So, I went to a funeral today...
And was utterly mortified by the speech. Now see I may be sensitive 'cause I didn't know the person who died all that well, but I have this firm belief that well you don't speak ill of the dead. The rabbi didn't seem to hold the same position, as she kept on unearthing lots and lots of skeletons. Now far be it for me to think all people are perfect and I agree that idolizing the dead is kinda stupid, but I still don't think it makes it ok to air dirty laundry in front of everyone in the room-including colleagues, friends, students, and other non-family, though it's not so great to share with non-immediate family either. The family members handled their issues quietly, glossing over or making minor references to the flaws; the rabbi on the other hand came across as disrespectful and at times she seemed vengeful and downright malicious. I was beyond horrified, but maybe I've just been at too many funerals where the policy is "if you don't have something nice to say at all". I guess I was so put off because while I get that you can learn from the person's mistakes, many of the details she shared just didn't seem to even earn that merit, instead it felt like she really had a grudge against the dead person.
That aside, I haven't posted in about a year 'cause I've been teaching (lots and lots of freshies), taking first year classes in preparation for, studying for, and passing my quals(comps really), and doing google summer of code.