Random Musings of an Ex-Yeshiva Guy

Today in class my teacher was lecturing about the human ability to multitask (or rather the lack of it). To demonstrate she had one of the students walk across the classroom while reading a book out loud. While this was occurring, the teacher pulled the cord from a piece of electrical equipment taut so that it was impeding the students progress. She then watched to see how the student reacted. Since the participant in our little experiment had her face in the book, she nearly came to a complete stop in front of the cord before the teacher prompted her to step over it. The teacher had warned her that obstacles would be placed in her way, yet still it caused a major slowdown in her progress to the opposite side of the room. Do you ever have these random Jewish thoughts that have no relevance to the matter at hand but still manage to find their way into your psyche? I do all the time. You want to know what I was thinking while this "experiment" was going on? I was thinking, Gee. If the teacher was Jewish, I wonder if that would be considered Lifnei Iver?

(It certainly isn't in the classical sense because the student knew there was going to be an obstacle, she just didn't know where it was going to be.)

Cutest. Tribute. Ever.

After this I will stop talking about Steve Irwin... His eight year old daughter gave a eulogy at his memorial service. It is so cute! (Doubly so with that accent.) I just wonder who her speech writer was...

Can Somebody Help Me Remove My Foot From My Mouth?

At my shabbos meal, I was talking to my host about different professions and mentioned one of the fields a friend of mine went into. As we were discussing it, I remarked,
"So there is actually something that can be done with a psychology degree."
"You mean besides being a psychologist," my host replied.
"Of course," I said.

Later on...
"So what do you do for a living?" I asked.
"I'm a psychologist," he answered.

I think I would have been a little embarrassed if I had connected the two parts of the conversation. However, since there was significant space between them in the conversation, I didn't realize until afterwards.

All I know now is that my mouth tastes like dirty sock.

Coming Home

With all the hustle and bustle of moving into a new apartment there isn't really any time to take things in. There is furniture to move, mattresses to buy, utilities to set up. It is easy to miss out on what is happening around you. I think I didn't really let it sink in, it was all happening too fast. There was too much, it just wasn't possible to absorb it all. With the whirlwind of possibilities and (new) responsibilities, I barely had time to sit down and breathe let alone think. But then all of a sudden it smacked me in the face. That Friday night, as I lit candles for the first time in my life, it dawned on me... I was home.

Lions and Tigers and Stingrays, Oh My!

I woke up to bad news today. Steve Irwin is dead. Who is Steve Irwin? Why, he's the crocodile hunter. The Australian chap on TV who gets right up close to crocs and other dangerous beasts and says "Crikey" and other expressions that us Americans find quaint and somewhat amusing. While filming a series called "Ocean's Deadliest", he got too close to a stingray and was stung. The stingray's poisonous barb pierced his heart and he died before the medics could arrive. Now don't get me wrong. I feel bad for his wife and two orphaned kids. It's a horrible thing to go through and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. But all through the article it keeps mentioning how people are stunned at his death. They are shocked upon hearing it. It was a surprise to everyone.What the heck? Here's a man who makes his livelihood by getting up close and personal with dangerous animals. Or at least animals that can be harmful. Did anyone really expect he was going to live a long and fruitful life and die in his bed in old age? Did they really expect that he would end up sitting in a rocker on his front porch whiling away the days, watching the kids playing in the street? I definitely didn't! I mean take Roy Horn for example, you know, from Siegfried and Roy? The one who was mauled by his tiger? This was a tiger that he "knew". It was not the first time he had the tiger on his show. And yet an "accident" happened. That was with an animal he had rapport with. Irwin made a habit of sticking his nose right in the face of danger. He got within striking distance of lethal creatures that didn't know him from Adam. That's what made his show interesting. So why exactly are people surprised?