don't cry for me, Sarah Palin

This is brilliant. She even has a nice singing voice.

Muslim does not equal Terrorist

Colin Powell on Obama:

"Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian," he said. "But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

I have been waiting three months for someone to say this. The anti-Muslim sentiment in America echoes the anti-Japanese feelings of WWII and frankly, the antisemitism in Europe pre Holocaust. I'm a little disappointed that Obama hasn't brought this up, in response to all the flak that is pointed HIS way, but I can understand that the words, "What is wrong with being a Muslim" coming out of his mouth would be skewed and used in a commercial against him. I'm relieved that Powell finally brought this up. His words carry a lot of weight.

the year 2004

I'm cleaning out my old computer and found this...

The Year 2004

Start the year off right at Planned Parenthood
Max weird 2nd dinner
Salinity Experiment
Anna Bday at Indian restaurant
RDG's Shabbat dinner
Jenny and Aaron engagement party
Miriam Cat in the Fiddle and meet Josh
Awful Kaiser Dr. Rice exam
Ramah Winter Weekend
keep subbing for Rasa
meeting with Evan in Valencia
Smallville w/ Ronen
Rachel SaddleRanch Bday
Drinks with Jeremy at St. Nick's
Mission San Juan Capistrano field trip
Sierra to Smallville at Ronen's
Friday Night Live
Ramah Winter Weekend
Purim Carnival
Humantaschen with Miriam and roommate Stephanie
DOTs at CAF with Vanessa
Adat Ari El Music Man
Ramah VBS winter weekend
dinners with Justin to plan HaHa weekend
KidBid Day at the Zoo with Brigitte
Yoga Booty Ballet with Eve, Tova, Margaret
San Diego with Miriam - stay at Bev's, see Fusion
Pesach in Oakland with Anna
Lakers playoffs with Jeremy
Daniel Z dates at Thai and Drinks and ew kiss
Rachel sleep overs
Ramah Shomrei weekend with parents
KidBid dinner party with Rasa
Mexican cave restaurant with Justin
HaHa weekend meeting Nicole
Fumigating the apt
Noura CafÈ with Ronen
meeting Abbey at the Grove with Ronen and Heath
Mummy's dinner at VBS
Cheesecake dinner, The Ring at Ronen's 3am hookup
ISRAEL Sabba's grave, Nadav's BM, Ceasarea, back spasm, West Bank jeep tour, backpack stolen, flu, lice
DMV new license
Open House at TIOH
Benja's graduation at Ebell Theatre - Moshe Joseph
Miriam sublets room
Pacific Palisades with Ronen
Camp Ramah HaHa Nitzanim
BFF with Nicole and Hilary
Haley pregnant
Liz and Dale engaged
MattLowe engaged!?
fabulous apt with Miriam and Abbey
Paint room and Norah Jones
Jenny wedding shower
IKEA with brother Aaron
Eve goodbye party
Meet Julie K at TIOH and back to 4th grade
Ronen
Nicole and MattLowe Nathan's party
series of cancelled dinner plans
Adam and Miri visit
Miriam's potluck at La Cienega park
LA County Fair with Abbey
Brunch with Anna, Van, Jenny, Becca
sing at Neilah with Daddy
hear about Ronen's mom Dinner at apt with Tova and Margaret
LICE
funeral and shivas
Shabbat dinner at Graff's
TIOH sub for Gala Hebrew School
Chocolate Martini with Zach at WoodRanch
Sukkot dinner at Graff's with Rachel and Felice
new retainers, fix tooth
Glenda's Friday night dinner
bowling with Aaron
Smallville party
Pythos and Damian dinner with Van and Jenny
Mador Shabbat
I Heart Huckabees
Bacci with Naomi, Ezra, Irvine Bacci League
Crap with Ronen
Abbey Bday Mexican Cantina and Bowling
Red Sox win World Series
Desperate Housewives TV
Nomi, Raphael, Zohar visit
Kerry vs Bush election
My birthday game night Taboo
Jenny Bachelorette Party at Pearl
Family Bday dinner at Cheesecake
Palm Springs with Rachel, Mummy
dead cell phone business
Tova and Karen house party
Friday Night Lights movie disaster
Sigal, Barbara Hacker's niece from Israel
brunch with Jeremy at Nick's
brunch with Anna at Le Conversation
Rachel R never speaks to me again
Brunch with roomies at Blueberry Morning in SaMo
Free UCLA a capella with Sigal and Abbey
Hannukah magazine presents to family
First Shabbat dinner at apt with guests
Aaron Drivers' Ed
tell all to Glenda
Jenny and Aaron's wedding
New York with Nicole! Hillary, The Met, Sushi Shabbat, Saved!, Midnight Mass, H&M, Mexican work party, Italians, Roee, Modern Orthodox play, button necklaces and Chinese with Sarra and Betsey, snow!
Glenda "sleep over" party

bitter flashbacks of bureaocracy

THIS is why I am so deliriously happy to be out of the shithole district we call LAUSD. I used to get new students with only thirty seconds of warning. My first year teaching, it happened TEN TIMES. Two of the times were students who didn't speak a word of English. I secured parent agreements to retain two students who were seriously not up to par and the school office passed them on. They claimed the parents hadn't agreed but it was pure baloney.

they are learning and even APPLYING!!!!!

I asked my students this morning if any of them had actually watched the debate and Julie's hand stuck up in the air like she was about to burst, so I called on her and she exclaimed with pride, "I watched and took Cornell Notes!" She opened her binder and sure enough, there were her two column notes complete with topics and bullet points and even a few quotes.

time to clear out the texts

For a second i didn't know what you were talking about and thought you were referring to staying together in hotel? Like you were going to surprise me with butt sex. LOL

The best part about Amish friendship bread is that you are not supposed to use a metal spoon to mix it.

We jumped a fence into the veterans cemetery and made out.

Hope your ride was ok and your bald vagina is doing fine.

I'm in awe. And i'm wearing a toga.

P.S. If I die of texting while driving please tell my family I love them.

Im at a bbq. Want 2 have some crazy sex?

Please text me Matt's phone # I actually had it and lost it - I will tell him that you advertised it on a porn website.

Launderette at the door?
(Do you mean lingerie?)
French spelling.

Doesn't it feel nice to have dry pits?

I'm selling some 1st graders cheap if anyone is interested. One named monaye is up for grabs! She's feral.

I'm going on a blind date. Call me in an hour and say ur in labor.

How did the name Pieter Van Den Hoogenband slip through our fingers, Raj!?

Masturbate. Less drama.

Do you want her address? Are you looking for more faux fur in your life?

Exes suck. Paris wanted to hang out tonight and I said i couldn't cuz i had diarrhea!

Are you a Shlemiel? In yiddish?

There is a large naked man sleeping in my bed.
Liz wants to know in what ways you mean large...

A. Do you have psoriasis? B. Remind me to ask you about sex.

Want to cum over and eat bread? im off at 7

I just read your last text and now I'm hard at Whole Foods.

Hi. Chewing my nasty gum, thinking of you.

It is gross to admit that I haven't washed the sweat pants I'm currently wearing (and have worn daily since purchasing) ever?

anthem

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

School has started, dating has gone awry, I got back together with the emotionally unavailable guy, after six weeks, because he admitted some of his feelings for me, and acted like a boyfriend, and man have I enjoyed it. But tomorrow he leaving for South America for three months, maybe more. Last night we said goodbye, and it was sad and sweet. He said he was going to miss me, which is everything I wanted to hear. There were long hugs and a half-night sleep over and lots and lots of cuddling (God I hate that word) and I did cry. Well, the tears didn't start until he left, but the eyes were welling. He is the best kisser I've ever kissed; that's what got me into trouble in the first place. The first time our feet touched I swear, I felt a jolt of electricity, and when we kissed I remember thinking, Whoa! This is fucking awesome.

A little part of me is hopeful that when he gets back maybe we can do it for real, but the rational part of me knows it's a really long time from now, and we didn't make any agreement, and who knows where both of us will be in January. Or March or April, because it could be that long, too.

Today I discovered Leonard Cohen. His song, Anthem, I love. It's too bad he wasn't a great singer because he sure was an amazing writer.