The usual post-shabbas post

[theyellowhobbit]

As you all know, this was my first Shabbat back at Penn. I'll cut this into sections for longness:


The prep:
We had to get the food for seudah shlisheet after my meeting with Ben. But I hadn't had breakfast/lunch, so ozaku_kangaroo and I went to Ben & Jerry's. She ended up not getting anything and I got a cone with a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough. The chocolate wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I'm such a bad role-model.

So then bathroomblog and A.B. met up with us at Fresh Grocer, and we bought the stuff we needed. CJC wanted bagels & cream cheese, and we got permission to have a dairy table, so that if people were still fleish they could just not take the cream cheese or enteman's cookies, and the rest of the food would be pareve. But everyone had finished eating by 1 and seudah shlisheet was at 7:15ish.

Then we carried the bags back (bathroomblog got the light stuff, A.B. got the heavy stuff, ozaku_kangaroo got the medium stuff, and I only had one bag and I was like "but I have my archaeological super-strength." A.B. said "do you want one of my bags?" "Yes, I do," I replied. But he said he'd rather just carry them all. Ok, your loss, not mine. (Really, people, why don't you believe me when I tell you I have archaeological strength? I walk faster than you, wake up early without alarms...Just because I'm short and female doesn't mean I'm weak!)

So we dropped off the stuff and A.B. went down to get the rolls, tuna salad, and egg salad. But they weren't delivered/ready yet. Mark (the head chef) said he'd bring up the stuff (it was almost 4 now, and usually we pick up the food at 2...) Ok. Fine.

Then I went to my room, got dressed, updated LJ about college*, and found out that the eruv was up! Yay! Though I still brought over Settlers of Catan to Hillel.


Friday Night:
Services were actually good! There was energy! And a bunch of new freshmen. (Of course, most were only there for Friday night and not Saturday...) cynara_linnaea remarked during Mizmor l'David "Someone's been spending a lot of time in Israel" since I was singing it with an Israeli accent. What can I say? I've actually been doing it for longer, maybe not to this degree. And I don't think about it now. It just happens. It's not a real Israeli accent, though. But I like it :)

We finished before OCP, even though our announcements took forever (we were even explaining what goes on before dinner- shalom aleichem, kiddush, washing, homotzei)

I didn't get to talk to people, I ran down to replace superducky1 for mashing, already 15 minutes late, though really the shifts go by when services end. Usually there's a dinner 1 and dinner 2. I was supposed to be there from 8:15-10:00pm, all of dinner.

Well, I got out at 11:30. I did get to be upstairs for enough time to eat with cynara_linnaea, ozaku_kangaroo, and dr_whom. Whoa, you're all LJ people!

And eventually I even made it to Rabbi Morty and Limor Friedman's (I would put up a link to Penn Hillel or the JLI's page, but neither is updated with them on it, yet.) Limor is really nice (I didn't talk to Morty at all). I don't know if she knows that I'm not Orthodox. I never got a chance to tell her, since I had to leave when all the highrise people were leaving, so I could be walked back (it was 1am by then). I guess the next time I see her. What do I say "Hey, by the way, just so you know, I'm an egal apikorus. Who still happens to be in the OCP as well as CJC. I just don't daven with you guys." Yeah. That sounds pretty good to me.

I looked over psukei and went to bed (I had forgotten an alarm) and I hoped that I'd wake up in time.


Saturday Morning:

Turns out I didn't have to worry, as I first woke up at 4:15 and then 7:00. So at 7 I had plenty of time to get dressed, look at myself in the mirror and fix my hair so it looked perfect (except there was a significant strand that was too long, and there was nothing I could do besides hide it underneath the others. Usually I have to fine-tune my haircuts, though, so I wasn't surprised. In general I think it turned out fine.) Usually I won't do this (last week I didn't even bother with make-up) but I had the extra time, and it's the first Shabbat. Though there wasn't really anyone to impress. True, there are many new guys at Penn now, but they're all FRESHMEN! (And frummy.)



But I still like the feeling of looking in the mirror and liking what I see. (I had forgotten how I looked without glasses, since I wore them all summer). It's a feeling I'm not used to, so the novelty of looking in the mirror hasn't worn off yet. And normally I'm not vain. I'm really not. But I spent most of my life thinking I was ugly, (with the exception of 9th and some of 10th grade, when I was thin) and it's a relief to finally know I'm not. I'm not sure when my opinion of myself changed. I mean I usually like how I look on shabbat when I'm all dressed up, but I think it was only this past year where I could walk out on most days liking how I looked.

I'm not sure there's a practical difference in what I'll do now. I mean I still plan on biking everywhere and going to the gym. I like moving fast. I like carrying heavy things. I like walking long distances. It's so weird and unreal. Have I transformed into one of those people who takes care of her body?

Maybe I have, but then again, not 100%. I still have horrible eating habits. Though they're fun. It's my wonderful "eat whatever you want, but only when you're actually hungy" diet. Pretty much you eat whatever you want until you're full. But if you're not hungry you don't eat.

This might seem like common sense. But "whatever you want" really can mean Ben & Jerry's for lunch. Though you'd have to be full from eating it. Somehow, it just works for me. Like even though I had no breakfast (well ice cream at kiddush) and no lunch, and a small dinner today, I'm not so hungry now and I'll just go to bed. And calories are calories, and I don't think it matters so much whether I get them from ice cream or lettuce or whole wheat pasta, so long as I get enough. Which I do when I'm not writing papers for Ben.

And that's how I stay fit. Papers, archaeology, biking, and horrible eating habits. But I'm not dead yet and once Hillel dining actually opens I can eat a lot of salad in addition to everything else.

And soon I can get Starbuck's with my dining dollars again. Free(ish) coffee! Breakfasts of caramel frappuchinos!

I really must be insane. I guess this diet is only for me. Don't try this at home.


--------------
I led psukei. It went okay, though I did Halelujah (psalm 146) in a key that was too low. I tried for the key it's normally sung in. Actually, I did get the key right. But it's too low. Even for me. The note that the chorus ends on (the 1 of the scale) is right below the bottom of my range. Lovely.

And I really want to teach eilu phinu to everyone, since it's so pretty. But I can't yet. And I want to teach them Elekha (it's in mizmor shir chanukat ha bayit David, psalm 30) since it's a beautiful song. And Torat Hashem T'mima (middle of psalm 19). And I wanted to do a different ki l'olam chasdo tune. Same with 150. And I would have loved to sing Ozi v'zimrat Yah. And Mizmor shir l'yom ha Shabbat has so many tunes, and I sang none. Not even for Tzaddik Katamar. And psalm 93 has singableness as well. I have to remember that I'm not at Jews in the Woods. These people have different prayer needs than I do. They probably can't tolerate that much singing.

Anyways- I also had the 4th aliyah.

And then we finished before OCP again (maybe because of the abridged psukei. We totally also had enough time to sing anim zmirot afterwards. Oh well. I liked the ein keloheinu tune. And then there was kiddush, and then there was... (can you guess?)


More mashing!
11:30am-3:00pm. As opposed to the scheduled 11:30-1:30. Again, we need to break the meals into shifts. I didn't eat lunch. bathroomblog was very nice and got me 2 rolls (which I think were kinda stale, but I just needed them for hamotzei). And I had 2 cookies. Yay for pareve chocolate chip cookies!

I finally got out of the mash-pit (aka kitchen) and ozaku_kangaroo, bathroomblog, arigi, LD, and a bunch of freshmen were playing taboo, so I joined them. They had apparently gone through all the clues, on both sides by the end of it!!! They really need to make a new set of taboo cards. I could write my own OCP edition, though that would mean I couldn't play...Oh well.

Then arigi went upstairs to the 2nd floor to see if there were any more games, and I went to the 3rd floor to get my keys & sweatshirt. I came back down and people were still chilling out, so I joined them again. Either then, or perhaps the first time I walked in, someone was like "are you looking for the shiur?" "No, I [either just got done mashing or just went upstairs to get my stuff] and came in to hang out with you guys." "Oh, you looked like you were walking with such purpose." "I guess I just walk with purpose." Yay! platypuses' advice works, and when I walk with confidence (not that I was even thinking about it at the moment) people notice.

We eventually played apples to apples. Most of mine didn't win, though I did get Relaxing (I put down "having an operation" and bathroomblog was judging. It came down to that, AIDS, and something else, perhaps festering wounds...When I saw "relaxing" and saw what I had, I burst out into laughter. And when bathroomblog saw my card, he laughed, too, If I'm remembering correctly. In any case it was hilarious and I'm awesome.)


Late afternoon:
At 6 we had to go set up Seudah shlisheet. And here's where things went wrong...

They never brought up the tuna, egg salad, or rolls. We went down to the kitchen to look, and they were not there. Me and A.B. panicked a bit.

But we ended up being ok since we had leftover desserts and fruit from friday night, plus the bagels and cream cheese and enteman's. Still, I felt bad about it.

There were no shironim upstairs so I had to bring the box up from downstairs. Usually I'll get one of the guys to do it for me, but lo and behold- the crate was light! Did the shironim lose weight? I don't think so. That's about as unlikely as peaches magically turning into plums.** Must be the good ol' archaeology.

I led mincha. I had grabbed the all-Hebrew artscroll before I knew I was leading davening, so I was a bit confused by some stuff, and of course had no instructions. I grabbed a Sim Shalom during the Torah reading, but of course, the page numbers they were calling were from the newer "Slim Shalom." Teehee. Slim Shalom. It has the matriarchs as well as the patriarchs in one of the amidahs (they have both that and the normal one). I like mincha nuisach.

Then we had seudah shlisheet. You'd think I'd be done with my logistical nightmare, right? Wrong!

My job is always to find someone to lead bentsching. They have to be male, have to have eaten bread for the meal, and then usually we honor someone who has given a d'var torah that shabbat, or is special (such as a visiting Rabbi) or is having a simcha, etc. So I asked bathroomblog who to give it to, and he said A.T. who had just did a d'var.

Or at least, that would be a nice rational story. Truth is, I fell, almost on top of bathroomblog in the middle of the room, where everyone was sitting down and singing, when I went over to talk to him. A.T. asked if I was ok. I gave my usual response for that kind of situation "the only thing that's hurt is my dignity." And my ankle, but I'm fine now.

And then we needed grape juice, and there was none in the closet. So we ran downstairs to break into the kitchen and get some. And I.D. was leading the singing, so I told him to stall. If you're stalling and you know it clap your hands...

Yet we finished and we davened maariv and had havdallah and sang afterwards, and everything was fine, Baruch Hashem.



After Shabbat:

There was bowling. (I suck, but oh well.) There was pizza. I was starving by the time it got here (they had to go to NE Philly and pick it up. Yay for stalling again) I was starving. So before that I drank a lot of soda, just for the empty calories.

I got a slice and a half (J.S. was nice enough to split a slice with me) and felt better, though I might eat a bit more before I go to bed.


And speaking of food- Hopefully I'll be making deli-roll tomorrow. Originally I thought I'd invite y'all to my apartment, but seeing as it's a) small with limited seating and b) cluttered with unpacked boxes, I think I'll do it in the 4th floor lounge. I'm sure no one will mind. If you're reading this, consider yourself invited. I'm not sure how many deli-rolls I have, so this isn't a full meal, but a tasting of deli-roll, to educate the new freshmen. And because I want some.


*An LJ-update about an LJ update. Is that allowed?
**See this entry if you want to get the reference.

Comments

[masteraleph.livejournal.com]

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you, don't you, don't you, don't you....


You're not particularly vain, actually, but I was trying to show you that I actually did read your post :-P

I would like to see someone do Barchi Nafshi (at the end of Nishmat Kol Chai), because it's a nice tune and fairly easy to join in on. I'd totally support changing up Hallel HaGadol (that's the formal name for Ki Le'olam Chasdo), if only to something not quite so...repetetive.

[sen-ichi-rei.livejournal.com]

I don't know any tunes for Barchi Nafshi (I've never heard it sung.) You've probably heard my non-repetitive ki le'olam chasdo. It's the same tune as one of the Shabbas niggunim (yeah, I know. so helpful...)

And what song is that quote from? My mind is blanking even though I'm sure I know it...

[masteraleph.livejournal.com]

There are several different Shabbat niggunim which work to hallel hagadol. And "you're so vain..." is in fact from "You're so vain" by Carly Simon (sometime in the early 70s).