Well… another person has been born again in Jerkdom and I thought it would be good to send you this update.
Background:
As many of you know, Y and I bought and lifted heavy wine barrels in order to plant plants in our Berkeley apartment’s deck. This was no simple task. The containers where expensive and heavy to lift, but we loved them. To complete the task we brought numerous beautiful plants, many of them from the Berkeley Botanical garden which we frequented in order to find the most beautiful saplings. Then we lovingly nurtured them. Even our neighbors helped with that – when we had to travel somewhere they were more than willing to help. And so in response the plants thrived to the point where they were the thing that we had the toughest time leaving behind.
When we did, we told our landlord that we would like to grab the containers at least, thinking to start over in our new place. But lo and behold: the man had already told the new tenants that we are leaving the plants as a gift. Problem.
Now what would the non-jerk person do to solve this quandary? As I pride myself on being a non-jerk, I can tell you: the non-jerk would offer to reimburse us. Especially since we discussed this and were willing to be reimbursed just for the containers and not for the plants (considering that we believed that the plants will not make the trip anyway).
Since he didn’t, Y suggested it. Male LL was shaken up by the suggestion. Said he will consult with Female LL.
So the two of them sat together until Eureka! They found a way to screw us and now they are walking around smiling: We had the cleaner come the day after we left and so we need to pay for the extra night. How gratifying!
To this of course he agreed explicitly. What’s more: when Y and I were in Israel we let them stay in the apartment. For that of course we were not reimbursed. But.. jerks will be jerks. I am not going to bother.
Thank you though Paul and Sylvia. I will always think of you with affection.
Overheard today, Valencia st. quaint antique shop doorsill:
A guy coming out of the store. Needless to say he is beautifully dressed. Lacquer shoes. Striped black and white pants and a short cylinder hat. He meets another guy. Even more superfluous to stress: this guy is again a fashion icon. Green handkerchief popping out of turqoise blue. I stare mesmerized and so the following sentence which is bounced from one to the other reaches my ears without difficulty:
"You simply have to see this: They have the most lovely 18th century tin box for moist clouts. I've been looking for one for ages and ages"
I am adding myself to a long line of israelis who are having definitional problems.
In a sense it is extremely strange that I am debating this issue. The answer for me should have been straightforward. No mezuza. Not even the amazingly pretty one we got for our wedding.
What was right in TLV should be right in SF, no?
Well, I don't know. Some ground data is necessary: I am intensely secular. In fact, I am decidedly secular. I think of being secular as my culture but am having a little difficulty in ascertaining the extent to which I can allow judaism to permeate my secularism.
In other words, I am not sure that judaism can be separated from its religious elements if it hasn't yet already, and secondly I am not sure that even if it can, that I want to allow my secularism to contain those elements. With the latter I have a political qualms which have to do with the fact that I want my cultural group to include israeli arabs.
And so, I can't understand the urge I am experiencing to place the mezuza on the wall. I adamantly rejected this option in TLV when Yoav suggested it. So what's going on?
Well... soul searching has produced the only possible analysis: that my secularism is already strongly influenced by americanism. In other words: the mezuza is really pretty and golden and it's mine and I want it on MY door stand.
