A Greene Man’s Blog

Counting the Omer, Growing the Beard…

Originally uploaded by Daniel Greene.

…maybe. I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking and feeling about a lot of things, really– too much to tell you.

But what is the omer? The omer is a period of counting that is a mitzvah or “commandment” in the Jewish Bible. Jews are supposed to count the days from Pesach to Shavuot to mark the journey from Exodus (freedom from bondage) to Mount Sinai (communally experiencing the presence of God in a deep and miraculous way and receiving the Torah). It is traditionally a period of semi-mourning, reflection, and, among other things, not shaving or getting a haircut.

To tell the truth, I have never counted the days between Pesach and Shavuot; in fact, now I would have to think… ah, yes, today is the ninth day of Omer. But something the rabbi said, half in jest, about having “rabbinical permission to grow a beard over the next seven weeks” got me to thinking not only about growing a beard, but also about how I might seize upon an opportunity to have a religious experience. Or at least enhance the spirituality of my life for a while.

I’m at the point where I hate my beard. It itches, and I think it makes me look old, mean, and ugly. I took this photo now in case I can’t stand it anymore and I shave it all off. But maybe I’m also taking this photo as a way of reflecting more deeply on having some patience with this process.

It is difficult to sit with that which itches at one and makes one feel old, mean, and ugly. Like my kvetching. I complain. I do it several times a day, often without even thinking. Sometimes my first words in the morning are a form of complaint. This is something I would like to tackle during the next six weeks.

Even if I don’t keep the beard.

While Apple has announced a new Apple TV and movie rentals on iTunes, now more than ever it’s high time they made sure that all their video content is closed captioned. With the writers’ strike affecting television programming and more people switching to downloadable content, let’s not take a huge step backward by delivering a huge mess of inaccessible content over the Internet! The ADA does not require Internet deliverables to be closed-captioned because the ADA was drafted before the Internet, but the spirit of the law is to ensure that people have access to media, and since most movies and television shows have already been captioned for legacy media, it shouldn’t be difficult to deliver those captions along with new media. Apple has put the technology in place for the viewing of closed captions in iTunes, QuickTime, and iPods. The next step is actually selling and renting closed-captioned videos!

Thank you, Veterans!

Originally uploaded by Daniel Greene.

Regardless of whether or not I approve of the current Administration or the current war, I still respect and thank our troops, both past and present, for their service to our country. The same goes to our allies.

I actually went to my college interpreting job this morning and didn’t realize until I saw the empty parking lot that there was no school today. I had forgotten it was Veterans Day. On the way home, I decided I had to do something to honor veterans. Taking and posting a photograph, writing and posting this short note– these are little things, but these little remembrances are better than nothing.

I would like to see a world without war, but in the meantime, I accept the reality of war and I take this moment to remember those who fight in wars– heck, even our enemies (especially the innocent bystanders who lose both lives and loved ones). May we all forgive and be forgiven, and may we please find a way to lasting peace!

Tech note: I used a Speedlight 430 EX to make the flag in the foreground (which was in the shade) stand out against the flag in the background (which was mostly in the sun).