I wanna walk this Earth like it is mine

I think Stephanie is right: I need to get laid. I've been listening to "Worked Up So Sexual" on a loop for three or four days now. And I'm pretty sure my new interest is slowly and increasingly becoming sex work. More along the lines of high end escort servicing and prostitution than stripping or porn.

Question of the day: would you rather be a hooker or a porn star? And why is one legal and the other is not?

Success.

Yesterday a customer told me: A face without freckles is like a sky without stars.

is finally starting to catch up with me. No one was supposed to ever get hurt. And 'I love you' was not part of our 'casual' arrangement...

If I ever write a book about my life and my loves (how very self indulgent) it's going to be called 'Cada Persona es un Mundo'...every person is a world. So true.

Life is busy but great, as per usual. Working as much as I am and taking nineteen units is kind of insane but I'm surviving. My ideas for my research papers are coming together: one on Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, another on the 'Righteous Demon.' I still don't know what I'm going to do for my thesis next semester. Something Jewish. Maybe I can swing by Cordoba this summer and write about the intercultural exchange between Jews and Muslims during Convivencia? No se.

I'm participating in Lent/Cuaresma this year. I'm giving up masturbation and cookies/brownies/raspberry bars from work. So far giving up the former hasn't been a problem. We'll see about the cookies when I close tonight...

Quiero besos en la lluvia.

I had the perfect day yesterday.

I am completely and utterly in love with the campus libraries. I say that every time. I finally went to the North Reading Room for the first time last week and I love love love LOVE it! I'm here now with Stephanie, one of the new girls at work, catching up on reading and studying and relaxing. It's raining outside and the campanile's ringing...sometimes I forget how god damn fortunate I am to be here and how amazing my life is.

It's taken me a couple months but I think I've finally got a handle on this semester. My schedule was all wonky for a bit and it took me some time to adjust because it's much different than my previous semesters, but now it feels good. Studying in the morning, classes in the afternoon, then either work or more class in the evening, coffee and catching up at night. Then weekends I'm allowing for hang out/relaxing time. I realize I can't just plow through the semester without giving myself some breaks, otherwise I end up crashing anyway and crying because I'm worn out and not being productive.

I want to make it a point to try to do something new every weekend. Check out the campus botanical gardens, Tilden Regional Park, Muir woods, the Jewish museum in SF, the Magnes museum, maybe Warhol Live at de Young...it's a good plan. Also, I started keeping a written daily journal. I really like this format, it's easy for me to work with and not as overwhelming as having an entire composition notebook to fill. Being limited to a page a day really makes me focus on what I want to say. And if I feel like expanding, I've got annex pages I can use. It's also gotten me to start recording my dreams on a regular basis again.

This summer is looking like it's shaping up. I need to finalize my extension with the travel lady, but it's looking like I'll be in Europe for another month beyond my studying in Paris and Nice. I've got people I can stay with for free in Germany, Brussels, and Ostrava (Czech Republic), so I'll definitely be going to those places. Hopefully Sofie will be in Ireland and I can swing by there, too.

As far as post-graduation, earlier this week I spoke to one of the professors at the GTU about the Jewish Studies certificate program. I'm excited because I love her and she says she works really closely with the students, and that my 'background' in anthropology would be great for this new program they're setting up. She also recommended I do get back into Hebrew beforehand, which is good because that was the plan anyway. So yeah, I'm excited. I like having more or less of a plan. And I'd been thinking about it, and yes, I'm really looking forward to grad school, but I wanted to do this Jewish Studies program at the GTU as well, and why not do both? Who says I've got leave here straight away? And it gives me more time in Berkeley, which is nice. This place is starting to feel like home and I think that extra year here will be fulfilling.

Or perhaps the circus.

Celtic Mythology: A
Sexuality, Culture and Colonialism: A
Hindu Mythology: A
Hebrew: Pass

I can't believe I pulled it off.

So I am here in Long Beach for a couple weeks. Until January 4th. I would love to see any and all of you. Life has been great, and I'm sure you and I have tons of catching up to do, as I've been out of touch with pretty much everyone back home for kind of a while...

Why are women so complicated?

There has been a lot of tension on campus this past week or so regarding the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. Apparently, there was some concert last Thursday that was part of "Israel Liberation Week" (whatever that may mean), and in protest to some of the lyrics, some students (or former students, or some other community members) hung a couple Palestinian flags from a balcony looking down on the show. Enraged, a few Jewish students (or former students, or something) made their way up the stairs, and somehow a fight erupted, punches were thrown, and people were seriously injured. For more info check this out: http://www.dailycal.org/article/103566/fight_erupts_at_israel_liberation_week_concert. However, this is a very hotly contested issue, and people are still unsure of what exactly happened.

Last night, Jax and I attended a panel at the Graduate Theological Union about Antisemitism and Islamophobia. One of the speakers, a professor and former Berkeley student from back in the late 60s (and also a Jew), stated that from all of his experiences in the Berkeley community, this most recent one has been the most violent regarding the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. All was well and good during the panel until Q & A time. Then inevitably, a heated argument erupted. And sadly, I found myself much more upset by the Jewish audience members that were yelling than I did by the Muslims. I used to think/hope that someday, somehow this whole damn thing could work itself out, that there could be some sort of compromise, but now I'm starting to agree with Jax that it's utterly hopeless.

P.S. This "Only In Israel" piece of propaganda infuriates me. However not necessarily for the more obvious reasons. But that's another story.

I've discovered a new love on campus: the South/Southeast Asian Library. Would would have thought? Beautiful books written in beautiful scripts. Volumes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Maps, paintings and photographs. Comfy chairs, a cool breeze, and absolute quiet. I love it.

I fucking love my life so much right now. I never thought I'd be where I'm at today six months ago. It's crazy how quickly things can change.

I will be taking a course with Ralph Nader's sister.

My Proposed Spring Semester Schedule:
Anthropology 114: History of Anthropological Thought
Anthropology 124AC: Hawaiian Ethnohistory
Anthropology 139P: Controlling Processes (with Nader)
Religious Studies C 166: India's Great Epics - The Mahabharata and the Ramayana
Middle Eastern Studies 198: Mizrahi Music and the Construction of Israeli National Culture
Hebrew 106B: Elementary Hebrew

...surely one of these will have to go, and this is the list already after I've cut it back a bit. I don't really want to take Anthro 114 or 124 but those of course are the two I'm required to finish off my Anthro major. The MES class will help me when I write my honors thesis, and will help me build a relationship with Professor Gottreich. Hebrew I need to continue for graduate work. And The Mahabharata and Ramayana are just too fucking rad... Next semester will be insane. I hope I survive.

I have faith in the American people for the first time. Ever. I feel so fortunate to be here in Berkeley while something this monumental is going down. And I can't believe Meg is actually in Chicago, that is amazing.

Anyway, I first found out while I was walking through campus and passed the campus bar on Sproul and heard people screaming and jumping up and down but it was too early I didn't think it could possibly be true. Then I met Sarah at the library cafe and everyone was cheering and watching McCain's concession and then people stormed the library screaming and running up and down and through the stacks and Sofie showed up and said there was a huge group of people marching through campus and she got caught up in them as they made their way to Sproul.




Then Sofie and I walked Sarah home and people were lighting fireworks and honking all up and down Shattuck and we made our way to Becketts and got some celebratory beers and met up with Tomas and drank and smoked and laughed and screamed and they spoke French together and I got really jealous because they're both so beautiful and have seen so much more of the world than I have and I got sad for a very brief while. But then fuck it OBAMA WON and life is wonderful and we ran out into the streets and stopped traffic and cheered and clapped and slapped the hands of the passengers of the cars as they drove down the streets honking and I couldn't believe this many people were getting this excited over a politician. Or their country in general. It was a good night. A very good night.

"When freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will be free." - Tom Robbins.

I miss home...

Middle Eastern Studies: Mizrahi Music and the Construction of Israeli National Culture. Taught by Emily Gottreich, my most favorite professor, who I hope to have as my Honors Thesis Advisor next year. So excited! J'adore les Mizrahim!