Challah, high fashion, balloon arches, backwards books, and a whole bunch of sugar-high kids: My first bat mitzvah

Confession: I'm Catholic.
There, I said it. For those of you who read the above sentence and immediately associated my statement with the negative connotations surrounding the Catholic church, please get off my blog if you believe I'm about to embark on some religion-infused rant.
Now, for those of you that cared to read on, you'll realize that the fact that I'm Catholic is only important to this post in the way that, due to my being so, I've never really been exposed to any other religions the world has to offer. Sure, I've attended a Methodist funeral, heard a Presbyterian sermon, and seen some televangelist Baptist ceremonies on Sunday morning television. However, that pretty much summed up all of my first-hand knowledge of of religious movements other than my own.
Notice I used the past-tense form of 'sum'. The reason: two weekends ago, my mom and I attended a bat mitzvah for the daughter of one of my dad's friends. (Dad and my sister were camping, so my mom and I had to, as she said, "represent the family)
Now, I know that people hear the words 'bat' and 'mitzvah' and start thinking of all these different things. However, for those who aren't really sure, a bat mitzvah is a religious ceremony in the Jewish faith held honor of a girl's thirteenth birthday, symbolizing her transition from youth to adult in the church. Boys have the same thing, except it's called a bar mitzvah. I always used to mix those up.
Okay, let's be frank: what I talked about above is really only half the battle. The facet most commonly associated with the bat/bar mitzvah is the gargantuan party held after the ceremony in honor of the boy or girl for which the ceremony was held. The reason: the bat/bar mitzvah is one of the, if not the hugest event in the life of a Jewish individual. It's arguably more important than weddings. And, as we all know, a big occasion requires a big celebration. This particular bat mitzvah was no exception.
But, I'll talk about that later. First, let's recap the ceremony, which was held in a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland.
One of the first things I noticed when I walked in with my mom was the abundance of men and boys wearing the same maroon-colored yamikah- you know, the little cap worn on the back of Jewish men's heads you see in all the movies. At first, I thought that my mom and I were literally the only non-Jewish people there. I found out later that Maiya's (the bat mitzvah- yes, that's what the girl honored is referred to as) parents had commissioned special yamikahs to be worn for all of the men and boys in attendance. It's actually a requirement for any male who enters the synagogue to wear one out of respect. In truth, the men who were actually Jewish had brought their own.
Another moment of enlightenment came the first time the rabbi asked us to open our Torrahs- the Jewish bible. Upon picking one out of the front pew, I realized that the pages are printed backwards, beginning on page 1,187 (I don't remember the exact number, but that was close) and going all the way back to 1. I'll be honest- I don't really know why this is. I think it has something to do with Hebrew, the language of the Jewish faith, being read backwards.
Going off on a brief tangent, the language of the Roman Catholic church is Latin. Before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the whole mass was celebrated in Latin. Now, it's mostly in English, with only a few key parts being read in Latin. (You have no idea how helpful this has been in helping me learn Latin pieces for choral auditions) In the Jewish faith, however, it's an entirely different story. At this bat mitzvah, I'd be willing to estimate that 80% of it was read in Hebrew, most of that being chants. Because of this, I can only remember a few key parts of the ceremony, as the chants were used to fill the "cracks" between these parts.
Let's used a bulleted list to recount them. (Don't worry, I'm almost to the part with the party)

• At the very beginning, Maiya and Julia, the girl sharing her bat mitzvah, were presented with their very own tallits from their families. A tallit is a cloth inscribed with words from the Torrah, usually handed down from generation to generation. It's worn draped over the shoulders.
• Eventually, it came time for the girls to read from the Torrah for the first time. To do this, they had to retrieve the scrolls on which the Torrah was written from a door behind the altar, then parade around the synagouge with them as the rabbi and congregation who knew how chanted in Hebrew. As the girls walked through the aisles, Torrah scrolls in hand, the Jewish attendees would reach across the pew and touch them with their own Torrahs, then giving their copy a kiss.
• Towards the end, Maiya and Julia each had to read a selection they had chosen from the Torrah called their Pirke Avot, which should show symbolism to their transition from youth to adult. Maiya's was about the distinguishing characteristics of a fool and a wise person, while Julia's was about speaking up for oneself.

Phew. Well, after the two hour ceremony, we all went out into the lobby and took our own challah bread and wine (grape juice was what it really was). At this point, Julia's guests boarded a bus- you hear that? A bus. They rented a bus. That just shows you what a big deal this is -to go to the location of their party. Lucky for us, Maiya's party was being held in a banquet hall inside the synagogue, so we didn't have to go very far.
Don't think that just because it was held in a banquet hall, it was a stuffy environment. Oh, no. Maiya's parents had hired a party company called Electric Entertainment to work the party, and they had totally taken over the place.
The DJ booth was at the front of the room, eminating a whole playlist of songs and remixed versions of songs from the 80's to today. There were a ton of neon lights illuminating the place, complete with streamers and balloons. My dad's friend from high school had set up a photo booth, too.
It was totally the best party I've been to in a long time. The DJs and dancers were very engaging, holding games that everyone- not just the kids- could play. These included making human pyramids and attempting to get across the dance floor, having kids teach adults dances from "their time" and vice versa (examples- the Wobble, the Harlem Shake, the Robot). This was great, seeing as Maiya had invited her entire school class, swim team, and Hebrew group.
There was also an awesome ice cream bar in the back with tons of toppings, like a fro-yo place.
And, the coolest thing was, the party was totally, as the emcee, Brian, put it, "Maiya-ized." They played Maiya's favorite songs, gave out giftcards to Maiya's favorite restaurant (Chipotle), and made a ton of swimming themed events. Example: when we played Coke or Pepsi, it was called Breast or Butterfly.
Okay- to make a long story short, the Jewish people really know how to party, and I had a fantastic time. Thanks, Maiya!

I can't sign yearbooks.

Yearbooks have come a long way. I still remember my first one- a glossy, paper tome with a chalkboard on the front, bearing in a child-like chalk font the name of my school and some wax-inspirational slogan designed for a second grader to comprehend. Presented with these on one of the last days of school, my wide-eyed peers and I would eagerly pass them around to one another, begging for everyone to write some sort of message as if they would never see us again. "Have a great summer", perhaps. "Your (sic. in an attempt to showcase the not yet developed grammatical skills of a young child) really nice and fun!"
Fast-forward seven years, a la a Hollywood coming-of-age film, and these much-exalted yearbooks have quadrupled in size, their covers going from paper to glossy cardboard, their contents going from class pictures, a few posed playground shots, and the "student council" to a myriad of clubs, musical performances, sports teams, senior pictures, and candid shots, some well-taken and some blurry. The messages penned inside them have changed, too: long, heartfelt notes full of inside jokes and memories, focusing on the past, rather than the years ahead, which I theorize to be because of many high schoolers' fear of the future. Yes, sir or ma'am: the high school year book is quite a different beast.
Despite the changing nature of these memory-filled volumes, however, one thing has stayed irreversibly similar- my ability (or lack thereof, rather) to write in them.
Whenever someone approaches me with his or her yearbook with the intention of my signing it, I am, at first, flattered. After all, one doesn't ask just anyone to write in something he or she may show to his or her children one day. Usually, the yearbooks I sign belong to three "classes", if you will:
- A very close friend who I've known for over five years and have shared many secrets and jokes with
- A friend who I am able to laugh with, but I have either a.) not shared any secret jokes with or b.) do not feel comfortable with talking about some subjects. Possibly both.
- Someone who I only know in passing- perhaps he or she sits near me in a class, or I always see him or her in the hallways before third period
Perhaps I mistitled this post- really, when it comes to the first and third classes I listed, I usually have no trouble formulating a message. With my first class messages, the real issue comes up in thinking of inside jokes to incorporate into them! You know that Relatable Post? "Whenever someone asks me what my favorite movie is, I always forget every movie I've ever seen"?  It's very much like that. Because of the longevity of these messages, I tend to go to a blank page in the front or back of the yearbook to write them.
As for the third class, well, that's easy. A "have a great summer" ("H.A.G.S." for those who wish to keep it short) or "[insert grade you'll be in next year] is going to be awesome!" is almost always sufficient.
So, there we go. Not a lot of problems there. But, it's the second class that gives me some grief.
For, you see, I know these people- but not well enough to put in a joke or fun memory. I tend to think of a compliment I can pay next, but I'm not very good at these when being put on the spot. Just the other day, for instance, I told a girl I only know from church and my gym class that I liked her dress. That same day, when writing in the yearbook of a girl in the viola section of my orchestra, I wrote this (if I can remember): "You're so funny and nice- stay that way." How commanding does that sound? Who am I to force someone to keep the same personality?
Maybe I'm making too big of a deal over this. I mean, despite the whopping $40 cost for a yearbook, just how much will my peers treasure their yearbooks much after their senior year? Most may not even remember me, let alone what I wrote in their book.
As soon as I start thinking about this, however, I am reminded of the many signatures enscribed in my mother's senior class yearbook. Some have rude words, others have inside jokes, others long, poignant notes I've never attempted to read in full.
If they're this important to her- and to me, as someone who was curious about her life in high school -then who's to say I shouldn't make an effort to write something memorable?
It's a skill I hope to perfect in my next three years of school.

On Page-to-Screen Film Adaptations (emphasis on "page")

Oh.
So, I haven't posted in over a month.
I guess this post should be interesting, then.
So, in the time since my last post (some lake pictures- perhaps you recall), there's been a tremendously popular new film on the market called The Great Gatsby, featuring Jack Dawson, Sally Sparrow, and Spiderman- I mean Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire. Poorly orchestrated pop culture joke aside, this film has attracted a large quantity of moviegoers in the past three weeks it's been out. However, despite the film's impressive winnings of over 117 million dollars thus far, its professional reviews have been less than stellar, garnering a C- from USA Today, a B- from the Denver Post, and a C+ from People Magazine*.
So, what was director Baz Lurhmann's "fatal flaw" in his final product? I think one F. Scott Fitzgerald might have a theory.
Obviously, F. Scott Fitzgerald's name is known throughout English classrooms as the man who penned the "Great American Novel"- that would be The Great Gatsby. Seeing as I'm reading the book right now (and throughly enjoying it), I can't give a full summary of what it's about. All I can say is, considering it's known as the "Great American Novel", it's probably pretty good. Chock full of underlying themes, metaphors, parallels to society of the day, and all that jazz.
However, as is the case in many Page-to-Screen adaptations, Mr. Luhrmann has appeared to forfit these themes, metaphors, and parallels for the three Gs- gold, glitz, and glamour. In short, a film that's more technically than substantially impressive- kind of like those confections we see on Cake Boss.
And, sure, this can pass for a movie with no prior basis- a superhero film, for example. They need extra explosions for the plot to work (Disclaimer- I love superhero films). But, for a film whose idea comes from a novel- especially the Great American Novel, for Pete's sake -wouldn't it be somewhat logical for it to contain at least some ideas from the original story?
What you just read wasn't even the main point of this post. Yes, it stinks that Mr. Lurhmann neglected to award The Great Gatsby with the plot-satisfying film adaptation it deserves. What really aggravates me, however, is the fact that millions of moviegoers went to see and will see the movie with no prior knowledge of the book, and came out and will come out of the theatre shielding their eyes from the sun and thinking that what happened in the movie they just saw was an accurate representation of the real book, and is therefore equivalent to reading the book itself. Cue Bruno Mars's "The Lazy Song".
GRRRR!!!! As a reader, this is one of my ultimate pet peeves! There have been so many page-to-screen adaptations in the past few years- The Hobbit, Les Miserables, The City of Ember, One Day, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones, The Golden Compass...the Harry Potter films, for crying out loud! All of them had elements that did not hold true to their original manuscript, but people went to see them anyway, without having read the book at all. How is this okay?
If people continue to see movies without reading the often iconic novels they stemmed from- without which the film would never exist -, the standard will continue to go down for movies written from books, until the only thing they will share is their title.
So, whether it's with a book as iconic as The Great Gatsby to Silver Linings Playbook, whose book inspiration was virtually unknown before the film- read the book before you see it! For the love of better movies!

*Thanks to http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20483133,00.html for these grades.