Joe Katzman found one. Frank J. found one. Lots of people are finding spouses through their blogs. This is the latest in a series of my search for a blogger spouse.
Long before he was Tom Paine, he was simply Bruce Hill, and he wrote a blog called War Now!, an obvious takeoff of the Peace Now crew. I don’t remember exactly which of his posts I read first, but I do remember sending him an email asking him to marry me, which is my highest compliment to a fellow blogger. Bruce sent back a response that was less than enthusiastic (I suspect he thought I was rather unwell in the head, shall we say), but I forgave him, because he’s Jewish, a Zionist, and underwent the same change in political outlook as I did after 9/11. Plus, he speaks with a nifty accent, though I didn’t get to hear it until he visited Richmond in November of 2002. But enough of that. Let’s get to the main event.
Pros:
- He’s Jewish
- He’s single
- He’s a Zionist
- He likes cats
- He’s got a really neat accent
- Did I mention that he’s Jewish? And that he converted, which makes him even more special? I mean, the guy chose to join the world’s most targeted religious group.
- He likes Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and is a bit of a Tolkien geek (though not as much of one as I am).
- I’ve met him. He’s pretty easy on the eyes.
- We’ve gone to synagogue together, and apparently, Reform in New Zealand is Conservative in the U.S.
- He was a perfectly fine houseguest. No signs of hair on the soap. (Major pet peeve of mine.)
- He does not quote Monty Python ad infinitum, but he’s silly enough to sing on his podcast.
- We’ve already fought and made up as friends, which bodes well if we ever move past the friends stage.
- I seriously doubt he’s going to try to make me paint pottery when I have absolutely no desire to do so.
Cons:
- He needs to work on his knowledge of kashrut. He put milk in one of my fleischich coffee cups!
- He lives in Australia
- The effing U.S. immigration policy won’t give him a green card
- Hello, other side of the world? Can you say, “Looooooooooooong distance relationship?”
- I’m pretty sure he and Murray come as a package (but I think I can bribe Murray with the Civil War tour of Richmond and surrounding areas)
- Australia. Australia. Australia! Effing other hemisphere!
The upshot:
Bruce is definitely heading to the top of the list of fiancé possibilities. There’s really only one big con, though it’s a doozy, what with our being in separate hemispheres and all that. If any of my readers have any pull with the Immigration Office and can help Bruce get his green card, we might see some action on this–especially since he’s told me he’s interested in moving to the D.C. area. Otherwise, it’s going to have to be a long-distance and (sigh) platonic relationship, what with international calling rates being what they are today.
If you have a suggestion for my next blogger husband candidate, email me at myfirstname -at- mylastname.com, or leave a comment here.
The marriage card trumps a green card, doesn’t it?
So book a seat on Qantas and git thee to Oz and bring him back here as your lawfully wedded husband.
OT: If you dig your fingernail into the skin of an etrog, the lemony-detergenty aroma can be quite wonderful.
Completely OT: There is a Palestinian in my neighborhood by the name of Imad Dean Ahmad who runs a strange organization called ‘Minaret Of Freedom’ (talk about oxymorons). I swear I saw none other than spokesliar Saeb Erekat in the passenger’s seat of Dean’s Toyota on Friday in the left lane on Wisconsin Avenue. I figure he was here as part of Mahmoud Abbas’ entourage. ~spit~
Meryl, I am an Australian Christian and am disappointed at your Northern-centrism.
Didn’t God promise to bless all the peoples of the world through the Jews?
Anywhere in the world is only a day away. Think Big, like God and Abraham!
We have four or five of the most livable cities in the world officially, and there’s internet anyway.
Haven’t you heard of Skype?
You could always move to Oz. Though Tig will probably need a haircut to cope with the warm weather.
Lil Mamzer: Other than the foundation’s views on the Middle East (or anything foreign policy for that matter) which is, to say the least, not really grounded in reality, the Minaret of Freedom is actually a quite good libertarian foundation.
Unlike, say, Ayn Rand Institute, they argue their case based on Islam (yet all their articles on foreign policy never quotes any scripture….). If you give the guy any Muslim state, even if he still follows the same quirky foreign policy, it would perhaps be the best Muslim state around. Relatively, of course.
BTW, Meryl, wouldn’t it be easier for him to get a Green Card if you marry him first? And if it doesn’t work out, there is always the no-fault divorce…
Meryl.
Although Bruce really needs no “vouching”, I can unhesitatingly say that he’s a decent guy. He and I inhabited Wellington’s Temple Sinai for an overlapping period in the nineties.
I hope things work out for you both. Besides, Australia’s not that far away.
(PS. Please excuse the nickname – it was meant to be “Tony”, but I’m not yet a touch-typist.)
Rajan Rishyakaran – Yes, if you try and look the other way from “Minaret Of Freedom” support of Sami Al Arian, and Hamas, and their refusal to accept Jewish self-determination, they have an unusual angle for a Muslim-centric organization.
But then, Mussolini did make the trains run on time and Hitler built some kick-ass highways.