Nice, Sox. Also, we were in B'more when you were in B'more. Coulda-woulda-shoulda!

I am overwhelmed with work right now, and I shouldn't be here.

just keeps getting shorter.

::fist pump::

If your mom was going to be gone for a week, wouldn't you make the effort to get out of bed by 10:45 in the practically noon to wish her bon voyage? sheesh.

Shir, if you're around (or anyone else who might know), I've got a rather random question: At the Western Wall, where they give the tours through the tunnels, are those separated by gender, or are the groups mixed? I've got a trans friend who's considering going to Israel who doesn't feel comfortable identifying as male or as female for going up to touch the wall on one side or the other of the barrier, but really wants to experience it, so I thought the tunnels might be an option.

Holy crap, Shir! Those are big happenings indeed. I'm kind of out of the loop on news these days, so I had no idea.

Love the beautiful cuss words.

I'm learning that this means more, not less, maintenance. Hmph.

This has never been the case for me. I fix my hair in 15 seconds by wetting it a bit to get rid of bed head. I get it cut every three months or so, when it drives me totally nuts by touching my neck too much. I still get compliments on my hair at that point. I am, however, dreading trying to find a stylist here, and will be putting off a haircut as long as I possibly can.

Dunno why the Senator from FL keeps sending me updates. I've never lived in that state. But if you think I am a constituent, I will gladly reply asking for tax reform. Gotta love the Internet.

I am, however, dreading trying to find a stylist here, and will be putting off a haircut as long as I possibly can.

I like my guy- Trent at Stardust on Magazine (Lower Garden District side, probably near the apartment your work used to have.)

Male, ableist privilege is fun like a thing that is not.(I mean, I hope he doesn't end up joining Team Impaired...it's not cool enough I'm recruiting,but whatever happened to stoic dudes that played hurt? Right now, I'd love to meet one, honest to god.) Sox, I have no doubt that the constant carping during the doc's dinner hour would bring untold wisdom to the fore. Especially if the doc is married. He's my brother, and I hate to see him struggle, but the recession already had him bugging without Son of Lupus, and it's like "Oh, don't worry...we're fine!" More than a little frustrating. And my dad deals with his worries about his own mortality by, you know, killing people off.

Hil, the tours are segregated by sex only when it comes to touching to Western Wall. However, there's a farther section of the wall where organizations such as Women of the Wall [link] and others who don't answer the orthodox code of being go to pray. I can find out more, if you'd like - email addy is good.

If your friend would like that, I can put a note on the wall on behalf of her/him/I'm clueless about the appropriate pronoun, I apologize.

And yes, it's birthday, but I'm busy to tears. Hebrew birthday, thank God, starts exactly when I get on the plane in the Great Iantos Hunt.

Spent too much time online now. Gotta go. Papers. Guh.

Edit: because only you will understand me. The explanation on WotW site regarding their name and Hebrew grammar is absolutely bullshit. Because of the construct state ( [link] ) of the expression, it won't be "nashim" (plural masculine), it would have been "neshe" or something like it (which is pretty genderless, as far as Hebrew goes). Yes, adding "ot" does make it feminine (grammatically speaking), but as the correct form is meaningless when regarding to gender - I mean, come on. Be feminist, sure, but don't twist and lie about grammar when it's on your side.

This is apparently the year to lose everyone I care about that is also in their 90s. My step-aunt's father passed away this morning after an awful fight with mouth cancer. I was not directly related to him, but he was a wonderful man. Any ~ma you could spare for my step family please.