Driss-A-Blog

Here's a stream of consciousness (good luck following along!): I go to school everyday, that's something that never changes. I went to Nate's wedding this past Sunday in Boston - it was beautiful. I found out that there's a point that you can't push your body past. That was a shocker to me. I thought that you could short change your body on sleep and not eat properly and it would manage. Well, it did to a point and then said - STOP! I woke up Sunday morning kinda not so happy in the stomach after 4 hours of sleeping, got on a bus with Avi to Boston - went to the wedding, danced and was sick (in the proper sense of the word), thankfully no one was around. So I didn't go into school the next day and make my way slowly back to New York. I'm still not 100%, but I'm better. I found that I get that yucky feeling in the morning when I get up without enough sleep. Something to remember. Thanks go to Avi and Talya. Thank you both for all your help!

On a happier note, I picked up my Superman hat I ordered from the post office. I hurried home from school so I'd be there before 5pm. Lo and behold they just started being open till 7pm. Hmmm. Anyway, it's a neat hat. The classic Superman symbol with the American flag colors in the symbol.

The apartment is coming together. Haven't I said this before? Can we say slllllllloooooowwwwlllllly! Yikes. We have an area rug for the living room, which certainly helps make it look like a place where someone might live. Tonight I hope to put what wall hangings I brought from my last trip home up onto the walls. That might brighten things up a bit.

I plugged in a microwave yesterday, how exciting is that. It isn't but seriously, it's nice to have hot food and not have to go out for it. No joke, don't ask. Really.

Classes are sorta finally coming together. One of my classes still doesn't have a book, but then again it may not matter. It may not work for them anyway, so I've got to figure out what will. Now that the holidays are past we can really get down to business, but surprise! it's already November, what the heck happened! are we actually going to get learning done? I certainly hope so.

The other class of mine has gotton rearrainged, so I have a new set of kids. Starting from the top, learning their names, figuring out how to help them learn. Sigh. Just trying my best here. Not much to say to that.

I've finished the Harry Potter books 4 and 5. I still haven't read 6. Before reading 6 I wanted to reread a couple earlier ones so I'd get back into the mindset, so here I am, finally about to read that book. I was thinking tonight, but I think I should make Shabbos plans and get through some of my list then go to bed by 10pm. No joke.

One of my glasses nose pads fell off today, so I replaced them.

The subway is such an interesting place to observe people. I've decided that it's very easy to be racist (unfortunately). Sometimes you see the stupidest actions done by specific groups (read: black), generally teenagers. Whether they are talking or threatening each other etc. To get to Washington Heights, you take the train through Harlem, which I hear is coming around. A couple kids were talking to each other, not caring who heard them, about guns and whether they had seen a gun, touched a gun, or willing to hurt someone. I was sitting right next to them thinking - you're a bunch of idiots, I own several guns, and they aren't toys. You all are the reason why people think that guns are dangerous, it really is the person who has it in their hands and personal responsibility. So I got off the train really, really angry with them and annoyed. This was about a month or so ago. I do expect more from people than a conversation like that. Black people do not have to be gangsters, or rappers (same thing), it is possible for them to be contributors to society.

After that experience I was listening to a radio talk show where the discussion was about the Million Man March replay where such wonderful black leadership has yet to realize the problems of their society. Teenage pregnancy, personal responsibility, and lack of understanding of how important education really is. Several black men called into the program and were explaining that they understood these problems and did not subscribe to these so-called black leaders like Farrakhan and Jesse Jack-son. It made me feel much better. There are black people out there who see a future and see that this country is a good place to be and want to be a part of it. It comes down to personal responsibility.

Today I spoke with one of the security guards (black) at the school and he was telling me that he came from an area with gangs, shootings and that sort of craziness. He decided that the reason that he turned out okay was because he had two parents who cared about him and his brothers and sisters. That makes the difference. Parents make the difference. I have to say that we Drissmans have been blessed in this way.

Anyway, there is really much more to do at the moment. Gotta clean out the fridge, who knows what's in there. Put up those pictures, throw out the garbage. But then again, I'm sitting with my feet up with a heating pad on my back (I'm sore somehow), so what's the rush. But maybe that's why nothing seems to get done.

Oh, last night I went to a Yosef Karduner concert - down the street from my apartment here in Washington Heights, had a nice time, good music. And next week I'm going with a friend to see Spamalot, a musical taken off of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail (a totally wacked movie), should be fun.

If you managed to get to the end of this posting I salute you :) All my best.