"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.

"We see things as we are, not as they are"

- Leo Rosten

"Your class is my favorite."

How touching.

Can we fall in love with anyone that fits within broad parameters of our expectations of a partner? E.g. their physical characteristics match ok, their education and socioeconomic status isn't too different from yours, etc.

Or does love emerge more from a recognition and connection with a particular individual, not paying so much attention to their major characteristics?

I think when people are younger, they'll tend to operate more in the first realm. When people are older & wiser I think they can be more discerning.

Would you be willing to die for your hobby/sport/passion? Or would you switch to something else?

"Do I ever say things I don't mean?"

"You never get emotional"

I get the feeling that I have a tough act to follow. Why?

The worst thing to dress up as on Halloween - a suicide bomber. While this is genuinely scary, you'll probably get taken out (shot).

Last night I dreamt of the apocalypse, the previous night I dreamt I was taking an organic chemistry exam. Both are pretty bad events, some would argue the scariest perceived by humankind. But I was handling both pretty well. I wasn't nervous, just somewhat confused.

"Wash your hands before and after using this product."

What if you are using it on your hands?

Do people from warmer countries have "warmer" personalities?