Launching "What's New with Drew?" Series

Since I get asked frequently, "What's new?", I realize I don't share enough about my life and what's going on with me online. Therefore, I have been inspired to share what's been going on for me, both personally, as well as professionally. (Not only will it help others gain a sense of what I am doing, but it also helps me consider what is going on in my life.) While I do not know if this will be a weekly share, or if it will be multiple times a week, I imagine I will be experimenting with this format. While this will be available on this website, I will also be sharing it on my Substack (for instance, this post is also available here).

Personal:

• 2021 was a huge year for my podcasting, not only for my podcast, but also appearing on others’ podcasts

• The new Star Wars show, The Book of Boba Fett came out on Wednesday, which was a nice start to the series (I haven’t yet posted anything about it yet, but I may still do so) - here’s a clever breakdown of the episode

• It was AMAZING to watch the incredible comeback in the Rose Bowl by the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday night, as well as the record-setting performances by CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba🏈 It was a phenomenal performance! I am very excited to see how the Buckeyes will fare in 2022, with an explosive offense and a new defensive coordinator😀

Professional:

Senior Living Facility:

• Morning Minute Musing #153: Attending My First Conference Since The Beginning of The Pandemic (the previous week, I had attended my 5th AJS Conference)

• On Wednesday, I shared highlights from the aforementioned conference with residents over bagels

• I took my 86th COVID-19-test at work

• Like other Fridays, I distributed challah knots/rolls the weekly Shabbat Newsletter at the senior living facility where I serve as the Director of Pastoral Care

• The aforementioned Shabbat Newsletter is available here

• Here is the lineup of entertainment on the internal broadcasting channel I curated for the residents at the senior living facility where I work

• My weekly Torah portion presentation for the residents at the senior living facility where I work

Jewish Drinking:

• I was sad to have to announce that we are postponing the inaugural Booze in the Holy Land trip due to complications related to the pandemic 

• I was glad to share a kosher 12-bottle bar post

• Daily Drinking Halakhot

• #263: Drinking or eating items that are for healing are not permissible to consume on Shabbat

• #264: What is the permissibility of using beverages to extinguish burning clothes on Shabbat?

• #265: What happens if one's wine barrel cracks on Shabbat?

• #266: More on fire-extinguishing on Shabbat

Other Links of Interest:

• Russel Neiss - "NFTs Ain’t the Moshiakh"

• Dr. Rivka Press-Schwartz Twitter essay on sexual abuse in the Orthodox world

• Marc B. Shapiro - "Gelatin, Supposed Retractions, and Abraham Goldstein, Part 1"

• Marc B. Shapiro - "Gelatin, Supposed Retractions, and Abraham Goldstein, Part 2"

• Not a new article, but it’s come up this week in a few conversations: Jill Lepore - “Does Journalism Have a Future?”