I've been a busy bee these past few days.
I had a fairly large exam today and handed in the paper I stayed up all night doing (same course, BTW). If I never touch this material again it will be too soon.

In two weeks the second semester exam season is to commence.
*glomps*

Monday and Tuesday there was a bunch of activity on campus planned and arranged by the Student Coalition (with your truly being one part of the planning and arranging team. Yes, I'm touting my own horn) regarding the Occupation, as June marked 41 years of the Occupation in Gaza and the West Bank).

On Monday we arranged an open discussion regarding the One State Solution and the Two State solution. It was great, as a whole bunch of opinions were heard and discussed.
The majority were Leftists, obviously - though the posters and fliers were worded to not be too demagogic or partial, we wanted the Mainstream student body to come a listen - of which there a few but out of thirty or so people that quickly dwindled to twenty to fifteen there weren't a whole lot of Liberals, though those that were there spiced things us a bit.There were no outright Rightists, as they know us and hate us... that's okay, we don't like them much either.

On Tuesday we had a myth busting session; an ICAHD activist gave a hugely informative lecture about the population control that goes on in the West Bank (specifically East Jerusalem, which is a world in and of itself within the Occupation discourse) under the guise of Security and how that word is used as a motivation for a whole slew of attacks against civilians in the West Bank (these attacks include House Demolitions, "Check Points", the Separation Wall etc. etc.).
After the ensuing discussion and break we had MBC reporter Qasem Hatib who came to talk to us about the "No Palestinian Partner" myth and discourse. We discussed how that particular discourse became prevalent in the Barak and Camp David years (and following) and how it has been used since then as a political tool by Israel to keep the status quo (not what he said, but what I gleaned from his very cynical journalistic words - such a pessimist, made us idealists all sad... kidding, I don't think I've ever met a bigger bunch of cynics than those in the Coalition).

Very successful half week so far, I'd say.

So it was a good, if stressful week on campus.
Wednesday was a bad day for Jerusalem.
A man went on a killing spree on a tractor. ( Read more about it, there is a plethora of links to be found behind )

Yeah I slept for four hours.
What of it?

As stated before, at least I finished that bloody paper and won't have to pull a White Night (an all nighter) again.
I'm not optimistic enough to think that this will be my last White Night... though it is my last in this particular course, which I will hopefully pass without too much humiliation.

With an exam in the same course in which I wrote the aforementioned paper on Wednesday and actual formal exam season starting in two weeks, my stress is up, though not as much as you'd think.
Staying up all night and going to sleep at dawn tends to mellow you out.

In any event, have a ( GIF )

It's amazing how much our perceptions are just a matter of arbitrary perspective.

Yesterday, I was telling my parents about the LGBT studies and Queer theory conference that went on at Uni (the eighth "The Other Sex" con at Tel-Aviv University) and was asked if everyone there was as strange as I.

They said it as a joke (or not, I try not to dwell), but I couldn't help but think about it in a more critical way.

Am I strange?
I mean, really?
And in any event, define "not strange", or "normal", or "normative" - none of those are synonymous.
So beyond that little venture into semantics land, I have to say that this year's conference was fun, as I actually knew some of the people speaking on the panels and understood the theory that was being discussed there. Last year, was my first Queer academic conference and there was a whole lot that I didn't understand, other than what I had actually experienced as a queer person.

Where was I?
Oh, yes, the "strangeness".

Walking down the street, in my day to day life, I wear my political identity on my sleeve; which not everyone gets, understandably so, I suppose. Most of the time I feel as though I somehow escape the scrutiny of the hegemony because I don't break any societal conventions in the way I present myself to the world (correct me if I'm wrong IRL people). But I'm aware of where I and the "mainstream" meet and conflict, that place where I know that I don't fit into the categories society assumes to subject me to.

And today, at this conference, it's always amazing to hear the theories that describe the reality in which we live and the people who, along with me, don't fit the *deep breath* Patriarchal-heterosexist-Ashkenazi (i.e. white)-Jewish-nationalistic hegemony.

There is always a problem of representation. There wasn't any panel (that I saw) that touched on Bisexual identity specifically, there wasn't a whole lot about Trans' issues and there was a lot of Judith Butler bashing, which seems to be a trend in current post-structural theory and philosophy - which I don't get, personally.

There was a whole lot of talk on Queer identity, which a lot of times is used as an umbrella term for LGBT, but as (the amazing) Amalia Ziv said this evening, Queer is also an adjective and a verb... but not everyone has an identity which is fluid and shifting and changing.

I consider myself and call myself queer in certain circles, but I know that my some members of my family don't understand what I mean by "queer", but "bisexual" - with the baggage that word carries, is something most people who aren't queer themselves and know queer culture - is easier to understand, because it holds within the binary mainstream society insists we live as either homo or hetero, being bi is a little skew from that, but there is the option of one way or the other - with Queer, the options, the categories, themselves are put into question.

And that's what I felt what the conference was about; mainly about literary texts and more theorizing than practicality... but hey, this is academia, sometimes theory is the praxis.

Just saw "Sleepless in Seattle" for the umpteenth time.

I love it.

I shouldn't. I don't believe this sort of thing happens in real life, it's also not my usual type of escapism. On the other hand, it being so fantastic (in the "fantasy" sense, not the "amazing" sense) it really does enable one to transcend their own expectations from reality.

I just witnessed my parents being all kissy-face.
And I'm quoting:
Mother:"When we met on [the place where they first met] and I shook your hand"
Father:"It was magic"

I'd be all awwww, if I didn't know they weren't just acting because of the movie.
In this case it's just a bit gross.

---

My nephew had a birthday party today, which was very nice. It was a beautiful day and practically the entire family came to spend an entire afternoon outside, lounging under a tree with freshly baked cup-cakes and watermelon (the boy's favourite food of all times, excellent choice in 35C degrees if you ask me).

Good day.

Because of the holiday I had a very long weekend in which I managed to actually meet friends, earn some money, write a short paper for Lit. (about Foucault, don't tell me that takes five minutes, because I will have to kill you).

There's a lot in the News about stuff that may or may not go on in Gaza, which is worrying, because that means a whole lot of dead people.
Always a negative.
A positive is that the Shalit family have received a letter.

Another plus is that Hamas and Fatah are communicating. Yes, actual communication between the Palestinian factions which makes me feel optimistic, though again, my cynicism is getting the best of me and I have the feeling they're just doing it for show in order to try and get more sympathy from governments while leaving the actual people to rot in Gaza and the West Bank.

Leadership in these parts is quite nauseating.

I was discussing with a friend of mine who we were going to vote for in the elections, which have yet to be confirmed, but with the way things are looking it's not a long shot that Israel will be having elections not too long after good ole Uncle Sam.

Who are my options do I hear you ask; well it looks like every time I think about I can't help but shudder. The only person I wouldn't "mind" so to speak, out of the big three (Netanyahu, Barak and Livni) is Livni. I would never vote for Kadimah as it lacks any kind of moral or social fiber and stands on a platform of "security".

Axing the top three of Labour *snort*, Likud *vomit* and Kadimah *aforementioned above*, I'm left with Meretz (social-democrats), Hadash (communists) and the Green party (yes, the environmentalists).
I'm leaning towards the greens, as they've yet to get any seat in the Knesset and haven't been corrupted beyond recognition.

Ach, this is very frustrating!

I think I need to go back to Foucault and read about how as a Subject my identity is established by language and that if I'm not in the discourse I cease to exist.
Neato!

Mother Unit: "Why didn't you go to the Pride Parade today?"

Moi: "It's too hot" It is, it's something like 35C in the shade and the Parade began at noon... no thanks!.

Mother Unit: "Committed, eh?" /sarcasm

Father Unit (looking away from the exciting Tennis match on TeVi): "Are you trying to tell us something?"

Moi (mental *sigh*): "Huh? What? What are you talking about? I went out on a date with a woman yesterday".

Father Unit: "Oy" and he goes back to the game.

Moi: "What? I thought you wanted me to date".

Father Unit: "I don't mind you dating women, but why not try dating men again".

Mother Unit: "Yes, why do you have to be so exclusive".

Moi (is having a brain meltdown): "You wouldn't say that if I were only dating men!"

Mother Unit (is thinking of what she said): "Yes, funny how that is".

Moi: "Not really".

I think they're dreading the day I date someone long enough that I actually bring them to Friday night supper and such.
I think I'd be worried if my parents were uber supportive of everything I do, I mean, it's nice to know they're a normal hetero-normative middle class married couple who love their daughter enough to be accepting, if not ready to march in the Parade. Then again, I need to be motivated to walk in the Parade, because Dude... the heat!
As it is, the date went quite nicely and I'll be calling her back, so we'll see how it goes.

It would appear I volunteered to lead a team aimed at busting the myths and misinformation concerning the Occupation towards the Student body at TAU, my Uni.
I really like being a part of the Student Coalition*.

Dude, talk about stress, especially since my fellow team leader lives quite far away from me and both of us have tons of stuff to do academically. But both she and I thought that the most important thing to get out there is the fact that there is a whole lot of misconceptions in the Israeli public (in this case the average TAU student) concerning Gaza, Sderot, '67 and its consequences (for which this activity is being done, this week is the 41st anniversary to the Six Day War and the Occupation of those extra pieces of land), the Settlements in the West Bank and the whole "1984" mentality of "Security is Peace".

I think I need to get some of my friends to join this and spread it around, hopefully we'll get a large audience at Uni.

A new subject related to the above.

Every Wednesday there's a Happening on Campus, which I hadn't noticed was a regular thing, it just seemed that the Student Union *snort* arranged stalls and booths sponsored by various private companies on random days... it's quite nauseating. The Union *snort* isn't really interested in actually representing the student body (my faculty rep is such a bitcah I can't even describe how much she irritates me!) and "earns" money by getting these companies to participate in these Happenings.
There's not much to say, other than that the Union considers us consumers and not the actual people they exist for. That, and it's just a political jumping board for the Union Committee, which in and by itself is fine, but not when they use my fees to use it for their own benefit!

I had a point.

Oh, the Union has put the financial support they are meant to supply to the Student Coalition on hold, in an attempt to shut up any kind of critical or oppositional action that the Coalition has put forth.
Which is at once irritating and hypocritical.
They're meant to support any kind of student action or activity (so long as it isn't treason, and I'm sorry, criticism of Student leadership doesn't count as national treason!).

I hope the low key activity the Coalition has planned for the end of the month, won't be brought to a sudden halt because the Union has decided to go into cahoots with more "moderate" factions in the University activist population. Apparently the demo that the Coalition and the committee for Arab Students put on the 15th of May to commemorate the Nakba wasn't well received and a Zionist Student Coalition was formed based on the Coalitions organisation.

So here's to hoping the Union has a new Chair next year that isn't an ass and that the committee have an iota of integrity.

Who am I kidding, my cynicism gave me a big pinch when I wrote that sentence.

*Which is just a shorter way of saying "The Coalition of Students for Left Action and Students Against the Occupation".

The Lit. test I had earlier this week was a total disruption, not to mention absolute pain.
The week away in South Africa really whacked up my whole schedule and I'm only, now, finally getting my act together, just in time tow finish off an three page essay for Sunday, a one page essay for Thursday and a ten page analysis fort he following Monday.

Add to that another exam I'm taking on the 18th (approx. two weeks from now, less actually now that I think about), plus the regular reading I need to do for my classes.

A wee bit overwhelmed... which is why I'm wasting time blogging about it. Duh, right?

My life is quite quickly reducing itself and the semester is already half way and soon it will be over and then I'll have even more exams!

*wails against the injustice of being a First Year student who feels she has no idea what she's doing*

A day of honey, a day of onions (euphemism for tears, of course).

I went to the fireworks and watched Machina play for 45 minutes.
It was fun.
I had a great time listening to the music and seeing the fireworks with my family and singing along with the hundreds (maybe thousands) of my towns people to the songs which have become a part of the soundtrack of our lives.
Kind of like U2.

Elsewhere there are "alternative" ceremonies in which Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs are participating together talking about what this day means to each.
There are also ceremonies commemorating a calamity. Period.

Last year I went to a demo about a homophobic musician.
This year I'm going to South Africa and actually missing the brouhaha that will now doubt erupt while I'm gone at least by the 15th of May.

In any event, no matter what you are celebrating, commemorating or just having a weekly Wednesday night (or morning and day depending on the time zones) make it a good one and make it count.

יום עצמאות שמח!

Happy Yom Azmaut!

זיכרו את הנכבה!

Remember the Nakba!

Another day of memorial, this one is present and thus, to me, much less poignant than Yom Ha'Shoah was last week, for some reason.
Dead soldiers and dead civilian victims, killed in War and Terror.

My feelings are mixed.
Last year I was depressed and the whole thing washed over me and was dimmed into the background of my own personal self pity and pain, to do with the war I participated in.
Now everything feels sharp, not the pain, but the facade of the (necessary and important) ceremonies in which the names of the dead will be spoken and candles will be lit, is so much more clear to me.
The ceremonies seem like theatrics to me. But I'll go to my elementary school where every year, younger and younger (because every year I get older) children stand on the grass slope where they will sing the same songs as last year, recite the same poems and maybe the choreography of the dance will be different, though I doubt it.
I'll go because dead men and women need to be remembered and at this point this is what we have.

Tomorrow is Independence Day, always after Memorial Day, so that we know what those dead men and women fought, lived and died for.

Korin Alal (though Ehud Manor wrote it) puts into words the way I feel best on these days... even if they are mixed:

I have no other land
Even if the ground is burning
Only a word in Hebrew, penetrating
Into my veins, my soul
In an aching body,
In a hungering heart.
Here is my home

I will not be silent, for my land
Changed her face
I will not concede to her
I will sing in her ear
Until she opens her eyes

Mummy and Daddy are back home from the States.

Very happy about that, because suddenly the house doesn't seem so empty like it did when they were gone, add to that the fact that many nights of the past week were spent alone (I'm glad Wish deigned to sleep with me) I'm extra delighted.

I got prezzies of course:
Three books; Yentl's Revenge, She Who Dwells Within and Exist Wounds - I meant to write "Exit Wounds" - (my next books are this and this); a reusable shopping bag (we're fast becoming a plastic shopping bag free home); an NYC M&M Snowglobe and a M&M key ring, both of which have joined my other knick-knacks which beckon to be dusted after the Weeks of Sandy Heat Waves brought about by the Encroaching Desert.

But the best is having them home.
I really missed them.

Last night.

Half-past one in the morning.

I'm turned Frida off and walked the short distance from our lounge to my bedroom when I heared the distinct sounds of an insect knocking against things in my room.

Methinks: Oh a large moth has entered my room. I shall switch on a light in a different room so that it may leave.

As I formulate this plan in my head I enter my room and see that this moth is in fact not even related to Heterocera.

It was in fact a flying Blattaria - in English - a Cockroach.

Methinks: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THERE'S A HUGE FUCKING ROACH FLYING AROUND MY FUCKING ROOM!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It being quite late at night I kept these thoughts to myself.

Wish was bloody useless, staring at the monstrosity as it flew around my room in order to find a good vantage point so that it could kill me in my sleep. I'm certain that was it's satanic plan as it flew in my window at a time I would have been asleep.

It took me about fifteen minutes to even return to my room - for some reason I grabbed my hand bag and was clutching it, I then discarded that for a rolled up piece of Newspaper which is a marginally better weapon against roaches.

I opened my door every few minutes to see if it flew out.
It didn't.
And me, I'm all alone, I really can't go waking up any one of the masculine gender in my house at the moment because it was two fucking a.m. in the morning.

When I next opened the door I saw that it had gone to the floor and was no longer flying around - thank GD *shudders* - so armed with a Newspaper, I grabbed one of my Dr. Martens and stood ready for the huge fucker to leave my room, which it did because it obviously smelled me *shudders again* and as it approached I pounced!

I killed the bastard, fucking smashed the life out of it.
The first roach I've killed in about four years - for some reason during my stint of boot camp, when I was 18 and wet behind the ears, I was designated critter killer with the rest of my platoon. Despite the fact that every time an insect came into our room I shrieked along with the rest of them... it's just that I could kill it while I was shrieking.

I generally don't like taking the lives of things, but roaches (and incidentally mosquitoes and flies) are fair game.
They're the ones who will inherit the Earth anyway, but as long as I'm here they can have an eco-system that doesn't include my house!

I'm still shaken up and everything that moves in my peripheral vision looks like a huge Gregor Samsa to me.

It's at these times when I hate the fear that has been culturally imprinted onto me, this fear of insects which intellectually I know can't hurt me, but scare the shit out of me! I can barely look at them, with their brownness and in the words of Cordelia Chase "their antlers".
Gah!
But I can kill them alone and that's what counts.
Right?

Three tests down, four to go.
Though technically two, seeing as I'm retaking two tests in the second semester, but who cares right?! I just want to get it over with.
I now have a chance to catch up on all the reading I didn't do for Uni during the semster, that is the novels and essays which are probably crucial for the second semester, which I, in a bout of uncontrollable procrastination... procrastinated upon.

Not a good idea.

On the other hand, I spent most of yesterday watching various Eddie Izzard sketches and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, who is much, funnier than Walter by the way. He also inspired me to create an icon, which shall be used at times I find things to be very, very silly (or stupid, or just plain infuriating) indeed.
To much Izzard I must say, he's rubbing of on me.

So Pesach, yeah.
End of Hebrew Slavery, freedom, eating constipation inducing food.
Lovely time of year, innit?

We'll be doing the Seder at my sister's in-laws this year, seeing as both parental units will be away. Wine and veggie kneydlach soup.
There will also be the reading of stories, singing, interpretations of said stories and song, hopefully Robbie and I can hijack the singing and get it over with as quickly as possible and that we can skip over all the songs that talk about how GD is great. I'd rather hear about how with shrewd planning and cunning three siblings managed to create such a panic on the Nile that Pharaoh thought to himself - Dude, these Jews are just not worth the effort.
'Course who else are going to be the Plebs in Egypt if not those crazy Hebrew Fuckers (who until Moses came along, were actually Henotheists) who believe in this One True GD nonsense, I mean really.

One of the things found on the Seder table is a plate on which is placed food items symbolic of the Holiday like a chicken leg or neck which symbolises the sacrifice at the Temple (of which remains only the Western Wall and a bunch of silly religious edicts which mark a Cohen as different from the rest of the Jewish people) and bitter herbs for, you know, the bitterness of our existence and all the bitching.

I'm being glib, but all these are fascinating symbols and they can all mean different things to different families, not just the Tribal meaning.
What I like about Pesach is how it's a Holiday that it's meaning is also very modern. I mean I can't think of other Holidays which is basically says "Oppression is Bad, Freedom is Good and it must be Universal".

Pretty neat.

One of the things that have yet to trickle into Israel from the Diaspora (or if it has it's hasn't even registered on the mainstream) is the presence of new Traditions, like Miriam's cup or the adding of an orange and/or olive to the Seder plate.
I'm thinking of suggesting it, maybe update Pesach a bit, make it a bit more actual.
Tradition is meant to symbolise the meanings of Holidays and if Holidays lack meaning, what are they good for then - eating and drinking into a stupor?

I just got home from an outing with Mummy (she's leaving for the States tonight for a couple of weeks and I took a break from my studying to spend some time with her before she goes) and as we were driving up one of the busy roads, there right in the middle, on the separation line was a kitten, couldn't of been more than a month and a half or two completely frozen.

I told Mummy to stop the car. Stop the Car!!!! And she said she didn't want me to get run over, I said I have to get that cat.
It was so tiny and my heart was just breaking seeing it.
She stopped on the curb and I ran out, thankfully there was only one car coming my way and the driver had also seen the kitten and drove to the curb when it saw me approach.
A human was all it took to get that kitten running back the pavement and under a parking car - I tried picking it up, but it dashed into the bushes.

The driver of the other car asked me: "Is it all right?"
I replied: "Yeah, it's out of danger"
She smiled at me, waved and drove off.

I went back to Mummy and practically burst into tears, she said she would have stabbed herself if she's have run over that kitten.
She said I was a good person for going into the road and getting that cat out of the way.

I have to ask:
Is what I did so extraordinary?
Wouldn't a better person actually pick up that kitten and take it home?
Wouldn't the average Jane/Joe do what they can to NOT kill another living being?
Why is doing something so small like that worthy of a smile from a total stranger?

I had this really good entry all thought out, with lots of examples and points and arguments. But all that has seeped out of my brain due to end-of-Semester stress.

See yesterday Army (most of them Air Force) officers traveled around schools all over the country in a joint project with the ministry of education. This project is part of the 60 years to Israel commemorations, celebrations and what not.
At one of the school in which some of these officers came to speak, a demo by New Profile in which they constructed a huge papier mache brain and proceeded to squirt at with soapy water. I thought it was really smart and funny.

I told about it to my brother and mother and was really blown away by their negative responses.
My brother said they were being stupid and my mother asked if the demonstrators don't ask themselves what they can do for Israel.

Ahem.

See, the officers were there to talk about values and meaning of Israeli citizenship and what it means to be a Jewish nation in Israel - according to what I read about the project wasn't about convincing hight school kids that it's better to serve that to evade (which has been, according to the media which is trying to ensue a moral panic, imo, on the rise for the past two years).
I personally think it's wrong for the army to be a presence in schools other to give an overview of the positions available in the IDF and for that to be in after school hours so that it doesn't take over academic times - but that's really optimistic.

I don't believe for a minute that all they spoke about yesterday were "the values of Israeli citizenship" - Army service since the conception of this country has been a formative part of Jewish Israeli Identity (Druze and Bedouin can volunteer for the draft, but it is not mandatory). I'm pretty convinced that they spoke about the fact that to be good citizens they should serve their country through the IDF, that in the IDF they will learn what it means to be a moral, ethical and good Israeli citizen.

I think it's been a long time since the IDF has participated in a War that was solely for the protection of its citizens. All the operations across the borders have been offensive since the 80's and all withdrawals have been unilateral, meaning no agreement was discussed with those whose territory we were leaving. Almost all the operations done on the civilian population in the West Bank (and once Gaza) are defended by saying it's in the name of security are excuses to control said population by fear and humiliation. The soldiers (boys and some girls of 18 and 19, commanded by 20-somethings) are scared and they have guns and they've been taught to hate that little girl in a hijab, or that teenage boy with hate for them in return.
Do I even need to mention the immorality of the collective punishment on Gaza?

A small aside about Gaza: I can talk about the fact that Hamas fires Qassams at innocent people in the West Negev and Sderot, but seeing as the government that is funding this oh so educational project gives less than a shit about those people being fired upon, the less said the better.

I was asked why I don't have sympathy for those soldiers who have to do those horrible things in the name of security. I do. I have a lot of sympathy towards them and the fact that they are serving in an Army that requires them to do such unethical things and that they are educated to view those who are not like them as less-than-human.
Those soldiers traumatize and in turn are traumatized as well.
I wrote about this phenomena not too long ago.
Those soldiers, my soldiers, are ordered to invade other peoples homes in the name of security. They sometimes take food and other electrical supplies from those homes.
Some of them remain silent about what they once they are discharged.
Some of them break through this silence.

I don't believe that the Army does what it is supposed to do and it is because of this that I criticize it, that I feel a reform within its system and the way we, as Israelis, view the function of the military in our lives.
The gun is never a sacred instrument... in Hebrew it is equivalent to male genitalia.
Maybe I'll give a feminist reading of the role of the IDF, it's been done before, but now I've said what I felt had to be said about how I feel about the Army entering schools and talking about civic "values" and "duties".

So, did it feel good to not use LJ for a little bit.
Gotta say, I didn't feel any different, my Internet addiction just wet to different avenues.

the majority of my f-list participated whether it was consciously or not I couldn't say, but most of the communities didn't participate, which eh, kind of sucks since a huge amount of content and influence comes from the comm's and not individual users and such.
I really like LJ and I don't want to leave, the platform is convenient and fun, the networking done here is by far superior to MySpace and Facebook, in my opinion.
My paid account expires on the 14th on May (my birthday, duh) and I don't want to regress into a Plus account in which my LJ will be swarming with ads to do with things that what I write about would be significant.
Not.

Anyway, there were a few things worth blogging about, but they happened on Thursday and were properly resolved and on Friday when going out for Friday night supper was somewhat irritating due to constant racial slurs but people who say "I'm not racist, I love the black man" - when he's your gardener, quite obviously.
And Right Wing people who try to convince me that a vote for a fringe part is a Throw Away vote. Not it's not, it's voting for my principals.
Any way it was a really irritating evening, but at least I got to hang out with friends and Purim accessories.

Purim really washed over me this year - probably because I've come to associate Purim very strongly with terror attacks and there were only warnings this year with no actual explosions, shootings or kidnappings, there is however until Monday for a terror attack to be disconnected from the Holiday, so we'll see.
I mean yeah, I went all Ester and Vashti are ancient feminist icons (for different reasons obviously) and I went to Uni with butterfly antenes in order to get into the mood, on Wedensday, which is all before Purim, so nyah.

Pretty boring all in all.

Here's a pic which as sabotabby said should be spread throughout the intertubes.



Wouldn't it make an excellent t-shirt?!

( I'm a Chaotic Good Human Sorceress! )

What a long, long day.
I went to sleep at around 3 a.m because I don't know how to manage my time in a proper manner. On the other hand I know I can work into the night and have a pretty good assignment done on time.
I can imagine what my Semester tests are going to look like.
*sigh*
It was mainly the defensive driving course that put me out of whack, because it basically ate up all the spare time I usually use to read articles, essays and finish up my notes.
Tomorrow is the final class of the course and there will be a test and dir ba'alak if I have to do this whole thing over again.
Any way I need a cup of coffee and some supper.

Part the first and not to forget that these are the answers to the Meme.

The car I drive

We have one car and it's a Renault Kangoo. It's a gear engine, meaning that during rush hour it is a pain to drive and in my itsy-bitsy country every hour is rush hour.
I enjoy driving alone, but because of my slight paranoia I drive much more carefully when I'm in company than alone and I hate driving while my parents are passengers, it's uncomfortable any way you look at it.

Women, Men and In between
( Cut for sex talk and a bit of TMI )
Activism - where I fit in and my thoughts in general

I only began to be really active in the past two years so I'm really trying to find where I feel most comfortable in the huge array of Leftist social activism in Israel, which is as diverse as can be due to the turbulent nature of our little stretch of land.
At this point I consider myself affiliated with feminism, queer pride, anti-oppression, anti-war and anti-occupation, I don't know at this point how to incorporate all of them into action even though my own ideas, ideals and principles include all those things.
So I'm registered to a bunch of email lists that let me know of activities, I'm friends with people who do more than me or are actually members of groups and organizations and they let me know when stuff is happening.

I don't do nearly enough, but I know I do more than a lot of people, so I'm trying to juggle the whole Uni thing as well, which is a bit overwhelming. Not to mention that being active, puts yourself a whole lot more out there and exposed, which this little sheltered child was never exposed to as a child - I mean I knew it happened to other people and I knew that my parents were active in South Africa, but by the time I came along those times were long past (goodbye 70's, hello 80's).

Activism in Israel (like anywhere when you think about it) especially Left activism can, at times, be very divisive; what issue is more important? The Occupation? Women's Rights? Israeli Palestinians Rights? Queer Right? Privatization of public offices and issues?
All these things are a part of the same symptom, which gives the whole "One Struggle" theme a great deal of validity, but on the other hand it ignores the inherent differences and history of each issue and aspect - like at times anti-Occupation actions ignore the fact that when you're affirming one national identity (Palestine) you're calling the cancellation of another (Israel), it just doesn't work that way.
Or the way Queer activism calls for equal rights in marriage when there isn't even civil marriage in Israel... let's get rid of the Rabbanut before we start with specific demands to certain communities.
And all that.

So that's what I think.
Yeah.

Reply to the Meme:

Buffy and the Basics

My favourite season is probably the third (even though most of my favourite individual eps are from the fourth and sixth seasons), but the arch with the Mayor, Faith and the way ethics and morality got all mixed around in that season, making it so much more complicated than the second and most certainly the first. I feel the third offers the most foreshadowing (in retrospect obviously) to the rest of the seasons; Buffy's relationship with her friends, her independence, Willow and Xander finally closing up the feelings that were quite obvious between them before... I mean two of my favourite eps are the two most connected ones, The Wish and Doppelgangland... 'tis cool with the sexy Willow and the foreshadowing of #1 her Lesbianism (which admittedly I felt had more to do with Tara as a person rather than her inherent sexuality) and #2 her total badassness as a villain - the Troika may have been the baddies, but Willow was the Big Bad - especially as a Vamp.

And a little basic information on me: I'm 22, I had a perfectly normal sheltered childhood, most Jewish families have in the towns surrounding Tel-Aviv from Anglo-Saxon background (my family is South African) I'm the first Sabra, I was born in Israel and have never lived anywhere else, unless you include the six months I spent in the US with my sister as an Au Pair (see the America saga for time I spend there between Feb-July 2006).
I have no idea what I want to do when I finish Uni, I've barely started that yet.

A defining/important moment in my childhood/teen-hood

*sigh* I don't know! I lived a little sheltered life, nothing happened to me, ever, I was totally oblivious to everything that didn't concern me... even the Gulf War in which Scuds came down on us passed without scarring me (I think, my therapist doesn't seem to think it affected me especially).
There are two things which really come to mind as defining moments or events - and that's probably the birth of my oldest Nephew... suddenly I was auntie and my sister was a mother, I was pretty overwhelmed at the time. I was 16 and when I held him the first time I cried and was really scared I'd drop him or do something horrible, but all I had to do was hold him close and it was okay. Now the boy is six and I have to struggle just to give him a kiss, *sigh* they grow up quick - we do argue about the Beatles though, I'm a John-girl, he's Paul all the way *grin*.
The second event is the second Lebanon War, it affected me in a way I never thought could actually happen in real life, you can find out more by reading my entries about my reserve service (which I no longer do) here - July-Aug 2006.

Vegetarianism

I became a vegetarian very late in life, only two years ago.
My oldest sister has been a veg most of her life and for some reason it never rubbed off on me until I was 21.
I decided to go veg when I realized I wanted to live a more ethical life (which I felt started when I stopped consuming disposable menstrual products and began using a Mooncup), I briefly considered going vegan, but that would have been too much of an imposition on my mother (who cooks the food I eat) and thus kind of negate the whole ethical thing - when I live on my own we'll see what happens.
The whole vegetarian thing, when it comes late in life, is sort of mystifying to old friends and acquaintances: Why now and not before? How much difference does it actually make? Where do you get your protein? But you eat fish* right? It's almost (but not quite) like coming out of the closet, because it requires other to adjust to this new information, which, while not exactly conflicting with the image that one has of me, is still not exactly what they thought.
I really love being a veg, as it opened up a whole new avenue of food that I now eat, which I didn't bother to before - Tofu and different kinds of cheese, fried aubergines, pine nuts - I have more, but none at the top of my head.

*Because for some reason fish is a variant of vegetable o_O

Not to worry! More to come.

Yeah, it's been three years and I get to do a twelve hour course (three meetings, four hours each) where I get to be bored out of my mind in order to get my license renewed.
Blah, what a waste of time!
But at least they don't fall on University hours, two classes are on Tuesday which is a free day and the other is on Sunday when I finish classes early.
So it's not all bad.
Other than, you know, it being a complete waste of time!

But oh well, I'll survive and barring any really negligent and crappy driving on my part (unlikely since I'm a defensive driver in any event and hate driving like I'm in a race for my life) I shouldn't need to go to one of these ever again.

And onto something completely different; On the 4th of March Wafa Sultan was in a debate with Tal'at Remieh on Al-Jazeera: Video with translation on MEMRI-TV.
I really admire Wafa Sultan going up against the culture she left, really going into their faces and saying what needs to be said. I don't agree with her politics as such (because she's a bit of a neocon), but I think she needs to be listened to, she's another voice which is often silenced in the Arab and Muslim world, not only as a moderate but also as a woman.