A N N A J O H N ' S D I A R Y

Synchronicity. Yadadamean?

Urban Dictionary- yadadamean, originally uploaded by suitablegirl.

This made me smile.  :)

A comment thread on SM-- which I've kind of been staying away from, since I'm supposed to be resting and avoiding stress...and SM is all about spikes in my heart rate and bp-- was discussing a provocative picture of Hillary and Obama as Hindu deities.

The obligatory, "I'd like to see how Christians  would feel" comment was made and soon after, others disagreed with the idea that other deities are safe from satire or mockery, bringing up "Piss Christ" and the "Virgin Mary made out of elephant poo".  As grateful as I was for those voices of reason, I felt a little hurt; unfortunately, this year, SM has felt like a slightly hostile place for Christians, which is heart-breaking for me, a founding blogger who happens to be an active member of the Greek Orthodox church.  Like other people whose roots lie in Kerala, I was raised as a Christian with a deep respect for others' faiths.  How else would I be raised by parents whose classmates, neighbors and playmates were Jewish, Muslim and Hindu?

I'm Orthodox, but according to my Shaivite consort, many of my rituals or habits are Hindu-- not uncommon for certain Christian sects in Kerala. I grew up listening to my Father absent-mindedly chant in an Aramaic dialect, as he went about his day.  I celebrated Purim and Hannukah with my best friend's family and went to Gurdwara with my college sweetheart on Vaisakhi. That's my background, but this year, my faith has been an especially ugly target for trolls.

There have been days when I woke up, dreading nastiness about how I was an "aggressive evangelist", a Christian Fundamentalist, an Islamophobe or a Hindu-hater...you get the picture.  I know, it shouldn't hurt, but it does. It's an extra vicious thing to say to someone who takes religion (hers and others') seriously.  The only thing I haven't been accused of is being an anti-Semite, but that's because AFAIK, we only have one desi Jewish reader (I met him at a meetup!).

So this thread was making me feel uneasy (so not what I need right now) and I expressed myself, but while doing so, I used the word "hyphy".  And then I got flamed. Oh-- but not for the "hyphy"-usage. :)

Meanwhile, a commenter who had earlier noted my unexpected use of that very bay area term got my six by bringing up how Jesus has been appropriated for various purposes and closed with, "yadadamean"?  Upon seeing *that*, a friend asked me what the term meant.  I went to Urban Dictionary, because I find their examples for usage massively entertaining and look what I saw-- an ad for a "funny" tee-shirt, featuring Jesus. 

Synchronicity. :)

Desi Svingers, they lowe me...

I love almost everything about flickr, except for the cringe certain flickr mails inspire. 

Why such a rxn you might ask?  Well, once a week, I get "added" by men who have a brown-fetish (membership in a group devoted to Indian kitty cats is a dead giveaway) or more traumatic for me than that, desi couples who do shameful things with their shame-shames. ;)

I say "traumatic", because often, these people have full meeshas, smile-free photographs and other characteristics I totally associate with my relatives.  Who are uber-conservative.  Or...so...I...thought?  Maybe the couple below have a cousin or niece like me, who is blogging along innocently somewhere, unaware that she got some freak in her blood?  Maybe my own family members...uh...yeah, that concept just made me throw up a little, in my mouth. Wait, there's probably a flickr group for pictures of THAT, too!  Wheee!

3/18/08

Mobile test post...

March 12: Things Fall Apart

I checked my alerts, saw a new post on SM. 

Read that post and comments, noticed that I was getting credit for something I did not do.

I got confused; I surfed back to past SM post to see who wrote the post I didn't write.

Read the post, started skimming the comments.

Saw a super-courteous, and much-appreciated (even a year later) comment which directed thread-jackers elsewhere, to a whole new post/discussion on that person's own blog.

Followed the link and read the post; still smiling at this point, what an awesome thing for them to do.

Read the first comment and felt like Bruce Banner, turning green as my shirt shredded.

Hulk mad.

Immediately started to respond.

Paused.

Hulk sad.

Realized that many of the people who frequent that space dislike both me and SM.

Asked myself what good would or could come, from my addressing closed minds.

Stifled my inner-15-year-old, who is not so clear-headed, calm or philosophical.

Immediately comforted said 15-year-old, who internally wailed, "I can't keep this in!  Stop telling me that I shouldn't leave this comment because I'll be over it by tomorrow!  YOU'RE NOT EVEN MY REAL MOM!"

Sighed.

Remembered that this is why I have this diary, which I have not felt safe to express myself in, for over a year.

March 7

You know what would kick kundi right now?  Seeing some fotologgers.  Hugging them.  Taking loads of photographs with them.  Getting falling-down-drunk with them.  That would be the perfect Friday night, after all this recent stress.

Hell, that would be a perfect night out, even if I were on vacation!

Oh, look at the time-- I have to figure out what dress I'm going to wear to perfection. :)

You see, SIBIL, NINA and CL are coming to town (or, in CL's case, coming back downtown)!

Expect much flickr-- not fotolog, since I'm retired :(  --much, much flickr.  Not as much dancing, since my ankle is officially re-sprained (I injured a different part of it, when I slipped on the ice. Yay!), but you can be damned sure that there will be much clicking o' the now venerable Canon.  And those embarrassing pics will show up somewhere. :)