A Long, Tall Broke Back Mountain to Climb

So, I've enjoyed a nice afternoon of nothing but napping. Hebrew class was a monster this week. Yeah, I'm well aware that it was only my first week, but, it's a constant day in and day out struggle to grasp grammatical concepts and then properly implement them into everyday use. The lessons are entirely taught in Hebrew. We're discouraged from speaking in our native tongue, and since we, the students, speak 8 different languages, we usually try to rally behind Hebrew. Some sessions are easier than others; I still can’t yet distinguish between the various styles of present infinitive verbs, and my vocabulary is limited, but I am learning so much everyday. Conquering this language is like ascending Mt Everest, and I'm not even in Nepal yet. I try to remain patient; I've been here before with studying French, but that was the same alphabet. Although some students have more or even less knowledge of Hebrew, I keep reminding myself that every student is in the same boat, and we're still a float.

So, speaking of painful mountains, Heath Ledger died the other day. What the hell? We were just beginning to really enjoy this young, talented actor when he was mysteriously taken from us prematurely. I hate to be cynical (it's my dam blog so I can be) but despite what the initial toxicology reports show, this reeks of a suspicious drug overdose. I wonder if Jimmy Hendrix, River Phoenix, John Belushi, Anna-Nicole, Chris Farley, or Jim Morrison will be attending the funeral later next week? Oh, shit, they're dead too! At the risk of Ledger's death caused by natural means, in which case I will eat a serious helping of crow, I am saddened but desensitized. When will our young, gifted artists learn to control their urges? The fast-paced celebrity life-style which engulfs many doesn’t need to define Hollywood. For every Lindsay Lohen or Paris Hilton (not that either of those women are very talented), there's an Elijah Wood, Reese Witherspoon or other extremely professional prodigy who understands the importance of acting or singing/song writing. Acting is a lost art form. During the Renaissance /Shakespearean period, people acted out of love for the theatre not fast cars, easy sex, hard drugs, or bright limelight.

It was a cold, rainy week, but today was bright and sunny. We celebrated Tub' Shevat, the new year for trees, earlier in the week. We ate a lot of fruit, planted some floors, and participated in a sedar. It's not the most religious holiday in Israel, or the Jewish world, but it's important to show an appreciation for G-d's natural beauty. Tomorrow is Shabbat, and I'll celebrate it with some friends in Jerusalem proper. It's been a long, difficult week, and I look forward to resting.

Have a great weekend, Shabbat Shalom, and stay warm wherever you are!

David