I am writing these opening words on Friday afternoon, May 19th.
As is my practice, I compose in Microsoft Word, and save each posting with the
date of its creation. But this one I am saving as “21 May 2017.doc,” because I
do not intend to post this until Sunday.
The reason for the delay is to avoid publicizing the fact
that I am here in New York by myself for this weekend. Barry is attending a
meeting in Ann Arbor. If travel were not so challenging, I would certainly have
gone with him. But he will be completely engaged in the conference today and
tomorrow, and my limitations would essentially mean that I would be cooped up
in a room at the University of Michigan Executive Learning and Conference Center.
Staying here at home made a lot more sense.
The main downside of all this is that it would have been
nice to be in Sharon, because Friday was Yom
Orchim, Grandparents’ Day, at the children’s school. I could have tried to
go up to Sharon on my own, but after a hectic weekend last week and plans to go
up again next weekend for Shavuot
(literally, “Weeks,” as it comes seven weeks after Passover following a daily
count), it seemed wise to stay here.
I might have tried to make plans with friends but I cannot
really go out because we have concluded that the battery in my mobility scooter
has died. Ordinarily, the display shows a string of green lights when the battery
is fully charged, and the scooter can be operated for many trips before those
lights start going out. But each of the last few times I have fully charged and
then driven the scooter, the battery lights began to extinguish into the yellow
zone when I have barely gotten half way to the synagogue. So far, I have been
lucky not to find myself stranded somewhere along Arlington Avenue returning
from a weekday class. We have ordered a new battery which is supposed to arrive
this week, and are hopeful that this will solve the problem.
During the past two weeks, the annual Teachers Tournament has
aired on Jeopardy. We had been dutifully watching every evening and did not
want to miss watching the last two games together. Originally, I figured we
would just TiVo the show (which we do anyway so we can fast-forward through the
commercials) and watch when Barry returned from Michigan. But instead we
thought, “why not just watch together in our different locations?” That turned
to be just a bit tricky because Jeopardy is syndicated and shown at different
times on different networks in different cities. I went ahead and taped it here
in New York, where it is on at 7:00 pm, and then Barry and I got on our
respective speaker phones when it came on in Detroit at 7:30. It was a bit
tricky getting the New York recorded version started precisely at the same
moment as the live broadcast in Michigan, so Barry muted his end. I am glad we
were able to watch the last two “together,” but I am happy he will be home for next
Monday’s show.
I was telling our daughter about this over the phone on
Friday afternoon and I could imagine she was rolling her eyes, wondering when
her parents became such boring old fogies. Having said that, I think she may have
also been wondering what it is like to have the time for such things; four
young children do not allow for such luxuries.
Have a great week!
Love,
Rebecca
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