I asked a couple of my Jewish friends for advice regarding the blog. My main concern was,

“Do you find it offensive?”

These were their replies:

1) “I don’t find it offensive, but that’s probably because I know you and I know that you’re just a harmless lit geek.”

2) “Maybe you should lay off the blog until this whole Hezbollah/Mel Gibson thing blows over. It's kind of a touchy subject. Bad timing.”

3) “You should say ‘Jewish’ instead of ‘Jew.’ ‘Jew’ is a derogatory term if used inappropriately. You’re right on the edge.”

In response,

1) As if a male working for Avon is any less geeky than being a literature junky, jerk.

2) This morning the Today Show followed the Israel-Hezbollah war coverage with an exposé on pork. The pork exposé was longer than the war coverage. I’d say that was bad timing. My blog, on the other hand - that's more like comedic relief in a time of crisis.



3) You got it. (I remember when non-Italian kids would call me a “chotch” in junior high. If I ignored them, they’d stop because it wasn’t as much fun. You see where I’m going with this?)