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A rare post
Haven't posted here in a long while. But seeing as it's about to be Rosh Hashanah, this seems to be a good moment for it.
Things are the same. Things are not. I started a new job a month ago, working as Board Coordinator for The WNET Group. That means I am in charge of certain details related to the board and committees that help run things at the local PBS TV stations (all of which are under the same non-profit corporate umbrella now). It's a very different sort of job than my last one, much more administrative and not as likely to be as stressful since it lacks the 24/7 nature of a public relations job in the age of the Internet. I expect there will be days and weeks and months of high stress, of course, but for now, it's a lot calmer.
Lord knows, though, when I will meet any co-workers face to face. Eventually, it will not be a remote job since eventually there will be in person meetings that I have to organize. When that happens, there will be new stresses, I am sure. For now, no commute and the weird sensation of being onboarded remotely and feeling just a bit like I am not really part of the staff. But at least I found a job that suits me and so far everyone has been realistic about the limitations of starting a job over the Internet.
Right now my biggest concern is getting things done when I am out so much of the next month for Jewish holidays. I am pretty sure that will be manageable too, but for 30 years it was never an issue since the Jewish Museum's offices were officially closed. By the end, though, that wasn't entirely true in terms of the sheer number of emails I would find after every holiday. So in some ways, this might not be that different.
And beyond all that...well, we're all in the same boat, aren't we? Same pandemic, same global warming, same worries and fears and hopes that we are not sure we should be hoping. We're trying to strike a balance between seeing other vaccinated people one or two at a time, attending services at my synagogue fully masked, and avoiding the world. At some level, I feel like I want to just go back to zero contact with anyone. At some other level, I feel like the risks can be managed with reasonable precautions (which is to say, masks for everyone, preferably double masks). It would help a lot if people at large, and people in the Jewish community here in particular, where as committed to masking as we are. We're gone so far as to stop shopping in person at the local kosher markets because people are being really bad about masking. It's depressing, but it's not like we can make people do the right thing.
And with all that, we lurch into Rosh Hashanah. In person in the synagogue this time, worries about the variant and all. Personally, I think we should be offering an outdoor service. But I feel like with a mask mandate for at least the High Holidays, it should be okay. Even if I find myself feeling like the prayers are insufficient for the moment. Even if I find myself asking if God is even listening. Last year we begged for a better year. I can't say we got one, even with the miracle of a vaccine. And yet I will be there, trying to find the words within the prayers that express my feelings to God and to myself.
So with that, I wish all concerned a sweet, happy and healthy New Year, and hope that maybe this time our prayers are answered affirmatively, and that the old year with its many curses be replaced with the new year and some blessings.
Things are the same. Things are not. I started a new job a month ago, working as Board Coordinator for The WNET Group. That means I am in charge of certain details related to the board and committees that help run things at the local PBS TV stations (all of which are under the same non-profit corporate umbrella now). It's a very different sort of job than my last one, much more administrative and not as likely to be as stressful since it lacks the 24/7 nature of a public relations job in the age of the Internet. I expect there will be days and weeks and months of high stress, of course, but for now, it's a lot calmer.
Lord knows, though, when I will meet any co-workers face to face. Eventually, it will not be a remote job since eventually there will be in person meetings that I have to organize. When that happens, there will be new stresses, I am sure. For now, no commute and the weird sensation of being onboarded remotely and feeling just a bit like I am not really part of the staff. But at least I found a job that suits me and so far everyone has been realistic about the limitations of starting a job over the Internet.
Right now my biggest concern is getting things done when I am out so much of the next month for Jewish holidays. I am pretty sure that will be manageable too, but for 30 years it was never an issue since the Jewish Museum's offices were officially closed. By the end, though, that wasn't entirely true in terms of the sheer number of emails I would find after every holiday. So in some ways, this might not be that different.
And beyond all that...well, we're all in the same boat, aren't we? Same pandemic, same global warming, same worries and fears and hopes that we are not sure we should be hoping. We're trying to strike a balance between seeing other vaccinated people one or two at a time, attending services at my synagogue fully masked, and avoiding the world. At some level, I feel like I want to just go back to zero contact with anyone. At some other level, I feel like the risks can be managed with reasonable precautions (which is to say, masks for everyone, preferably double masks). It would help a lot if people at large, and people in the Jewish community here in particular, where as committed to masking as we are. We're gone so far as to stop shopping in person at the local kosher markets because people are being really bad about masking. It's depressing, but it's not like we can make people do the right thing.
And with all that, we lurch into Rosh Hashanah. In person in the synagogue this time, worries about the variant and all. Personally, I think we should be offering an outdoor service. But I feel like with a mask mandate for at least the High Holidays, it should be okay. Even if I find myself feeling like the prayers are insufficient for the moment. Even if I find myself asking if God is even listening. Last year we begged for a better year. I can't say we got one, even with the miracle of a vaccine. And yet I will be there, trying to find the words within the prayers that express my feelings to God and to myself.
So with that, I wish all concerned a sweet, happy and healthy New Year, and hope that maybe this time our prayers are answered affirmatively, and that the old year with its many curses be replaced with the new year and some blessings.
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(Also, if you are at all interested, I've had a bit of luck with a Star Trek fanvid series and thought it might catch your fancy.)