I... I... I thought I'd be able to stick around more, guys. But it's the last day of the academic year, and the tests not just breathing, but gorram pounding and gathering on my neck, and I'm so behind even with skipping and skimming. So this is it: final hours of chatting with you guys for the next 2 months. 6 tests, 1 home exam, 2 anthropological papers and 2 seminars are to be handled by moi in just under 3 months. I want to cry.

But since my final test is on 17/8 (I'll have two papers to write after it, but I'll have 3 weeks for them and that's just enough time to bring you back then), and I can't bear the thought of staying away from you guys for so long, I hereby declare myself from now on not as going dark, but as going dark gray: I'm not sure about Bitches, since it's taking most of my time, but I'll keep on Boxed Set and Music. I'll sure keep you posted when I'll lunch Hollaback Israel (and thank you for the link of the article!).

WRT Hollaback Israel, I wanted to share the following encounters: first, I'm very disappointed with the feminist HUJI group. They're all talk and no walk (and 2 of them I know in person, so I thought they'll actually do something). Second: I had no idea the guys in my classes are so great! After I explained the bruises, the second I started to mumble the "and I wasn't even dressed that provocative!", they snapped. "What does this has to do with anything?! You should be able to go there naked and they can't lay their fingers on you! Don't say such things!". And then, sarcastically: "Yeah, the "cleavage". Pfft. Right, it's all your fault, being seducing and impure!". I was all "awww, you guys. I never knew you were that feminist!" within.

ION: was at a friends' wedding last night. I was surprised of how close I once felt (and still do, as a matter of fact), to people who are so far away from me politically (it was quite the Betaristic wedding [link] : the groom yelled "two banks to the Jordan river, one is ours, and so's the other!" before breaking the glass). I love them, but there were times I thought "what the hell am I doing with these people?". On the other hand, "Give Me Hope Joanna" somehow made it into the setlist. The leftists us were wondering about it.

And I have thoughts of what seems to be a cultural boycott on Israel, but I won't write them all down now. To make a long story short: I'm not really against it (people can do whatever they want, and it's working: there's a discussion), but I'm worried about an academic boycott and etc. as well which will leave Israel on its own. On such a state I fear that my country won't be able to make any constructive moves on it's own, but will act more in a "let's get rid of the Palestinian problem, once and for all" way of move.

Anyhow, I should be doing other things. Will catch up again on Bitches in a few hours before going dark gray.

Good luck with your exams and whatnot, Shir. (My last exam of the semester is tomorrow.)

Shir, yay for the boys and boo on the HUJI group. And good luck on all of your work! Pop into Bitches any time, and I'll look for you in the other threads.

Good luck Shir! See you on the other side, as it were...

I'll miss you, Shir. Good luck on all your exams and papers.

Good luck on your exam, too, bt.

It's not being a good day. I was driving Hubby to his doctor's appointment morning and slowed down for an intersection. Suddenly, someone started to scream. (It's always interesting to me that there is such a difference between "Oh, god, something bad" screams and "let's see how loud a noise I can make because I'm bored" screams.)

Diagonally from me, a girl and her bike were laying in the crosswalk, the bumper of an SUV over her. Hubby had watched the whole thing, so he made me pull over so he could talk to the cops. The driver had actually looked all directions before turning the corner, but the bicyclist had been on the sidewalk pacing the SUV and cruised on through. There are a lot of trees there, and the bike may have been in his blind spot.

I don't know how she is. She was still unconscious after Hubby got done giving his statement and they were still getting her ready for transport. I'm still a mess.

Argh! This is why I don't like bicyclists. Most (but not all, I'm sure that Buffista bikers are safer) cruise through red lights and stop signs and think nothing of riding up next to you or between cars in traffic. If you are at a stop sign and turning right, you are looking to your left and your right at oncoming traffic. Unless there is a bike lane, or I have passed the biker, I'm not looking to see if someone is coming up alongside my car.

That's terrible, Connie. Bicyclists need to follow the laws of the road and drivers need to be aware of what's going on all around them and aware of bicyclists' right to be on the roads!

My boss is starting a yearly bike trip from northern MD down to the shore this weekend. One of the guys who always road with them was killed a couple of months ago by a woman in a car who got a ticket for reckless driving and that seems to be the only punishment she's getting. She also paralyzed another bicyclist riding with the guy who was killed. It's heartbreaking.

The problem is that in many places it's illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk, so if there's no bike lane your only choice is to be dangerously close to traffic.

The bicyclist was on the sidewalk, too.

edit: yes, it's illegal, but they do it anyway.