Monday, July 23, 2007

Evil Rejector!

Blogger has decided I am not a spammer and should be allowed to post again. Finally, I can promote bulk generic versions of prescription drugs and stock tips on my blog!

Tonight/tomorrow is a fast day, Tisha B'av when the Jews mourn the destruction of our two temples, 2000 years ago about 2500 years ago, respectively. They happened on the same day of the calender (the 9th of Av). It's the same day that the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, and the day that Auschwitz opened. In general, it's a bad day.

I've been exempt from all of the fasts in the Jewish calender for many years. On various occasions doctors have said I was well enough to fast, which generally ended in disaster. Oh, and one time, I got crazy paranoid and started calling my friends and asking if they hated me for some reason. Yeah.

I'm going to work tomorrow, which is not forbidden on Tisha B'Av, but I wouldn't if I was fasting. As I just explained above, I'm not in the right state of mind while fasting, and despite what I usually imply, I actually take people's life's work in the form of a bad manuscript very seriously. I don't do it when I'm not up to it for crazy reasons.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes when one wants to observe a fast, but for health reasons cannot, one can maintain the spirit of the fast by choosing plain, simple foods that day and eschewing "luxuries".

That's what I've done in the past.

Richard said...

When I fast, I find myself becoming very calm and peaceful (or, rather, more so than usual).

Isn't this also considered the day the Jewish people were told they would not be entering the promised land?

Hope the day is not as ill-omened and portentous as you make it sound.

BTW, when you get flagged as a spammer, do they tell you who reported you? Or do you just face a nameless accuser?

Anonymous said...

Small amounts of food (less than the volume of an egg) more than 9 minutes apart are quantities that are not considered food (d'oraysa), but are considered food (d'rabbanan). To eat these small quantities, one needs a rabbi's ruling (a "p'sak") to override the more stringent rabbinic prohibition, while still not breaking the more lenient (yet more important) Torah prohibition. He won't give it unless you've got health problems - pneumonia, for example. That was not a fun Yom Kippur for me.

The Rejecter said...

The 9 minutes thing is CRAZY. You spend an hour eating the amount of food you need to eat to cover the basics of "food you need to eat with your medication." I was like, "Why am I spending my fast day eating?"

I mean, I understand the Mishniac logic behind it, but still.

Yes, this is also the days the spies reported back and the Jews were made to wander for 40 years. Some days are just bad. But this is also the day the messiah is/was/will be born!

Stuart said...

Let me guess: someone you rejected found out who you are and reported you as a spammer?

I guess that's another word for someone who stuffs rejection slips into prepaid envelopes... ;)

Ali said...

Best of luck with your non-fasting fast day. I think the most important part isn't necessarily the literal fasting, but the discipline and giving something up.

The idea of eating plain foods sounds spot on.

Dave Fragments said...

AS for fast and abstinence (the Roman Catholic version of fasting) .
I'm deathly allergic to all fish, nuts, chocolate, hot spices, corn and corn sweetners in anything, plus lactose intolerant and my liver objects to high fat foods like hams and potato chips. My kidneys don't like soft drinks, etc...
So I don't follow the dietary guidelines because I can't. It would ruin my health. Some of these things would come near killing me. I eat what I can and that's all there is to it.

So don't feel alone or don't feel guilty. Neither Church or Temple demands you destroy your health.

John Robison said...

I'm gladdened to read that you are not reading and rejecting while crazed by lack of food.

I would never want a reader to judge any book of mine while in the throes of food lust.

none said...

Not even it was a cookbook?

writtenwyrdd said...

What I want to know is, what happens when blogger thinks you are a spammer? I mean, can't you write anything on your own blog? Including adverts?

Bernita said...

This blog spammer business interests me too.
Miss Snark was once blocked for a short time once.
Is it instituted as the result of some complaint?
If so, I find it highly coincidental.

The Rejecter said...

I'm told that it was because of the mass volume of replies I approved within the space of a few minutes on Saturday night that set off their triggers.

Richard said...

Hmm, that is odd. At worst you approved a whole bunch of spam, but did not spam any one.

Mind you, I have no idea how this approval thing works. Perhaps they don’t distinguish between you approving a whole bunch of comment son your site and someone carpet bombing you with comments.

Bernita said...

So it seems tied to the comment moderation function then.
Thank you.