Wednesday, August 03, 2005

132. All over again

(And leaving the story one more time...)

Well, my plan was to finish the first part of the tale long before the next installment began, but I wasn't fast enough. Sometimes my involvement at the synagogue feels like walking through Oz--a wonderful mystery, but you never know what might transpire. It's always good, however. This morning, along with a member of the choir, I helped make a rehearsal CD of the High Holiday choir's alto part. (I'll also be sitting in with them when I can, since their numbers are low this time around.)

Right before we started, the cantor said, oh--I haven't decided what parts of the service you'll be leading, but can you come to a Yom Kippur rehearsal? We have some new instrumentalists and need to get an early start. (Yom Kippur isn't until the middle of October.)

Of course, I answered. When?

Well, today.

Yikes. I can't make it today, I said, but...

Or tomorrow, or next week, he added. So I signed up for Wednesday, which means that this weekend I have to make sure I still remember everything. And a quick review of the machzor once I got back home revealed, unfortunately, that a sizeable chunk of Yom Kippur didn't quite make it past my short-term memory and over to the permanent-storage area. The cantor will be at the rehearsal, too, unlike last year (a part of the story I really will tell, one of these weeks), so of course I'll be flustered and nervous for no good reason. But that's OK.

4 comments:

Regina said...

Ahhh... the permanent storage area-where was that again? ;-)

You might be surprised, aa, once you get into rehearsals, how much might come back to you... but I'll be praying for you all the way!

alto artist said...

Thank you!! I'm sure it will come back quickly--I just have much more Hebrew floating around my brain this week than usual (I'll be chanting on Mon., Sat., Sun., Mon., Thurs. and Sat., and also have to learn, and then teach, another section to a friend), and so the idea of reviewing all those many other words seems a little...challenging.
--aa.

Regina said...

Just wanted to write a quick thanks, aa, for recommending the book "Sabbath" on my blog- it was funny because I ordered that book from amazon.com just the other day! I am so excited about it and can't wait to read it!

alto artist said...

Wow, and you're welcome. You'll love it; it 's a truly beautiful book.
--aa.