I asked on Facebook last week about password management tools, and have been playing around with one ever since: KeePass ( http: //keepass.info ). I rather like it, and I figured I would share what I found.KeePass version 2 (not to be confused with KeePassX) runs on Windows (via . Read More »

Pearl Jam – BreathCounting Crows – A Long DecemberGandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams – Alice in Space.עד כאן 2011To 2012 — may it not suck. This entry was originally posted at http: //desh.dreamwidth.org/429692.html . Please comment there after logging in with OpenID . Read More »

Man, I remember back in the day when shitty LJ redesigns actually affected my life, actually bothered me enough to matter.Good times. This entry was originally posted at http: //desh.dreamwidth.org/429178.html . Please comment there after logging in with OpenID . Read More »

1. The government’s unwillingness to actually do what economists tell them they need to do to fix our broken country and to take care of people who need help2. The fact that the Senate is too dysfunctional to do anything at all3. Read More »

Because I really can never get enough of it. Not that many of you read this journal anyway, but dammit, I don’t care!Below are the first lines of twenty songs picked kind of at random from my music collection (or sometimes second lines if the first line is a giveaway). Read More »

So with the promotion I got gradually over the past 6 months or so, one of my responsibilities, as of a month ago, is teaching a technical class to other folks in my department and 2 related departments. The proprietary system we all program in is really esoteric, with a bunch of strange and confusing aspects that have built up over the years. Read More »

I feel like I’ve finally actualized being the TV addict that part of me has always wanted to be. Here’s what I’m watching these days: Current Dramas NCISSherlock (dammit it still counts as current even though there’s almost a 2-year gap between Read More »

[I spent this summer in Yeshivat Hadar in New York while on sabbatical from work. As part of the sabbatical process, after I returned, I was to explain my sabbatical at an all-staff meeting. I gave that explanation today. Here's what I said.]Hi. I’m desh , and here’s what I did on my summer vacation. Read More »

– The Eagles lost, looked awful in the process, and their season is likely lost.+ The lost brought the best Eagles blogger ever out of retirement– The Phillies lost a playoff game, keeping me up way too late in the process. Read More »

Troy Davis was executed tonight. Many people believe he was innocent. I didn’t really want to post about it at all, but I don’t see anyone saying what I want to say, and it’s kind of gnawing at me, so I don’t think I have any other choice.I think the US should never execute anyone. Read More »

I just found out that my grandfather is going to be honored at Arlington National Cemetery in November. Awesome.(It’s not exactly a funeral, given that he passed away over five years ago and was cremated. But my dad is still taking advantage of the right for veterans to be memorialized there. Read More »

The schedule today was totally clear: A Tuesday morning schedule, followed by a Wednesday afternoon schedule and a Thursday evening schedule. Of course!Wednesday afternoon meant the final nursing home visit. Read More »

So. Tisha B’Av . The saddest day on the Jewish calendar, and a full-day fast. We’re commemorating the destruction of the two Temples, and lots of other sad stuff. Sad sad sad. Everyone’s very sad. You’re not supposed to greet friends. Just be sad.I’m bad at Tisha B’Av. And I like Tisha B’Av. Read More »

Reentry from Havurah Institute land. And what a reentry! For the first time in my 10 Institutes, I went back the next day to my (albeit temporary) life of Jewish learning in community. So it wasn’t as big of an adjustment as some years. It was made better by how happy many folks were to see me! It was nice to be back. Read More »

…I have no idea. I’m taking a week off of yeshiva to attend the National Havurah Committee Summer Institute 2011 . A different kind of all-day Jewish learning community! I’ll be back in New York next week for the last week of yeshiva, but I won’t be blogging this week. (Or at least not every day and not about Yeshivat Hadar. Read More »

In lieu of my regular yeshiva post today, since my mind is really focused on next week rather than what I’m learning now, I think it’s time for an annual tradition on this here blog: A rundown of my ridiculous August.Let’s kick it off. Read More »

Today at the nursing home, I watched some of the Mets game (rerun)with a resident.  While in his room, I heard his roommate complainabout his TV remote not working, and the appropriate people who workthere not being able to help.  So when he was in the bathroom, I fixedit. Read More »

Two things of note happened today.First, I had a bit of a mini spiritual crisis during shacharit (morning prayer services) this morning. It went something like this: “I don’t feel like davening (praying). Like, I really don’t want to be here right now. This has happened before this summer, but never when I’m actually at yeshiva for services. Read More »

Not much to say tonight, since I’ve been behind on sleep all week, and I still have to pack up tonight to spend the weekend in Philly!Just one quick point: The machshavah (Jewish thought) class switched from Heschel to Soloveitchik this week. And I’m suddenly following things a lot better. Read More »

So leading services is a kind of daunting thing to do. It’s essentially a performance. You stand up there, in front of or in the midst of everyone, and sing, chant, and perform the choreography of the service you’re leading. Everyone else is following and paying attention to you. The only mitigating factor is that the point isn’t to perform. Read More »