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Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Monday News!
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Sunday, March 15, 2009
Ditching Shmoozes
This past shabbos was about as eventful as shabbos gets at wits. Well, maybe that's not true. I'll have to think about that one for awhile. But there were definitely events that transpired yesterday. Let's see how good a job I do recapping them. I made an early kiddush with the Sholach Manos grape juice, which I don't think even made a difference, since I finished eating about the same time as everyone else anyways. It's all in the head, I guess. I proceeded to actually learn at morning seder, since my chavrusa was away at his brother's ufruf (or however you spell that) and someone else's chavrusa was also gone. We learned better than I think I've learned at night seder all year, and I like to see if I can make the change permanent. The revealing thing about this little experience was that I actually found out that I can learn if paired with the right person. Whether or not this puts Bais Medrash back on the map for me next year is still an item of discussion, but I feel closer than I did two days ago (also to be discussed- whether that's a good thing.)
I also went for a walk with some friends, since it was the first good day outside in weeks. It's always good to get out of that building. Some weeks I barely get out at all, since the only real place to go is CVS, where everything is overpriced and/or useless.
After Shalosh Seudos, while I didn't make a point of ditching the shmooz (the optional-unless-you-don't-want-to-go style mussar speech before maariv), I ended up ditching it, since I missed the first 20 minutes of it in the bathroom, and didn't want to come in that late. So I sat up by the dorms reading the paper, waiting for it to be over. One of the rabbeim (the 9th grade rebbi, usually in charge of getting people to go) came up at some point to find people who were ditching, and found me, planted on a chair reading the paper quite comfortably by the main staircase. At first I figured he was going to come over, and ask me why I didn't go and stuff, but instead he just looked at me for a second, shook his head, and walked on into the dorm rooms. About ten seconds later, I got up and left.
After Maariv, while everyone was being forced to clean off all the tables in the Bais Medrash (a bris was going to be there the next morning) this rabbi tried to get a hold of me, and said quietly (pointless, in a room with that much noise), "I think we need to talk."
I didn't even have time to respond, because a second later another rebbi asked me why I was standing around and not clearing tables, and the next second a guy came over to me with my gemorah, and told me to put it away. I figured I lost the rebbe in the confusion (it was crowded in there) and headed down the back stairway to the lockers. As I got to the bottom of the stairway and was about to head to the lockers, that rebbe yelled my name from the top of the staircase. I braced myself for the mussar shmooz I'd missed about a half hour earlier, but he started differently than I expected. He told me he hoped I didn't look at him as a bad guy, and was trying to tell me that he's on my side and stuff. Things I took for granted, although most people in my class really don't. I've never had anything personal against the rabbeim, and most of the time, I haven't about anything they do either. He told me he remembered me in 9th grade as a student of promise and that I never gave him any reason to think I would be headed for trouble, but since I'm in 12th grade now, he really has nothing to do with me anymore (this particular rebbi doesn't teach the 12th grade anything) and he said he was worried that I may be slipping off, what with me ditching shmoozes and everything. Admittedly, this was not the first time he had caught me ditching the shmooz within recent memory, and last time things were a little more intense (he wanted to know where I was when he came through getting people, and I was hesitant to admit that I had hid under a table). He told me he was worried that maybe this went deeper than just ditching shmoozes, and wanted to know how I was doing. He asked if I was learning in shiur. Yes, I'm learning in shiur, I told him, thinking about the words as I said them. At least, now I was. Last quarter, not so much. He seemed genuinenly concerned about how I've been doing frum-wise (have I been davening, learning, etc.) something I haven't heard for a long time, or ever, because no one's ever had any cause to worry about that kind of stuff with me. Suddenly I had a flash from last year, when I was paired up with some of the worst kids in my class. I remembered Kovi reminding me to make sure that they didn't have a bad influence on me. At the time, I laughed on the inside, so sure of myself. Instead, I thought about the hard task of turning them around. Now that I thought about it, I had to consider the possibility that that was a warning that should have been heeded a little more carefully. This year again I have been paired up with some people who are not exactly known for their frumkeit. I've even come to suspect that the administration has been doing this so I would be a good influence on these people. But now I have to wonder if I have become what I was supposed to be a good influence on over a year ago. Rabbeim have always looked at me as one of the top in the class, as someone who would never skip a mincha, or sleep in the middle of shiur, even though that's what two out of three of my roommates do. And yet these are things that I find myself doing these days. My one other roommate, the last of the three from the beginning of last year, is the only one in my room now who consistantly goes to every tfilla on time, and tries to force us to do the same. Now it seems I'm the one who needs to be influenced. Seems like I've failed the mission that was never even officially given to me.
This was all going through my head while this rabbi spoke to me in the back stairwell of the bais medrash. It also lead me to think about where things are going to go in the future. I thought about what my already-in-motion plans for next year entailed. College, part time learning in the morning. New York. Working on commercials for a friend of my father's as a video editor. Where did this all fall in the grand scheme of things? Was I going to wind up sending back reports next year about the new girl I'm dating and what party I got smashed at this week? Am I going to become everything these rabbeim have spent the last four years trying to steer me away from? If I'm going to shape up, now is the time to do it, I thought to myself.
The rabbi was still talking. I had lost track of what exactly he was saying now, but the general line was that it wasn't worth risking my frumkeit by turning rabbeim into people who need to hunt me down, and turning shmoozes into things that were to be avoided at all costs. Because doing these things start you down a road you don't want to go on. I listened to him until the ended, and nodded where I was supposed to, already having made up my mind. This rabbi may not have convinced me of anything himself, but he got me to convince myself of what I need to do. "It won't be a problem again" I assured him when he seemed finished. He looked at me skeptically, as if he'd heard that one a million times, which he probably has. He let me go then, adding to finish that he never saw me to be the kind of person to have these problems, or have any reason to doubt me. Words of encouragment that I guess I needed. I remembered to thank him for talking to me on his way out the door, for which he said a rushed "you're welcome" as he headed out. He probably knows exactly how much this ten minute talk accomplished, although he doesn't really show it.
Where is this going to lead? I really don't know, to be honest. I still don't think I want to spend a full year in a bais medrash, or in Israel whooping it up with "kosher yet banned" concerts, girlfriends, and drinks. And while it seems there is now reason to be concerned with the influences I will surely find in YU, I still think I can pull it off still davening with a minyan three times a day when I graduate. Although I'm sure I thought that at the beginning of last year also. Am I going to "ditch the shmooze" next year also, or am I going to take the seat I had a year and a half ago?
Today I wore my tzitzis out. And to be honest, I don't even know why.
I also went for a walk with some friends, since it was the first good day outside in weeks. It's always good to get out of that building. Some weeks I barely get out at all, since the only real place to go is CVS, where everything is overpriced and/or useless.
After Shalosh Seudos, while I didn't make a point of ditching the shmooz (the optional-unless-you-don't-want-to-go style mussar speech before maariv), I ended up ditching it, since I missed the first 20 minutes of it in the bathroom, and didn't want to come in that late. So I sat up by the dorms reading the paper, waiting for it to be over. One of the rabbeim (the 9th grade rebbi, usually in charge of getting people to go) came up at some point to find people who were ditching, and found me, planted on a chair reading the paper quite comfortably by the main staircase. At first I figured he was going to come over, and ask me why I didn't go and stuff, but instead he just looked at me for a second, shook his head, and walked on into the dorm rooms. About ten seconds later, I got up and left.
After Maariv, while everyone was being forced to clean off all the tables in the Bais Medrash (a bris was going to be there the next morning) this rabbi tried to get a hold of me, and said quietly (pointless, in a room with that much noise), "I think we need to talk."
I didn't even have time to respond, because a second later another rebbi asked me why I was standing around and not clearing tables, and the next second a guy came over to me with my gemorah, and told me to put it away. I figured I lost the rebbe in the confusion (it was crowded in there) and headed down the back stairway to the lockers. As I got to the bottom of the stairway and was about to head to the lockers, that rebbe yelled my name from the top of the staircase. I braced myself for the mussar shmooz I'd missed about a half hour earlier, but he started differently than I expected. He told me he hoped I didn't look at him as a bad guy, and was trying to tell me that he's on my side and stuff. Things I took for granted, although most people in my class really don't. I've never had anything personal against the rabbeim, and most of the time, I haven't about anything they do either. He told me he remembered me in 9th grade as a student of promise and that I never gave him any reason to think I would be headed for trouble, but since I'm in 12th grade now, he really has nothing to do with me anymore (this particular rebbi doesn't teach the 12th grade anything) and he said he was worried that I may be slipping off, what with me ditching shmoozes and everything. Admittedly, this was not the first time he had caught me ditching the shmooz within recent memory, and last time things were a little more intense (he wanted to know where I was when he came through getting people, and I was hesitant to admit that I had hid under a table). He told me he was worried that maybe this went deeper than just ditching shmoozes, and wanted to know how I was doing. He asked if I was learning in shiur. Yes, I'm learning in shiur, I told him, thinking about the words as I said them. At least, now I was. Last quarter, not so much. He seemed genuinenly concerned about how I've been doing frum-wise (have I been davening, learning, etc.) something I haven't heard for a long time, or ever, because no one's ever had any cause to worry about that kind of stuff with me. Suddenly I had a flash from last year, when I was paired up with some of the worst kids in my class. I remembered Kovi reminding me to make sure that they didn't have a bad influence on me. At the time, I laughed on the inside, so sure of myself. Instead, I thought about the hard task of turning them around. Now that I thought about it, I had to consider the possibility that that was a warning that should have been heeded a little more carefully. This year again I have been paired up with some people who are not exactly known for their frumkeit. I've even come to suspect that the administration has been doing this so I would be a good influence on these people. But now I have to wonder if I have become what I was supposed to be a good influence on over a year ago. Rabbeim have always looked at me as one of the top in the class, as someone who would never skip a mincha, or sleep in the middle of shiur, even though that's what two out of three of my roommates do. And yet these are things that I find myself doing these days. My one other roommate, the last of the three from the beginning of last year, is the only one in my room now who consistantly goes to every tfilla on time, and tries to force us to do the same. Now it seems I'm the one who needs to be influenced. Seems like I've failed the mission that was never even officially given to me.
This was all going through my head while this rabbi spoke to me in the back stairwell of the bais medrash. It also lead me to think about where things are going to go in the future. I thought about what my already-in-motion plans for next year entailed. College, part time learning in the morning. New York. Working on commercials for a friend of my father's as a video editor. Where did this all fall in the grand scheme of things? Was I going to wind up sending back reports next year about the new girl I'm dating and what party I got smashed at this week? Am I going to become everything these rabbeim have spent the last four years trying to steer me away from? If I'm going to shape up, now is the time to do it, I thought to myself.
The rabbi was still talking. I had lost track of what exactly he was saying now, but the general line was that it wasn't worth risking my frumkeit by turning rabbeim into people who need to hunt me down, and turning shmoozes into things that were to be avoided at all costs. Because doing these things start you down a road you don't want to go on. I listened to him until the ended, and nodded where I was supposed to, already having made up my mind. This rabbi may not have convinced me of anything himself, but he got me to convince myself of what I need to do. "It won't be a problem again" I assured him when he seemed finished. He looked at me skeptically, as if he'd heard that one a million times, which he probably has. He let me go then, adding to finish that he never saw me to be the kind of person to have these problems, or have any reason to doubt me. Words of encouragment that I guess I needed. I remembered to thank him for talking to me on his way out the door, for which he said a rushed "you're welcome" as he headed out. He probably knows exactly how much this ten minute talk accomplished, although he doesn't really show it.
Where is this going to lead? I really don't know, to be honest. I still don't think I want to spend a full year in a bais medrash, or in Israel whooping it up with "kosher yet banned" concerts, girlfriends, and drinks. And while it seems there is now reason to be concerned with the influences I will surely find in YU, I still think I can pull it off still davening with a minyan three times a day when I graduate. Although I'm sure I thought that at the beginning of last year also. Am I going to "ditch the shmooze" next year also, or am I going to take the seat I had a year and a half ago?
Today I wore my tzitzis out. And to be honest, I don't even know why.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
"...Clear!"
Well, everyone who thought this blog is dead is about to be extremely disappointed. Because we have funny stories, deep philosophical prose, and enough video parodies to keep you watching for days.
Who am I kidding. I got nothing. There is nothing here for you to read. Nothing. Well okay, there is something, but not much that I can write on the internet. Like Fudge wrote recently, there's not a whole lot I can write without needing to create a whole seperate alias, thanks to google and its ilk, which I don't feel like doing namely because it involves me doing work.
Work. Hmm. There's a funny word I haven't been thinking about at all lately. Actually, here's an interesting piece of information. I recently saw some strange, yet hilarious videos on YouTube (discovered by Iguana) made with a computer game called Gary's mod. In less than a week's time span, with only about 8 minutes of the videos under my belt, it seems to have infiltrated every level of my daily life like only the PT and Homestarrunner could. I might just walk into a room and say something like "It's a great day to do what has to be done by me" and no one will know what the heck I'm talking about. Or I might put up as my facebook status "Rafi is back home safe and soon and left behind the bad place behind him" and I will get comments like "...huh?" Thats the annoying thing about Youtube I guess. No matter what it is, no one else has seen it but you.
Anyways, I got home tonight for the out shabbos and decided to look up whoever made these videos, since they sounded like they had been dictated from a PT-style volume of absurdity, complete with ridiculous spellings and extremely random subject matter. I figured it was some guy who found his 5 year old son's fan fiction hilarious and made a video out of it from this game. But when I looked into the guy who made it, it turned out to be a 17 year old guy from toronto, who has made tons of these videos and has no doubt made it his life. At first I felt sad for this guy, who must be some poor nerd nobody associates with if this is what he does with all of his free time, but I followed a link to his myspace page, and found that not only does he have thousands of friends, but that he gets hundreds of requests every ten minutes! I found that hard to believe at first, but when I saw that each of his videos on youtube had over 2 million views, I saw how that could be possible. It's crazy how people get popular these days.
What else do we have to talk about? The school year is going okay I guess. When I really think about it, this year is the most laid back school year I've ever had, bar none. Or at least it would be if I wasn't going nuts over what college/yeshiva I should or should be going to next year. Which isn't really true, since I haven't actually done too much toward that. I just worry about it. I don't actually work towards finding a place to go. Worrying is so much easier, and it beats not-worrying, which makes me feel irresponsible.
Well I guess thats not true either. I have applied/visited YU, and it seems that that's the most likely the place I'm going to wind up in next year. If one can "wind up" in a school that costs $40,000 a year.
I'm also going to Miami in 2 weeks to check out the Yeshiva there. Should be interesting. Looks like this boat could float either way right now, although I seem to have a well-paying internship as a video editor waiting for me in New York already, which will definitely influence my final decision. Makes me wonder if that's where my talent really is.
My rabbeim can't understand why I would want to go to college so early since I'm so good at learning. I feel like they may have gotten the wrong impression of me over the last three years. Who am I kidding, the only impression my rebbe this year has of me is the glance at my report cards he saw at the beginning of the year. "A's in gemara, your obviously a masmid! How could you not go to bais medrash?"
Today we had an oral test in gemara, which is done in groups of three at a time, and I was lumped together with the two top students in the entire class. These are kids who are not only going to be staying for at least three years of bais medrash no questions asked, but are probably not going to stop, go on to get smicha, and become rabbeim in either this school or another one. Not the same destination as me by a long shot.
Why was I paired up with them? I certainly didn't know the Gemarah as well as they did, as was demonstrated by my inexcusable ignorance on the oral exam. Nearly every question I was asked was passed on to one of the other two guys, each one eager to give the "obvious" answer. Several times I saw one shake his head and chuckle slightly while I groped for a different way to say "I don't know".
My rebbe pulled me aside after the 45 minute test, as I knew he would, and asked me what happened. "I thought you knew this material." Did I? I thought I did. I haven't really focused since winter break, even though I said I would. Did you honestly think I would know this gemara as well as they would? Why was I first in line, while the guy who is most likely the third best student in the shuir was bumped up another hour and a half? Was it completely random? Not likely. Nothing he does is random, as much as he'd like us to believe it is.
"I thought you knew this material" Where is the line drawn between "knows the material" and "enjoys learning it?" The last time I met with him, he asked me to come back to him in a week with a response as to why I should go to college instead of learning for a few years first, and while I'm at it why don't I go to israel, after all college isn't going anywhere.
I never got back to him. And I never plan to, mostly because I still don't know what to say. One thing I can say about me and my siblings: we do stand out. Maybe in a good way, maybe a bad way, depending on whose looking I suppose. And I don't think I am one of those other two people I took the test with, regardless of what my rebbe might think. I'm not one of those shtark bochers who learns mussar in his free time, and actually spends hachana learning. But at the same time, I'm not one of the people who have obviously bummed out and couldn't care less about davening or religion. That puts me right in the middle.
Is that what YU is?
I
Monday, December 01, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Succos Break Production Update!
I woke up at 5:30 this morning. That is roughly an hour and a half earlier than I would ever wake up on a school day. Why, you may ask?
Because I'm gonna be rich!
Ok, not rich. I'm going to be 100 bucks richer. Probably not worth it. Somehow, my summer job of being a mashgiach (mashiach, if you will) of an old age home has extended into not only my summer break, but ALL of my breaks. Which is both a gift, and a curse. But today so far, has not been fun, and it's only 7:24 in the morning.
I got up, got dressed, ate a bowl of cocoa rice crispies, and then came to a startling realization: I didn't know where my ID badge was. The one thing that identifies me as the Messiah, and I had somehow misplaced it. No I hadn't misplaced it. I put it on the dining room table two days earlier! It had been cleared yesterday by fudge for a birthday party for someone I don't know! Now I was faced with a choice. I could wake fudge up and interrogate her as to where she put the badge, I could leave now and get to work on time, without the ID badge, or I could look for it myself, and the ovens at the home would have to wait fifteen or twenty minutes before I came, my majestic cape billowing in the wind, to turn them on. I decided to leave without it. I'm only working until 9 today, so I think they can forgive me not wearing it for 2 and a half hours. But if it's not found by the time I get home...
Anyways, I got into the car, freezing and shivering, honked the horn a couple times by accident trying to get the dang club off the wheel, and started pulling out. A few seconds later I realized I did not have my esrog and lulav with me. Sure I could still go inside and get it, but that would mean I would be extra late to work, AND I wouldn't have my ID badge, and so I left without it. So far, the morning has been almost a total faliure.
As I drove down the dark cold road in sheer terror without any rear view mirror (the back window did not defrost the entire drive there) I realized the only way this morning could get worse would be I crashed into someone, or they crashed into me (at this point I realized I didn't have my cell phone either). But I did get here with no problems, and now all the ovens and serverees are on and purring happily.
And they call it succos break. If I could live at home the rest of the school year, I might call is school break.
Because I'm gonna be rich!
Ok, not rich. I'm going to be 100 bucks richer. Probably not worth it. Somehow, my summer job of being a mashgiach (mashiach, if you will) of an old age home has extended into not only my summer break, but ALL of my breaks. Which is both a gift, and a curse. But today so far, has not been fun, and it's only 7:24 in the morning.
I got up, got dressed, ate a bowl of cocoa rice crispies, and then came to a startling realization: I didn't know where my ID badge was. The one thing that identifies me as the Messiah, and I had somehow misplaced it. No I hadn't misplaced it. I put it on the dining room table two days earlier! It had been cleared yesterday by fudge for a birthday party for someone I don't know! Now I was faced with a choice. I could wake fudge up and interrogate her as to where she put the badge, I could leave now and get to work on time, without the ID badge, or I could look for it myself, and the ovens at the home would have to wait fifteen or twenty minutes before I came, my majestic cape billowing in the wind, to turn them on. I decided to leave without it. I'm only working until 9 today, so I think they can forgive me not wearing it for 2 and a half hours. But if it's not found by the time I get home...
Anyways, I got into the car, freezing and shivering, honked the horn a couple times by accident trying to get the dang club off the wheel, and started pulling out. A few seconds later I realized I did not have my esrog and lulav with me. Sure I could still go inside and get it, but that would mean I would be extra late to work, AND I wouldn't have my ID badge, and so I left without it. So far, the morning has been almost a total faliure.
As I drove down the dark cold road in sheer terror without any rear view mirror (the back window did not defrost the entire drive there) I realized the only way this morning could get worse would be I crashed into someone, or they crashed into me (at this point I realized I didn't have my cell phone either). But I did get here with no problems, and now all the ovens and serverees are on and purring happily.
And they call it succos break. If I could live at home the rest of the school year, I might call is school break.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I went on the superman ride!!!
Oh yeah.
This post is a little late in coming, since all of this happened more than a week ago, but it is still very fresh in my mind, and I hadn't really thought to blog about it until now.
We went to six flags with my Israeli cousins last week. I don't know if they'd ever been to an amusement park before, but I was sure they had never seen anything like this in Israel. Of course, as we drove up, we saw all the rides that go tall enough to be seen several miles out. And I had the usual thoughts of "there is not enough money in the world to get me on one of those, and especially not if I'm paying them."
Ha Ha.
Well, I've been thinking that ever since I saw the batman ride they have at six flags merely because it went upside down. I've sworn since never to go on the batman ride, and so far I've kept to that pretty faithfully.
I of course had no plans to go on the Superman ride when I came, and we even passed it several times before I ended up going in. We passed it the first time, and my mom, who loves the superman movies, declared "yeah you're not getting me on that thing." I agreed. My past roller coaster experiences were limited to the Wizzer, which was one of the few rides in the park that describe themselves as "family rides". The superman ride had a seat out front that said "Test Seat". I guessed it was a precaution that said something like "this is to make sure you won't fall out of the seat in the middle of our ride, because if you do, it will not be pretty." It also seemed to say "If you fit in this seat, you will be perfectly safe!! Really!!!"
I wondered if there was any paperwork to do while you waited in the 800 capacity line.
After a couple hours at the park, we split into smaller groups, and I wound up with one of my adult second cousins from Israel (who is in the military). He told me he was going on the Superman ride and I should go with him "because it would be fun". I had two thoughts about this: Never ever ever; and "what if it is fun, and I never know it?" I looked up at the screaming people. They looked like they were having fun. I guess. And of course, if I didn't go I would look like a chicken. So I reasoned that I would wait in line, but not actually go on the ride when the time came. Besides, it would probably be too long a wait anyways, right?
It turned out, since it had just been raining, the line was only about %20 full, and the ride seated like 24 people at a time. So I had about a half an hour to get my wits together and go on the ride.
I might have gone crazy watching those people go overhead every 25 seconds had it not been for all the clever distractions they had for you to look at while you were in line. Like giant posters of all the superman villians in world history and their eye colors and life stories.
When we were about five minutes away, my cousin split into another line. This line was only for people going in the front row. It could have said, "crazy people only" and the waiting estimation was four times the other lines. I tactfully decided not to go into this line, but I wasn't about to go on the ride before my cousin did. So I waited. Not exactly on purpose, but whenever the ride came back I would say "Uhh....do you want to go next?" and the people behind me would say "Umm...no you can go." And then I would just walk away, and they would go on.
Right before I got on the ride, I realized that this ride was not any ride. When you sat down, the seat
flipped over so that you were looking at the ground. I was going to go several stories high looking at the ground the whole time. This did not sound fun. I resolved to keep my eyes closed until the ride started going downhill.
Finally I got in, and lucky for me the only seat left was the one on the end. So I sat down next to some guy probably my age with long blonde hair, who was laughing nervously with his friends. I wondered whether or not if my cousin was sitting right next to me I would be saying something along the lines of "I am going to kill you."
So the right flipped over like I knew it would, and it was about then that I closed Omy eyes. I felt wind, and I felt us going up. The guy next to me was saying "Oh this is crazy" I kept my eyes shut. And we kept going higher and higher. I listened for signs of the ride tilting downward so I wouldn't be too surprised when it happened. I got it when the guy next to me said "I don't know who talked me into this OOOOOOONNNNEEEEE!!!!!!!!"
I opened my eyes for a second, then decided it might be a better idea to keep them closed.
I would occasionally open them for a couple seconds. Now, ironically, I wish I had kept them open the whole time, because those moments when my eyes were open were the best parts of my day at six flags. My cousin later said that it was even more amazing in the front row, since there was nothing in front of him and it actually felt like he was flying.
It was an amazing ride, the most amazing ride I've ever been on. When it finished (the ride was only about 45 seconds long) I had two thoughts "thank god that's over", and "I have to go on that again". You see, after a little while in the "stomach position" you get used to it and I think you can enjoy the ride a little more after that. I told my cousin when we got down that I wanted another go, but when he actually agreed to that and started going back in line, I realized maybe I didn't want to go through that again. So I told him I didn't want to wait another half hour for the same ride, and we left.
But when I left, I felt different. I had the feeling like "the first thing I'm doing when I come back is going on that ride". I think when you go on one of those big rides, it becomes less daunting and easier to go the next time.
So, keep an eye out for me up there!
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Nine Days...
Working in an old age home kitchen, one would not think that I would be disappointed about not being able to eat any of their all-meat meals for the next week. But the truth is, the meals at this place are not so bad. In some cases, they're actually amazing. Of course, the only meal I've found to fit the description of "amazing" here would be the beef brisket, which I only had once. But what were the chances of them having that again within these specific days when we can't eat meat?
Well, apparently good enough, because when I checked in today (monday) and looked at the schedule, the first thing I saw was
"BEEF BRISKET"
"Is this a joke?" I thought to myself. How can God expect me to resist the old home's beef brisket? That's like some of the best stuff you can get in milwaukee (without cooking it yourself). Especially when I have to serve it to 5 different floors? And I'm not even so sure why we're not allowed to eat meat during the 9 days.
We better be having something good for supper at home...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
How did it come to this?
I saw this sign in the elevator where I work today...
"MONDAY- JULY 28th
BLACK AND BLUE JEANS DAY
Wear black and blue jeans...just for fun!!!!"
Is this what we have to do these days?...
"MONDAY- JULY 28th
BLACK AND BLUE JEANS DAY
Wear black and blue jeans...just for fun!!!!"
Is this what we have to do these days?...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Deep thought in the kitchen
Worker 1: Hey, what's the good word?
Worker 2: Oh...Friday's the good word.
Worker 1: Friday? Why is Friday the good word?
Worker 2: Because Friday is payday.
Worker 1: So shouldn't payday be the good word?
Worker 2: Yeah, I guess...payday is the good word.
Worker 1: Why's payday the good word?
Worker 2: Because we get money on payday.
Worker 1: So shouldn't money be the good word?
Worker 2: Okay money is the good word?
Worker 1: Why's money the good word....
I could go on but do I have to? This while spending an hour and a half straight checking lettuce.
No, seriously, I love my summer job as a mashgiach (or as my id badge says "Mashiagh"). I kind of have a thing for cooking and baking, and part of the job is helping the kitchen staff with preparing and serving the meals. So I learn a thing or two on the job, and alot of the workers are nice people. And I get my own office. So things turn out pretty well. The only problem right now is getting there. Of my last two adventures with the transit system, I have been twenty minutes late getting home, and today getting to work. The alternative, which would be to drive (and which I do most of the time) is much more expensive, because I'm not the only one who uses the car, and filling up more than once a week is a killer.
Worker 2: Oh...Friday's the good word.
Worker 1: Friday? Why is Friday the good word?
Worker 2: Because Friday is payday.
Worker 1: So shouldn't payday be the good word?
Worker 2: Yeah, I guess...payday is the good word.
Worker 1: Why's payday the good word?
Worker 2: Because we get money on payday.
Worker 1: So shouldn't money be the good word?
Worker 2: Okay money is the good word?
Worker 1: Why's money the good word....
I could go on but do I have to? This while spending an hour and a half straight checking lettuce.
No, seriously, I love my summer job as a mashgiach (or as my id badge says "Mashiagh"). I kind of have a thing for cooking and baking, and part of the job is helping the kitchen staff with preparing and serving the meals. So I learn a thing or two on the job, and alot of the workers are nice people. And I get my own office. So things turn out pretty well. The only problem right now is getting there. Of my last two adventures with the transit system, I have been twenty minutes late getting home, and today getting to work. The alternative, which would be to drive (and which I do most of the time) is much more expensive, because I'm not the only one who uses the car, and filling up more than once a week is a killer.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Ho man!
What are we Going to Do without the Xbox? Seriously, I think we paid enough for this thing for it to not break within a year of buying it. By the time the summer is over, the people at microsoft will have finally gotten their feet off the table and started the process of walking-over-to-that-box-in-the-corner-and-finding-out-what-the-heck-is-in-it.
If anyone has any suggestions on a faster way to fix this than shipping it back to microsoft, please let me know.
(we don't have three lights. we have one in the bottom right corner)
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
The story so far...
You don't give much thought to some things until you have to. During the school year, I would never wonder for a second what I would be doing with all my free time over the summer vacation. But now that it's here, I spend most of the time having nothing better to do than play xbox or drive my sisters to and from their day camp. Which is kind of boring. Yes I have work, but I generally do not work for more than 4 hours a day (not my choice, that's the way the job works), and not even everyday. And I'm still making...lets see... five times what I made last year? If everything goes well, I will have enough money to live quite comfortably during my last year of high school. Which brings me to that. I have a reading I have to write an essay on for AP english over the summer, and I have to study for the SAT'a, because I have to beat my brothers apparently awesome score. And I have to somehow sell 50 raffle tickets for my senior class trip. So it's not like I have nothing to do, I guess. I just don't want to do any of that stuff. I'll just have to face the music eventually.
Some of you old timers may remember we were planning on making a Space- the movie for the summer of 2008.
As of right now I have no idea if this is going to happen or not. I asked them to write a screenplay for me, and I wasn't so impressed with what they came up with. So we'll just have to see what happens with this.
But I can tell you that if we do wind up doing it, it's going to have way more special effects than I've ever used before. Should be interesting. It'll give me something to do.
Some of you old timers may remember we were planning on making a Space- the movie for the summer of 2008.
As of right now I have no idea if this is going to happen or not. I asked them to write a screenplay for me, and I wasn't so impressed with what they came up with. So we'll just have to see what happens with this.
But I can tell you that if we do wind up doing it, it's going to have way more special effects than I've ever used before. Should be interesting. It'll give me something to do.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The end is near
It's June. I've waited all year for it to be June. And now it's June.
You know my older sister can't even remember what it's like to have school in June? She gets out in MAY, while we haven't even started having nightmares about finals until early June. That kind of makes me wonder: doesn't college have a much more complicated curriculum, and yet while we both start at the same time, the college is beating my Yeshiva by a solid month? I do have a chemistry teacher who tells us that we only have two thirds of an ordinary school year since we have so many breaks, but I've never seen that to be realistic, seeing as how we have something like a fourteen hour day.
But anyways, with finals coming up, sometimes I start to wonder about my academic career. Not like what I'm going to major in. I asked my grandfather if he thought I should know by now what I want to major in. He said "No, it's far to early. What, you're going to be a junior next year, right?" To which I had to tell him that I'm actually going to be a senior next year. But I'm not talking about college. Just about how I'm doing now, in high school.
The whole year people in my class have told me how I seem to have it so easy, and I've never really taken it to heart. I do practically no homework at all, study for less than an hour for every test I take, excluding gemara, space out a significant amount of time in many of my classes, and I'm still making honors, albeit barely. What can I say? I'm not terribly motivated in most of these areas. I pay attention when I'm interested, but that unfortunatly is almost never.
I realize that this means if I tried, I could be close to the top of my class. It's true that I was offered to move up last year to the next Gemara class. I turned it down because it would have been much more work. Meaning I would have been challenged. That's supposed to be a good thing, but it wasn't the only factor. I usually don't seem to have the energy to try as hard as I see my classmates trying. At least I think that's the reason.
And of course, when it comes to finals, it's really the ultimate test of if I'm going to be able to get myself to study. There's usually so much material, that I know if I try I'll never get through it all anyway, but for finals I usually put in effort. At the end of the day, though, I always wonder how much good it did me.
Sometimes I think if I make things a little more exciting, I won't have the boredom issue weighing me down, and it might help me get back on track (not that I'm really off track) Like the other day, I biked to my house. It was true that I had multiple excuses to go there, but I think I just wanted to do something new. It worked a little.
Well, I have to go type an english essay...that I finished two days ago...maybe I'll look it over again. You never know what he's looking for in there.
You know my older sister can't even remember what it's like to have school in June? She gets out in MAY, while we haven't even started having nightmares about finals until early June. That kind of makes me wonder: doesn't college have a much more complicated curriculum, and yet while we both start at the same time, the college is beating my Yeshiva by a solid month? I do have a chemistry teacher who tells us that we only have two thirds of an ordinary school year since we have so many breaks, but I've never seen that to be realistic, seeing as how we have something like a fourteen hour day.
But anyways, with finals coming up, sometimes I start to wonder about my academic career. Not like what I'm going to major in. I asked my grandfather if he thought I should know by now what I want to major in. He said "No, it's far to early. What, you're going to be a junior next year, right?" To which I had to tell him that I'm actually going to be a senior next year. But I'm not talking about college. Just about how I'm doing now, in high school.
The whole year people in my class have told me how I seem to have it so easy, and I've never really taken it to heart. I do practically no homework at all, study for less than an hour for every test I take, excluding gemara, space out a significant amount of time in many of my classes, and I'm still making honors, albeit barely. What can I say? I'm not terribly motivated in most of these areas. I pay attention when I'm interested, but that unfortunatly is almost never.
I realize that this means if I tried, I could be close to the top of my class. It's true that I was offered to move up last year to the next Gemara class. I turned it down because it would have been much more work. Meaning I would have been challenged. That's supposed to be a good thing, but it wasn't the only factor. I usually don't seem to have the energy to try as hard as I see my classmates trying. At least I think that's the reason.
And of course, when it comes to finals, it's really the ultimate test of if I'm going to be able to get myself to study. There's usually so much material, that I know if I try I'll never get through it all anyway, but for finals I usually put in effort. At the end of the day, though, I always wonder how much good it did me.
Sometimes I think if I make things a little more exciting, I won't have the boredom issue weighing me down, and it might help me get back on track (not that I'm really off track) Like the other day, I biked to my house. It was true that I had multiple excuses to go there, but I think I just wanted to do something new. It worked a little.
Well, I have to go type an english essay...that I finished two days ago...maybe I'll look it over again. You never know what he's looking for in there.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nuthing lik a barbiku
Last Sunday, my class had a barbecue/baseball game at a local park. The reason was because our newly appointed class president felt we don't have enough "achdus" (brother-ness [?]) in our class. Which is true. My class is split up into several different groups, most of which get along just fine, but don't have much to do with each other. But as our president illustrated with vivid examples (my *cough* room) we are clearly not at the level of the current seniors, which we will need to be if we are going to be seniors next year.
We noticed during our class meeting that we never have any 2 am barbecues like other classes do. Some of us didn't like the idea of eating meat at 2 in the morning, but some thought it was a good way to bring the class together. Both of which are true. We agreed that we needed to do something, so after brainstorming several ideas, we eventually agreed upon the sunday afternoon barbecue and baseball game.
I was not so fond of that idea because I usually go home on sunday and do laundry and see my sisters, but since it got postponed until after an out shabbos anyways due to rain, that didn't turn out to be so bad. To illustrate how the whole thing went down, I have chosen to write my own PT book,
Nuthing lik a barbiku
by rafikee
this buk belogs to
rafikee
In the afternoon, i go to the park
our gril dosnt lik to
not vere
my roommate sleps lat
i cary the gril to the park and its legs fal off
my frends get mad
ware my meat is!!!!
bak at skool, that is ware it is!
("What's on this page?")
This is me striking out at bat.
(What's that in the background?")
Those are the guys at the other field drinking beer upside down.
("They drink beer upside down?")
Yeah, they like to do that!
("Who's the guy in the tank top?")
That's my team's pitcher. He's getting a tan!
wut cind of pich is this?
Wuat!?
You didnt get a gud pcih. You shud hav walked.
Ar you going to leve? Ar you going to call a taksi and go hom?
no, I stil want to hav a barbiku.
(What's happening in this picture?)
Dreaming...do dodo do do do...
(What's he dreaming about?)
He's dreaming a ball is coming his way all the way out in right field.
oh, wait, a ball is coming his way in right field!
I COT THE BAL!
now i gess i wont leve.
Wi do I cep geting bad pichs?
Probably because you're eighth at bat.
Wuat! my stek is so smal!
mabe barbikus ar good,
F for "forgot condiments"
A for alon (in right field)
barbikus are more important
evry other day
the end!
We noticed during our class meeting that we never have any 2 am barbecues like other classes do. Some of us didn't like the idea of eating meat at 2 in the morning, but some thought it was a good way to bring the class together. Both of which are true. We agreed that we needed to do something, so after brainstorming several ideas, we eventually agreed upon the sunday afternoon barbecue and baseball game.
I was not so fond of that idea because I usually go home on sunday and do laundry and see my sisters, but since it got postponed until after an out shabbos anyways due to rain, that didn't turn out to be so bad. To illustrate how the whole thing went down, I have chosen to write my own PT book,
Nuthing lik a barbiku
by rafikee
this buk belogs to
rafikee
In the afternoon, i go to the park
our gril dosnt lik to
not vere
my roommate sleps lat
i cary the gril to the park and its legs fal off
my frends get mad
ware my meat is!!!!
bak at skool, that is ware it is!
("What's on this page?")
This is me striking out at bat.
(What's that in the background?")
Those are the guys at the other field drinking beer upside down.
("They drink beer upside down?")
Yeah, they like to do that!
("Who's the guy in the tank top?")
That's my team's pitcher. He's getting a tan!
wut cind of pich is this?
Wuat!?
You didnt get a gud pcih. You shud hav walked.
Ar you going to leve? Ar you going to call a taksi and go hom?
no, I stil want to hav a barbiku.
(What's happening in this picture?)
Dreaming...do dodo do do do...
(What's he dreaming about?)
He's dreaming a ball is coming his way all the way out in right field.
oh, wait, a ball is coming his way in right field!
I COT THE BAL!
now i gess i wont leve.
Wi do I cep geting bad pichs?
Probably because you're eighth at bat.
Wuat! my stek is so smal!
mabe barbikus ar good,
F for "forgot condiments"
A for alon (in right field)
barbikus are more important
evry other day
the end!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Crackdown
this video has been removed. Please contact me at rafiskier@gmail.com if you want to get a link.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
In Memorandum
Long time readers may know that I own two palm pilots, by some strange twist of fate. One was quite expensive, but old, and the other was new and "school safe"-meaning it had no graphical abilities. Palm Pilots have taught me one thing; I'm very gullible when it comes to these ads and pictures of shiney new expensive electronics. I could see something I could not in my wildest dreams think of a way I could use it, but if it looks cool enough I will buy it. Such was definetley the case with these two gadgets.
After I got the first one back (it was confiscated in freshman year and given back to me at the beginning of this year) I was not sure what I was going to do with 2 palm pilots. I failed to sell either one. The idea of making a raffle for them with 1 or $2 tickets came to mind, but I never bothered. There were some useful things I kept on them, but most of the time they were not used or just unnecessary. I actually tried to return the white one 2 weeks after I bought it, but the return policy for Office Depot is 14 days, and I was on day 16.
So anyways, both palm pilots were sitting in one of my friends rooms over the afternoon (he needed to use the charger), and sometime between 5 and 8PM on April 8th, 2008, both palm pilots and the charger were stolen.
I was pissed off, but not crazy. I didn't use them for much, but collectivly they were worth $300+ and it seemed like a waste of money to let them just be stolen. So I went from room to room, searching. I had some suspects, but they turned out either not to have it, or hid it really really well. It most likley was not a janitor, because they don't work during that time. The Rabbeim were sympathetic, but they didn't do much more than I expected them to.
This is a trend in my Yeshiva now. Over this past year, more stealing has happened than ever before, especially in the last two weeks. As the director of the student kitchen, I can say that thousands of dollars in meat have been stolen this year from the freezers. Someone had $800 stolen over Purim break. Just last week an Ipod was stolen. Something, clearly, must be done.
The movie is finished! Expect a link very soon!
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