Where's Jill Zarin?

"In our Western tradition, the exemplary case of a traumatic Real is the Jewish Law. In the Jewish tradition, the divine Mosaic Law is experienced as something externally imposed, contingent, and traumatic--in short, as an impossible/real Thing that "makes the law." What is arguably the ultimate scene of religious-ideological interpellation--the pronouncement of the Decalogue on Mount Sinai--is the very opposite of something that emerges "organically" as the outcome of the path of self-knowing and self-realization. The Judeo-Christian tradition is thus to be strictly opposed to the New Age gnostic problematic of self-realization or self-fulfillment: when the Old Testament enjoins you to love and respect your neighbor, this does not refer to your imaginary semblable/double, but to the neighbor qua traumatic Thing."
-Slavoj Zizek




Highlight for me: the Lubavichers chanting "What do we want? Moshiach!" and then realizing it would be totally controversial to say "When do we want it? Now!"

From Alternet.

Your cultural liaison

Watching "Notorious" was kind of like watching the new 90210: the whole thing is awesome, but the most exciting parts are when someone I know is mentioned by name (David Silver, Clive Davis) or shows up on-screen, wearing a nametag (Kimberly Jones!) from their job in a department store.

Okay, maybe the new 90210 isn't "awesome." But aren't you a little worried about Adrianna?

I was annoyed when I got home because my downstairs neighbors were having a party, and I am so sleepy that I even thought about going downstairs in my pajamas and asking them to keep it down, even though I'm opposed to that on principle. But they totally killed it themselves about 10 minutes ago with some acoustic guitar harmonies. Wait, now someone is on their balcony talking about Marc Ruffalo. God bless America!

Cute and wonderful

Well, I'm back! It's weird. It's 2009. So far, so good.

One of my resolutions was to wake up by 8:00 AM even if I didn't have to leave the house. That's working out for me, but so far I don't really know what to do with myself when I wake up. I guess I'll figure that out next week.

Another resolution was to be kinder to myself. Sometimes, that means being unkinder to others. With this in mind, I would like to discuss some of the things that annoyed me most in 2008:

• People who do not appreciate mysteries. I mean, maybe there is a wikipedia explanation for how the animals got to Prince Edward Island or what happens to "plastic" cups and forks made of corn and potato, but I don't need to know it. It is a mystery (to me), something to be meditated upon (by me) through the ages (of 2008). Respect is due.
• People who do not appreciate "Drops of Jupiter" by Train as a karaoke song. If your initials are D.C., I guess you get a free pass on this one.
• People who do not push the yellow tape on the bus door, causing the bus doors to slam shut in the face of the person behind you. Are you retarded?
• People who wear their backpacks on public transportation instead of putting them on the floor so there is more room for their fellow commuters. This annoys me so much that I have learned to say "please take your backpack off and rest it on the floor" in both French and Spanish. Unfortunately I think it is mostly Germans and Northern Europeans who do this.
• The g.d.m.f. 1 train.
  
• Tokion magazine and the Creativity Now conference, and especially the special Creativity Now issue of Tokion that I accidentally read at the Palais de Tokyo. All the writing in there, it's like the "House of Style" (Cindy Crawford years) of art/fashion magazines.
• Timid drivers who edge into my lane on the Williamsburg Bridge because they are... what? Afraid they'll run into a post and knock the bridge down?
• People who "donate their status" on facebook to a particular political argument about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as if it's another presidential election with two (or three) clear-cut "sides," rather than the complex human rights and ethics issue that it actually is.
  
• Self-absorbed PhD students that I have to deal with every day. There, I said it. Thank goodness I have Tuesdays off this semester.

Ugh, I'm kind of over complaining about stuff now. So over it. Next time I'm stuck on the 1 train at 96th Street for 15 minutes, I'm not even going to notice.

Pamplemousse au lieu de citron

I have met the best ever Frenches and I will be sorry to leave! When I get home I promise to do an update with real photos, but in the meantime I will tell you what the French have made me less embarrassed to love:

les sandwiches
How I Met Your Mother
pudding
dogs
celery root
Aunt Becky from Sept a la Maison (Full House!!!)
Entourage, esp. Ari Gold (even though it is no use trying to explain to the French who Rahm Emmanuel is)
'Hos in Different Area-codes,' which plays constantly
Rem
Fanta

102, it's all true!

I can't believe my 100th blog post was a Square One video, and I didn't even notice!! That's so 2008. In 2009 I'm going to try to pay more attention to these things.

Breaking with tradition, I had a really fun New Year's Eve, which included a party on a roof right next to the Eiffel Tower and an open bar including champagne and guava juice. Despite all the challenges I face or feel like I face, I am so lucky and grateful for the life I have, and it's this kind of night that reminds me.

I have been thinking about my mom a lot recently, especially because it's the holidays, especially since I've been staying in a place that is so rich with memories and feelings of her. It's been a year now since I last heard her voice -- since anyone last heard her voice -- and almost a year since she passed away. It is a loss that I don't think I will ever come to terms with, but every day that passes in reflection I feel a little bit more capable of living the rest of my life, and I think that's something.

My mom used to talk to me about a healing meditation where you imagine a river circulating through your body, washing away toxins and bringing new health. I think grief can be like that if you let it stagnate, so maybe by letting myself really feel it, I'm bringing myself closer to renewal, or at least practicing a little preventative medicine.

When my mom was in the hospital I stayed at my parents' place. Their DVD player was broken and so my dad and I watched a few movies in my (old) bedroom, on the computer, including "Me and You and Everyone We Know," which my mom had liked and my dad had never seen. I'm sure everyone has seen this movie 50 times, but I love this opening, which popped into my head when I was walking down the street a couple days ago:



"it's life, and it's happening, it's really, really, happening."

2009 is fine!

That's my cousin and his daughter. As you can see, he's dedicated to the routine but she's all about the solo. Her ronde de jambe is pretty good, but her fouetté needs work... acceptable for a four-year-old!

EDIT Delia says: "i think she actually combines ballet, irish step, and indian at least... in that one move."