As Moe suspected, I’ve been too busy with Hanukkah celebration/Christmas preparation to post. I have limited computer access, especially if I don’t want to reveal my secret identity to my extended family. Also, I’ve paid almost no attention to politics for the past few days so I don’t have all that much to write about. I did notice the orange alert, which they seem to arrange for me whenever I come to New York–I was mildly freaked out for 10 minutes, then remembered this has happened about a dozen times before and got over it.
Okay, clearly I will never get this post done unless I do a random list:
1. The Jets game Sunday was painful. Five interceptions. Say it ain’t so, Chad.
2. There’s a rumor that the New Jersey Nets may move to Brooklyn. I’ve always been pretty lukewarm about the Knicks, so I’d definitely transfer my allegiance if this happened. Also, I could root for the Mets, Jets, and Nets, which rhymes.
3. I like the Freedom Tower design, though it seems slightly awkward & a few minor changes from being really great. I don’t like the name so much, and I can’t really figure out why. At first I thought it was a form of protesting too much (like the rule my social studies teacher taught us about how the more complimentary adjectives in a country’s official name, the less democratic the country is.) But I don’t mind the Statue of Liberty or the Liberty Bell so that’s not it. My guess is that the whole stupid Freedom Toast episode last spring seems to have tarnished the word itself a little for me (as well as tarnishing more good natured French bashing, which a good friend of mine has said “used to belong to all of us.) I wouldn’t have thought that was possible. I’m sure the plans to make it a part of the Republican convention have a lot to do with it too…ah well. Hopefully this is the temporary; in the meantime I can call it the French Tower or the Libeskind Tower or what have you.
4. Christmas shopping in Manhattan is really just wonderful. So wonderful that it turned into strolling in Manhattan more than shopping–I walked from 86th Street and Madison, down the park, down past the windows on Fifth Avenue in the 50s, past Rockefeller Center, across town on 48th or 49th to Times Square. My only two mistakes were walking past Fox News headquarters (grrr…arr) and getting on the subway at 42d Street (I don’t mind crowds in general, but oy.)
5. I close with my holiday message of peace, love, joy and schmaltziness. Growing up on Long Island, I sang almost as many Hanukkah songs as Christmas songs in holiday concerts. Most of them were pretty freaking lame, so I was surprised a few years ago to learn how pretty the Hebrew blessings and songs are. This prayer, called the Shehecheyanu, is the third blessing recited on the first night of Hanukkah (it’s used on other occasions too):
Baruch ata adonai elohenu melech ha olam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe who has given us life, sustained us, and allowed us to reach this day.
I believe in God more often than not, but I’m not at all religious and some of my very favorite people are atheists. But I don’t think you need to be religious to know the feeling that must have inspired the person who first wrote that. I hope all of you have it sometime this week.
“At first I thought it was a form of protesting too much (like the rule my social studies teacher taught us about how the more complimentary adjectives in a country’s official name, the less democratic the country is.)”
I was going to make a brilliant comment here, but then I read your co-blogger on “cursing” and I made with the bad words myself, and so I conclude we should all go back to drinking a lot. Except for Katherine, who should read every week of my blog and then marry me.
Oh, look, the sun is rising over the mountains!
Just to freak Katherine out, back here in reality, there have actually only been three previous times they’ve gone to “orange.” Not “a dozen.”
Blogburst over New WTC
Last Updated 11:46:10 26 December 2003 Eastern Standard Time To keep up, check This Feedster Link Felix Salmon spent a good deal of time looking at the proposed design model, and for anyone following the discussion, a very good read….