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Diaryland
Summer happenings 2004-07-03 @ 12:55 p.m.
It has been quieter around here the last few days. Stacy has been on better behavior, thank God, so there's a lot less yelling going on between her, my mom, and the dog. Max sees fit to bark whenever people start fighting or roughousing, which effectively compounds an already loud situation. My dad refers to this effect as the "dog alarm". Sometimes Max gets a little out of hand though, because he'll start barking even when someone is just wrestlling or being tickled. Being that he is getting older, I think he's allowed to be a little finicky.
One of the projects I've been working on around here is learning more Hebrew and teaching what I do know to Stacy. So far I think I'm doing very well. I'm picking up not only new vocabulary but new grammer, and now I may actually be able to read Hebrew fast enough to keep up with the reader at services. In the fast, I always fell behind by the third or fourth line in. Stacy seems to be enjoying learning too, for the most part, but I think her real enjoyment comes out of just spending time with me, whatever the activity. We spend a little time on it every day, in recognition of her short attention span. If she can just get the alephbet down, she'll be off to a great start - a better one than I had in Hebrew school. Once she learns to read the script and learns a few basic prayers, she'll pretty much have a Bat Mitzvah knowledge of Hebrew. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah knowledge basically means that you can read the script and recite prayers, but you have no clue what it is you're reading or saying. I'm trying to teach her what little vocabulary I know as we go along so she'll be able to understand things clearer. A far off goal is that both of us will be able to understand Hebrew well enough to read the Old Testament in its original script, and thus bypass centuries of biased and innacurate translations.
We're going to my aunt Catherine's tomorrow for the fourth of July. I hope it will be enjoyable. Usually its difficult to have all the cousins in one place unless we're being supervised and our parents have alcohol within easy reach. Although my mom now tells me that she is seeking hypnotherapy to stop drinking so much. Not that my mom is an alcoholic by a long shot, she just has gotten to the point where it is a habit of hers to drink two glasses of wine in the evening. She wants to lose weight and says that the wine isn't helping. It's fine with me - if she's not drinking just for enjoyment anymore, its not good. Although, given how stressful things get around here, I can understand why she does it.
Jonathan is doing pretty well it seems, although he has been awfully lazy lately. His friends got together and bought a car that has become their pet project. From time to time they bring it over to our driveway and work on it, oil grease and everything. Jonathan is going to be a high school senior next year, and it looks like he'll be going to Las Positas community college after that, given the dismal state of his grades. My mom and dad have always made a big deal about our grades and consequently been enraged when we did as bad as we did, but I think they've lightened up over the years. My mom has come to realize that its not the end of the world and that although it does limit our oppertunities, given time and experience out on our own, we can make up for it. I like to think I've gotten the best of both worlds, having both attended a major university and taking a year off to do work and soul searching. Getting out into the working world clarifies things, so that when you do go back to school, you not only have a goal in mind and know what to avoid, but you can appreciate it more. My goal is to eventually become a professor. I like the idea because it'll give me the oppertunity to do many different things: teach, travel, research, write, etc. I may not earn a ton of money, but I will love the perks I am sure. I'll never get bored doing that job, and I'm sure to make a positive impact on the world around me one way or another.
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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