Sunday, November 12, 2006
There's a lot going on, so this is going to be a rather long entry. I meant for it to come in installments, but other things got in the way. So, as you scroll down, I've titled the different parts. You can read about The Gay Pride Rally, Jamie's Birthday Party, and my experience with Israeli Medicine.
World Gay Pride Rally
This summer, not long after we got to Israel, people from around the world met in Jerusalem for the World Gay Pride. It was supposed to culminate at the end of the week with a big gay pride parade, but due to the war in Lebanon, there weren't enough police or soldiers to secure the area and it had to be postponed. Most of us thought that they would never actually reschedule, but sure enough it was scheduled for Nov 10. Once the date was set on the calendar, however, ultra-orthodox fanatics went crazy and started protesting and rioting, burning garbage cans and tires in the streets. Now, to put you all at ease, the only reason I actually knew of any of this violence was because Rabbi Bennett from home called here and told me about it. The protesting happened in Mea Sharim, the ultra-ultra orthodox neighborhood. So these smarties were busy burning and destroying their own neighborhood. Guess what smarties, the gays don't hang out in that neighborhood!
Continuing the story: out of fear from protests and violence and many, many threats (including some sort of Kabbalistic curse), the parade was moved to a different location, where they could more easily keep the nutcases out. However, once again, politics in this country continue to get in the way. Due to the rising tensions in the Gaza, with many threats of violence from Hamas, there were no longer enough security officers to deploy to the area. So, the parade was changed yet again and became instead a rally, held at a university stadium, where it was completely enclosed and only 3,000 police and soldiers were needed.
So, did we win? It's a toss up. The rally happened in a safe and happy environment. In some ways, being secluded from the city allowed the event to be the kind it should have always been: a day of pride and celebration without fear. But, it was in a hidden place, where you could not see from main streets, away from the fanatics, away from the common citizens. A statement was meant to be made, but was not made. So did we win? Maybe.
I went to the rally with a small group of Jamie's fellow students. It was a gorgeous day outside, no rain, not a cloud. People were in very good spirits, feeling proud and feeling very safe. Unlike other pride events I've been to, this was a very tame event, where everyone was in normal street clothes and fully clothed. The event was MC-ed by two drag queens and we were given a surprise free concert from Hadag Nahash, who I am told is one of the hottest bands in Israel.
There were a few speakers, who I only understood when I bugged those around me to translate. But, in general, the message was "We've won" and "We're proud." An Israeli author came to speak and asked the group, "Why must this rally be in Jerusalem?" And then answered, "Because, if we do not embrace all of our brothers, then this is not a holy city."
Jon Stewart gave some excellent coverage of this event, which I encourage you all to watch at http://youtube.com/watch?v=F2SGKs_eSu8.
Here are some pictures:
Jamie's Birthday
Well, being that Jamie turned 26, a very grown up age, I decided to give him a party that matched both his serious nature and maturity. Yeah right! We had a big potluck pirate party... Arrr!! I turned the apartment into a treasure map, with some stops on the way and ending with treasure (chocolate!). A lot of people showed up and it was lots of fun.
Israeli Emergency Rooms
Well, those of you who have known me a long time will be shocked to find out that Jamie has not had the pleasure of having to take me to the emergency room. Since I happen to be the klutziest person on the Earth, that's quite a miracle. Well, it's changed anyhow. Be warned: this story is not for the weak-stomached.
I woke up sick on Monday and was doing ok most of the day. We assumed I had food poisoning. Jamie eventually came home to help me, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then in the middle of the night--midnight on Jamie's birthday to be exact--I woke up and had gotten so dehydrated that I fainted in the bathroom, then again coming out of the bathroom and then again in Jamie's arms. So, Jamie got to take his first ever adventure with me into an emergency room. And then I fainted again while they were trying to take my blood pressure. Over 3 hours and two liters of IV fluid later, we were back on our way home. Happy Birthday Jamie!
So, I decided to take it easy on Tuesday, figuring I'd be back in the saddle soon enough. Tuesday (still Jamie's birthday) came with more sickness and now a fever. Due to the fever, there wasn't much sleep Tuesday night. Happy Birthday Jamie!
Wednesday. Okay. This is day 3. I should be good by now, right? How long can food poisoning last? Wrong! Still sick!
Thursday. Still sick. I tell Jamie, this is enough take me back to that stupid doctor. So, it's either wait for an appointment all day or back to the ER. Back in the emergency room it is! The doctor doesn't have much interesting to say, other than this is not food poisoning, it is a virus, which I can spend a bunch of money to test out and see what it is, or just wait it out. I'll wait, thank you. He says I should take the anti-nausea medication I was prescribed in the first place. No problem. I'm not a fan of nausea. Back at home, I'm feeling better. The medication is working, I'm eating, I'm walking, life is good. Then, something strange starts happening. My face is moving all by itself. Jamie says I need to relax, so I take a bath, but it's hard to maintain balance when your leg keeps kicking. "Can you look this drug up online Jamie?" Oh look at that, a rare side effect is involuntary muscle spasm. Neat. Off to the ER where they take one look at me, put me to the head of the line, and put me straight on an IV--this time valium--aaahhh. Anna is now a very happy camper and goes home in a foggy good mood.
Friday. I'm out of the house! Hurray! I go shopping at the market. I go to services at a synagogue. I'm like a whole human! Whoops. Apparently I shouldn't have eaten normal food on Friday. Very little sleep Friday night.
Saturday. I'm back to eating small bites of bananas and cheerios with little sips of water. But so far today all food has stayed down, there has been no fainting and no twitching, so I'm counting today as a good day. I'll let you all know when I'm actually whole again.
There's actually more news to give, but this is really long. I'll tell you about my new job soon. Hee, hee. Isn't that a great teaser? Stay tuned...
World Gay Pride Rally
This summer, not long after we got to Israel, people from around the world met in Jerusalem for the World Gay Pride. It was supposed to culminate at the end of the week with a big gay pride parade, but due to the war in Lebanon, there weren't enough police or soldiers to secure the area and it had to be postponed. Most of us thought that they would never actually reschedule, but sure enough it was scheduled for Nov 10. Once the date was set on the calendar, however, ultra-orthodox fanatics went crazy and started protesting and rioting, burning garbage cans and tires in the streets. Now, to put you all at ease, the only reason I actually knew of any of this violence was because Rabbi Bennett from home called here and told me about it. The protesting happened in Mea Sharim, the ultra-ultra orthodox neighborhood. So these smarties were busy burning and destroying their own neighborhood. Guess what smarties, the gays don't hang out in that neighborhood!
Continuing the story: out of fear from protests and violence and many, many threats (including some sort of Kabbalistic curse), the parade was moved to a different location, where they could more easily keep the nutcases out. However, once again, politics in this country continue to get in the way. Due to the rising tensions in the Gaza, with many threats of violence from Hamas, there were no longer enough security officers to deploy to the area. So, the parade was changed yet again and became instead a rally, held at a university stadium, where it was completely enclosed and only 3,000 police and soldiers were needed.
So, did we win? It's a toss up. The rally happened in a safe and happy environment. In some ways, being secluded from the city allowed the event to be the kind it should have always been: a day of pride and celebration without fear. But, it was in a hidden place, where you could not see from main streets, away from the fanatics, away from the common citizens. A statement was meant to be made, but was not made. So did we win? Maybe.
I went to the rally with a small group of Jamie's fellow students. It was a gorgeous day outside, no rain, not a cloud. People were in very good spirits, feeling proud and feeling very safe. Unlike other pride events I've been to, this was a very tame event, where everyone was in normal street clothes and fully clothed. The event was MC-ed by two drag queens and we were given a surprise free concert from Hadag Nahash, who I am told is one of the hottest bands in Israel.
There were a few speakers, who I only understood when I bugged those around me to translate. But, in general, the message was "We've won" and "We're proud." An Israeli author came to speak and asked the group, "Why must this rally be in Jerusalem?" And then answered, "Because, if we do not embrace all of our brothers, then this is not a holy city."
Jon Stewart gave some excellent coverage of this event, which I encourage you all to watch at http://youtube.com/watch?v=F2SGKs_eSu8.
Here are some pictures:
 This is some of the HUC group. The sign reads "Yes to Tolerance No to Violence" |  "Without Borders" |  This is the main stage of the rally. The backdrop "Without Borders". The two drag queens on the side were the MCs and speaking is a member of the Knesset. |
Jamie's Birthday
Well, being that Jamie turned 26, a very grown up age, I decided to give him a party that matched both his serious nature and maturity. Yeah right! We had a big potluck pirate party... Arrr!! I turned the apartment into a treasure map, with some stops on the way and ending with treasure (chocolate!). A lot of people showed up and it was lots of fun.
Israeli Emergency Rooms
Well, those of you who have known me a long time will be shocked to find out that Jamie has not had the pleasure of having to take me to the emergency room. Since I happen to be the klutziest person on the Earth, that's quite a miracle. Well, it's changed anyhow. Be warned: this story is not for the weak-stomached.
I woke up sick on Monday and was doing ok most of the day. We assumed I had food poisoning. Jamie eventually came home to help me, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then in the middle of the night--midnight on Jamie's birthday to be exact--I woke up and had gotten so dehydrated that I fainted in the bathroom, then again coming out of the bathroom and then again in Jamie's arms. So, Jamie got to take his first ever adventure with me into an emergency room. And then I fainted again while they were trying to take my blood pressure. Over 3 hours and two liters of IV fluid later, we were back on our way home. Happy Birthday Jamie!
So, I decided to take it easy on Tuesday, figuring I'd be back in the saddle soon enough. Tuesday (still Jamie's birthday) came with more sickness and now a fever. Due to the fever, there wasn't much sleep Tuesday night. Happy Birthday Jamie!
Wednesday. Okay. This is day 3. I should be good by now, right? How long can food poisoning last? Wrong! Still sick!
Thursday. Still sick. I tell Jamie, this is enough take me back to that stupid doctor. So, it's either wait for an appointment all day or back to the ER. Back in the emergency room it is! The doctor doesn't have much interesting to say, other than this is not food poisoning, it is a virus, which I can spend a bunch of money to test out and see what it is, or just wait it out. I'll wait, thank you. He says I should take the anti-nausea medication I was prescribed in the first place. No problem. I'm not a fan of nausea. Back at home, I'm feeling better. The medication is working, I'm eating, I'm walking, life is good. Then, something strange starts happening. My face is moving all by itself. Jamie says I need to relax, so I take a bath, but it's hard to maintain balance when your leg keeps kicking. "Can you look this drug up online Jamie?" Oh look at that, a rare side effect is involuntary muscle spasm. Neat. Off to the ER where they take one look at me, put me to the head of the line, and put me straight on an IV--this time valium--aaahhh. Anna is now a very happy camper and goes home in a foggy good mood.
Friday. I'm out of the house! Hurray! I go shopping at the market. I go to services at a synagogue. I'm like a whole human! Whoops. Apparently I shouldn't have eaten normal food on Friday. Very little sleep Friday night.
Saturday. I'm back to eating small bites of bananas and cheerios with little sips of water. But so far today all food has stayed down, there has been no fainting and no twitching, so I'm counting today as a good day. I'll let you all know when I'm actually whole again.
There's actually more news to give, but this is really long. I'll tell you about my new job soon. Hee, hee. Isn't that a great teaser? Stay tuned...
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The birthday celebration has begun.
Normally, my birthday celebration begins a few weeks before my actual birthday, but this year is much busier than past ones, so I guess the string of wonderful happenings had to wait until the week before. While the massive flood of work continues, here are some simchas to enjoy:
First, I got an awesome gift certificate to iTunes for my birthday and have already spent some of it on guilty pleasures. I spoke to Andy, Stacy and Mom all on the same night, which was lots of fun. Hooray for Skype! (Plug: call your family around the world for free from your computer: skype.com)
The next day, I got two more voice students, for a new total of four. Maybe I didn't mention that I'm teaching voice lessons. I'm not teaching for the income (although it is definitely bringing in some lunch money), it's just great experience. I'm expected to teach b'nei mitzvah kids next year, and I have very little experience teaching voice except for a few months when I was in college. We'll have to see if my schedule can hold four voice students, although at 30 mins each per week, it's not a huge amount, and I think it's a very worthwhile use of my time.
Later that day, I went to visit the coordinator of student services here at HUC, and got some even more excellent news: a scholarship I'd received from the Israeli gov't has been re-evaluated and--get this--more than doubled the previous award! This particular scholarship is not known for its timely arrival, but it's free money and will probably get to me in time to help out with my move to New York City.
Today, I had a fantastic voice lesson. No one will really understand what I'm talking about, so I won't bother to explain, but I had a breakthrough lesson. Breakthroughs are always exciting.
I'd also like to mention that I've now slept through the night two days in a row, which is the first time in a long while. I don't know what exactly wakes me up, but pretty consistently I'm awake sometime between 3am and 6am. Maybe not a big accomplishment, but definitely a big improvement.
Happy birthday to me!
Normally, my birthday celebration begins a few weeks before my actual birthday, but this year is much busier than past ones, so I guess the string of wonderful happenings had to wait until the week before. While the massive flood of work continues, here are some simchas to enjoy:
First, I got an awesome gift certificate to iTunes for my birthday and have already spent some of it on guilty pleasures. I spoke to Andy, Stacy and Mom all on the same night, which was lots of fun. Hooray for Skype! (Plug: call your family around the world for free from your computer: skype.com)
The next day, I got two more voice students, for a new total of four. Maybe I didn't mention that I'm teaching voice lessons. I'm not teaching for the income (although it is definitely bringing in some lunch money), it's just great experience. I'm expected to teach b'nei mitzvah kids next year, and I have very little experience teaching voice except for a few months when I was in college. We'll have to see if my schedule can hold four voice students, although at 30 mins each per week, it's not a huge amount, and I think it's a very worthwhile use of my time.
Later that day, I went to visit the coordinator of student services here at HUC, and got some even more excellent news: a scholarship I'd received from the Israeli gov't has been re-evaluated and--get this--more than doubled the previous award! This particular scholarship is not known for its timely arrival, but it's free money and will probably get to me in time to help out with my move to New York City.
Today, I had a fantastic voice lesson. No one will really understand what I'm talking about, so I won't bother to explain, but I had a breakthrough lesson. Breakthroughs are always exciting.
I'd also like to mention that I've now slept through the night two days in a row, which is the first time in a long while. I don't know what exactly wakes me up, but pretty consistently I'm awake sometime between 3am and 6am. Maybe not a big accomplishment, but definitely a big improvement.
Happy birthday to me!
