Thursday! YAY!

Today was a big day. So was yesterday. So I'll tell you about both. I should actually say that today IS a big day. Because it's only 1:15pm right now. 13:15, if you are from here. Or anywhere that isn't the USA. ANYWAY.

Reasons today is a big day:

1. Today is the Gay Pride Parade on the street where I am staying. Ordinarily, I would think this was a fun thing to go to. I would be wrongo bongo about that. Here, Gay Pride Parade is like a civil rights march. It's not for 4 more hours but there are literally about 300 police officers lining up on the streets, huge baracades, sandbags even. I'm not sure what the sandbags are for. A flood? A holy intervention?

2. I met with the Cantor at Hebrew Union College who is a mentor of Sharon's. He was very, very nice and he likes Sharon a LOT which in turn meant he was super nice to me. Good news for me though, I think he is probably that cordial to everyone he meets. Anyway, we had a good talk about my cantorial intentions and he had some good advice to give. He said he thinks it is really great that I've chosen to stay in Kansas City for a few more years before I start school. I do too. That's why I'm doing it. He also thinks it's great that I get to work as closely with Sharon as I do. Again, I do to. He invited me to come to the orientation for new Cantorial students on July 11th. I will be able to because that is one of the days I have free between the time Rabbi Nemitoff and the congregation leave and when the kids get here.

3. I am meeting up with some 'friends' tonight at an American pub. I use friends casually because they really aren't my friends... and really, REALLY wouldn't be my friends were I am home. But they speak english. And that's really the only qualification to be my friend here in the holyland.

Reasons yesterday was a big day:

1. I had some questions for God, so I wrote them all down and marched them to the Western Wall. I still feel totally unmoved when I go there but putting my questions in the wall made me feel a little better. It was a really lovely walk home. It was very breezy and I got to think for awhile. Often, I am too distracted to think while I am walking. Both because I'm not always sure where I am going and I'm just the sort of person who likes to know exactly what is going on around me.

2. I made a reservation at the Fancy shmancy YMCA across the street from where I am now. And no, it is not that I need fancy per se, but more that my time runs out where I am staying now and a new American tourist is coming to boot me. I only had this place until the 25th and part of my adventure while here was to find somewhere new.

3. I got a good email from a friend who told me that she doesn't find the Western Wall that holy feeling either. She has found her 'God' in other people. I like this idea a lot. Especially when I think about the whole being created in the image of god thing/ . That makes much more sense to me and offered me some solice. Enough to allow me to fall asleep at 2am when I once again, couldn't fall asleep due to the strays who apperantly live on the street outside my apartment. This time I am talking about cats. Cats who are in heat.

So, that's what's going on today. I am thinking about going to watch a little of the parade. The cantor who I met today warned me about getting too close. So I'll watch from afar on the off chance that violence between the religions does, infact, break out. A good tip.

That is all that I know. Seriously. When I know more, I will tell you. That's a deal.

BYE!