ECHOING BLACK STREETS

B"H


Saturday, August 30th

*Yawn*. Woke around 9:30 a.m. & puttered about, getting ready in time to make it to Yakar by 10, when Kri'at HaTorah begins. I walked in during the Kohen aliyah, so ayn baya (no problem).
Yakar was nice - nowhere near as crowded as it used to be. It seemed to me that the mechitzah had been moved up somewhat so the women had more room...I sat alone at the front right next to the door on a single chair. I sat quietly & listened to the leyning with my eyes closed, meditating on the letters & their sounds. I davenned with no sidur. I met my sofer outside afterwards & we chatted with an obnoxious little man named who shall remain nameless. He asked me what I did for a living & I replied, "I do what he does - only not as well". My sofer said, "She whines." Then he wanted to know how I got my name, so I put him off. The two of us strolled back to their place via Ehud Olmert's house & a bizaarre few acre garden full of rubble, sunflowers, & this weird pierced-out painted pole construction with a giant set of chimes on a metal frame set into the earth beneath it. Then we started talking about cults. Then we ran into a drunk friend of his - she was quite hilarious. We were never introduced.
Over lunch we all talked about ketubah wording & halakhah (Jewish Ways) & R' Melchior vs. Rav Steinsaltz & legal vs. Halakhic it really got me thinking about equalization in Joel's & my shtar...
After a wonderful meal, I spent the afternoon alone reading "Side Effects" by Woody Allen
After Shabbat I strolled to Qaniyon Malkhah (the big mall) - it was only 45 minutes each way.
Relaxed when I returned home. Scarfed down the remainder of the whole olives & journalled. Did some looking at my Hebrew calendar found Dad's Yahrtzeit - Tishrei 28, so its Parsha is B'reyshit...ugh. This year I get to light the candle the night of October 23rd, when he died.

Looked at my finances. Dismal.