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asher553Work at the job with the semiconductor equipment company continues to go well after 10+ months, the gig being not without its share of challenges and drama. I'm not super happy with the drama, but I do like that the job is challenging and demanding in a lot of positive ways; it is making me work hard and "level up" my technical and professional skills, which is what I want.
My work buddies in the IT shop are R. (who started with the company about the same time I did, last June) and S. (who joined us earlier this year). They are a couple of great guys to work with and I think we mesh well. Of the two, R. is closer to me in age, but S. and I are probably more alike in terms of personality; he is serious and intense in ways that remind me uncomfortably of myself. And R. is just this big, friendly, easygoing guy, so he's a great balance for us.
I've been going to shul regularly this month. For a long time I was trying to adhere to the no-driving-on-Shabbat thing, but the shul is a two-hour walk each way. Now I'm in pretty good health for a man 60+ years old, but two hours is just a long schlep - and that's four hours out of my day just getting there and back. I can do it if the weather's nice, but mostly I just end up thinking about how much my feet are hurting by the time I get there, and dreading the walk back home, and I don't have much energy left over for socializing. And spending Saturdays alone at home starts to feel really oppressive.
So this month I decided to bite the bullet and just start driving to shul like a normal person. And I've been making friends there, and have been getting called up for the Torah readings (and so getting over my stage fright around the latter). I made it to every Saturday morning service in April (although I missed the holiday service for the start of Passover last Tuesday). I plan to continue making this a regular thing. Especially in these times, I think it's important to have community.
My work buddies in the IT shop are R. (who started with the company about the same time I did, last June) and S. (who joined us earlier this year). They are a couple of great guys to work with and I think we mesh well. Of the two, R. is closer to me in age, but S. and I are probably more alike in terms of personality; he is serious and intense in ways that remind me uncomfortably of myself. And R. is just this big, friendly, easygoing guy, so he's a great balance for us.
I've been going to shul regularly this month. For a long time I was trying to adhere to the no-driving-on-Shabbat thing, but the shul is a two-hour walk each way. Now I'm in pretty good health for a man 60+ years old, but two hours is just a long schlep - and that's four hours out of my day just getting there and back. I can do it if the weather's nice, but mostly I just end up thinking about how much my feet are hurting by the time I get there, and dreading the walk back home, and I don't have much energy left over for socializing. And spending Saturdays alone at home starts to feel really oppressive.
So this month I decided to bite the bullet and just start driving to shul like a normal person. And I've been making friends there, and have been getting called up for the Torah readings (and so getting over my stage fright around the latter). I made it to every Saturday morning service in April (although I missed the holiday service for the start of Passover last Tuesday). I plan to continue making this a regular thing. Especially in these times, I think it's important to have community.
