Collecting Shards

This Place Is Fading

2006-01-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am posting in too many locations. This one is obviously neglected. Poor blog.
Best to find me elsewhere. Most of you know where.

Seems About Right

2005-10-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

L'shanah tovah

2005-10-03T18:48:00.000-04:00

For a good year.

Tomorrow I'll go do tashlich. I go to a body of running water, which much easier in my neighborhood than it is in, say, Arizona. I walk maybe a quarter of a mile to get to a sizeable creek and cast the crumbs from my pockets into the water, as if casting away my sins. I love doing this.

Virtual Grief is Quite Real

2005-08-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

Ani mishtatephet b’tsorechim means I participate in your sorrow in Hebrew. It is my way.

If you don't know, she is grieving for her husband who died Monday of cancer. He was 34 and left a loving wife and young son. This is why. It is a terrible story. It is a political story.

If you wish to help, academic coach will forward a card, letter, or other tangible message. And she continues to collect badly needed money to help the not very well off family. Just so you know.

Without comment

2005-08-29T07:49:00.000-04:00

because I am laughing too hard.

Hello, hello

2005-08-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

I didn't mean to abandon you. I've just been swamped with other things. I have too many interests.

I am such a good researcher in part because I am so horrible at details. So I have to keep learning things over and over until they stick. Case in point: Jokes. I almost never remember a joke. I'm usually a great audience because I forget that I've already heard it. And when I hear a good joke, I pass it along as quickly as possible because I know I'll forget it. The other problem here is that I have no practice at telling jokes, so I do it badly. That said ...

A blonde, think Wheezy, is driving down the road at high speed. She is pulled over by a blonde police officer who walks to the car and says "Do you know how fast you were going?"

"No, how fast was I going?" asks the driver.

"You were going nearly 100 miles an hours," says the police officer.

"Oh, that is fast," says the driver.

Shaking her head, the police officer says "Give me your license and registration."

Rustling around in her purse, the driver asks "What does it look like?"

The officer responds "The license is small." She shows her the size with her hands. "It has your picture on it."

The driver comes across a small rectangular make-up mirror, looks in it, then hands it to the officer saying "Is this it?"

The officer takes it, looks into it, and returns it, responding "Oh, I didn't know you were a police officer. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Results

2005-07-28T22:03:00.000-04:00

are in. First prize !!

" As he stared at her ample bosom, he daydreamed of the dual Stromberg carburetors in his vintage Triumph Spitfire, highly functional yet pleasingly formed, perched prominently on top of the intake manifold, aching for experienced hands, the small knurled caps of the oil dampeners begging to be inspected and adjusted as described in chapter seven of the shop manual."

Dan McKay
Fargo, ND

Go read more. They're a hoot.

He Made Me Do It!!

2005-07-28T12:12:00.000-04:00

Dweeze, that is.

the Cutting Edge
(52% dark, 43% spontaneous, 16% vulgar)

your humor style:
CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | DARK

Your humor's mostly innocent and off-the-cuff, but somehow there's
something slightly menacing about you. Part of your humor is making
people a little uncomfortable, even if the things you say aren't in and
of themselves confrontational. You probably have a very dry delivery,
or are seriously over-the-top. Your type is the most likely to
appreciate a good insult and/or broken bone and/or very very fat person
dancing.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: David Letterman - John Belushi

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman

Cooking Tip

2005-07-25T20:11:00.000-04:00

It is a rare food that can't be improved with a little chipotle in adobo.

It's Harry Potter Day !!!

2005-07-16T09:18:00.000-04:00

Last time I received my copy in a special "all Harry Potter" delivery at about 10AM. But I've moved since then. *drumming my fingers on the nearby tabletop*

Let me know when you get yours.

My Personal Independence Day

2005-07-04T09:50:00.000-04:00

Four years ago today I quit smoking. I had been smoking since I was 13 years old, longer if you consider the fact that my mother smoked throughout her pregnancy with me and throughout my childhood.

It was the single most difficult thing I ever did. I think this is because it require(s) constant vigilance, no slip ups, not even a puff. For me there are absolutely no cigarettes or all the cigarettes in the world. I can't do this a little bit. It took me three years to be convinced that I had actually mastered it, that I was going to stay quit. That was last year.

This year, for one day only, I'm patting myself on the back. Yay me!

An Alternative Theory of Intelligent Design

2005-07-02T19:17:00.000-04:00

We sometimes deal with religion here at Collecting Shards, so I thought I'd bring you an alternative theory of Intelligent Design that I was previously unaware of. Bobby Henderson has written to the Kansas School Board asking that it be taught alongside their other alternatives.

Basically it proposes that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. Here is Bobby's sketch:

He provides an additional theory about how global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s and includes a demonstrative graph. It's worth a look.

Shabbat is about to begin

2005-07-01T19:24:00.000-04:00

It's time for a little wisdom. This is from the Buddhist section at BeliefNet.

Walking the spiritual path is a very subtle process; it is not something to jump into naively. There are numerous sidetracks which lead to a distorted, ego-centered version of spirituality; we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques.

-Chogyam Trungpa, "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism"

Commuting

2005-06-29T07:12:00.000-04:00

has gotten much too interesting. Yesterday I drove home behind a Bentley. And I spent most of the time wondering how it is possible to make a Bentley so boring. It was seriously beige with nondescript everything, including the driver. Now I'm all for understatement, but this was ridiculous.

Then this morning I get stuck behind a bus. Would you believe that on an eight lane highway there is enough traffic at six AM to get stuck? Well I did. And then the bus caught on fire.

That's quite enough excitement for one 24 hour period thank you very much.

It's Going To Be

2005-06-28T07:17:00.000-04:00

another hot and humid day. This is where I wish I were today. It's only 45 minutes away from me. Tantalizing. If only I had picked rich parents ...

I'm A Techy -- So Sue Me

2005-06-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

but this is totally cool. John Batelle sez that Google is coughing up a video playback thingy in your browser as part of video search that they are nurturing. If you want your video indexed, though, you have to be sure to put in meaningful metadata.

Doesn't the internet rock?

On My Way Home

2005-06-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

I go through a lot of different kinds of neighborhoods. This is on 13th Street, NW in the projects. Public housing where, they tell me, people don't care about the places they live in.

I Went to Work Today

2005-06-15T19:05:00.000-04:00

but I didn't feel like dealing with the traffic. So I looked at the sky.

You Asked

2005-06-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

and I try to please my public. So here is where I won't be for the next week and a half -- on the road, coming home from work.

I Got a New Camera

2005-05-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

this week. And I'm working on a "my commute" series. Here's a preview found at 4th and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. You can see the Capitol from there.

A Poem

2005-05-20T23:55:00.000-04:00

Miracle Ice Cream
by Adrienne Rich

Miracle's truck comes down the little avenue,
Scott Joplin ragtime strewn behind it like pearls,
and, yes, you can feel happy
with one piece of your heart.

Take what's still given: in a room's rich shadow
a woman's breasts swinging lightly as she bends.
Early now the pearl of dusk dissolves.
Late, you sit weighing the evening news,
fast-food miracles, ghostly revolutions,
the rest of your heart.

Find a poem that speaks to you this week. And Shabbat Shalom.

Interviewed by Blue

2005-05-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

The game:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog (if you have one) with the answers to the questions OR you answer them here in the comments if you don't have a blog.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

====================

The most redundant institution of modern times?

There are too many to choose from, especially when I begin to think of religious ones. But I'll select the one that is annoying me the most currently. Television "news." You know, that news that isn't news, runaway bride news, Scott Peterson Michael Jackson news that keeps so many anxious about things that have nothing to do with their lives and mask things that are important like war and starvation and fascism.

The best-ever one-liner?

You probably thought that this was easy. Well it is for most folks, but for me? Killer hard. I don't remember jokes. When I hear one I like, I immediately pass it on knowing that I'll have forgotten it in 20 minutes. So please be patient. And kind. Ok, Ihe best I can do, probably reflecting my mood, is George Carlins "If you can beat 'em, have 'em beaten."

Everyone deserves one chance to try again. How would you do it differently next time?

I am tempted to cheat and say I would select different parents, but I am much too honest for my own good.
I'd grow up and learn to take care of myself before hooking up with somebody else. I spent much too much of my life trying to satisfy other folks before I genuinely learned that take care of yourself first thing.

What absolutely MUST be included in the curriculum?

Logic. Reason. Thinking. But first we must have teachers who can teach it, and that is not a trivial problem.
I want to take this time to point out that I just restrained myself thereby saving all of you from a three page rant.

You get to do this with anyone from recorded history. Who, and what five questions?

Ack! Blue, these are killer hard. I only get one, eh?
Ok, the late Barbara Jordan, toward the end of her life.
1. You seem to have spent much of your life in study, always excelling in school. What do you feel that you gave up to be such a good student?
2. What made you believe that you could run for public office, much less win when no black woman had ever held so many of the offices you held.
3. No matter what happened, you seem to have maintained an unerring faith in our instutituions. What do you think is the source of that faith?
4. You were very ill for a long time. What kept you going?
5. What makes you blissfully happy?

====================

Don't forget that if you want to be interviewed, leave a request in the comment section.

My Nerd Score

2005-05-13T19:08:00.000-04:00

"All hail the monstrous nerd. You are by far the SUPREME NERD GOD!!!"

I knew it would be bad, but this is ridiculous.

A Confession

2005-04-26T21:01:00.000-04:00

Ok. Here goes. I've never admitted this. To anybody.

Here goes.

I've never read anything by David Sedaris.

Yes, really.

Ok, I've taken his stuff out the library. (Aren't libraries the best?) I've lugged it around believing that I'd read it. And then I sneak it back, a little ashamed.

What's wrong with me?

Sister Claymore of Sweet Reason

2005-04-23T11:31:00.000-04:00

is my Unitarian Jihad name. It suits me. From Jon Carroll via Sister Pepper Spray of Quiet Reflection.

"We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.

Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues."

Go to Jon Carroll's San Francisco Chronicle piece for more.

Shabbat Shalom

2005-04-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday. It feels weird that I don't mind getting older, like I should being a good American and all. Perhaps acceptance is my lesson for today.

Offered Without Comment

2005-04-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

VH1 Classic to air 'Matzo and Metal' Passover special

UPI News Service, 04/13/2005

Cable network VH1 Classic has announced "Matzo and Metal: A Very Classic Passover," a Passover special starring Jewish hard rock artists.

The special, scheduled for April 24, the second night of Passover, will feature Dee Snider and JJ French of Twisted Sister, Scott Ian of Anthrax and Leslie West of Mountain proving they're no schlemiels when it comes to performing a traditional Seder and kibitzing about their Jewish heritage and experiences in the music industry.

Kosher foods will be provided by the special's sponsor, Manischewitz.

My Christian Friend,

2005-04-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

you know, the one I spoke to in my last post. She sent me a chocolate bunny. Not an Easter bunny, mind you. Just a bunny. And I adore it. (I would have adored it if it had been an Easter bunny too.)

Thank you friend. You made me smile.

Answering My Christian Friend, Sort Of

2005-04-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday she asked this question:

If you were a Christian pastor/priest/church leader, what would you do to help change the negative image of the the church?

There was some conversation about it in her comments section, but the question is still bugging me. I'm not a Christian religious and can't really think like one. But as a non-Christian, I can provide a little insight into what might affect me.

Let me start with the simple notion that if I have (somebody else's) religion shoved at me all the time it creates resentment and a negative atmosphere. I have heard some Christians complaining lately about not being able to freely exercise their religion. But even the most enlightened folks routinely fail to grasp the fact that they keep imposing their religion on folks who don't want it. The Renegade Rebbetzin (Rabbi's wife) said it better than I can. She begins:

I'm going to scream. I've just opened yet another business-related email from someone who knows my husband is a rabbi, and who still managed to express the hope that my family and I enjoyed "a wonderful and happy Easter.

Ok, I'll cut them more slack because some folks just refuse to comprehend that not everyone behaves like they do. But there's more:

This comes on the heels of my having read the following letter on p.30 of the current issue of Parents magazine:

I often visit my daughter's kindergarten class to read books to the children. Is it okay to read a Bible story for Easter if some of the kids in the class are Jewish?

Um - no. It is not okay. You want to read something that explains the meaning behind Easter, in order to educate those who don't celebrate it? Excellent. You have my blessing. But "a Bible story for Easter?" Major "duuuh!"

As I do every year, I wished my Christian friends and neighbors joy and peace as they celebrated their holiday yesterday, and I know they will wish me the same when Pesach (Passover) arrives (they mostly aren't as aware of Purim). And I am relieved to report that they, at least, are aware that as a Jew, Easter means nothing to me, except inasmuch as it's important to them, and they are important to me. But they know I do not believe Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected. For that matter, they know I don't believe he was the messiah, either, nor the son of anyone especially important.

There's more, though. The response by the magazine was almost as irritating, although it started off on the right foot. Here it is:

No. Since there are non-Christian kids in the class, focusing on the religious aspects of Easter could confuse them. [so far, so good] Your best bet is a story about a spring theme, such as baby animals or gardening. [still good - but here comes the kicker:] It might be all right to read a nonreligious story that focuses on cultural customs, such as hiding eggs or the Easter bunny [?!?!?!?] - but check with the teacher first. She probably has a plan for discussing the spring's religious holidays and can tell you whether your Easter story works with her curriculum.

Uh - is it just me, or is the first word in "Easter bunny," um, Easter?? Doesn't that, perhaps, imply that while this particular custom may be nonreligious in nature, it has still, over time, come to be associated with a religious holiday? That holiday being Easter? And as such, it's possible, perhaps, that Jews and other individuals who do not celebrate Easter might also not feel a connection to that particular custom (whatever it is - I don't quite get the Easter bunny), or to the custom that involves hiding Easter eggs? . . .

Valentine's Day is short for Saint Valentine's Day. I do not believe in the holiness of Christian saints. So please, do not decorate my child's Gymboree class with red hearts and cupids, and do not distribute Valentine's Day cards. This just confuses them, and makes them feel uncomfortable and excluded when they are the only ones who don't know what's going on. This is not our holiday and it has no meaning to us.

And for that matter - bear in mind when December comes around that the first part of the word "Christmas" is "Christ." This word means "savior" and is most commonly used to refer to an individual who I, personally, do not believe was anybody's savior. Therefore I do not celebrate his birth.

In truth I feel a lot like she does. How can it possibly be so difficult to understand these simple concept? In fact I don't think it is difficult. I think these folks get it on some level but just don't want the answer they are getting. It's like the husband who fails to 'notice' that the trash needs to be taken out. Part of him forgets, or fails to notice, but part of him likes things just the way they are.

But it's time to talk about harder things, things that RR articulates so well. There is a lot of history to overcome, especially with regard to Jews. Muslims seem to be developing quite a history as well, although I'm not comfortable speaking for them. Listen to the Rabbi's wife, a good and kindly woman.

And if, for some reason, I were to be forced to form an opinion on the matter, I would let you know that the only personal meaning that this person's birth holds for me is that his birth, and the mythologies surrounding his death, resulted in the cold-blooded murders of untold numbers of my brethren, including individuals from whom I and my immediate family are directly descended.

In other words: Jesus of Nazareth may be your "son of God," but to me he is suffering and death. The suffering and death of my family members who were butchered in his name.

Folks in the present may argue that this doesn't happen today (although it does), that they aren't responsible (which is no doubt true) but it's a lot like slavery in the US and many other historical travesties. It takes more than a couple of decades to get over what has happened in the past, to get past the fear that it is around the next corner.

One of the kindest, most gentle people I know is a woman with a tattoo on her arm who spent her adolescence in Auschwitz. She is quite old now, but she remembers the most recent wave of butchery for many of us. Never forget, she reminds us.

If Christians want to change how people like me view them, they have to be more like Jesus. Gentle and soft-spoken, reaching out a hand instead of shoving, offering to walk beside me instead of rushing ahead and demanding that I keep up. There has to be room for dialogue, conversation that allows me to question without being branded as some modern-day version of a heretic.

I'm not finished but I'm going to stop now, because I am too sad to have the will to continue.

Thank You LadyBird.

2005-04-11T18:36:00.000-04:00

I think I write this same post every spring. The city - Washington, DC - is beautiful. It is about 65 degrees (farenheit - we aren't civilized here in the U.S. I could look up the conversion but so could you.) with a cloudless unpoluted blue sky. Cherry and apple blossom trees are blooming everywhere. My favorite are the weeping cherries.

I work six blocks from the Capitol so I am near the monument section of the city every day. Most of the year I whinge and whine about the commute, but at this time of year I am grateful that I am pushed into the center of the city. You see, we not only have those famous cherry blossom trees but there are clean white buildings and a low skyline -- by law no building is higher than the Capitol.

Oh yes. LadyBird. Lyndon Johnson's wife, for you young'uns. When she lived in the White House she made it her business to plant bulbs everywhere in the city. Tiny squares and large expanses of green are covered with daffodils and tulips. It is truly lovely.

Maybe I'll be back when the azaleas are in bloom.

Shabbat Shalom

2005-04-08T18:47:00.000-04:00

Sincd 2002 Joe Katzman over at Winds of Change by posting only 'good news' on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. As he says, they share wisdom from groups like the Islamic Sufis, Jewish Hasidim and eastern Zen Masters, highlight the acts of good and decent people, laugh at humourous events, and point to amazing discoveries that could benefit humanity."

Today I'm going to try to follow his lead. I'll see how it goes.

Shabbat Shalom everybody.

Why I'm Evil, Reason #9217

2005-04-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

They keep saying the Pope's condition is worse. It's constantly worse. The deathwatch is not only in full bloom, but it is on television 24/7 for the very first time. And I find myself looking forward to seeing all of the Vatican politics, the jockeying for position amongst the Cardinals up close and personal.

Those Roman Catholics are the best ever at politics. I mean Karl Rove is a rank amateur, a babe in the woods next to them. They've been refining their skills in a very small closed environment for thousands of years. We get to watch. And I am so looking forward to it.

A Day Off of Work

2005-04-01T13:54:00.000-05:00

Thus far I have renewed my driver's permit, no small deal since the my mail renewal materials were returned "addressee unknown." And bought four pair of shoes -- black, brown, red, and pink.

It is the first day this year that I have gone outside with short sleeves. The sun is shining, daffodils and crocus blooming, and I have a very early flowering tree outside my bedroom window. Looks like spring is on the way.

Noe I need to take all this energy and do my taxes. At least I found the energy to buy TurboTax.

More on Vashti

2005-03-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

Rabbi Uri Cohen of the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton has provided a well-sourced overview of some recent work on Vashti. Esther too.

For Your Reading Pleasure

2005-03-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

Go and read Lisa's so far six part tale of how she came to Israel. And bookmark her so that you can continue when part seven appears. She will put you in the center of it all in a most amazing way.

And yes, I know there are Lisas everywhere. I guess we'll all just have to cope.

It's cool

2005-03-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

getting an "book due" notice from my library via email. (Ok, it's a cheap thrill, but I like it.)

Lenny Bruce on Goyish

2005-03-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

I nearly used the word goyish in my last post, but some find it derogatory. So let me harken back to Lenny Bruce who explained well.

Now I neologize Jewish and goyish.

Dig: I'm Jewish. Count Basie's Jewish. Ray Charles is Jewish. Eddie Cantor's goyish.

B'nai Brith is goyish; Hadassah, Jewish. Marine corps--heavy goyim, dangerous.

Kool-Aid is goyish. All Drake's cakes are goyish. Pumpernickel is Jewish, and, as you know, white bread is very goyish. Instant potatoes--goyish. Black cherry soda's very Jewish. Macaroons are very Jewish--very Jewish cake. Fruit salad is Jewish. Lime jello is goyish. Lime soda is very goyish.

Trailer parks are so goyish that Jews won't go near them. Jack Paar Show is very goyish.

Underwear is definitely goyish. Balls are goyish. Titties are Jewish. Mouths are Jewish.

All Italians are Jewish. Greeks are goyish--bad sauce.

Eugene O'Neil--Jewish; Dylan Thomas, Jewish. Steve is goyish, though. It's the hair. He combs his hair in the boys' room with that soap all the time.

Louis. That's my name in Jewish. Louis Schneider.

Purim

2005-03-24T23:28:00.000-05:00

is today. I've heard every word of the megillah, Megillat Esther, once. I've even told my version of the Vashti part of the story to a bunch of strangers. And was told that it somehow differed from a Sunday School version. Quelle surprise!

Vashti is my hero.

A version of Vashti's story, told by me. She is the wife of King Ahasuerus' (Xerxes, 486-465 BCE) of Persia, who celebrates for seven days with his guy pals, members of his court. Much gluttony and drinking occur. Vashti made a decent feast for the women of the court, who where usually ignored. The king summoned her to show her off wearing her crown. We don't have much reason to believe she was supposed to be wearing much else.

Vashti refused strip and dance for his friends. In fact she wouldn't come when called, like the king wanted her to. The king is mightily pissed. And, the worst part is the example she sets, that she might turn into a role model. Women everywhere might disobey their husbands. *gasp* "... Vashti the queen has not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples who are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queeen will be made known to all the women so as to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported that the king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. And the princesses .... shall be telling of it today to all the king's princes. Thus shall there be contempt and wrath in plenty."

She, of course, is toast. So the king banished her.

Oh.

I digress.

So I have this friend, a gentile type person. A tall blond person -- make that woman -- of northern European ancestry. And she needs Mishlo'ach Manot, a sort of goody offering that one sends to friends on Purim. It could consist of a few cookies and a bit of grape juice, or it could be most anything. It should contain two food groups though. That's Jewish food groups of course. And as a practical matter it really means foods that would get different blessings. Like bread and wine.

Now this is not as simple as it seems. She lives 2500 miles away. But !!! I finally figured it out. But I can't tell you because she just might trip over this. If I remember, though, I'll finish this tale later.

Disappointed? Hrm, I'm sorry. Well I'll go post a little Lenny Bruce to soothe you.

Simple Pleasures

2005-03-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

A mail-ordered book containing 50 grilled cheese recipes. I know that nobody needs a recipe book of grilled cheese sandwiches. But I'm totally tickled just reading it. I put it down and picked it back up four times in the past hour.

And the annual program for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This baby is 1/2 thick so I have a lot to peruse. I am a knitter and spinner. This festival is the main source of material for the year to come. And I love to go wallow in the notion of being a temporary farmer. And who could resist the tiny lambs or the sheep dog trials. See, there is lots to look at in the program. There are classes too. But most of all, its arrival reminds me that we really have reached the cusp of spring. The festival is always the first weekend in May, and it's just a downhill slide until then.

Woo hoo!

Tikkun Olam, Tzedak, and Terri Schiavo

2005-03-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

Pursuing tzedek (justice) is a central religious obligation in Judaism, one that I connect to tikkun olam (repairing the world). Tzedek tzedek tirdof. Justice, justice shall you pursue (that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Eternal your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:20). I'm sure that this verse is singlehandedly responsible for 60% of the Jewish lawyers.

About Terri Schiavo -- I am quite certain that our elected representatives in the legislative branch and the fundamentalists who are exploiting this family's tragedy are not pursuing justice. If those fundamentalists actually believed that God would cause her brain to recover in spite of all of the medical evidence to the contrary, they would be just as likely to believe that God would supply her with nourishment once she was no longer being force fed, like a goose acquiring a fat liver.

I am not able to discuss her parents' behavior in a civil tone. But I can offer you a tale about tzedak offered by Cara.

Who Am I?

2005-03-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

Sometimes this is a profound philosophical question, but not today. I only mean to introduce myself. I'm Talia Beruriah. Taking a page from Naomi Chana over at Baraita, I'm using my real Hebrew name. Some people know my only by this name, but most of you know me by one of many other names or nicknames.

I prefer to keep my more common name to myself. This is not only a matter of safety, although it is that, but it keeps my real life better separated from my work life. The folks with whom I work and, more important, the organization for which I work aren't very comfortable with diversity. I'm odd enough there without disclosing more about me thereby only increasing their discomfort. And I do need to support myself, so I have no interest in putting my employment in jeopardy.

I live within 15 miles of where I was born, even though I am and always was an urban child. A native of Washington D.C., I live in the Maryland suburbs, not terribly far from the city in which I work. I have entirely too many interests to keep up. Some will emerge as I chat.

You are welcome to comment on anything and everything, ask questions, or bring up new subjects in the comments section. I only ask that you be open-minded and respectful of others. Posts that are not respectful will be deleted without comment.

On Trust - We're The Same, But Different

2005-03-18T02:10:00.000-05:00

I was chatting with an acquaintance at work about trust yesterday, exploring why it is so important, how to know it when we see it, and how to know when it isn't there. This emerged from a conversation I had the day before with my supervisor, who had discovered, to his astonishment, that I put a lot of stock in trust. Doesn't everybody?, I thought.

So, surprised that there are folks who are apparently trust-indifferent, I was exploring the range of ideas out there. I was probably driving folks nuts, but this wouldn't be the first time. So this gentleman and I had agreed on the importance of trust, explored whether we trusted several mutual acquaintances similarly, and the like.

What constitutes trust? How do you know it when you see it? What makes you distrustful? How soon does that happen? Is it, (as it is for me) a condition it is impossible to retreat from?

Thinking about it, I believe my default condition is trust, at least in some moderate, social way. I believe most folks are honest, trying to do right, and the like. But once they incontrovertibly demonstrate to me that they are not trustworthy, they have gotten themselves in a place that there is no way back from. The road is washed out. Sometimes it troubles me that I am this way, but I am. It is a difficult place to get to and an impossible place to retreat from.

Anyway, I digress. So we're talking about trusting folks and he says "I always think about whether this is somebody I'd go into a fight with." Whoa. Never in a million years would that occur to me. Because, of course, I'm a chick and getting into fights isn't seriously in my repertoire. Never was. Now this is a quiet, low key, mannered guy but I infer from that statement that his life wasn't always so low key. And when I get past what is in fact a cultural difference between us, I can relate to the concept. But boy, what a way to get myself in somebody elses shoes.

A Rose By Any Other

2005-03-18T01:04:00.000-05:00

I suppose I should have introduced myself first, but I suppose I'll get around to that after a bit. Right now I want to explain the name of the blog. Tikkun olam is a hebrew phrase that at its simplest means 'repairing the world.' (The word "tikkun" first appears in the book of Ecclesiastes where it means something very much like setting things in order. "Olam" means world. As a Jew, I am commanded to improve the world. I don't have to perfect it, but I am obligated to try to make it better.

There are many ways of thinking about this concept. I can feed a hungry person a sandwich and fulfill the commandment. Or engage in a broader range of social action, including the political. But those things, while essential to my well being, aren't enough to feed my hunger to set things in order.

Joseph Naft at Inner Frontier explains things this way: "Isaac Luria, the renowned sixteenth century Kabbalist, used the phrase “tikkun olam,” usually translated as repairing the world, to encapsulate the true role of humanity in the ongoing evolution and spiritualization of the cosmos. Luria taught thatt (sic.) God created the world by forming vessels of light to hold the Divine Light. But as God poured the Light into the vessels, they catastrophically shattered, tumbling down toward the realm of matter. Thus, our world consists of countless shards of the original vessels entrapping sparks of the Divine Light. Humanity’s great task involves helping God by freeing and reuniting the scattered Light, raising the sparks back to Divinity and restoring the broken world."

I have been struggling to grasp a few of those shards and find a way to reunite them all of my life. This blog is a tiny part of that struggle.

Starting Over

2005-03-17T23:06:00.000-05:00

I've been blogging off and on for three years. I guess in spite of my protestations that I'm what the professional geeks call an early adopter. My blogs have ranged from moderately successful - I have/had a rather well known political blog - to relative non-starters. I tried a writing blog, but every time I posted I wondered why I wasn't writing instead of writing about writing.

So here I am again.

I've been avoiding my largely political blog for months. At first I thought it was post election depression, but lately I've been longing to feel free to work through a wider range of things that are more personal. Not that politics isn't personal.

And as I've tried to work through what kind of blog would suit me, I figured out yet again that I don't fit nicely into a predesigned box. I'm just going to blather and see what lands on the screen. If you're reading this for some reason, hello there. Feel free to talk to me on the comments. If you're sufficiently obnoxious, I'll delete. Or engage. We'll see.

Welcome.