Life on Zoom, part two: Camera quandary
Copied from a Facebook post on the Dreaming Up 5781 group page:
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A tallit-and-tefillin-wearing woman in a traditional Conservative synagogue?! An unorthodox—and non-orthodox—perspective on Jews and Judaism from a perpetual misfit. This blog, welcoming the entire Jewish community, is dedicated to those who take Judaism seriously, but not necessarily literally.
Copied from a Facebook post on the Dreaming Up 5781 group page:
Some of us have become quite camera-conscious as a result of being on Zoom. Honestly, I so dislike the way I look on Zoom that I actually bought lipstick for the first time in about 30 years. Here's my latest attempt to look semi-presentable on Zoom:
On the other hand, I've finally resigned myself to leaving my webcam in one position--if my head disappears from view every time I stand up for the Amidah prayer, so be it. And I'll confess that I've given up dressing up for evening Zoom services, unless it's our own synagogue's Zoom service--I just stay in my jeans, though I do try to wear one of my nicer t-shirts on Fridays.
Other people have gone in the opposite direction, losing all concern with how they look. Some folks remain seated throughout an entire Zoom service, though they would never do that when praying in a synagogue. Others just stare at the screen and don't follow the usual Jewish tradition of moving their lips when praying--they look as if they're watching a television show. The worst story I've heard, though, was of the poor soul who apparent forgot that they were on Zoom and were caught onscreen in their underwear in the middle of a service, with the minyannaires all unmuting to shout "Turn off your camera!!!"
Synagogues have been all over the map on Zoom and/or livestream. I mentioned some interesting issues in my post about "the tail wagging the dog." More recently, I've noticed some serious challenges regarding the presence of cameras in sanctuaries. Some cantors/cantorial soloists/synagogue singers have become so concerned about connecting with their online congregations that they play to the camera(s) and forget to, ya know, look at their siddurim (prayer-books). In other congregations, the cameras have swallowed the services. :( It's one thing when arrangements are made to have a split screen showing the synagogue musicians playing their instruments safely in a different room or balcony while the clergy conduct the services on the main floor of the sanctuary. It's quite another when the videographer(s) superimpose translucent shots of the musicians over opaque shots of the clergy. How much more intrusive can a videographer get? How is one supposed to maintain one's kavvanah (focus, intention, devotion) through such distractions? What do these videographers think they're doing--filming movies?
How will some of the synagogues that have become heavily dependent on cameras readjust once they go back to in-person or hybrid services? And how will congregants readjust to having to actually participate in the services?
Yesterday, I stupidly left too late to get to my doctor on time, and had to reschedule my appointment for a month later. :(
Then, when I bit into a candy that I'd bought for consolation, I felt something so hard that I knew it wasn't safe to swallow--and when I spit the hard object into a tissue, it turned out to be that darned dental crown that had already been glued back in twice. :( :(
Today, I told my dentist that, if he didn't figure out how to keep that darned crown glued into my gum where it belongs, it would be a classic case of "three strikes, you're out"--I'd find a new dentist. You might say that this could be his "swan song." :)
Central Park
Pond just north of Central Park South
RFK (Triborough) Bridge, close up
Many thanks to my husband for being the designated driver--after four rounds of eye surgery, I'm no longer qualified. But I'm very fortunate to have enough vision left to enjoy gorgeous views such as these!
I've stretched out the sleeve of my long-sleeved tee-shirt so badly from pushing it far enough above my elbow to lay tefillin that I'll have to consign the shirt to the rag pile. Yep, I dipped my sleeve in my dinner two times in ten minutes. (Ha-laila hazeh sh'tei f'amim--on this night, we dip twice?!). So nu, can I sue? 😀
My desktop stopped working before I could finish placing an order for a new one. . And our son, despite hrs of work over 2 days, couldn't resuscitate his ancient laptop. He did, however, tap into his network and conclude that I'd get a better combo of quality and price online than in a store, even though both the Dell and the HP sites are a pain. I borrowed my husband's laptop just long enough to buy an HP with what our son assured me are decent specs and a half-decent price--it was shipped last Monday (after my Friday order), which was a serious factor in my choice of comps. Our poor son volunteered for the set-up honors, because he knows that I'm clueless about both hardware and software.
My new computer *finally* arrived yesterday afternoon (four days later than originally scheduled), and our son spent hours getting it set up, sitting me down and making me do my own downloads so that I'd know how, and helping me reorganize my files. It's a pleasure to be back on a full-sized keyboard instead of having to type with one finger on a cell phone. Many thanks, and yay!
We now return you to our regularly-scheduled posting. 😀