One long day

Today was very long.  It started with my studying Talmud Daf Yomi with my chevaruta partner.  Leah we got though a lot today a whole ammud.  Then there was the morning service and then my class on the Prophets with Charles. This was really interesting today a good article which both Emily and I had enjoyed.
After that came Rabbinic Literature intensive we are still working on the opening sections of Kiddushin but today we had LC teaching us so that was both good and challenging.  Then I had a brief informal meeting with Leah and Haim about the organisation of services followed by a more formal meeting about Shabbat Lech Lacha.
After that I had my class on Medieval Jewish History which interesting although we kind of got of topic.
Latter in the day I had one of my extra-homiltecis class.  But when I got home I was very tired.

Almost a whole week

I have almost had a full week at school, I know that tis is strange given that we are now in October but with the Holidays and some members of staff keeping two days of Hag. I have not had a full week of school as yet. (Next week is uninterrupted).
This might explain why I am feeling so unstressed. But mainly I think that this is because I am getting more used to this whole being at rabbi school thing. Just as well given how long i've been at it now.
Emily and I had our meeting with Norwood Jewish Care so I am more certain now about how my pastoral placement is going to work.  I am also feeling much more optimistic about the whole thing.
I have not been feeling that great of late, I'm fighting off the post High Holy Days bug, and as normal for me this is showing itself in toothache, which often keeps me from sleeping.  This means I am watching a lot of t.v shows on my laptop in the middle of the night.
Last Friday (so the day before yesterday) I went around to Danny's (he is a fellow rabbinical student) for a Friday Night Dinner.  It was a kind of 'grass-roots-jews' thing and I know a lot of the people who were there. Not that this is surprising because it was a 20-30s thing and most people were liberal-Orthodox, Masorti or conservative-Reform.
The Kabbalat-Shabbat was very Caravach so just my kind of thing. But I started feeling really lousy during it and then had to wait for an hour for the bus so by the time I got home I was feeling really really rubbish.  So basically yesterday I did nothing but lump about in bed and sleep in an attempt to get over it in just one day.  And although I am not feeling amazing today I am feeling much much better. So onward and upward into my first full week at school. Starting on Monday which has been the day heaviest hit by the holidays and an actual placement day on Thursday.

Birthday

Today is was my birthday and although more or it was a normal school day it was fun as well. My classmates brought me in a cake and card which was really nice. And all in all it was an easy enough day.
The cake was a very chocolaty one and the card was really nice so that was fun.

I don't have much work on at the moment so that is peaceful.  I have a few admin type things to do but not all that pressing so I just came home and ate some of the food that Rebecca and Mum sent me for my Bday.

Party and Friday night

Yesterday was great. We had a party here at the flat, in part this was a very belated housewarming Emily and I had intended to have one it just took us a little longer to get properly settled into the flat and it organised than we had thought it. So it was good to do that, but it was also an early birthday party for me. (Organised brilliantly by Emily.)
It was quite small (around 11 guests) but really really enjoyable there were a few people from school. Including some of the new first year students. Some people who Emily knows thought work and I know though Emily and Mandy who is one of my friends though Ammadown. It was really fun and exciting evening with lots of drink and snack type food.  One of my gifts was a really rather pleasant signle malt, so as i had some of that and a couple of Canadian bears I was a little merry but not too drunk.
That said I was too tipsy to attempt to cut the cake, (again a big thanks to Emily) with our flats knives which are huge. But luckily at least one guest was still up to cake cutting. So that was one good thing. I also got to have a lie-in and relatively restful day which is good because we are going to a Young Adults thing organised by LJ, which ought to be fun but I wouldn't have wanted to go very tired.
The other positive thing that has happened is in Daf Yomi we have finished Tractate Barachot, which feels like a big steep.
Nevertheless I found the first week back at school some what challenging. And there is already a lot on my plate. But feeling pretty happy after such a good and upbeat start to the weekend. And I think part of how hard I found the start of school was the lag of the High Holy Days which was really positive but also very tiring.

High Holy Days Two

I am now back in the flat after leading services at MLJC for Yom Kippur.  I am pretty pleased with how things went. Although it was, as always very tiring and by the end I was so shattared that my shofar blast at the end was not either all that long or all that loud.
On the bright side, my service leading was better than it had been last year and I was really pleased with how both my sermons went.
The next day I had a look around Manchester Cathedral, which is surprissingly not something I have done before. It has had a very interesting history.
Then it was home by train.
All in all happy with how things went. Now on to the 3rd year proper.

High Holy Days

I'm currently very busy, which given that its nearly Yom Kippur is not at all surprising.  This year my High Holy Day Community is MPJC Rosh Hashanah went very well. People liked my shofar blowing which was probably the best I've ever done.
I was also pleased with how my sermons went.  I am home (Newcastle-under-Lyme) at the moment partly just for a rest but also for Rebecca's Bday.
Working on my Yom Kippur sermons and Torah readings. Okay but still a bit stress making.  Today I went to Menorah partly to say Hi to Haim Shalom. It was fun to be back in Menorah if only for a morning.
I have a lot do still, but so far I'm enjoying the third year.

First day back at school

Today was my first day back at school. Really more orientation than school proper, we were introduced to the new school program and to the new first year.  Tomorrow we have some classes, which are make up class for sessions which we are going to miss latter in the year because of High Holy Days. I am slowly reading my way though the new handbooks.
I think I have finally completed the work required for the project I am doing for limmud.  But should go to bed now as I have to be up at 7am tomorrow to go and study Talmud.