The Amazing YU Medical Ethics Board

Oh, the fun and intrigues of the YU Medical Ethics Society!

I'm so excited for this Sunday (October 14th, everybody.) I hope you're all joining me in Lamport Auditorium for the YU Medical Ethics' Society's amazing Partners in Creation event! There are absolutely fantastic speakers, including Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks and Dr. Richard Grazi (in addition to various amazing members of the YU faculty), UN style translation for the speech that will be delivered in Hebrew at the end, and besides, you'll get to meet me! It shall be a blogfest!

If you haven't registered yet, don't worry! Just join us anytime from 9:30-5:00 and you'll be able to register on site. You don't have to stay the whole day- there is no obligation- and the conferences/ speakers are going to be brilliant. This is a wonderful use of your time.

You have no idea how much time has gone into planning this event and making it wonderful for everyone. Last night we stuffed folders- they contain maps of YU, waterproof brochures with quotes from the powers-that-be, a program and an insert explaining the options for breakout sessions. You will have badges and nametags; we get to be official and exciting (badges and nametags for me, too) and guess what? I'll actually be dressed up (there's a dress code for staff.) So that will be fun! Anyway, Yonah Bardos, Aaron Kogut and Chani Schonbrun have literally given their lives over to this event. They are all fantastic people.

It's hilarious to be around them! They're all carrying at least two cellphones (Aaron and Yonah have these exciting Secret Service type wires connecting to their ears, plus they've got little black walkie-talkie buds attached to their shirts), they're all harried and rushed, they're taking calls every minute and they play musical phones. It's characteristic of Aaron to look around after having been handed a phone and go, "Wait, whose phone is this?" as he answers only to realize it's Chani's (and Chani is obviously deep in conversation with some professor or doctor or other important individual) and then he must offer to take a message. And they are laughing goodnaturedly all the while, so everything boils down to zany good fun.

Today was great. Woke up at 7:30, took a shower, went to Penn Station, couldn't find the sign for the A train, hopped on the 1, switched to the A at 42nd (the A was incredibly late), got off at 181st, walked over to Lamport and went through an entire training session. We're all well-informed people now, so don't hesitate to come over to anyone wearing a badge that says our name and "How can I help you?" Tis our job!

After this loveliness, we went on a long elaborate dance that consisted of running back and forth between Lamport Auditorium, 422 Furst, 501 Furst, Weissberg Commons, Productions in the basement of Belfer, the YU Medical Ethics "office" in the basement of Belfer and so on and so forth. Everything was interspersed with the noise emanating from our walkie talkies (I had so much fun with mine...You wish you had a walkie talkie! Yeah!) and constantly vibrating cell phones. And then there was the whole hunt to find a dolly...and Aaron walking the dolly into the wall...after which I took it from him, which was hilarious, because here's this girl wandering around with this oversized metal dolly while the guys simply walk behind her... and then I walked the dolly into a wall...

And then there was Aaron needing to pick up his dry-cleaning because he obviously needs an official and freshly-pressed suit for the event. And of course he has no time, because he's in the middle of managing everything, so he pulls out his credit card and hands it to Chani, who sighs and goes, "I'm his flipping wife" at which point they both crack up. Except Chani is pulled off to do other important things, so he takes his credit card back, so later I offer to pick up the suit- as long as he doesn't mind me forging his name on the receipt- so he looks at me and dryly says, "Yeah, you really look like an Aaron" and I feign innocence and say, "Well, some people spell it Erin- then it's a girl's name" but he explains that by no means will I be picking up his dry-cleaning; he shall go do it himself and then he mentions something about Toffees. Which strikes me as odd, because why are caramel candies suddenly part of the conversation, until he explains it's the name of the dry-cleaners. Oh.

All I've had today is M&Ms and a can of Pepsi- both procured from the SkyCaf, incidentally- it was hilarious because my friend called me to see whether we could go get lunch at the Caf and I reply, "Ha, I wish!" as my partner in crime and I head back to Lamport...My friend's not a fan of this new and very unhealthy diet of mine; parents, you will be happy to know someone gives me mussar for this.

Oh! And perhaps the best part of the day- Aaron wandered around handing out burgundy (specifically burgundy, not pink) YU ties and even gave them to the girls! So I am copying my amazing law school friend and wearing my tie in my hair. So I wore my red YU tie in my hair all day- it was great because I was wearing the "Wicked" sweatshirt Dustfinger bought me, too- so everyone who saw me either went "Wicked!" or gazed questioningly at the tie-headband. The loveliness of it all is how they hesitate to ask...plus, since I headed back to Furst 422, I got a blue YU tie, too! Boys, maybe I'll give you the ties when I get back to Chicago...we'll see.

People have no idea how much time they- and the entire Board- has dedicated in order for this event to run smoothly. Even the signs that direct you to certain places- did you ever think that people need to actually go put those signs up, signs that read "Weissberg Commons" or "Belfer Hall" or something of the kind? Every single detail has been planned and replanned- everything is scheduled- we are all up and ready- and our board is amazing.

Thanks so much to Yonah Bardos, Aaron Kogut and Chani Schonbrun in particular...and to everyone else on the Board! You are hilarious, entertaining, good-natured, wonderful people.

I'm so looking forward to Sunday!