Getting better

I am still slowly recovering after my second seizure and am splitting my time between London (Emily) and Home (Family) as well as doing more college work and stuff in my 5th year community.  There are still some lingering after-effects of my illness my memory is still really ropy (although as noted this might at least in part be down to some of the medication I am taking).  I am also hopeful that the depression I experienced afterwards is starting to lift as well.  So all in all things are long up. I've even been on a date :) which was really nice.

My new little nephew is adorable and another plus side is that I am getting to spend more time at home so I get to see him and Aaron more than I would otherwise.

I am still finding working a little harder than it was before I'm more easy to distract and things are slower but nevertheless I am working again, including a few things back up North in my community well most of those are in the future.  My MA has really been kicked into the long grass (post ordination), which is still set for July I was going to say next year but its very much this year.  Wow thats scary.

Anyway long story short I am continuing to get better and can expect to make future progress yet. Everyone has been amazing specially Emily and I am gradually getting back to being myself.

Getting back in the swing of things

I am slowly settling back into the swing of things after my seizure at the start of July.  And although I go home for the weekends I spend most of the week back in London in the flat. Last Sunday I had my NMRI scan up in Manchester so hopefully I will know soon what caused my seizure although if it is epilepsy then there is likely nothing to see in the scan.  But in myself I am feeling much better, although I have more moments of blind panic than I would like.  (I am working on this with my therapist) I have also re-started meeting my personal trainer and although i can feel that my conditioning has slipped over the two or three weeks when I haven't been meeting with her it has not slipped as badly as I would have thought.
Apart from this things have been continuing along okay really. I have been getting ready for my 5th placement, although not making as much progress as I would have liked, getting ready for the 5th year, again not made as much progress as i had hoped i would, this is going to become a theme in this particular blog post. My preparation for my MA is in the same place as is my High Holy Preparations. So all in all okay but not great.

And as for my plans of getting lots of work experience over the summer nothing came of that really. Well almost nothing I am preaching on Friday at West London Synagogue.  I am also finishing off the stuff for Limmud albeit that that is now getting to stage where it really is moving on to become other peoples work.

The summer reading continues and I have two more light, easy and fun books on order. I have to make the most of this time because looking at the 5th year I don't think that I am going to have much outside reading time.

I am also making a concerted attempt to meet with friends, last week I got to hang out with Mandy and we went to the Victoria and Albert museum.

I have one more hospital appointment scheduled in the next couple of weeks and then induction begins. Although quiet why I need to be inducted now that I am a 5th year I don't know. Especially as of today I only have 318 days to go :)

Emily is still in Canada, where although busy she seems to be having a great time. But I am really missing her and am really looking forward to her return.

Summer break but thinking about the 5th Year

This is something of a quiet time. After spending July recovering after my seizure. August is also shaping up to be a slow month. During the week I have been down in the flat in London, but I am spending the weekend back home in Stoke, this is more-or-less my plan for the rest of August.

I now have a date for my NMR which is the 17^th of August, so after that I should have a much better idea of what coursed my seizure. I have also made time to go up to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to meet with my 5^th community.

I am also trying to make some headway on High Holy Day stuff and on stuff for my MA, God knows that there is some time pressure on there. But generally I am having a restful time, sleeping more (the no coffee is really helping there). And reading fun and light stuff including Lev Grossman's 'The Magician's Land' which is the third part of 'Magicians' Series. I am really enjoying it and am trying to not read it all at once, I have another fun book on order which is good.

Additionally I am doing some work but lighter than normal reading, so some stuff for my 5^th Year Placement, basically a history of Newcastle and the surrounding region and books of the Apochrapha.

On Thursday I actually got to hang out with Matthew which was fun albeit that his house looked like a bomb had hit it. His house mate is moving out and he is reorganising so boxes everywhere, and lots of dust. One of my aims for next year is somehow get better at staying on contact with my friends despite how pushed for time it is going to be.

Emily is still in Canada, although we are in touch most days via Instant messaging, or via Skype. She seems to be having a good time but its hella hard work for her, albeit that it will be a great experience and something to put on her C.V. But I am really, really missing her :(

Yesterday I got my official Transcripts of my 4^th year and PG.Dip part of my course, all was well and good Pass with Merit in all but one of my courses which is nice. So all that is really left now is my MA (oh and our four extra-classes).

In truth my thoughts have largely turned to life after the college, which is in just 329 days. Yeah but scary. There is still quite a lot standing between me and that though. My Placement, the written work that goes along with it, my MA and the stuff that will go along with the four non-assessed but taught courses.

But I am thinking about it terms of 'markers of year' so induction, and then the High Holy Days, the college open days, then there is winter break, admissions week, Passover, dead-line for my MA thesis, deadline write piece for Practical Rabbinics, final Placement events and then Ordination. The end really feels not exactly in sight but I know its there just beyond the horizon.

I still have to finish off this years Limmud Booklet (shouldn't take too much longer now). However, I am seriously thinking of not going to Limmud this year as I think that I will be just to busy.  

Really the end of 4th year

I have now finally and fully done with the 4th year. Last week I had my final presentation at college it was on a community based use of a megilah, and if it did not go as well as it might have it did go and I am sure that it was good enough to pass.
I have also had my last rabbinic tutorial of the year. So I am basically done. There is still the matter of Kol Bo (weeks one and two) but this does not require me to do much other than turn up and pay attention, that is it is not assessed.
I also have one or two things left to do at my fourth year placement but this things are basically fun and I am looking forward to them.

Then in early July the current 5th students will be ordained and I will become a 5th year student myself.  looking back apart from year one (which of course was in Israel) i find that years two, three and four have kind of mixed together in my memory and if I really want to sort out when something happened then I have to go though this blog to work things out.

But looking back on the 4th I again feel that i have grown and changed but find myself uncertain as to when exactly this happened.

I am going to spend the summer working of my rabbinic thesis as far as possible as well as gaining community experience. I am looking forward to my 5th year placement (Watch this space).

And for now that about it.

Rounding off the 4th year.

One of the difficult things about the spring semester is how it drags on but with so many breaks. Currently I am waiting to do a presentation, which has been rescheduled but one that is ready to go save for some minor printing and a very little preparations. I am also waiting of Kol Bo. The summer study. But basically I am done with my 4th year. And I am really happy be so. A couple of days ago I was down in Kingston for Erev Shavuot, I led the evening service and led a Biblodrama study session. I think it went well, especially the study session part. I am also decompressing from the stress of exams. And have really started thinking about and planning my 5th year. Basically this means that I am starting to think about my 5th year placement although things are still rather range on that front. I am also starting to work on my Rabbinic dissertation I am actually beginning to get excited about this it should be an interesting project.

However this dose mean that the 4th and 5th year are going to run into each other with very little in-between. But I am feeling more and more nature in my role as rabbi-to-be, in a way that I haven't before. I have grown a lot during this past year and working with Charley and at KLS has been great.

One down side of things at the moment is that I do not feel that I have made enough progress with my work for Limmud as I would like although I am sure that it will get done and will be good in the end.

I am still training with my personal trainer but I do seem to have hurt my knee or rather re-injured my knee which is a bit of a drag.  As its really painful and its stopping me from training as hard as I would, like.

But all in all things are good.

Feels almost like summer

It feels almost like summer, the weather is hot and humid, which makes me less inclined to work, which is a shame has I still have plenty of work to do. One essay has been handed in, I am still hard at work on the second, then there is the presentation to think about. Plus finishing off my 4th year placement at KLS, the stuff of Limmud and already thinking about my 5th year, early I know but the 5th year is rather truncated so I need to get going.  I am also waiting to here where my 5th year placement will take-place. This is making me somewhat nervous as this will have a massive effect on what my whole 5th year will look like and how/where I can make the transition from student rabbi to out and out rabbi.

On a lighter note another of mile stones of the year has passed the annual college dinner. (See Photo) it really was a lot of fun and I am in a much better/happier place this year than I was last. But now its time to get back to work: I have essays to write, massive numbers of emails to send and meetings to go to.

I promise a more substantial and reflexive post soon.