minyan gal, no problem, I’d love to. My forte is washing dishes, btw. All I ask in return is help in finding me a wife.

Droid, regardless of whether it’s a mitzvah or not, it is a good thing because:

It is a chessed. You are saving your guests time before shabbos that they might otherwise spend preparing for a meal. It improves your middos, because you are focused on your guests’ needs, not your own. You may actually be fulfilling the mitzvah of V’ahavta L’raiacha Kamocha. You have the ablility to share divrei torah with other people. It improves the guests’ middos because they are focused on being courteous, respectful, and complementing.

These are just a few reasons why it is a good thing. I don’t do things ONLY if I get a mitzvah from it. That’s a very self-centered attitude. I do things that I feel are correct, and G-d would want me to do them, regardless if I get a mitzvah for it or not.

“middle- are you MO?”

Well, adorable, that’s a difficult question to answer. I would say yes, in terms of many of my personal hashkafas and values but my family is for the most part very frum, so I have that as an influence as well.

While this may true in many circumstances, in my parents’ case, everything you said is false. Me and my siblings are much better off with them having gotten a divorce. It would have been a thousand times worse if they had stayed married. Divorce was the best thing for them and for us. But for other, more “normal” divorce cases, I agree that they sometimes can be salvaged with a little help and guidance.

fix it up, I had to memorize and say over that poem in a public speaking course.. nice poem…and when in doubt, take the middle path 🙂

Are guitars and drums considered toys? Cuz if they are, I love playing with toys.

I don’t understand the question. If you wear a yarmulka, you should wear it no matter where you go.

basket of radishes, I like your taste in music. And believe me, I’ve tried to find Jewish composers that have the musical prowess and style of Rush and Genesis, but sadly, I haven’t succeeded. 99% of the music I listen to is non-Jewish, with the 1% being pretty much only songs by Abie Rotenberg. I happen to think he is a very talented composer.

Here’s the thing; My views on music are very different from most people’s, because I am a musician. I play the guitar, drums, and keyboard, and I pretty much listen to anything that I find takes talent on those instruments. That encompasses everything from Billy Joel to Opeth, Beethoven to B.B. King. And honestly, I haven’t found too many Jewish bands or composers that are nearly as good as these, which is why I mostly stick with the originals.

I actually have composed many songs on my own, partly due to the lack of musical ability in Jewish music, to make my mark, but most people wouldn’t really appreciate it. My songs are a mix of Soft Rock, Heavy Metal, and Jazz Fusion, and mostly instrumental. Perhaps I should put out a CD and see if it would sell…

I also can’t stand a lot of the newer Jewish music, since it stems from pop music of today’s age, which I find to be talentless, trashy, and repetitive.

I think it’s wonderful.

I’m so sorry to hear that! I see now that it can be a bad thing to show interest if you know it’s not gonna work out anyway..I don’t know if it’s always like that, but I guess you can tell how things are going..

adorable- This has been bothering me the past day or two, so I feel like I have to say it. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable about the “shidduch thing” that has been talked about on this thread. It should have never come up, and only got everything sidetracked. I still appreciate all your help, but in the future, I hope we don’t get sidetracked by this again. Hope you have a wonderful shabbos.

I highly recommend that you insist that the guy does not smoke.

adorable, good for you!

adorable, what you suggested is for sure the most important thing to do..so imagine putting those words to an original song that he made for her- and you’ve got yourself a wonderful anniversary gift! (Assuming she appreciates music.)

If you play an instrument, compose a song for her. Otherwise, I like Wolf’s idea.

I always give my full attention to any girl on any date, and always seem genuinely interested and comfortable whether I like her or not. That’s just my personality. I would NEVER take out my phone while on a date, unless she needs me to for whatever reason. So it’s harder to tell if I really like her or not. Other guys, though, it might be easier to tell. Things that may show non-interest: Avoids eye contact, doesn’t talk much, doesn’t laugh at all her jokes..

You mean I’m gonna have to come all the way to New York to get on this bus?? Dunno if it’s worth it anymore…

I wish I could help, but I use yahoo, and don’t know how to control the settings in gmail. But in yahoo, there’s an “options” tab in the corner of the screen that let’s you change settings for spam, filter, general settings, etc. Maybe gmail has something like that?

Crazy Train happens to be a great song to play on the guitar..very challenging, especially the solo. But it is way too over-used at weddings now. We need some new intros. How about- Welcome to the Jungle by GnR. Great intro.

Wow, adorable, I can always count on you to make me feel better! Thanks so much. Yes, there is hope.

adorable, do what’s best for you. I wish you success in finding something that you will be happy doing and makes you feel accomplished. By the way, did you start the new class yet? How’s it going?

adorable, if you feel right about your decision, then go for it. But minyan gal is right, any job in this economy should not be taken for granted. I really hope that whatever you decide, you should be happy about your choice.