Breaking MooOooOos

Daily Prompt PCN Reflection Until the last person is liberated and the last fascist dust. עברתי חצי הסמסטר עם קפה אזרחות ת״א. אני כל כך שמח שהצטרפתי את הקורס. אני בשלב 9 של 11. בשלב הזה אנו עובדים לבנאות את אוצר מילים שלנו, לדבר יותר עם בטחון עצמי, לידיון ברמה הכי גבוה על כל דבר שמעניין איתנו ולשפר את המבטאים שלנו. אני ממשיך עם השלב הזה עוד כמה סמסטרים עד שיש לי אוצר מילים בעברית כמו האוצר מילים שלי באנגלית. אחרי את זה, אני אלות לשלב 10 לשפר את הדקדוק שלי והכישורים קריאה וכתיבה שלי (שלב 11 אעשה בת״א במקום זוום, ואחר כך אעשה את המבחנים לקבל אישור לעבוד בתחום שלי בעובד סוציאלית בארץ – לא שאחזור מחר אבל אני רוצה שכול הדלתות שלי תהיה פתוחה). אני גם קוראים ספרים באפפ ״ע-ברית״ עז עם יש לכם המלצות (תחשבו ברמה י״ב) אהיה אשמח לקבל אותם! Going Car Free

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God Bless Jewish Mothers

moocowinthecity Apr 10, 2007 0 Comments

My Mom’s mailing me bagels from Bagel Boss (as soon as they’re open from Passover); thank God…we’re entering finals week, I’m not feeling well (seven flights in 48 hours apparently leads to a higher probability that you’ll catch a cold while traveling and this one’s a doozy) and I need a real bagel from New York stat.

For those of you unaware, if you ever make it to New York City, I will state, for an absolute fact, that is is in your vested interest to take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from Penn. Station to Hicksville Station (the Hicksville that I speak of is the same one that is referenced in RENT, and happens to be the town over from where I grew up which is Plainview).

From Hicksville Station take a taxi cab (in-zone should be around $7.00 since taxis on The Island don’t use meters like the ones in The City do, on The Island it’s all based on zones) and tell your driver that you want to go to Bagel Boss (don’t worry, he won’t need directions or an address), in about four to ten minutes (depending on traffic) you will be there (this is our equivalent of Mecca so stop, look outside, take a deep breathe and prepare yourself for what will be a life altering experience)…once inside, you will finally have a taste of a real bagel (and you should order a few flagels while you’re at it, because they’re also amazing).

Bagel Boss bagels can last for up to two weeks unfrozen and longer if you freeze them. The only warning I can give you is that they’re so big, the odds of them fitting into your toaster are slim to none (we had to buy a special toaster to fit them) so I recommend purchasing a toaster oven before you make the trip so you can get the full experience. My personal recommendation is when they start to get slightly hard, microwave them for 30 seconds, then toast them in the toaster oven.

That said,

God Bless Jewish Mothers
God Bless Jewish Food
God Bless New York.

And With that, it’s bed time…man this week is gunna be rough…I am almost done with the real post (I know, I know, I know…mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maximus culpa) but I had more thoughts today which require me to drag out posting it slightly further.

In other news, it snowed again today.

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Words are funny things…

moocowinthecity Apr 9, 2007 0 Comments

If New York was being invaded, you can bet your ass that I would do everything I could to prevent the successful invasion by enemy forces. Molotov Cocktails (we learned how to make those in Hebrew School when an older teacher wanted to make sure that we could take care of ourselves should history repeat itself) to IEDs and whatever tools I could find for the resistance. For my efforts in this country (were I to be successful with whatever band of wo/men I could gather), I would be called a patriot and I would be lauded. Why? Because I would be defending my country, my home and more importantly, my family from a foreign invader who was attacking us. How interesting then, if I were a few countries away I’d be called an insurgent by the same people who, here, would label me a patriot.

Who knew that all we had to do was change the name of “Prisoner of War” to “Enemy Combatant” and all of a sudden our obligations ended. Perhaps in the future we’ll change “Murder” to “Sending on Vacation” and “Stock Fraud” to “Wealth Confusion” and then we can avoid all those hassles that come when you kill people and steal from your workers pension funds and your investors wallets. It’s an orwellian wet dream.

Funny things, these words.

And apparently the same television stations are both left and right wing biased depending on which political party you ask (wouldn’t that then make them center?) and if you fulfill your duties as a citizen you’re a danger to the country and letting the terrorists win. If you stand up for justice and demand truth you are labeled a crazy liberal and you are summarily ignored and apparently God is on everyone’s side (no matter how insane they are)…because they said so (or they have a direct telephone line to the heavens that I’m presently unaware of); and it would seem that no one has read the books that they’re quoting from — at all.

Adults really fuck things up, don’t they?

I’m not an idealist. But I’ve learned a few things and one of them is that if someone’s hungry, you feed them if not because it’s the right thing to do, then because the world can change in a second and very soon that can be you. If someone needs shelter, you find some wood and some nails and you start helping them build shelter; and if some of your friends walk by, they’ll pitch in and soon you’ll have a house; and if enough friends stop by, you can make a few houses and soon you have a village and if you do that, well then something really special happens: you make a community…there’s very few communities these days, though there’s a lot of houses next to each other.

The main difference is that part of being a community means checking on your neighbors, it means bringing them soup when they’re sick, and watching their kids when they’re in a pinch, and driving each other to work and sharing rides when gas prices go up too high and the entire community making sure that children learn right from wrong about the things that really matter in life (not piercings or tattoos or what music is acceptable) but about doing good deeds, loving each other and when they’re older, loving their partner(s) safely, being honest, working hard, volunteering and pitching in when it’s needed and not asking what’s in it for you.

I can only imagine what the world situation would be like if our world leaders who are currently leading us down a short path, grew up in a community instead of a house.

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Words are funny things…

moocowinthecity Apr 9, 2007 0 Comments

If New York was being invaded, you can bet your ass that I would do everything I could to prevent the successful invasion by enemy forces. Molotov Cocktails (we learned how to make those in Hebrew School when an older teacher wanted to make sure that we could take care of ourselves should history repeat itself) to IEDs and whatever tools I could find for the resistance. For my efforts in this country (were I to be successful with whatever band of wo/men I could gather), I would be called a patriot and I would be lauded. Why? Because I would be defending my country, my home and more importantly, my family from a foreign invader who was attacking us. How interesting then, if I were a few countries away I’d be called an insurgent by the same people who, here, would label me a patriot.

Who knew that all we had to do was change the name of “Prisoner of War” to “Enemy Combatant” and all of a sudden our obligations ended. Perhaps in the future we’ll change “Murder” to “Sending on Vacation” and “Stock Fraud” to “Wealth Confusion” and then we can avoid all those hassles that come when you kill people and steal from your workers pension funds and your investors wallets. It’s an orwellian wet dream.

Funny things, these words.

And apparently the same television stations are both left and right wing biased depending on which political party you ask (wouldn’t that then make them center?) and if you fulfill your duties as a citizen you’re a danger to the country and letting the terrorists win. If you stand up for justice and demand truth you are labeled a crazy liberal and you are summarily ignored and apparently God is on everyone’s side (no matter how insane they are)…because they said so (or they have a direct telephone line to the heavens that I’m presently unaware of); and it would seem that no one has read the books that they’re quoting from — at all.

Adults really fuck things up, don’t they?

I’m not an idealist. But I’ve learned a few things and one of them is that if someone’s hungry, you feed them if not because it’s the right thing to do, then because the world can change in a second and very soon that can be you. If someone needs shelter, you find some wood and some nails and you start helping them build shelter; and if some of your friends walk by, they’ll pitch in and soon you’ll have a house; and if enough friends stop by, you can make a few houses and soon you have a village and if you do that, well then something really special happens: you make a community…there’s very few communities these days, though there’s a lot of houses next to each other.

The main difference is that part of being a community means checking on your neighbors, it means bringing them soup when they’re sick, and watching their kids when they’re in a pinch, and driving each other to work and sharing rides when gas prices go up too high and the entire community making sure that children learn right from wrong about the things that really matter in life (not piercings or tattoos or what music is acceptable) but about doing good deeds, loving each other and when they’re older, loving their partner(s) safely, being honest, working hard, volunteering and pitching in when it’s needed and not asking what’s in it for you.

I can only imagine what the world situation would be like if our world leaders who are currently leading us down a short path, grew up in a community instead of a house.

open pasture

The early bird does not necessarily catch the worm…

moocowinthecity Apr 6, 2007 0 Comments

So at 4:25 this morning my cell phone goes off; and I answer it, assuming that one of my friends must be missing at least three limbs and at least half of a major sex organ (those being my requirements for any situation to count as an emergency and therefore acceptable to call me at that hour). I answer it:

Me: “Shalom”
Person: “Hello”
Me: “Who is this?”
Person: “John”
Me: “Okay…”
John: “You listed ‘random play’ under looking for on facebook…”
Me: “Don’t call me at 4:25 in the morning”

So I hang up, assuming that this has to be some assholes idea of a joke when he sends a text message to see if I’d be interested in hanging out (which I responded to and told him to send me a message through facebook because I really do need a visual on this one).

Lacking that, why wouldn’t you just send me a message through facebook in the first place so I could respond to you at a normal hour? Believe me, I know well the natural desires one gets during the spring time (despite the fact that we just had a snowstorm so it feels more like January than it does like spring) however I also know that at 4:25 in the morning you can just jerk yourself off and go to bed and not harass strangers. Also, I don’t know anyone who’s really…um…pleasant at 4:25 am unless you’ve already been sleeping with them in bed and have been curled up for awhile and lacking that, I don’t do booty calls.

I’ll keep you updated as events progress…I planned on going running today; but it’s freaking freezing outside so I’m going to hop back into bed and go running indoors on campus later.

G’night

open pasture

The early bird does not necessarily catch the worm…

moocowinthecity Apr 6, 2007 0 Comments

So at 4:25 this morning my cell phone goes off; and I answer it, assuming that one of my friends must be missing at least three limbs and at least half of a major sex organ (those being my requirements for any situation to count as an emergency and therefore acceptable to call me at that hour). I answer it:

Me: “Shalom”
Person: “Hello”
Me: “Who is this?”
Person: “John”
Me: “Okay…”
John: “You listed ‘random play’ under looking for on facebook…”
Me: “Don’t call me at 4:25 in the morning”

So I hang up, assuming that this has to be some assholes idea of a joke when he sends a text message to see if I’d be interested in hanging out (which I responded to and told him to send me a message through facebook because I really do need a visual on this one).

Lacking that, why wouldn’t you just send me a message through facebook in the first place so I could respond to you at a normal hour? Believe me, I know well the natural desires one gets during the spring time (despite the fact that we just had a snowstorm so it feels more like January than it does like spring) however I also know that at 4:25 in the morning you can just jerk yourself off and go to bed and not harass strangers. Also, I don’t know anyone who’s really…um…pleasant at 4:25 am unless you’ve already been sleeping with them in bed and have been curled up for awhile and lacking that, I don’t do booty calls.

I’ll keep you updated as events progress…I planned on going running today; but it’s freaking freezing outside so I’m going to hop back into bed and go running indoors on campus later.

G’night

open pasture

Dead People Can Talk!

moocowinthecity Apr 5, 2007 0 Comments

Me: “Dr. Michelson, for the Dialect Diagnosis that we have to do; do our participants have to be living?
Dr. Michelson: “What, do you plan on using a Ouija board?”
Me: “no…I’ve been using Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers films, waiting for them to say the words, and then transcribing it….”
Dr Michelson: “Oh…okay that works, outside of that…yes, your participants need to be living.”
Me: “Oh…okay.”

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Dead People Can Talk!

moocowinthecity Apr 5, 2007 0 Comments

Me: “Dr. Michelson, for the Dialect Diagnosis that we have to do; do our participants have to be living?
Dr. Michelson: “What, do you plan on using a Ouija board?”
Me: “no…I’ve been using Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers films, waiting for them to say the words, and then transcribing it….”
Dr Michelson: “Oh…okay that works, outside of that…yes, your participants need to be living.”
Me: “Oh…okay.”

open pasture

Okay, so a brief update before I get on the plane…

moocowinthecity Apr 4, 2007 0 Comments

So I do have the full travelogue ready to post after I get back to PBI Airport later this morning (I’m flying from JFK now to PBI and then dropping Grandma off, going to dinner, taking a two hour nap and leaving somewhere in the vicinity of 4am) but I figured I’d share this little gem first since I still have to go over that entry one more time for spelling and minor details.

Anyways, I’m walking in JFK at the jetBlue terminal in pursuit of caffeine (a noble effort) when I pass this guy who’s six foot two, wearing a tight, fitted, tailored wife-beater, mad arm muscles (a fairly visible six-pack) and gorgeous, tanned skin and (to myself) I go “ai papi!” because the situation called for it. So he keeps walking and I keep looking to see if the trunk is as good as the engine and as I make a full body scan, I see his backpack…and on his backpack, is a large Jewish Star.

…Hot damn I need to get to Israel.

Anyways, time to get Grandma her lunch and prepare to board! More later!

Peace

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Until the last person is liberated and the last fascist dust.

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עברתי חצי הסמסטר עם קפה אזרחות ת״א. אני כל כך שמח שהצטרפתי את הקורס. אני בשלב 9 של 11. בשלב הזה אנו עובדים לבנאות את אוצר מילים שלנו, לדבר יותר עם בטחון עצמי, לידיון ברמה הכי גבוה על כל דבר שמעניין איתנו ולשפר את המבטאים שלנו. אני ממשיך עם השלב הזה עוד כמה סמסטרים עד שיש לי אוצר מילים בעברית כמו האוצר מילים שלי באנגלית. אחרי את זה, אני אלות לשלב 10 לשפר את הדקדוק שלי והכישורים קריאה וכתיבה שלי (שלב 11 אעשה בת״א במקום זוום, ואחר כך אעשה את המבחנים לקבל אישור לעבוד בתחום שלי בעובד סוציאלית בארץ – לא שאחזור מחר אבל אני רוצה שכול הדלתות שלי תהיה פתוחה). אני גם קוראים ספרים באפפ ״ע-ברית״ עז עם יש לכם המלצות (תחשבו ברמה י״ב) אהיה אשמח לקבל אותם!