and then they served dessert!

Well, not really, but I’m in a very different place than I was a few days ago.

I talked to a really nice rabbi via the URJ, as I said, who referred me to a Reform temple that’s not too out of the way for me and so I’ve left a message for the rabbi there. Hopefully I can make an appointment to go talk to him. I’ve also been invited to go to an Orthodox shul for services, and I’ll be doing that this weekend. It’s a little problematic as far as driving – I live very far up in the San Gabriels in Casa Fabulous, and I ain’t moving, so breaking the Shabbos is really the only way for me to get to services of any sort, be they Reform, Conservative or Orthodox. I think Reform Jews drive, though, or at least some of them do. As far as the Orthodox shul tomorrow, I’m going to park a few blocks away and walk in, so I’m not being disrespectful and breaking a major rule right there in their parking lot.

Long term, I’m not going to worry about that now. I kind of feel like, G-d would prefer that I get there, than not go at all because of driving. And that may be wrong, my feeling, but then again, it may be right. So I’ll just go with it for now.

I’ll probably brave the very local Conservative temple in a few weeks as well, once school lets out for summer, just to see what that is like. As I’ve said before, I’m drawn to a certain level of personal observance, but I’m so new on this journey that all I can really do is say that I know nothing and follow down the paths I’m led. I don’t know where I am going to end up. I have a feeling that it will probably get a lot easier to “temple hop” once I’ve gotten over the fear of walking in the front door of a few and start to get the sense of how services are run.

This whole blog was partially started to talk about headcovering specifically – seeing as how I do it for several reasons, and the first one was not actually Judaism so much as it was, “Oh hai, mah hair falls out randomly and I need to find a way to work around that.” So here’s the tichel I was rocking yesterday.

Actually it’s two, layered and then I did a sort of Dutch crown thing with them. I really like the full coverage, though I often just wear a bandanna or headband, but I like how this looks. The outfit is not exactly in lock step with certain rules that very Orthodox Jewish ladies have to follow – my sleeves are short, the neckline is a little too low, but I’m not very Orthodox, so okay. It’s a pretty good look of the everyday look I pull together for school. Actually this outfit wasn’t as boring in my head as it is in person. I have a kick arse drapey black cardi that I was wearing all day over it which made it a little better, but still… I think in future I’ll probably throw down with some more color or toss on a striped undershirt or something. You can’t see the striped leggings underneath, those were definitely kind of Beetlejuice and added a little flair.

However, I am accessorized with the cutest dog in the world, and that helps a lot.