Title Explanation

I've been telling those who asked for an explanation of the rather esoteric title of this blog that I would post one eventually. So, despite my suspicion that I have only a very few readers who do not actually understand it on their own, here it is:

Spinach: One shabbat morning when I lived at the CJL, I was lazing in bed when a friend who lived down the hall sauntered into my room, looked at my shape (one leg straight out, one leg bent to the side) under my large, fluffy down comforter, and said, "You look square. You look like...a knish. Hey...Knisha!" And soon thereafter it was decided that I was, specifically, a spinach Knisha. After shabbat she drew a picture of a knish, with spinach hanging out the edges, on the dry-erase board on my door. Judging that to be insufficient, she then drew an x-ray view of a spinach knish, showing the spinach inside as well, and labeled each drawing accordingly. I have henceforth been known among my then-next-door neighbors and other select friends as Knisha.

Almonds: I have, among my knicknacks, a small bar of wood along which sit several different types of nuts in their shells, glazed and with googly eyes. Their bench is captioned, "Sometimes I think we're all nuts." Anyone acquainted with my circle of friends might agree that this declaration rather aptly captures our zaniness. (No, I don't think we're unique in that character description, but that doesn't minimize its accuracy.) Anyhow, during that same year when I resided in The House, a conversation arose in which the participants attempted to identify the particular nut that each one of us exemplifies. Shanna, for example, is a walnut. The others don't have online presences, so I'll leave their privacy intact...but I'm sure you've guessed by now what I am. No, I can't explain why we each are what we are. We just are. There are definitely reasons, but they are too elusive to put to words. We just understood (and still do, I believe), based on our familiarity with each other and the others we honored with classification, what their own individual brand of nuttiness is.

Sharp Pointy Teeth: During my freshman and sophomore years (yes, quite a long time ago), I was a Chai Note. One random evening during break a bunch of us (plus a groupie) were all in NYC and decided to go out to dinner together, and that meal produced a similar characterization session, except in this realm, we are all animals. I, apparently, am an alligator.