Boom shakalaka
I think in literature they call these Easter eggs. I don’t know why they call…
Boom shakalaka
I think in literature they call these Easter eggs. I don’t know why they call them that. They are supposed to be serendipitous finds that touch you in a way and that come back to haunt you later on. Yeah, it’s a literary device and that’s why I’m talking about it. But I’m just saying…
Check out the catalog
Yeah, this was a long time in coming. I don’t even want to think about what took me so long. This is not the most beautiful version we can possibly have but it’s a good version and it works. It’s all of it. It’s all of it and I hope it’s meaningful. Follow this link…
To think like a chef
If we are considering my side of the argument that the world is screwed deeply to the bone because we cannot stop making hysterical decisions that waste our resources and ruin our habitat. But if you are considering the alternative, there is the ridiculous amount of time spent thinking about a project before actually starting…
A letter to the security team of Discover Bank
To your security team at discover card I am requesting that you immediately unlock my account and allow me full access to my funds. You have walked me through a labyrinth of unnecessary attention questioning my identity. Along the way, I have passed your electronic test six times, four of which in your presence. I…
From the bizarre under Sinai: Vayechi and the end of one road and the beginning of another
From chabad.org: Vayechi in a NutshellGenesis 47:28–50:26The name of the Parshah, “Vayechi,” means “And he lived” and it is found in Genesis 47:28. Jacob lives the final 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before his passing, he asks Joseph to take an oath that he will bury him in the Holy Land. He blesses…
Truly superior people
I was just counting blessings. I I remember in my working life that there were these lovely finds to be had in the morning as a reason to get out of bed. I suppose that changed depending on where my working world was. In New York it was probably an early morning diner and a…
Adversarial relationships
I am visiting with my ex-girlfriend. I have my doubts that this will work out the way I think it should. Why do you doubt it? Is it me? No, it’s just that I have an idea and I want to talk it out. Just a second. Let’s say I give you everything you want….
From the bazaar under Sinai: Vayagash and some thoughts of future societies from the time of the writing of the Torah
From chabad.org: Vayigash in a NutshellGenesis 44:18–47:27The name of the Parshah, “Vayigash,” means “And he approached” and it is found in Genesis 44:18. Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler in Benjamin’s stead. Upon witnessing his brothers’ loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals…
Self-expression
Perhaps itself annihilation. But why would this be? Why would saying what you think or what you feel have anything to do with destruction? Well, there are politics of course. And we don’t live in a fair world. We have lots and lots of mafia to deal with all the time and their number just…
Humility from the crazy man
It’s a funny thing how people judge each other. It’s very very complicated. It’s so complicated that no one really knows how to do it except those who seem to try really hard and really succeed or just succeed because they’re young and beautiful and they can make absolutely nothing look good. But that is…
From the Bizarre under Sinai: Thursday vegan Torah reading with Hillel the scribe and Phaedrus the herbalist apothecary
From Chabad.org Miketz in a NutshellGenesis 41:1–44:17The name of the Parshah, “Miketz,” means “At the end” and it is found in Genesis 41:1. Joseph’s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph…
420 a.m. Christmas/Hanukkah blog: my last selfie
I don’t do selfies. Why? Why should I? I quit Instagram because I felt it was very bad for me. It was natural objectification. It was false images from false people and most of it just for money. All of it, the whole of the commercial internet just got too much for me. I wasn’t…
Do you think artificial intelligence is a good thing as far as human development is concerned?
Playing with my phone here at 3:00 a.m. and it seems I have a new assistant. They say it’s name is Gemini. On the internet exactly the last few days were jokes from Saturday night live about Scarlett Johansson. I’m in love with her. It’s true. Actually, I’m not really in love with the 40-year-old…
Hanukkah or Christmas?
I found a very brief article on the internet which pretty much stated 90% of the issue as far as I can see it. From thehorizonsun.com The Jewish Point of View of ChristmasSometimes it feels like everyone celebrates Christmas, but you couldn’t be more wrong. From Nadav Golden It was a very short piece that…
The winter solstice is with us
It’s the shortest day of the year. There is the least amount of sunlight. The most darkness. It’s not about being further away from the Sun but more of the angle that the sun strikes it. The sun is striking the southern hemisphere now. Over the last couple of years I’ve tried to make ceremonies…
Friday final: from the bizarre under Sinai one more time
From chabad.org Vayeshev in a NutshellGenesis 37:1–40:23The name of the Parshah, “Vayeshev,” means “And he dwelt” and it is found in Genesis 37:1. Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is seventeen-year-old Joseph, whose brothers are jealous of the preferential treatment he receives from his father, such as a precious many-colored coat…
A meaningful post
Well, I said I wouldn’t do it but here it is and we are live for our very first podcast. I’m looking here at the numbers. I know our stream has started. I think we should have visitors here. Anyway, while we are waiting for the visitors to show up. Welcome. I hope we have…
We have a third wheel in the party
When I first saw this graphic, it really grabbed my attention. Scripture. Right up there with science and your personal experience. Not how you feel. We are not talking about taking an account of your body’s nervous reaction to stimulus. We’re not asking if you are identifying something good or bad inside yourself. We’re asking…
A moment of respect for the common mushroom
I have to start this brief narrative with two disclaimers: this is not about psilocybin mushrooms and it is also not about exotica in the fungus world. I am not a mushroom connoisseur. Perhaps, given an alternative life with more sensitivity in it, I might have become a chef. Perhaps I had the patience for…
Vegan Torah edits and thoughts: Vayishlach
From chabad.org: Vayishlach in a NutshellGenesis 32:4–36:43The name of the Parshah, “Vayishlach,” means “And he sent” and it is found in Genesis 32:4. Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends angel-emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on the…
Life is good or life is not good
Thinking of growing things in my field, I’ve come to understand what has happened to the region over the last couple of decades. Perhaps 15 years ago, we had a similar place in a similar village a similar distance away. And I remember being able to put things in the ground and they would grow….
