Third Night of Hanukkah

Nothing major here.
I went to West Side Jewish Center's Hanukkah Extravaganza to help support the congregation and to listen to Bsamim perform, but I was there, initially, to help support Rabbi Jason Herman, a recent YCT graduate, who invited us (me certainly as he was my "big brother" or something last year at yeshiva, but that only really meant he took me to Dougie's for lunch once, oh well) to come. Pictured is Rabbi Herman, Ben (a fellow YCTer and a roommate), and me. Also is me in front of the bima in their gorgeous sanctuary - I had led מעריב (the evening prayer service) upon the request of Rabbi Herman, though that was probably due to my having been near the front of the shul. I thought how often is it that one's first time in a shul, one leads the service? (Okay, it wasn't a major one....) It was cool to see that Rabbi Herman has his own apartment a couple of floors above the shul - that'd be great - having a shul in one's own building as well as a beit midrash! But it is an older building, so more modern shuls seldom have such things, which is good, as it gives rabbis more autonomy in their living - but for a single rabbi, it's probably not that important.
Afterwards, I went to Daniel Bloom's, where he was having a little Hanukkah get-together. It was nice, though I had come on the late side of it, so it was kind of mellow.
Following the soiree, I stopped by Golan Heights, the shwarma place in the YU neighborhood, and went back to my place to watch a movie I would never have seen on my own - The Dukes of Hazzard. I do not recommend it to anyone, unless they do not want to think about what they are watching and just want to see some car-racin' and just some other guy stuff. I was in a kind of movie-watching mood and kind of tired, but I would much have rather watched a more thoughtful flick. Oh well.