Sunday, February 14, 2010

Mazal Tov Mendel+Dvora!!

Most of you know my sister as an awesome cook, master hostess, and mother of two of the cutest daughters ever. This morning she added a baby boy to the mix- my very first nephew! Anyway, it's a big party, and you're all invited- more details to follow.

49 comments:

Anarchist Chossid said...

Mazel Tov!

bonne said...

Mazel tov! Gosh, I just saw her yesterday too...

Altie said...

yay mazal tov! no i dont know her but i'm very happy for all of you!!! so are you giving out cigars, or is only the father allowed to do that?

Yossi said...

mazal tov

e said...

Joy!!!! Nieces are nice, but adding a nephew or two to the bunch adds some variety.

Altie: fathers give out cigars?

Altie said...

Something i heard. when a guy has a baby he gives out cigars to share his joy with others. or is that only when guys get engaged? or both? hmm. either way i dont smoke, i was just wondering.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Only when he has boys.

Altie said...

so im correct then.

e said...

CA: are you serious? I never heard of this minhag. Sounds expensive.

ALtie: when guys get engaged they give out cigarettes.

e said...

now some guys also give out candy for the non-smokers.

Altie said...

and im correct twice. did you not read what i wrote? and anyway, cigars are way cooler.

Anarchist Chossid said...

It used to be that a snuffbox was a classy present...

e said...

Altie: I hadn't read that comment. It hadn't landed in my inbox yet.

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

How 'bout that. מזל טוב אחי.

Nemo said...

Oy, this means that Shabbos table is now going to be more crowded.

Sebastion said...

Yay! mazel tov!!!

Cheerio said...

mazel tov!!

C said...

Mazal tov!!!

Anonymous said...

nice post. I would love to follow you on twitter.

e said...

Sounds like the non-profit spammer.

La-Z-Boy said...

Mazal tov!!

Leo de Toot said...

Dear Mr. R.S.
Mazal Tov indeed. I hope you continue to enjoy your exanded uncle-duties. Rejoicing in the news, LdT.

Just like a guy said...

Thanks all, and I hope to see you (the males, at any rate) by the sholom zochar and the bris.

the queen's english said...

that's "at the sholom zochor..."

Just like a guy said...

Good thing I'm a resident of the good 'ol US of A, and not bound by those arcane minutia.

The Oxford American Dictionary said...

Using "by" instead of "at" is illegal both in America and in England.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Speaking nonsense is illegal throughout the world.

metacommenter said...

not in the blogosphere

Anarchist Chossid said...

If it’s illegal in the world, it’s illegal in blogosphere. Though it may be not prosecuted.

You're not the only one who can spout Latin said...

well it also ain't illegal in the world. It's merely frowned upon in certain circles. In some othere circles speaking nonsense is actually encouraged (cf. credo quia absurdum).

Anarchist Chossid said...

Anyway, by definition, a person cannot be speaking incorrectly in his native tongue from linguistic point of view. “Proper” language is a political idea, not a linguistic one.

man of many names said...

which definition?

Anarchist Chossid said...

“Native language” is the language a person speaks by the age of three. It cannot be wrong.

Altie said...

It could be wrong if you dont follow the gramatical rules of your native language.

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

Mazal tov. Now for the argument:

One of you is wrong but I haven't decided who I feel like arguing with yet.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Altie, there are two different things: 1) native tongue — something one starts speaking at the age of three, 2) politically enforced language — a particular dialect of the language and a particular set of rules that a state or various organizations enforce for political or cultural reasons.

It’s the same thing as with rights. I have unalienable rights given to me by my Creator. The state does not give me these rights; it merely recognizes them. Now, a state can legislate against these rights (as is done in every totalitarian regime — in US, it is done, say 15%; in Nazi Germany it was done 85%). So, according to the state’s laws, my behavior (e.g., not willing to give up my property to the state or hiding victims of genocide in my cellar) could be wrong, but according to my natural rights, I could still be right.

The same is with language. First of all, “rules of languages” are like laws of physics. Scientists observe them, not legislate them. Linguists merely observe that people speak certain way and then write it down in books. Of course, we tend to teach children to speak the way we do, so we enforce upon them some version of the language decided by the state or organizations.

Which is not to say that an adult cannot decide how to speak or write himself. There is nothing wrong with putting punctuation outside of quotation marks. In fact, doing the opposite (as American English “rules” dictate) is quite idiotic and is an example of a bad minhog. Nor is there anything wrong with saying “by” instead of “at”, if that is the way people in your community speak.

Fight the oppression of the tyrants!

MBM, argue with me.

Just like a guy said...

CA: You should live in New Hampshire, not Massachusetts.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Speaking of children, when they speak using slang, it is no more worse than the fact that we no longer use the vast majority of grammatical constructions used in Anglo-Saxon language. Languages drift. People speak the way they find the easiest to express their thoughts. The sooner the parents realize it, the better parents they will be.

Now, what parents can really teach children is ability to express their thoughts in a more effective and cleaner way. Which, oftentimes, the more classical way of speaking has advantage in over the “street” way. Similarly to how classical music expresses emotions more effectively than rap.

Anarchist Chossid said...

TRS: after I get married, speedily in our days, iyH, I’ll consider it.

Just like a guy said...

A. You're a snob. But we knew that already.

B. Perfect- then you can hang out with the Satmar in the summer.

Anarchist Chossid said...

A. In what way is me saying that whatever way you speak is the right way for you snobbish? Au contraire, as Napoleon said when told that he should stay in Smolensk and not advance on Moscow.

B. Satmars reside in NH in summer? I guess that explains the pomegranate story.

Just like a guy said...

A: "Similarly to how classical music expresses emotions more effectively than rap."

B: ?

Anarchist Chossid said...

A. Snobbish that is not. It’s an objective truth.

B. I shall post it one day.

Just like a guy said...

A: Perhaps you're not properly acquainted with the meaning of that word.

B: I can't wait.

Anarchist Chossid said...

A. Was Rashbi’s saying that “if there are two people in the world who know Torah, it’s me and my son” snobbish?

Just like a guy said...

His statement was objectively true.

Anarchist Chossid said...

exactly my point.

Just like a guy said...

But since I am the only teller of objective truth...

Anonymous said...

CA: have you never heard of the old prescription vs. description conundrum?