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Meme from Cassandra
Nov. 17th, 2011 09:05 pm1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up.
- the calico Cleocatra, whose paunch hangs almost to the ground
- Magic Spells and Formulas, a book on sorcery in the ancient Jewish world, with legible photos of amulets and spell recipes
- a mobile of painted wooden birds
- "Tampon Elephant," a plastic toy elephant who one day was found amongst my tampons and H. made up this whole story where that was what the toy ate
- A mix CD which I shall soon be mailing someone
2. What colour is your hair?
In Canada, brown, in the Middle East, "gingit"
3. What did you want to be as a child?
Inspector Javert, who came from a disrespectable, chaotic family and decided to become fanatically devoted to the law and completely reinvented himself according to his ideology. I guess I actually sort of accomplished that goal.
4. What's was the last movie you've watched in the theatre?
"HaTalyan," an Israeli independent film about the man who actually hanged Eichmann. It's a short, deeply humane movie I recommend to everyone and if you're interested in seeing it (with subtitles) you should contact me.
5. What do you hear right now?
Cars passing on the Jerusalem street outside my window, Cleocatra whining.
6. What's your favorite guilty pleasure treat?
Riding the bus when I'm too sick to walk.
7. What are you thinking about right now?
My troubles.
8. Write the first word that comes to mind.
"Miaow"
9. Dog person or cat person?
I guess I'm too lazy to take care of dogs.
10. If you came across $2000 (or other currency) would you keep it or turn it in?
Of course I would keep it. What would that even mean, to turn in cash to the police department?
11. What was the last thing you bought?
A pencil and eraser for my stepdaughter so we could practice drawing faces together, something she's very interested in learning to do better. She is so perfectionist that she kept erasing almost every line she drew and was frustrated with the lack of connection between what she imagined and what came out on the paper.
12. If you could afford to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Actually if I could afford being anywhere I'd spend it to be able to stay here. It's possible that we will go so broke we will have to seek work outside of Israel for a year or two and I'm dreading even thinking about it. Ugh ugh.
13. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Actually it might still be Javert. Other candidates would be Abe No Seimei from the Onmyogi movies, Dr Frank N Furter, Viola from Twelfth Night, and... in trying to select my favourite character from The Lord of the Rings, I remembered this rant I have about the trilogy in which it is clear that Sam is actually blindingly smart but gets patronised and gaslit by the other members of the fellowship in a way which is ridiculous.
For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring, he is the first to realise that the party is being overtaken by Elves, even though he has no formal education and zero experience with actual Elves. He probably just overheard Bilbo telling something to Frodo while gardening, but the information really stuck. When Frodo asks him the kind of dumb question of does he like Elves, Sam responds, "They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak... It don't seem to matter what I think about them. They are quite different from what I expected--so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were." Frodo is then totally shocked that something intelligent came out of the mouth of his ex-gardener. Wish I could find them but there are other places where Sam says something profound and everyone else changes the subject or is like "shut up Sam, make us some dinner."
Oh, and it really weirds me out that Sam is Frodo's employee (actually historically Bilbo's) but is encouraged to call him "master" and has what seems a way disproportionately subservient relationship to him, even before they develop any sort of epic hero gay bond. I would slit my throat before I called my boss's nephew "master," or even my Rosh Yeshiva's. And don't give me changing social norms, it's still pretty weird even for then.
Anyway, Sam's not really one of my favourite characters, but I had to get that off my chest.
14. What book are you currently reading?
I'm not really doing any reading-reading at the moment, just studying-reading of Maskheth Shabath in the Talmud and some halakhic works.
15. What are you doing this weekend?
Sleeping as much as humanly possible in vain flight from my troubles, with any luck.
16. If you could play any musical instrument, which one would you play?
The oud (although I can actually play the bassoon, I just don't).
17. A quote that you like.
"He is the irascible lying sumbitch who hates his neighbors, beats dogs, impales babies on pitchforks, welches on bets, drinks Miller Lite, goes to church, and eats at Cracker Barrel. He wants nothing to do with the donkeys." - I Blame the Patriarchy
18. What are you doing tomorrow?
Gazing at this picture:
19. What was your favourite childhood activity?
Reading about the Nixon administration. I read literally every autobiography written by everyone in that administration (my favourite was HR Haldeman's). It really cut me up to find out that on top of everything else the guy was a huge antisemite. Not that that's really objectively worse than a lot of what he did, but I guess he always seemed like a fictional character to me and so I wasn't interested in judging him morally until suddenly it got personal.
- the calico Cleocatra, whose paunch hangs almost to the ground
- Magic Spells and Formulas, a book on sorcery in the ancient Jewish world, with legible photos of amulets and spell recipes
- a mobile of painted wooden birds
- "Tampon Elephant," a plastic toy elephant who one day was found amongst my tampons and H. made up this whole story where that was what the toy ate
- A mix CD which I shall soon be mailing someone
2. What colour is your hair?
In Canada, brown, in the Middle East, "gingit"
3. What did you want to be as a child?
Inspector Javert, who came from a disrespectable, chaotic family and decided to become fanatically devoted to the law and completely reinvented himself according to his ideology. I guess I actually sort of accomplished that goal.
4. What's was the last movie you've watched in the theatre?
"HaTalyan," an Israeli independent film about the man who actually hanged Eichmann. It's a short, deeply humane movie I recommend to everyone and if you're interested in seeing it (with subtitles) you should contact me.
5. What do you hear right now?
Cars passing on the Jerusalem street outside my window, Cleocatra whining.
6. What's your favorite guilty pleasure treat?
Riding the bus when I'm too sick to walk.
7. What are you thinking about right now?
My troubles.
8. Write the first word that comes to mind.
"Miaow"
9. Dog person or cat person?
I guess I'm too lazy to take care of dogs.
10. If you came across $2000 (or other currency) would you keep it or turn it in?
Of course I would keep it. What would that even mean, to turn in cash to the police department?
11. What was the last thing you bought?
A pencil and eraser for my stepdaughter so we could practice drawing faces together, something she's very interested in learning to do better. She is so perfectionist that she kept erasing almost every line she drew and was frustrated with the lack of connection between what she imagined and what came out on the paper.
12. If you could afford to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Actually if I could afford being anywhere I'd spend it to be able to stay here. It's possible that we will go so broke we will have to seek work outside of Israel for a year or two and I'm dreading even thinking about it. Ugh ugh.
13. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Actually it might still be Javert. Other candidates would be Abe No Seimei from the Onmyogi movies, Dr Frank N Furter, Viola from Twelfth Night, and... in trying to select my favourite character from The Lord of the Rings, I remembered this rant I have about the trilogy in which it is clear that Sam is actually blindingly smart but gets patronised and gaslit by the other members of the fellowship in a way which is ridiculous.
For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring, he is the first to realise that the party is being overtaken by Elves, even though he has no formal education and zero experience with actual Elves. He probably just overheard Bilbo telling something to Frodo while gardening, but the information really stuck. When Frodo asks him the kind of dumb question of does he like Elves, Sam responds, "They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak... It don't seem to matter what I think about them. They are quite different from what I expected--so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were." Frodo is then totally shocked that something intelligent came out of the mouth of his ex-gardener. Wish I could find them but there are other places where Sam says something profound and everyone else changes the subject or is like "shut up Sam, make us some dinner."
Oh, and it really weirds me out that Sam is Frodo's employee (actually historically Bilbo's) but is encouraged to call him "master" and has what seems a way disproportionately subservient relationship to him, even before they develop any sort of epic hero gay bond. I would slit my throat before I called my boss's nephew "master," or even my Rosh Yeshiva's. And don't give me changing social norms, it's still pretty weird even for then.
Anyway, Sam's not really one of my favourite characters, but I had to get that off my chest.
14. What book are you currently reading?
I'm not really doing any reading-reading at the moment, just studying-reading of Maskheth Shabath in the Talmud and some halakhic works.
15. What are you doing this weekend?
Sleeping as much as humanly possible in vain flight from my troubles, with any luck.
16. If you could play any musical instrument, which one would you play?
The oud (although I can actually play the bassoon, I just don't).
17. A quote that you like.
"He is the irascible lying sumbitch who hates his neighbors, beats dogs, impales babies on pitchforks, welches on bets, drinks Miller Lite, goes to church, and eats at Cracker Barrel. He wants nothing to do with the donkeys." - I Blame the Patriarchy
18. What are you doing tomorrow?
Gazing at this picture:
19. What was your favourite childhood activity?
Reading about the Nixon administration. I read literally every autobiography written by everyone in that administration (my favourite was HR Haldeman's). It really cut me up to find out that on top of everything else the guy was a huge antisemite. Not that that's really objectively worse than a lot of what he did, but I guess he always seemed like a fictional character to me and so I wasn't interested in judging him morally until suddenly it got personal.
