EOOPS

Hullo, all. I am alive and kicking. I know I've been remiss in writing to you all. I am deeply, terribly sorry for it. Nah, I'm not. I'm busy. You all can deal with it. 

Why have I been so busy, you may ask? Well, thanks for showing some interest in my life. I had finals for two months. No joke. It was quite an experience. I wish never to repeat said experience, ever, ever again in my entire life, however long that may be and however long my degree takes me (it might be a shtickle longer than the two years I had originally planned. So awkward for all those shadchanim and boys I told that I would be finished in two years.).

But I don't really want to spend any more of my brain space (what's left of it) on speaking about finals. We should speak of better things, things that don't make me want to rip all of my hair out and consider being a hermit with a degree in building cardboard box houses. 

Let's talk about more pleasant things, like the fact that I was sick for quite awhile, and when I told my father about it, he said, "You have one of three diseases: covid, not-covid, or might-be-covid." So, that was entertaining. Pretty sure I did have corona. Actually, during one of the tests-that-shall-not-be-named, I was sitting in the front row, minding my own business and making up formulas to put on the paper while coughing up a storm, and the proctor comes up to me and asks very politely, "Corona?"

To which I innocently replied, "I dunno. I have a cold."

Then she told me to move the back of the classroom or she would forcefully remove me from the premises (no, she just told me to move), and then she went and put on a mask so I wouldn't contaminate her. That was funny. I bet she also sanitized my final when I handed it in. 

So, let us speak of times long since passed, Shabbos two weeks ago, when I was sick as a dog. I made Shabbos with two friends in the dorms, seeing as I couldn't move from my bed without my head swimming in pain. It was a cute Shabbos. We cooked all the food, and by we I mean Shana Aleph and Rut, with me putting water in a pot and saying, "I made the potatoes!"

Friday night, some other girls who were staying in the dorms came up and we all sang Shabbos Zemiros together, which was quite cute. 

I slept a lot over Shabbos, which was great, seeing as I hadn't been sleeping well at all the past few nights. 

We're gonna skip the entire week, 'cause I don't want to cry about my finals. And then the next Shabbos was Bnei Brak with my cousins. I hadn't seen them for awhile, and their baby was so big. They call her Becky. Yes, they live in Bnei Brak, are Chareidi as anything, and they call their baby girl Becky. So funny. I held her for a lot of Shabbos, read some books to the kids, and just enjoyed myself. Spoke a lot of Hebrew. Got a lot of shidduch suggestions. My cousin, Eliyahu, really wanted to set me up with his wife's brother. He lives in Bnei Brak, is Israeli, probably speaks two words of English, if that, and Eliyahu thought it was a good match. Am I the only one who think there's something slightly off about this equation?

Shabbos was so nice. And now we're gonna skip the next week. 

For this Shabbos, a friend from Bnos Abby invited me. She's visiting Israel and has an apartment in Ramas Eshkoil, so we spent Shabbos together. We ate the meals out, and it was a really beautiful Shabbos. 

Yesterday was Tisha B'av, my first one in Israel, it happens to be. Obviously, this blog is more light-hearted, if you haven't noticed, and Tisha B'av isn't the most light-hearted topic. But I feel as if I would be doing you all an injustice if I didn't say that if you don't spend at least one Tisha B'av in Yerushalayim, you're missing out on life. 

There are no words to describe saying Nacheim in Mincha while standing at the kotel. None. So...come to Israel. 

In other, totally unrelated news, I must have forgotten to tell of you that the Steinsies and I came up with something called EOOPS (early onset OPS). Very important to know. I've already diagnosed quite a few people with this. 

Also...my friend Azula is engaged! When she told me, I actually cried. Like real tears. I'm so many happies for her and her chosson!

Anywho, I'm going back to America on Wednesday. So, that's gonna be an adventure. I love flying, she said with a grimace.

I'm gonna go do something now. I don't know what it will be, but I do know what it won't be. Studying. And I am ecstatic with that knowledge. Glad you're happy for me. Hope you enjoyed!

Toodles from Hoodles!