Blogosphere Extravaganza, Part II

While I was in Chicago, I had a chance to spend time with another wonderful friend, both in the blogosphere and out, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer at Ima on (and off) the Bima: Real-life Jewish Parenting. Though we weren't at the same campus for rabbinical school (our seminary has three US locations - New York, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles), we first met as students at a national conference on conversion (held in beautiful Denver, Colorado).

When she was ordained in 2003, she wound up at a synagogue in the Chicago area. I was ordained in 2004 and stayed in New York City for my first pulpit. Through the joys of the world wide web, we have been able to stay in touch. Plus, my brothers have both worked as songleaders at her synagogue over the past few years, so most of my mishpachah (Hebrew for "family") knows her and her family.

So good to see you, Phyllis! Hope to see you again soon!!!

Chanukah in Chicago 2008 - A Blogosphere Extravaganza, Part I

Hi, all!

I have lots to tell you, and some more fun pictures to share. I had such a wonderful time in Chicago, visiting friends and family, and I had a chance to visit with some good friends from the blogosphere!

First up - a Chanukah party! I was home for such a relatively short time, and I wanted to see so many lovely people, so why not throw a party?!? I invited a bunch of friends from high school and from my days at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute camp (the best Jewish overnight camp in the world, if I do say so myself). Unfortunately, my school friends weren't able to come, so it turned into a mini-camp reunion, with a sing-a-long, grab bag present exchange, and lots of yummy food. AND, one of my camp friends happens to be a blogger, too - your friend and mine, Bradley Egel from The Egel Nest.

Here's Bradley, with his sister, Susan. They are both SO GREAT - I feel like our families are cut from the same cloth. I wish we could all hang out more often - darn that 700 miles between Chicago and New York!

My brother, Ricky, and me - we had such a fun time preparing for the party, and he was in charge of the "artistic vision" of the shindig :)

My adorable parents - they were so thrilled to be with everyone, and they sang along with every song. Thanks for being so wonderful, Mom and Dad!!


A shot of the song session - we sang camp songs, Indigo Girls ("Galileo" and "Closer to Fine," of course!). Bradley's son, Sammy, was shaking a tail feather in the middle.

A marvelous time was had by all - hooray!!

Mayan Adventure Waterpark - Fun with My Brothers!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had such a good time visiting the Mayan Adventure Indoor Waterpark in Elmhurst, Illinois. I had been to plenty of outdoor waterparks, but never an indoor one. My brothers and I decided to go and spend the day, and we took plenty of pictures along the way!! (God knows why I am posting pictures of myself in a bathing suit on the interwebs, but... why not???)

Apparently, I was sharing a story about how the waterslide was "THIS BIG!"

My brother, Adam, and me - I didn't know that we were supposed to make political statements, unless I am supporting the "blue and white flower" party...

My brother, Ricky, and me. Adam says that Ricky looks like my bodyguard in this pic - no problem with that, here! Both my brothers are younger than I am, yet they both tower over me. I really should call them my "big" brothers!

Good time was had by all! I highly recommend a day at the waterpark to all of you, especially when it is so cold and snowy outside - go find some sunshine inside!!

Flying home for winter break.... hooray!!

As many of you know by now, I am originally from Chicago, Illinois. I happen to be a very proud midwesterner, and there is something about the Chicago area that will always feel like my true home, no matter where my life takes me.

I was last home, where my whole family (other than my sister, Lindsay) lives, in August. It is really unfortunate that I can't travel home more than 3 or 4 times a year, but that is just the reality of the situation. My job as a rabbi is such that I work 6 days a week (Thursdays are my precious day off, unless I have a funeral or event), so I can rarely travel on the weekends.

Nonetheless, I have booked my next trip home for the end of December - hooray! My sister won't be able to join me, unfortunately, but both my brothers will also be at my parents' house, so a good time will be had by all who are around (and we will call Linds frequently!!).

And, all of my Chicago friends: let's get together!!! I miss you all so much :)

So, what about you? Where is your family in relation to where you are? Do you live near them? Did you stay where you grew up or did you move away?

Snow Day

Hi, everyone! I feel so lucky to know so many caring, kind people in the "blogosphere." Your notes and condolences have meant so much to me over the past days.

SO, bringing you up to date: I was in Chicago for my grandmother's funeral. My doctors gave me permission to fly, as long as I took all possible precautions along the way. I made sure to arrange for a wheelchair on both ends of the flight, which was incredibly helpful. At Newark Airport, the man who pushed my wheelchair, I found out, used to be a college professor in philosophy and psychology in his home country of Egypt. However, now that he lived in America, he did not know enough English to continue his career. Thus, he was stuck pushing wheelchairs in the airport as he learned more English. How sad! I really enjoyed talking with him and seeing pictures of his adorable children.

The funeral and shiva (the traditional Jewish days of mourning, usually lasting a week) were.... complicated. My grandmother was kind to me throughout my life, but caused a lot of pain and misery for other relatives of mine. It was somewhat difficult to eulogize her and make her sound righteous. My aunt kept talking about my grandmother's "honesty and insistence on the truth," yet I kept thinking about how much her "honesty" hurt people close to me. Nevertheless, we got through it all, and I got to spend time with my family.

Once I came back to the NYC area, I prepared for a return to work. I can't really explain why, but I finally felt significantly better. I went back to work this week, as fully as possible, and it felt so good to be there. I missed the ins and outs of the rabbinate - preparing for this Shabbat's Torah study, submitting a piece of text for the pamphlet handed out during services, sending out congratulatory letters to new babies and weddings in our congregation... it is all so fulfilling. And, after two days back at the temple, I was tired but not in pain. Yay!

Which brings me to today - SNOW!!! I really planned on going in today (though not staying for services - too much right now), but there are six inches of snow on the ground!! And there will only be more on the way! It looks beautiful, but I am terrified of slipping and falling (again). Thus, I will work from home today on some projects and stay nice and warm :)

I hope you all had a good week, and I look forward to visiting your blogs to catch up. Take care! Have a lovely weekend!

The Country's Rudest Drivers

I just had a chance to read an article about which cities have the rudest drivers. I was a bit surprised by the results! In order, the top five were:

1) Miami
2) New York
3) Boston
4) Los Angeles
5) Washington, D.C.

My beloved Chicago was number 7 on the list. I think that it is funny that I have lived in two of the top "rudest" cities, and grew up in the seventh rudest city. I am now doing some soul searching - am I a rude driver? Have I created road rage in my fellow drivers? Alas!

So, then, I thought, maybe I will move to Arizona, where the drivers MUST be calmer. I mean, they get to live in the sun and move at a slower pace in general. But, NOOOO, Phoenix is ranked number SIX! It is ruder than Chicago!

What to do with this information? I just don't know.

And All That Jazz...

HOORAY! I am actually going back to Chicago tomorrow. When was the last time I was home? I can barely remember...aha, my cousin, Eric's, wedding in November. My brother, as I mentioned, is in a play, so it will be great to see him perform in a drama.

So, what's YOUR favorite quote about Chicago?

I figured that I would ask you all to name your favorite Chicago reference - song, movie quote, poem, etc. What's it gonna be? I can't wait to read your responses. FYI - Chicago suburban references count, too.

For your edification, I am posting one of Carl Sandburg's poems about the Windy City (thanks to carl-sandburg.com):


HAPPINESS

I ASKED the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
their women and children and a keg of beer and an
accordion.