sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

Very briefly, because it's been a long day, and I have to get up early to call someone in India (don't even ask), I just got back from the JCC Judology event at the Everyman in Hampstead.

Had a drink first in the Horseshoe (pub recently turned gastro) with a non-Jewish friend (I know, I know, the phrase sorta implies the whole world is Jewish and just a handful of people aren't), and as more and more people came in and said hi, she said to me "do you know everyone here?" and I said no, not usually.

Anyway, it was a rather bizarrely entertaining evening - fun, definitely, but rather like an extremely large Friday night dinner conversation around your grandparents table that your grandmother brought with her from the old country - lots of unfinished thoughts hanging in the air, much talk of bowels/toilet habits, and limited talk of (the circumcised elephant in the room, according to Dave Schneider), Israel.

Panellist Howard Jacobson was a game and a half ahead of the others - he's really thought long and hard about the Jewish stuff, and it shows. And he's smart, which helps. Jonny Geller, Dave Scneider and Michelle Hanson are clearly also smart, and Jonny's opening presentation on his Yes But Is It Good For the Jews book was great, and clearly had the mark of someone who'd trained as an actor. Michelle Hanson kinda failed on the Israel question - she went there once on holiday in 1966, Eilat, but she didn't have a good time.

But Howard gave good. Gems included "thought and sex are all Jews are for. And jokes, but jokes are about thought. Only things to do with thought and sex are good for the Jews. Food? No, it's to do with the body, and bodies are bad for the Jews. Jews are the only people who get to sex from throught - the body isn't involved."

"Manchester and Leeds are good for the Jews; Jews look better in the North. When they come down here (London) they get spivvish, sort of Alan Sugarish. What I love is diasporaness in Jews."

"The English want a quiet life. We don't want a quiet life. We have a love of life, we have things to do, sex to have, we can't stand around queuing in the bank for our whole lives."

"The question "is it good for the Jews", we know it's preprosterous. We are perenially joking. The truth is, there's nothing that's good for the Jews, we laugh at ourselves better than anyone else can. We are even better at being bad to us than anyone else is."

I'm just posting these things for me to think about - Howard certainly gave me food for thought.

The whole event had a gentle, positively, culturally, out-there Jewish vibe, which I liked. Having said that, there was a fair smattering of bullet-proof hair and people who you know have gold slippers at home. But then, also, there were people I saw at the Jewdas do Saturday. So that's a broad church. Or wide shul. Or whatever the phrase is.

Ended up going back to the Horseshoe with a small crowd of people and discussing ideas and thought (although no sex, Howard). I even talked to someone who'd read all my stuff (blog, Jewish Quarterly) and had views on it. Which was... flattering, but odd. In a nice way.

Right now, I'm having a nice life. I'm actually taking the day off tomorrow. I know, I know, I had to really haggle with my boss (me), being self-employed has its pluses and minuses. It's my birthday saturday/shabbes, and as I'm taking that day off anyway, I thought I'd have a day-off-off in lieu. Get three hours in early, and then relax. Even though I actually have a few things to finish, so I will feel slightly guilty as I trip from yoga to lunch to manicure (it's ok being a lady who lunches if you only do it like once a year). If I had a blackberry, I could check it all the time and not feel so bad. But I don't. My boss wouldn't buy me one. Wise woman. I must stop talking of myself in the third person.

Say hello, whydontcha. Sometimes, I feel like I'm talking to myself. But that could be the voices in my head. I'd just got rid of voice (a) and then it got replaced with voice (b). But voice B is fading, thankfully, and I feel like I'm... hey, this is allegorical. There aren't actual voices.

I'm rambling. It's late. I had vodka (Stoli raspberry, to be recommended). Night.