tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81317613057719066712024-03-13T21:49:01.420-04:00Carried in His Handsfree_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.comBlogger667125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-92223117523390352232019-08-06T18:52:00.000-04:002019-08-06T18:52:06.852-04:00My Newest FOUR Kippot!The picture below has FOUR kippot, bringing my collection up to...I think...SIXTY ONE. There is a cactus print one from kidskippot (Etsy seller; also did my penguins), a royal blue canvas from a Bar Mitzvah, a red "Bar Mitzvah Beanie," and a lavender "Bat Mitzvah Beanie." The beanies were collected for me by my grandmother. Oh, and I broke up with JS. The relationship really wasn't working...and, although his family disagrees with me, it really was time to move on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRlaS-aC9JvgIF2GV6eJTKn0tevgpAcvmcVDucAcsf7dxC8oYsObqBaiIRMslGZF3VFkwJBre-pPkRMy5XN2oCzEOSazzmKLWMzNvz2v1KblgA3Tvpi42kGvcqWhbnHZS1HG0-r0DpXg/s1600/DSC06923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRlaS-aC9JvgIF2GV6eJTKn0tevgpAcvmcVDucAcsf7dxC8oYsObqBaiIRMslGZF3VFkwJBre-pPkRMy5XN2oCzEOSazzmKLWMzNvz2v1KblgA3Tvpi42kGvcqWhbnHZS1HG0-r0DpXg/s320/DSC06923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-54735708489479832782019-06-12T17:44:00.001-04:002019-06-12T17:44:11.662-04:00The Big TripTwo weekends ago, JS and I went on a big trip: we took a bus to Washington, DC to tour Smithsonians. Smithsonians have free admission, and I do not spend money on the Sabbath. Overall, we saw three museums and part of a fourth: zoo on Friday, where we looked at elephants (Asian, for those of you who care about the difference) and primates; and American Indian, Air and Space, and Natural History, all on Saturday. There is so much in Natural History--and we only just got a chance to peek around--so if we do this trip again, we are going to start there. Their Hall of Human Origins alone was fantastic.<br />
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If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have spinal cord stimulators implanted. What you probably do not know is that I really shouldn't go through metal detectors. Two of the three Saturday museums were more or less fine with this, though you could see they were taken aback and improvising how to let me through and prove that I was safe; however Air and Space almost did not want to believe that I had them in the first place. That is so demeaning--did they really think I would invent something like that? To make matters worse, they had sent my bag through the x-ray while keeping me separate, so I couldn't even access my things.<br />
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It must have been fury that kept me calm as I said, "In my bag is a card that can prove this, if you will let me have my bag." Fortunately at that point they let me take my bag and enter the museum, but I was so glad I had brought the card (ID/proof from the company) just in case.<br />
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Ironically enough, I think of the three museums of which we managed to do as much as we wanted--zoo, American Indian, and Air and Space--Air and Space was my favorite. Such detailed, impressive exhibits, including on the Bleriot planes. (Bleriot was a famous, pioneering pilot, French I think; my family had a picture book about him when I was small.)<br />
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And I forgot to take any relevant pictures, so I have none to add here.<br />
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I am not saying the weekend was perfect--it wasn't; we were getting to know each other even better than we already do, and love is never perfect--but it was memorable, and JS and I will cherish the memories forever. free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-82169775254387241242019-05-19T10:44:00.000-04:002019-05-19T10:44:33.366-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippot, Part Seven of SevenThis is the final post in this series, my "earth tones" kippot: my blacks, whites, grays, browns, and the occasional metallic. There are eight of them.<br />
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This one is plain gold raw silk, a very simple Yair Emanuel design. When I need to get really close to God, and it feels safe, I wear this one: in ways I don't understand, it makes it easier to form a spiritual connection with God.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nNlNDBNdaX6IeJEBRAM1uKCTVXUCKikbbeIZBckf_9kVzSPMYWmyn88m5WcEd0t7-2cKR5D2IUQNxXhxNbqZolnUYhgeeE6dEDFdhpMe80o6zmcWHliyVXmIQtXkCvfN36Y3xBhUp6Q/s1600/DSC06616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nNlNDBNdaX6IeJEBRAM1uKCTVXUCKikbbeIZBckf_9kVzSPMYWmyn88m5WcEd0t7-2cKR5D2IUQNxXhxNbqZolnUYhgeeE6dEDFdhpMe80o6zmcWHliyVXmIQtXkCvfN36Y3xBhUp6Q/s320/DSC06616.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a black velvet from my younger brother's Bar Mitzvah. Fun fact: I had to sew most of the lining back on myself. The stitches are black, and they disappear into the velvet, which is nice. And no, I do not have one from my older brother's Bar Mitzvah. I was only nine, and not collecting yet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Kn-vRAnk8nsQUVfM8gtxCeF69KtQzgZJU96ydcNiA9-kqzz8IQWv5vCoh_yh9yolfupKeXlBRThA7Et8lMmwURriLVeurpkaHShQ94MUfE3YAZnMBBfOCmW9nhY0BQ5NxvMnDKv03Y/s1600/DSC06617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Kn-vRAnk8nsQUVfM8gtxCeF69KtQzgZJU96ydcNiA9-kqzz8IQWv5vCoh_yh9yolfupKeXlBRThA7Et8lMmwURriLVeurpkaHShQ94MUfE3YAZnMBBfOCmW9nhY0BQ5NxvMnDKv03Y/s320/DSC06617.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a white "wedding beanie" given to me by my ex boyfriend. A white one is very convenient: I can wear it to synagogue on Yom Kippur, when it is traditional to wear white; and in the meantime, it matches with other things. This coming Sabbath is time to wear my pink and white synagogue outfit again; I'm toying with the idea of wearing this kippah (with pink flowered clips), to match the skirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_tm2q0kDrO7Vs-mPnyrJKi9_dOWFVEIX_ipu4SuA79Ew4ixzHQEjXv2wD4KNP4NTr-b9GdOmj-0Z2F-7OCK_Wbxakmm2boTy0iRWayLsO4p_wTfE28d3hzCEaIvnIrqLBqCBhag3IQc/s1600/DSC06618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_tm2q0kDrO7Vs-mPnyrJKi9_dOWFVEIX_ipu4SuA79Ew4ixzHQEjXv2wD4KNP4NTr-b9GdOmj-0Z2F-7OCK_Wbxakmm2boTy0iRWayLsO4p_wTfE28d3hzCEaIvnIrqLBqCBhag3IQc/s320/DSC06618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Free with my older brother's Bar Mitzvah prayer shawl, by designer Gabrieli. I "rescued" this one from a laundry basket a few summers ago.</div>
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Actual US military issue, from the last set of uniforms (the digital camo ones). I had to sew this one's lining back on too, and the stitches did not disappear as well.</div>
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Actual ultra-Orthodox style. I originally bought this one to thumb my nose at the ultra-Orthodox, as a woman wearing one of "their" kippot. No one gets the joke. Ultra-Orthodox Jews who see me wearing it just think it's a kippah, because they've never seen any different; and the people who might appreciate the joke don't recognize this as ultra-Orthodox style. Anyway, this one has a much more serious purpose: I now wear it on days of Jewish tragedy (Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israel's Memorial Day), as well as on fast days other than Yom Kippur.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5GU0k6tsynUg_Vd8zn8c4yD-e8tUr-F_0H4kkQ51UAbOtJzQXLjRyLUp3xSkih33suf79M0X3dBevCRDitqk3dJwegIMBN2Vk8dU2IgS3nVP3vM4maFE7hkCoUw1y-34fvZ6J0fmFB0/s1600/DSC06621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5GU0k6tsynUg_Vd8zn8c4yD-e8tUr-F_0H4kkQ51UAbOtJzQXLjRyLUp3xSkih33suf79M0X3dBevCRDitqk3dJwegIMBN2Vk8dU2IgS3nVP3vM4maFE7hkCoUw1y-34fvZ6J0fmFB0/s320/DSC06621.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Made in Uganda! Uganda's Jewish community makes these and other handicrafts as fundraisers for various community projects. Last I heard, they were raising money to build a synagogue, with a daycare center so that for the first time mothers could be something more; however, that was many years ago, so they might have completed that project by now. At one point, I was considering spending a year at their Rabbinical school; I would have been the only woman to stick it out and the first White student ever. Mainly due to maintenance of my bipolar disorder, this plan did not work out; this kippah makes that sting a little less. In point of fact, this is the one I am wearing today, with a "brown tones" (long brown skirt, T-shirt tie dyed in shades of brown) outfit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdTD2jMWhTIjzGTq-meQYmeibwvzuLGfLgyRXfIJtvtEiU_sg1sb0ut9W31Giya9nIw2Wa9VTa08yOpuy6DwGElmOZleG1Su2ZEn1kSvz09LMD8U3PneP-yfwqDF6srwvM2nMy4Q74N8/s1600/DSC06622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdTD2jMWhTIjzGTq-meQYmeibwvzuLGfLgyRXfIJtvtEiU_sg1sb0ut9W31Giya9nIw2Wa9VTa08yOpuy6DwGElmOZleG1Su2ZEn1kSvz09LMD8U3PneP-yfwqDF6srwvM2nMy4Q74N8/s320/DSC06622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My "Kol Nidre" kippah! Kol Nidre is the beginning prayer service of Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. This one is big enough to be a holiday evening hat, and it is mainly white, the color of Yom Kippur. I found this one in my family's drawer; no one was wearing it, so I claimed it. And yes, I really do only wear this one on Yom Kippur evening, so just one night a year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErX8VIOdq5LQPmjzqZKSR_nxXY3JhrFoiIK3sMgXS17OAJ-DPFZ0wc3bgjCGZ6j1NXLBiKy1weZAT-SSkIEN3bjqBLDzNRA9lVyth629tcnBPzUXC4Q09dQmlYjcJZq4e5ylCQiVG23w/s1600/DSC06623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErX8VIOdq5LQPmjzqZKSR_nxXY3JhrFoiIK3sMgXS17OAJ-DPFZ0wc3bgjCGZ6j1NXLBiKy1weZAT-SSkIEN3bjqBLDzNRA9lVyth629tcnBPzUXC4Q09dQmlYjcJZq4e5ylCQiVG23w/s320/DSC06623.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-86605233651430308242019-05-18T21:30:00.002-04:002019-05-18T21:30:48.869-04:00Proudy Displaying Kippot, Part Six of SevenHere you see my purple kippot; there are only four of them, but because purple is my favorite color, they are truly treasured. The last one shown in this entry is my absolute favorite, out of all 57. And yes, that number stands at 57; I did not snag one at today's Bat Mitzvah because today's Bat Mitzvah kippot were almost identical to one I already had (second one shown in the blue entry, in case anyone is interested), and a collection of 57 is quite large enough without duplicates.<br />
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This is the "weekday" (meaning not Friday/holiday evening hats) one that I consider prettiest. It is hand painted silk by designer Yair Emanuel. The background was supposed to be blue, but that's OK; I think it's prettier this way anyway, and it is a perfect match for my orange-and-purple, warm-weather synagogue outfit. In point of fact, I wore that outfit, with this kippah, to synagogue today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKmU6cQFIZSX_NJPL-M86EpDWqjZwooApDHGomE3Rih_eSvvWvsWFaNNdFDqk8bbSoQZwYeePHm32LGsJntEfDavTao3mQBRr1VgkQHgXi-xyecOpFZOAv4TZ_szZGJMsJA5ypMT9UkQ/s1600/DSC06603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKmU6cQFIZSX_NJPL-M86EpDWqjZwooApDHGomE3Rih_eSvvWvsWFaNNdFDqk8bbSoQZwYeePHm32LGsJntEfDavTao3mQBRr1VgkQHgXi-xyecOpFZOAv4TZ_szZGJMsJA5ypMT9UkQ/s320/DSC06603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Number 57, my most recent, picked up at last week's Bat Mitzvah. Nice to have a Bat Mitzvah freebie made of high quality material, and not in blue!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhyphenhyphenTXe9luTb49I2vsbsHCBf3qLvtFK_wxZXApoCCvijlyGXRiJhyobwVwKQPxhjHp76uKemfCYZ83IBk-HEtTr211OA1nWR9_j9SbafTTlZ9OjQDi-Ra6jJce-x60MNCRoyii4uVAZBw/s1600/DSC06604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhyphenhyphenTXe9luTb49I2vsbsHCBf3qLvtFK_wxZXApoCCvijlyGXRiJhyobwVwKQPxhjHp76uKemfCYZ83IBk-HEtTr211OA1nWR9_j9SbafTTlZ9OjQDi-Ra6jJce-x60MNCRoyii4uVAZBw/s320/DSC06604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Bat Mitzvah Beanie" picked up for me by my father, at the B'not Mitzvah of twin girls. The other one from those two girls is my pink "Bat Mitzvah Beanie."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYKIDzNiit1dW_PSO8BUoH3hTwHiwFndFmOxT2WCZKak-CK4lkffHjI654xDLBl_XwplINp4rDN6xRB-xbN7nO1vFvo88o7d9WYPQhuwA5ktg9dl517IVe1OZ31ydwOnwbcgmT4aLkbw/s1600/DSC06605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYKIDzNiit1dW_PSO8BUoH3hTwHiwFndFmOxT2WCZKak-CK4lkffHjI654xDLBl_XwplINp4rDN6xRB-xbN7nO1vFvo88o7d9WYPQhuwA5ktg9dl517IVe1OZ31ydwOnwbcgmT4aLkbw/s320/DSC06605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And my "Birds in Color" hand embroidered hat, designed by Yair Emanuel! This was my high school graduation present, and remains my favorite.</div>
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<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-13826616995859905892019-05-17T10:07:00.000-04:002019-05-17T10:07:16.383-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippot, Part Five of SevenToday I show you my blue kippot. I own more blue kippot than any other single color. (Only my "business" stack has more, 24, and those are all different colors, united by size. Blue is my most represented individual color.) This is because blue seems to be the most popular color for freebies at B'nei Mitzvah. ("B'nei Mitzvah" is the grammatically correct Hebrew plural for more than one Bar Mitzvah, or for a mixed gender grouping of more than one Bar and Bat Mitzvah.) Most of my blue stack--I think all except three--were picked up at these types of events.<br />
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Two additional notes before I show you my collection of blue: number one, tomorrow evening when I show you my purples you will finally see the one I picked up at last week's Bat Mitzvah. Tomorrow is another Bat Mitzvah, and I intend to pick up another freebie, #58 in my collection. I will work out how best to show it to you when I actually know what it looks like. And number two, I think I have picked out my kippot for my trip with JS at the end of the month. I intend to wear my cactus print kippah (for the first time!) Friday the 31st. I intend to wear the one JS bought me as a birthday gift (shown in this post) Saturday June 1st, and I think I will wear my penguin print kippah Sunday June 2nd.<br />
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Anyway. See blue kippot below.<br />
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This is one I picked up at a Bat Mitzvah at my current synagogue. Just counting my freebie kippot, I seem to have been to 12 B'nei Mitzvah there so far.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYkGPh_LvtlSekFHJ3cxb8W4Wwwi1yO2Om9mm6OlH1OyQOVmJDEgvmWFVTCj-lsrPkO2fq3haDTwObB6GwhpuStyiLT5lD8aGTJFjv6-XXxHJbCOSBSGO29lRjmT3fvG0nBqnj_g88h0/s1600/DSC06575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYkGPh_LvtlSekFHJ3cxb8W4Wwwi1yO2Om9mm6OlH1OyQOVmJDEgvmWFVTCj-lsrPkO2fq3haDTwObB6GwhpuStyiLT5lD8aGTJFjv6-XXxHJbCOSBSGO29lRjmT3fvG0nBqnj_g88h0/s320/DSC06575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I actually picked up this one at a Bat Mitzvah hosted at my undergrad. (Parents were alumni.) This was only my second blue one (who could dream that stack would grow to 10?) so I was happy to have it. It was handmade by the Bat Mitzvah family, and it has its own internal clip...which I've never figured out how to work, but it's there.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0XO_Xzo4nFnpGMqJ1hShdEMPLa-rVhQa1zFsvcXBnE8gf1iNmbwe5f5eS2XH-ZOcgnEbw0uBCOqu4SgUN_UXsskQ337oi98GkrtICHatSDAKX2-iXbYUcvs-FoXn4sZKYvVPiQwNsMU/s1600/DSC06576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0XO_Xzo4nFnpGMqJ1hShdEMPLa-rVhQa1zFsvcXBnE8gf1iNmbwe5f5eS2XH-ZOcgnEbw0uBCOqu4SgUN_UXsskQ337oi98GkrtICHatSDAKX2-iXbYUcvs-FoXn4sZKYvVPiQwNsMU/s320/DSC06576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Freebie from a Bat Mitzvah at my current synagogue. This is really a high end freebie. It's hard to see in the picture, but it is crocheted; as discussed yesterday, crocheted kippot, in bulk, do not come cheap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pgDJLAsSWHDFpBUbGR6dIoWL3W-QxqUEZMhusK88IVHnW0LTZQu1T_ox0tINGqTWGwAN7BVM1rP8NVbKIdMMhbiMg4pUbMyNiWhMS9dobVFUcxBUPXW4sZjZy9yAG7LztWAnmwrsdqQ/s1600/DSC06577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pgDJLAsSWHDFpBUbGR6dIoWL3W-QxqUEZMhusK88IVHnW0LTZQu1T_ox0tINGqTWGwAN7BVM1rP8NVbKIdMMhbiMg4pUbMyNiWhMS9dobVFUcxBUPXW4sZjZy9yAG7LztWAnmwrsdqQ/s320/DSC06577.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the one JS bought me for my birthday! I picked it out and he paid for it; I think he figured I was more likely to get what I wanted that way, rather than if he tried to pick it out and surprised me. JS wants me to pick out a new one for him for his birthday (in six months). He's been wearing the same one for 10 years, and it I falling apart. Somehow he does not trust himself to shop for this himself. After going back and forth with him for a few days, I think we have settled on Superman as the motif.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8xmEBChWma8zJIS68pECMzUGw1uaX0RyNcTMu7TlzxrRYxDr2JQ9tIz-tx7U85CNiT9YWG-l2mDECDcb-Tzw20-MIiFP8Xy21BWd_H_FrzwSOHzUKeAhXnsejoTTjDuVNgVRREgwm1A/s1600/DSC06578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8xmEBChWma8zJIS68pECMzUGw1uaX0RyNcTMu7TlzxrRYxDr2JQ9tIz-tx7U85CNiT9YWG-l2mDECDcb-Tzw20-MIiFP8Xy21BWd_H_FrzwSOHzUKeAhXnsejoTTjDuVNgVRREgwm1A/s320/DSC06578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Picked up from a Bat Mitzvah at my local synagogue. I had some kind of sickness that day and couldn't stay, so I saw none of the service (not even the beginning parts typically led by someone other than the Bat Mitzvah girl), but I wanted to keep it anyway.</div>
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This is an embroidered silk by Yair Emanuel. It is the second of three purchased blue ones; and it was my first, and for a long time only, blue one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqshp4Glwo5D6xKjY8WTbMhzo0PERP6ilvDLdDJDz9MDBeUw0aiosDwoOqvzCpozT_mUTBmHBAqTSPLRRejPOVdHcRAfC9EIbbC0wuNqoCRmFMl-wTWR66qcl4cFDYiY3o1tDEVs2uGOg/s1600/DSC06580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqshp4Glwo5D6xKjY8WTbMhzo0PERP6ilvDLdDJDz9MDBeUw0aiosDwoOqvzCpozT_mUTBmHBAqTSPLRRejPOVdHcRAfC9EIbbC0wuNqoCRmFMl-wTWR66qcl4cFDYiY3o1tDEVs2uGOg/s320/DSC06580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Free from a Bat Mitzvah at my local synagogue, a fairly recent one though I don't remember the exact date (and yes, it is the style referred to in my family as the "Bat Mitzvah Beanie")...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSANHX38rOlkOYo14-veZfpNb_xBydpWkcqIM9RQwqxozgqtthhB76Y7qR_z61k5dkzIUAtq58hH2mU5_Gh7Bu8NgeaU1BchD1bhzSw-bJItunhLPRWcHrJmUOlr-FlZXOLyVMOV8Fd9k/s1600/DSC06581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSANHX38rOlkOYo14-veZfpNb_xBydpWkcqIM9RQwqxozgqtthhB76Y7qR_z61k5dkzIUAtq58hH2mU5_Gh7Bu8NgeaU1BchD1bhzSw-bJItunhLPRWcHrJmUOlr-FlZXOLyVMOV8Fd9k/s320/DSC06581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Free from a Bar Mitzvah at my synagogue (so a "Bar Mitzvah Beanie")...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3skXn5M4dhyphenhyphenHQX_CIAL6hfG3DGagIMsMpZpnZ1EJkvsWnA5EanpGq5NUMARhT0fIGcb7sdFzEyPQHKQ3qjqRcCVjkD5DzBercUVEQe4WFSmQ3d62t0pcKHWrLNZKWNkoF9p9vHSQ7bC4/s1600/DSC06582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3skXn5M4dhyphenhyphenHQX_CIAL6hfG3DGagIMsMpZpnZ1EJkvsWnA5EanpGq5NUMARhT0fIGcb7sdFzEyPQHKQ3qjqRcCVjkD5DzBercUVEQe4WFSmQ3d62t0pcKHWrLNZKWNkoF9p9vHSQ7bC4/s320/DSC06582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Free from a Bar Mitzvah at my synagogue. (Another "Bar Mitzvah Beanie!")</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dfC84pO_zYVTNztBXU87TTL89FNlnj9MipyIXZQJXLwv-EEvrtr7DJ62dfILFeMzZbcGkckKT3dcWF1FFniD0L-oepK8deZJndFjaowpbxHnqxbIOp6g1K8t9uUws58k0coMNOfMPbU/s1600/DSC06583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dfC84pO_zYVTNztBXU87TTL89FNlnj9MipyIXZQJXLwv-EEvrtr7DJ62dfILFeMzZbcGkckKT3dcWF1FFniD0L-oepK8deZJndFjaowpbxHnqxbIOp6g1K8t9uUws58k0coMNOfMPbU/s320/DSC06583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A spectacular, hand embroidered hat by designer Yair Emanuel. I wanted this one for literally years before I managed to actually acquire it. This was part of my college graduation gift (along with my penguins kippah and my Sabbath/holiday candelabrum). It is supposed to portray Jerusalem; while I don't like wearing Jerusalem, this hat is so stylized no one would know, so it's OK. The truly fabulous part, which unfortunately you cannot see in this picture, is the rim; a series of buildings is embroidered all around, with none of them repeating.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMo5Vy-uAorudVdP0tdhQvZUpQzb2XlnhLSx0ybm_FTyuTpdiiP9g3yg3pQjY2EaMNqLvTSxGk8H2L3dkr1ydKJGzpC0wyec-ZTo7cHDQGkhDUnbi6hqNpNKFPT7MPjI7f28lB1BYiG_c/s1600/DSC06584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMo5Vy-uAorudVdP0tdhQvZUpQzb2XlnhLSx0ybm_FTyuTpdiiP9g3yg3pQjY2EaMNqLvTSxGk8H2L3dkr1ydKJGzpC0wyec-ZTo7cHDQGkhDUnbi6hqNpNKFPT7MPjI7f28lB1BYiG_c/s320/DSC06584.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-24182316528839193502019-05-16T10:38:00.000-04:002019-05-16T10:38:19.641-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippah, Part Four of SevenYou read that correctly: in this post, there is only one, single, solitary kippah. This is because I am up to the green color group, a vastly underrepresented color in my collection. There is only one green one that is not in the "business" stack, and you saw the "business" one (green and yellow, hand crocheted) in the first of this series of posts.<br />
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I picked this one up at a Bar Mitzvah at my current synagogue about two and a half years ago. It feels weird to have been living an adult life long enough to have done ANYTHING two and a half years ago, but there you are. This is a remarkably nice Bar Mitzvah kippah: crocheted kippot do not come cheap. Moreover, this particular Bar Mitzvah had them in two color schemes. There was the green and off-white you see here, and there was also a gorgeous blue and purple. I honestly thought the blue and purple were prettier, but in terms of diversifying my collection, I needed the one shown here more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWTL9UrvqA0w9fB17IfjJsP-DErKclFmJftapiK8Zxq_muQ1DtGj0bLpCmwVjxxoqO0b3VvMRA5mAWEmCMUCRO5B-IKN6GyAB7BqStrddjitBKqgf2BRZsk1lz8zvA5Qokr8afIz62Bg/s1600/DSC06557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWTL9UrvqA0w9fB17IfjJsP-DErKclFmJftapiK8Zxq_muQ1DtGj0bLpCmwVjxxoqO0b3VvMRA5mAWEmCMUCRO5B-IKN6GyAB7BqStrddjitBKqgf2BRZsk1lz8zvA5Qokr8afIz62Bg/s320/DSC06557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another note about kippot: JS and I are taking a mini-getaway-vacation together May 31-June 2. (Yes, if he's comfortable with it and I remember my camera, there will be pictures.) I am still debating which kippot to wear: I want the most important part of each outfit (and I do pick my kippot most carefully and consider them the most important thing I wear each day) to be as special as the trip itself. Right now, I'm thinking of debuting my cactus kippah (ordering it Monday, should have it by the trip) on the first day, the Friday; and wearing the blue and pink floral one that JS bought me for my last birthday on the second day, the Saturday; still unsure which one for Sunday. Possibly my bisexual pride one...</div>
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<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-8122846751065320512019-05-15T10:23:00.001-04:002019-05-15T10:23:17.123-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippot, Part Three of SevenToday I will show you my kippot with red as the main color. This is a very diverse stack in terms of style: the only unifying factor is color; otherwise, no two are alike.<br />
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This one is rather small and flimsy, but I still love it. I bought it on Etsy; you can find almost anything--including many styles of handmade kippot--there. There were several dragons available; I got the red one to complement undergrad university T-shirts. I am planning to wear this one this Friday, with a gray skort to match the background, and a red top (undergrad university T-shirt, or plain polo shirt) to match the dragon itself, this Friday.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUrhkMpRkmzpxLLH6rqXlzRNwlm8iTDk8yAlLlpi34kOTxj6xgZcVfSfWIxNyLDn6Xyr7kV6FhANPMwJsvHLN1Jg6QGNNnwD8UTTJse7iCFZN2Ieur7ERJUDnyhp9qbnmPgtInj8Z3OY/s1600/DSC06538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUrhkMpRkmzpxLLH6rqXlzRNwlm8iTDk8yAlLlpi34kOTxj6xgZcVfSfWIxNyLDn6Xyr7kV6FhANPMwJsvHLN1Jg6QGNNnwD8UTTJse7iCFZN2Ieur7ERJUDnyhp9qbnmPgtInj8Z3OY/s320/DSC06538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another embroidered silk by designer Yair Emanuel. I bought this one, even before the dragon, specifically to go with those red undergrad T-shirts. It's quite useful, as I have three of those shirts and now also a plain red polo, plus a skirt I got specifically to go with them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI96fLiVEftVAtVsPQ6rsalEv0cwL2ys1K0qvBtBzSfZsHQjQ2j6ario-BlKJkueT4gZfoBusenayM2jbiiuqZoRwMmQHbj2WbobLleNv2eXtopOJCb48Wpk_r7LnhUYevr4ZKr3c7zs8/s1600/DSC06539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI96fLiVEftVAtVsPQ6rsalEv0cwL2ys1K0qvBtBzSfZsHQjQ2j6ario-BlKJkueT4gZfoBusenayM2jbiiuqZoRwMmQHbj2WbobLleNv2eXtopOJCb48Wpk_r7LnhUYevr4ZKr3c7zs8/s320/DSC06539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is one of the four (five if you count the one I only wear to Yom Kippur evening services) that I wear on Sabbath and holiday evenings. These are so big that I've seen them referred to as "hats" rather than kippot or yarmulkes by websites selling them. This particular one was inherited form the family kippah drawer.</div>
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This is a machine embroidered silk--and therefore cheaper and less intricate than my hand embroidered ones (you'll see one of those with the blue stack and one with the purple stack)--by designer Yair Emanuel. If I stick with my plan to wear gray and red on Friday, this is the one I'll be wearing Friday evening.</div>
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<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-85980537714475683972019-05-14T09:28:00.000-04:002019-05-14T09:28:08.996-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippot, Part Two of SevenToday you will see my pink kippot; all except the "business" stack are organized by color.<br />
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This one was given to me by my ex boyfriend's parents; it is from a Bat Mitzvah they attended. You can't really see it in the picture, but the print is actually very flashy. That flashy print is the reason why this is not a "business" kippah, even though it is the right size.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZJ8Dg6jY6iMECVxw3bMkIcxnWGnhjLUlgxKiM_xTG1HZrswR-uVnCx5UKGN0XMy4rHHZzoEzHNpnLwwKc9y3EmZeXmw6v9Ix6BgeuTIzyrxFep8NbPr5ngbuplLkAIghCWEKgZ47cjE/s1600/DSC06527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZJ8Dg6jY6iMECVxw3bMkIcxnWGnhjLUlgxKiM_xTG1HZrswR-uVnCx5UKGN0XMy4rHHZzoEzHNpnLwwKc9y3EmZeXmw6v9Ix6BgeuTIzyrxFep8NbPr5ngbuplLkAIghCWEKgZ47cjE/s320/DSC06527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is another one made for me by my first friend in the city. (You saw the other one yesterday.) This one was a straight-up gift, and I picked out the colors while keeping him company one Sunday in the art gallery he ran.</div>
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This one is my favorite style: medium sized, embroidered silk by designer Yair Emanuel. Yair Emanuel is my favorite Judaica designer, and many of his pieces grace my home.</div>
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Same as above: medium sized, embroidered silk by designer Yair Emanuel. I love the ornate print of embroidery on this one, bands of different shapes. The website calls it "geometric shapes magenta," though I find the background to be more a burgundy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrpPgogYbNrH71YmPuAXecmf2YavyhxzJtEBkWK1hDqqd-SqMmDfuJ8yiRNwthYM1hQC95IJ1G5rrqtExO0vE-uo8MGih9xYfPzlBvdsrKFdCw8sAg5to3XK0eeA8R5In26svTXXO8TA/s1600/DSC06530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrpPgogYbNrH71YmPuAXecmf2YavyhxzJtEBkWK1hDqqd-SqMmDfuJ8yiRNwthYM1hQC95IJ1G5rrqtExO0vE-uo8MGih9xYfPzlBvdsrKFdCw8sAg5to3XK0eeA8R5In26svTXXO8TA/s320/DSC06530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My family refers to this style--cheap satin--as a "Bat Mitzvah Beanie." I will say it was made cheaply to be affordable in bulk for the celebration (many Jews, at their life cycle events, provide these for whomever wants, which is usually all the men and me), however I actually like these as they are easy to match to outfits, and sometimes that's convenient.</div>
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<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-38326923626968371572019-05-13T13:48:00.000-04:002019-05-13T13:48:14.918-04:00Proudly Displaying Kippot, Part One of SevenI know I have done this before, but it was a while ago; several kippot (not sure how many) have been added to the collection since. So each day, until every single kippah is photographed and displayed, I am showing photos from one stack. Shown here are the "business" ones, so called because I consider them small enough to wear to work in non-Jewish environments. There are 24 of them. Enjoy!<br />
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The following eight were all crocheted by a then-very-dear friend, as Hannukah presents a couple years ago. She made each from a different pattern! They are much my smallest, even smaller than I like for business; we had a miscommunication about sizing. See all eight below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtejYDMyFt6yop6Jcz4o8TxcpbNco4j3sNFomJSQd54nv8gh9p9Yv6nb7yzp7XhXdaOMrgOWOt9GaywbbXbgb-N5zQjSGgg18XaGlw7HjAgOhA07MLczu9mTmFEiS9ZHbK40yp7XecJ8/s1600/DSC06485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtejYDMyFt6yop6Jcz4o8TxcpbNco4j3sNFomJSQd54nv8gh9p9Yv6nb7yzp7XhXdaOMrgOWOt9GaywbbXbgb-N5zQjSGgg18XaGlw7HjAgOhA07MLczu9mTmFEiS9ZHbK40yp7XecJ8/s320/DSC06485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-iZ_LBUIzDjY0oquNAw3f2kXoaGdgA3X8gRooYKxB2B5qK31MrOcWvuTPXY3OwXp7aQxDgd0BAz9Ajiiltdq8tff7tPjTo_Pk5xQMuSmO7J2cJDqO0JVepDkdxSa9wWZJFxDETPSHUo/s1600/DSC06491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-iZ_LBUIzDjY0oquNAw3f2kXoaGdgA3X8gRooYKxB2B5qK31MrOcWvuTPXY3OwXp7aQxDgd0BAz9Ajiiltdq8tff7tPjTo_Pk5xQMuSmO7J2cJDqO0JVepDkdxSa9wWZJFxDETPSHUo/s320/DSC06491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is probably my most important kippah out of all 57. It represents bisexual pride. Recently, I have been proud to wear it, showing the world how confident I am in all the aspects that make me, me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1vgM-xg-p69JRlz0YsP1XZl5IWvbTJ3Bln1ep-q101zswXZHqRv3y4mStc0SWKMWZEc5F4KA3MzwUfN815VMIzYKjydqNvPfIVDsdRxeCTaJEIisnLIVI8XVG1F8wHzQHgiUMh6sMG8/s1600/DSC06494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1vgM-xg-p69JRlz0YsP1XZl5IWvbTJ3Bln1ep-q101zswXZHqRv3y4mStc0SWKMWZEc5F4KA3MzwUfN815VMIzYKjydqNvPfIVDsdRxeCTaJEIisnLIVI8XVG1F8wHzQHgiUMh6sMG8/s320/DSC06494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is my gay pride kippah, made by the same person as the one above. I bought both of these on Etsy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sEoFEJeE5UcD0vRkVr-Y42wkkSE5uP8_rhMpRje5UxD6UKhk_Bdo09UuCobeh63A03VD3H9-qEilFfHxXHlha9bUHHM2cQDsd8X02WH_kHwnxSzShG3XozI-OjiAQhkptkxISkvfxWU/s1600/DSC06495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sEoFEJeE5UcD0vRkVr-Y42wkkSE5uP8_rhMpRje5UxD6UKhk_Bdo09UuCobeh63A03VD3H9-qEilFfHxXHlha9bUHHM2cQDsd8X02WH_kHwnxSzShG3XozI-OjiAQhkptkxISkvfxWU/s320/DSC06495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This one comes from a shop, Kippah Man, on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. Ben Yehuda Street is a major tourist shopping street, and I have fond memories of being there with my class in 2009.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LfTKJ2xL2Hy8xjvlXt_PaJpoi0lsO0huj4VDdGFXOmAZv-MR1NnRD1L1CYgY8PdMAoor0kg7AuO1Y9g8lYl8KRt5PgHP0ef1f6hSlPxPqg90wmQxEdxYJFv17yfG9t0AJQFYi1k-Huw/s1600/DSC06496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LfTKJ2xL2Hy8xjvlXt_PaJpoi0lsO0huj4VDdGFXOmAZv-MR1NnRD1L1CYgY8PdMAoor0kg7AuO1Y9g8lYl8KRt5PgHP0ef1f6hSlPxPqg90wmQxEdxYJFv17yfG9t0AJQFYi1k-Huw/s320/DSC06496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the first one I can remember receiving. I got it at age eight; it was a gift from my father. He brought it home from a Rabbinical Assembly Convention.</div>
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Second one I can remember receiving, also a gift from my father from a Rabbinical Assembly Convention. This time, I was 10.</div>
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My first friend in the city made this one for me. It was a swap: I gave him one of my embroidered silk ones to celebrate his conversion to Judaism (yes, hard to part with, I love my embroidered silk ones, but that was part of the point), and he made me this one in exchange.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwU6eWHvN-3v-uQU_ji4iMPoCcUWJICYzWFz4A6St-Q7gyxGLs3bXN_aoTup38b02WwYURNfDL4IKNHfZ8vCF_Ybk3SJwcYkCO2zXTc7cRv8Yt0xgn-j_kKY_6f7XhDRHXjglkukcHTk/s1600/DSC06499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwU6eWHvN-3v-uQU_ji4iMPoCcUWJICYzWFz4A6St-Q7gyxGLs3bXN_aoTup38b02WwYURNfDL4IKNHfZ8vCF_Ybk3SJwcYkCO2zXTc7cRv8Yt0xgn-j_kKY_6f7XhDRHXjglkukcHTk/s320/DSC06499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now come the suede ones. First, one from my own Bat Mitzvah. (You'll see multiple freebies from such events sprinkled throughout my collection.) I had them in two colors, and...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyee-HfnYzkHJ3ouQwdGmxDCzNa-oqIgs6UyvfjZuWcaF10WcyokDIbeZEZypapRquOgGCndkrXPs75gQmfF39jBMt_g0hRTihB6UpuRTTyl8pW0yoE46G2vjuhxn87s3tvHyuWWCcSyQ/s1600/DSC06500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyee-HfnYzkHJ3ouQwdGmxDCzNa-oqIgs6UyvfjZuWcaF10WcyokDIbeZEZypapRquOgGCndkrXPs75gQmfF39jBMt_g0hRTihB6UpuRTTyl8pW0yoE46G2vjuhxn87s3tvHyuWWCcSyQ/s320/DSC06500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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...Here's the other one!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nyFZwU5i0lkuwwfw1m_kcQkyEU_CEdUJxBRD45T6_atfbSTEytvGt-4eRQNQE_sbSUPpAnus6VAwgSAZhTspfIjKTX_FUwR65fGeqdO3JoaySjSQrQfeWglHQNSQilJzkrW4Detxv74/s1600/DSC06501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nyFZwU5i0lkuwwfw1m_kcQkyEU_CEdUJxBRD45T6_atfbSTEytvGt-4eRQNQE_sbSUPpAnus6VAwgSAZhTspfIjKTX_FUwR65fGeqdO3JoaySjSQrQfeWglHQNSQilJzkrW4Detxv74/s320/DSC06501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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From a college roommate's (I believe on this blog I have called her "Emily") wedding. They messed up her maiden name on the stamp inside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmm39lUNNR554NQUItTuehovLVAkCrqIaP-Dmg4WuA2y8CA2_5DDudpAwHn5Q84-WRGoOk1cS_4ZO2W90CGOYxrzBhIDutMTudMY1xfO8bYuu5A0jaz6TeBBXyxoJuLk1pbxsP5F5c4EE/s1600/DSC06502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmm39lUNNR554NQUItTuehovLVAkCrqIaP-Dmg4WuA2y8CA2_5DDudpAwHn5Q84-WRGoOk1cS_4ZO2W90CGOYxrzBhIDutMTudMY1xfO8bYuu5A0jaz6TeBBXyxoJuLk1pbxsP5F5c4EE/s320/DSC06502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is from my high school graduation. I rarely wear it, as I consider it my most boring option out of all 57, but I am glad to have it as a keepsake nonetheless.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxq5UQjEHFEH9pZENjKryOH0LRH-LVdBsZatDUUstjF4E3ecOBpL-YPUacJzxfGqj33eEMW9D1YkMO6JVZQatnlFYSCcqke4xxzDArawLtcif-Ups9369Mk0omHb14S4ymOmFr71hYnk/s1600/DSC06503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxq5UQjEHFEH9pZENjKryOH0LRH-LVdBsZatDUUstjF4E3ecOBpL-YPUacJzxfGqj33eEMW9D1YkMO6JVZQatnlFYSCcqke4xxzDArawLtcif-Ups9369Mk0omHb14S4ymOmFr71hYnk/s320/DSC06503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bar Mitzvah freebie from my current synagogue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzdy5q9aIIGT_HnFYJa6d2y6s-3cIDv9WoHeMlC57-UXyak8ybebAaWMszQUWGCBlyc8mNys7nt1dPIX3Xzd819e_Fzrg-BeYtQz8fz_4caUnrqSZuO88wWong3s4rnmi90TOsL0vOXs/s1600/DSC06504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzdy5q9aIIGT_HnFYJa6d2y6s-3cIDv9WoHeMlC57-UXyak8ybebAaWMszQUWGCBlyc8mNys7nt1dPIX3Xzd819e_Fzrg-BeYtQz8fz_4caUnrqSZuO88wWong3s4rnmi90TOsL0vOXs/s320/DSC06504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bar Mitzvah freebie from my current synagogue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbBQ6KV9kMTTR-JqEyELHfhySfZ2p4ESzT5_BUPfiGkqoQpfs-InXAeW8jeWvEgMyPUjeNh9Rq-Bfmb5yHBk8qCOldIeoIitnxvVDIk_KtCqUy3XZ-80zCHHu_mQY5e-LEkIAg5NA_-o/s1600/DSC06505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbBQ6KV9kMTTR-JqEyELHfhySfZ2p4ESzT5_BUPfiGkqoQpfs-InXAeW8jeWvEgMyPUjeNh9Rq-Bfmb5yHBk8qCOldIeoIitnxvVDIk_KtCqUy3XZ-80zCHHu_mQY5e-LEkIAg5NA_-o/s320/DSC06505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bat Mitzvah freebie from my current synagogue, picked up just a few weeks ago.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7tSbbWhs8ILveYh2Fo0bW87gDiUz9VWoRUGmgzIFVBKvZOX026TtB0_Xj-trHvBggFTwcxjSeuncaGM1mkt69pPafuYpXNFBOJKF1lA5qgxm08ODqkzgkMpD47XaDhHW8GR1zNKhaCM/s1600/DSC06506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7tSbbWhs8ILveYh2Fo0bW87gDiUz9VWoRUGmgzIFVBKvZOX026TtB0_Xj-trHvBggFTwcxjSeuncaGM1mkt69pPafuYpXNFBOJKF1lA5qgxm08ODqkzgkMpD47XaDhHW8GR1zNKhaCM/s320/DSC06506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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PENGUINS! My mother calls me her little penguin, so I like to collect penguin memorabilia. This kippah was part of my three-part (the others being a much fancier kippah, and my candelabrum) college graduation gift. It's not the highest quality kippah out there, but it is fairly rugged and holds up well; the price was right; and the print is fun, so I consider it a winner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_Lk0QLCK19Qgd0GDUCn6ri2E69L2n1t_jF1Caw3h491wMNnKS4hPqzThQma4dhw4bPUM4jBI_xZN-nV-1wcypTmkn775-w3td-TPt4pciBqIk0s2Y4OqrhxVbU9-oAi69IFFKkXxyEc/s1600/DSC06507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_Lk0QLCK19Qgd0GDUCn6ri2E69L2n1t_jF1Caw3h491wMNnKS4hPqzThQma4dhw4bPUM4jBI_xZN-nV-1wcypTmkn775-w3td-TPt4pciBqIk0s2Y4OqrhxVbU9-oAi69IFFKkXxyEc/s320/DSC06507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This one was included with my Bat Mitzvah prayer shawl. When I first started wearing a kippah full time, this was one of only two that I owned; I therefore wore it a lot, and it dramatically faded. The background used to be purple.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX6n4ZepCwYm8cVbFQg-581DpMwlESdrumls6Vmx8KAFZa5ZqdfDvx5t_-FvGllPq0rbc11Bw8u5oAombex3lH-pgdnVJMGSuRcqmYpreUu2CSx5YGiFZu8dhPxfji6tOlwBShdk3yq0/s1600/DSC06508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX6n4ZepCwYm8cVbFQg-581DpMwlESdrumls6Vmx8KAFZa5ZqdfDvx5t_-FvGllPq0rbc11Bw8u5oAombex3lH-pgdnVJMGSuRcqmYpreUu2CSx5YGiFZu8dhPxfji6tOlwBShdk3yq0/s320/DSC06508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And, finally, another Bar Mitzvah freebie from my current synagogue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGvB5wf7hLWq8hp_ZGLpGUDTgFaMM1GSwhWqCDL0dNWJhd0mepB0cFP5HHXAwK5KVSX5J4JcGS7Ws5RJjONAMA6drtIctMuuvsPsDPU3ZAV7cWsSUXNCT-he096_GGxNnBOfpdE-r9Ps/s1600/DSC06509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGvB5wf7hLWq8hp_ZGLpGUDTgFaMM1GSwhWqCDL0dNWJhd0mepB0cFP5HHXAwK5KVSX5J4JcGS7Ws5RJjONAMA6drtIctMuuvsPsDPU3ZAV7cWsSUXNCT-he096_GGxNnBOfpdE-r9Ps/s320/DSC06509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-15739063572547793312019-05-12T17:48:00.000-04:002019-05-12T17:48:28.426-04:00Earth-ShatteringIt's taken me some time to puzzle out my scrambled thoughts, regarding something I found out Thursday evening:<br />
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Yes, I can get my Masters in Early Childhood.<br />
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No (unless I misunderstood them), not with teaching certification.<br />
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I'm frankly not even sure I should be teaching anyway. I am fantastic at enjoying and influencing children one-on-one. I have a problem with groups, issues shifting attention and maintaining focus that my previous psychiatrist once said have to do with being bipolar. (And yes, these are effects that are always there, not just when the bipolar individual is in an episode.) People who observed me teaching my lesson plans (once last semester, once this semester) saw that. I can't even handle a group of three to five children, and public school classes have five times that many.<br />
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I don't quite know, at this moment, what I'm going to do with my life. I have a meeting with my advisor on Tuesday; we're supposed to talk about my thesis but I will throw in requests for career advice too. She holds a PhD in Early Childhood (started the program at my grad school), which is one avenue I am currently considering. Even though I am good one-on-one with children, no careers of that sort feel interesting or compelling right now. Not interested in child therapy, social work, or being a para professional.<br />
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It's hard to start over at age 26. 26 is not "old-old," but it is old enough that starting over is tricky. For the last three years, I have wanted to be a teacher. I fought for teaching; I dreamed of teaching. Now it isn't going to happen.<br />
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One consolation is that now I don't have to put together an edTPA. The edTPA is a portfolio that goes to the state government, basically saying, "Hey, look, I can teach." It contains things like lesson plans and videos. It is truly vast, and teacher candidates put it together while student teaching. Keep in mind that student teaching is full days in schools, Monday to Friday; that there are class sessions in the evening as well; and that I desperately need nine hours of sleep a night, and really function better with 10. I was beginning to be worried about where and how and when I would work on my edTPA.<br />
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Another small consolation is that I will be getting a new yarmulke as a "consolation prize." I found one by the same makers of my penguins one that has a pint of green cacti. I love cacti; I want to own one someday. It is not an expensive yarmulke (12 dollars); the quality is not great, but the price is right, and my penguins one is actually quite rugged for the quality. When the new one comes, I will photograph and blog both it and the one I picked up at a Bat Mitzvah yesterday (dark purple canvas; finally, NOT blue and NOT suede or satin!). <br />
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So that is my earth-shattering news. I truly do feel shattered, but I have no doubt I will pick myself up, dust myself off, and carry on. It just won't be in the way I planned.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-86189275373453953062019-04-30T15:56:00.000-04:002019-04-30T15:56:42.947-04:00As a Jew with a Blog...As a Jew with a blog, I feel compelled to say something about the California synagogue shooting that happened this past Saturday. It's taken me this long to be able to contemplate saying anything, and I don't even know what I'm going to say; this post will evolve as I write it.<br />
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Chief among my emotions right now, as they ride high, is a sense of not being safe in my world. I live in a safe neighborhood, in a relatively safe city, in a relatively safe country, but suddenly my feeling of safety is RELATIVE. No longer does it feel safe to be a Jew.<br />
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People who look at my yarmulke are looking longer now. I'm used to the quick "what is that" glance; but now those glances hold for a few seconds. I don't get a greater number of looks than before, so mostly I don't care, but still, I notice the difference.<br />
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I debate whether it is safe to do the Jewish things I have always done. I dealt with hostility over my yarmulke and fringes on and off from the time I started wearing them (yarmulke right before high school, fringes middle of college); this feels different. I've never been afraid for my physical safety before. I even find myself wondering if I should continue to go to synagogue. The answer is yes, especially this week, the week right after the shooting. If I don't go, they win.<br />
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That's what this comes down to: a fight for freedom. If I stop wearing a yarmulke and/or going to synagogue, the terrorists, the extremists, the anti-Semites...they win. They win their battle and their war to get rid of Jews. I won't let them.<br />
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I WON'T LET THEM. Till the day I die, I won't stop being Jewish and expressing it. I will die for my people before I stop being one of them.<br />
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Besides, I have a gorgeous new synagogue blouse; it goes with a skirt for which I haven't had a blouse in a while; and it should be warm enough to wear it this Saturday. It is pink, and I plan to wear my pink silk "pomegranates" yarmulke with it.<br />
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I am proud to be Jewish.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-80836036804378370982019-04-17T09:27:00.001-04:002019-04-17T09:27:09.862-04:00Almost PassoverIt's almost Passover (begins Friday evening the nineteenth), and my feelings are jumping like beans.<br />
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There is real, true rejoicing that I am free, free from bondage, free to wonder and worship and serve God. These are the feelings the holiday is meant to evoke as we celebrate. I don't always manage to feel them, but this year I really, truly do. So there is rejoicing, and also wonder at the miracles God worked and continues to work. (No, I don't believe the story happened, certainly not as written in the Bible. Yes, I celebrate my freedom and worship of God, as symbolized in this story, anyway.)<br />
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There is also just "jumping bean excitement" over seeing my family. For various reasons, my entire immediate family (father, mother, and brothers ages 29 and 22) still all lives together; I am the only one out on my own. I love going home and seeing all of them at once. This visit, I get the extra special, sweet opportunity to see my grandmother. We talk on the phone almost every day; I am planning to go visit her, just me, this summer for 10 days. She's 87 (No, that's not a typo!) and I want to soak up all the time with her that I can get. She comes for Passover now, and this year she is bringing her significant other (not my grandfather, he died in summer 2016; yes, there was an entry on this blog about it). It will be lovely to see her too.<br />
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Yet even with all these wonderful, positive feelings come worry and dread. I still do not know what's happening with my school situation. I got my rubric (chart with aspects of assignment, graded with numbers; in this case 1-4, with 4 being best and 1 being worst) for the lesson plan demonstration last night; strictly speaking numbers wise, I'm pretty sure I did not fail the assignment. But the comments at the bottom were disastrous: ripped into my teaching and tore it apart. If I were the Powers That Be in the department, seeing that, I would not keep me in the program.<br />
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I do not know where I will go or what I will do next if this program tells me to leave. This was my dream, this is my passion, and I won't leave it forever. I feel fierce determination; I will eventually be a teacher, come what may.<br />
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Side note: I recently decided that on each trip, I will showcase one type of kippah. For this trip, for example, I have my hand embroidered hats (graduation presents, one from high school and one from college, very much my fanciest kippot) to wear to the actual Passover sedarim (fancy, ritual meals on the first two nights of the holiday), but other than that I am only wearing suede. I have the pastel blue one with silver border, from this past weekend's Bat Mitzvah, on my head right now; over the course of the trip I will also wear navy with a silver border, dark purple, pink, and royal blue with a red-and-silver border. The purple and pink come from my own Bat Mitzvah. I think on my next trip I will just bring my blue stack, and wear only blue kippot for the entirety of the trip.<br />
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Passover, here I come! It's almost here, and I can't wait!free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-52773254627181066802019-04-15T16:15:00.000-04:002019-04-15T16:15:10.547-04:00Lesson Plan DayThis morning, bright and early, I demonstrated my lesson plan. That is, I attempted to actually teach, while observed by a professor.<br />
<br />
There is good news and bad news.<br />
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The bad news is that I lack the ability to manage certain kinds of teaching skills that teacher candidates in my position and at my point in their education are just expected to know. The most prominent one in my mind right now is that I cannot corral and control a group of children. To clarify: we are not even talking about an entire classroom of children; we are talking about a small group of five students.<br />
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The good news is that I am now so very good at some aspects of teaching, including some I could not do as recently as last semester, when I took this course the first time. For example, I am very good at zeroing in on specific students and helping them. I am also much better at adapting a lesson to fit actual kids, rather than sticking rigidly to my own hypothetical plans. (That second one I am actually really proud of--that's a skill I did not have at all last semester.)<br />
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The observation was such a mix of good and bad that the department wants to talk before they decide what to do with me. If they decide I should leave the program--which, if I understood my observer, would mean I needed time and experience, and could then come back--they have ideas and suggestions about where to go next; they are not just throwing me to the wolves.<br />
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My feelings? There is a certain amount of devastation. I worked really, really hard on this lesson plan: this is my second time through the course, and for weeks my primary schoolwork was this lesson plan. With understanding and support from my thesis professor (also my advisor, also head of the program), I worked on my thesis not at all. I wanted this so very badly...I did.<br />
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But I rally around the fact that I serve a Big God; and that, working together, God and I will get me where I am supposed to go in life. I wrote in 2018 that 2014 me could never have pictured 2018 me; and that, perhaps, 2018 me could not picture 2222 me. Of course I work as hard as I possibly can in the direction I believe my life is supposed to go; but ultimately, God has control. The two of us together will get me to the position in life where I belong, no matter how much I fumble to get there and how many false paths I go down along the way.<br />
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This is where faith, religion, and spirituality really help. I am devastated. I am. I didn't even realize it till I sat down to write this, but I am. It's only natural, I think, considering how hard I tried and how much I wanted this to go in my favor.<br />
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And then there are the feelings of self loathing...as if it were my fault this happened this way. I won't even touch on those here...that's therapist territory.<br />
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I plan to have the best Spring break possible anyway. Until I hear for sure I am out of the program (Heaven forbid, but it is a possibility), I am going to carry on with my schoolwork. I still plan to take the CST in May, so there's studying for that to do. I am still going to work on my thesis as well. And I will have as meaningful a Passover as I can manage. It's the best I can do.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-51469326203506690402019-04-14T14:51:00.001-04:002019-04-14T14:51:46.736-04:00Kippah Number 56<div>
At yesterday's Bat Mitzvah, I managed to snag kippah 56! It is a perfect addition to my "business" stack: small enough to not be so noticeable; and suede, a business-like material, at least in my mind. Here it is, in all its pastel-blue, silver-rimmed, glory:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTLZ12f1nRH9JEW2CxjmFFSuEgB0C3jw2e9SSrQR_s8G_oEuwLNqeaz0RoxC33vt6gtIAgeVBKhVKrFAd5wWktkS7h9Rb67ZUUE1OMdCXkc9ti9hhX1iyv33WzlrXEbzqyIfQRr6Oluw/s1600/DSC06434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTLZ12f1nRH9JEW2CxjmFFSuEgB0C3jw2e9SSrQR_s8G_oEuwLNqeaz0RoxC33vt6gtIAgeVBKhVKrFAd5wWktkS7h9Rb67ZUUE1OMdCXkc9ti9hhX1iyv33WzlrXEbzqyIfQRr6Oluw/s320/DSC06434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also happen to possess a kippah from this young woman's older brother's Bar Mitzvah, three years ago almost to the day (they might even have had the same Torah portion, I don't remember)...which makes me feel, well, old; as well as proud that I have been a semi-regular at that synagogue for so long. Her brother's kippah, navy suede with a notched silver border, also has a happy home in my "business" stack. Below is a picture of the two kippot together:</div>
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free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-35004810320240257912019-04-12T14:44:00.001-04:002019-04-12T14:44:42.129-04:00Just Musing (Nine Paragraphs Worth!)On this Friday afternoon, about half an hour before I dive into preparing for the Sabbath, I have no photographs--just words.<br />
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I have noticed recently that it is getting harder and harder to pay attention to my schoolwork and do a productive, decent quality job on it. Having thought the matter through, I have managed to identify one cause: sleep, or rather lack thereof.<br />
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Let me be clear: I am still getting<i> quantity</i> sleep. What I am not getting, and probably simply won't manage until I teach my lesson plan and therefore stay in the school program, is<i> quality</i> sleep. All the sleep in the world won't make a bit of difference if it isn't deep and relaxing enough.<br />
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Since I cannot force myself to relax and get deep sleep at night, I have found I must rest somewhere, somehow, during the day. On days home all day, that's simple enough: after I have done the truly critical school stuff for that day I simply tuck myself into bed for an hour to an hour and a half. Days involving leaving and going out and about are more difficult, but I still try for this rest. Also critical is that for the moment, until I am sleeping better at night (when one is supposed to sleep, just saying!) I am "dividing and conquering" the schoolwork: more, shorter sessions rather than one or two long ones.<br />
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In other news, tomorrow I go to synagogue again! I discovered last week that I will truly, truly only last for an hour of the service due to chronic pain. (I do NOT feel sorry for myself, AT ALL: going to that synagogue in the first place is enough of a miracle, but facing facts means facing facts.) The more critical parts of the service--the technically required parts--start about 45 minutes in. Henceforth, I time my experience there to coincide with these parts of the service. Additionally, tomorrow is a Bat Mitzvah; I should be able to snag kippah #56.<br />
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This summer, I am getting one more warm weather synagogue outfit. I'm quite excited; I don't get new clothes very often. However, I currently go to synagogue every week, alternating between only two outfits (a purple and orange floral blouse and skirt or a blue dress with lace down the front). That's not enough. For the upcoming skirt, which I have to buy in person because I do not know my size and anyway skirt sizes change across brands, I am going back to the Orthodox Jewish clothing store about half an hour walk from my undergrad where I bought seven of the skirts I own now. I am more comfortable buying the blouse online because shirt sizes are more consistent. Regardless, I would be buying the blouse in a "normal" store; I have no use for Orthodox-style tops.<br />
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I have agreed to sleep over at JS's place over Memorial Day weekend. I'm quite excited and I definitely want to; the only reason this is weird is that he still lives with his parents. But I've met his parents before, I'm comfortable with them, and hey--if he wants me, he wants me.<br />
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The only thing left to share is to tell about my current sewing project. I am making a patchwork throw pillow for my "religion" chair: my rocker, turned to face East, and really only used for religious purposes. The pillow is going to be six squares across and six squares down, in three different materials: black with a small gray floral, a big brown print, and delicate pastel pink stripes with small flowers strewn over. I have a material I might use for the back, if I have enough of it; otherwise I'm going to have to buy a piece for the back. The patches started out four inches each side; so I suppose the pillow will be 24 inches each side. That's bigger than I pictured, but will actually fit the chair well. I love making things to beautify my religious practice, and it's been a long time since I did.<br />
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SHABBAT SHALOM EVERYONE!free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-37371371449559565162019-04-08T06:37:00.001-04:002019-04-08T06:37:35.519-04:00JS and MeBelow is a selfie of JS and me, taken just outside the restaurant in which we eat at the end of all dates. We are getting closer and closer with each date, and I find that exciting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZburpSBfVlB0hFARbKQQT7yPglGl85VagVATRtGw9yNZQSt56o4vtRhlIieiDnFz0gi52U5LI4MSMGUQHKoDF99gu0B5E4B6YhUOOyZeGF1hYzNPUtogS-Avq4ykiSwOsdzP64d_30w/s1600/DSC06428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZburpSBfVlB0hFARbKQQT7yPglGl85VagVATRtGw9yNZQSt56o4vtRhlIieiDnFz0gi52U5LI4MSMGUQHKoDF99gu0B5E4B6YhUOOyZeGF1hYzNPUtogS-Avq4ykiSwOsdzP64d_30w/s320/DSC06428.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-10683930968573855812019-04-05T10:59:00.000-04:002019-04-05T10:59:07.628-04:00A New Psalm to Add to the "Favorites" List, and a New Sabbath TraditionPrior to today, my favorite Psalms, and the ones in which I found the most meaning, were #19, #23, #91, and #148. (I named this blog after #91.) Favorite quotations from each (Artscroll translation):<br />
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#19: "In their midst He has set up a tent for the sun, which is like a groom emerging from his bridal chamber, it rejoices like a powerful warrior to run the course."<br />
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#23: "Though I walk in the valley overshadowed by death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me."<br />
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#91: "He will charge His angels for you, to protect you in all your ways. On palms they will carry you, lest you strike your foot against a stone."<br />
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#148: "Praise Hashem from the earth, sea giants and all watery depths. Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling his word. Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars. Beasts and all cattle, crawling things and winged fowl. Kings of the earth and all governments, princes and all judges on earth. Young men and also maidens, old men together with youths."<br />
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Anyway, today during my morning Bible reading after prayers (I try to read at least one Bible chapter every morning, and I am in the book of Psalms right now), I "discovered" Psalm 18. I quickly decided it needed to be added to the "favorites" list. Here are some of the best (in my own personal opinion) lines:<br />
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"And the earth quaked and roared, the foundations of the mountains shook..."<br />
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"He mounted a cherub and flew, he swooped on the wings of the wind."<br />
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"For it is You Who will light my lamp, Hashem, my God, will illuminate my darkness."<br />
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"For with You I smash a troop, and with my God I leap a wall."<br />
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Always so wonderful when my Judaism grows! Also, as of last week, I have a new Sabbath tradition. The Sabbath ends so late now (past 8), I needed something to do in the afternoons. In my neighborhood is an Oceanside promenade. There are benches to sit on, and the sea breeze is refreshing. Last week, I decided I would go, timing the walk and then spending three times that amount of time once I got there. (Twice to "reimburse" the walk, plus one extra to actually make it all worth it.) I packed my phone so I could do some internet surfing. This week I think I will bring my phone and my Bible, so I have a choice of activities.<br />
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Last week I did meet someone who wanted to talk religion (sparked by the women and kippot question). That's always fun for me so I did some of that. This week, who knows? It's an adventure.<br />
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All in all, pleased with my religious existence right now, and looking forward to the Sabbath tonight.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-42387680123624280402019-04-02T11:53:00.001-04:002019-04-02T11:53:08.494-04:0055th KippahThis past Sabbath, at a Bat Mitzvah, I snagged my 55th kippah. (It is customary, at life cycle events [Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, weddings] for the family to provide them free, in bulk, for whomever of the guests would like to take one.) I have a picture of it below: it's only a cheap satin "beanie," but it is a beautiful shade of ice blue, a color I didn't have before.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN68YomFcvk_t5YRG_SQj_BzjwIpfF-X786uq2AeMiMtc4diY3s3ypqSyxvtIwpzu-hpv6DuPNTQOsIShTV59euutxk5dZO3lw0m4p0yoAwQ9hj0EIuXGSpFEOgvmDQ6pZtiUA9iaG2T8/s1600/DSC06412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN68YomFcvk_t5YRG_SQj_BzjwIpfF-X786uq2AeMiMtc4diY3s3ypqSyxvtIwpzu-hpv6DuPNTQOsIShTV59euutxk5dZO3lw0m4p0yoAwQ9hj0EIuXGSpFEOgvmDQ6pZtiUA9iaG2T8/s320/DSC06412.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then, because my blue stack is so numerous and is by far the most often updated (I always pick up a free kippah and blue seems to be by far the most popular color for these), I thought I would provide you with a picture of all my blue ones:</div>
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Top, L-R: free from Bat Mitzvah; free from Bat Mitzvah (homemade by family of Bat Mitzvah, has internal clip); free from Bat Mitzvah; picked out by me and paid for by JS as a birthday gift for my 26th. Next, L-R: free from Bat Mitzvah; embroidered silk by designer Yair Emanuel; free from Bat Mitzvah (newest one, photographed above). Second from the bottom, L-R: free from Bar Mitzvah; free from Bar Mitzvah. Bottom: hand embroidered hat by designer Yair Emanuel. (And yes, hand embroidered hats are very expensive; though I love Emanuel's work, the two hand embroidered hats I have ["Jerusalem in Blue" from college graduation, shown here, and "Birds in Color" from high school graduation] are the only two I will ever own.)</div>
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<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-82187222482640571322019-03-17T11:59:00.000-04:002019-03-17T11:59:40.008-04:00HUGE Update (About time too!)I haven't blogged here in seven months! I apologize! Life got busy: graduate school, etc. <br />
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Potentially the biggest piece of information is that I have a new boyfriend; he has chosen to be referred to as JS. We have been dating for six months, so I suppose he's not exactly "new", but we are taking our relationship very slowly: his pace. I know from experience in his position, a relationship really must go at the slower person's pace; both people need to be comfortable. JS and I are doing our first overnight, at my apartment, this coming Sabbath. I will feed him Sabbath dinner, with all the rituals (JS himself is not nearly as religious as I am, but I need the rituals; and his sister is Orthodox and he has hung out with her on the Sabbath, so he knows the rituals), and then we will go to my wonderful synagogue Saturday morning.<br />
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Second of all: Yes, I can walk to the synagogue now! Last August 27 and October 4, I had spinal cord stimulators inserted. As long as I keep them charged (takes about a half an hour per stimulator per day) they take away 70-80% of my pain. I am fully functional now, routinely walking over a mile and taking my own notes in school. Nobody knew what the results would be; we just knew I was desperate and this was our best shot. Everybody told me that if I got 50% relief, I would be doing well. So naturally, when I realized what the results would be, everyone--I, friends, family, doctors, company representative who helps with the mechanics--was thrilled.<br />
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Lastly, I have two new kippot. One is a small, pale blue satin from a Bat Mitzvah; the other is a heavy, navy blue material with a print of pink and blue flowers and green leaves. JS let me pick out the second one, and he bought it for me, as a birthday gift. He knows how to make me happy! <br />
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Below is a picture of the two new kippot.<br />
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I hope to now be back to regular blogging.</div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-58231673701947492212018-08-30T16:07:00.000-04:002018-08-30T16:07:25.677-04:00God Things*There could have been a more "flowery" title for this post, but I think this one is most starkly effective.*<br />
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I have a couple of arrangements going on in my life right now that I could never have arranged on my own; it's all God. It has to be. They're working so perfectly, there's no other possible explanation.<br />
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One is where I am career wise right now. There are so many careers that are closed to me, simply because I could not complete the schooling while getting enough sleep to stay mentally well. Medical school, law school, Rabbinical school: no way. And yet, I have found a career that brings me joy, and whose schooling I can complete. I am capable of being a teacher, and getting my Master's in the field. This cannot be coincidence; it's God.<br />
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The other is about my special kippah. You may recall that if I wear my gold silk kippah I have an extra shot at getting close to God. I plan to wear it tomorrow just for that. I really cannot wear it on a Sabbath or holiday, just in case; but on an ordinary weekday I can and will.<br />
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I love my God, and all S/He does for me; I really do want to "pay back" with my end of the connection.<br />
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That is all.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-70889229924426175882018-08-26T10:42:00.000-04:002018-08-26T10:42:38.718-04:0052!I know I haven't been blogging as well as I hoped to/indicated I would back in June. That's because a lot of what's been going on with me has been health related, and I'm much more private about that than I used to be. Suffice to say it's amazing news, and I'm looking at no longer being in pain AT ALL very soon. But anyway. This post is not about that.<br />
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This post is about my new kippah, number 52! It is the one I ordered off the Yair Emanuel site that never came. Just a few weeks ago, I found it on a different site (shout out for Ben's Tallit Shop!) and my parents gave me the money to get it. I have since discovered that between Ben's Tallit Shop and Judaica Place, the full line of Emanuel kippot is available, and I can go back to collecting them.<br />
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This kippah is, bar none, the most beautiful kippah I have ever seen and my new favorite of my whole collection. The colors are much more rich and vibrant than they were in the website picture: There is a purple, a blue, and an aqua so deep it is almost green. There are also silver threads throughout; in my opinion, just the right amount of silver, rich accents without being overwhelming.<br />
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The kippah has a stylized Jerusalem scene using all the colors on top, with a border around it with flowers (or maybe pomegranates) in all the colors, on a white background. Along the sides that come vertically down are more stylized Jerusalem buildings; the amazing thing, which I did not know until I opened and examined the kippah last night, is that none of these buildings repeat! That's right--the entire border is made up of unique buildings.<br />
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I am saving this kippah to wear the second night of Rosh HaShanah, the New Year. There is a lovely tradition of having something new, such as a clothing item or a fruit, for the second night. It's an Orthodox tradition that I "stole" from my college friends. I try to do this every year, but the last time I managed was 2015, when I had a new caramel "suede" skirt. The second night of Rosh HaShanah this year is September 10th; I am already counting down.<br />
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And here are the pictures I took of my new kippah.<br />
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The top: the scene in the middle, and the white border with flowers/pomegranates.</div>
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Going around the sides...the back seam...</div>
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The next building...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWh24abb1ldwihZAL9lQNbiencdWjizoaT2xWe2XjZCVoJoLPhMRu7uKKYPNXlvQTweNK-6vJZxp8oIYh-_TVd2BTauIM_BH9IsGNFGu61dBJOUjfxf6tkdkjJpYXh9W1Ct0aVAhOhiQ/s1600/DSC05375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWh24abb1ldwihZAL9lQNbiencdWjizoaT2xWe2XjZCVoJoLPhMRu7uKKYPNXlvQTweNK-6vJZxp8oIYh-_TVd2BTauIM_BH9IsGNFGu61dBJOUjfxf6tkdkjJpYXh9W1Ct0aVAhOhiQ/s320/DSC05375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This one has a silver top. It shows up as white on the camera.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl8EerZGSlitU5kWTjwWREjlKvEfA_GUkEN4Iv0AoUIujeAVCy_IlkyWLKNPa3xKfPNQ1Iu7WT04E1LotErBpDnVbSLHrVCjBz-5Te73I7ylxxhaT0XkEjRudF75ZO96R34MiwSPuA7Y/s1600/DSC05376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl8EerZGSlitU5kWTjwWREjlKvEfA_GUkEN4Iv0AoUIujeAVCy_IlkyWLKNPa3xKfPNQ1Iu7WT04E1LotErBpDnVbSLHrVCjBz-5Te73I7ylxxhaT0XkEjRudF75ZO96R34MiwSPuA7Y/s320/DSC05376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Continuing around...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaTck6FZjRBeOWOmMl3humnQiky2avVAXjLHvj6xPFizZVGaf9fva0hoUkBi_sQjAE0rc_lLsEYTcerAzPQS7ufk8e0Xc3e76SuNELvx_Aurb0VguXXsJQcpwgMgXhZTSGxRd108-6Ic/s1600/DSC05377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaTck6FZjRBeOWOmMl3humnQiky2avVAXjLHvj6xPFizZVGaf9fva0hoUkBi_sQjAE0rc_lLsEYTcerAzPQS7ufk8e0Xc3e76SuNELvx_Aurb0VguXXsJQcpwgMgXhZTSGxRd108-6Ic/s320/DSC05377.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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More...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2tOOFPoNE3xc3PskxM4msY93P1ulGKHGMd0sjHtbYOXc040a5Ix9UkcA4mqZU-QaVfqS52jEAqIE8-ViUGIN-TJTsCCdiPDx3_LIP8vlaGH_MxlOcUeaGHFuUQ3E2BLt3QxtUXn1iw8/s1600/DSC05378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2tOOFPoNE3xc3PskxM4msY93P1ulGKHGMd0sjHtbYOXc040a5Ix9UkcA4mqZU-QaVfqS52jEAqIE8-ViUGIN-TJTsCCdiPDx3_LIP8vlaGH_MxlOcUeaGHFuUQ3E2BLt3QxtUXn1iw8/s320/DSC05378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And more...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFUJ6xCfP7ji5iLcGbqH9jSh3Rjl6qt5EyAdzVv9_i4iEbC-Y-heaKxbbpBWO3o4czyazHaGz7JaEC24wOIfqa2jVwsCbapTGuugF5flhRFjFWfxh9q4HFdTKjGHCqavmrO9jeBpHoOA/s1600/DSC05379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFUJ6xCfP7ji5iLcGbqH9jSh3Rjl6qt5EyAdzVv9_i4iEbC-Y-heaKxbbpBWO3o4czyazHaGz7JaEC24wOIfqa2jVwsCbapTGuugF5flhRFjFWfxh9q4HFdTKjGHCqavmrO9jeBpHoOA/s320/DSC05379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another building with a silver top. It's a hard line to toe, putting in the silver threads without the kippah being totally sparkly. Emanuel did a good job with the design.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRaaroY-ZKuIsiHfW4cmuXD8WwPPuQn_Qr5-qFHcKRciS2jHv5aDuvdI4unosaTTGubF1P8iowndjIrj4EBtpSMAV2s_QB-7cbpePa9kt72tiLvCZX4hb6n9TaaxmePmI1rfZ9nHvAZU/s1600/DSC05380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRaaroY-ZKuIsiHfW4cmuXD8WwPPuQn_Qr5-qFHcKRciS2jHv5aDuvdI4unosaTTGubF1P8iowndjIrj4EBtpSMAV2s_QB-7cbpePa9kt72tiLvCZX4hb6n9TaaxmePmI1rfZ9nHvAZU/s320/DSC05380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-21969661864992155072018-06-24T12:46:00.001-04:002018-06-24T12:46:26.390-04:00Representative Yarmulke ShowcaseEvery once in a while in the past, I have photographed my entire yarmulke collection and shared it here. With the collection the size that it is, that seems too complicated to do again; and plus I don't know how much you, my readers, really care.<br />
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Instead, over the course of last week, I photographed the yarmulke I wore each day. What results is a representative showcase of my collection. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbuKaQ0QvSnE_w5QW8RSJHJhp8xVzR70aIOnMdyTOBC5qS4Bds8vAIUMkUHMp5Wowzfg0dhdArtl-VMYxg334Mkz8MJMmsKeG0ibwmKzm9aWE5_vs1ZnbeHpNR3g1yzmz2dT0HIjTKyo/s1600/DSC05128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">This happens to be the first one I ever got, a gift from my father when I was eight years old. It is small enough to be what I call a "business size" yarmulke.</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbuKaQ0QvSnE_w5QW8RSJHJhp8xVzR70aIOnMdyTOBC5qS4Bds8vAIUMkUHMp5Wowzfg0dhdArtl-VMYxg334Mkz8MJMmsKeG0ibwmKzm9aWE5_vs1ZnbeHpNR3g1yzmz2dT0HIjTKyo/s320/DSC05128.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfuiC4hNj0Bk2M-8pIjuX-_vh12C7wjNAgPjY4uTC9clPWcGor_fJiMfXyufUc-v9UAmx7WuDMkXgKhMXXeeVxWrA9D4UstPOO4GcL9Nc7K4Z2P04PPf7_Xys7qYm7k5L1E3jEFjEy0c/s1600/DSC05131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">This was part of my college graduation gift; it...is...covered...in...PENGUINS!!! I found it on Etsy. It is also "business size."</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfuiC4hNj0Bk2M-8pIjuX-_vh12C7wjNAgPjY4uTC9clPWcGor_fJiMfXyufUc-v9UAmx7WuDMkXgKhMXXeeVxWrA9D4UstPOO4GcL9Nc7K4Z2P04PPf7_Xys7qYm7k5L1E3jEFjEy0c/s320/DSC05131.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO9Zz2skYj87rG-1GQl7roYIsqQiACD71MpDboVmu9f8GCaxCZhqrsIyLcd0U6bfnkVPGH05QCtBHlqdUMg_fTewUZocDeOKPUZVpR4Az4dlpDrGqDWvPAwrYy1sdktyzaJDc_-lTGT4/s1600/DSC05133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Hand embroidered silk, by Israeli designer Yair Emanuel. I have to say, I find his designs to be the prettiest I have seen anywhere.</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO9Zz2skYj87rG-1GQl7roYIsqQiACD71MpDboVmu9f8GCaxCZhqrsIyLcd0U6bfnkVPGH05QCtBHlqdUMg_fTewUZocDeOKPUZVpR4Az4dlpDrGqDWvPAwrYy1sdktyzaJDc_-lTGT4/s320/DSC05133.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDzUnCaGD8abklq5fofPb8TNFEyFqb7RzI9QM6Bgzf-AVWW1oOJchsYBB5ucuQ_TI62VOXiyWpGIdnqOdUUy3gsPMyJHdDGqYCB-0ywZiFDXaSZXYPGOgrZeirWrG8pmm2LMYz9BX9oY/s1600/DSC05137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">And another hand embroidered silk,Yair Emanuel. I specifically bought this one to go with undergrad university t-shirts. (They are red.)</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDzUnCaGD8abklq5fofPb8TNFEyFqb7RzI9QM6Bgzf-AVWW1oOJchsYBB5ucuQ_TI62VOXiyWpGIdnqOdUUy3gsPMyJHdDGqYCB-0ywZiFDXaSZXYPGOgrZeirWrG8pmm2LMYz9BX9oY/s320/DSC05137.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPGH-TCvN5x26znUY3AgvSK5lJxZgrcerrQ2APVkO4Bnui3831cD8LANRY1l9_I0U3ZULQDB5dhnA1UZzo6cu2iMq7lfW6qYlOkv2D1vy4cb-syfD15tOEwBlfs9p0PEydM-Jv4M0O4k/s1600/DSC05139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">This is a "Bar Mitzvah Beanie:" a cheap satin freebie from a Bar Mitzvah. This week, I wore this one to go with...</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPGH-TCvN5x26znUY3AgvSK5lJxZgrcerrQ2APVkO4Bnui3831cD8LANRY1l9_I0U3ZULQDB5dhnA1UZzo6cu2iMq7lfW6qYlOkv2D1vy4cb-syfD15tOEwBlfs9p0PEydM-Jv4M0O4k/s320/DSC05139.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxloJTG31e5mNP7dFc41hH1YfY333-6HGyajdV_hdHGf-gLm_TM47nEOUkcKJtaaec8rTA3IbN0gsorUpuqJaOFXzCkJJ3lpujxSG2kq-kstt9Mrw2GnUPgPr0qiB37oKwJamjo1yuFjs/s1600/DSC05141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">...my new light blue skirt! Here are the two together:</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxloJTG31e5mNP7dFc41hH1YfY333-6HGyajdV_hdHGf-gLm_TM47nEOUkcKJtaaec8rTA3IbN0gsorUpuqJaOFXzCkJJ3lpujxSG2kq-kstt9Mrw2GnUPgPr0qiB37oKwJamjo1yuFjs/s320/DSC05141.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMxXktOMt-i5IIuOu430t2q7s3_KFxcev6lIOgP7TPZjddrIcieYtjP5gGBVvQUaLgV0ZDkDnFjE2Fm80CKhH8ZnP_9Zt9dn-KnueiZyPgxoi6Du1Ws47Z5j9Wq0MMv-kSSIDb4yMnJo/s1600/DSC05142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">And a hand-painted silk Yair Emanuel. I often think this is the prettiest yarmulke I own. Mind you, the background was supposed to be blue, but that's OK.</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMxXktOMt-i5IIuOu430t2q7s3_KFxcev6lIOgP7TPZjddrIcieYtjP5gGBVvQUaLgV0ZDkDnFjE2Fm80CKhH8ZnP_9Zt9dn-KnueiZyPgxoi6Du1Ws47Z5j9Wq0MMv-kSSIDb4yMnJo/s320/DSC05142.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMB9nR8kbPuSjhHBAWyQZrBsPzQ-Q2NcW57BfNADnY5iATohgfBMJSIeN0Gd2HiPbltJJDsn3ZB5RyB3fXNDgBlRiuqIuyV4mVpEZmKrlPH4l-vb-xy588_SviCkHsUzLNGquecX-sIY/s1600/DSC05144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">And, finally, gay pride (also business size).</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMB9nR8kbPuSjhHBAWyQZrBsPzQ-Q2NcW57BfNADnY5iATohgfBMJSIeN0Gd2HiPbltJJDsn3ZB5RyB3fXNDgBlRiuqIuyV4mVpEZmKrlPH4l-vb-xy588_SviCkHsUzLNGquecX-sIY/s320/DSC05144.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SzKX83TzSS6W6k38zrMEZjlL_x9oPNjlFqjXTsw_P0bXF5Om4HqOIVHb3zE3xswpfZieFAmOH5AlyNoCib4AJgJegOwYG9XI6mrt46C5brsyyiZV-Axsgc1k8klJBMm10tQDq0AvwBo/s1600/DSC05146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I know I've shown these here before, but that was several years ago. These are my Sabbath/festival bobby pins; yesterday I used them with my gay pride yarmulke.</a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SzKX83TzSS6W6k38zrMEZjlL_x9oPNjlFqjXTsw_P0bXF5Om4HqOIVHb3zE3xswpfZieFAmOH5AlyNoCib4AJgJegOwYG9XI6mrt46C5brsyyiZV-Axsgc1k8klJBMm10tQDq0AvwBo/s320/DSC05146.JPG" width="320" /></div>
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-68315355639755630722018-06-19T14:01:00.001-04:002018-06-19T14:01:52.771-04:00God's Plan (Not Mine)I have been enjoying rereading old entries on this blog. As I move backwards through the years, one contrast between Younger Me and Current Me really stands out: <b>Younger Me thought I knew God's plans for my life</b>. As of 2014 (I would have been 21 years old), I thought I knew that I would one day become a Rabbi--through the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), no less--and that I would adopt a little girl with Down Syndrome, hopefully from Eastern Europe.<br />
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Current Me, 2018, 25 year old me, understands that I really do not know God's plans at all! Not only am I not a student at JTS, I am not even on track to become a Rabbi at all. I have also decided--for myself or with God's help; it's kind of hard to tell sometimes--that it is better for everyone if I never have children of my own. I am making up for this by planning a career as an early childhood educator.<br />
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You know what? It honestly feels freeing to know that I cannot predict the future. If my 2014 plans have been abandoned by 2018, perhaps my 2018 plans will be abandoned by 2222. You would think knowing that I know nothing about my future would cause panic, but actually, I find it relaxing.<br />
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I don't need to know what my life will look like four years from now to know that I am on the best path I can make out in order to get there. I plan to have the best future I can have, but I don't need to know what that looks like yet.free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-89055625646414278182018-06-18T15:08:00.000-04:002018-06-18T15:08:15.499-04:00God's Big, Small, Wonderful World<i>I am violating my new one-post-a-day rule; sorry-not-sorry! This is a post I have been waiting a few days to write, and I am excited.</i><br />
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There is a blogger who blogs at One Thankful Mom (onethankfulmom.com); her name is Lisa Qualls. Lisa is old enough to be my mother; in fact, I am the same age as a couple of her kids. (She has 11, so it's hard to place my age exactly vis a vis them.) Lisa and her family live in Idaho.<br />
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I do not remember how I found Lisa's blog in the first place, but I stayed because she was "telling it like it is" about her four children adopted from Ethiopia: her struggles and triumphs with them, and how she felt about it all. At that time in my life, I believed I wanted to adopt one day, possibly internationally, so I soaked up all the information regarding adoption and post adoption life that Lisa posted on her blog. I believed it was helping me prepare better.<br />
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Over the years, Lisa struggled most especially with one of her adopted daughters. Somewhere along the way, I began to include this child in my daily prayers: asking God to heal her of her trauma and help her live a happier, more relaxed life. <br />
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When this child died in a tragic car crash (injuring Lisa and leaving her husband unhurt), it didn't seem like such a big leap to pray for her family's emotional healing from her death, instead of for her directly, so I started doing that.<br />
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In recent years, I have realized that I do not want children of my own: birth, adopted, or otherwise. I just could not be a proper parent, for a variety of reasons, primarily my own disabilities. However, I have kept reading Lisa's blog for a different reason: her Christian faith.<br />
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Lisa is an example to me of what I would like to be in my faith. She is Christian and I am Jewish; but we see eye-to-eye on a lot. Her faith brings her comfort, healing, and happiness; that is what I would like mine to bring me. The two of us pray for each other.<br />
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I titled this post the way I did because I do not believe it was a mere, trivial coincidence that brought us together. Only God! Lisa lives in Idaho; I live in New York. Lisa is Christian; I am Jewish. Lisa has 11 children; I am a generation younger, right around the age of her "big kids," as she calls them. Yet God and the internet have brought us together, and we both benefit.<br />
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Simply amazing.<br />
<br />free_to_dreamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439288291873203681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131761305771906671.post-26361873541703574752018-06-18T10:56:00.000-04:002018-06-18T10:56:22.477-04:00Honoring my Father (One Day Late)<i>Yes, this post is one day late. Sorry, Daddy! Enjoy now.</i><br />
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I feel as though I must honor my father this father's day (which yes, I know, was yesterday). Where to start?<br />
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My father is the Rabbi whose authority and opinion I follow. If I have a Jewish legal question, I go to him. It's actually a good match because I am somewhat stricter than he is; Jewish law states that one can always be stricter than one's Rabbinic authority, just not more lenient. Those times when I go to my father for an answer, I tend to already know he will give me the lenient opinion. Not only that, however, he can always back it up with clear thoughts about how he got there. Recent examples that have helped me a lot are why it's OK to use a metro card on the Sabbath if it already has the money on it (you already spent the money, and the swipe is electric), as well as why it's OK to take books out of the library on the Sabbath (it's all electronic these days, as long as you tell it not to print a receipt).<br />
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My father was also the Rabbi who saved my Judaism when I was trying to handle being queer and Jewish. In those early years (by "early years" here, I mean from when I figured out I wasn't straight--so age 16--to sometime in college), I was compartmentalizing: I thought about and honored the Judaism sometimes, and the queerness sometimes, but never both together. In fact, when I did think about both together, my Judaism "trickled through my fingers" and disappeared. It was my father who pointed out that if there is an obstacle on our path to God (in my case, my sexual orientation), it did not make sense to get rid of God, it made sense to get rid of the obstacle. Ever since, I've mostly been OK with being queer and Jewish. It's not to say I don't have my moments; but for the most part, I am a proud bisexual Jew, and it's all thanks to my father.<br />
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My father has also contributed to my yarmulke collection. When I was younger, he brought home two kippot s'rugot (Hebrew for crocheted yarmulke) from Rabbinical Assembly conventions. The one he brought home when I was eight years old is hard to describe, but it's beautiful, and I will share a picture of it here in an upcoming entry I am planning. The one he brought home when I was ten years old has a flower design, each petal a different color. More recently, he brought me two "Bat Mitzvah Beanies" (our family's term for freebie satin ones from B'not Mitzvah), one in pink and one in purple, from a B'not Mitzvah celebration for twin girls.<br />
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Which reminds me, all those years ago (13 years ago), my father trained me for my own Bat Mitzvah. I learned the Torah reading backwards, so that in case I couldn't finish learning it in time, I would be the last reader instead of the first. I learned my Prophets portion. I learned how to lead a service. And because of my father's tutoring, I was able to get up in front of a congregation on my Bat Mitzvah day, and lead an entire service, start to finish.<br />
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This entry wouldn't be complete without mentioning that my father also transports me to medical appointments. When I was doing Ketamine infusions and had to be at a hospital in New Jersey every morning, my father drove me back and forth from Brooklyn, often involving the Holland Tunnel at morning rush hour. When I was in the hospital in Brooklyn for five days in September 2016, he came down and housed himself in my apartment so he could spend time at the hospital with me. He will transport me back to that same hospital in Newark for my upcoming stimulator surgeries.<br />
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SO THANK YOU, DADDY, FOR EVERYTHING!!!<br />
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💖💗💕💓💝</div>
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