sure yet how I'm going to swing the particular angle that was requested? Re-consuming of said canon: go!
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth, where it has
comments. I would love to hear from you at DW! If you can see this post, you can comment here using OpenID. Thanks!
It was my cousins' youngest's baby naming, which was sandwiched between two b'nai mitzvot, which were a hell of a spectacle all on their own. (One of them related the Binding of Isaac to the Will Ferrell-Zach Galifinakis vehicle The Campaign and a Cubs player who was hit on the head his first time at bat; the other talked about the rebellion in Syria ["I think Assad's soldiers have a duty not to follow orders!"] and peer pressure on some reality show about dancing, all while completely missing the point of the Torah portion -- like, coming to the exact opposite conclusion the text supports. Really, it's not about our duty to question authority. On the hand, I had the opportunity to reread my own portion, Korach, for the first time since my own bat mitzvah: there is something about my portion being about the guy who calls out Aaron and Moses and leads a rebellion that kind of pleases me now.) The baby naming, on the other hand, was lovely and made me cry, because her Hebrew name is for two really excellent ladies from our family and it was great hearing about them. (It was also the first time we publicly said Kaddish for my mom; my dad couldn't bring himself to say her name when the rabbi asked, so I did, though we both could barely say the prayer.)
This morning my dad and I went to a Dutch pancake house that only seats seven tables, and is cash only. The food was great, my dad and I had a great conversation, and our waiter was a guy I'd known from improv, though it took us both a while to remember why we recognized each other. After, Dad and I walked through the park (I showed him the gazebo) and my neighborhood some, and then he got to see my apartment during the daytime, and we talked some more, and it was just so good to have him here. I think we both were happy he came.
2) Augh, one of my recommenders is having trouble with uploading her letter online, so she's asking me to contact the Admissions office to tell her where to send a hard copy letter, even though they say they don't accept hard copy letters, which I said to her in my reply, along with numbers she can call/links she can follow for tech support... oh no! /o\ I mean, I'll do it, but, augh.
3) Last night was not a good writing night for NaNo, and the previous two days have been absolute and utter garbage. I'm starting to worry that this story is one that I love to outline and imagine, but not to write. Maybe I should switch off to All the Percy AUs for a while? (On which note, I have this snippet that I LOVE that I wrote all in one go a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure where to pick it up, and I kind of love it as a fragment, but... I don't know if I should post it? Continue? Writing angst!)
4) Was there more? Oh! I might get to spend a day with my dear friend Willow in Laramie while I'm in Boulder for Thanksgiving. (Denver-area people, by the way: HI. If we can meet up, I would love to! ♥ Waiting to hear back from my brother about what he's got planned, but if I can steal borrow a car or get a ride, we should be in good shape for something, possibly over that weekend.)
5) I think there was more, but now I'm all caught up in "How do I politely get my recommender to follow directions herself and call tech support so she can upload my letter?" -- I may call tech support myself and see if they can offer any insight, because I don't think the Admissions office is going to tell me they can make an exception for a hard copy, you know?
6) Oh. OH. Yes. Yuletide. Mwahahaha, oh gosh -- I matched on the fandom I was secretly convinced I would be matched on. Luckily my recipient's favorite part of the canon is also my favorite part, though I'm not entirely sure yet how I'm going to swing the particular angle that was requested? Re-consuming of said canon: go!
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth, where it has
comments. I would love to hear from you at DW! If you can see this post, you can comment here using OpenID. Thanks!