I don't why this is so, but my mind works on several levels at the same time.  For instance; I was practicing my parasha Re'eh while listening to Cantor Kruk chanting the words that I must master, and my mind worked on the calligraphy which seemed to me not to be complete.  The H (in Hebrew there are two columns joined at the top) confused me for the Cantor sang the H while I saw two columns.  You must understand that my knowledge of Hebrew is what I learned back in various Hebrew schools and I never was asked to learn the names of the letters or how to count in Hebrew.  This is a small roadblock in my reading with ease while following the ancient chanting which goes up at the end of some lines and down on others.

I also got to thinking (for THINKING is ALLOWED) about the problems outlined by journalists who gather information from the four corners of the world (you remember North, East, West, South?) and plunk this stuff down in front of you.  The technical people are trying to get this news to us by other means than the centuries old print newspaper.  It took a long time before woodblock carvings of pictures were reproduced and then replaced by photos.  Today there is even color in the cheapest sort of conveying the news from its source to you and me.  I have problems with news on Television because even the grimmest news is reported by smiling faces that turn to more pleasant subjects in an instant.

At almost the same time when I get to thinking that this practice session is going well my mind wanders over to my card  table desk where I am writing the saga of A 1 and how it came to be that I am using him to accompany me up to the Bimah while explaining the 70 year history of our world between his Bar Mitzvah and my second.  The responses to the invitations that I mailed out a couple of days ago are coming in.  It is interesting to note that August 15 is coming up soon and we are counting who is coming and who is not so we can order enough food for the predictable Oneg following A 1's and my performances.

Yesterday Carol and I went shopping after the Dental surgeon took out her stitches.  Such activity did not make her yearn for rest.  My darling decided that she would go to Nordstrom's and find a nice young lady who wrote to her about a sale.  We found her and Carol bought HER outfit for MY Bar Mitzvah.  Then she decided to go to Filenes's Basement which has just opened up (and declared bankruptcy) and she picked out a nice Bar Mitzvah suit for me.

Time has a way of passing quickly.  Now I'm off to study at an 8:30 Talmud Class followed by Therapy with Jenine and passing out more invitations.