Adventures and Oddities

[debka_notion]

I sat outside to do some homework during my free period this afternoon, where suddenly there was a man with a large blue plastic-y sack yelling up at the third floor window, basically saying "go ahead and throw them down, I'm here". He was standing about a yard away from me. I got up to get out of the way and sort of squeaked- he told me not to worry- it's only paper. Well, those 7 bags of "only paper" made some Really impressive thunks, being thrown out of the third floor window onto the stone pavement below. And now I know how the mail is treated in Israel.

Tonight I went to a short-notice l'chaim for the engagement of a friend whom I a. only found out was here for a few weeks over shabbos from zodiacmg, and b. I didn't know was seeing anyone. His fiancee seems lovely, and it was quite nice to see him. The party itself was a very different cultural experience from the rest of my time in Israel thus far- sort of a frum/hippy mixture experience. I knew almost no one- but spoke to a couple of folks I didn't know, and then had some good times with the couple of folks I did know, and have already spoken more with the friend's fiancee and with her parents and sister than I have with Steve's (you can probably guess which friend this is) wife, after having been at their wedding. (Can you tell that I am in fact still rather frustrated by that reality?)

In the middle, I spent a chunk of time being angsty about the fast, which is the one that I have the hardest time finding meaningful or useful. Fasting is much harder when you don't really feel like it's worth it, and when you're debating it constantly. A set decision is much easier to keep to.

Comments

[mbarr.livejournal.com]

The actual meaning of this fast is not really something I'm aware of.

On the other hand, I haven't even worried about it in the past years, because it's my grandfather's yartzheit. It's very convenient to have it printed on jewish calendars, and some people fast on yartzheits... so *POOF*, a suddenly very meaningful fast day. Can't actually say kaddish or the like, so this works. It also doesn't involve waking up early for shul, which is even better :)

[margavriel.livejournal.com]

I miss Yerusholayim. Sigh.

[outofnapkins.livejournal.com]

Adina, whom I know from the common Brovenders-Barnard route, is absolutely fabulous and astounding in many ways. And her family is every bit as fantastic.

When I asked [zodiacmg] whom his friend was marrying he told me he didn't remember her name; I didn't figure out she was engaged until I saw the pictures.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I don't remember her last name, but I would have been able to provide her first name at least- but this difference between zodiacmg and me is unlikely to be so much of a surprise. I'm glad to hear that she's fabulous and awesome- her fiance deserves as much, and (selfishly) it gives me a better chance of making a new friend rather than losing an old one.