Not Anonymous

So, uh, it's been a week again, the fic I posted yesterday not withstanding, since I posted.

I swear, I don't want to be this person who only bloggs on the weekends and the rest of the week is reduced to 140 characters and inane tumblr reblogging!

But I am that person, as well.

Somehow, I have to get my groove back.

Now though, I'm getting ready to go to my nephew's birthday party.

He's 11.

I don't even know how that's possible.

I have another nephew!

He was born yesterday and I'll only see him tomorrow!

This frustrates me, because I hate waiting to see the little ickle babykins!

Ahem, excuse me while I gush and go Auntie in your face.

I've now overtaken my brother, seeing as he is now a dad (I can't believe my big brother is a daddy *wibble*), I'm an aunt to most kids in this family, while my sibs actually have to parent some of them.

I win!

Sister-in-Law is well, I spoke to her about an hour after the kid was greeted into the world and she sounded much like herself; calm, contained, like it was no big thing she pushed a watermelon out of her body. So that's good.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Babies! I love them! :D

...and despite the 20 minutes of rain we had, hasn't really left yet.

It's the 1st of September and I have a mountain of things I need to get done.

I did feel, that despite my long absences from here, which will be rectified as soon as I've finished my homework of 12K Words in Academia, I thought I should mention that today is my last official day as my youngest Niece's Nanny.

Unlike last time, during which I took care of her older sister, I was in a much better place emotionally and physically, not to mention that Baby herself was much older than her sister was.

Still, it's been intense and I've, obviously, bonded with her and so seeing her go to a crèche (family business, the woman take no more than four babies of approximate age at a time) really hit me.

Today we went to spend some time at the crèche, to get her used to place, play with the toys, get to know the caretaker (the woman who owns the place) and I just lost it.

I don't mind crying in public; I'm inclined to say that my life consists more in pauses of crying than me starting and stopping the tears that seem to live in the corners of my eyes. However, when you're the Aunt and that baby isn't actually "hers".

I cried and then the baby cried and it was terrible. Of course I just let her play and she was fine. Me? I'm okay, really.

Just, it's hard, I'm glad not to be tied down to the baby any more, but you get used to a that tiny presence and watching her learn to crawl, roll over, sit up and grow a tooth (and a taste for cannibalism! OW! It freaking' hurts when she bites!) is very rewarding.

I'm glad I'm no one's mother.

Every time I take care of a baby, I can honestly say, I'm happy I'm never going to have one of my own.

Oh, yeah, no children of my own in my future - as I mentioned to a friend, if I ever date someone with kids, I have no problem being "Step-Mel" or "Auntie-Something", but actual pregnancy, giving birth and going through the endless anxiety that never really goes away of making sure that little clump of flesh and blood survives... no.

Just, no.

Right now, she's sleeping her afternoon nap and later on her parents will pick her up to go home.

As for me, well, my oldest niece claims she remembers me taking care of her as a baby (yeah... no) and we have a very special bond. I can only hope the baby's family tells her of the summer her Auntie Melly took such good care of her - even if she bumped her head a few times and I stepped on her by accident.

So, because I called in sick really late yesterday (like three hours before my shift) and because I had the afternoon shift, guess who spent an hour and a half schlepping books to and fro that weren't put in place yesterday because there was no Library Page in the afternoon.

I tell you, despite the fact that my stomach doesn't ache any more, except what feels like a pulled muscle on my right side (which is no where near my appendix, that's closer to the groin - at least, I hope *meep*), the whole book lifting thing is damn hard work!

So, now everything is back to a normal base line and I can spend my time goofing off on the Internet.

I mentioned yesterday that I had a stomach ache and we all know what the best medicine for a stomach ache is, right? A hot water-bottle! Lovely hottie! Well, yesterday I had something better.
My two month old niece!
She slept on me for about an hour and a half, snoring/snorting away as her big sister and brother spent the afternoon with me and their Granny (my mom).
Oh, lovely hot water-bottle baby!

Any way, now I'm about to collect my next round of returned book and then goof off again! Ach, working in a Library is fun.

Happy New Year, if you celebrated I hope y'all aren't hung over.

For me, the new year actually started with the birth of my new Niece who was born two weeks ago, so really, the passage to 2011 didn't feel to important comparatively.


Some changed regarding this DW/LJ for 2011. I've started writing in Hebrew on a different platform, which is one of the reasons I hadn't been writing much here the past couple of weeks. That, and Uni is beginning to crunch, I'm being very bad writing here instead of studying.
So I may not write that much about politics here, though I don't know.

The current political climate in my locale is fucking scary. The fact that the court actually gave a guilty verdict to former president Katsav on two counts of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment is a small ray of light, that justice was served is a real point of optimism in an otherwise pretty bleak atmosphere.

This morning, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, died of tear gas inhilation. Yesterday was the 1000th demonstration against the illegal fence/wall that partisions the West Bank from Israel and at the same time annexes vast amounts of land belonging to the West Bank to the so-called Israeli side (the whole notion of the Green Line is pretty much dead). She was resident of Bil'in, anti-fence activist and sister of Bassem Abu Rahmah who died in April 2009 from a direct hit of a tear-gas canister.

And people are surprised that people become Shahid. And you're damn right there will be harsh reactions.

Of course, that's the crazy Palestinians and to be frank, I'm not sure how many outside my milieu actually give a damn.

But let's talk about them crazy Jews, who, much to my horror, appear to be a great majority rather than not.
I can't remember if I wrote about this at the time, but a few months ago, 50 municipal Rabbis (Separation of state and religion? What is this thing you speak of?) signed a letter calling flat owners not to rent flats to Arabs.
This sparked a huge wave of protest against this deceleration and of course for this deceleration as it pretty much fed the already burning fire of racism that is so entrenched in Israeli discourse. The biggest demonstration against Arab residents was in Bat-Yam, a city adjacent to south Tel-Aviv, there though, the focus was about - and I shudder to write this - miscegenation.

The notion of the nation's cunt being under attack is not a new one, but it is certainly gaining momentum, as the Rabbis' wives published a letter telling us, daughters of Israel, to stay away and not date Arab men.
There has been no mention of Israeli men to not date Arab women, of course, as it is Arab men who are hyper-sexualised (as all "primitives" are) and women who are fickle enough to fall under their Svengalli spell.

This is the society my baby niece has been born into.

Unfortunately, the voices of opposition which are not considered legitimate because they are part of the Reform Movement which has no standing whatsoever when it comes to Israeli Jewish thought.

Here's to 2011.

Well, the Now-Local Fam have moved to their own flat after living at the Asylum for almost six weeks.

I'm looking forward to visiting them in their own place and babysitting Nevvie and Niece, which will be extra fun because my oldest friend happens to live in the same building.

It was a funny coincidence that Friend's mother told Mother Unit about a vacating flat in that building. The street has a kindergarten such across them and a local elemntray school very close by so it's ideal.

I'm happy they're living there now and I'm happy they're back close to us.

I'm also happy to have a quiet asylum to run around in without bumping into all sorts of children and their stressed out parents.

Most of all I'm happy for them and that fact that they'll finally have some normalcy and routine and won't have to deal with an extra four people that really shouldn't be co-habiting a small space like ours - this goes both ways of course.

Anywho, one exam down, one exam to go.

Wednesday is to be freedom day when it comes to this exam season.
Cross fingers, hold thumbs and wish me broken legs!

Libby* hugged me.

After a week, the ice is finally broken and she hugged me.

I danced the Snoopy Dance and she laughed at me, causing me everlasting joy.

She then hugged me making burst into the tears I'm still crying.

We listened to the "Meow Meow Lullaby" by Nada Surf three times with her in my lap.

You know that achy feeling you get in your chest when you're really happy... still got it.

Damn it I need a tissue

*My youngest niece for whom I nannied as a baby during my stint in the States.

The America Family are on their way back!

And they're staying.

Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yayz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sister (and my bro-in-law) and Babies (aged 6 and soon to be 3 - God she's big *sniff*) and they're here to stay.

They'll be living with us for a while before moving into their own place.

*BOUNCES*

Reply to the Meme:

Buffy and the Basics

My favourite season is probably the third (even though most of my favourite individual eps are from the fourth and sixth seasons), but the arch with the Mayor, Faith and the way ethics and morality got all mixed around in that season, making it so much more complicated than the second and most certainly the first. I feel the third offers the most foreshadowing (in retrospect obviously) to the rest of the seasons; Buffy's relationship with her friends, her independence, Willow and Xander finally closing up the feelings that were quite obvious between them before... I mean two of my favourite eps are the two most connected ones, The Wish and Doppelgangland... 'tis cool with the sexy Willow and the foreshadowing of #1 her Lesbianism (which admittedly I felt had more to do with Tara as a person rather than her inherent sexuality) and #2 her total badassness as a villain - the Troika may have been the baddies, but Willow was the Big Bad - especially as a Vamp.

And a little basic information on me: I'm 22, I had a perfectly normal sheltered childhood, most Jewish families have in the towns surrounding Tel-Aviv from Anglo-Saxon background (my family is South African) I'm the first Sabra, I was born in Israel and have never lived anywhere else, unless you include the six months I spent in the US with my sister as an Au Pair (see the America saga for time I spend there between Feb-July 2006).
I have no idea what I want to do when I finish Uni, I've barely started that yet.

A defining/important moment in my childhood/teen-hood

*sigh* I don't know! I lived a little sheltered life, nothing happened to me, ever, I was totally oblivious to everything that didn't concern me... even the Gulf War in which Scuds came down on us passed without scarring me (I think, my therapist doesn't seem to think it affected me especially).
There are two things which really come to mind as defining moments or events - and that's probably the birth of my oldest Nephew... suddenly I was auntie and my sister was a mother, I was pretty overwhelmed at the time. I was 16 and when I held him the first time I cried and was really scared I'd drop him or do something horrible, but all I had to do was hold him close and it was okay. Now the boy is six and I have to struggle just to give him a kiss, *sigh* they grow up quick - we do argue about the Beatles though, I'm a John-girl, he's Paul all the way *grin*.
The second event is the second Lebanon War, it affected me in a way I never thought could actually happen in real life, you can find out more by reading my entries about my reserve service (which I no longer do) here - July-Aug 2006.

Vegetarianism

I became a vegetarian very late in life, only two years ago.
My oldest sister has been a veg most of her life and for some reason it never rubbed off on me until I was 21.
I decided to go veg when I realized I wanted to live a more ethical life (which I felt started when I stopped consuming disposable menstrual products and began using a Mooncup), I briefly considered going vegan, but that would have been too much of an imposition on my mother (who cooks the food I eat) and thus kind of negate the whole ethical thing - when I live on my own we'll see what happens.
The whole vegetarian thing, when it comes late in life, is sort of mystifying to old friends and acquaintances: Why now and not before? How much difference does it actually make? Where do you get your protein? But you eat fish* right? It's almost (but not quite) like coming out of the closet, because it requires other to adjust to this new information, which, while not exactly conflicting with the image that one has of me, is still not exactly what they thought.
I really love being a veg, as it opened up a whole new avenue of food that I now eat, which I didn't bother to before - Tofu and different kinds of cheese, fried aubergines, pine nuts - I have more, but none at the top of my head.

*Because for some reason fish is a variant of vegetable o_O

Not to worry! More to come.

Is technically tomorrow on the 8th, but that's my Nephew Shvo's birthday and I don't want anything to overshadow that.

There was a panel at the Uni yesterday about "Body and Politics", which I couldn't attend in its entirety due to the fact that I actually, ya know, had courses to attend, well next year.
And my fave Women's Studies Prof smiled and waved at me *squee*

I have a cruch on my teacher, I never had those in high school and such... but blah, she's married with children, which doesn't make her any less cool.

Here's a pic of the day for you all: