November - A Month of Monumental Moments for Marci

On my drive home from work last night, I found myself contemplating all of the huge moments that have taken place, in my life, in the month of November.

A few of them, in chronological order:

1) November 28, 1976: My parents' wedding date! I certainly wouldn't be here without this celebration :)

2) November 4, 1984: The date upon which I "skipped" first grade. I had been in first grade up until that point, but, following months and months of testing and being removed from my classroom, I finally officially entered the second grade. I acclimated easily, both socially and academically, but the true ramifications took years to appreciate. The classmates I "left behind" never really forgave me, and our friendships were strained from then on. I was always younger, and always had to explain why, which became a source of shame (the usual response from the other person was, "Oh, so you're smart or something?"). I wasn't able to feel comfortable with the skipping, on a deep level, until rabbinical school, when I was no longer the youngest person in my class. However, even now, as a rabbi, I am still dealing with being perceived as a "baby rabbi." I am in no rush to be older, at least now, but for years I felt like I had to rush everything.

3) November 11, 1995: The night of the "Screw Your Roommate" Dance at Brandeis, during my freshman year of college. Met my college boyfriend/fiance that night, fell in love, and dated him for the next five years. Learned so much about myself throughout. We split up during my second year of rabbinical school (and never married). Realized that I was most comfortable "mothering" someone, but that this wasn't fair to myself or to the other person. Began to search for a relationship that would allow me to be an equal, and to be cared for by the other person as much as I want to care for my partner.

4) Thanksgiving, 2001: The time during which I traveled out to Arizona to visit one of my best friends, Todd, who later passed away in 2002. The days were idyllic, surrounded by the Southwest US in autumn. Visited the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff (Route 66!!), and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in Phoenix. It was a helpful way to heal from the horrors of 9/11. I will always treasure those precious days.

5) November 7, 2004: As I mentioned a few posts ago, this was the date of my car accident, an ordeal that finally culminated in my successful spinal surgery in December, 2007.

6) November 21, 2009: The date upon which I will fly out to California to visit an old OSRUI friend of mine, Mike. Totally excited to see him, catch up, and enjoy some California sunshine. My first official vacation starting work at my new synagogue. By the way, Mike is a HILARIOUS, TALENTED film critic (in addition to his many other skills - directing, editing, composing, acting, singing, etc.), and you can watch his entertaining reviews on each week's biggest films.

Guess November is, in general, a pretty good month for me :)

The Gays of our Lives

(Lindsay, Justin, Michael, Me)

"Like sands through the hourglass...."

Two of my dearest friends, Justin and Michael, came to town to visit last weekend. Michael is a friend from college - we did tons of theatre together over the years at Brandeis. During my senior year, he met Justin, and the two have been a couple ever since. They celebrated nine years together recently, and they are getting married in two weeks!! Though neither of them are Jewish, they have asked me to bless them during the wedding (though I am not officiating at the actual ceremony). I am so honored, and I am still working on what I am going to say. I just hope that I can get through it without crying!! No matter what, I will be sure to report on the wedding shortly thereafter.

In this picture, one of their friends, Luciano, joins Justin in making art. We call this one, "How do I love thee? Let me count the gays...."

In this shot, I was getting ready to complete my grandest aria yet! They inspire me, I tell you.

Hope all is well with you guys!!

Man plans, God laughs...

Well, my friends, so much for planning ahead - we never made it to the Mermaid Parade. Actually, to be more precise, we made it to where the parade was being held, but never found parking. After about 45 minutes of circling throughout the joy that is Coney Island, NY, we gave up.

During the drive, and the circling, we laughed SO HARD! We were all in "good form," coming up with hilarious comments, movie quotes, funny voices, and perfectly timed reactions. I had a good mix on my iPod, so the music was just right. Despite our disappointment at not making it to the parade, we were still having a great time.

SOOOOOOOOO, Lindsay (my sister), her boyfriend (Dan) my friend (Brooke) and I decided to drive to Williamsburg (also in Brooklyn), and go to a great seafood restaurant that Dan recommended.

Okay, right? That sounds like a good "Plan B." Let's go to some hip restaurant in some hip neighborhood and feel as if the day is still going well.

So, we find our way there, by car, using a subway map. This was definitely a demonstration of our fine skill at navigating (I can't believe it actually worked) - we made it there within a half hour.

Only to find? It was closed until dinner time.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

So, at this point, I hadn't eaten since 9am, and it was after 4pm. We found a little cafe right where we had parked, figured out that they were still serving food until 4:30 pm, so we ran to our table, sat down, picked out food, and took a NICE, DEEP BREATH! Phew!!!

What an adventure!!!!!!

I promise to post some picks from the day in my next post :)

Friendship, Friendship, such a perfect blendship...

Shalom, all!

Just got back from a really yummy dinner with my friend, Sarene, and her fiance, Andy. It was my first chance to meet him (and I totally approve). I am glad that she found such a sweet guy who will definitely take good care of her (and she of him!). Coincidentally, I just took an online survey, and one of the questions was, "How many of your current friends have you known longer than ten years?"

What a question. Considering that parts of me still feel 12 years old, it is a profoundly paralyzing question to ponder (ah, an alliteration addiction attacks again). I can't believe that I have people (family members naturally excluded) in my life who have been precious to me for over a decade. Jessica is, of course, my longest friendship - we are probably over 20 years at this point. Lauren is also a long-term friendship, and, thanks to MySpace, Friendster, Facebook and the like, I am rekindling friendships from the whole spectrum of my life.

And, lest I be tempted to think of Sarene as one of my "newer" friends, I must remember that I met her in 1995 (we were both Angels in a Hillel production of Anything Goes). She has been a friend for - can it be true? - twelve years!!

Well, here's to long friendships, and many more to come.

Precious Cat Strut

Oy, I am melting in the midst of overwhelming cuteness right now. I am watching the Daily Show and Precious insists on sitting on my lap. She is purring softly and seems to be totally and perfectly content. She is just the cutest, most wonderful calico in all the world!

Had a great dinner with a college friend tonight (Sarene). We went to this super-hip Mexican restaurant in the Village. I very much enjoyed catching up with her. In fact, neither of us could believe that it has been at least seven years since we last saw each other. CRAZY! How does time pass this fast? On one hand, it doesn't feel that long since we were in college. On the other hand, it is impossible to quickly summarize all that has taken place since then. So much has changed; I have grown so much.

I think about this bumper sticker that I once saw at Chicago Botanic Gardens - "Not another learning experience!" I definitely feel that way sometimes. I certainly wish that things were easier and went more smoothly often. Yet, in all actuality, things would get pretty boring. I really do love feeling like I am always evolving and learning. And I love surrounding myself with people who also find this important. YAY!

So, here's to ascending, growing, learning and changing!

What's YOUR favorite bumper sticker?