Looking Back

As many people do this time of year, I am looking back to see what I have accomplished.  Starting with my original set of resolutions, most of which I have accomplished.  As of the last day of 2022, I am still working on the second sock that was one of my carry-over UFOs:

That's just shy of the heel on the in-progress sock, with two or three rounds of the gusset to go before I could turn the heel.

According to the chart I kept, I finished fifty-two knitted or crocheted items this year, which works out to one per week.  Not a huge output compared to some, but satisfactory.  Three were for my grandmother and six for me, which should please my mother who thinks I make too many things to donate to charities or give to others and not enough for myself.

In terms of reading, I set the bar low, because the previous year I didn't find a good focus.  So I ended up exceeding my intentions, completely reading eighteen books:

I did read parts of others, two of which are pending to be finished in January (one at my bedside, one in my parents' guest room), and a couple which I gave up on without finishing.  Life is too short to read bad books.  Maybe they will be to somebody else's taste.

Am acquaintance posted that she read 73 books this year, so eighteen isn't much, but I am pleased with the number, especially since three had over 500 pages each.  Plus I do a lot of other reading, mostly periodicals.  I've been piling up the unread magazines and am working through them quite steadily.

Goodreads did an analysis of the books I read, which is a very eclectic assortment:

 

Back to the sock while I watch TCM's annual "Thin Man" marathon.  Part of the reason the sock is not further along is a very exciting Fiesta Bowl.  Sadly, U Michigan managed to keep their bowl games losing streak alive.

So this happened...........

One of the groups that sprang up online as a result of the pandemic is Plague Mask Players, which started as a group of actors frustrated when theatres shut down, and stayed shut.  They began performing the entire Shakespeare canon, and branched out into other less-known works, preferably by female authors, as time passed.  As the world began to open up they shifted to less frequent performances.

I knew a couple people who were part of the founders, and watched some early shows, and on a whim jumped into the 'casting' process - which consisted of the first ## persons to "Claim!" a role when the casting post opened.  While I've been part of theatre most of my life, most of that has been spend backstage (a bad role gave me serious stage fright early in high school, from which I've never really recovered) and I found that I thrive backstage, especially roles such as props and stage manager.  Of course there is very little need for these in a virtual theatre (except such props as each performer brings) so I've had to overcome my fears and learn to perform.  The upside of how PMP works is that it's just a reading, you don't have to learn blocking and memorize lines and all the things I find difficult.

So it's been fun, and while I couldn't be in every show, I've done a number of this season's performances.

At the end of the season they hold an awards ceremony, the Billy Awards:

I didn't attend last year's ceremony for some reason, and although I was nominated as part of a troupe, we didn't win.

This season, I was nominated for Best Stage Directions for the production of Antigone.  (I also jumped in last-minute to play a small role when the scheduled performer had a medical emergency, so was Creon's son in an "Almost Famous" sweatshirt - the sort of costume choice one makes on ten minutes' notice.)  I was a presenter for Best Props at the awards ceremony.  And I was surprised enough that I won for Stage Directions:

Then, towards the end of the ceremony, shortly before Best Production (for Alice in Wonderland, I think to nobody's surprise), this happened:

I think I am going to be in shock for some time to come.  One of the founders, producers, etc. said when posting about it after the ceremony:  "Special shout out to Margo Lynn who is our MVP! She is an invaluable member who embodies everything we are passionate about. She is all-in, always performs to the fullest, jumps in to help, and is a joy to watch."  For somebody who has been happiest behind the stage, to be recognized for performances is truly an utter shock.

Especially when I am part of this group of winners, several of whom won in multiple categories:

Christmakah

Today, Christmas and Channukah overlap.  I love these images:

My rabbi sent out this set of wishes, and I posted each one with a photo of my candles each night:

1.   May the candles brighten our hearts and souls and remind us of all the GOOD in our world.

2.   May they give us COURAGE to be ourselves and resist the latest trends around us.

3.  May the Shamos - the helper candle -remind us that we can HELP spread light in our darkened world, we must help others.

4.  May we TRUST that there will be enough. That what we have is enough. That what we are is enough. For that cruse of oil that shouldn't have sufficed, sufficed.

5.  May the give us HOPE - All too often we are told, there is no more oil left to burn when there is - “The proper response that Chanukah teaches is not to curse the darkness, but to light a candle.”

6.  May we have FAITH - as we light these candles. Remember we light the candles when it is darkest.

7.   May we SHARE our light with others. We are taught that we should place our menorah on our windowsills, so that the light invades the darkened streets and alleys.

8.  May we remember that our future has not been written yet. If our observance of this holiday strengthened our bonds to our past and to those around us, if we can focus on the light over the dark, if we can share the light with others and brighten our world, and if we can REDEDICATE ourselves to that which is holy, then our observance of Chanukah was meaningful and worthy. 

I hope that whichever holiday you celebrate, you have warmth and peace and light.

Time and Team.

I have been busy with work and other things, so this will be a short post and I'll try to catch up later this month.  As I told somebody, about the only break I had all week was performing in an online version of "Alice in Wonderland" - which was fun, and I was glad to have a fairly small part so I could enjoy the other performances.  As somebody who is usually backstage, the creativity of real performers always amazes me.

A friend posted something about a gift I'd sent last Christmas, and I want to add a bit to it.  We're both fans of Time Team, something to which my friends introduced me during a visit to their home, because they like to watch shows while they eat supper.  Being a curious person who loves history and mysteries, I became addicted to the series as well.  And when they announced that they would bring the group back together, I was as excited as anybody.

On October 23, 2021, they asked people for thoughts about their return.   Here's what I posted:

"What am I most excited about with Time Team returning, and why?" I like seeing how the team pulls archaeology, geophysics, and everything together to give a complete picture of the people of a location and how they live. Too often seeing it in videos or museums or books it's just "here's a thing" and it's hard to see it in context and understand why it's important other than being an old thing. I love seeing the excitement of finds and the realization of how the puzzle pieces come together, even when it's not the expected picture in the end. 

You can read the rest of the story on my friend's blog.

Patriarchal Preparations.

This Friday brought another lay-led service at my congregation.  This month my co-leader wanted to handle the service so I did the d'var Torah, a short interpretation of or perspective on the parasha (Biblical passage) of the week.  In the Jewish tradition we read through the Torah, or Pentateuch, every year, with a specific passage every week.  So as you can imagine, it can be difficult to find something new to say.

I read what had been said in the past, and some current commentaries.  In the opening, I mentioned a number of these, but deleted those paragraphs here, and am providing just the final result, which really resonated for me - probably why it became my focus:

Parasha Vayishlach offers many options for somebody wishing to discuss its lessons.  We are most familiar with the story of Jacob meeting Esau after many years apart:  How Jacob and his household wait at the side of the river; how he goes off by himself and has a vision, then wrestles with an angel, who gives him a new name – and how we know the supposed man is a messenger of G-d because only G-d gives names; then the reconciliation and parting of the brothers.

I originally decided take inspiration from the beginning of 32:25: “Now Jacob was left alone”.  Then I noticed that 32:8 says that the previous night “Jacob was terrified.”  But look at what he does next.

Jacob doesn’t fall on his face in prayer.  He doesn’t bewail the situation.  We don’t read of him speaking to his family, or taking council with his wives and household leaders.  He doesn’t send for help.  Instead, Jacob takes action.

 He prepares.  He plans.  He isn’t frozen by his fear, he considers options and implements the one that he thinks has the best chance of success.  Yes, he does pray – but only after he separates his household into two camps.  Only after he prepares for what could happen when his brother arrives.  Instead of asking for inspiration, he asks to be saved from what could happen, and reminds G-d that he is following G-d’s requests, that he has apparently been favored by G-d, and that he hopes the preparations will be successful.

G-d does not answer.  Jacob does not get instructions the way Noah did (to build an ark) or that Abram gets with the Akedah.  And when morning comes, Jacob makes more preparations.  He sends a series of gifts to his brother, and then puts his family and remainder of his household across the river, while he awaits his brother.  Jacob makes all these preparations – and this time, he does not ask G-d for a sign.  Instead, Jacob takes some time to be alone.

Many people have read Jacob’s wrestling as a metaphor, as Jacob makes the final decisions before the reunion with his brother.  Whether real or imagined, the key to me is that Jacob is alone, without anybody to help him, or with whom he can discuss his decisions.  He has no sounding board, for even in the description of the wrestling, there is no record of any communication.  They only converse when the angel has to leave, at dawn.  And then Jacob walks back to his family and household, limping and alone.

As he does so, Jacob sees Esau approaching, and he makes one final preparation, to organize his family and household, before his brother arrives.  He still doesn’t know whether Esau will welcome him or fight, but Jacob has considered and prepared for all possibilities.  Again, we see that Jacob doesn’t pray for instructions.  It is, in many ways, like the final shuffling of pages or check of a slideshow presentation before ascending a podium or going onstage.  Many of us have the times when we have prepared all we can, and we don’t know until the event begins whether it is enough.

I take all of this as a recommendation that when you are faced with a daunting situation, especially one that terrifies you, you should tamp down the fear; prepare as much as possible; then take a few minutes to calm yourself before stepping into the unknown.  When you do, may the result be as positive as the one that Jacob received, in Chapter 33:4, when “Esau … ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And [the brothers] burst into tears.”

Jacob Sees Esau Coming to Meet Him
James Jacques Joseph Tissot, circa 1896-1902
The Collection of the Jewish Museum

It wasn't clear until Friday afternoon whether my co-leader had arranged for challah, so since I was baking bread I made a mini-loaf to take if needed.  She advised that she made challah to bring, so I have mine, but it came out fairly well for a first attempt at this design:

Unbaked on the left; baked on the right.

The majority of the dough went into a regular loaf for slicing:

Dough in two simple twists.  I did the previous loaf in eight
balls set in two rows of four and wanted to try something different.

Twists side-by-side in the pan, ready to rise.  I wasn't trying
for a fake braid, but they worked out this way.

Baked loaf.