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This morning I went to visit my grandparents and to a farmer’s market nearby. They live about half an hour away, but over a toll bridge, and we go visit them every two weeks. On a way I heard one of the most fun things on the radio. They started with a classic Russian song, on the accordion, which after a verse transitioned into a modern hip-hop commentary on the song, the singer and the lyrics. It was very amusing and clever. A good combination of musical genres that did not feel tacky.

Bear came over in the afternoon and we went to a zoo. It was raining all morning, pouring really, and I was feeling very lethargic and didn’t particularly wanted to go outside but we overcame the inertia and went on a date we were planning. This is a very local zoo but one that boasts a big reptile house with pythons and all kinds of rattlesnakes and turtles. I learned more about snakes then I ever knew. They even had an example of snake heart and the how it beats. They also had a small tropical wing with spider monkeys, which looked at people just as much as people looked at them, bats, tarantulas, and lots of marmosets. I’ve never seen marmosets before and they were very cute creatures that looked like small balding old men. The zoo had Geoffrey’s marmoset. They are a type of primate, small in size and very fuzzy. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-headed_Marmoset In the small African wing there were two leopards. One was pacing back and forth waiting for its dinner; it was making me a bit nervous. The zookeeper said they eat a pound of special cat food, calibrated to their weight.

After the zoo we went to a Halloween store to look at costumes and scary props. They had really nice party goblets that were black and said “poison” on them.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: The last five chapters of the Genesis are mainly about the death of Jacob. Nothing too crazy is going on. But the “blessings” Jacob bestows on his sons are a bit frelled up since some are not exactly positive. Jacob still resented the fact that his oldest son Reuben slept with an equivalent of his step-mother, since Reuben seduced one of the servants who bore Jacob children. So Jacob told him that for all his excellence, Reuben will “no longer excel” because he “defiled” his father’s bed. Simeon and Levi who murdered all men from the tribe of a guy who raped their sister, got the “blessing” of being dispersed and scattered. (Jacob is referring to future tribes here, since the twelve sons are the founders of the tribes of Israel. Israel is a name given to Jacob by God after they fought one night in a very HoYay way) Some sons like Judah and Joseph receive blessings in the traditional sense, they are the favorites along with Benjamin. There are certainly preferences of Jacob, he favors some sons over others which can be seen in his blessings. This is it for Genesis. I will take a short break from the Bible and start on Exodus on October 1. I’m on Bible overload. But I finished Genesis!
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Today was a pretty mellow day, not much going on. I was watching more “Battlestar Gallactica” with Papa. I like watching it all at once; I think the show benefits from uninterrupted viewing since the episodes occur one right after the other. And I like all the characters, which is rare in a show. It is not my favorite show ever but it is entertaining.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: I can’t believe I’m almost done with Genesis, tonight I will read the last five chapters (I read them late at night). I think sticking to a plan of five chapters a day and looking for a crazy moment to write about helped me to stick to it. Last night’s reading was not that crazy but still some moments stood out. I did like some realistic touches like when pharaoh gets Joseph out of prison after two years, he gives him time to shave and change his clothes, since I’m sure he was stinky. And when Joseph leaves the room to cry for a thousand’s time after he interacts with his brothers – who sold him in the slavery in the first place – he takes time to wash his face before going back into the room. Joseph tries to be a bit of a bastard and play his brothers since he wants for them to bring his youngest brother Benjamin into Egypt. Then he tries to set it up so Benjamin would remain in Egypt by having his men conceal a cup in Benjamin’s bag, not really counting on his brother Judah try to trade himself for Benjamin’s freedom. For all his scheming it seems Joseph’s heart is not really into it because he confesses to his brothers about who is he pretty quickly (since they did not recognize him). He also cries a lot and doesn’t blame his brothers for selling him into slavery that much. Well at least he grew rich. It just the whole story with his brothers not recognizing him, and traveling back and forth from Canaan to Egypt and hiding the cup, turned out pretty pointless since they still got all “happily ever after” ending.
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Dollhouse S2E1 )

I love the opening sequence music in “Battlestar Gallactica,” it is haunting and very appropriate to end of the world feeling. I’m tempted to buy a CD.

I went over Chapter 2 of the Hebrew book today (I’m using “The First Hebrew Primer: Third Edition”) : the second half of the alphabet and the rest of the vowels. I think I’m getting better at not getting confused by similar looking letters. The chapter had more English words written in Hebrew letters and that helped. I pulled vocab cards from the future chapter to get a heads up but I still have one more chapter on vowels and pronunciation exceptions. I don’t want to do too much at one time, my brain needs to process and distinguish my “r” and “d”s.

I’m having a bit of fanfic withdrawal. But I’m staying firm on my goal. I’ll just have to settle for a book version that’s coming out this month.

I need to write more (when I say ‘write’ I mean my dissertation work); this week grading consumed too much of my time. Goals for next week: start the conference paper and work on the corresponding chapter.

Bear’s parents are getting a new dog soon, maybe. Well, at least if it is another beagle it won’t take me as long to adjust to it. Hopefully the dog and I can come to an understanding where he stays away from me and doesn’t touch me and not take it personally and I can be in the same room with him.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: Judah son of Jacob had three sons in this story: Er, Onan and Shelah. He married off the oldest, Er to a woman named Tamar. Now God was pissed at Er and killed him. So Judah married Tamar to his second son Onan. The idea was for Onan to get Tamar pregnant and then the resulting child would have counted as Er’s child. Onan didn’t like that idea too much; well he liked marrying Tamar and sleeping with her plenty, he just did not want his sperm to conceive his brother’s child. And while sleeping with Tamar he made sure she wouldn’t conceive. God didn’t like that too and killed Onan. (this is the part of story that makes the Catholic Church pronounce that “spilling seed on the ground” is evil. Context, church, context. What you mean, church, is not what the story is about. If my students were explaining quotes and interpreting that way, I would fail them) But this is not the most WTF moment of this story. After Onan dies, his younger brother Shelah is still a kid. Judah sends Tamar back to her family to wait for Shelah to grow up. Years pass, the boy grows up but Judah doesn’t honor his promise. Tamar decides to take matters into her own hands. After Judah’s wife dies and he travels somewhere, Tamar puts on a veil and changes her clothes and sits in Judah’s path. He takes her for a hooker and asks to sleep with her. To be fair he didn’t recognize his daughter in law and he did ask. They arrange for a payment of a goat, and in the meantime Judah turned over a seal and other things as collateral. Tamar then gets pregnant. Three month later, Judah gets a report that she is pregnant and orders her to be burned, thinking she is sleeping around. He is shamed after she shows him the collateral and acknowledges that she is more right than he since he did promise her his third son. Tamar gives birth to twins.
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So it turns out that not getting enough sleep plus bleeding plus not eating until 2pm causes lightheadedness and the whole about to keel over feeling. Probably anemia acting up or at least that is what I choose to believe.

“Bones” had an episode with a James Bond theme. That show is like cotton candy, a flimsy fun show, the only procedural I like and mostly for the characters. Although the images of dead flesh, especially one guy’s body eaten by cats, were a bit too much. I did like how they focused on some kitties afterward staring at Booth and licking their faces.

I also appreciate that people on “Battlestar Gallactica” have hair and dirty faces one would have in a shitty situation, and not perfectly coiffed with nice make-up in the middle of apocalypse like many other shows and movies I won’t name (cough... terminator:salvation …cough)

Genesis WTF moment of the day: When Jacob returned to the land where he was born with his whole family, one guy in a neighboring town took a liking to Jacob’s daughter Dinah. So he took Dinah and raped her. But, of course, it was OK from his perspective because he fell in love with her afterward and wanted to marry her. The guy and his father went to Jacob to get his permission and everything. Jacob’s sons (and he had twelve from four mothers) did not take this so well and planned revenge. They pretended they were good with the marriage as long as the guy, his father and every single male in the town got circumcised. On the third day after the whole town did that and all men lay there still in pain, a few of the brothers came to the town and killed all men while they were in their weakened state. Of course, the brothers also looted the town, took away all herds and money and women and children to. A little excessive on their part there. Oh, and Rachel had another son, Benjamin, and she died in childbirth asking Jacob to name their son Ben-Ori. Jacob disregarded her last wishes there.
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Today was a grading day. Pretty monotonous. I have to return papers to them tomorrow so I needed to just get them done. My better class is better at writing too; they have fewer failing papers. Can’t wait to finish this batch tomorrow morning. And of course, I get new rough drafts right after that with a new department policy to comment on rough draft for Paper 2. Joy.

I interrupted the monotonous nature of the day by falling down the stairs. I was coming down for lunch and my right foot kind of slipped on the top step and I ended up sliding all the way to the second floor. At least that’s what I think happened, it was too fast, I was just trying to stay in a sort of seated position and not tumble over. I know I pulled a muscle in my right arm, but otherwise I’m fine. Well, it is a good thing I have enough meat on my butt to cushion my slide down! My adventure of the day!

Broke the grading in the afternoon to make some rice. Papa called from work and asked me to make it today. I don’t just make regular rice, I make it with chicken broth instead of water and it is just delicious. Vegetable broth should work just as well. I got the recipe out of Betty Crocker cookbook and it works every time and makes for a flavorful rice. Here is the recipe; I always make the mushroom version:


rice recipe )

Sony is awesome. I called in with my computer problem yesterday morning and their repair guy was over my house by four this afternoon with the replacement part. I’m sort of in shock of how easy that was.

WWZ is reminding me a bit of “Day of the Triffids”. People seem to use similar strategies in disasters.

Season 2 of “Battlestar Gallactica” started out with an intense and awesome episode. Way to hook me in, show.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: Jacob went to his uncle’s house (Rebecca’s brother) so that his twin brother wouldn’t kill him for stealing his blessing. When he got there he fell in love with his youngest cousin Rachel. So he worked for his uncle for seven years to be allowed to marry her. But at the wedding, his uncle gave him the older daughter Leah instead. Now Jacob only realized this on the following morning once he already slept with Leah. Now the question is: how did he not realize it wasn’t Rachel way before that. He lived in their house for seven years. I guess like his father Isaac who in old age and blindness couldn’t tell Jacob apart from his brother even as he recognized the voice as belonging to Jacob, Jacob ignored the obvious. He did marry Rachel a week later as his second wife and worked another seven years for her and sired lots and lots of children with his wives and their servants, so everything worked out. Incidentally Rachel only had one son, Joseph, since apparently almost all the matriarchs have infertility issues that God had to solve.
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This morning I had to deal with fun little details. First my computer started making this noise in the left speaker. It was mild before but this morning it was really loud. It is probably the fan not working properly since the noise is intermittent. Since my laptop is only six month old, it is still under warranty, so I wasn’t worried too much. And I will get a personalized home visit to replace the fan thing within a week. But reaching the company was a circle of bureaucratic hell. I started with the website and tried to fill in the repair form and it wouldn’t recognize the model number. I clicked on “Contact Us” next and under “repair” section they sent me back straight to repair form that wouldn’t work. Finally I called the number I found, where automatic voice suggested I look at the website for any questions or problems. I held on and after a short time was actually connected to a human being who found my records easily, noted my problem and set up the home visit. It was actually too easy. I’m not breathing a sigh of relief yet until they actually show up and fix it.

After that fun morning activity I had to fix another problem. I picked up my paycheck yesterday and it is a good thing I bothered to go and get it now. I looked at what they paid me and the number seemed a little low. This was the first paycheck, so I didn’t know for sure how much I was supposed to get. I had a strong suspicion that they were only paying me for one class instead of two so I called department’s paycheck person today. Turns out I was right. Good thing I don’t need the money right away. They fixed it, of course, but it just reinforces that I need to double check everything myself.

I started on the Hebrew lessons today. I worked on chapter one which is a review of first half of the alphabet and three vowels. It was the first time I wrote out the letters and I used that iTunes class as a guide. It just reinforces the alphabet and reading since I still have to get used to it. I like when they give English words written in Hebrew letters so at least I would know if I’m pronouncing it right. They don’t always do that, but that is most effective.

The ocean today in the evening has this golden glow close to sunset. It didn’t last long but it was very pretty.

Read more “World War Z” today, mostly about government’s ineffectual handling of any disaster and the panic people are thrown in. This book feels very realistic since people act like people would with both ugly and generous behavior. The only thing that bugs me is the stories from women’s perspectives. There are not a lot of them proportionally which in a way makes sense because governments and soldiers and intelligent communities are not known to be very representative. But we read a story of an architect who in her story is pretty much a mother saving her children, a story of a little girl and a story of a Russian female soldier and it seems underbalanced in the role women play. I’m probably just over thinking this and should just enjoy the book. The book does make me think of what I would do in the situation. Probably get a shotgun, not that I ever held a gun in my life, and get out of the cities. Head north or something.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: Last night’s passages – Genesis 21-25 - where pretty straight forward, some even a bit romantic. The care Abraham took to bury Sarah properly and Isaac seeing Rebecca for the first time after Abraham’s servant fetches her from Abraham’s homeland were both moving moments. And Rebecca’s relatives even sort of asked her opinion about traveling so far from her home to marry Isaac. So the WTF moment has to go to Abraham getting ready to sacrifice Isaac when the latter was young. A familiar story was just weird in little details. We are not really privy to too much of what Isaac was thinking at the time, just him wondering why they were not taking up a lamb up with them along with all the wood. It was Abraham’s nonchalant attitude to God’s request that earned the WTF status. When Sara kicked Abraham’s son Ishmael and his servant mom out of the house, Abraham was a bit upset and uncomfortable with that. Yet God tells him to sacrifice Isaac and he doesn’t even blink. He just takes up the wood for the altar for burning, ties Isaac up on it and is ready with a knife to stab him before God finally stops it. Last night, when Bear and I were talking about this, he just came up with one hilarious script for what God might have said once he stopped Abraham. I can’t reproduce it here, I won’t do it justice, but it was hysterical (God: Dude, I was kidding, Jeez).
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I was feeling all blah and sleep-deprived since 3pm but watching a new two hour premiere of “House” right now made me feel all happy.

House S6 E1-2 )

Today was a very long day, like all Mondays this semester, mainly because I have to get up at 6:30, teach two classes, grade many papers and write up a worksheet for next week. I had good classes but teaching and grading just drains me. We were discussing the second reading today and the issues of medical ethics regarding genetically engineering children to cure their siblings. They read Lisa Belkin’s article “Made-To-Order-Savior” about two families who had children with Fanconi anemia, a genetic disease that leads to leukemia and early death. To save their children, the two families submitted to rounds of in-vitro fertilization and testing the blastoplasts to find an embryo that would be a genetic match for their sick child for future bone marrow donation. They hope that their second child will be a genetic match and they do all they can to make sure it will be. It is an emotional story to read but students respond well to it. In both classes we had a good debate about pros and cons of this technology. I like one of my classes more than the other, but both had interesting ideas. A few kids can’t see past religion but the debate was civilized.

I got my Hebrew textbook and vocabulary cards in the mail today. I can start some proper studying tomorrow. I need to learn the proper terms for vowels. I’m actually excited about learning something new.

I was listening to Mozart’s “Requiem” today as I was grading to block out the noise in the office and I was reminded once again why it is my favorite piece of classical music. It is just perfect.

Last night I finally submitted my book review, now I just have to wait to hear if it needs revisions or anything.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: So I thought that I would write about Lot’s daughters getting their father drunk and pretty much raping him without his knowledge to “preserve the family line”. I would think he had figured it out once they got pregnant while living alone with him in a cave. However, that was not the weirdest moment of last night’s reading. It turns out that when Abraham was going into a new land and claiming that Sara was his sister so that he wouldn’t get killed he wasn’t technically lying. He moved into a new place again and the king there took Sara into his house as his wife after Abraham’s claim. And then God threatened to kill the king and king’s family for messing with a married woman and the king confronted Abraham. Turns out that Sara is Abraham’s half-sister through their father. Luckily for the king, he didn’t sleep with Sara, which saved his life from God’s wrath. The King just gave Abraham a lot of slaves and animals and freedom to live wherever to pacify everybody and restore Sara’s “reputation”. This reads like a con that Abraham is pulling on these kings with God as his enforcer.
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I started reading “World War Z: oral history of the zombie war” by Max Brooks this morning and I was not expecting how much I would like it. I couldn’t put it down. Well, partly because I knew I had to grade papers and wanted to do anything but. But it is really, really good. It is not the zombies who are fun, it is people’s response to a plague that is encroaching and terrifying. Reactions of governments and different people are very realistic. The book is written as an oral interview with a bunch of survivors and that writing choice works incredibly well. So far I read just the first part about people from all over the world processing various information about the new plague. I liked that people from different cultures sound like they are from that culture in the style of storytelling. But I just wanted to keep reading which does not often happens with books now.

Went rollerblading for 35 minutes today. The ocean was very pretty blue and sun was shining.

Most of the afternoon I spent grading papers. Paper 1 on Kingsolver and genetic engineering. Grading papers is such a brainsucking work especially in the beginning when their papers just don’t make sense. I feel like a zombie myself afterwards. At least I reached my goal of 7 papers. Now I just have to do that for three more days.

My friend N. called me today. And she has an extra season of “Farscape. Season 3” which she will give to me just because. Yeah!!! Does it mean I will eventually have to get other seasons?

I discovered today that adding feta cheese is really delicious in the regular salad Mama makes.

Watching the Emmy’s right now. NPH rocks. Great to see “Dr Horrible” on mainstream TV. Emmy is not my favorite awards show; I don’t always watch it but this year it is brilliant. Funny. Lots of jokes. Great introduction to writers of Variety shows and other writers, great introduction to directors, and great commentary for people walking to the stage. Plus Neil Patrick Harris is awe…wait for it… some. Ok, that was a lame joke. I was also reading EW liveblog for a bit to combine the media, that proved too much hassle, I don’t have attention span for that.

Today I was also learning HTML language a bit which I will need when I will talk about “House” tomorrow so as not to spoil it.

Genesis WTF moment of the day: Abram(Abraham) and Sara and their sojourn in Egypt. So Abram and Sara and their nephew Lot go into Egypt for a time. Abram is worried that if people in Egypt find out that Sara is his wife, they will kill him since she is so beautiful. So he figures he will introduce her as his sister. When that works rather well and Sara is “taken” into Pharaoh’s house, it made Abram very happy and he grew rich. God had to pretty much intervene and tell the Pharaoh that Sara was Abram’s wife. That made the Pharaoh of Egypt, of all people, very uncomfortable and he told Abram to take Sara and leave Egypt. I wonder what Sara was thinking at that time. The Bible curiously doesn’t mention it.

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