blackrimglasses

School is getting all Melrose Place, and I have absolutely no desire to be involved in it in any fashion. I keep humming the Bjork tune “There’s More to Life Than This” under my breath whenever I hear about it. In fact, if last Friday was the last day of school for my entire life, I’d be very happy. Very happy indeed. But it was not. Instead I have this, week 10 of my last quarter in higher education to get through. This includes crit on Tuesday, which shall be all “she ripped off her wig.” Joy.

I shall drink!

This weekend was a goi wedding, which was amusing to say the least. It is weird being in the only Jewish group in a room full of Orange County Republican Christians. I almost felt that in the middle of the festivities, the music would stop, eyes would turn our way and some sort of “intervention” would start. It was kind of surreal, in a fine way.

What I do love about Christianity vs. Judaism is that Christianity is all about feeling guilt about things, and hoping that in the end, you absolve your guilt and are accepted into something better than what we have here. Christians are all about Original Sin, the blood of the father, being forgiven, etc.

Judaism however, we operate under the assumption that we are the Chosen. It is assumed, that by being Jewish we are already granted salvation here on earth, kind of a “hey, well, this is as good as it is I guess” type of situation. Our guilt is not intrinsic to the religion, only our mothers. Jewish guilt is a matter of the fact that since the religion automatically assumes “Chosen” status, the only way to differentiate ourselves amongst ourselves is to strive for positions in which we can absolve the guilt of others in whatever way possible. Doctors, lawyers, and hell, even actors do this in some way.

And our mothers are always there to make sure we do it properly.

So Christianity has the Holy Trinity, and we Jews do as well: mother, grand mother (paternal), grand mother (maternal). And then that leads way to: mother, mother-in law and the grandmothers as a collective entity.

Oh to be Jewish, such guilt! But always with love and a lot of nosh.

So back to school now, this week is the final, final week. My thesis show is done, my written thesis is done (enquire within!), and I wrap up classes this week. Graduation is June 11th (which given the status of departmental mood should be fun). My thing right now: I just want it over, I want to move, start work and keep in contact with those that matter. And forget the rest.

It is rather funny that I came to school to escape the corporate world, and am leaving academia back to corporate with that same feeling of escape. In retrospect, I think it amounts to my dislike of power through stupidity, or the obfuscation of stupidity via the pomposity of assumed power. Both academia and corporate have it, one just pays you more to deal with it.

So June 13, we leave Santa Barbara and I’m kind of happy about that. The plans for world domination are in effect.