Chronicles From the Picket Fence

August...Boo Hiss

2009-08-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

August is here, which means that fall is around the corner... School! It's going to be interesting trying to be a junior/senior at the same time. Freakout time is close upon me, since my application is due in three months. Wow, I need to start working on my second essay. It'll also be tough splitting time between Ohio and Minnesota, and having friends at different schools and colleges. Insanity will ensue this year. I love how crazy everyone is on the high school sitcoms. It's gone a little beyond just dramatizing situations to going completely insane. These things are basically soap operas, which used to be the realm of reality TV. Ok, well, I'm feeling lazy, so this blog will probably only be random musings instead of a directed thought pattern.

Writings of a nervous (sort of) recovered cripple

Back in Ohio

2009-07-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

Recovery

I can now walk normally and work out a little, which is nice. I still can't go downstairs normally. The stitches aren't quite healed yet. I didn't realize how much I liked my short runs until now. I can speedwalk though, which will be nice now that fall is coming.

Life

My last year of high school is starting soon, so I've been feeling the pressure to make this year count with my friends. I'm actually more nervous about this then getting into college. I'm confident that I'll get in somewhere, but I don't want to spend this year worrying about what people think, or miss out on exciting things.

Being your own Moses

2009-07-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

My parents and I went to synagogue today, which I personally enjoy. Despite my atheism (sort of) I still get a lot out of services. I like the community of people who all feel connected to each other, and it provides a time for relaxing and reflection. During the sermon, the rabbi was talking about Moses trying to imagine what Israel would be like without him in it, and how we all need to be our own Moses. I liked the sentiment, but I wished she had gone one step further, to say that we need to find our own Israel. I think that the idea of a people in Exodus looking for return to Israel in a physical sense is improbable. If the solution really was in return to the physical Israel, then more people would have gone back. I personally think that the most meaningful, and to me most real, Israel is the state of mind. It's kind of similar to Nirvana, but more permanent. It is attained by discovering how you fit Judaism into your life and how you connect with other Jews to form an intellectual community.

Many people ask me how I can identify as atheist/agnostic and Jewish, thinking they've gotten me pinned. In reality, to me it fits perfectly. I believe that there was something outside of nature that began the Big Bang, but since it was outside of nature, it is beyond anything we can comprehend, so there is no point in discussing God as if we know what it wants. As for the prayers, I don't think of it as asking some omnipotent man in the sky for protection, but pledging myself to be a part of this community, promising to take the good with the bad, in return for the community thinking of me and my loved ones. It's as much a personal pledge also. Since God is my question mark, it serves the purpose that the conventional God is supposed to: it pushes me to think deeper, to try and imagine how I fit, how I relate to others, and how others fit into my world.

From a contemplative gimp

The Mennonites of Minnesota

2009-07-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

So on sunday, me and my parents went to a Mennonite service with a couple of my parent's friends, and we discovered that underneath the veneer of wholesome kindness and pacifism is more wholesome kindness and pacifism! I thought I would characterize the quirky mix of people that I became acquainted with on that sunday. As we drove out of Rochester and pulled into the parking lot of the school where the service was held, I suddenly saw a wildly waving woman, happily pointing the way to the parking lot. Was this a volunteer who pointed the way for all members? No, it was Paula, who had been waiting for us for an unknown amount of time. After a crushing hug and a cheerful walk into the building, we entered the classroom-turned chapel, where a small group of smiling people wearing peace sign pins. To everyone Paula and Gordon (her husband) introduced us as "Dear Friends." As the service began, Gordon stood up, since he was the service leader, and introduced us again as dear friends to everyone in the congregation, which was surprisingly small. During the service, congregants got to chose what hymns were sung, and there were a lot! Aside from announcements from the various congregants about their plans or happenings in their homes, and a sermon from the preacher, it was all songs. After this, we walked out into the hallway where seemingly normal cookies awaited. I, of course, grabbed one. It was delicious, but different from other chocolate chip cookies I had had. Why? Because one of the members, Steve, owned an organic farm and store outside of Rochester, and had brought the cookies to the service. We ended up having a nice chat, and it turned out that he was a Northwestern grad. We discussed the similar farms in Ohio, and just talked about getting on the list to recieve produce. The other person who I got to talk to was the Minister, who joined the church seven years ago. He was very gracious, and offered me blessings and a seat in his church whenever I came to Rochester. We had entered that morning afraid of being interlopers, three Jews sitting in the corner, simply watching the service, but by the time we left, my dad was so impressed he decided to be a Mennonite...or at least pretend in our car. In Larry-speak that is a great compliment. I got the sense that these were the people responsible for Minnesota's "Nice" reputation. Overall, every one that I have met and interacted with has been kind and friendly, and welcomed me to Minnesota without even knowing that I was new.

Readings of the Invalid

2009-07-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Books I've Read in Minnesota

~ The Autobiography of Malcom X

~ The Power of Place

~ Silent Spring

I haven't finished any of them, but I'm pretty far along in Malcom X. The second and third are summer reading books for school. I actually really like the summer reading system we have. Instead of having everyone from each grade read the same book, they have a list of options that everyone ranks, regardless of grade. The idea of summer reading in general I'm not such a fan of, because it's just hard to put in the best effort I guess, and I never spend as much time as I would like, because, let's face it, I'm a lazy bum. I have a big problem with reading, since I have the type of addiction to books that some girls have to shoes. I end up buying them frantically, and I end up reading bits at a time of ten books, which makes it hard to focus on one long enough to finish it. For instance, I'm only going to be in Minnesota for a total of three weeks and I brought at least twenty books with me. I'm hoping that now that I feel kind of like a human again that I'll be able to focus enough to finish at least a couple of them before I go home.

From An Antsy Writer

Recovery

2009-07-16T19:28:00.001-07:00

Three Days After Surgery:

So, three days ago I had a relatively minor operation on my left knee. Waking up from the anesthesia was the weirdest feeling I've ever experienced. I felt the most tired I've ever been, but I couldn't stop talking to the nurses, then when I started feeling some pain, they gave me some more medicine through my IV, which freaked me out. I had this warm tightening feeling in my chest, and then I felt really content, and had no desire to move. Of course, since I wasn't feeling any pain, they made us go. They wheeled me down to the entrance, and I had to get in my car to go home, which was so weird, since I didn't feel human yet, but had to fit into a human shaped car... That whole day I was just sitting in the bed with my leg propped up, not moving at all. I think the first day after surgery was the worst, since the pain came back before I could adjust to feeling my knee again. The second day was better, since I could finally take a shower ( despite having to sit down during it). That was the first day I felt normal, since I had all the bandages off of my knee, and could finally bend my knee enough to sit at a normal table. Towards the end of the day the pain got really bad, so I had to just lay around maxing out on ibuprofen. Today, the third day, was good and bad. I felt normal, not crazy drugged-up, and after my physical therapy, I took my first few shaky steps without crutches. That was awesome, but now I'm frustrated since I still need my crutches whenever I leave the eight by twenty foot room that me and my parents are living in for two more weeks. We went to a street fair tonight, and when we were walking around after dinner, I got really cranky, since the people behind me had to slow down for me, and couldn't get around me. In the town where we're staying, there's a huge clinic, so there are a ton of sick and injured people walking around, and before it always depressed me, since I saw them all over the town, which made me feel horrible about having fun, and now, I'm one of those people. Now that I can move around more, this little room is driving me crazy! I can hardly stand to sit in here all day, but it's such a hassle to get around. humph*

I'm out for the day.

Chronicle I: Hey There!

2009-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, for the first post I thought I should tell you all why I started writing this blog. My sister suggested that I write a blog about my recovery (I just had knee surgery) and I thought it would be fun. I'm hoping to log the suburban experience of teenagers in the Midwest. I'll mainly write about my neighborhood, which is one of those neighborhoods, the ones with picket fences, homeowner's associations, and overpriced colonials lining the streets. As my last year in this area goes by, you guys will bear witness to my growing annoyance with my pretentious neighborhood and school. I'll also talk about the bureaucracy of high school and college admissions, and I'll also give my youthful opinions on politics and current events, since I hope to go into international law when I grow up. Cool, so my first post in earnest will be coming very soon after this one.