tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36826802012-01-25T15:11:27.096+05:00fight our fightsRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.comBlogger2271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-58154108447533845372009-08-31T13:13:00.001+05:002009-08-31T22:16:38.530+05:00

I'm mid-packing and the dust allergies are kicking up.Last night's going-away party was just lovely. An assortment of people from various sectors of my life. Activism, theater, work, Yiddishkeit, college, neighborhood. Prosecco, grilled croissants and peaches, and veg-pigs-in-blankets. Etc.I got to thinking about how everyone's on a trajectory through life all the time. Of course the usual thing

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-7889779623739383372009-08-30T01:00:00.001+05:002009-08-30T10:44:06.137+05:00

You may have heard that I am making a big change in my life.After living in Philadelphia for four years, in a wonderful community with meaningful work and a delightful range of close friendships, I am moving to New York for a one-year yeshiva fellowship program. I've decided to make this move for a number of reasons, and I wanted to share a few with you, my friends and family, so that you can

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-87834239170532109522008-11-10T00:35:00.000+05:002008-11-10T10:50:10.775+05:00

would that i had the proper habit of annotating my peculiar life hereinbut for nowdispleasing:foam soap. So unsatisfying in assuring me of a proper handwashing! I want to self-lather, not have my soap pre-lathered. Why is the darn stuff everywhere overnight? When did the silent revolution happen? Is it just because it's cheaper to whip up air than to buy the regular pink industrial stuff?pleasing

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-67217364509467620192008-10-17T11:44:00.000+05:002008-10-17T20:44:42.439+05:00

jews in a boxchag sameach, again, yeeshTuesday afternoon, for the first festival meal of Sukkos, Will and I met up with two friends of mine in the BZBI sukkah at 18th and Spruce. For those not phamiliar with the Illadelph, 18th and Spruce is right near Rittenhouse Square, the toniest downtown 'hood. In Boston, think Back Bay. In New York, Union Square. In DC, Dupont Circle. Smaller and relaxed-er

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-40738767133823100212008-10-14T01:01:00.002+05:002008-10-14T01:11:35.873+05:00

unholy alliance?Lately I've been complaining that I can't get through a day without a conversation about Sarah Palin. Blah blah blah, she's so terrifying/awful/hilarious. So, hoist to my own petard, I'm blogging about her--after three months, I know I know it's ridiculous.But not as ridiculous as this: sheitel.com is now selling a Sarah Palin wig. Yes folks, now you in the modest-haircovering

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-24269917244102500652008-07-16T21:56:00.002+05:002008-07-17T07:01:41.369+05:00

poetry and radical theology at a mental health treatment facility[cross-posted at the Hadar blog...which you probably can't see, as I think it's private][This is from a post that I wrote with my yeshiva buddy Sigal for the internal Hadar site where we all discuss, supposedly, our social-service projects. For those who are not keeping up, I'm in summer yeshiva in NYC with a fabulous posse of

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-8258937770222155632008-05-29T15:49:00.000+05:002008-05-30T01:06:27.147+05:00

peep thisI uploaded a bunch of new photos from the last year. More coming. Hooray for new computer!

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-79984126355204332262008-05-28T23:35:00.000+05:002008-05-29T08:22:05.501+05:00

off my gamebackward glance navel gazingOne big writing deadline upcoming and I have to move to New York (just for June+July) on Sunday. After April and Josef's wedding, for which I am somehow the announcer/crowd-control gal. What to wear? It's been gangbusters since Miriam's memorial, too much going on and too much work to get done. Beautiful weather, a lot of jaw tension and pain. I have a lot

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-33143239470352142682008-05-19T00:44:00.002+05:002008-05-30T01:14:37.629+05:00

two months later...sorry, mom.Some sad closures to relate. The echoing sentiment in my head, for the last six weeks, has been: This is not how I wanted things to end.Right, so I'm back in Philadelphia. The end of the Israel adventure wasn't sad, just melancholy--I was pleased to be returning stateside, and feeling frustrated with the things I was and wasn't able to get done while there. I didn't

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-778978278291449912008-03-12T20:48:00.001+05:002008-03-13T16:58:19.428+05:00

never a dull momentI’m just now back from an unholy sickness of five days’ time. I thought it was flu, I thought it was ear infections, then I thought it was a dybbuk infestation—the latter after struggling awake in the middle of the night, because unreadable flying disembodied Hebrew words were stuffing themselves down my dry throat and suffocating me. (Can a word be disembodied? They were

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-60031734439415214202008-02-20T10:31:00.001+05:002008-02-25T21:32:06.186+05:00

hebron againIt's been difficult to get internet this week--we had snow! Not much, but in a place where you don't have central heat, yikes. It rained and sleeted and was pretty much like that ugly April coldwet Boston mess. Anyway it was a 'snow day' which means nothing, just that the schools are out and the buses are on a restricted schedule. We visited friends and had a beautiful big lunch in a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-84404451988881648822008-02-15T15:40:00.001+05:002008-02-17T19:11:15.314+05:00

easy come easy go.The bike, with the good story, was stolen. I had it for about 72 hours. Merde. The story is that I bought it from an ultraorthodox guy, and he was really nice, then some men on the street where I was test-riding yelled "whore!" at me and spat. As Laurel notes, it's clear that when a woman wears pants she must also sell sex for money.Was in Hebron yesterday and it was maddening

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-25290067412059277212008-02-12T20:16:00.000+05:002008-02-12T23:23:54.313+05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } kitchen blast-off, originally uploaded by Emmalen. Okay, this photo is from back in Philly. I've been emailing in this cafe for six hours now and I think they're tired of me. Enjoy this wearable rocketship, created chez moi

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-9569426456865958892008-02-08T15:28:00.000+05:002008-02-08T18:33:01.463+05:00

improvementsUlpan got more manageable! I studied--the class is on page 156 and I'm on page 41. Just wait. By the scientific method of "how many people address me in public in Hebrew?" I am doing pretty well. It helps that I have long messy hair.The weather sweetened considerably. No coat necessary, just hat and scarf.Exchanging many planning emails and finding lots of political contacts.Plus,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-4707663525531669132008-02-06T16:58:00.000+05:002008-02-06T20:06:18.295+05:00

welcome to al-Quds/JerusalemI seem to recall it not being so darn cold when I was here two years ago in January… therefore, dear readers, a guide to the past (almost) week, organized around my freezingness.the flightOften it’s cold on planes. Not on British Airways. They’ve solved the problems of rude service, bad food, and even cramped spaces—my PHL-LHR flight was less than half full and I had a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-73192367276053419442007-11-28T03:40:00.001+05:002007-11-28T03:40:41.478+05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } me and dada, originally uploaded by Emmalen. looking exactly like dad

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-65205879525694595912007-11-28T03:37:00.001+05:002007-11-28T03:37:58.445+05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } frowny mom and daughter, originally uploaded by Emmalen. looking exactly like my mom, as usual

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-73421237375278379762007-10-29T23:37:00.001+05:002007-10-29T23:43:09.133+05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } IMG_0073, originally uploaded by michaeldolich. Been feeling pretty pissed off and aggressive these days. Therefore, I'm a dude. A dead dude. At a party with all my close friends, many didn't recognize me at all... plus,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-39444373388944518972007-10-19T13:42:00.000+05:002007-10-19T22:23:30.992+05:00

symptomatic, of courseMany of you know all about this, but here's the background and the update.I won an award this spring for my work in the Jewish community. Associated with the award was an $1800 gift to be given in my name to "Jewish organizations" of my choosing. I found out, after traveling to Israel to receive the award, that half the money was supposed to go to an Israeli organization. I

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-89353820005503905102007-10-18T17:23:00.000+05:002007-10-19T02:23:32.137+05:00

consciousness baitingIn the past couple of years I've become (increasingly) radically feminist. As I grow more aware of gender oppression--let's be clear here, women's oppression*--I catch it more often. Of course. There's just more Friedanesque "click" moments. I've gotten pretty brave and articulate, when it comes to naming this stuff, but it feels as if the wellsprings and tributaries of

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-82675788451705786322007-10-03T13:15:00.000+05:002007-10-03T22:17:25.334+05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } IMG_3164, originally uploaded by tovagee. Me and sister-cousins Ariel and Tova, plus over-competitive boys Harris and Reuben, picked Cortlands ("it's a good all-around apple" said the guy) this weekend in western Mass. My

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-44613285186182276202007-09-27T23:24:00.000+05:002007-09-28T08:33:14.886+05:00

another brave soulVaclav Havel writes in today's NYT:Whenever I reflect on the problems of today’s world, whether they concern the economy, society, culture, security, ecology or civilization in general, I always end up confronting the moral question: what action is responsible or acceptable? The moral order, our conscience and human rights — these are the most important issues at the beginning

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-84798325169643699132007-09-24T15:23:00.000+05:002007-09-25T00:59:14.736+05:00

metapost: more on the apparently not whiny rantMy buddy Challahman posted my talk in his dKos diary and at Street Prophets. Some interesting comments back, both non-Jews moved by the spirit of Yom Kippur, and an orthodox Jew noting that "if more people would follow Hashem's actual words, we wouldn't need the new ones."I guess so, but my point was more that liberal Jews should act with serious

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-54160198309378535912007-09-22T23:23:00.000+05:002007-09-23T08:55:29.767+05:00

atonement reviewYou don't say "happy Yom Kippur!" (well, unless you're newly-outed atheist congressman Pete Stark, on NPR) but it was a sweet and poignant day for me. Funny to write a services review, but it means a lot to me that this holiday was a real moment of connecting, with my community and with the most high.It was an easy fast in terms of hunger, but a deep one; my body was aching with

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-47059821649934280912007-09-22T01:03:00.000+05:002007-09-23T08:21:07.063+05:00

evil speechI wrote this little doozy to present at Yom Kippur today. I kind of hate it, super vague and grimly stylized. I didn't want to make it too narrow, though, and I feel pretty angry about the state of my putative soul, so bring it on! Ultimately it's just whiny, maybe. I wanted it to be "from the heart" but I guess my heart just whines:As is appropriate for today, I’ll begin by

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-28173778759871261932007-09-04T23:19:00.000+05:002007-09-05T08:26:13.774+05:00

updates on the last couple postsAnother mini-review, this one more glowing, again from the good people of the City Paper.The tomato sauce got made and is delicious. Also pesto.Today at work we had bad doctors, and I discovered that I can effectively take eight-minute naps.I am lonely. The postdeparture shabboses have been lonely. Weekdays less so, but still.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-70003481440937675272007-09-02T23:45:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:25:09.134+05:00

fringe propsOur first review is here: today's Inquirer calls it "a tableau of alive minds over dead matter." It's a hot-and-cold review, with no juicy comments on the script/language (my dept). Still.Also, a non-review, but long shout-out-blurb, in the City Paper. Noted: production features full nudity, not intended for children. We did have a seven-ish-year-old the first night, with her

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-81654725244583026842007-08-31T11:13:00.000+05:002007-08-31T20:25:37.756+05:00

little coop apartment on the prairieOh, darling roommates. We're working our way towards full kitchen and living room function, which is getting us excited about living together and so forth. Also, apparently, we're writing emails to each other about putting food up for the winter. Domesticity is great.I know this is a cheapo way to "write" a post, but I am trying to get more stuff up here.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-76022050147692999202007-07-25T12:43:00.000+05:002007-07-25T21:52:29.135+05:00

naked rehearsalThe show I'm working on now is set in a morgue and five of six characters are dead. And naked. They're going to have body makeup eventually (surely cold comfort) but for now we're just starting to work on being naked all the time.Yesterday was the first naked day and we, ladies of the loyal production crew, pitched in to help the gender ratio and the camaraderie. The six actors,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-20689534927188003292007-07-23T00:32:00.000+05:002007-07-23T09:32:05.347+05:00

hit the ground runningI returned from the giant Israel debacle on Tuesday morning and after a too-brief nap, went straight to rehearsal.I'm working on Romeo&Juliet (in Clark Park! August 1-5 at 7pm, be there) and the immense undertaking that is Pig Iron's latest Live Arts Festival offering (Sept 1-16, be there) and the Jewish Dialogue Group deliberation guide and of course the sainted Day Job as

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-73383241079931223922007-06-18T14:10:00.000+05:002007-06-18T23:16:46.024+05:00

praise them in the highestPig Iron, that is. Looks like they're hiring me as dramaturg for their Live Arts festival commissioned production: ISABELLA, aka Measure for Measure in a morgue. I will see dead people. Huzzah with a cherry on top.I've moved my Israel return flight to accommodate the rehearsal schedule. Damn, no time to visit Nablus and the international human rights workers. I've

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-75648017689915291362007-06-14T09:11:00.000+05:002007-06-18T23:17:12.805+05:00

why blog?not because I got an interesting new job (standardized patient)not because I started writing a guide (scroll down) to the Israel-Palestine conflictnot because I saw the last episode of the Sopranos without ever seeing it beforenot because I went to Boston and heard crazy news (George is engaged!) or saw wonderful people (happy birthday, Mom, enjoy that extra cheesecake)not because I went

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-47340988039999564842007-05-12T00:45:00.000+05:002007-05-12T00:51:59.998+05:00

dear WHYY, I am so sorryIt's membership time, and when they did it last quarter, I joined. this time I have no reason to be guilty, but they've got me on the coals again. oy.Cashflow isn't such a problem right now, but I'm still watching the expenses and holding my breath over the next few potential contracts. In case you hadn't heard, I lost my job at the msngrbag joint, so. Other projects

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-64242550016705161782007-04-02T12:14:00.000+05:002007-04-02T21:17:52.581+05:00

a zisn peysekh dirshoppin'n'choppinBecause RELoad is moving, and because it's Pesach, and because it's beautiful, and because I need some time to just bike around and get things done--I'm off work. Went to yoga, ran into Z there, had some great backward bending. I like thinking about my lungs' shapes, especially in Wheel pose.Next up come the making of Sri Lankan charoset, my great contribution

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-78119410936038540062007-03-28T17:15:00.000+05:002007-03-29T02:14:15.631+05:00

spring redemption...hi. how are you? I've been busy.Closed "The Eye of the Storm" on Monday night. In two weeks "The Fishbowl" opens. It is so good that the weather has become lively and energizing.I'm sitting on the couch in the new house, with no one else home for once--last night I got home before 11 for the first time in forever--took the day off work to do shopping for the show and instead I

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-42285570345037071042007-02-20T12:39:00.000+05:002007-02-20T12:47:26.467+05:00

"you know things are going to be different"...was Abby-at-work's response when I told her the sad tale of how, mysteriously and in the process of moving, I lost my beloved dad-coffee-table and ONE of my favorite shoes. Yup, the right dansko is missing. The coffee table was parked on the porch awaiting summer afternoons with beer and iced tea needing a place to rest, and someone effing took it. I

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1171640994979958472007-02-16T10:45:00.000+05:002007-02-16T20:49:54.980+05:00

momentarily starstruckIf you look under the comments on my NPR post, holy mackerel! Maiken Scott left one! I feel foolish. She thought that I was annoyed by the pledge drive. Now I have to write something clever about how much I really like it. (I do! the drama, the psychological tricks, the pathos, the prizes!) It's amazing to think that really anyone is reading this, much less a Local

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1171640381837822932007-02-16T10:25:00.000+05:002007-02-16T20:39:41.866+05:00

pack em up roll em out git alongI am 98% done packing for the (rather low-key) move, and wow, where did all these paper clips come from? As I finally reach the surface of my desk, mining down through the paperstrata, and excavating the hardwood in that one derelict corner, under all the postcards for mediocre shows I didn't go to and ticket stubs for those I did--there are wild roaming paper

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1170626307892256372007-02-04T23:49:00.000+05:002007-02-05T09:51:19.846+05:00

other people's problemsobsessed with NPR and its fascinating personalitiesThis afternoon I cooked an elaborate brunch for myself (cinnamon raisin french toast, smoky seitan) while enjoying the WHYY pledge drive/Car Talk/Prairie Home mashup. I had a rough couple of days this week and spent a lot of yesterday crying out some frustrations and feeling sorry for myself. As Garrison Keillor wavered

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1168842930913359602007-01-15T01:00:00.000+05:002007-01-15T11:35:30.933+05:00

from worse to badwith linkipediaFor a while there I was reading The Painted Bird, which is a WWII novel of extreme (make that really extremely extreme) violence and horror about a little dark-haired boy trying to survive in terrifyingly backward, ostensibly Polish villages. Nightmares came, and dark horrid hate of society, fear of other people, etc etc. It averages a rape, murder, or severe

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1168387681049344682007-01-09T19:05:00.000+05:002007-01-10T05:08:01.070+05:00

inheritanceI keep thinking about this.Friday afternoon I cashed a lifetime’s worth of U.S. Savings Bonds. Most of these were birthday and Christmas gifts from my father’s parents, who passed on when I was three and nine. One hundred-dollar bond, issued in 1992, was the first-place prize for winning the Cambridge city spelling bee (first annual).Total take: $516.83.This sum represents $450 in face

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1165523844804652162006-12-07T15:45:00.000+05:002006-12-08T01:37:24.826+05:00

of sneezings and linkingsObviously in order to write something I have to get really sick and crabby, spend three days soldiering on at my (currently worrisome) job, and finally give in to a morningful of bad dreams and a sinusful of junk--and stay home a bit. Here I am in Nachshon's apartment, considerably warmer than my house, downing tea and being tearfully irritable and making plans and

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1162324133687447282006-10-31T14:47:00.000+05:002006-11-01T00:50:09.446+05:00

proofnow the Feds will never hire me:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMvlOnVNSBI(starring Ross.)

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1162074178308560492006-10-29T03:13:00.000+05:002006-10-29T03:23:28.216+05:00

community blitzFridaycritical mass, 6.00: hundreds of bikers in costumes take over the streetskol tzedek potluck, 7.00: thirty liberal Jews talk about urban educationleigh's singalong, 9.00: rise up singing is plunderedSaturdayp'nai or services, 10.30: the usual, with amazing croissant-bread puddingwalk in the woods with michael, 2.00: talk about baking, family, love, drugstova and brian arrive,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1161232201288033022006-10-19T08:50:00.002+05:002008-09-08T20:28:00.289+05:00

now, someone bring me a beerAfter a lovely ploughperson-themed lunch with Ross, I spent the afternoon hustling around the unseasonably and misleadingly warm canyons of downtown. It was cold when I got dressed, in a sort of classy apres-ski schoolmarm getup (plaid wool skirt, open-work sweater, knee-high biker boots) that I thought would suit well in all the major settings of the day's planned

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1161142027133767622006-10-18T08:16:00.000+05:002006-10-18T08:27:07.443+05:00

industrial abrasivesAfter several weeks of alternately manic and tragic coverletter-writing and resume-tweaking, the only response I've gotten is for an Accounts Payable (admin) gig with a small company (family owned! third generation!) that sells industrial abrasives to the industry.Aside from the problem that I'm not entirely sure who "the industry" is, I find this particular kidney-punch from

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156931392265307042006-09-04T17:31:00.000+05:002006-09-05T19:34:59.833+05:00

businessSince the "cultural experience" of the mikveh, it's been a series of similarly unfathomable antics. No time to properly write at the moment: we're back in Jerusalem after a week of constant dashing-around, doing wedding prep, family management, political action, and friend-visits.A brief schedule:Mondayshopped for chuppah decorations etc., ate amazing hummus in the Old City, attended a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156761921103894392006-08-28T13:45:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:29:54.393+05:00

the naked truth about Orthodox menby ND, as told to Rebecca, who types fastIt was Friday afternoon. We were getting ready for Shabbat, and our host Eliyahu turned to me and said, “do you want to go to the mikveh?” (ritual bath) There’s a common custom for Jewish men to go to the mikveh before Shabbat, which is a custom I observe when in Philadelphia. I responded with great enthusiasm. We hopped

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156761828569979472006-08-28T13:40:00.002+05:002008-09-08T20:31:43.274+05:00

“juicy booty”gastronomy and piety in JerusalemI have in the past been accused of writing rather too much about food and not enough regarding matters of consequence. Guilty, says I, and I’ll probably never stop. Here’s some of each.Today we had the most amazing figs ever. The ones earlier in the week were at that point the best ever, but they’ve been eclipsed. ND and Sarit (his sister) and I were

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156422390642131442006-08-24T14:27:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:32:17.266+05:00

landing sitesWhen ND suggested on Monday night that we go see the “rocket landing sites” I was actually muddled and sleepy enough to imagine that he was referring to some kind of alien landing/launch places. I had fleeting visions of bug-eyed greenies mingling with the chilled-out Haifans. Not so, of course.The bomb site (as I think of it) was surprisingly underwhelming. It hit in a tiny yard

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156422214145652272006-08-24T14:21:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:32:59.966+05:00

here it is, my first ever blog entry. tarrrahh!(by ND)After lunch we went on a trip to the nearest rocket-landing site. The rocket, or ‘katyusha’ as they call it here (the sound of the word suggests the Russian origin of this weapon), went between two apartment buildings and hit the ground near a little shopping center less than a mile from my parents’ house. My parents were abroad in Spain when

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156341635434912812006-08-23T18:55:00.000+05:002006-08-23T19:00:35.510+05:00

figgy foraging Originally uploaded by Emmalen.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156338592646602522006-08-23T15:05:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:35:22.525+05:00

ba’aretz at lastWill try not to be too dull and travelogue-y here, but the jetlag-fog and family-meeting-stress are combining to stifle my wit and brevity. Sorry. I’m sitting in Yael and Yoram Mahanymi’s living room in Haifa, enjoying the gentle air conditioning. The beautiful view outside (clean-lined apartment buildings and the azure sea below) is matched by the view inside, where Yael is

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1156133354950281292006-08-21T09:02:00.000+05:002006-08-21T09:09:14.980+05:00

vroom vroom...off to Israel tomorrow. This after a successful Boston trip, during which I subjected N to many, many relatives. Also my dear father and stepmother drove up from DC today, with equal motivation (I think) to see me (before I escape to the war zone) and to meet N.So, right, stay tuned. If you're in Israel, drop me a line! Would love to see you.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1155064256882251432006-08-09T00:03:00.001+05:002008-09-08T20:36:31.513+05:00

taking the plunge...back into the blog after a long dry spell.I've been busy and working hard--theater, homelife, friends, money, you name it--and lacking the precious hi-speed line. No longer. And just in time as well, as I'm going a-travelling to Israel in two weeks and will have a lot to write about. For now I'm trying to wrap up some Philly things, as well as start new balls rolling (sounds

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1147151312323261172006-05-08T23:59:00.000+05:002006-05-09T10:08:32.333+05:00

eensy weensy hiatus...from which I am very tentatively back.For those keeping track, I am gloriously alive and blindingly well, in Philadelphia and in love, and hard at work making art, community, knowledge, and a little money too. (A little.) Can provide details upon request, and will be writing more often as I develop organizational ability (ha).In lieu of delectable news+information material,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1141024166528802242006-02-27T01:44:00.000+05:002006-02-27T12:24:00.313+05:00

"our" gals in turinsnarky self-reflexive racism?Just goes to show you all, in case of doubt, that I'm as usual and characteristically out of touch with the interests of the/my people. While I busy myself with David Shipler's excellent (if a tad bit outdated) Arab and Jew, the vigilant Jew-trackers of the internet says that all the top women on the ice are indeed Members of the Tribe. Middle East

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1140577309954527412006-02-21T21:47:00.000+05:002006-02-22T08:01:49.966+05:00

bears mentioningI'm in DC with my Da (and Dada: major retrospective at National Gallery) and wonder of wonders, he found two more bikes in the alley behind the house. No, he did not "find" them with boltcutters. Lucky Rebecca gets the beat-up white lightweight 4-speed Peugeot with the supercurved handlebars. It's a good little ride, and a very welcome addition to my current wheelless life, and a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1140165003011277382006-02-17T03:05:00.000+05:002006-02-17T13:30:03.023+05:00

neither profanity nor tears enoughMy beloved bike was stolen from 9th and Tasker tonight, while I enjoyed the company of Pig Iron and friends postpreviewshow. Stolen. Gone. I am in shock. I loved that bike, from the little things like its color to the big things like its 21 speeds and tender brakes and elegant frame. I named it. BB was ragtag style and wind in my hair while flying downhill on

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1140078870047839182006-02-16T00:41:00.000+05:002006-02-16T13:34:30.076+05:00

agony!I hate you, amazon.com, for making me believe--for one shining moment!--that there was a new Neal Stephenson book coming out on February 28!! You're making me use exclamation points in a thoroughly untoward and brazenly bad-rhetoric fashion! At last, I thought, there's something due any day, I will know right away, soon as it shows...Instead, argh!, it's the paperback release of (half of)

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1139642984806260492006-02-11T01:37:00.000+05:002006-02-11T12:36:34.503+05:00

looks like Fall River! isn't going to hit the touring circuits any time sooncensorship, or something like it, on our side of the pondCheck this out: NYT reports that a small town superintendent in Missouri banned the high school from producing The Crucible this spring because he got several complaints about the booze-and-sex-glorifyin' fall production: Grease. Which the drama teacher had already

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1139519034920739742006-02-10T01:39:00.000+05:002006-02-10T02:03:54.936+05:00

the Danish cartoon affairI'm not quite ready for a proper essay on the subject, but an American mod-orth lawyer, Donnie, whom I met in Jerusalem (and debated for over an hour about premarital sex*) emailed an opinion-seeking query. Let's see what we thinks:The whole thing is atrociously foolish on both sides. Adam writes (see Ester's comments, Feb 5th, for some excellent analysis and some more by

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1139520016079361542006-02-09T16:12:00.000+05:002006-02-10T02:20:16.080+05:00

peep thisUploaded a few holy land snaps, thus far all trip-kids. More scenic and artsy fumblings to come as I get time to sort and edit the 350 photos I have.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1139414044805243702006-02-08T20:35:00.000+05:002006-02-08T20:54:04.820+05:00

back in california, or is it florida?[...philadelphia.]George has some trouble remembering where it is that I am from. "All those places have an 'f' in them." Yes of course, but FL and CA probably aren't as bloody cold as Hazel Avenue. A series of lovely reunions flowed forth from the flight's finish: Mumsy, Tova, Dad-by-phone, Jane, Jack, Lee&Leona, Ben&Ester (Balynker-Gloom, not the mod-orth

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1138566808278252412006-01-30T01:10:00.000+05:002006-01-30T01:33:28.290+05:00

Sabrecca* in Palestinecognitive dissonance was never so goodAfter a very intense and food-stuffed Shabbat with the Modern Orthodox (mod-orth?) of the Old City, I went out to a Jerusalem gay bar last night with some yeshiva boys (not mod-orths) and my frum friend Esther's sister, Yael, lesbian soldier barista extraordinaire. Then today I took the #124 bus from the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1138146031167922152006-01-25T04:27:00.000+05:002006-01-25T04:40:31.180+05:00

slamming the brakes...just finished the breakneck dash through Israel's landscape history and politics that is Birthright Israel, and whoa. I contacted the internets only once at that bizarro little gas station ("Extreme Wodka" in a metal tube and twenty kinds of roasted peanuts and mini Eeyore gummi pops) with the free connection. Other than that it was nonstop bus-hopping mountain-climbing

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1137170013959423782006-01-13T21:16:00.000+05:002006-01-13T21:33:33.973+05:00

Fly Away Home...or rather, to the homeland. Or is it the Holy Land? I'll settle for the homely land, which I hear it's not.That's right, I'm flying to Israel tomorrow. As is typical with me and trips, I'm not really believing it, and probably will experience the aha! moment while waiting in customs at the other-end airport. One critical note: I am not checking any luggage. No one is getting the

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1135578095641195322005-12-26T10:19:00.000+05:002006-01-14T22:36:19.410+05:00

O Night, DivineJoyful joy joy Christmukkah in Newport here, where my bags of clothes and presents all got lost on the flight (USAir out of Philadelphia is like that, always) and they finally arrived here at 12:05 AM on the 26th, several borrowed dress-up outfits later... the worst of it was actually that I really very much wanted to give those gifts, as that is the central appeal of Christmas.But

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1134250339626220542005-12-11T02:28:00.000+05:002005-12-11T02:32:19.636+05:00

finallyI am painted (red) and moved in. Managed to break my dresser en route from storage locker to truck and so Carpentry Project looms. Other than that, it's really fun to unpack all my toys and silly art and whatnot. This is a lame post, just something to let the folks at home (?) know what's what.Would be happy to hear from anyone... I got another bookstore job, having lost the previous

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1133279998882218692005-11-29T08:59:00.001+05:002006-01-14T22:36:56.240+05:00

outrageousI have a bike in Boston, but it's a big heavy clunker. I want to take it to Philadelphia to trade-in/sell and buy another used bike. However it costs a whopping $80 to check a bike on a plane! Insane. This for a bike that will probably net me under $50 in trade-in value. Now I have to go sell the bike in Somerville today.Clearly, I have reverted to the American concept of "pain in the

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1132348375076030212005-11-18T14:04:00.000+05:002005-11-19T02:12:55.086+05:00

expletive deletedAcross the planet, four and a half million Sinhalese voters asked Mahinda Rajapakse to stand up, wave, smile, and shake hands with the JVP for the next six years. I am reasonably livid over this. Western hemisphere, I don't expect you to understand, but this is bad news: let's just hope the economy doesn't tank any further and the war doesn't break out. Read indi and kottu for

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1131993995098232442005-11-14T23:26:00.000+05:002005-11-15T00:25:42.813+05:00

merrily we roll along...back in New York for a brief visit with mother and Jack (who is, let me say, fabulous) and having some crazy dreams about hostage situations and needing to pee and effing awesome careers. It's really fun to enjoy the east coast public transport matrix: one can get pretty much anywhere from Boston to Washington without walking very far or paying very much, and it's cool to

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1131134668636290342005-11-05T00:54:00.000+05:002005-11-05T01:04:28.650+05:00

i existbut have been away from computers with proper access. Sorry.however, I do have:2 jobs1 coldlots of friends (yay)and -1 places to liveWhich is to say that I am living on Ross's couch, and also consuming his baked goods (living on his baked goods, as he says, over my shoulder, stoppit Ross!), and also annoyed at the silly people with the awesome house-vibe who decided they want to live with

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1129377432239353952005-10-15T17:43:00.000+05:002005-10-15T16:57:12.246+05:00

she's leaving because she really wants to...notI am not happy about this, but it's time...In five hours, I board SriLankan for Heathrow.Twelve hours later, I land in London, gawp at the white people, and hang out for three hours buying duty-free chocolate.Then I fly to DC, where my father will tell me the latest crap to come out of the Bush administration on the way home from the airport.As

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1128592329856313512005-10-06T14:37:00.000+05:002005-10-06T14:52:09.863+05:00

no, thank you...am starting to feel like a parrot, when every single person I meet tries to sell me something. Luckily (for all concerned) I am in good moods these days and therefore cheerily tweet the above rather than getting all bitchy. They are so good at the pitch, though! Amazing. Several thousand years of trade with the West and they've got me down pat: just look! student prices! free

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1128339709833847002005-10-03T16:15:00.000+05:002005-10-03T16:41:49.900+05:00

Dravidian-tastic!It's really strange how the Internet is the same everywhere you go. Where everything else is odd and confusing, I feel that familiar sites are almost too easy, too simple. It makes them seem childlike. They should have weird foreign writing and colour-schemes.Now in Pondicherry after two days in Chennai. I was told by a nice lady on the plane that two days was insufficient, but I

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1127835233563894632005-09-27T21:24:00.000+05:002005-09-27T20:33:53.570+05:00

illin' illaiGot better, though the respiratory drainage is taking its time. I am hurrying it along with chillies and (Cypriot, though the Aussie was better) OJ. I am running around putting things in boxes and leaving the boxes with people who promise to make them appear (magically!) in Boston. I have given some of these people large sums of money, which should expedite the magic. I have also made

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1127300725086796132005-09-21T15:42:00.000+05:002005-09-21T16:05:25.093+05:00

I don't want your pity...but I've fallen ill. The last time was sorta flu-esque, in Jaffna, in May; now it's an obvious sinus/respiratory thing. I wheeze, I sneeze, I drink liquids.The real pain of it is that I can't tell if I've got a fever and I can't bloody read Anushka's old-skool mercury thermometer! victim of technological progress! ...and it's so hot that I feel I must be roasting to a

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1126945738365685192005-09-17T13:17:00.000+05:002005-09-21T16:10:55.433+05:00

calling vegetarians and our friendly co-eatersI have been (willingly, happily) suckered into writing an article for the LT on veg eating in Colombo. This will be fun but would be more so if they were going to buy me a ton of free meals. As is I get a couple free meals; that'll do, pig, that'll do.There's a thread at Indi's blog on this already but I'd like to reiterate a broadcast call for

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1126521623229241502005-09-12T15:17:00.000+05:002005-09-12T15:40:23.283+05:00

this chinese proverb originated from the netherlandsAs the countdown to my public-speaking catastrophe ticks, I spend the afternoon blithely consuming the American Center's fast free internet. Yummy.Isn't it annoying that Blogger is doing maintenance whilst I have access? I can't fix formatting and whatnot. Also I can't figure out the printing costs and don't want to ask for fear that the prim

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1126270356851914472005-09-09T17:37:00.000+05:002005-09-09T17:52:36.856+05:00

everybody is somebody, sometimesThe glare of perverse celebrity has worn off, or more accurately tailed off with the cessation of the hate-mail (see comments below). I'm back to an ordinary sense that no one is really paying attention to me, which is good.One of the major themes of thought I've been having about leaving is that it will be hard to go from being Someone to being no-one. That sounds

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1125664622072648502005-09-02T17:00:00.000+05:002005-09-02T17:37:02.080+05:00

End TimesThe aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and surrounding has been pretty well described by major news media and other bloggers, so I'll skip it. I haven't seen TV coverage of course, which means that it's that much less real to me. The tsunami was harder and worse to live through, being closer and in places I actually had visited and could visualize.Is is not amazing, though,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124733943767175902005-08-22T23:01:00.000+05:002005-08-22T23:29:49.626+05:00

laugh out loudI want to play this game, preferably whilst drunk: The Exciting Game of Career Girls. You can't make this stuff up!In high school Annie had this hilarious 80s game involving boys one might potentially date, with these hideous photos of the supposedly 'hunky' boys. Most of them had chunky-knit sweaters and names like Troy and Derek. I just watched Troy (again: escapism) and my

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124651960370050372005-08-22T00:10:00.001+05:002005-08-22T00:19:20.376+05:00

go postalNothin much to say, but I just realized that it's a good time to tell people not to send me mail at ICES anymore. If you've been sending me actual physical mail, you are a blessed soul and you are accruing major points, redeemable towards hugs, home-cooked meals, vodka tonics, back massages, and other shamefully, embarrassingly sentimental rewards for being a kindred spirit and bosom

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124570821726452072005-08-21T01:44:00.000+05:002005-08-21T01:49:53.766+05:00

one badass dude(on the lighter side) Went this afternoon to scenic Katugastota with Haakon, Lisa, and Joelline (new girl in town: French, NGO work, maybe taking my apartment) to watch Mangal Pandey: The Rising, the big shiny new Hindi film. It’s open all over the world. It’s good, go see it! Why, pray tell, did we so scoutingly voyage to Katugastota, in reality a squalid crossroads? The

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124566974191464182005-08-21T00:36:00.000+05:002005-08-21T00:42:54.200+05:00

“War is not an option”reflections on the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar* This is one of those times when I don’t know for whom I’m writing. I could write for the stateside crowd about who died and who killed him and why it’s important, because the international media isn’t doing a very good job reporting on that. The Lankan blog crowd (see www.kottu.com) is mostly discussing the

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124487366908751432005-08-20T02:28:00.000+05:002005-08-20T02:40:17.856+05:00

the illicit fruits of the twice-aforementioned conspiracy(be warned this post contains gratuitous sexual imagery though I didn't actually write it)Apparently the shady, shadowy powers-that-be are not only allowing me access but sending fun things my way. From horoscopes at nerve:Leo (July 22-Aug. 22)Like someone who has recently returned from a trip to the Third World, you may

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124486747574093272005-08-20T02:21:00.000+05:002005-08-20T02:25:47.573+05:00

they're onto meVery weird: I just posted the below, and while checking to see that the formatting had properly arrived on the blogpage, found that I could access several of the sites. There are two explanations for this:1. There is a vast conspiracy to deny Sri Lankan users equal access to quality political, current-events, artistic, procrastinatory, and erotic information. As I type the watchers

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124485463540342672005-08-20T01:10:00.000+05:002005-08-21T00:47:36.113+05:00

Censorship!Or maybe critical fubar in the connection?I’ve noticed recently that my computer can’t, or won’t, load a whole slew of websites. This sucks, because it takes away my ability to waste time following my friends’ inline links and therefore can’t always figure out what the bloody hell they’re writing about. I was shaking my (actual, physical) fist at the computer—in itself reliably

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124397274711364372005-08-19T01:28:00.000+05:002005-08-19T01:34:34.720+05:00

Festivities Ensueclearly, the best two weeks of my life so far Coming off the high of the Festival I was sure that the whole birthday/perahera experience would be a let-down. I was completely wrong. Though the birthday was low-key, festive specialness has been going strong for two weeks plus, with no signs of fading. Six birthday parcels helps that (among many many other things, my

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124400538077646322005-08-18T02:03:00.000+05:002005-08-19T02:32:10.826+05:00

just so long as he remembers where he came from when he's rich and famousThis is so exciting: the show Adam is the gestalt of performing in at Edinburgh, the reason initially for my trip, just got this stunning review from the Scotsman. He reports that they're sold out for the rest of the run and getting lots of visits from agents and suchlike. He is going to have a Career.I am so happy for him,

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1124311268871458562005-08-17T22:36:00.000+05:002005-08-18T01:46:22.953+05:00

Two Dreamsand a looming nightmare 1. I am working on my computer at home in Dangolla when the phone rings. It’s Rick desRochers (high school drama despot-director), who is frantic that I accept a part in a professional production he’s doing in Boston in the fall. Rehearsals start at the beginning of October and he must, must, must have me in the show. Can I take the part? I realize this

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1123600251731577142005-08-09T15:57:00.000+05:002005-08-09T20:10:51.740+05:00

eight shows, no beerWell, technically I had half a pint at this adorable cute pub on our way home. However, it was a Russian beer (made here, but) so not quite quite. I had noticed that the town smelled like what? vaguely akin to baking bread, but more specifically, matzah. Bizarre beyond reckoning that a frigid Scottish cobbletown smelled like the bread of roastingbacked desert affliction. Rowan

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1123341665892642472005-08-06T16:01:00.000+05:002005-08-06T20:22:31.970+05:00

Edinburrrrrrrrrrrgh the accents here are so sexy, when can understand themO, this is a wonderful city. I arrived by train in a very light drizzle and walked 3km to Adam's house slightly outside the city centre, enjoying immensely the streetscenes and the people and the inviting falafel takeaway joints. His housemates are clever and British so I think everything they say is charming and hilarious

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1123022269572174952005-08-03T03:21:00.000+05:002005-08-03T03:37:49.580+05:00

dispatch from the futureLeaving Kandy this morning at approximately 7.30 I promptly fell asleep on the long-suffering man next to me (whose even more long-suffering wife didn't seem to mind). I woke sporadically and apologised to the fellow, whom I'm not sure I didn't drool on. Ah well.Next was the airport bus, always a maddening trip as they seem to drive around Colombo for an hour trying to get

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1122925917237177842005-08-02T00:38:00.000+05:002005-08-02T00:51:57.243+05:00

18 hours at home in Kandy...and both feet halfway out the door (?)This is just a boring couple of lines for those readers looking for locational/occupational updates. I returned from my week of hustlebustle in Colombo this morning at approximately 11.30, and began unpacking so that I could start packing for Edinburgh.Yes yes! I am off tomorrow morning (today morning) to see Herr von Bisno (http:/

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1121978504290230882005-07-22T01:26:00.000+05:002005-07-22T01:41:44.296+05:00

Hitting the Hard StuffWhich would be chocolate. Jill left yesterday and I’m mopey. The eating of chocolate, for me, isn’t so much the stereotypical devotional female sad-solace; I don’t totally buy the endorphins song-and-dance. (I buy Toblerone or Lindt or Ritzbury in a pinch, har de har har.) What I seek is not neurochemical anaesthesia but the Pavlovian simulacra of same… which is arguably

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1121163811412652882005-07-12T15:20:00.000+05:002005-07-12T15:32:15.416+05:00

tights down: sidling up to a stalk of celery*Gandhi! the (fascist) musicalSeveral days later and I'm still laughing about this. I didn't get to Be In the play, after hanging around all Friday at "rehearsal" (i.e., 35 people chilling, stretching, chatting, making up little dances with scarves) until 12.30am. The part for me had previously been cut from the script and the director couldn't find the

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1121067995705171992005-07-11T12:24:00.000+05:002005-07-11T12:53:43.030+05:00

Do you hear the people sing?This was taken during the all-day insane rehearsal. That's Gandhi, on the left, the 7-foot bruiser dude; in a 'jail' formed of people holding chains around him. (They're 'in jail' too; frequently wailing/screaming "Babaji!" and sobbing sporadically.) On the right we have the shirtless Antagonist, declaring the rightness of terrorism as a path to decolonization and

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682680.post-1120734606382306702005-07-08T02:03:00.000+05:002005-07-07T16:28:16.983+05:00

Look, there she goes—that girl is strange, no questionSometimes you (I) have to marathonically listen to the complete five-volume Classic Disney set, including approximately 250 brilliant and heart-wrenching tunes excerpted with loving care and discerning taste from Disney’s voluminous history of music production.You may mock, and would in fact be right to do so, especially if you heard me

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847840548004243538noreply@blogger.com13