Meeting People is Easy
I've met two interesting women in the past week, and as I like to do, I will discuss them here:
Actually this first part I wrote on a plane while sitting next to the sleeping girl (Yes, I have returned to L.A. by the way after seven weeks in New York).
I'm currently amused with my current airplane girlfriend. In a previous post in this space, I defined exactly what that meant - a girl you're at least mildly attracted to that you sit next to in a plane and have a conversation with for the rest of the trip. It never (or shouldn't) go beyond that. My New York to Las Vegas Southwest Airlines girlfriend is a free-spirited hippie girl named Erica. Erica lives in Santa Cruz, Ca. (most famous for its surfing/skateboarding culture) and makes Bohemian-type jewelry for a living. In fact, the swirled shaped stud in her nose is a piece she crafted herself. She also showed me the bejeweled contents of a small wooden chest containing her work.
Now, though this girl (I'd guess she was in her early 20's)* outward stylistic trappings of hippiedom - loose flowing Earth toned clothing, hemp sandles and until recently had dreadlocks - she seems steadfastly one also in the philosophical sense. She recycles, is enviro-concious, hates Republicans, and once taught English to islanders somewhere near South America (with said dreadlocks in tow). In fact, the only mark on her hippie record is her stated love for meat. ("I f--ing love bloody rare steak. And chicken, yum!")
That said, she chaffed when I asked if she considers herself a hippie. "Labels don't mean anything," she said.
She also more than chaffed when I brought up my objections to some of Greenpeace's practices as more of a lobbyist organization than a Think Global, Act Local grassroots type of enviro-friendly organization. "If I talk about politics or religion, I'm probably going to have a nervous breakdown," she explained.
Needless to say, we spent most of the rest of plane ride discussing the merits of A1 sauce.
*After I wrote this I discovered that she was 22.
-The second interesting woman, I actually met a few hours ago because I was helping my roommate to purchase a set of dresser drawers from her on Craigslist for his girlfriend.
Bayla is a young (mid-20's?) Beverly Hills woman...somewhat resembling TV's "Blossom" actually... moving to Israel in a few days "because I'm Jewish," she said. When strolling around her apartment while she took all of her clothes out of the drawer I noted that she had a shiny new Torah and a book that offered to explain the religion in a short, concise way for "busy people" that might as well have been called "Judiasm For Dummies."
What I began to suspect is that Bayla was raised in a Jewish home (maybe non-practicing) but never really connected with the religion or cared to. But at some point, she had some sort of epiphany (possibly as a reaction to the soul sucking entity that is Los Angeles) and she suddenly is all 'bout da Jews. This is not to condemn her, or call her a "bandwagon Jew" or something ridiculous, I thought what she was doing was admirable.
Still...my hunch seemed confirmed when I walked in her room and asked if I was wearing a big gold Star of David on my hooded sweatshirt. As some of you know, one of my childish conceits is that I wear a Sheriff Ryan badge on my sweatshirt for fun so.... "No, I'm sorry I'm about the law, not The Law," I quipped with quotemark handgestures and with what I figured was my best impish grin. Bayla laughed and then went on a bizarre rant about how America's Declaration of Independence was basically a rip off of Jewish law...
I also asked what the Hebrew sticker attached to the side of the drawer we were taking said. "The time for Redemption is near," she answered. I joked that we were going to cross out the word redemption and write in the word "socks." This seemed to amuse her, and then in a move that completely baffled me... asked me if I was Jewish.
When I sheepishly laughed and said no, I was actually a Christian, she replied "Oh, well you look Jewish. Is your mom Jewish?"
I couldn't help but be amused. This WASP from the Midwest has never even been remotely confused with a Jew before...."No, my mom is...mostly German," I said sort of awkwardly, as if bringing up the German heritage was some sort of backhanded Holocaust reference...
I then asked for more information on why she was going to Israel. "Because they need help right now," she said simply. "So, are you going to volunteer for...the army?" I asked in a half-joking way. "Maybe," she said seriously. "There are other things that I could do, but I just want to go there first and help in whatever way I can."
This whole Beverly Hills babe becomes terrorist fighting Israeli soldier concept struck me as incredibly naive and ridiculous and incredible noble, and I told her so. Sort of. And then we had to carry the dresser to my roommates car. "It sucks that you have to leave," Bayla said finally. "Just when we were having a good conversation about philosophy and religion."
I really think Bayla wanted to make out with me, and I say this because:
1. She laughed at all my jokes.
2. She probably asked if I was Jewish to find out whether making out with me would be kosher.
3. I am a complete narcissist.
I've met two interesting women in the past week, and as I like to do, I will discuss them here:
Actually this first part I wrote on a plane while sitting next to the sleeping girl (Yes, I have returned to L.A. by the way after seven weeks in New York).
I'm currently amused with my current airplane girlfriend. In a previous post in this space, I defined exactly what that meant - a girl you're at least mildly attracted to that you sit next to in a plane and have a conversation with for the rest of the trip. It never (or shouldn't) go beyond that. My New York to Las Vegas Southwest Airlines girlfriend is a free-spirited hippie girl named Erica. Erica lives in Santa Cruz, Ca. (most famous for its surfing/skateboarding culture) and makes Bohemian-type jewelry for a living. In fact, the swirled shaped stud in her nose is a piece she crafted herself. She also showed me the bejeweled contents of a small wooden chest containing her work.
Now, though this girl (I'd guess she was in her early 20's)* outward stylistic trappings of hippiedom - loose flowing Earth toned clothing, hemp sandles and until recently had dreadlocks - she seems steadfastly one also in the philosophical sense. She recycles, is enviro-concious, hates Republicans, and once taught English to islanders somewhere near South America (with said dreadlocks in tow). In fact, the only mark on her hippie record is her stated love for meat. ("I f--ing love bloody rare steak. And chicken, yum!")
That said, she chaffed when I asked if she considers herself a hippie. "Labels don't mean anything," she said.
She also more than chaffed when I brought up my objections to some of Greenpeace's practices as more of a lobbyist organization than a Think Global, Act Local grassroots type of enviro-friendly organization. "If I talk about politics or religion, I'm probably going to have a nervous breakdown," she explained.
Needless to say, we spent most of the rest of plane ride discussing the merits of A1 sauce.
*After I wrote this I discovered that she was 22.
-The second interesting woman, I actually met a few hours ago because I was helping my roommate to purchase a set of dresser drawers from her on Craigslist for his girlfriend.
Bayla is a young (mid-20's?) Beverly Hills woman...somewhat resembling TV's "Blossom" actually... moving to Israel in a few days "because I'm Jewish," she said. When strolling around her apartment while she took all of her clothes out of the drawer I noted that she had a shiny new Torah and a book that offered to explain the religion in a short, concise way for "busy people" that might as well have been called "Judiasm For Dummies."
What I began to suspect is that Bayla was raised in a Jewish home (maybe non-practicing) but never really connected with the religion or cared to. But at some point, she had some sort of epiphany (possibly as a reaction to the soul sucking entity that is Los Angeles) and she suddenly is all 'bout da Jews. This is not to condemn her, or call her a "bandwagon Jew" or something ridiculous, I thought what she was doing was admirable.
Still...my hunch seemed confirmed when I walked in her room and asked if I was wearing a big gold Star of David on my hooded sweatshirt. As some of you know, one of my childish conceits is that I wear a Sheriff Ryan badge on my sweatshirt for fun so.... "No, I'm sorry I'm about the law, not The Law," I quipped with quotemark handgestures and with what I figured was my best impish grin. Bayla laughed and then went on a bizarre rant about how America's Declaration of Independence was basically a rip off of Jewish law...
I also asked what the Hebrew sticker attached to the side of the drawer we were taking said. "The time for Redemption is near," she answered. I joked that we were going to cross out the word redemption and write in the word "socks." This seemed to amuse her, and then in a move that completely baffled me... asked me if I was Jewish.
When I sheepishly laughed and said no, I was actually a Christian, she replied "Oh, well you look Jewish. Is your mom Jewish?"
I couldn't help but be amused. This WASP from the Midwest has never even been remotely confused with a Jew before...."No, my mom is...mostly German," I said sort of awkwardly, as if bringing up the German heritage was some sort of backhanded Holocaust reference...
I then asked for more information on why she was going to Israel. "Because they need help right now," she said simply. "So, are you going to volunteer for...the army?" I asked in a half-joking way. "Maybe," she said seriously. "There are other things that I could do, but I just want to go there first and help in whatever way I can."
This whole Beverly Hills babe becomes terrorist fighting Israeli soldier concept struck me as incredibly naive and ridiculous and incredible noble, and I told her so. Sort of. And then we had to carry the dresser to my roommates car. "It sucks that you have to leave," Bayla said finally. "Just when we were having a good conversation about philosophy and religion."
I really think Bayla wanted to make out with me, and I say this because:
1. She laughed at all my jokes.
2. She probably asked if I was Jewish to find out whether making out with me would be kosher.
3. I am a complete narcissist.
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