Skipping again on yet another person's computer (I'm spreading the b.org links on people's computers everywhere!) because, according to the Buffista Calendar, today is Deena's birthday.

Happy birthday, Deena! With lots of wishes for a great day and a wonderful year!

Happy birthday Deena!

Happy Birthday, Deena!

Calling all hiveminders!

(Yes, just got back, and already need you. See how my life work?)

There's a Talmudic quote that says "we don't see things the way they are, but the way we are". I already asked some people about it, including our wonderful Nilly, but nobody seems to know exactly where it's from. And I googled and I googled till I couldn't google anymore. Now, can any one of you give me the reference to this quote? Anyone with Jewish orthodox relatives, by any chance?

My google says that quote's not Talmud, but Anaïs Nin.

Happy Birthday to Deena!

Happy birthday, Deena!

Shir, one of the sources I found is calling it a Kabbalist teaching/quote. It's got an attribution of sorts to the Maharal of Prague and it's got its origins in a Torah story about Joshua leading the Jews into battle.

[link]

No matter how awesome an email started the day, I still had to go to work and that sucks.

Oh, Monday.

Today I have to leave work early to get my sister & family to the airport. I wanted to stay home this morning and yell at a contractor that "fixed" a drain that ran between the neighbor's house and ours - and flooded part of our yard. When he did the work I told him it would flood that part of the yard, but he gave me a lecture on how he had 35 years experience and knew what he was doing ("young lady," says he). I remained skeptical as I have 40 years experience as the daughter of a geotechnical engineer, and, frankly, any idiot knows that water runs downhill.

Anyway, it's up to my DH to tell him that there are only two fixes we'll approve (and he's not going to like either one of them, because neither are quick fixes), and my DH doesn't like these confrontations.