Iphigenia in Forest Hills

Last week I read the most fascinating trial drama reported by Janet Malcolm in the New Yorker. The nearly 30-page article, called Iphigenia in Forest Hills: Anatomy of a Murder Trial, had me glued to the page for the entirety of the day and left my stunned by the end of it. Unfortunately, the entire text is not available online, so if you're able to track down a copy of the May 3rd issue, you won't regret it.

The article tells the tale of the murder of an orthodontist in a small Jewish community in Queens, alongside a detailed depiction of the trial of the presumed killers--his wife and a hired hit man. While the case itself appears to be simple, the trial is overwrought with questions. Malcolm manages to teeter from one side to the other, favoring the prosecution and then the defense, in a manner that is most unsettling because it mirrors the position of the jury. She also depicts the courtroom as a place of battling narratives more than an arbiter of truth, as everyone's version of the truth is different and solemn oaths do little to prevent witness's lies.

In my opinion, the best material leaves you restless and agitated--full of questions and yearning for more. This piece has instilled in my so many new curiosities. I am taken with the story of Iphigenia, Malcolm's titular protagonist. The daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, she was to be sacrificed to the gods by Agamemnon in order to fulfill the prophecy of an oracle during the Trojan War. I am currently reading Iphigenia at Aulis, Iphigenia Among the Taurians, and Charles Mee's Iphigenia 2.0 in an effort to figure out the author's intended connection between Iphigenia and the convicted murderess.

Malcolm also tied in plenty deep material related to the community of Bukharan Jews that sourced this case. Supposedly one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, Bukharan Jews come from Central Asia and less than 200,000 of them remain in the world. According to Malclom, Bukharans are very different from Western Jews and are even looked down upon within the religion.

Man, I was so deeply affected by this article, I wish I could re-experience reading it for the first time! It really satisfies my curiosity with its investigative journalism, as well as my inkling towards drama and rumination with its powerful storytelling.

Green Dinners

Last night, after a very fruitful and green grocery shopping trip, I successfully steamed an artichoke, drizzled it with lemon juice, and ate it with my first go at Alice Waters' lemon aioli.

Good thing I practiced! Tonight, to precede LOST, I'm finally trying Suzanne Goin's Skirt Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash, served with a Black Olive Aioli.

Wish me luck!

Breaks my Heart

Happy belated fifth day of May!

I've just returned from Korea and am still decompressing, trying to adjust my body clock etc.

I have many stories to tell and pictures to share from my trip. I am eager to get back in the swing of things and post here more regularly. I have to tend to more boring matters now, so I'll be back later. Meanwhile, I'll share a song with you all that is very dear to me right now. It's not a new song and many of you will recognize it. But, I've been singing this song incessantly, at least thrice daily now as it appears so sweetly in the film...

From Korea!

24 hours to go

I'm leaving to Korea tomorrow morning!

I'm putting in a final few hours at work, then running around frantically for a few hours with last minute errands, and then finalizing my packing--including downloading new jams and podcasts to get me through the 13 hour flight! (Any recs?)

Then in the AM, B and I are going to a much-awaited breakfast (after this past weekend's vegan juice fast), then we're taking a zipcar to the airport!

Here's a sneak peek at opening ceremony red carpet outfit:

Sun and Rocks

via olivia malone

I love this photograph. I'm yearning to feel what she's feeling. It strikes a memory in me, one I haven't felt yet but expect to feel (as if memories and times were cyclical), of how I'll feel when I get to Morocco. I'll sit on a beach in Tangier just like that a feel freedom and happiness and achievement.

B and I finally bought our guidebook. We're inching our way closer to Africa day by day. Have been looking into all the affordable riads we can stay at. Mesmerizing.

Mom

This is what I want to look like when I'm a mom.

Jane Birkin, via the thinking tank