You know, it's funny when your history repeats itself. Literally. Nine years ago, I experienced my first blow out tire whilst driving down interstate highway 35 in Denton, TX. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. And stressful too. This is how the tire looked afterwards: Today, I watched my "new" car get towed to the mechanic. Again. That's the second time in less than 2 weeks. First, my throttle failed, and now my alternator has failed. I've had this car for only ...
Musings
My Mementos, His Promises
Three years ago this month, almost to the day, I was in Israel. G-d, how I miss it. I know I've written about it before, multiple times, possibly to an annoying extent. I'm not sorry. Unless you've been to Israel, you may not understand how such a place can change you. Forever. And I think I'll be writing about Israel for just as long, too. Of all the changes which continue to affect me, I believe the greatest of all is the strengthening of my trust in Hashem. Going to ...
After the Death
Two days ago in shul we read about the instructions Hashem gave Aharon for what to do after the untimely death of his two sons, Nadav and Avihu. Two days ago, my coworker unexpectedly, suddenly, prematurely died. It's peculiar because the rabbis always discuss how Aharon was silent in the face of his sons' death. However, I wonder if any of them took into consideration how merciful Hashem's instructions are. At face value, when we read the parasha of Acharei Mot it comes across as a cold, ...
Messy Musings
I've started about 3 different posts which I immediately saved to drafts. Nothing seems to be flowing easily. Maybe it's from eating all that matzah? Maybe it's exhaustion from the holiday and then all this overtime? Maybe it's just the fact some days, some weeks, writing is difficult, and that's when you have to write all the more. That's when you write "harder". I'm sure there's a great metaphor or allegory I could utilise comparing physical exercise, strength building, or whatever ...
Why is it Different?
There's been a question perplexing me for about two weeks now. As we say, "On all other nights, we eat both chametz and matzah, but on this night we eat only matzah." Here's my question: what's the the difference between the chametz and the matzah? Or rather, what's the difference between the carbs of Pesach and the carbs the rest of the year? Usually the jokes before, during, and after Pesach are about craving carbs. However, as I realised and then heard my rebbetzin say a few days later ...
Returning Home
Pesach [Passover] begins tomorrow evening. I'm listening to The Prince of Egypt soundtrack. Later, I'll be getting my last bagel before the upcoming 8 days of matzah (B''H). And for whatever reason, I can't stop thinking of home. I miss it. Of course, I don't mean Texas from where I hail. I mean Israel. I mean Jerusalem. These past few weeks, the desire to go back has been aching again. Then again, it never really goes away. It just ebbs and flows with intensity. It's been almost 3 ...
WOMS: The Glass Spare Duology & the Deceiver’s Heart
The Glass Spare & The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano This duology intrigued me simply because the magical power of the protagonist, Wil, was turning alive objects -- humans, plants, animals, etc. -- into gemstones. Kind of a bizarre concept, except DeStefano makes it work. That is what fascinated me. Unfortunately, that's the only thing which fascinated me. Sure, the plot is a bit predictable, but there's enough differences the reader stays entertained long enough to finish the books. ...
WOMS: Grishaverse
Let me start by explaining I'm going to begin referring to my "What's on my Shelf" posts as WOMS. Makes sense, right? And now your mouth isn't too full. As I catch up on these posts, I'm going to work backwards through what I've most recently read before recommitting to build my consistency, but this post is going to be the odd ball out. While I have recently read some of the books within Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, I read the first installment trilogy last summer. Here's hoping I ...
For the Love of Reading
How many times have you ever heard that to be a good writer you need to first be a good [avid] reader? I've lost count myself; I think it was this cliche which I gritted my teeth or rolled my eyes at the most. My annoyance or anyone else's, however, does not negate the truth behind this advice. It's a cliche for a reason. The greatest problem I had overcoming my agitation any time someone mentioned this to me was first admitting to myself I did not read anymore. Shocking, I know, but a ...
New Beginnings
I know I'm guilty of starting these off by saying how difficult life has been, distracting me from my musings and thus writing. However, when I say difficult this time around, it is no mere wolf-cry. Life has been uncharacteristically extraneous. If it were myself alone feeling this constriction, then I would not categorise it as such. It's the plethora of others whom are struggling, too, which support my claims that life has just been down right stressful beyond any explanation other ...
