Tripping

To get back to work semi-on time yesterday, I was booked on an 8AM flight back to Newark. I figured: Not a problem, I'll be slightly late, but should be at work, by 10, 10:30 latest. Checked everything out with my manager, and all seemed good.

Oh well.

I'm sitting on the plane, half-asleep, waiting for it to push away from the gate, when I suddenly notice everyone getting up from their seats... Apparently a catering truck crashed into our plane. Because clearly it's incredibly easy to miss the fact that there's a 70-ton inanimate piece of metal sitting in front of you.

They had to de-plane everyone so they could do a proper re-inspection of the plane, and then reboarded us 2 hours later... onto the same aircraft. It made me feel oh so safe. Then I decided, if I was going to die, at least it was after Rosh Hashana (although after Yom Kippur might be better), and that I might as well be asleep so I wouldn't feel anything. Also, so that I would die nice and refreshed.

I never claimed to be normal.

On my soap-box

There's a really good article in the NYTimes Magazine section this week, about Lubavitch 'meshichists' vs. non-meshichists. Of course, that's not what they call them in there, but it's fairly interesting article, and they gave it the space it deserved.

I would make the disclaimer here that 'some of my best friends are lubavitch,' except that probably hasn't been true since I graduated high school. Also, while I would have to make the traditional disclaimer of "But look how much good they do!," which is certainly true, it's definitely not an excuse to overlook the tremendous problems that they're going through.

And for that matter, there's no excuse for any brand of Judaism to use their good deeds to overlook the problems they're facing from within. There can, and should, be a concommitant objective to address both the 'outside' and 'inside' issues of the modern orthodox, yeshivish, and chassidish worlds (for starters). There's no reason why this shouldn't be possible.

Hey, after all, it is the time of year to be looking into changing ourselves...

**getting off my soap-box**

Plans

I just made a ticket to visit my best friend, who's in North America for R"H and Y"K (she currently lives in Israel). Very last minute of me, and very not like me at all... I seem to be doing things like this more often. Spur of the moment, why not? type of things. It's gotten to be an exercise in will--I'll force myself to do things that I'm not altogether sure about, to build character. or something.

The 'why not' of this would involve a $200 plane ticket to where her parents' live, but it'll be fun. I just hope I can get a ticket for a seat in her shul now.

Take 2

In spite of Dell cancelling my last order without informing me (apparently the computer I wanted had been recalled), I reordered another laptop from their outlet store. This one's even better, except that it didn't have an option to order an external floppy with it. A little stupid of me, clearly, since now I'll have to figure out another way to transfer files from my ancient 486-upgraded-to-a-Pentium I desktop, to my lovely new P4 laptop.

That is, presuming they don't cancel my order again.

<--update: I went back to look over the specs and there's good news and bad news: Bad news first -- apparently it's a P3, not a P4, which is somewhat annoying, since I was sure it was a p4, but probably won't make much of a difference to me. The good news is.... it has a floppy built in! which means that i won't have to deal with the headache of trying to figure out what the heck a memory key is and how to use it-->

Gotta wonder...

if there's something seriously wrong with me.

Mazal Tov!

I've been following this site for about a year now, and the author just got engaged. She's got some truly awful dating stories up there (actually, that's the whole site), so go wish her congrats...

back at work

Back at work, ready for a cruddy day, but at least I can only be here for a few hours (hopefully, that'll be all I need).

Had a lovely shabbos. Kind of odd, if you think about how I was on the Upper West Side for a girls-only shabbos. It was just so relaxing and fun and non-stressful at all. Also, went to hear R. Cardozo speak post-shul (I didn't quite make it for the shul part). So that was the beginning of my Elul preparations, I suppose. Getting a late start, but that can't quite be helped, seeing as I've been getting home from work after 9pm on a regular basis.

Got a really good insult... it was very creative, actually. A guy I barely know asked me out, and when I said no (very nicely, I might add), he emailed me back and said something about my friends being 'extremely not very interesting.' I would be insulted, but I'm too busy being amused (clearly I don't agree, otherwise they wouldn't be my friends). But it's confusing as to whether he thinks saying this would help his cause.

Two Years

I was sitting at my desk, early for once. I had been in for over an hour already. People started trickling into work, slowly. I could hear my co-worker’s murmuring in the next cube over.

The first phone rang.

Something about a plane in the World Trade Center. He’ll be in late to work.

How dumb could people be? Imagine flying your Cessna through a conference room. Like in a bad action movie. You’d have to be pretty blind not to miss the Twin Towers.

My phone rang.

“Are you alright?” It’s my mother. Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be? There were planes that hit the Twin Towers. Planes? Plural? What bad pilots! I mean one is enough lousy flying for one day, but two helicopters? Two planes?

“No, it’s a terror attack.”

Oh. Went to the conference room to watch the news. People filed in. Do we stay? Do we go? HR comes around: we’re open for business as usual.

10 minutes later: if you like you can go, but you can stay if you want. I stay, unsure of how I’ll be getting home. Taking the time to catch up on my deadlines, and to check up on the news online.

The pentagon.
The first building falls.

HR comes around again: the building is closing. Everyone has to go home.

We all file out slowly. Talking quietly amongst ourselves. Rumors start surfacing. We stand outside the building in the bright September sunshine, and we talk. Will the second building fall? I take a co-worker’s number in case I can’t get uptown today.

I start walking. Planes fly overhead, military this time, and as they roar, heads look up, anxious. Is it another attack?

I see the news replaying the building collapse. It now shows the second building coming down.

I walk alone.

Plastered!

It's time for a pun-ful post, so be forewarned!! Part of our ceiling fell in over shabbat. I came home from lunch, and saw half the ceiling in the dining room on the floor. The plaster apparently came down. oops. Well, it just missed our stash of alcohol, so if you like... Our alcohol didn't get plastered. The wine didn't get smashed. Maybe we should invest in some stronger liquor. Or maybe I should apologize to people reading this post, but I'm having way too much fun! Can you tell I'm more amused than upset?

Well, no one got hurt, nothing, except for a vase, got broken. Of course, one roommate wanted to take pictures for insurance purposes. I reminded her that not having any insurance, it probably wouldn't do us very much good. But I have to admit that they'll be fun to look at later. The other roommate doesn't want to help clean up, since she thinks there might be asbestos in the ceiling... um... so other than that being ridiculous, even if it was true, she's saying that it's better to have the 'asbestos' dust all over the floor, rather than cleaned up and out of the apt... Riiiiiiiiiight....

This does not bode well for future roommate issues, but we'll have to wait and see.

great toys for all ages

apparently there's a controversy over a new "action-figure" librarian – but I'm more enthralled with the company's other action figures.... Anyone want to get me a Moses doll as a belated birthday present?

Tuesdays

Last Tuesday's sheva brachot were really nice. I actually enjoyed them more than the wedding itself, which was somewhat interesting. I think I was too stressed with finding a ride from the wedding to actually enjoy it completely.

But sheva brachot... I was looking around the room, and just thinking that there were so many good people there, who have become really good friends. And I think (hope) that they're the kinds of friends that will stay, and won't just disappear as we all (very) slowly get married, move away, etc., etc. There's all these different dynamics going on between everyone, but this seemed to be one of those rare golden moments when all the extraneous currents move to the background, and where everyone comes together and enjoys each other's company, and just feels very accepted.

And then there are times like today, when I wonder whether last Tuesday was a figment of my imagination.

All about Oprah...

whose name is supposed to be 'Orpah'. As in Ruth's sister. How cool is that?! But really, why name someone after the sister that takes off and leaves her mother-in-law behind? I suppose it's somewhat better than naming your child after Nimrod, but that's still not saying much, is it?