[NHC] Rest of the 'tute

[magid]

The main points, anyway; I could write far too much on any of these.

+ talent show (bottle dancing, violin music, stand-up, songs, auctioning nothing (also grape juice))
+ dance afterward (80s music!)
- artist GoH evening programming the first night in the same slot
- intergenerational conversation on gender in Judaism left me feeling uncomfortable about my practices (in the sense of being unacceptable to others, rather than not the right choice for me), which made me feel less part of the community
+ fun Indian-style clothing at the shuk, also a brass necklace
+ my jam raised a bunch of money in the silent auction
- the silent auction was too cramped and not located well; much more money could've been raised
+ dvar Torah by R. Steve Greenberg ("tzedek Jews" v. "Shabbat Jews") at Friday night davening
-/+ Shabbat dinner signup weirdness, which led to Cellio and I abandoning our original seating, but each of us ended up with great groups in the 'open' section
+ Friday night tisch in Alumni Lounge, with niggunim and stories (Oberlinsky shtetl!)
+ hearing many of the stories from Bearsir's students (though the acoustics in Pierce made it challenging to hear at times), including one about Beit Bingo!
+ seeing all the quilts from the morning class on display
+ havdalah as a community, and seeing Uel's sound-sensitive T-shirt
+ watching fireworks through the trees with a little girl (whose father sings beautiful niggunim)
+ seeing someone 'walk the universe,' going from candle to candle as descriptions of the process of the universe coming to its present state were read (in a quiet, compelling voice)
+ the clouds clearing just in time on the last night possible to say kiddush levana
+ Praying with Lior
- in the cafeteria, way too many starchy options, not enough vegetable options (plus a general lack of spice)
+ not having to prepare meals for a week
- eating too many desserts
+/- staying in the townhouses meant getting in more walking (plus a private bathroom), but also meant having to plan what to bring, going to less late-night programming, and not being inside the eruv
+ candy cane field
+ the computer room was open more of the time
- it felt less easy to meet people this year
+ met some anyway :-)
+ time with people I already knew (it never felt like enough, though!)
+ lots of creating (in 4.5 days, I crocheted a necklace, a bracelet, and a multicolored kippah with waves, plus made a batik piece and my first quilt (well, appliqued piece, really))
+ hail on Shabbat! and the second time it was followed by a rainbow

Comments

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Truly, All Hail Shabbat :P

[magid.livejournal.com]

*grin*