the end. and now...

my best line (?)

"the dwarves are all busy."

it's 2:30 am, it's snowing again in Jerusalem, and i just got back from our last 2 performances of Man of LaMancha. It was fun, and a lot more successful than i had thought. I really hit a point about 2 weeks ago where i thought the show was going to be a total disaster. But it wasn't. People really really enjoyed it. We sold out or at least filled up most of the shows, and every performance ended with an audience that was excited, happy and moved.

The director of Guild, the Ra'anana English-speaking theatre group, approached me after today's 5pm show and asked me to come audition for their next production, and to maybe see about joining their permanent company. That's quite an exciting offer, but Ra'anana is more than 2 hours away by bus, and I don't have a car. So we'll see what's up with that.

In the meantime, i popped some Ny-Quil to kill my cough, and I need to get some sleep.

'nite

if you suckas won't comment...

This comment was sent to Canfei Nesharim about my writing, which is posted this week on their site:

B"H

Great article, thank you! I have always refused to wear gold or gemstones, there is so much suffering and injustice and oppression involved in mining them...thank you for this terrific teaching. It's so wonderful to have a sense of shared values within the Jewish community.

-Jampa Williams

Be like Jampa, comment on The 'Stu, and don't buy dirty gold. A'ight?

WanderingStu is all over the place

We had 2 decent performances last night in Tel Aviv. I did quite well, and even got some hearty laughs at a few unexpected moments. Lets just hope I don't ham it up to much at those moments tomorrow night...

Meanwhile, my next environmental Torah is online, front page at Canfei Nesharim this week only. I've edited or ghost-written or totally rewritten several of the pieces in the past weeks, but this is only the second piece that is credited to me. It's all about the evils of the gold mining industry... I have another piece up next week as well.

Today was a rest day after our opening night. Me and my new superpal Rebecca went to a yoga class and then had Indian food at the little place in the shuk (the Jerusalem bazaar, right by my house). When we got there Tzvi, the yoga guy, was already there and chowing down. Somehow he had zipped across town way faster than us (and hadn't even offered us a ride!). After the meal, the waitress gave us cards for 2 free classes at Tzvi's yoga studio. I asked him if I could get some of my money back, since he was handing it out fer free. He refused. Rebecca guffawed. I let him know i was kidding, so he wouldn't feel bad.

I've been slamming echinacea, zinc, vitamin C & herbal lozenges for the past few days, and I still have a head full of dark phlegm. Fer cryin' out loud, i did YOGA and had INDIAN FOOD instead of a burger--- give me some health this week. i NEED IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my current list of unlimited use subscriptions in Jerusalem:

- The bus. 220 shekels (one month of free rides. paid for by work)
- The Cinematheque. 300 shekels (good until november)
- Yoga Shalom. 280 shekels (one months of free rides)

this is some other guy, playing the same role as me. ---->
he has a bigger apron.

Oh yeah! Also, at work yesterday, the gang showed up for their 4-month program. 72 high school grads from Australia and South Africa. I met my chavura, the group of 18 for whom I will be directly responsible. We sat outside in a patch of sun as I introduced myself. When I told them that I was vanishing for a week to do the show, they demanded a scene. So I grabbed three of them put them in the roles of Don Quixote, Sancho and Aldonza, and sang my song, "Knight of the Woeful Countenance," in which I, a humble innkeeper, am given the honor (?) of dubbing Don Quixote a knight.

Good times.

busy

nice to see the blinderman family members are active here, so to speak. thanks for your comments. it is thursday, 3pm. we just had a big staff lunch at a moroccan restaurant. The kids (72 high school grads from South Africa and Australia) arrive sunday morning. Man of LaMancha goes up for a week's run on monday afternoon.

it's gonna be quite a week.

this afternoon i went out with a sweater and cap and nothing else (pants too..) and yet this morning i saw a pile of snow still standing in a corner of a parking lot in town. the two-day winter appears to be over.

i remember when this blog was fresh and exciting, filled with adventure and joie de vivre.

put your hand in mine, remember with me....

White Wednesday

It's snowing in Jerusalem. Not just a sprinkling either, though it's no Ukrainian blizzard, as the young soldier girl with whom I shared a cab this morning disdainfully suggested. The only vehicles on the street are police cars and taxis. The intrepid, enterprising cab drivers are flinging out impromptu engorged prices for a wild, seat belt-free tour of the empty city. Luckily I'm getting reimbursed for the cab, being one of two people in our office who came in this morning.

Ah, the noble pioneering spirit of the single man!

In other news, my boots, which I've had since my last Israeli era, in 1998, have finally given up. Between last year's snows and today, they must have dried out a bit, because they did nothing to protect my socks. Always bring a spare pair of socks, folks. The Vibram souls are immaculate. Not that I wore the boots every day, but I seem to wear out a Naot or Crocs soul in less than a year. Good boots. Swiss. Bought in Israel for less than $100.

Now I get to go shopping!!
Well, the truth is that living in Jerusalem, there are only about 2 boot days a year. In muddy Bat Ayin, I wore them for months at a time. So maybe I won't get new boots just yet. But now that I've earmarked the money, let's go out for sushi...

Hey!
You gotta love Israel-
Here's one of the "talkback" comments on the Jerusalem Post's web piece about the snow:

2. Not an Unexpected Victim - Rather An "Act of G-d"

The storm is coming. Y--- thunders, the earth quakes. Add another percentage of disapproval to Olmert's numbers -- G-d himself is voting! "Din", judgement, is now walking in the land. It's time for everyone to get their act together!

Ovadiah ben Avraham - Israel (01/29/2008 12:06)

"Y---" is, of course, a translated and pious form of the Four-Letter Name of God.

here i come

After a long meeting with Bradley Solmsen, which included dinner, a witty IM chat with Dan Held and my first interview on the other side of the table (me and Brad teamed up on a new prospect- i asked a poorly-conceived question and got embarrassed), it has been basically decided that I will be returning to the world of Genesis-BIMA @ Brandeis University for my second summer.

I hope to be in the States, including New York and maybe Florida and/or Atlanta: around 18 June- 16 August. I will be at @ Brandeis University from around 22 June - 30 July.

See you then, perhaps.

New Yorkers- prepare your guest beds!

i sit at work

ARGH!!!!!!
I am a terrible worker. It was a problem at Mad Science. It was a problem at The Temple. I always manage to get my job sort of done- enough that i don't get in trouble with my superiors, who generally like me. But nonetheless, I spend hours, days, weeks sitting at my desk doing nearly nothing. I adjust fonts on documents. I sort papers. I add music to iTunes. I read celebrity news on Yahoo! I snack. I drink lots of water. I do so many damn stupid things, but i DON'T WORK DILIGENTLY.

And i fear it will make me insane.

In a few weeks, I have several courses to teach. One in Bibliodrama and one in Bible. I can fudge my way through, sure, and something will come together, but I have this time, NOW, to plan, to be prepared, to do some pedagogical innovation, but instead, I'm posting this to you.

Christ

and to make it worse, i can't seem to get the text in this post to go any smaller. don't know why

i go to work

Ya know, it's good to have a job. Get your own desk, report to the office, clock the eight/day. It's nice.

This is it

Look at them, would ya? The Rogers family.

Sarah, Jason, Daphne and Gertie.

Mazal Tov!

Happy New Year.

It seems like Blogger was having some technical issues earlier-- i wanted to post a few hours ago, but couldn't get onto the site. At that time, I was sitting at the Y Cafe, a nice little spot with Wi-Fi here in the Nachlaot neighborhood. I was sitting outside, fiddling around with some stuff, and became aware of some loud Jewish wedding-type music. I just filed it away as the music the guy in the cafe was blasting, even though he usually plays good rock n roll. After a minute or so, the music got louder, and I glanced towards the door and noticed a bunch of people on the street a ways up.

I stood up, and saw a little ad hoc parade in effect- a cop walking backwards, a truck driving slowly, and behind it, thirty or so people dancing. Before I even saw the scroll, I knew it was a Hachnasat Sefer Torah, one of the local little synagogues celebrating the acquisition of a new Torah. They danced on down the road. From my spot on the curb I joined in a little joyful jumping up and down. And then they were gone.

That's the way they do it here in Jerusalem.

About twenty minutes ago, I was talking to Mom on the phone, and got an email called "Daphne Lillian Rogers," from Jason. "Huh- did his grandmother die?" I thought (sorry guys-- it was my instinct when I saw "Lillian). And then, of course I realized:

Sarah had her baby!!

6 1/2..... MINUTES of hard pushing, and the kid was out! What a champ.

I forgot to ask Jay, when I just called, how they chose the name Daphne. But they had been a little worried about the Scooby Doo implications-- they both thought that Daphne was the nerdy one...

But we all know better than that. She was the fox.. Zoiks!

Hmm. Turns out that the princess in Dragon's Lair was called Daphne as well. And, of course, everyone's favorite wounded Wombat.



ARGH.
I have been stealing signal from the Karpf family this past month. For some shitcrazydriving reason, I can't connect to the network here in the house, so i am a signal pirate. for that reason, my connection is nutso and unreliable. Therefore, pictures of Princess Daphne, Daphne from Scooby Doo and Daphne the Wounded Wombat will not be featured in this post, as originally planned. Sorry. Let's just hope the damn post gets up in the first place...

But look at that baby, eh? 3 parts Jew, one part Inuit, 100% Brooklyn. Born just in time to get Mom and Dad a nice '07 tax break. What a kid.