Errand - A journey made for a special purpose; an expedition, a mission. (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)

3:49 PM - I am thankful that often I read and write and teach and relate and listen and can say what I did in a day. But so far today I listened to a speaker and sat through an award ceremony and ate lunch and packed and waited to go and then went and then stopped and then went again and now me and my luggage and my yearning spirit are home. I feel that I could never do a job where a lot of my responsibility was to just be at a function and accompany the boss and walk around and shake hands. That seems to be a job, and it seems to pay well enough to support an Orthodox Jewish family. I think I would pay to not do a job in which I wasn't clearly connecting with others and able to show and say and see and measure what I did.

4:34 PM - I wish I got a feeling of fulfillment from calling the super and sorting mail and answering and initiating work emails. I could do a thousand errands in a day and feel like I did nothing. Then I'll write down one thought, like the one Richard Joel cited this morning (his son heard it on TV and told his dad, "It sounds like something you would say"): The only way to make a dream come true is to wake up.

President Joel gave a nice, cohesive talk focusing on taking dreams and making them real. He shared a line that his son heard on TV that prompted said son to say, "It sounds like something you would say." The saying was - "To make a dream come true you have to wake up." He tied this in with the fact that according to the Netziv Shmot was know as Sefer Sheini. In Shmot there are no dreams, as it is the story of the actualization of the dreams of Sefer Breishit.

5:08 PM - Curfew was 12:30 AM-ish for the students I was chaperoning since Sunday. It feels like I was gone a long time. Exhausting. The three hour wait for rooms on Sunday didn't help. Now I'm home and the work is great. Never ends. And "time keeps on slippin' into the future."

5:24 PM - Just set up dinner with a friend for next week, following a meeting which I set up a couple of hours ago.

The super came by to work on the sink clog and leak (sic) I reported two weeks ago. He's working while talking on his cell. I need to catch him and give him a tour of other issues.

5:35 PM - The kitchen sink can't be used till tomorrow. The plumber and painter should be here. Francisco managed to get a plug out that was stuck in the outlet. He said he'd never seen that before. Me neither.

6:19 PM - I miss Model UN, a community built, concretized, and demolished in such a long short time. It was a singular and outstanding (and tiring) three days.

My book is available at the YU Sefarim Sale, going on now.

10:03 PM - I just got back from several places. I went to a Weight Watchers meeting in my neighborhood for the first time. It felt less awkward than the only other place I've gone to - on the Upper West Side. The workers at this place were concerned and - at moments - it felt almost cozy. On the UWS they have said things I don't think they should say - like asking me if I enjoyed gaining the weight I gained.

After the meeting (meetings - I went to a special post meeting meeting about the new new and improved program) I shopped. Then I walked about 15 blocks. Then I went to the Sefarim Sale. I discreetly asked where poetry was. They showed me. I didn't see my book. I circled the place. Finally I told a dear (former) student working there that I was wondering where my book was. He showed me. It's right near the cash register, up front - in a special section... It's an honor just to be nominated.

10:41 PM - Here's the story behind my purchases during my first visit of this year to the SOY sale:

"Neshamot Chadashot" By Yitzchak Meir and Friends (CD) $12.98 - Every year I tell the music guy that I like mellow stuff like Yosef Karduner, Chaim Dovid, Carlebach. This has fared me well. This was this year's recommendation.

From Optimism to Hope By Jonathan Sachs $20.72 - A compact, slim softcover volume of about 80 thoughts for the day, each around a page long.

Halachah MiMekorah - Birkat Hamazon U'Zemirot Shabbat By Rav Yoseif Tzvi Rimon (Rebbe in Gush Etzion Yeshivah, Rav in Alon Shevut) $5.00 - A beautiful hardcover bentcher filled with halachot, riddles, and more. (I feel like I maybe should have bought all they had of these as it would make a nice gift. It's a shame it's being sold so cheap. I hope the author made some money on this fine work (though I have the feeling authors don't often make money on books, particularly when they are out of the box).

Torah Tapestries By Shira Smiles $24.77- Recently I helped a student with her Israel essay. She wrote about a biblical character she'd want to meet. She wrote about Batya Bat Pharoh, in large part because her name is Batyah. A lot of her inspiration came from an essay by Shira Smiles that I found inspirational and spot on. I want to see more, so I bought the set of two large and pretty volumes.

11:18 PM - Just discovered this:

11:59 PM - May G-d bless us all with everything good, and may we somehow bless Him by doing what we should.