My day so far
Feb. 26th, 2005 04:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbyMy friend Avi lives about an hour's walk from the Stage nightclub in Tel Aviv. His grandfather heard the explosion from his bedroom window, then promptly went back to sleep. Avi stayed up all night watching the news, listening to the sirens. I'm glad to have seen an e-mail from him this morning. He wrote:
"I feel great sadness, yet cannot help realize that all is "normal" around me. A few metres from the site, the boardwalk is host to thousands of strollers and sun worshippers, a street performer plays with a boa constrictor and exotic parrot, and local cafes are streaming with locals. Suddenly, a sense of deja vous occurs. This is exactly the sort of thing I witnessed in The West Bank only a few years ago, where Palestinian life would return to "normal" after a heavy Israeli incursion, bombing, or collective punishment. Strange to my Canadian mind, but a test of courage and strength to the people here."
So it goes.
Very tired today. It was my grandmother's birthday, so I went up to see her. She is truly spectacular in her ability to be monumentally offensive within a short period of time. I admit that I goad her a little, giving her details that I know will disturb her when she asks about my life.
"Your mother said that you cooked her an incredible dinner recently."
"Oh, she's talking about the curry. It's my friend's family recipe." Pause, then, "He's from Pakistan...he knows his curry."
Cue the scowl. Maybe I should stick to matzoh ball soup? (Not that I don't like matzoh ball soup...but you get the gist.)
Or relaying the (I thought) rather amusing story of meeting D.'s parents for the first time last night; Indian parents being essentially exactly like Jewish parents in their parent-ness and OMG-feed-the-complete-stranger urges. Which in this case was messy and probably resulted in the first impression that their son's friend is an extremely klutzy white girl. Fairly accurate first impression, actually.
The granny: "You don't need to make good impressions on those sorts of people."
Me: "What sorts of people?"
"You've all broken my heart. First your uncle with the shiksa, then your mother, and now you, too?"
"It's okay, I don't intend to marry my friend's parents. Or anyone else, for that matter."
Oy. Thank you, Grandma, for not even making the slightest attempt to restrain your rampant racism in my company. At least she didn't say anything suicidal-ish. I wouldn't be able to take it. 80-something years is more than enough, more than is given to people who are far more deserving and far less hateful. It sounds cold, I know, but I have no patience for her crap.
But hey, enough of my ranting. Happy birthday, Grandma. If nothing else, you've given me yet another anecdote to use when I try to explain to people where I come from and what my family's like.
Check out what I found all over the subway station:
You know, insane, paranoid anti-Papists really shouldn't litter. Actually, no one should litter. The subways are for everyone's use, so you should keep them clean.
"I feel great sadness, yet cannot help realize that all is "normal" around me. A few metres from the site, the boardwalk is host to thousands of strollers and sun worshippers, a street performer plays with a boa constrictor and exotic parrot, and local cafes are streaming with locals. Suddenly, a sense of deja vous occurs. This is exactly the sort of thing I witnessed in The West Bank only a few years ago, where Palestinian life would return to "normal" after a heavy Israeli incursion, bombing, or collective punishment. Strange to my Canadian mind, but a test of courage and strength to the people here."
So it goes.
Very tired today. It was my grandmother's birthday, so I went up to see her. She is truly spectacular in her ability to be monumentally offensive within a short period of time. I admit that I goad her a little, giving her details that I know will disturb her when she asks about my life.
"Your mother said that you cooked her an incredible dinner recently."
"Oh, she's talking about the curry. It's my friend's family recipe." Pause, then, "He's from Pakistan...he knows his curry."
Cue the scowl. Maybe I should stick to matzoh ball soup? (Not that I don't like matzoh ball soup...but you get the gist.)
Or relaying the (I thought) rather amusing story of meeting D.'s parents for the first time last night; Indian parents being essentially exactly like Jewish parents in their parent-ness and OMG-feed-the-complete-stranger urges. Which in this case was messy and probably resulted in the first impression that their son's friend is an extremely klutzy white girl. Fairly accurate first impression, actually.
The granny: "You don't need to make good impressions on those sorts of people."
Me: "What sorts of people?"
"You've all broken my heart. First your uncle with the shiksa, then your mother, and now you, too?"
"It's okay, I don't intend to marry my friend's parents. Or anyone else, for that matter."
Oy. Thank you, Grandma, for not even making the slightest attempt to restrain your rampant racism in my company. At least she didn't say anything suicidal-ish. I wouldn't be able to take it. 80-something years is more than enough, more than is given to people who are far more deserving and far less hateful. It sounds cold, I know, but I have no patience for her crap.
But hey, enough of my ranting. Happy birthday, Grandma. If nothing else, you've given me yet another anecdote to use when I try to explain to people where I come from and what my family's like.
Check out what I found all over the subway station:
You know, insane, paranoid anti-Papists really shouldn't litter. Actually, no one should litter. The subways are for everyone's use, so you should keep them clean.
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Date: 2005-02-26 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 05:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-28 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 11:04 pm (UTC)My Grandma Davis actually lived with my parents, sister, and me for a couple of years, when I was in Junior High, and those were literally the two most difficult years of my life. Not only were my sister and I stuck in the same bedroom together, our malicious grandmother would literally cackle with glee, then browbeat our mom if she so much as heard us disagree, let alone have the kinds of drop-down, drag-out fights that are second nature to 11 and 13 year old sisters.
I'm glad you are good at coping, and pushing just enough of her buttons to let her know you're on to her!
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Date: 2005-02-26 11:35 pm (UTC)Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-26 11:05 pm (UTC)There are still crepes you know. And blackberries.
Re: Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-26 11:37 pm (UTC)Soooo...I am getting Luna tomorrow. I'm rather excited about having another kitty in the house, even if it's only temporary. Let me know when you want to fetch her, or I could bring her down to your place and take you up on the crepe offer at the same time. Whatever works for you.
Re: Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-27 12:39 am (UTC)Hokay...I still need to acquire cat-accoutrements, but I can do that tomorrow morning, at the Zellers nearby. (I can also get needles for the baby blanket, which I so need to start. Hmmmm...new knitting project and new kitty...this might be unwise.)
So if you wanted to bring her over tomorrow, that would work. If you want her to visit for longer, that's cool too, and I can feed you crepes some other time.
I'll have to find someone to feed her while I'm in Vancouver this weekend. Poor beastie.
Re: Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-27 12:45 am (UTC)Re: Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-27 01:21 am (UTC)Re: Jeebus! Can't people pick sensible things to fear?
Date: 2005-02-27 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 11:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-26 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 05:42 am (UTC)By the way, Raspberry Reich fucking rocked.
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Date: 2005-02-27 07:36 pm (UTC)Cameron Bailey gave it only 3 Ns in Now. Boohiss.
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Date: 2005-02-27 07:41 pm (UTC)I wasn't sure that the shots from underneath the guy's balls were particularly necessary, mind you, although that didn't change the fact that I was laughing hysterically throughout the entire thing.
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Date: 2005-02-27 10:20 pm (UTC)Hon, it's porno, what did you expect? ;]
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Date: 2005-02-27 04:00 am (UTC)-Anonymous :)
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Date: 2005-02-27 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 05:45 am (UTC)Theirloveissosuicidal!!! ;)
Had to use a fandomism there.
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Date: 2005-02-27 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 05:53 am (UTC)Nu, make them!
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Date: 2005-02-27 06:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 06:31 am (UTC)(There's a logistical problem with Arafat/Sharon...of course you could write an AU fic tee hee :) )
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Date: 2005-02-27 06:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 06:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 06:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 03:34 pm (UTC)Are those gackable?
Never had the old racist grandparents thing. More the other end of the spectrum. Old Victor Perlo was a dedicated anti-racist, but also once told me, "Stalin, yeah, well he made a few mistakes."
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Date: 2005-02-27 04:12 pm (UTC)Also, hee.
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Date: 2005-02-27 05:45 am (UTC)Your grandma is worse than my grandpa.
My family sees our similarity to east asians and desis. Weird your grandma doesn't see it.
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Date: 2005-02-27 05:49 am (UTC)heh
Date: 2005-03-18 08:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 05:38 pm (UTC)btw you should have seen how fast we all got used to walking around with gas masks during the first Gulf War.
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Date: 2005-02-27 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 09:19 pm (UTC)-Anonymous
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Date: 2005-02-27 09:30 pm (UTC)and, man. i'm so used to suicide bombings. that must be bad. here, everyone just reads about it in the paper, and then go on to smoking a cigarette, or reading the sports section, or travelling up north or to eilat, just going on with whatever it is they were doing. it's just the norm. maybe things would be different if this had not been the case, but i don't know if for better or worse...
when i heard it happened, for example, i just said to myself, "hmm. that's odd. couldn't they have picked a more popular club?"
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Date: 2005-02-27 09:32 pm (UTC)Is it bad that I LOLed at that?
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Date: 2005-02-27 09:33 pm (UTC)hmm. that's odd. couldn't they have picked a more popular club?
Date: 2005-02-27 10:22 pm (UTC)