Garden State

The thing about Israeli Fridays is that they are more or less like American Sundays: no work/school, relaxing, and enjoying the weekend. The only noticable difference is that the day ends early with the start of Shabbat. But the part about no school is especially refreshing; it means I get to sleep in. Well, except for the part about four Israelis separately trying to wake me up for a tiyul I did not want to go on. And when I arose finally, it was windy and rainy. From the Beit Midrash, it looked as if Mt. Gilboa was enveloped by an opaque, swirling mist. If my new blanket is like sleeping in a cloud, this morning, for Mt. Gilboa, was like living in one.

Anyway, the reason I awoke so (relatively) late is that last night I stayed up late doing two things: finishing my James Patterson thriller "Black Friday," and watching the movie "Garden State." Initially, it seemed like a total chick flick. But once I got past the initial weird moments, it turned out to be a very worthwhile movie about love, life, growing up, and self-discovery. Written, directed, and starring Zach Braff, and co-starring Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, and Peter Saarsgard, it was a poignant and entertaining film. "Garden State"'s ending left a bit lacking, but contains one of the movie's more profound quotes:

Andrew: You remember that idea I had about working stuff out on my own and then finding you once I figured stuff out?
Sam: The ellipsis?
Andrew: Yes, the ellipsis. It’s dumb. It’s dumb. It’s an awful idea. I’m not gonna do it, okay? ‘Cause like you said, this is it. This is life.

Shabbat Shalom.