It's been one year, 257 days, and 11 hours as I write this since I arrived in the land of Israel, ארץ ישראל, and probably about one year, 246 days, and 11 hours since I returned (if my math is correct). And I'm homesick. It ebbs and flows, this longing of my soul, to return to the one place in this entire world I truly, deeply know I belong. Sometimes the longing is overwhelming, pouring from my aching soul through my tears. Other times, it is merely a sense of consciousness that ...
Musings
Liberation
Sorry I’ve been out of touch recently. The past few weeks have been rather stressful, and I’ve been focusing all my energy into fighting those proverbial battles. All this stress was actually leading up to a moment for when I was out of town. I returned “home” to Texas for a few days, attending a leadership training conference for my synagogue. Now, if you’re anything like me, the moment you hear any of the aforementioned words (leadership, training, conference), especially combined ...
Mini-rant about Driving in KC vs TX
I couldn't keep doing this via twitter. It was too insufficient. Quick summation: there have been what I think to be far too many car accidents occurring on my commutes to work and back home as of late, and I even passed 4 on the same highway on my way into work yesterday. Why the bleeding heck can't people seem to drive like relatively capable humans instead of...(restraining myself from insulting anyone) not. Okay, so picking up where I left off, I found this website which gives us a ...
No One is Alone
I’ve had something on my mind for a while now, but I’m not sure where this musing is going to take me. However, before I begin, let me first say this is purely contemplative. Nothing I’m about to write will be definitive. It could even be discussed, and I am curious what others think. My own thoughts are just one perspective, my observations skewed by my own arbitrary, ontological lenses. That said, I could be wrong, daresay very wrong, about what I’m considering. There are a few themes I ...
What’s on My Shelf: November-December
Well, I've finally finished the last book on my list. That means it must be time for another post! The past two months I've been reading a lot more than just the ones I'll list. I've been diving back into my mythology studies, so I've been focusing on indulging in different collections instead of reading pure novels. However, one anthology I will mention later on just because I'm that excited about it. And remember, SPOILERS AHEAD! Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan As I ...
Star Wars: Generation Musings
I have no idea where this is going to go, nor if I'll be coherent and make a point. Part of that dilemma is probably, mostly due to the fact it's after 2 AM, I'm more tired than I want to admit, but I'm avoiding sleeping because I dread returning to work tomorrow. (Ick.) That said, I've been meaning to write this since I first saw the *ahem* BRILLIANT new Star Wars film, The Last Jedi. This thought I had is actually something which initially came to mind during my first viewing of the ...
An Ode to INTJs
INTJs. They’re known as the stereotypical mysterious, scheming villain; albeit cocky know-it-alls, too. However, those two caricatures (and others) of this type couldn’t be more wrong. The two closest people in my life are INTJs: my sister and my best friend. (I’m also certain my rabbi is too…) As such, I think I know this type rather well. Sure, it might be a biased perspective, but I don’t think these intuitive thinking types get the real, truthful credit they deserve. Too often their ...
Restoring Jerusalem
Today, something very important is going to happen. I say “very important”. Let me rephrase… Dramatic. Significant. Epical. Necessary. Vital. Historical. I could keep going by merely opening a thesaurus and just picking any word that relates to “important”, for you see today something wonderful is going to happen, something which we have been waiting for a long time. President Trump is going to announce his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel. Now, before I ...
What’s on my Shelf: In the Labyrinth of Drakes
I have to break from my normal “routine” of things to talk about a book I just finished because it is definitely that good. The book in question is Marie Brennan’s In the Labyrinth of Drakes, book four of her Memoirs of Lady Trent series. As you know from my monthly “What’s on my Shelf” posts, I’ve been steadily trekking through this series. However, after book three, Voyage of the Basilisk, I quickly started and finished book four. Why? Well, before I can tell you the specifics of this ...
What’s on my Shelf: September-October
Obviously, it’s been a while. I’ve basically got two, almost three, months’ worth of reading material to update y’all on. However, in my defense, one of these months (or at least 4 weeks between September and October) were the High Holy Days, and I didn’t spend time reading much outside my liturgy. Regardless, I have done quite a bit of reading, and I need to just get this over with. This time, however, I will try to be a spoiler-free as possible. The Tropic of Serpents by Marie ...
