My boxes from Jerusalem finally arrived. It only took 5 months. I now have a lot of books in my apartment. A LOT OF BOOKS. I seem to be vascillating between semi-horror at the very evidently bingey nature of quite a few of my purchases (I thought I needed what??!? Why did I think that?!?) and a deep, deep satisfaction with the current state of my library. I love seeing my shas and Midrash Rabbah and Tur and Mishneh Torah all snuggled together. It makes me happy. Even some of the wackier things that I got (the Tur’s Torah commentary, for pete’s sake) will probably prove useful in the long run. Hope so, anyway. Actually, Torah perush is never *that* weird. I will keep repeating this to myself.
New York was OK. it was raining and cold, so I spent most of the week laying low with the creeping green ook, but I did get out on Simchat Torah to see some folk, and managed to spend some other decent time around town. The conference was fun, lots and lots of people that I knew popping up (including a friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in at least 12, maybe more like 15 years). Parts of it were much more generationally divisive than I would have expected or cared for, which was kind of a pity–I thought we had all gotten over the whole B.S. notion that the gap between “Second Wavers” and “Third Wavers” was interesting, notable, or even really grounded in reality. Hasn’t the gap always been, “people who think interesting thoughts” and “those who don’t”? That, as far as I’m aware, has never been classifiable by age–for as many ass-kicking older feminists (or people) there are plenty more 20somethings who can talk and talk and don’t say a damn thing. But there were lots of great people there, too, and I was very happy to be included with the stellar cast of characters who peopled my panel and glad that we kept the conversation on a more productive tip. At some point they’ll put taped sections of the conference online, so y’all can see for yourself.
Now, now it is time for bed. I still have this nasty hacking cough, and the midterms that started the morning I got back are pretty much going to keep going until finals. So goodnight.