Finnished

 No, that's not the beginning of a joke (although I'm sure if I thought about it long enough I could come up with a good punch line, or maybe a reality TV show), it's actually what's been happening every morning this week in my new Finnish class.  I doubt the priest knows I'm gay, but since we had to introduce ourselves on the first day - everybody knows I'm Israeli, and since then the Palestinian has been avoiding me as much as possible (which is sort of a shame, he seemed nice before the first class and my outing as the evil Zionist, when me and him and another Swiss guy were wondering around the building together looking for the right room). I wonder if the priest would throw holy water or something at me if I happen to reveal my fondness for boobies.

 God, I'm so sick of language courses. Every time trying to come up with simple enough sentences that are grammatically correct, again the obligatory 'My name is Purple, I am from Israel', again the five sentence essay about my family, again discussing the seasons in autistic phrases (the sky is cloudy, in the winter it is cold, it is raining, in the summer we swim, etc. etc. ad nauseam..) Jeez, I'm so glad to be going to a country where I speak the language for a change (though, reading random blogs and talk-backs, I'm not even sure about that anymore).

 Last year I begged you to go to Jerusalem. A year is gone, and nothing has changed. Not that I'm naive enough to think all our problems can be solved within a year, but still, one can hope..

 Lately I find myself on websites and forums and talkbacks and message boards, trying to explain, trying to inform. My biggest frustration comes not from the religious types (though, Lord knows, they are frustrating), but from the secular people, the ones who call themselves liberal, and most frustrating of the lot - the gays themselves. Ignorance is bliss, says the old line, but though that may be true for the ignorant himself, it is a bitch for the rest of us who have to live with him. Phrases like "I'm chiloni, but..", "consider the feelings of...", "but why Jerusalem?", "why the noise?", "I'm straight and I don't parade about it", etc., are pure slogans and cliches, without any actual coherent thought behind them, and without appreciation to how far the gay community has come, where it started out just a few short years ago, and how far there is still to go.

 The first Pride Parade took place in 1970, in New York. It was an event meant to commemorate the Stonewall riots. Until then, the gay community was beaten down, harassed, heckled, and hassled, and it was the normal and accepted thing to do. Things like this were not as crazy as they seem to us now, but just as common as an anti drugs campaign. Pride marks and commemorates the first active organization of the gay community, the first time they collectively refused to just accept the way they are treated just because of who they were.

 Pride Parade takes many shapes and forms. In places like Amsterdam it is a big wonderful party. That's because there is no political or social oppression of the community there, and they are free to just celebrate the anniversary of the liberation movement. In places like Moscow, Warsaw and, yes, Jerusalem - the parade is still a political and social demonstration first and foremost.

Why Jerusalem? Why not just be happy and satisfied with Tel Aviv?

Because Gay people do not have equal rights in Israel, and because Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It's as simple as that. With all respect to religion and holiness, they have no business influencing the decisions and actions of a state's capital. When Viki Knafo started marching, she didn't march to Haifa - she marched to Jerusalem. The "cripples" protest was done in Jerusalem. There are many more examples, but I think you get the point.

 This new law which is being passed, and which intends to enable the prevention of protests for religious reasons and meant to stop the parade (and by the way, once passed will also be able to prevent any other secular event the religious authorities don't like), is the true abomination. It is an affront to the democracy Israel is pretending to be. I think that if the roles of Jerusalem as holy religious city and as capital cannot be separated, then Jerusalem should not be our capital.

This turned out longer than I intended, so I'm going to stop now.

But please, go to Jerusalem.

 Well now. It's been a long break, but I guess the muse (what muse there ever was, at least) is back.

 Big changes lie ahead of the Purple family. Some of you may know already, if you don't then mail me. But the big move that's been brewing under the surface for the last couple of months has finally been officially approved.

 We've been talking about it just the two of us for what feels like such a long time, it's weird to start going over the reasoning from the beginning with everybody else. At least now that it's a done deal, and the stress of uncertainty is off our shoulders, we can finally start to get ready. So many things need to be done, and so little time to do it in.

 Decisions, decisions, decisions. Some easy like storage and housing and shipping. Some difficult, like leaving new friends. And old ones. Being a grown up can really stink. But I guess sometimes you really do have to do what you have to do.

 Gah.

And for something completely different -

 Heck if I know how it happened, but it looks like we'll be supporting Teapacks from up close this week. And when I up close, I mean we have tickets for the dress rehersal. And when I say Teapacks, I mean The Ark from Sweden and that crazy Ukraine song, both of which are much much better.

 I'll probably write more on this Eurovision Frenzy here in Helsinki later this week. But that's it for now from me.

Forgive me Doctor for I have sinned. It has been 4 years since my last appointment.

Since then I have drunk coffee and Coke, and I have smoked cigarettes.

I have had impure thoughts about L Word characters, I have yelled at a dog, I have eaten sticky candy.

I have gone to bed without brushing my teeth and I do not floss.

I do not chew sugar-free gum after meals to raise my PH levels.

I have eaten chocolate.

A lot of chocolate.

"Five Hail Mary's, my child, three drilling appointments and one teeth cleaning, and all shall be forgiven. And don't forget the mouth wash!"