My productivity this week is less than zero. I've made a conscious effort to stay away from the news on two pressing occasions; other than that, I'm not sure what to say...I haven't done anything at all

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יהוה אֶחָד

Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is One.

... one of the very few prayers I remember from school and, it appears, one of the most important. I never considered what it meant--what any of my religious studies meant--since, having been raised in a totally non-religious family, I was as alien in their environment as they were in mine. I repeated the words as I was taught... with little to no conviction. 

I remember, though, for a time, saying the first few lines before bed as if they might offer some measure of protection; I remember (incorrectly) hearing a plea in that first word--shema. Hear.

Hear me, I thought, naively.

...it's still hard to believe that i know someone mentioned in this horrible article of horrible news

i'm so sorry...i feel so terribly, stupidly useless

it would have been a gift from god and the truest expression of peace had israelis and palestinians come together to mourn each others' dead

i'm finding it increasingly difficult to replace my despair and discomfort with the news with the need to know what's happening

... impressed that the woman balancing a cell phone, coffee cup, and baby stroller still managed to thank the bus driver as she left ...

there is no escaping the news today... praying for the poor people of Iraq

because liqueur-filled chocolates are very popular among east europeans (or perhaps among europeans in general) and because russian parents are not big on setting limits, i often had brandy-/whiskey-/rum-filled chocolates growing up

that's why, bizarrely, having them now reminds me of childhood, of guests, of dinner...

f's (cutest) text of the day: Do you have both your socks on? I see there is a sad fallen sock in the bathroom...

i'm not one to vote for "firsts" or minorities just because but i'm proud proud proud to live in a province that has elected an openly gay female premier

who are my readers in Germany and Ukraine, i wonder?

perhaps nobody, if it's VPN-related...but it's nice to imagine :)

i never, ever thought that i would have to revisit the rules of summation in publishing 

i guess anything is possible when one encounters a spacing issue...

f's phrase-ings of the month

Of dooneh: She's narming [the already soft blanket]

Of technicalities: What's God's job description? "Godding"?

poroshenko should not have used force. the election--no matter how contentious--was an opportunity for him to manage at least one round of discussions. i'm worried about the anger.. the reprisals.. and deeply saddened by the deaths--on both sides.

the russians, as usual, have some nerve criticizing this response after urging yanukovich to do exactly the same.

feeling tense, frustrated, and terribly, terribly unsettled

the ghost of you is everywhere these days...

the things i'm not doing; the things i can't do... i'm frightened of this paralysis

i'm often reminded of that devastating scene in the house of sand and fog: the hospital, the collapse, the prayer.

even as an atheist, i'm quite certain a trauma like that would bring me to my knees

i thought to call you this morning until cohen's hallelujah made it impossible. i have to wait, now, until i'm able to speak again...

Celebrity watch

it's very possible that i'm sitting in the chair Robert Fisk just sat in

...celebrities in our little corner of queen st east? excitement.

f's phrase of the month: I'm not a khar, I'm a realist

i've had readers from both israel and palestine recently; i admire google for making the distinction