tikvah

I think the way to do it is to motivate yourself with your very favorite song. For me, I just had to play Led Zeppelin’s Tangerine. I basically locked myself in a room until I could play it!

I’ve started. It’s fabulous, if a little humbling to see all of these lists and lists of dead people. We’ll all be there some day … why not do as much good as we can in the meantime?

I’d like to write books to help children learn about how marketing works. The goal would be for them to feel more in control later on and less overwhelmed, controlled, and branded.

The hump is the initial moment I get in bed before going to sleep. My urge is to reach for a mindless sci-fi book or surf the web. But when I actually open Pirke Avot and read even one verse, it is worth it.

I write songs and play Hebrew, country, and rock music. I’d love to record more. I got some equipment (adequate, not elaborate), and just need to buckle down. One particular goal is to record a set of Hebrew songs for kids. I am teaching a music class to toddlers in the fall and want to give them a CD of the songs so they can listen and sing along between sessions.

I was good for a while—running to work every couple of days etc. But now I need to get back into it! I do exercise more than I think since I carry around my kids everywhere, but it needs to be more of a commitment. Without body, there is no mind, heart, or spirit!

I have tons of video footage of my kids (one infant, one toddler). I would love to really put it together into watchable chunks, with music, etc. I used to think I wanted to be a filmmaker—it would be a great way to pretend!

The Galilee is a highlight … really the whole North. Can’t miss Safed!

Let me preface this by saying that the music class I taught was for infants and toddlers. Thus, I can’t help you if you’re considering a career with Julliard. But, for those of us less grandiose, really it’s just about getting them interested, motivated, and excited. So even if you aren’t sure of skill level, lesson plans, or theory, go for it! Another thing is that for my class all of the money is donate to charity … thus, if they have a bad time, at least they can think they gave the money to a good cause. I understand that for some people donating the money isn’t an option, though. But if it is, it is something to consider both to take pressure off you and to give to a cause you care about.

I trained pushing my baby in a jogging stroller. Then, when it came time to run without the jogging stroller, it was soooo easy!!

http://www.jenandbrian.net/principles.htm

When I got my time back, I had to look up my average speed compared with other animals. It was a little disappointing that my average speed was slower than the top speed of pigs (11 mph) and chickens (9 mph). Still worth it, though!!

OK. It is nice to know that “qi” “za” “oi” “ae” etc. are words. It is nice to be able to bingo (get a 7 letter word, worth a 50 point bonus) at least every game or two. But there is a dark side to Scrabble! It can be addictive, and we all have lots of other things on our lists … I’m still working on an appropriate balance between relaxing with a fun internet Scrabble game once in a while versus really becoming obssessed …

Medical school is actually quite fun. Most of the pressure is very social. 98% of people pass and do just fine. You do have to like the idea of memorizing tons of stuff and jumping through a lot of hoops. It is worth it to think about public health, occupational health, physical therapy, speech therapy, and other things that might be even more of what you eventually want. Also, while medical school is fun, being an actual physician can be a big emotional and physical downer at times. I have become very happy with a research career. One nice thing about medicine is that there are lots of options within it.

It is hot. And Tuaregs often carry large swords. This can be daunting. But then you become friends and it actually can be a benefit. Also there are a lot of languages. Of course it matters where you go. I was in Niamey, Niger, and the five most spoken languages were French, Hausa, Zarma, Fulani, and Tamachek.

I actually keep them all in an Access database. I am up to around 300 quotes. They are all organized by topic, and searchable! Anal, yes, but it has been very helpful! And when I have a friend with a problem, I can immediately look up by topic what might be a useful thing to write them.

If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s experience (easy for me to say—I’ve had a great life).

It was a 1 hour movie with the junior high school kids I was teaching. High drama …