Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice from intertribal!

did you know?

kapparot: jewish "atonements" that usually come in the form of chicken slaughter.  apparently the chicken is first held by the shoulder blades while sins are transferred onto/into the chicken by moving one's head.  after the death, the chicken is given to the poor.  in addition to animal rights concerns, some rabbis don't like it because they view sacrifice as "inferior to prayer".

the word drew my attention, for obvious reasons. 

thanks to errol morris for my new, poli-sci-geek userpics.  reading certain navel-gazing journals has made me all the more conscious of how much I say in my lj that's not related to food or purchases or my living conditions or music.  this one journal lists such things in minute detail, saying that everything she eats or sees or buys is perfect, beautiful, brilliant, lovely, etc.  it makes me think that people who consistently list their lives' details and discuss their wondrousness must be really insecure or pained and on the hunt for self-consolation.  anyhow, for some ironic reason these pics put me at peace with my new layout.

much thanks to kim for her tori amos.

I've changed userpics again.  I'm also changing my title policy on using song lyrics.  I like change, what can I say.  I don't really know what my horoscope is talking about when it says Leos are fixed signs.  From now on titles will be... whatever I want them to be. 

the following lyrics to "I Am" by Nelly Furtado:

if you see me walking by
you don't have to spend your time
asking me if I'm alright
do I look smarter? do I look stronger? 
does it make you wonder?
well, I am.

It's a good song.

That picture of Fiona Apple is just so good and so fitting for my layout that it's my default pic that's staying at the top of my screen forever, but won't be used for individual posts.  The posts will have Radiohead artwork instead.  And yes, it is extremely depressing and disturbing.  Some of the Kid A stuff looks like it was drawn by someone who saw many, many demons.  It's a new attempt at the lj userpic.  Radiohead encompasses a lot of me that many userpics of people's faces do not.  I think I'm becoming very, very into the whole poli sci thing, that's all.

Who knows if we'll stick to this.  Stay tuned.  The revolution will be televised. 

as you can see, I have (once again) changed user pics.  However, this time I think I'll be able to stick with them longer - I decided that I really like photo alice better than art alice.  Now we have three from the Vogue photo shoot, one of Drew Barrymore (not b/c I like the actress - I just like the picture) and collected by flickr username aconina, one from Michelle Bradshaw's shadowbox display, and one from sudsandsoda, this arts and photo site that was in a language I could not understand.

So... meet Alice version 2!