Can YOU rap in Hebrew?

Me neither, but these guys can! It is a combination group: Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) & The Shadow (HaTzhal). Their album (right), The Light and The Shadow, frequently covers Israeli-Arab conflicts (so says this site, because I can't translate their lyrics myself). The song is called Tikva (Hope).

Subliminal & The Shadow - Tikva (Hope) [Eng & Heb. Subtitled].

Sweet, sweet justice

Don't you just love it when people get what they deserve? I do, too. So if you haven't seen any of these yet, make it a point to.

1. Shawshank Redemption: Accountant Andy Dufresne is sent to jail for supposedly killing his wife and her lover. Once in jail, he faces hardened criminals, cruel guards, and a corrupt warden. He does meet one close friend, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, whose narrations are sprinkled throughout the movie. Andy faces many less-than-amusing situations: being beaten by the Shawshank State Prison's top gang, being refused a retrial despite a new testimony (the person to give the testimony is.....disposed of by the Prison; on purpose, mind you), and being forced to balance the warden's dishonest books. I won't say the end, but just know that it will make you want to point at the screen and say "Ha!" to all the people who thought they had gotten the best of him.
2. Dexter: This Showtime series doesn't have your average plot. Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter specialist who works for the Miami police department, also happens to be a serial killer. Who does he kill? Why, killers, of course! He channels his own killing urges on....well, people that "deserve" it. The show demonstrates his struggles to appear normal, uncover his mysterious past (he remembers little from his life before adoption at a young age), and to solve a peculiar case in which the killer is trying to connect with Dexter, personally. It's gripping, amusing, and you find yourself wondering how you could possibly be connecting with such a dark yet lovable character.
3. The Count of Monte Cristo: The movie portrayal of Alexandre Dumas's book is themed: "Don't get mad, get even. Well, ok, do both, but just don't forget that second part." The story begins in France with best friends: Edmond Dantes and Fernand. Fernand, however, is jealous of Dantes: his luck, his woman (Mercedes), and his happiness despite his poverty. His plan? Set Dantes up (with the help of an angry shipmate of Dantes and Villefort- a magistrate who wants Dantes in jail to prevent him from spilling the beans that Villefort's father is a supporter of Napoleon). Sending Dantes to a brutal prison, he remains there for 13 years until he manages to escape. And when he does, he has one thing in mind: ruin the lives of those that ruined mine. The movie has made revenge never seem so meticulous, so planned, so sweet.

Now go watch one and feel that sense of satisfaction. Did I miss any? Let me know.

Please Pass the Salt and the Socially-Acceptable Behavior.

My family is going over to our neighbors' house for dinner tonight. We haven't been over to someone's like this in about a year (we're not antisocial or anything...i don't think...it's just that the opportunity never comes up). I hope my proper social behavior hasn't gone rusty. Potential problems I see:

• Soo......: I won't be able to think of anything to talk about. "How's life next door? See any creepers around?" probably isn't the best conversation-starter. As I sit here and brainstorm, though, there is actually a lot we can catch up on: The wife (what should I call her? The woman? The girl? The female next-door-neighbor?) is pregnant, and I'm not sure how far along she is. Have they thought of names? Do they know if it's a boy or a girl? I can take that card and run with it. At least until my parents jump in.
• Meat? MEAT?!?: This poses more of a dilemma than an opportunity for a neighbor throw-down. I am Catholic. It is the Lenten season. Today is Friday. Friday = no meat during Lent. What are they serving? Meatballs. We're not those people that force our religion on other people-"I reject this sinful food you have prepared. Go back and make something else." We'll eat it and have a nice time (wouldn't it be worse to push the plate away? I think so). I just like picturing what that scene would be like.
• Life story- unabridged or edited?: I know that neighbors are always curious about each other. But how much do they really want to know? How much should be told? I don't want to end up telling them every allergen that makes me break out into a rash, but I don't come off as revealing as a Top-Secret FBI agent. Where is the balance?

I'll just have to see how it goes. Hopefully I won't insult them enough to make them kick us out of their home and move away. That would go under a "that didn't go so well" category. Yet I remain optimistic: I have resolved that I will act socially acceptable and will have a good time, and what more can I really hope for?

It couldn't go this bad.

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

If you have not seen this movie, you need to.

Tell me what I'm like, because I have no idea.

That wasn't really a question that I intended for you readers to answer about me. I probably don't want to know what you think, anyway. NOT because you don't have valid, accurate ideas (so don't close out of this window in offense). On the contrary, you are all geniuses and would end up revealing too much about me for my ego to handle (or accept). So answer it if you want, but know that I had no intention of you doing so; it was just a title.

This week in my psychology class we have been studying personality. And what would a personality lesson be without a personality test? So we filled out a questionnaire, giving 4's to the word most and 1's to the words least like us (giving 3's and 2's to the two words in between).

For example:

I am:................................. logical...............practical..............idealistic................creative

I value: ............................fairness..............tradition..........personal growth..........pleasure

I am annoyed by:.............. illogical people.......messy people.........rude people........negative people

I have a lot of: .................. natural wit.........commonsense..............love..................energy

For me, I am most logical, then practical, then creative, and least idealistic. So my scoring goes as follows: logical=4, practical=3, creative=2, idealistic=1. Got it? Good, now take the extremely shortened version above(ours had 23 questions).

What do your scores mean? Add up the columns. If you have the most in the:

1st column: Surprise! You are considered rational.

2nd column: Ta-dah! You are considered organized.

3rd column: Yay! You are considered loving.

4th column: Hoo-rah! You are considered energized.

What's the next step? Hypothetically, you would receive a packet that explained what type of person you were.

When I read mine, I was so happy to find how well the rational description described me. It said, among other things, that I was "typically calm and clear headed," I have "high performance standards," and am "meticulous and exacting." It was speaking directly to me, and it was eerily accurate (well, except for a few things, like I don't "speak in theoretical and complex terms...[and] talk over the heads of others." I don't think I could do that if I tried).

But really, why should that surprise us? We took the test. We gave our answers. Of course these "revealing" paragraphs about our personality are going to describe us!

Did you do the test above? Why? Did you not know what you were like? Of course you know your personality- you know if you prefer big or small groups, physical or cognitive connections, clear-cut rules or absolute freedom. Still, we jump at the chance to fill out yet another questionnaire.

Perhaps it is not so that we can describe ourselves, but so that we can understand others. Isn't it easier to say, "Oh, the test said I was rational person," than, "The test says I am content being alone, dislike being controlled by my feelings, and am often thought of as a perfectionist"? If someone said the latter, we would see them as too self-disclosing (I just met you, and I didn't want to know all of your inner struggles, thank you very much.....I'm just going to go.....somewhere......yeah........). With the first answer, it gives a small glimpse at others, while revealing ourselves in a more acceptable fashion.

Personally, I LOVE taking these tests (is test the right word? there's no right answer, after all). True, I know what I'm like, but that's not the point. These tests give you the chance to see how you compare to others. Are you similar? Polar opposites? As humans, all of us need connection with others at some time or another. Being able to share our "personalities" with one another, we may so happen to find someone else who loves to be antisocial in a corner just as much as we do.

"Joggers and Dead Bodies Theory"

Don't jog in the morning. Trust her.

A Short Little Story

alsdrasetybmfsdkseusisrhdthrioekzsjaraseoriasthghjjnvmvclsieruyasdkfjaseltoihgalseriqpejfrmx mzsasleiriaghoieruslaksdfj.

Ok. That was a bunch of random typing. Now I'm going to make a story using each letter as the first letter of a new word. Ready?

A large, smelly, dinosaur raced across seven extravagant territories. Yet because my friend said, "Delicately! Kindly!", Stegosaurus Ike stepped rationally, hoping desperately to heed rules involving over-sized kreatures. Zealous state Jamania's amendments read: "All stegosauruses entering our regime in August shouldn't trek harshly. Just journey, negating violent movements."
Very carefully, large Stegosaurus Ike evacuated, running under Yamania's authority. Said dictatorship kills foreign Jamanians and sells Edmontosauri. Luckily, though, our Ike had a green-card and lived.
Soon exhausted, run-down Ike quit progressing, electing just for movement x-iting mandates zoically. Suddenly, a she-Stegosaurus (and he) 'loped, ending Ike's roaming. I arranged great housing onan island, everything richly unique, sweetly luxurious, and kick-butt-ish. So, definitely fanciful'n jolly.

Wow that ending was pathetic, and I cheated here and there, but it took me longer than I thought. Do your own and post them on your blogs. I want to see what you come up with!