Rosh Hashanah

[indecisionwins]

I'm at Swarthmore right now, after going to Rosh Hashanah services and dinner on campus, which were fun, although I ended up being later than I would have wanted to be, because of the silly people at Bed Bath and Beyond screwing up an exchange that I was trying to do... Well OK, the person who actually screwed up was helpful, but the people who tried to correct the mistake, since she had apparently been just about to leave, took forever... (Actually, I was meaning to post this question on LJ... The bed I have is really comfortable as it is, because it's a pillowtop mattress that's designed to have good back support. But I know you're supposed to have a mattress pad/cover on the bed to stop it from getting dirty and filled with allergens, so I'm trying to find one that will work... But the 2 "overfilled" quilted pads that I tried were too soft for a bed that's already pretty soft on top to begin with. I thought I wanted just a fairly cheap mattress pad, but Bed Bath and Beyond didn't have any (they did for back to school season, but they apparently got rid of them by now...), and I'm worried that one from someplace like Target would be too cheaply made... So I tried a mattress protector (with no padding), and I figured while I was doing that, I might as well get this one they had with allergy protection, since I do have dust mite allergies... But that had a lot of plastic on it, and was uncomfortable, as well as being really expensive... So now I bought this lambswool-filled one, which seems like it might be the right thickness, but I'm pretty sure it's not washable, and plus it's wool, so it might be pretty bad for allergies, even though they say the wool itself is hypoallergenic... So does anyone have any suggestions for what would work for a bed that's already really comfortable as it is, that won't make it less comfortable? I could also try a cotton mattress protector, which might be more comfortable than the allergy protection one, but I don't know... I also could just forget about it, but it sounds like that's not the best idea, especially since I do have allergies...
Oh, after checking Google, apparently wool is actually a really good dust mite repellent. So maybe this one actually WILL be the best...

But the other thing I'm trying to decide right now is where I want to go for Rosh Hashanah services tomorrow--Beth Israel (the Reconstructionist synagogue in Media), or Keneseth Israel, where rose_garden's former rabbi is. He's a professor of Jewish history as well as a Rabbi, and Viva really liked him, which makes me think I would enjoy his services. So I was leaning towards KI, just to try it, especially since it's not far from where I'm living, even though I really like Reconstructionism much better than Reform. But Viva has said that a good rabbi is more important than the denomination, which I can believe... But since I'm going to Yom Kippur services with my family in St. Louis, do I really want to go to Reform services for both high holidays? And the stuff I've seen from KI makes it sound like a fairly typical Reform temple, like what I know from St. Louis, which isn't so great... At the same time, even though I like the Reconstructionist prayerbook and philosophy, the rabbi at Beth Israel isn't necessarily my absolute favorite, because I think she's really too activisty/ultra-liberal. I also was thinking I probably wouldn't know anyone going with Ruach to Beth Israel anyway...but then I ended up having a really nice conversation with a guy who transferred to Swarthmore this year as a junior, and I'm guessing will be going to Reconstructionist. It sounds like he's going to be pretty involved in Ruach, and it would be nice to make a new friend in Ruach, which might convince me to come to Ruach stuff more than I probably would otherwise, since most of the people I was really friends with in Ruach were '05. And he, and Jethro, the new Jewish advisor (well, and a student at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College), were both trying to convince me that Reconstructionist services probably would be better, even if Lance Sussman is a really good rabbi. But...if I'm driving by myself, which I guess I might as well do, since apparently Ruach doesn't need drivers, would I even talk to anyone who goes from Swarthmore anyway?

Yeah, so I'm kind of locked in indecision, although I guess I'm leaning towards Beth Israel at this point... Does anyone have advice? (Especially rose_garden, if you see this...)

Comments

[orawnzva.livejournal.com]

I've always been a big fan of Beth Israel (which is why I joined after I graduated). I found the people friendly, the services engaging and meaningful, and the community supportive. Lots of Swat professors go there, and there's usually a big Ruach contingent for the High Holy Days, so the chances that some Swatties you know will be there are pretty good. But since you've been before, you know all that. One's taste in services is a very personal thing.

You're probably asleep by now, anyway, but if you go to Beth Israel (and you see this beforehand), tell Rabbi Linda I say "Shanah tovah."

[gerbilicious85.livejournal.com]

There's nothing wrong with stuff from Target, you just pay less and then have money for otehr things.

[sildra.livejournal.com]

Actually, if you're buying the same thing at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond, Target isn't even noticably cheaper. But the items are identical, in any case; Target doesn't tend to be particularly low quality.

[indecisionwins.livejournal.com]

Well... Some of their stuff isn't bad, and I never used to think it was really "low quality". But I've started to think that even though that's the image that they have (ie. decent quality stuff at relatively cheap prices), some of the stuff they sell really can be crappy. Well, at least after I had that thing of drawers in my room that fell apart, and the kitchen table we have here, which was from Target, which also feels pretty flimsy. I mean, it's not like I won't shop at Target, because I did buy stuff for my room from there, and they're really good for certain things, but...Bed Bath and Beyond really does have better stuff for furnishings and stuff like that, and especially if you have coupons, you can get nicer stuff that's not all that expensive. At least, as long as you avoid buying things like the $100 trash cans that Bed Bath and Beyond sells...

As far as mattress pads, though, I don't know. I still want to try this one that I bought, and I'm hoping I'll actually like it. The ones from Target may be OK, but I'm mostly worried that they might not stay on the bed, especially since this bed is fairly tall (like 9-10 inches), and the cheapest mattress pads and sheets aren't that deep... So OK, there still may not be a good reason not to at least try the mattress pads from Target, but...I started out with one from Bed Bath and Beyond, so I keep going back to them... Well plus, I do trust them to only sell things that are actually good (with some things being really expensive, but other things being pretty reasonable...), where at Target, some things will be OK, but other things may be crap.

[sildra.livejournal.com]

Well, at least after I had that thing of drawers in my room that fell apart, and the kitchen table we have here, which was from Target, which also feels pretty flimsy.

Target is really not the place for furniture. If you want cheap furniture, try a used furniture store, or a yard sale. Ikea is also sometimes cheap, and it's intended for apartments rather than houses (and therefore space efficient).