"80 percent of success is showing up."
- Woody Allen

"The only thing that ever matters in the world is what one person does or says to another person."

- Athol Fugard, South African playwright

If someone calls you a donkey once, ignore it.
If you're called a donkey twice, look in the mirror.

I like how the Spanish say "Rosh"

I'm going to try olive oil ice cream.

Transitions. Taxing.

Passover is approaching. Do you know how I know? My grocery store replaced the bread section with Jewish food.

While this is a great way to acknowledge the occasion, it also alienates bread-eating non-Jews. Jewish food taking over the bread section is a symbol of the privileged status (or predominance) of Jews in New York. This is enforced by the fact that the store is owned by Italian-Americans, not Jews.

Some bread is still available, fortunately. It's just that the bread isn't displayed in a place where many can find it, and the loaves aren't arranged neatly. For something that is a staple, this is surprising to me.

Who'd have thought that the way food is arranged in a grocery store could make me feel marginalized? Perhaps bread-eaters should rise up and protest the drastic transformation of the bread section. I should learn more about the Jewish foods though, and maybe buy some. I wonder if I'll develop a taste for it. Do matzos go well with peanut butter?

I heard the sound of insect wings around my ears as I lay in bed this morning. It was quite annoying. It reminded me of times in south-east Asia where I'd be laying, trying to sleep, defenseless against mosquitoes. Although to be honest, I wasn't entirely defenseless. Sometimes, when I'd hear them around my ears I'd swat with my hands and if lucky, would kill them. Other times I'd just cover myself completely and try to sleep. I haven't seen a mosquito in NY, this insect turned out to be a fly.

Is one's dwelling a symbol of their self?

A lot of people carry around a photo (or photos) of a romantic partner and/or family members in their wallet. A small picture of Bruce Lee has been in my wallet for about a year now. I wonder what that means. On the side of the picture is some of his words:

The highest art is no art
The highest form is no form

I also carry around a strip of magnesium ribbon. I've had this piece for over 7 years. There's more of a story behind that though.