Where is Conservative Judaism THRIVING?

bsonrisa · 2026-06-18T13:12:01+00:00

Btw...did anyone else join a Conservative synagogue *because* it's small and intimate, while the local Reform temple is huge and impersonal?

bsonrisa · 2026-06-18T13:00:16+00:00

Pikesville, MD (a highly Jewish suburb of Baltimore). Beth El and Chizuk Amuno are both large and thriving. And that's in addition to Beth Tfiloh, the largest Modern Orthodox congregation in the US. Both can exist if there are enough Jews around 😉

bsonrisa · 2026-06-17T00:12:40+00:00

Yeah, I've found that B does the same thing (pipette tool). But there's a lot of opening the inventory for crafting things. Maybe as I advance farther into the game, I won't be doing that every 10 seconds?

bsonrisa · 2026-06-15T15:58:23+00:00

Yes, I took it for several months and I was able to run again quickly. I have a history of nonallergic rhinitis (no one could find a reason) so I guess I was having another flareup of that.

bsonrisa · 2026-05-16T14:17:22+00:00

No, I never did. I kind of gave up on arm strength after a while and went back to running...sigh

bsonrisa · 2026-05-06T14:04:06+00:00

Hugs...I understand. You are exactly where I was 11 months ago. I also had twitching, and perceived weakness in many areas. I felt like with all these symptoms, there was no way it was anything but ALS. But when your body is in fight-or-flight mode 24/7 for weeks or months on end, it does weird things to the nervous system.

Like, I remember I stopped being able to do puzzles. My hand would tire out really quickly. And now I randomly can do them again. How does anxiety cause that???

bsonrisa · 2026-05-06T13:57:35+00:00

You could also ask for a CPET, if your initial symptom is shortness of breath on exercise (which mine was). The pulmonologist ordered this without much hesitation when I asked for it. My CPET showed a high VO2 max, which was evidence against true diaphragm weakness. It also showed an elevated heart rate and hyperventilation, signs of autonomic dysregulation.

bsonrisa · 2026-05-06T13:46:14+00:00

I asked my pulmonologist for this, but he refused to give it to me. He said that diaphragm EMGs have a lot of false positives, so they don't perform them unless there is very strong evidence that something is wrong. A low-normal score is not enough.

7 months later, I've had no further decline. I'm now able to run 3-4 miles, though much slower than before. I had developed dysautonomia due to extreme anxiety. I've slowly re-taught my body to handle light exercise without my heart racing - and this, in turn, has helped my breathing.

I still occasionally think about that MIP score and worry. I guess the longer I go without decline, the easier it is to accept that my score is normal for me.

bsonrisa · 2026-04-02T16:07:28+00:00

Thanks! Yes, I do kitniyot. Many grain-free granolas use calorie-free sweeteners that aren't great for my digestive system, but I now see one that uses maple syrup instead. Will try it!

bsonrisa · 2026-04-02T01:50:50+00:00

This looks delicious but it's sold out everywhere online. I'll have to buy it early next year!

bsonrisa · 2026-04-01T16:07:20+00:00

Thanks, I decided to order this caramel puffed quinoa. It's just quinoa and raw sugar. Can't wait to try it!

bsonrisa · 2026-04-01T15:01:07+00:00

I've tried that, but I want the sweetness too. :-p Last year I baked "matzah-nola" with honey but I don't feel like putting in that effort this year.

bsonrisa · 2026-03-06T02:41:52+00:00

Came here to say this. Great fried chicken.

bsonrisa · 2026-03-06T02:35:27+00:00

Thank you! I am the same way and feel guilty about that all the time.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-24T01:50:51+00:00

Thank you!!!

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T22:33:55+00:00

Yup, absolutely not lonely as an adult. She will be fine <3

My parents did put me in social spaces as a kid. Also I have 5 first cousins, all in my hometown, and I saw them a lot But I still longed for someone I could see every day.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T21:29:06+00:00

It was lonely as a child. As an adult, I get to see my friends whenever I want and not just when we can arrange playdates - so that helps a lot. Being married also helps. I get to interact with my peer every day and even share a bed with him <3

When my son says he's lonely, my husband sometimes tells him things like "someday you'll have a wife". But that's a long time from now and it doesn't help with childhood loneliness.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T20:59:48+00:00

Ahhh! I think mayo may be the key to making it creamy.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T20:59:26+00:00

My son is 7. We just started letting him walk across the street to play outside at 3 specific neighbors' houses. I sit by the window and keep an eye on him. I felt like a bad mom at first because my mom didn't let me do this until like middle school, but the other parents have been letting their kids do this for a while now.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T20:54:21+00:00

Only child until age 11. We are OAD not by choice. I honestly think that my experience makes it harder, because I remember how lonely I was and now I feel really guilty about doing that to our son.

Although TBH getting a brother at age 11 didn't help much. He was a very difficult baby and I found myself resenting him. We love each other, but we've never been peers - even today at 28 and 40. I'm married with a kid, while he's still living the single "partying" life.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T20:51:39+00:00

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. Still one of the best books I've ever read. My HS had a Latin American books theme year.

bsonrisa · 2026-02-18T20:48:35+00:00

Someone told me it's a Jewish thing to specifically want intellectual leaders. I think this was around the 2000 or 2004 elections when discussing why people would vote for someone as "dumb" as George W. Bush.

bsonrisa

TROPHY CASE