#BlogExodus: Free

The Apple store at Grand Central Terminal is perhaps as far as possible from Egypt -- both literally and figuratively.  And yet, it was there that I found quite a bit of freedom today, making the switch from a Dell Inspiron PC purchased in 2007 to a MacBook Air.

Don't get me wrong...I loved that Dell, which was my constant companion throughout an extended stint in graduate school.  It was the first computer to which I downloaded iTunes, the place where JanetheWriter Writes... was created, and the computer that kept me connected to the outside world as I recovered from numerous surgeries in recent years.  At the moment, it still holds all my Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.  They can be transferred to the new computer only when I can leave both machines at the Apple store for up to 48 hours, which definitely is not something I want to do over the weekend.

In the meantime, I am now free from computer viruses, long tech support calls to Mumbai in the wee hours, and schlepping around an increasingly slow machine that likely weighs as much as a newborn child.  Instead, I'll be able to write in coffee shops easily, blog from wherever I happen to be, and FaceTime with my nephew, and my sister when she's traveling.  (In fact, she's currently in the Cornhusker State and we had a nice face-to-face chat tonight after dinner.)

I recognize, of course, that what I've described here are first-world freedoms and, in reality, none of us is free until all of us are free--free from want and hunger, free from abuse and violence, free from discrimination and bigotry, and free from pain, injustice, and more.

Would that the Apple store could sell us those freedoms, too, right alongside an AppleCare Protection Plan, helping to ensure that those who most need the freedoms many of take so for granted have some assurance of receiving them.

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this post is one in a series marking the days of the Jewish month of Nissan leading up to Passover, which begins at sundown on Monday, 14 Nissan. If you want to play along, check out this year's #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram prompts.

Search: "Jewish"

I was interested to catch this article in today's edition of the Cleveland Jewish News. Ironically, it came to me by way of a daily Google Alert for “Reform Judaism” that I set up several months ago.

Equally ironic, at about the same time I set up that Google Alert, I also set up one for “Anti-Semitism” and, in light of my studies this semester—a course entitled “Anti-Semitism and Public Policy”—(and despite what the article says), I am grateful for the links to relevant news stories and blogs that land in my in box each day. Many are put to good use in class each week where a discussion of “What’s happening in the world?” begins each session.

As far as turning to the Web to find my beshert, I guess I’m still optimistic (and not quite sure why) about this seemingly outmoded venue. Sometimes, as a break from my studies and against my better judgment, I’ll visit the “men seeking women” section of Craigslist and search for “Jewish.” Invariably, my search returns the usual list of unsavory suspects—married men, those seeking friends with benefits, and a host of wack-jobs looking for things not suitable to mention on a “family blog.”

From time to time, I’ll even post my own ad in the “women seeking men” section of the site. In fact, on Wednesday night, I posted this ad (including the cute little turkey):

Don't be a turkey...answer this ad - 46 (New York City)

Real, down-to-earth and youthful 40-something Jewish woman with much to be thankful for seeks a mensch in the hope that compatibility and friendship might lead to something more.

Please be Jewish, kind, gentle, real, age-appropriate and not already married. If you fit these criteria, don't be a turkey...answer this ad. Happy Thanksgiving.

So, what’d my net pull in this time? Among others, I caught these turkeys:

Guy #1 sent his phone number with this note: “Hi! I am not a turkey nor Jewish but I would love to meet you...” Ummm, I don’t think so.

Guy #2 responded with this: “Gobble, gobble” and a picture of himself playing the guitar. We’ve exchanged a few emails previously, but my photo appears to be the deal breaker. Oh well…

Guy #3 isn’t really in the market for his beshert, but is testing a brand new “100% free Jewish dating site” he recently developed. His email asks that I register, but my experience tells me that these JDate wannabes aren’t worth much. Kudos to him for trying, but I’ll pass…

And finally this: You may remember Guy #4 from a previous post on this blog. In that post, he was Guy #8, but regardless of his place on my list, he’s still 50 years old (although he’s been answering my posts for a year and a half), he still claims to have brown hair, and he’s a pro at cutting and pasting—the exact same response every single time.

Hmmmm…is it any wonder that fewer Jews are turning to the web to find their beshert? Perhaps it's time for me to join the others in stepping away from the computer...

People in My Neighborhood: The First in an Occasional Series

Remember the “People in Your Neighborhood” ditty from Sesame Street? Sure you do. The words go like this:

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day.

Oh, the postman always brings the mail
Through rain or snow or sleet or hail
I'll work and work the whole day through
To get your letters safe to you.

'Cause a postman is a person in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood
He's in your neighborhood
A postman is a person in your neighborhood
A person that you meet each day.

After the postman came the fireman, the baker, the teacher, the barber, the bus driver, the dentist, the doctor, the grocer, the shoemaker, the cleaner, and the trash collector (played, of course, by Oscar!).

And then, the grand finale:

They're the people that you meet
When you`re walking down the street,
They`re the people that you meet each day.

So, now that I’ve got a digital camera, I can introduce you to some of the people in my neighborhood.

People like Raulston Daley, a member of the IT team at the Union for Reform Judaism. Although technically he’s not a postman, he does make sure we get our email every day. Today, when there was a problem with my delivery, he fixed it. Thanks, Raulston. (And while he did that, I practiced using my new camera.)

Sure am glad that Raulston’s a person in my neighborhood,
He’s in my neighborhood,
He’s in my neighborhood,
Yes, Raulston is a person in my neighborhood,
He’s a person that I meet, when I’m walking down the street,
He’s a person that I meet each day!