I am finding it simultaneously frightening and exhilarating (from a purely historical perspective) that the Northwest Passage opened briefly this summer.

by order summer lingers through September . . .

Last week moved along quite briskly, with a few ridiculous highlights punctuating my relatively humdrum existence.

Last Saturday, I went into work as usual, having heard rumors of an intense former hurricane coming the way of Philadelphia. I figured it wouldn't really affect me so much since I work inside and my walk to work isn't that bad. Needless to say, I went out after work to meet someone only a few blocks (maybe 6 or 7) away, and almost blew away. Like actually, I felt like Almira Gultch again. Only not on stage, and minus that amazing ruffled shirt I got to wear. Anyway, dinner at Fuji Mountain was amazing -- I totally recommend it for those in Philly. But I can't remember the last time I was that overwhelmed by the weather. Oh wait, yes I can -- remember when it snowed 3 ft at Brandeis? ... that was similarly overwhelming.

The next day I woke up to a frighteningly idyllic day (especially in comparison to the previous one) -- I went to the ACAJE (jewish educators) Supplementary School conference at KI in Elkins Park. It was an okay morning, lots of chatting with Beth Or people and Or Ami people and stuff life that. Definitely nice to see my old teachers now that I've been away from Beth Or a while and have some distance from it, but I'm also really glad that I'm not teaching there -- I think it'd be too weird. Maybe at some point in the future, but for now, I'm loving Or Ami. Anyway, my first session on different types of learners was nice but rather typical, and I didn't feel like I got anything new out of it. The second session on the other hand was wonderful -- it was led by Ellen Walters, who was my 3rd grade Hebrew school teacher, and who is one of those master teachers that everyone should learn from. Anyway, the session was on giving early elementary kids a set of problem solving tools and empowering them to think through their own problems -- definitely some food for thought there.

I did have one moment where I felt really uncomfortable at the conference -- I saw Michelle Shapiro, whose husband gave us Harley when they moved to an apartment and couldn't have a dog -- anyway, she asked how Harley was, and I had to tell her that he passed away and the whole awful story and it was just miserable. I'm really fine about it, it's not like I'm still missing my dog like a crazy person 8 months later, but there's something awful about having to talk about something when you're not expecting to have to.

Anyway, after ACAJE, I dropped the car off in Jenkintown and took the train into Philly, which was wonderful because I got to see Jackieeee :) (and the elder Ms. Feinberg as well :) ). It was so great great great to see her before she took off for the land of kilts and haggis, and we had a beautiful afternoon of wandering around in the sun, playing in South St. and checking out the decidedly wonderful GreenFest. goodtimes had by all. Note to self: the key to happiness = eating more Maoz falafel.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Highlights included:
- an accidental and unfortunate addiction to that stupid secret life of an American teenager show. it's like a train wreck. i can't stop myself from watching.
- a chat with Skrevsky on the phone!!!!
- the pronouncement by Bubbie Ethel that "I'd rather have Newt Gingrich than that awful Sarah Palin woman." This may not seem remarkable to you, but considering Bubbie's previous history with Mr. Gingrich, I was shocked (in 1994, she repeatedly threw pillows at his image on C-SPAN while stuck in bed due to heart troubles. 8-year-old me was mildly frightened, and grew up thinking that Newt Gingrich was the devil).

look, I find some of what you teach suspect

RIP, RENT.

I'm having trouble believing that RENT is actually over -- it's been a part of Broadway basically since I knew what Broadway was (well not quite, I WAS watching Peter Pan and South Pacific as a 3-year-old), but still.

I didn't start off loving RENT. Like many things in life, I refused to get excited about it until Matt Stern Made me (the story is the same for Wicked, Avenue Q, and Stephen Sondheim, as well. Parade, too for that matter). But I digress. As a kid doing musical theater in the Beth Or and PV world, I was convinced that RENT was too commercialized -- everybody liked it, and I was a musical theater purist, so of course I wouldn't. Having every word memorized and shouting it on buses to youth group events and during rehearsals for other shows did not appeal to me. In fact, I blocked it out so well from my repertoire of musicals-i-like that I didn't see it or listen to the full CD until 2005, when the movie came out. Matt told me I had to see it, and that I was ridiculous if I didn't, so I got the CDs from him, listened to them over and over until I felt like I got the plot, and then went to see the movie. Which I enjoyed thoroughly. I became a latent RENT-head, somehow knowing all of the words to the songs I had judged people for 5, 10 years earlier. The allure wore off about a year later, when I worked as a counselor for Rockwood Adventures, a teen tour. Nothing kills a RENT buzz like 12- and 13-year-old girls screaming the lyrics.

Anyway, fast forward again to this April, when I took a well-deserved weekend off from the craziness of senior year at Brandeis to go see the show with Ronis in New York. I'm sure the show lost something over time, and I get that it's now a relic of something that doesn't quite exist anymore, but its music still resonated with me. At the time, I loved the feel of the theater itself (although in retrospect, it was a little East Village theme-park-y). Anyway, I'm definitely glad I got a chance to see it before it closed, if only because it's a part of musical theater history, and there are few things in life I love more than musical theater history.

So rest in peace, RENT. Lots of people will miss you.

why isn't life the West Wing?

Last night was disappointing. Not that I ever had much interest or faith in Sarah Palin. But she really exemplifies ALL of things I tend to dislike about the Republican party. I like thinking of myself as a moderate liberal, I like maintaining the personal illusion that I might be a swing voter. With McCain of 2000, there would have been a contest for my vote (of course, I was 15, so it didn't matter so much). But McCain 2008 has moved farther and farther away from being my candidate.

And last night Palin and Guiliani put the nail in that coffin. Really? 'drill, baby, drill'? are you INSANE? and you actually don't believe in global warming? or sex education? Oy, that convention is making my back hurt.

gaaaaaah, I'm voting for Vinick. or Santos. Obama will do I suppose.