Hashing & Purim

I spent Saturday doing a lot of writing, especially on the site of Tel Dor, which has an important early monumental building. I also ran the J'lem hash. It was sooo dull - it even makes the Melbourne hashes seem fun and exciting. It was a good run trail, but short. The problem is that many of the hashers are inexperienced. They not only don't know many songs, but they are not well-versed in hash traditions, such as hash crimes, charges from the audience, etc. So, the circle does not last very long. In fact, it even seems like more of an inconvenience than enjoyment for some, who seem to be glad when it’s over. The hash started at 2:30 pm and I was back at the Albright by 4:30. Apparently, the Jerusalem hash has been running every 2 weeks, but they could not be bothered to send out announcements to their e-mail list or update the web site. I gave one of the Melbourne hash T-shirts Brian left here to Woody, who is about the most dedicated hasher here. I also met a really nice woman from North Carolina who works for the US Embassy and is an archaeologist. She joined the FS just about the time I was trying to. She is still working on her PhD in the states. Unfortunately for me, she is just about to get shipped back to DC for her next posting as she has already done her "hardship" post here.
Last night I went to a club for Purim with a friend, Dalit, who I knew from my time here before. Purim is a bit like Haloween in that you have to dress up, but with a lot of drinking. In fact, it is a mitzvah to drink, which is odd, because you get orthodox individuals who never drink, getting absolutely blottoed. I’m not planning to do that, but it was still fun. This is definitely a holiday we need to start celebrating when I get back. It involves 2 days of wearing costumes, partying and getting drunk. The party we went to had dancing in one room and a cuban-music band in the other. I got in around 3 am and today I was zonked. I wasn't much good in either my Arabic or Hebrew class today, but still, I feel I'm starting to get the hang of it. On my way back, I stopped to listen to the live band playing outdoors downtown for the 2nd night of Purim. It reminds me of a cross between Halloween and Mardi-Gras. I didn't stick around too long, however, as the weather has turned chilly again and I felt tired. Still, I enjoyed the festive atmosphere. The photo is from the run I did at Megiddo about a month ago.