Ruminations from the Temple

I have been pondering friendship quite a lot lately. It would seem that there are many different definitions of the word friend, in all it's various degrees of intensity. That thought led me to think about what would be the qualities of The Perfect Friend. So, join me in my little, happy bubble as I brainstorm all the attributes of the perfect friend... My perfect friend... has my best interests at heart. wants to spend time with me, even doing the mundane. enjoys trying to appreciate the different kinds of music I'm into at times. laughs at my jokes, even if they are not that funny. likes me for who I am, not for what they think I should be. lets me buy them little gifts, and even says they like them. allows me to postulate the deeper meaning of life, even to the sublime. takes mocking like a pro. dishes it right back like a champ. doesn't talk behind my back... or anyone else's either. doesn't mind if we are wearing the same outfits by accident. ...

So, since this is my personal journal, I guess I can be as revealing as I would like, right? And, where does one write all these random thoughts down, just to get them out of their head? I have thinking a lot about the juggling analogy as of late. How many balls can one keep in the air and still maintain balance? Ball 1 - Homeschooling & Family I’m feeling like I’m just hanging on by the skin of my teeth. The kids want to take every day off, and why shouldn’t they? It does seem the right of the young to try to avoid all that challenges their brains in any way. I just have one question: will my youngest ever remember the rules for vowel sounds? Will I continue to have the patience to tell him those rules over and over? (OK, so that was two questions.) Aside from the schooling aspect, the dynamics of our family has changed so much. The children have grown to the point that they are flexing their ’independence’ muscles, which causes ripples to radiate into the fabric of our da...

When I first entered the strange, new world of MySpace, I made the comment that I would be watching and finding out what was the big draw; what was the big deal about MySpace? I had heard of it’s bad reputation, how it was immoral and even dangerous. I heard the warnings to stay away and, for heaven’s sake, don’t let your children or teens even close. When encouraged to add myself to the growing members of this site, I was wary, to be sure. What would I find? Stalkers and pedophiles? Prostitutes, drug dealers, even criminals? The dregs of society? Well, I have to say that I found none of those elements, although I’m sure they exist here in some form or another. What I found was that MySpace is what you make of it - and why does that surprise me? Isn’t that true of anything you involve yourself in? So, I have discovered and concluded that I am richer due to this site and my participation in it. It sweetens my day when I have messages from my friends waiting for me. It is truly dessert f...

we look awfully happy to be standing with a couple of TKs! lol! Norwescon '08 I am excited to say that I have now attended my first ’con’. You don’t know what a ’con’ is? Well, it is short for convention, and this was Norwescon, the biggest science fiction & fantasy convention in the Northwest. From my guess, there were a couple of thousand attendees, most of which were dressed as their favorite character or had conjured up a character of their own. Boy howdy, was that interesting! I helped field questions at the Jedi Assembly and Rebel Legion Star Wars tables, which was situated right next to the 501st Garrison Titan. Those Stormtroopers look so cool, and the guys inside are very nice, too! I participated in a photo shoot for charity, saw a masquerade and preview show, had my picture taken, observed a dance and talked to many, many folks about costuming and Star Wars. After seeing so many folks in costume, I have to say that I firmly believe that whatever they had chosen to ...

I so often, during the day, think "Man, I just love that!" I love so many things, that it may seem as though the word ’love’ could get diluted... I love my G-d and the fact that he gave me the faith to believe. I love my three children; they are truly treasures. I love my husband, of course. I love my bestest friend in the whole world. :-) I love Obi-Wan! I love Star Wars and I love living in a fantasy world. I love being warm. I love being a part of a group of people that I love and know very well. I love carving rubber stamps and sharing them with other people who like to carve rubber stamps. I love feeling needed. I love coffee! I love all myspace friends - I know, it sounds cheesy, but I really do care about each and every one of them, and would not want to lose any of them. Well... maybe one... :-) I have a love-hate relationship going on with my computer... but doesn’t everyone? I love my congregation. I love my sister. I love finding...

We have just been having a field day with all these quizzy things, my friends and I. They are just too fun and funny to read. I always learn some interesting tidbit or insight that I did not know before. That’s valuable, in my mind. I just read another quiz bulletin from my dear friend Eliyahna, but this one seemed a little different; more intraspective than most. So, I thought I would blog my answers here, for the record. 1. I’ve come to realize that my hair is:starting to get some grey and is much better short than long; it more suitably fits my personality 2. I’ve come to realize that when I start talking:I usually am talking about myself in some way - how selfish of me 3. I’ve come to realize that, when I drive:I like to pretend that I’m really driving a speeder :-) 4. I’ve come to realize that I need:more affirmations than I realized 5. I’ve come to realize that I lost:a lot of time trying to be someone I thought others wanted me to be, when I should have been true to my G-d a...

It was recently said to me that "No one is indispensable." I totally disagree with this line of thinking. I know where it originated, and I suppose it could be beneficial if you are talking to those with an over-active ego, misplaced confidence and blatant bravado in the workplace. But, other than that, it has no place in the vocabulary in the life of a believer, in my humble view. Actually, I think the saying offends me. The word indispensable means, according to Webster, "absolutely necessary, essential". Well, there are quite a few people I would put into this category. Every one of my family members, all the members of my shul, all the hundreds of letterboxers that I have contact with, all of myspace friends and the friends of my friends, people that work in any service or manufacturing industries, all the military personnel that keep our country free... I could go on and on. Yes, I take issue with the thought that someone is dispensable. I suppose ...