Searches make my day

Here are the most amusing recent searches:

~Where would a jew want to visit — I have no idea what would cause someone to ask this on google, but I just find it amusing.  The idea that there are places that all Jews would clearly want to visit is just so silly.  Like you could get everyone to agree on that.

~fun to read jews–  Hee, I’m totally the second hit on Google for this.  *snerk*

~funny stories of christians dating jews — Ooh, there was this one time, and …  Mm, yeah, not so much here.  Sorry. 

~amusing funny prayer before dinner –  All I can think of it “Yay G-d, lets eat!” with the little flag waving motion that generally goes with “And they were forced to eat Sir Robin’s minstrel.  And there was much rejoicing.  (yay!)” In other news, is it bad that I know all the words to the Brave Sir Robin song?  Both the first half (He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways…) and the second (Brave Sir Robin turned about, and gallantly he chickened out….)  Ok, make that “all the words to that entire movie.  including the Knights who until recently said Nee”  Actually, come to think of it, I know most of Life of Brian too.  (”It says: “Romans go home.’ “  “No it doesn’t, it says ‘The people called the Romans, they go the house’ “)

~Jason Robert Brown and religion –  I think he’s Jewish, but I’m not 100% sure on that.  I care less now that I’ve realized he’s way too old to be my dream guy.  And sadly, Josh Groban is only half Jewish (on his father’s side, and he was raised Christian.  Darn it. *searchs frantically for compromise that she knows is there to be made*)

~what can i offer as a convert jew- Ok, so it’s not funny, but this search doesn’t send you to the post where I actually talk about this.  Here’s the real post on this subject.  And here’s the follow up to that post. 

Well, this may explain some things

People have always told me that I’m argumentative.  I think I’ve finally realized why that is, after looking at how I answer comments here.  I tend to answer everything anyone says with some other point that contradicts what they’ve said.  I very rarely say “yes, you’re completely right, thanks.” and leave it at that.  I do that in real life too, and I’ve never thought of it as being particularly argumentative, or as being indicative of my somehow needing to always be right.  I frequently do acknowledge that the other person made a good point, but as far as I’m concerned things rarely end there.  There’s no discussion if I don’t ask more questions, or try to find the holes in their argument.  If everyone just accepts what they’re told, it seems pretty boring to me.  Because of that, all my responses to everything tend to be along the lines of “Yes, but…” or even “I don’t think so, because”. 

 Apparently (and I honestly didn’t realize this before) some people see that as an attack on what they believe, or worse, on them as a person.  Anyway, I just thought I would clarify that if I mean to be rude or attacking, there will be no mistaking that that’s what I’m doing.  I have a fairly large and creative vocabulary, and am pretty good at coming up with new and inventive ways to rip people to shreds when they deserve it (and my threshold for that is pretty high).  Anything short of that, and you can be sure that I’m genuinely asking a question, and would be intersted in the answer. 

Now, if only I can get the people who know me in person to realize that…. 

People who don’t think things through bother me.

OK, maybe someone else can explain this to me, since it makes NO SENSE to me. 

My friend who has informed me in no uncertain terms (I believe the phrase was “You’re way too smart to fall for that”) that I am a traitor to all women by converting to Orthodox Judaism, is so worried about appearing tacky while she’s abroad in Jordan this semester that she’s unwilling to ask a man she doesn’t know for directions.  This is not a safety concern, since she said that the worst that would have happened was she would get hit on, just that she didn’t want to seem like a tourist.  What?  My actions are the equivalent of spitting in the face of the suffragettes, but people who arn’t willing to let women ask a man for directions are people we have to be worried about seeming tacky in front of?  How is it that it’s ok for people in Jordan to effectivly keep women in a box (because if you can’t talk to strange men in public, you are in a box.  What if you get lost, you have no way to get help.) but it’s completely out of line for me to be ok with not reading Torah in public?  It seems like one of these is way more restrictive than the other.  *headdesk* 

Ok, I’m done ranting now.  Go back to your regularly scheduled programming. 

Just Checking In

When you walk past someone you know on the path, you tend to have the following conversation.

A: Hi!

B:Hi. How are you?

A: Good, you?

B: Good. 

A: Good, have a good day!

B: You too!

The second half of this conversation is generally yelled over your shoulder, or straight ahead, without even bothering to look back.  Also, it tends not to matter how the people actually are, the script stays the same.  That’s because the point of this conversationisn’t to find out how the person is, but to reaffirm the relationship of the two people having it.  It’s irrelevant that person A woke up this morning with the flu, and just barely dragged himself out of bed, and that person B is having a fight with her parents,  they say the same words.  The semantics aren’t actually saying anything about how the two people are, they’re saying that they are still friends with each other.  That at some point in the future, when they have more time, they do care about how the other person is.  It’s the constant use of these tiny little conversations, that on their own don’t communicate any information, that allows us to have the bigger ones.  We can talk to people when we need to, because we are constantly reminded that these people do care by the little everyday “meaningless” interactions we have on the path. 

It occur to me the other day, that there’s probably the same benefit to davening every day.  If you’re not used to having the everyday “meaningless” conversations with G-d, then when you need to have the bigger conversations, you don’t know how.  You don’t have the relationship established, or the words to use.  It doesn’t matter that you’re only doing it because you have to, that you’re rushing through it just to get to go eat breakfast, or to any one of the million other things that you have to do that day.  Even if your mind isn’t on the words, even if you have no focus or kavanah at all, you’re establishing a connection.  You’re making a statement that you still care, that you’re there.  Once you have the habit of these tiny little connections, the big ones don’t seem as overwhelming. 

All in all, a wonderful Shabbat

So, I went into Shabbat this week not looking forward to it at all.  I was half expecting to spend the whole day in my room moping and eating cold food, since I didn’t think Chabad was doing anything (turns out I had just deleted the email by accident) and I’m really wasn’t interested in going to Hillel (for a lot of social reasons) so I was just going to daven in my room, and then sleep as much of the day as I could. 

Fortunately, I found out Friday afternoon that I had just missed the email, and headed to Chabad with a friend for the evening.  It was a wonderful evening, and I got to meet a bunch of new people, and catch up with some old ones.  Also, I went back for lunch today, and I think they were really glad to see me again. I sometimes feel like I’m intruding by being there, since I’m not currently in the group of students they’re trying to support, but when I told them Friday evening that I was coming back for lunch, they seemed genuinely pleased, and then when I left today they said that they were happy to see me today.

Anyway, we had a really interesting discussion at lunch about politics.  Opinion was pretty divided, and it was in many ways more of a passionate argument than anything else.  It really highlighted what I love most about that group, since we can have these long argument/discussions and at the end of it, everyone still likes and respects everyone else.  I wish more people could be like that, since it’s a great was to have a debate.  True, at the end of it, no one’s mind is really changed, but we all see the arguments from the other side, and understand where they’re coming from. 

Anyway, after lunch I read in my room for a while, and then went to Hillel for havdallah, which was actually really fun.  We made kosher smores, and them made Spice boxes (both after havdallah, obviously).  So I now have a havdallah candle, and a spice box.  I’m slowly acquiring all the Judaica I need.   Very slowly, but still.  And my spice box has googly eyes on it.  Does it get any better than that?  I think not!

Shavua Tov!