Zeek

Its intersteing. Its geeky. Its cool. Its Jewish.
It is a Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture.
and its really good. Click the title and discover new things.

Few of you asked me why I haven't mentioned Yom Hazikaron or Yom Haatzmaut here.
I wrote a whole piece about my family, collective memory and the week between Yom Hashoah and yom Haatzmaut. But I couldn't post it.
I guess it was too personal, I guess I need some distance from my thoughts.
Remind me to do so in few months.
thanks

The student strike is getting a bit out of control here, I am afraid.
Its the fourth week, no one is willing to negotiate, 10 students were hurt in a violent demonstration yesterday in Tel Aviv.
There are rumors about canceling the semester, about making it a month longer into the summer.
Its a funny thing a students strike - you are paying money just for not going to university.
Just like the gym.

After a year of blogging I decided to become more academic about it, and now I am using Google Analytics.
So, Last week I had 20% new readers, one from Madras India. I also have one reader from Bristol. On the 18th of April I had a reader from Harbin, China. Cool.
Its a great tool shame I don't understand the lingo. If only they would have told me at school, that one day I will need statistics for my writing , I might have put some more effort.
Back in the 90`s I couldn`t see the point of all those numbers running around me like headless chickens.

My mug has been mugged.
Cannot be found anywhere at work. Shame. Its a Little Britain mug. With Andy and Lou.
What a kaffuffele.

Ross Geller knows where I work!

So I heard about the West Wing mentioning Kiriat Moriah - the educational campus of the Jewish Agency - where I work. I thought its an urban myth. But no - Its real, and its on Friends.

Thanks to M for sending it to me.
I think its a past Machonik. Any better ideas out there?

Facebook madness.
I was just asked to confirm that my brother IS my brother.

The Music of David Peretz

David Peretz ia a close friend of mine, we meet at uni. As a native Beer Sheavatte he showed me some of the city`s secrets. He is a musician, and if you click on the title you can hear his single. Its good. very good. Enjoy

Tomorrow night I will read my poetry at the annual confrence my department is having.

Neighbours - the Israeli version

I am moving to a new flat. New to me. I met with the flat owners, this guy and his mother. We had a nice chat, discovering we are the same age. While playing Jewish geography we realized we went to the same school for a year. His mother was very excited, she told me that she also went to this school, on her days they had this legendary head teacher, who influenced her, and a lot of the students in a very deep way. The school in the early 1950`s had many students that were refugees from the Jewish Quarter or new immigrants living in the Maabarot.Her name was and is Shoshana Raziel. Shoshana saw them as her own children, it was her life mission and responsibility to ensure the education they receive will open the doors to Israeli society. Thanks to Shoshana she is a teacher herself. This great headteacher is my great aunt Shoshana. tears of excitement. the conversation goes on, they ask me how exactly I am a relative of Shoshana. I explain, The mother cannot believe. Her parents were my other aunt`s neighbours for many years.
So the families go together for more then 50 years. Once a neighbour, always a neighbour.

(I am moving in two weeks, its off Emek Refaim, by myself)

A Man Needs A Maid

Its a song by Neil Young, and in his latest CD Live in Marsey Side. In the CD its the 7th track and it leads straight into a Heart of Gold, gives me goose bumps to listen to it.
Y that work with me asked me what do I think it means - A man needs a maid? In my opinion its about being so lonely, not being able to communicate, that different functions that a partner or close friends can answer, are not answered, and then you need a maid - to pay for food, company with no attachments - to be left alone by the end of day, as its a form of life you can handle.
Y looked at me, ans asked me if I know that because of my degree.

The degree in the University of life should have been my answer.

Go and buy the CD. Now.


"A Man Needs A Maid"

My life is changing
in so many ways
I don't know who
to trust anymore
There's a shadow running
thru my days
Like a beggar going
from door to door.

I was thinking that
maybe I'd get a maid
Find a place nearby
for her to stay.
Just someone
to keep my house clean,
Fix my meals and go away.

A maid. A man needs a maid.
A maid.

It's hard to make that change
When life and love
turns strange.
And old.

To give a love,
you gotta live a love.
To live a love,
you gotta be "part of"
When will I see you again?

A while ago somewhere
I don't know when
I was watching
a movie with a friend.
I fell in love with the actress.
She was playing a part
that I could understand.

A maid. A man needs a maid.
A maid.

When will I see you again?

A lot of things are going on.
Some exciting work stuff to do, some interesting pieces I am working on, some decisions to make. But I am not feeling well, and mostly I am fed up with not feeling well. I am not used to be so low, I usually and happily take a lot of responsebilities upon myself. But now tasks and logistics that were dead easy for me to do are difficult and mostly energy consuming.

I am trying to be posetive, I have friends that know how to cheer me up, I discovered the world of pain killers, but this is not life, not my life. I just want to be the good old (younger) me. I should have appreciated what I had a year ago a little bit more. and most of all I am fed up with hearing myself complaining, I can go hours and hours on and on explaing and describing. I have been to the pharmecist in the last month more than I have been in the the last four years.

I read somewhere - not sure where that happiness is not a given condintion. to be happy is a decision you have to make up and work towrds it.

So I decided. I am going to be happy.
Should I delete this post then???

The Balkan Beat Box

Click on the title and get great Jewish hip-hop wild music.
Like the groov, man. it`s sick.

The Lost Children Meeting Point Sign

What aboout the lost grown ups? We need a meeting point too.

Things that I like:

1. Sun on a winter day
2. Sitting in a cafe people watching, imaging all their conversations
3. Studying a difficult subject, and understanding what I just read
4. My nephews smiling at me
5. Poetry books, Specially Yoel Hoofman and Wendey Kope
6. Pets, but not hamsters or any other cultured rats
7. A tidy room with fresh crisp sheets
8. A general strike - no work, no university, good for the salary
9. Good news from the bank
10. Liverpool St. Station area and the East End
11. Finding a matching pair of socks
12. Baking something very difficult, not eating any of it necessaraly
13. Meeting up with old boyfriends, they can still be young.
14. My music collection
15. The Muppets Show and Seasme Street
16. Lurking
17. Big open specse flats
18. Feeling out of breath after a hike or the gym
19. New hair cuts
20. Reruns of Friends
21. Finding a friend on the train heading to Be`er Sheva
22. Fresh fruit
23. Driving throgh Emek Ha`ellah (just 10 minutes from Beit Shemesh)
24. Mahne Yehuda Market
25. Matching pairs of socks
26. Turning the radio on and hearing Nina Simone
27. clearining my closet
28. Charity Shops
29. Charity work
30. The JC
31. Playing football
32. An afternoon nap
33. Kurdish food

Mal de la pays*

A lot of friends from London are around:
M was the first, after her came T, now A&G, and A&E&S, next to follow is J and the last one in this wave is L.
Lucky me. Each visit bringד back something else I Left behind me. T represents the Limmud world and the work we have done together - and how much we enjoyed it. L is the women I thank every Tuesday and Wednesday,when I am at university. She gave me the reason to believe i can write. J was my chanicha on gap year - so you see - its not just people its live history.

* The sadness of one who moves from one country to another. Literary means the pain of the country/land

I always find buying and receiving gifts difficult. As a recipient I rarely feel I deserve a present(birthdays might be an exception), as the giver I am never sure what to buy. My taste might not be according the recipient style etc.
So - my sister wanted a specific present - stuff to put under hot pots, on the dining table. I just give her my credit card. She is extremely happy with her choice, and I am very relived.

If you want to buy me a present, after all my birthday is less then five months away, you can relax from now - I promise to post a list of books and CD`s I want, and few charities.
Its a deal.

Bread Vs. Matzah

I found this, it made me laugh, then I started being philosophical, then I decided not to be. Just enjoy this!

Happy and Kosher Pessach!