post-Valentine's Day notes

[chanaleh]

On love festivals that are not Xian saints' days: This week's Sh'koyach points up the fact that "the Jewish equivalent to Valentine's Day would be Tu B'Av", with a link to the following article:

Tu B'Av, like Yom Kippur, is about introspection and new beginnings concerning our relationships and personal values. [...] Tu B'Av is a great day for weddings, commitment ceremonies, renewal of vows, or proposing. It is a day for enhancing current relationships or defining anew what you are looking for in a partner.

I'm just saying. :-)

In tangentially related (albeit cryptic) news, the current research problem I may be said to be facing is not just one of reinforcement learning, but also of extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation. Ah, my little neural network...

And apropos of nothing else at all:

Lindy, did you hear that mockingbird sing last night?
Honey, he was singing so sweet in the moonlight
In the old magnolia tree, bustin' his heart with melody.
I know he was singing of you, my Lindy Lou, Lindy Lou
I'd lay right down and die, and die,
If I could sing like that bird sings to you,
My little Lindy Lou.

Okay, off to a b'day dinner at Mary's for which I am late, and then a meeting.

Comments

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

That's a lot less romantic if you've ever had a mockingbird take up residence nearby and belt out tunes almost 24/7 for a month. Oy.

[moria923.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this info. I found it inspiring that Yom Kippur and Tu B'Av are both referred to as days of deep introspection and days of great joy. I'm Catholic, and growing up, I usually wouldn't think of introspection and joy in the same sentence. According to my training, it was pretty clear that if you looked inside yourself honestly, you'd find something pretty smarmy.

[magid.livejournal.com]

According to my training, it was pretty clear that if you looked inside yourself honestly, you'd find something pretty smarmy.
I can't imagine growing up with that... I think it's all about the balance, acknowledging both the good and the bad in oneself, and figuring out how to work on the latter. I really like the (Jewish) story about how one should keep two pieces of paper in two pockets. One says, "The world was created for me," and the other says, "Dust I am and to dust I shall return."

That just begs for the following quote in response:

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

MATT: That's honeysuckle! No wonder they make songs about it. ... It's wonderful.
SALLY: You've never had to grub it out of a hedgerow.

Re: That just begs for the following quote in response:

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

I wanted to quote something back at you, but I couldn't find the script online.
Instead, I will taunt you with a song virus: "...on the north-south-east-west Diddlesex junction!" :-)

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

I had never heard about Tu B'Av before, thanks for the link :)

Re: That just begs for the following quote in response:

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

NOOO!!!!!! You are officially Evil.