Back in Business!

I'm too tired to go scrounging around the web for a blog appropriate pic, so you'll have to just do with the words.

So much has been going on and I am dog tired people. Like, feel it in my bones exhausted. The trek to and from school really takes a lot out of me. It's rough but my classes are worth it. I'm really enjoying school, especially the Jewish philosophy class.

On Wednesday, I didn't let Professor Harvey gloss over the comment Rav Saadia Gaon made about women not having apptitude for speculation. He evaded the topic for a while, going off topic to discuss a different negative view about a minority, before mapping back to women. His comment was that essentially, because women weren't educated therefore they couldn't understand these books. So, I asked a follow up question. If would seem to me that, since these great Rabbi's were tackling such topics to help explain what's going on in the world and to make sure that people didn't stray from Judaism, that they would want to educate women (especially given the woman's role in child rearing). Professor Harvey said it was a good question but one he would like to tackle later on in the course.

A couple of girls from the class came over to me afterwards to thank me for my question. Tamara thought it was great that I had "admirers". I told her that I have no interest in being the Rosie the Riveter icon for women issues but I would really like to understand why the Bais Yaacov movement took such a long time to be established. Seriously, why weren't women's education a priority during Medieval times?

The Opera last night was simply amazing! We sat front row, center, and right behind the conductor. He sweated so much during the performance, I was worried I might need a towel but fortunately, it just ran down his face and didn't hit anyone sitting behind him. The costumes were incredible and talk about voices! Ann McMahon Quintero was brilliant in her role, and her costume was really elaborate! We went backstage after the performance to pick Ann up and drive her home, and of course to get my autograph! I picked up the Armide playbill (what do you call it for the opera?) and asked Ann for her autograph. Ebay folks, I will one day sell it on Ebay and it will be worth a lot of money!

Today was really, really busy! I had to do laundry and so that took a nice chunk out of my morning. While I was loading up the wash, in walked the conductor from the Opera! I almost didn't recognize him and then, when I wanted to thank him for a brilliant evening, I got the hiccups so I couldn't speak. Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be! I came back and folded everything and put it away before meeting Lana for lunch. After lunch, I ran some errands. I'm going to be in Jerusalem for the weekend and am helping cook for my meal on Shabbos day, so I had to run around and buy some ingredients. It was back to my apartment to cook and wait for the cable guy to come and fix my modem.

I'm BACK online folks! That's right, my VOIP is working once again! Woohoo, call away people! I'm actually in the middle of wrapping up a project for a client, but then I'll be around to chat. Don't call too late though, I have an even busier day tomorrow and I want to get some sleep.

Time to get back to work! Song of the day is The Show Must Go On by Queen. Not sure why, just in the mood for some Freddy Mercury.

Murphy Strikes

Ah, good ol' Murphy, always striking when you really don't want 'em to. After a pretty emotional day yesterday, between my short story getting workshopped in class and my visit to the Kotel last night, I really needed to phone home last night Guess what? VOIP is not working! If I had to hazzard a guess, I think that my "wonderful" cable company changed around some of my settings and so now I have to call them and figure out what's going on. My internet though, is working quite nicely, so at least I can e-mail the friends and family at home.

And, since we're dealing with Murphy's power today, guess who has to call TWO potential new clients back? Yeah, I got two great referrals and of course now that I'm all ready to get started on the accounts, the phone ain't working! Pretty big problem I've got on my hands and yet, I'm handling this really well. Hmmm, must mean I'm growing up :)

So, class yesterday didn't go very well. One of the women in my group, who was also getting workshopped yesterday, decided to preface the critiques with a plea for people to be brutally honest with her story. She felt that the more blunt people are, the better it would be for her. Personally, I thought it was extremely inappropriate of her to make that comment before my short story was workshopped. If she was a little bit more tactful, and less selfish, she would have waited until it was her turn before making the request. That being said, I don't think people responded any differently to my story because of her comment. In fact, on the whole, it was exactly what I had expected. So, I wasn't surprised at all.

What I was surprised about was Bret's comments. He told me that I was "ambitious" with the story. Now, usually, that wouldn't get me thinking much. However, my summer session professor said the absolute same thing on my summer short story. So now, I need some answers.

What the heck does it mean that I'm an ambitious writer? Is that their way of saying that I write over my capabilities? Perhaps they're telling me that I don't have the talent to write the way I'm aspiring to write? I have no idea, but I do plan on being parked outside Bret's office when he returns from Turkey next week, so I can understand better what the professors are telling me.

I'm excited about the rewrite though, I have some good ideas and some of the feedback was really productive, so I hope to whip this story into great shape. I want to send this out in time for September journals next year. If that's too ambitious then too bad, at least I'm driven!

Speaking of selfish, I felt really selfish at the Kotel last night. And, not because I was hogging an area of the wall or anything because at 10:30 p.m. the Kotel isn't as packed as it usually is. I felt selfish because here I was again, asking the Almighty for yet another big request. Usually, that wouldn't bother me. But, since I asked for something really big a few weeks ago, and it looks like I might actually get what I prayed for, I feel bad asking for something else! Oh well, my parents always taught me, it never hurts to ask.

And so I did.

Tonight is the big night at the Opera and I'm sooo excited!! I already know what I'm wearing and all I have to do when I get back from school is get dressed and head out. I will hopefully blog with Opera photos tomorrow!

Song of the day is Dreaming of You by The Coral.

Happy Birthday!!

Today is Holylandhipster's Dad's birthday! Happy, happy birthday Dad! Here's hoping that this year is full of good health, many simchaot, success and much happiness! Love you and miss you a ton!!

I'll update this more later, as I'm running late to meet Ann for breakfast. She mentioned that the Opera got great reviews and they're projecting sold out performances for the rest of the run. I can't wait to hear how opening night was!

I'm still waiting to hear from my friend Josh. He's in town for the week and mentioned that he might come to Tel Aviv this afternoon to get together. I've got errands and work to do, so it will be interesting to see if we can coordinate my schedule. Knowing Josh the way I know him, I think I won't be seeing him until I get back to the States in January.

Song of the day is Steady as She Goes by the Raconteurs. Because, that's the song that's currently on the radio at XFM.

Strawberries - Toot, Toot!

Apparently, we are on the cusp of strawberry season here in Israel. I am so excited! I love strawberries, I think they are my absolute favorite fruit! I managed to score a really small container of strawberries on Friday and I made Rob's famous fruit salad for breakfast this morning. I also went out and bought a tiny juicer, to use when I need to cook with lemon or lime juice. The fruit salad was yummy, I managed to pick a really sweet honeydue (ok, I'll admit it, until I opened it up this morning I thought it was a canteloupe), some good red grapes, the strawberries and a very ripe mango. I dressed it with some lime juice, honey and fresh mint and it was the perfect way to wake up this morning. And, with the sun streaming through my huge glass windows, it was heavenly. The weather in Israel today was amazing. No humidity, sun shining, warm in Tel Aviv and crisp in Jerusalem. Perfect!

I went to Jerusalem this afternoon to try to do my homework and I failed, miserably. The assignment was to basically eavesdrop on someone's conversation and record it. Word for word. When we went to the Coffee Shop on Emek Refaim, we asked for a seat next to people speaking English. The waitress looked at me like I was absolutely off my rocker and sat us right next to three Israeli couples. Yup, the entire other side of the restaurant spoke English but we were surrounded by the natives. I didn't want to really seem weird and ask to move seats and so now, I have to find a cafe in Tel Aviv tomorrow and pray that there is one table of English speakers I can listen to for the assignment.

I'm also in the hot seat on Tuesday and I'm already getting nervous. My second short story since arriving in Israel is on deck and a few classmates have already warned me to be prepared for the grilling. I can take it, especially if the comments are productive. If they aren't productive then I'll just shake 'em off.

Tuesday I'm going back to Jerusalem, after class. We get out at 2:00 p.m. so I'm going to hop the bus with the Jerusalem crew from my program and make my way to the kotel. I haven't been there since my parents were in town and well, me and G-d need to have another heart to heart. I've been chatting with Him from Tel Aviv, but with this particular request I want to be in his House to make sure He can hear me. I've got important things on my mind.

At some point this week, I need to make time to do another load of laundry. With the Opera on Wednesday night, I'm thinking Thursday is going to be my earliest opportunity to get my housekeeping done. I really miss not having a laundry room in my building! It was so easy at my UWS pad, I would run down in the morning with a load, and be back upstairs and at my desk working without worrying that some homeless person was rooting through my dryer to steal some clothing (I kid you not, that apparently happens here, which is why you have to watch your stuff like a hawk).

Well, it's getting late and so I'm going to get ready for bed. Song of the day is Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zepplin. Not sure why, just in the mood for some Zep.

Timorous in Tel Aviv

I have a confession to make. I'm terror-stricken in Tel Aviv. For those who don't really follow Israel news, there is a rapist on the loose in Tel Aviv. On Friday, this monster (who has raped and sexually assaulted more than 14 women since 2003) somehow convinced the prison guards that he had a court date. While they transported him to the courthouse for this bogus court date, he managed to scale the freakin' wall and escape. All while wearing handcuffs.

Israel has launched the largest manhunt in history and, almost non stop since Friday afternoon, there have been helicopters and sirens throughout my neighborhood. Yeah, I'm a little scared. Apparently, he has been coordinating and planning this for quite some time. He is known to be in incredible shape right now and was spotten a few hours ago on Arlozorov street near the train station.

Here's some interesting facts about this entire messed up situation.

1) How the heck did he manage to convince the entire prison system of a fake court date? Apparently he showed them forged documents. Ummm, can anyone say inside job? What I don't understand is who in their right mind would help a RAPIST?

2) He was spotted on Erev Shabbos changing out of his prison issued brown pants and into a pair of jeans. Anyone else wonder where he got the jeans from?

3) Apparently, he was sighted a few blocks from his mother's apartment. Seriously now folks, does no one in Israel watch American crime TV programs? The first place you stake out is the family! Why weren't there unmarked vehicles sitting in front and in the back of his mother's apartment?

So, I ate Friday night dinner at Lana's and right before I hopped into the shower, she called a little nervous. I felt the same way so I quickly got dressed, skipped any makeup, lit candles and ran to her apartment while it was still light out. Fortunately for her, Aussie Gayle decided to spend the night so she wasn't alone. Me, no such luck. The meal was actually a lot of fun, I got to meet a couple of new people and hang out with some of the familiar faces. After dinner, I asked Aussie Benjy to walk me home and then check out my apartment to make sure it was all clear. Normally, I wouldn't have been that ridiculous but I didn't leave any lights on but my bathroom and I just wanted someone else there when I walked through the place. He was so nice and came up and inspected the apartment to make sure it was all clear and then listened as I locked the door behind him.

The ONE night Itai decides not to come home had to have been last night, right?

I didn't sleep very well last night, again, between the helicopters and the sirens I was pretty amped up. The neighborhood kids were having a party so I heard a lot of screaming until Midnight, and that definitely didn't help my precarious state. I ended up just relaxing today and catching up on some good reading for school.

Man, I hope they catch this guy soon! In the meantime, a friend of mine mentioned picking me up a bottle of Mace/pepper spray and I gave him the go-ahead to do that. In the interim, I'm going to e-mail Slight Mad for some safety pointers. Sadly, she has a lot of experience working with rape victims.

I hope everyone else had a much lighter and happier Shabbos!

Song of the night is Son of Sam by Elliott Smith.

Thanksgiving Wedding

Before I recap my Thanksgiving wedding last night, I need to vent my frustrations with Itai. Here's the situation. Remember when I blogged a few days ago about the leak in my ceiling? Well, the contractor came and fixed the leak, but now he has to come and actually paint over the stains. Itai e-mailed me on Wednesday to say that the guy was coming at Noon on Friday to do work in the apartment. So, naturally, I planned my day accordingly. That meant, I wasn't able to go and meet my friends for coffee this morning and that I had to wake up early and run my errands so I could be home later. When he hadn't shown up by 12:15, I called Itai only to discover that the contractor told HIM that he was running late and probably won't be here before 1:00 p.m. So, I asked Itai how come he didn't tell me about the delay because then I would have planned around it. Of course, he got ALL defensive and turned it around on me. Saying how that the handyman can come at 1:15, he doesn't have to be so prompt and he also didn't know and was waiting for him and only NOW decided to go out and hit the supermarket himself.

Then it was time for the guilt and how, he is doing the best he can to fix MY problems. How is this my problem? I don't own this apartment and the leak is fixed, it's just aesthetic at this point. Why is it so difficult for him to try to work with me here and be considerate of my schedule? Why is it ALWAYS when it works for him?

He is really frustrating to live with. Honestly, he is absolutely never, ever in the wrong and he has an answer for everything! And, somehow, I'm always the wrong one for even ASKING him to be more courteous. Well, I refused to let him end the call with me feeling bad for him being inconsiderated and I basically told him that IN THE FUTURE, he needs to please call me and let me know if there is a time change. And then I told him I had his money and hung up. I'm sure he'll be knocking at my door soon for his money.

OK, back to last night. The wedding was absolutely lovely. I had a great time. It was so nice to spend the evening with the Gittlers and Levenson families. Before I go recap the entire eveing from the beginning, I have something else to write.

FIrst of all, I'm fine. B"H, I am ok. But, I was in a minor car accident last night on the way to the wedding in B'nei Brak. We were on Jabotinsky street heading to Ahronovtich when we were rear ended by this guy who was going way too fast! Fortunately, my cab driver was really calm and he got out of the cab and they basically inspected the damage and exchanged information. No cops were called and we only blocked traffic for a bit. Thankfully, I always wear a seat belt when I'm in a car, regardless of where I'm sitting (front vs. back seat). So that was my excitement leading up to the wedding.

Now, on to the affair itself. I hadn't realized that the Chuppah was actually outdoors. The hall has an atrium where they had the badekin and Chuppah and I was absolutely freezing for the Chuppah. At first, I just assumed the hall had some hard core air conditioning and I was wondering how people knew to bring coats, but then someone pointed out to me that there was no roof over the Chupah. Pretty interesting.

So, there were a lot of differences in my first Israeli wedding! First of all, there was no procession. The only people who walked down the aisle to the Chupah were the bride and groom being escorted by their parents. No one else. Then, Netanel's (groom) Rabbi switched the order of what took place underneath the Chuppah. They actually sang Im Eskachch Yerushalayim (If I forget Jerusalem) and Netanel broke the glass before the Sheva Brachot. I asked Gila (groom's sister) about the switch and she said because it's such a solemn moment, and in most weddings people start clapping and celebrating right after the breaking of the glass which defeats the purpose of the solemnity of the moment, they put it in the middle so that everyone can really feel the sadness before the celebration. I actually thought that made tremendous sense, even if it wasn't what I'm used to. Also, the bride and groom both actually signed the Ketubah underneath the Chupah. That was different for me too as I'm used to that taking place before the Badekin. After that, the Rabbi called all of the people saying each Bracha to the Chupah so that they could say all of the 7 Brachot without pausing for people to come up to the stage. The Rabbi also told the band not to play in between each of the Brachot. Again, I thought that was very interesting. And then, after the last bracha was uttered, the band started and the friends went wild. It was one of the most laybadik weddings I've been to in a long time.

Ahh, the energy of youth :) That's what happens when two 20 year olds get married. There is just tons of energy and excitement in the air. Loads of dancing and some really cool shtick! Netanel's friends were really great. It was a really wonderful evening, especially since I was a little lonely not being at home for Thanksgiving dinner. I spoke to the whole family though, but it's not the same as actually being around the table with everyone.

Today has been pretty low-key. I ran to the supermarket to pick up a couple of things for the weekend. I'm eating both meals at Lana's, so that is a real treat for me. All I have to do is select a bottle of wine from my arsenal and bring it tonight as a thank you. Lana wouldn't let me make anything for her, so I am relegated to just bringing the wine.

And now, I'm still waiting for the contractor to come to paint my ceiling and for it to turn 7:00 a.m. in the States so I can call the folks and wish them a very Good Shabbos.

Song of the day is Playground Love by Air and off of the Virgin Suicides DVD.

Shabbat Shalom!

Don't Leave Home Without It

I'm about 15 seconds away from shedding my clothes for some sweats and crawling into bed. I don't know what I've got, but by tomorrow I know it won't be pretty. I've got the muscle aching, nauseous, swollen glanse (sp?), stomach pains and exhaustion feeling and heck if I know where it came from. I felt shades of it yesterday after class when I was doubled over in pain and had to share a cab back to Tel Aviv. I consulted with The Dude, who is the maven when it comes to certain stomach issues, and a couple of pills later I was ready to go out. The pills, sadly, wore off today around 1:45 p.m. as I waited another 45 minutes for the bus to come to take me back to Tel Aviv (I literally missed the bus by 3 seconds). I managed to make it home and cook myself dinner before curling up on the bed.

Thanksgiving, for some reason, is just not my holiday. Last year, at this time, I was in the midst of recupperating from a spinal tap AND a terrible spinal headache (which, sadly, developed and had me flat on my back for more than 48 hours). This year, I'm just hoping that I'm run down and will wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed. Vera is coming to clean the apartment tonight and I know that seeing a sparkling bathroom and clean floors will make me feel good too. That and I have the wedding in Bnei Brak tomorrow night and I am going even if I'm running a fever!

This morning, Jeff called me from the airport because he couldn't find his credit card. He thought he left it at the new AM PM supermarket off of Gordon and asked me if I could run over and see if it was there. So, I strapped on my sneaks and raced over to the supermarket and asked them for his credit card. They had a treasure trove of lost credit cards at that store! When they asked me for his Teudat Zehut number though, I was at a loss. I called Jeff back at the airport, where he was in the midst of boarding the plane. Turns out, they didn't have it. I'm not sure if he cancelled the card in the end, but I wished him safe travels and ran back to my apartment so I could get to the bus stop in time for school.

Class today was very interesting. We started the review of the introduction to Rav Saadia Gaon's book and then Professor Harvey assigned the reading of the introduction to Rambam's Guide to the Perplexed. I'm really looking forward to that!

So, it's almost official that I booked my trip back to the States. I will be home for 5 weeks and am already starting to make appointments. First, all the of the Dr.'s needed to be scheduled and so I'm set with Dr. Swerdlow and Dr. Klapper. I'm waiting for Dr. Marin's office to get back to me and I'm thinking I might also schedule a teeth cleaning with Dr. Levinson as well. Next, it's on to haircut and highlight appointments with Rob at John Dellaria, facial and waxing with Josine at Scott J. Avena Salon, makeover at Mac (hopefully I'll be able to get some Spring makeup when I'm in town). And that leaves the fun appointments left to make! I've got a sleepover planned in Park Slope with Jules, a weekend at Marns on the Upper West, some time with the sisters in Maryland, and loads of movies to catch up on with Cousin Neil. Speaking of which, I need to give Aunt Amy and Cousin Neil a call on Thanksgiving. Growing up, I always spent Thanksgiving at Aunt Amy's with Cousin's Neil and Larry. I remember eating loads of turkey and watching a double feature of King Kong and Godzilla on Channel 9 with the boys. They always had the best reading material too, I loved their comic books! Hmmm, anyone else remember watching the Blob and the football game?

I was invited to Ari's for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night and, since I'm going to be at the wedding, am not sure I'll be able to make it in time. I did make a good shidduch though as Ann the Opera singer is going to be going to Ari's for dinner at well. That made me feel good, it would have been terrible to think that she would be spending Thanksgiving alone in a strange country (where she doesn't know the language). Since Ari's friends are serious characters, I know she'll going to have a great time.

Time for me to crawl into bed. Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to ALL who will be heading to family in the States this year. Song of the day is Holiday by Weezer. Y'all know how much I live Rivers Cuomo!

Punk Kid

I did it. I actually committed to my story and at 1:30 a.m. this morning, finished the first draft. Granted, I sent it off to be workshopped with tremendous trepidation. But, at least no one can say that I don't finish what I've started. Today, Bret called me a punk kid. He was a little surprised to hear my true age (g-d bless that man, I can take compliments like that forever!) and was even more surprised to hear that I've been working for such a long period of time. Listen, the bottom line is this: Bret can call me anything he pleases as long as he's also telling me that my writing is "terrific". He liked my Kevin Bacon true story, so I'm just hoping he likes the short story I turned in today as well. I'm pretty nervous about people's reactions. It's a really heavy piece.

OK, I'm wearing my barometer pants right now and couldn't be happier. What, you are probably wondering, are barometer pants? Well, these are the pants I wear to figure out if I've gained or lost weight, or basically stayed the same. Considering the fact that tonight is the first night I'll actually be wearing these pants out in public - since last Fall in NYC - I'm really pleased. These are khaki cords that have NO stretch to them, just three buttons and a zipper. And, I must say, they look really nice with my boots.

Sadly, two of my classes were cancelled this week. Professor Kramer had to fly unexpectedly to the States because his father has taken ill. I hope that he has a Refuah Shelaymah.

I know I'm all over the place today but has anyone seen Stranger Than Fiction? I really want to see that movie and can't wait for it to come to Israel! Tonight, I'm going to Herzliya to see the new Bond flick. I heard that Penguins beat out Bond at the box office opening weekend. Ouch! I think Daniel Craig is cute, so it will be interesting to see if he lives up to the Bond franchise.

OK, I have nothing else to write right now so I'm going to log off and bid all adieu. Song of the day is Ooh Lah by The Kooks.

Pilgrims and Visitors

I find it fortuitous that, the week of Thanksgiving in the States, I should be reading the literary essay by Cynthia Ozick entitled America: Toward Yavneh. The talk was delivered at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovoth Israel, in the summer of 1970 and this essay is absolutely fantastic. It was our homework assigned for my Jewish Arts Seminar, which is the class that will help me flesh out my thesis and also delve into what makes a Jewish writer, an American writer and a Jewish American writer. I'm still trying to figure that one out myself and find the class, led my Professor Kramer, absolutely fascinating. Actually, I don't think there is any class this year that I am not enthralled with. Who would have thought this absolutely awful student during my adolescent and pre-teen years would have turned into someone with a penchant for academia?

So, at the beginning of the talk, Ozick said: I would distinguish between a visitor and a pilgrim: both will come to a place and go away again, but a visitor arrives, a pilgrim is restored. A visitor passes through a place; the place passes through the pilgrim. A visitor comes either to teach or learn or perhaps simply and neutrally to observe; but a pilgrim comes on purpose to be taught renewal.

Right now, I feel like a visitor in Israel. It's odd because Israel sometimes feels like home, and othertimes, feels like another place for me to just be passing through. I wonder though, can a Jew feel like a pilgrim in Israel? Can anyone feel like a pilgrim in their own home?

I'm in a pretty contemplative mood today, not sure why, I just woke up this way. I have a lot of work to do today and so the stress is getting to me a bit. I have to finish my new short story by COB tomorrow and right now, I am struggling with one of my secondary characters. Currently, I have him as a hobo but for some reason, it just doesn't feel right to me. I can't be cliched and put in a typically hobo as wiseman in my piece. So, I'm thinking of changing the hobo into either a friend or a Rabbi. I know, like the Rabbi as wiseman isn't cliched as well but I think it would really be an important person for my central character to encounter.

I'm worried that my story isn't doing justice to the subject matter, and that is perplexing. The story is about a woman who loses a friend in the World Trade Center attacks. The piece is not about the attacks, or the person who was killed, but rather delves into the issue of loss, lonliness and grief during the week that followed the attack. I'm humbled by the subject I am trying to portray in my piece and want to really churn out something that is both powerful and impactful.

Maybe I'm just being too ambitious?

I've thought of a couple of other beginnings of short stories this week, one revolving around horses and another about Simchat Torah on the Upper West Side. I also still have The Spinsters of 96th Street that needs to be finished. But, again, I'm having a lot of problems with endings. Either way, I refuse to hand in an incomplete first draft. So, even if the ending for this story isn't perfect, it will be workshopped in class and hopefully I'll be able to revise it so that it's in decent shape.

On to more rudimentary matters. Saturday night was so much fun! Ari is back from the States so he came out with three friends, one of whom is a Masters student in Limudei Eretz Yisrael at Bar Ilan. Ann was there too and she brought a friend she met at the site OK Cupid, an Israeli named Avri who was brought up in an observant home but has renounced religion and is now an atheist. He was so interesting that I found myself jotting down notes, I would love to base a character on that guy. Oren, Lana and this girl Becky joined us as well. I think Ann had a good time, which was really the point of the evening, especially since she hasn't really gotten out at all since arriving 4 weeks ago and I want to make sure that she leaves Israel with good things to say! I think we're going to be seeing her performance next Wednesday night, so I have a few days to figure out what people wear to the Opera in Israel! I certainly have no evening gown, nor would I even contemplate wearing one unless someone was handing me my very own Oscar.

Yesterday it was exploration in Ramat Aviv and the Planetarium! OK, I have to admit, I understood about 10% of the show, but it was just so nice to sit there and look up at the artificial stars. Once I got home and was able to log into my computer, I got a message that my friend Josh is coming to town for the week. His brother had a baby boy in Harf Nof so he is coming with his folks for the bris. Unfortunately, Josh won't be able to bring me my winter coat and we might not even be able to get together at this point (with only a week in the country, I'm not surprised that he won't be able to get to Tel Aviv). It would be nice to see him, but I'm okay if we can't. I'll be home in a few weeks, for a few weeks, so I'm sure I'll be catching up with everyone then.

This week is super busy. Between my project due tomorrow and the Levenson wedding in Bnei Brak on Thursday night, I'm going to be running around a lot and so I'm already looking forward to a relaxing Shabbat. Fortunately for me, Lana invited me for both meals, so I don't have to do anything but bring a bottle of wine :)

OK, back to work! Song of the day is Weakness in Me by Joan Armatrading, a classic rock love song. Enjoy!

The Shabbos Table

Shulamit asked a few times for pics of the Shabbos table, so I finally went out and picked up a pack of batteries.

Enjoy!

Lucky #5

Its been a big birthday week in the HolylandHipster family. First and foremost, my nephew turned 5 on Tuesday. Happy birthday little man! I can't believe he is already 5, where does time go?



Today is HolyLandHipster's Mom's birthday. Since my Mom doesn't read my blog, I'm not going to go on and on about all the things I wish for her today and this year. I DID send 5 books as a present, so thank you Mom for sending me your wish list! A much easier way for me to shop for your birthday this year (and all the way from Tel Aviv too!).

I miss and love you! Hope your birthday is a great one!

Cousin Neil, don't forget to call my Mom before Shabbos and wish her a happy birthday! I bet she'll be very happy to hear from you :)

Meeting at the Laundromat

Yesterday morning, as I was folding a huge mound of laundry, I met a bona fide Opera Singer. Ann McMahon Quintero is here in Tel Aviv until December 3rd where she will be performing at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center in the French Opera Armide. Initially, I thought she was this super frum woman because she was wearing a skirt down to the floor. But, I've learnt now never to make assumptions about someone especially on laundry day! We both spied the other person's English language book and I don't know who initiated the conversation, but we just started chatting. Turns out, Ann has already been here for about 4 weeks, doesn't know ANYONE in the country, can't speak a word of Hebrew, and is in town for a few more weeks! So, being the friendly people that we both are, we made plans to get together on Saturday night. Plus, she just told me that she gets two complimentary tickets to the opera and, since she doesn't know anyone else in the Country, she's going to give them to me!

Awesome! I can't wait, I'm going to the Opera next week!

My big project is due on Tuesday and I have no middle or ending. I keep thinking about where I want to story to go but Bret said that we should listen to what the characters want to do. My character is giving me the silent treatment today but, I'm hoping she'll start talking to me soon!

My neighbors are in town for their Grandson's wedding next week in Bnei Brak and I haven't had a chance to get them on the phone yet. I'm hoping to speak with them today before Shabbat. Speaking of which, it's already almost 1:00 p.m. and I'm still in the midst of making the apple kugel for dinner tonight. I don't know if it's going to come out so good, I got a distracting phone call while I was in the middle of making it and well, let's just say that when I took it out of the oven a few minutes ago I didn't realize it hadn't baked through. I went to cut it so I could transfer it out of the pyrex into a tin to take to my hostess tonight and that's when the center starting oozing. It's back in the oven now, I just hope it will be edible for tonight.

Do you ever wonder if you could see the Space Station from earth? Last night, I was hanging out in Jerusalem and we noticed one of the stars was blinking brightly. It wasn't a plane though because it didn't change locations. I'm taking a trip to the planetarium on Sunday, hopefully someone there will know the answer.

Song of the day is No Tomorrow by Orson a great British band. Check them out here at Orson.

Shabbat Shalom!

I'm no Betty Friedan

I have tremendous respect for feminists worldwide. Regarding certain issues, I even allign myself with the feminists. When it comes to Judaism, however, I'm just not that woman who was ever jealous that I don't get to layn on Shabbos, I don't dance with the Torah on Simchat Torah, I don't put on tfellin, tzizit, a talit ot a kippa. Never had a desire to do any of those things. I don't feel any less attached to G-d or Judaism for not partaking in those mitzvot.

But, when I was reading the Introduction to Rav Saadia Gaon's The Book of Beliefs and Opinions I was a little taken aback when I read the following:
"Furthermore women and young people and those who have no aptitude for speculation can thus also have a perfect and accessible faith, for the knowledge of the senses is common to all men."

I raised my hand for more than 20 minutes in class today, patiently waiting for Professor Harvey to call on me, so I could ask him my question. Sadly, we didn't get to discuss the introduction this week because we got bogged down in Plato and Socratese and something Elton John said last week about religion being the root of hatred. But finally, with 5 minutes left until the end of class, I was able to ask my question. I asked Professor Harvey why Rav Saadia Gaon would say that women have no aptitude for speculation.

Professor Harvey smiled, then hemmed and hawed, and smiled some more. And did not respond for a few minutes, while the female majority of the class waited patiently for his response. To his credit, he said that the remaining 5 minutes of class was probably not the best time to discuss this, and so we will start with it next week. I am looking forward to understanding why Rav Saadia, and according to Professor Harvey a number of medieval Jewish Philosophers, felt this way about women.

Were they not married? Did they not respect their wives? Better yet - did they not TALK to their wives?

Curious indeed!

I got myself to the gym tonight for the first time in a number of days and saw my trainer. We are going to start up next Monday at 1:00 p.m., so I have to try to gear up the best I can in the interim. The gym had two live DJ's and the music was absolutely terrible. I was happy that I at least had my iPod with me, so I could drown out the bad tunes.

It's really late here and I'm ready to pack it in and call it a day. I have to be up early tomorrow so I can get the massive load of laundry done before the weekend. Song of the day is Something About the Way You Look Tonight by Sir Elton John. If it weren't for him, we would have been able to delve into the essential texts instead of spending time discussing his theories.

Going Gray

I woke up this morning to my very first gray hair. I'm very proud of myself, I didn't freak out, I just grabbed a tweezer and yanked the offensive strand out of my head. It was a little painful but necessary. I don't believe the old wives tale that two more will grow in its place. Two more will grow regardless. I'm 30, remember? I know I've said I want to emulate Anderson Cooper but this is a bit ridiculous. I wasn't hoping for the gray hair when I made that comment.

Today, my savior came to visit and his name was Chaim. He is THE ultimate Mac genius and he came carrying a gift in the shape of my new printer! Perfect timing as my homework assignment, entitled One Degree of Separation is due tomorrow and Bret wants us to physically hand it in to him. I guess no one really cares about the trees in the world, I was more than happy to e-mail him the story.

Speaking of which, I actually finished the piece this morning. It was much harder than I expected, especially since I didn't have to make up the story just retell it. I'm hoping the exercise will teach me something, and that Bret's comments will really help in terms of storytelling. Again, not really sure what the purpose was for me to regurgitate something that happened in my life, but I'm confident that Bret will teach us the reason in tomorrow's class.

I've been taking a lot of walks on the beach lately. It's really helpful to be by the water, I just wish random people would stop trying to talk to me. All I want to do is walk on the beach and think. I'm not interested in getting picked up, I'm not interested in making new friends or petting their dogs (although, some have been absolutely adorable and its been hard to resist), I just want to chill. Itai goes for a run every night and tonight, I think I'll wait until he gets home to go with him. Maybe if I'm with someone, people will just leave me alone.

OK, I'm off to do reading for class tomorrow. Song of the day is These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding. If Arye was still making depression mixes, this would definitely be a tune on the tape.

The Departed

I saw The Departed last night and it was bloody and violent and really good! I'm not usually one for a movie that wraps everything up in a nice, pretty bow but it would have been nice if one big piece of the puzzle had been solved before the credits began to roll. If you've seen the movie, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about! The interesting thing about this movie is that, in Israel, you get an intermission. For this 3+hour movie, that was exactly what was necessary! Unfortunately, they chose to begin intermission at one of the most interesting parts of the film, so that was a little annoying. That, and the guy in front of us who kept using his cell phone to make calls and text message. Honestly, why bother seeing this movie and paying the 35 shekel if you're not really going to watch the movie? In terms of how I felt about the movie, well, everyone knows I think that Jack Nicholson is absolutely brilliant. I won't be surprised if this performance leads to a Best Actor nomination next year. Clearly, I've loved Leo since his Growing Pains days and his performance in this film was also pretty incredible. I am NOT a fan of Matt Damon and thought the part was miscast, I would have preferred to have seen a better actor play that roll. However, the breakaway best acting award in this film goes to Mr. Markey Mark and the Funky Bunch Wahlberg. Gone are the days when he rapped and dropped trou! This man can act! Get him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Wahlberg was truly fascinating to watch.

Shabbat was great - the meal went really well - everyone ate, drank and were merry. I was exhausted when they left and then spent 2 hours washing dishes and cleaning up. Lana and Oren came by Shabbos for lunch which was great, they helped make a dent in my leftovers so now I don't have as much to toss. Gayle, meanwhile, is heading over this morning for brunch. I haven't spent a lot of time with her lately, so it will be nice to catch up. And then, it's homework and work time! I was hired for another small project, so I need to get started on that ASAP.

Now, here is my work problem. On Tuesday, I need to hand in a 5-6 page story to Bret Lott describing an event in my life where, after it was all over, something in my world had changed forever. I have no idea what to write, there were sooo many of those little events that I just don't know which one to choose! Chances are, I'm going to end up writing the Kevin Bacon story, that was the turning point for me with my celebrity work. That's when I went from celeb admiration to celeb indifference, which was an essential lesson I needed to learn in order to continue working any red carpet function. Hmmm, the more I think about, the more I think it's the right story to write.

Song of the day is Widow by The Mars Volta. I highly recommend the Televators CD!

Dishpan Hands

I have a serious case of dishpan hands from almost 24 hours of washing dishes, pot, vegetables, chicken - you name it! Now I understand why both my sisters have dishwashers. To save their hands from looking all cracked and dry, bleeding and broken (every single one of my nails). I gave myself 15 minutes to update the blog and then it's back to work! I still have to reheat the butternut squash soup and try to salvage it. My friend Tamara suggested that I stir in some brown sugar and cinnamon to sweeten up the taste. I hope that works cause what I have now just doesn't taste good to me. I don't want a repeat of the zucchini bread incident (only family and close friends know what I'm talking about, and trust me when I say that it's a good story!).

So, the final menu is as follows: taco salad, israeli salad, coleslaw, butternut squash with sugared pecans, spinach chicken rolls, deli roll, orzo with roasted vegetables and pine nuts, cauliflower kugel, corn kugel, string beans and sesame oil, garlic roasted potatoes, apple pie and fruit salad for dessert. We're 8 all together and I'm hoping this will be more than enough food! I took a picture of what my table looks like but of course my battery died just when I wanted to upload the photo to the blog. I have to buy more batteries so I'll upload the photo at a later date. However, I'd like to take a moment to thank my parents for buying me such beautiful judaica for my shabbat table. It really looks nice in my apartment right now and, even with the exhaustion from 2 full days of preparing for tonight, it's really worth it!

OK, funny story. Last night I was on the phone with my sister and my niece and, just when she started to sing a sweet little rendition of the A, B, C's, I looked up at the ceiling above my "office" and noticed two big yellow stains. Now, I've seen water stains before and I pretty much knew that this was not a good sign. So, I immediately called Itai to tell him what was going on and I think I caught him in bed because he said he would stop by in the morning to check it out. Sure enough, this morning, he stopped by and I showed him the water stains. I mentioned that I called him as soon as I noticed it and he told me that I should "be cool" and that I didn't have to worry that they would blame me because he knows that there was no way I could have "pissed" on the ceiling. I told him that if I could do that, I certainly would be able to do a whole lot more with my super powers and doubt I would be living next door to him. I didn't appreciate his response, I didn't call him because I don't want them to blame me but rather because a) the leak is above my office and I don't need it to start raining down lord knows what (remember folks, it's YELLOW!) onto my wires in the office. Second, I mentioned it because if the role was reversed I would want my tennant to let me know before the damage gets really bad. Sure enough, Itai went upstairs and it looks like the bathroom is directly above my office and they think the shower might be leaking. So, the person who renevated that apartment upstairs will have to come back and put in a whole new ceiling into my apartment. This time, I'm going to insist that they work it around my schedule because there is no way I'm letting workers into my apartment if I'm not here.

Times up! I have to go call Grandma before Shabbos and finish getting ready. Song of the day is Goodbye to You by Michelle Branch. And, the above photo is a beautiful kiddish cup by Sharon Geller Metal Designs.

Shabbat Shalom!

Kristallnacht

Today is Kristallnacht, or the night of broken glass, and I have to be honest that I had to look up the details surrounding today's commemoration. I knew the basics about what happened in 1938, but I didn't realize what the exact damage entailed. The events in history were on my mind as I spent the past 10 hours on my feet cooking. I had a couple of drop outs but then I found two people who needed meals so I'm back at 8. Phew! I'm happy because I made so much food, I will need folks to come and eat it all.

I don't think my squash soup tastes so good. I found the recipe on the Food Network but when I tasted it, after it was pureed, it just didn't taste great to me. It was a weird mix of ingredients, quite frankly, but I was hopeful that it would really turn out. I'm going to give it overnight for the flavors to mix together and try it before the meal tomorrow night. If it's not good, I won't serve it and I'll just go directly into the main courses. I have plenty, I am not concerned that people will leave here hungry.

Yehuda is back from his three week jolly in the States. He loved Manhattan and the sbsequent road trip across country. Now, we're going to get down to business. He wants to start working out twice a week. I set up two appointments with him for next week, and will see how it goes. If I think it's working out then I'm going to continue to see him twice a week.

The concert last night was absolutely amazing. I don't know why I've never gone to a classical music performance but I plan to go back. I am working on a story about Bracha and will share as soon as I'm done. Nevertheless, I will say that she is such an incredible talent I am counting the days until February 21st when she plays at Carnegie Hall! Everyone who wants an evening to remember should go buy tickets to her concert! I promise, it will be worthwhile.

I have to finish up with my chicken and get to bed. I'll be happy if I make it beneath the sheets by 2:00 a.m.! Song of the day is November by Azure Ray. A great tune for the month!

Hamas Threatens; GOP Lose House

It's a busy news day today. With the GOP taking over the House, and Pelosi starting her legacy as the first female Speaker of the House, Hillary and the Terminator winning in an apparent landslide, Spitz taking the reigns as Governor of NYC while Andrew Cuomo becomes Cousin Neil's new boss, AND Britney giving K. Fed the big boot, the media has their hands full! Fortunately for me, I don't have to do any pitching today. My rule of thumb is to give the press some breathing room before and after a crucial election before I start in for any of my clients.

In Israel, though, the news has been pretty grim. Hamas has issued an announcement that they will be reasuming suicide missions in Israel in response to Israel's shelling of a residential neighborhood in Gaza. I have to be honest that I'm not unhappy that I won't be on a bus again until Tuesday afternoon. I was supposed to go with Fly Boy tonight to Bracha's concert but he can't make it. Apparently, he has to work. I got myself another ride and was clearly understanding that FB can't make it, but it did give me pause about getting "involved" with someone who is a careered military man. I don't know if I can really handle something like that.

School Update
It's a miracle! I am officially registered for the year. Yup, Tamara found Channa and cornered her this morning so I raced to the English Department to register with her before I went to Dr. Harvey's class. Channa registered all four of my classes for the year and I made it to Philosophy with time to spare. During the Philosophy class today, I learned a new phrase. Syllogism and the way he taught us the meaning of the word was interesting. I think about half the class got the concept, the other half just stared blanky. I like this class more and more each day. Also, I picked up the reader during class and have to read The Introduction to Books of Beliefs and Opinions by Rav Saadia Gaon for next week.

Cousin Neil - you're on deck! I'm gonna be calling you if I don't understand something!

After class I went to register for the course and then, here is the tricky part to the whole sordid affair. I had to go to building 605 and go into a room where one woman MANUALLY inputting the information into a computer. Then, she printed it out and I walked over to another woman who stamped it and handed me a copy. That's it. I'm officially in the computer. Of course, the University didn't have an address for me on file so I have no idea where my student ID card is being sent, and they spelled my last name with a Samech instead of a Shin AND they have my Teudat Zehut number wrong. So, of course, I'm going to have to make all of those corrections sooner rather than later. I need that student ID card so I can get cheaper plans for my cell phone, with my bank and with my Internet.

Vera was here this morning and now my floors are Spic n' Span. I miss that nice Pine Sol smell though, even though my place looks really nice and clean. I think when I come home during break I'm going to pick up some Pledge, I just love that smell. I know, I'm a little nuts when it comes to cleaning and my cleaning supplies. I'm a lot like Monica in that respect.

I'm still not sleeping so great so I'm going to crawl into bed for a quick nap before I have to get ready for Bracha's show tonight. Song of the evening is Reverie by Claude Debussy, to get everyone including myself in a classical music mood.

Yoko Ono Sushi

It's a little after Midnight and I got home a short while ago. Its been a very busy but productive day and I'm really wired right now. I'm in the throws of some hard core insomnia. Last night, I tossed and turned for quite some time until finally falling asleep around 4:00 a.m. That would have been okay except that I was up by 7:00 and on the 9:30 a.m. bus to Bar Ilan. I had two clear missions: 1) get my Tlash Kal so I could officially register for the year and 2) meet with Bret Lott before class met at Noon.

I made it to school with time to spare and was able to get my official Tlash Kal. However, apparently they have a made up Teudat Zehut number in the system, so now I have to go and photocopy my passport and my Teudat Zehut for them to make the switch. But, the good news, is that I am officially in the system so I can actually go register.

Now, here is the part where I complain about school. I've been super laid back up until now with all of the administrative snafus, but this one was really too much for me. I went with Tamara to the English department to meet with the secretary in order to register and I saw Merav from class and another woman waiting on line outside the door. When I asked them what was going on, Merav told me that the secretary informed her that she wasn't available to deal with anyone until 11:30 a.m. and not one minute sooner. So, I consulted my watch. 11:40 a.m. I asked Tamara to check her watch too, she had the same time. When I exclaimed that we were well past 11:30 a.m., Merav said that the secretary told her it wasn't 11:30 a.m. yet on HER watch and so they all had to wait.

Class starts at 12:00 and it was pretty much across campus. So, I am STILL not registered.

That was really annoying.

But, before Tamara and I attempted to deal with the administrative issues around the program, we both got to meet with Bret. I spent a good 30 minutes with him alone before Tamara joined us. Bret said a LOT of great things during our meeting but the most important issue I asked him to help me with, he really did. I basically told him that I start all of these stories but haven't been able to finish them. I get into the vivid and dreamlike state that John Gardner talks about but then the state peters out and I'm forced to either push myself to finish the piece and then I finish it in a really inorganic fashion, or I just give up and abandon the story altogether and start on something new.

Bret told me that I have commitment issues.

I asked him if he was chatting with my Mother recently.

He laughed.

Then he gave me some great advice. Basically, I told him that when I get to that stopped point in the midst of my stories, I forced myself to write an outline where I work out the rest of the piece.

He told me THAT was my big problem. He said that I take all the fun out of writing the story - and working through it to see where the story organically leads me - that I am getting bored and just abandoning the pieces.

So, from now on, no more outlines!! I hope this works!

He said some other good stuff about other issues I raised, and we discussed some authors I read and like and then we discussed some of my feedback regarding the program. All in all, well worth the early morning wake up to go in and spend time one-on-one with him. Look, as I told him, I am full on taking advantage of having him as a professor. The man published 12 novels people! Oprah selected one of his novels as her book of the month! Bret Lott is my Hemingway right now, and I'm just happy I didn't have to go to Cuba to learn from him!

So, after class, I took the bus with Noam from my class and we both got off at the train station. I walked the 35 minutes towards my apartment, and stopped along the way to pick up a comforter and duvet cover. So Dad, I got your message and anticipated your advice before I even got it. Hopefully, the huge synthetic comforter I bought (with a nice, black duvet cover to match my bed) will solve my sleeping issues. Thanks Dad for the message and advice!

Then, I got back home and had just enough time to hop into the shower before my date. All I'm going to say is that we went to this great sushi restaurant in the Bursa, which is Tel Aviv's diamond district (think 47th street but in one really big building), called Yoko Ono's. I kid you not. It was so funny dining at a sushi restaurant named after John's wife, but the sushi was really good, so it was an excellent choice! It also made me nostalgic for home, as I used to see Yoko Ono a couple of times walking around the neighborhood. She still lives in the Dakota, and since that was 2 blocks away from my apartment, I would sometimes run into her on CPW. (Yes The Instigator, I am once again name dropping!)

Before I log off and get ready for bed, I have to clarify something that Cousin Neil pointed out was confusing in a previous blog posting. My Wednesday Medieval Jewish Philosophy course is given in English but it is the ONLY Jewish studies required course that is given in English. If I can't get exempt from the second requirement, I'm going to have to take another class next year in Hebrew. Otherwise, all of my other classes are all in English. The only Hebrew I speak on campus is when I at the cafeteria ordering coffee.

Also, if anyone reading this will be speaking to Ilana Katz, please let her know that I tried to call her back when I got home tonight but the phone was busy. I am going to try her again tomorrow, but would like her to at least know that I tried and appreciated that an episode of Roswell on the SciFi Network made her think to call to say hi to me! Ilana - if you're reading this - I hope you're feeling better!

Song of the evening is Scummy by the Arctic Monkeys in honor of Britney Spears. The gal FINALLY kicked K.Fed to the curb and filed for a divorce today.

It's about time, y'all!

Something's Burning

It smells like something is burning near my apartment but I don't see any flames. Interesting. Well, I just switched on the dude shemesh so that I could heat up some hot water for a shower. I'm exhausted. I didn't sleep much last night and I realized this morning it's because I was really cold! Even with the second blanket, I was freezing! So, tonight I'm just going to layer up in my winter PJ's and hopefully I'll be able to get a good night's sleep. These bags are not at all attractive. I might need to ask my folks to send my winter coat to Israel cause it's pretty cold outside. I was not expecting that at all, I still remember the heat we had oh - last week!

So, I'm making another meal on Friday night. I know, Itai is as surprised as y'all that I'm making another one so soon! I think he's just shocked that I know that many people to invite to dinner again. I'm having 8 people this time, which is 2 less than my last meal. I think that's a good number, especially since my table is really meant for 8 people altogether. I worked out the menu and I'm making a taco salad, Israeli salad and my Mom's coleslaw recipe. Then I'm trying this new butternut squash soup recipe I got from Sara Moulson at the Food Network. You're supposed to serve it with buttered pecans, so I'm going to try to figure out how to make that but do it so that it's parve. The main is going to be spinach chicken rolls (my cousin Tova's recipe), a deli roll, orzo with roasted vegetables, corn kugel, a broccoli kugel and Tova's sister-in-law's steamed string bean recipe. Dessert will be my Aunt Amy's apple pie, parve vanilla ice cream, brownies and a fruit salad. I think that's plenty of food. I invited a couple of guys over for dessert so we should be 10 at that point, I just hope all the food comes out ok!

This blog post includes a photo of Shakira as a shout-out to Bracha's Israeli friends who have apparently dubbed me "Shakira". I find that hysterical since I look absolutely NOTHING like the Lovely Latina singer, nor can I even carry a tune. That being said, today I ordered my ticket for Bracha's concert on Wednesday night in Herzliya. I am really looking forward to the concert! I think her friend is going to be taking me, so at least I don't have to worry about getting to and from the venue. The only thing is that I'm sitting by myself at the concert, instead of with her friends. That should be interesting. I hope I meet some cool new people!

I've been working on not one but two different stories and I'm a bit at an impass with one of them. I'm going to go into school early tomorrow so I can meet with Bret Lott and try to pick his brain for helpful hints to help move things forward. Also, what I've been finding is that I really get into a story and can bang out 1-4 pages fairly quickly, but then I stall and tend to write intellectually as opposed to emotionally. That being said, this book I'm reading by John Gardner is really amazing. It's called On Becoming a Novelist and it really speaks to so many of the challenges I've been facing! I'm glad it was on the required reading list!

Tomorrow is going to be a pretty busy day. I have to get to school early to try to register for my courses, try to meet with Bret during his office hours before our class, and then sit in on the 4 hour class itself where we will be workshopping 3 different stories tomorrow! Michael Kramer is out of the country this week, so after Bret Lott's class I get to come home a little earlier which is good because I need to stop by the supermarket and pick up a lot of ingredients for my cooking marathon on Thursday.

I'm wiped and have to hit the showers and get to bed. Song of the evening is Shoot the Runner by Kasabian. Enjoy!

Dreams

I had a difficult time falling asleep last night. I think it was all that tea I drank during the date; in retrospect, I should have asked for decaf. It's a good thing I didn't fall asleep right away because I had forgotten to leave my empty water bottles outside of my door for the Mei Eden men. I have a calendar that tells me when to expect new water deliveries and all I have to do is, the night before said delivery date, leave the empty water bottles outside the door and when I wake up the new bottles will be in its place. That did in fact happen today. I wish everything in my life were as simple.

When I finally fell asleep, I had a disturbing dream but one that was so realistic that in the dream itself I felt like it was really happening. I was getting ready for my own wedding - I know, it was very weird for me too - and the groom was nameless and faceless. My Mom came over to get me so I could get my hair/makeup all done before the wedding started and she looked amazing. She was in this beautiful navy blue gown (again, I should have known right then and there that this wasn't really my own wedding as I am not a fan of navy blue and besides, that was the color of my sister's wedding) and her makeup was done really nicely. She was shocked because I wasn't dressed or ready to go and apparently the photographer was yelling for me. That's when I looked at her and confessed that there wasn't really a wedding, that there wasn't really a groom and that he was actually getting married to someone else. It was like I had manufactured this entire engagement right up until the last moment when the whole family was getting ready for the wedding to begin. That's when I named the groom, who is a real life ex, and have to admit that he was getting married to someone else and I was just ashamed to admit to my parents that I had broken up with him so I told them I was engaged.

Anyway, at some point, one of my nieces zoomed past me looking absolutely adorable in a flowergirl dress with a really pretty pink ribbon in her mohawk. Otherwise, no other family members made a physical appearance in the dream except for Mom. Next thing I know, my Dad was making an announcement that there was no wedding and that everyone had to go home. I felt terrible and asked my Mom how much money they had just lost out of on the caterer, the hall, the orchestra and the flowers. My Mom was really great and told me that it didn't matter, it was just money, as long as I was okay with not really getting married and losing the groom to someone else.

I woke up before I could tell her how I was really feeling, but that dream could be a treatment for a movie! Imagine, a girl breaks up with a guy and rather than tell her family that she is single again, lies and says she's engaged and goes all the way through the engagement and wedding planning without ever admitting the truth! Obviously, in the movie version there will be a gay sidekick, the crazy relative who snors loudly during family speeches and the rabbinical student who is secretly in love with the bride but has to swallow his feelings in order to marry the "couple".

Hmmm, maybe there really is something to the whole dream journal thing!

Today has been very productive. After lugging in the two huge barrels of water, I got down to work. First, I workshopped a 36 page story for class on Tuesday! Then, I got to work on the new business proposal for my prospective client. I am almost 100% done, I just need to come up with a couple more poll questions and then it's ready to send out. I'm hoping to get it all done by the end of the day. I spoke to Bracha about her concert on Wednesday night and am about to go and buy tickets. She is working on getting me a ride there and back, and I'm just really excited about the opportunity to get all dressed up and hit the town! I also haven't been to a classical music concert, so I'm really looking forward to it!

Song of the day is Red Light Indicates The Doors Are Secured by the Arctic Monkeys. The bass riff throughout the song is extremely catchy, it just sucks you in!

Oh, and this photo is one of my favorite pastel pieces by Wolf Kahn.

Enjoy!

The Black Magic Show

Shavuah Tov! My date is stuck in traffic so I decided to take this opportunity to update the blog. First of all, all my UWS readers please call or visit Arye who is recupperating from an extremely painful procedure. If you can, bring him some hot soup, a percocet or your collection of CD's so he can tell you how you have lousy taste in music. That will definitely cheer him up more than the chocolates!

Shabbos was really nice. I went to dinner last night at the Gabbai's house with Lana and met a couple more people. Then today, I actually got up and went to shul. I also stayed for the kiddush and mingeled with a couple of people and was pretty shocked at the amount of people I was able to chat with! I guess I really have met a lot of folks in the 2 1/2 months I've been here. Then I went home and waited for Gayle, but she slept through lunch, so I ate and went in for a nap. Gayle stopped by and woke me up around 5:00 and we caught up and said Havdalah together.

Tonight, Tel Aviv is packed with people going to Rabin Square to remember Yitzchak Rabin TZ"L who was murdered a couple of years ago in that very square. I'm not sure where I'll be going with my date tonight, but I doubt it will be near the memorial. The traffic is so bad that they closed Ibn Gvirol and Arlozorov streets.

So, that's the big update. I know, kinda boring. Here's where it will get a lot more interesting.

I spent a lot of time together wondering what if, which is really a big waste of time but since I had time on my hands today, that's what I spent doing. Played the what if game. For example, what if I hadn't broken up with him? Or, what if I didn't move to Israel? And, what if I told him I was interested in him, instead of ignoring the way I felt because I wasn't sure he was interested in me. Anyone else out there play that game and, if so, why? What's the point?

Food for thought.

I have to finish getting ready for my date. Song of the day is The Clown by Elefant The photo above is of Diego when he performed at Sin-e on the Lower East Side.

Happy Birthday Gary!!!!! Can't wait to celebrate next time I'm at Verlaine's!

Everything Zen

I'm exhausted from raking my tiny Zen garden all day. Today was really great, I got a lot of writing done and started working on a new business proposal. The weather was terrible, it poured most of the day and was pretty chilly but as soon as I went out to run my errands, the rain stopped and it got warm and humid again. I'm constantly in layers here in Tel Aviv, and I feel like I'm just always dressing and undressing on the street! I'm going to have to pick up some more zip sweatshirts when I'm home in a few months. It's the easiest thing to pull off and on that doesn't make me look like I'm stripping on the sidewalks.

I was out late again last night. Bracha had a good friend's bachelorette party at this bar across the street from my apartment and, since no one spoke English and she only knew the bride, I agreed to come and keep her company. One of the party organizers, though, was dressed in this corset dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and she kept chain smoking. At one point, I just stared at the ash hanging off of the end of the lit cigarette as she gesticulated wildly with it when speaking. I almost bent down to pick up the ashtray to catch the inch-long ash but thought it might be rude and just kept my eye on it instead. It ended up falling, as I suspected, but fortunately it missed me and just went down the front of her "dress".

Yeah, she wasn't too happy about that one.

I spent a lot of time today doing research on this new business proposal and read the article about Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe's pending divorce. I can't believe she didn't sign a pre-nup! In California, that means everything is split 50/50. It will be interesting to see how that one plays out.

Oh, and today I discovered a new and amazing site called Pure Volume. I think it's much better than MySpace when it comes to music. I have a profile, so go check out HolyLandHipster to see which bands I really like.

Song of the day is Sunshine Superman by The Films. I'm obsessed with these guys, and their music is absolutely amazing!

R.I.P. iPod

My iPod died a crunchy death yesterday morning, after I tried to sink it for the very last time. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized that the unnatural noises coming from my tiny machine were akin to its last-gasping-breaths and when I tried to revive it on the #64 bus, it just flashed the apple sign a couple of times before I was confronted by the blank screen.

'Sniff

I finished another week at school and have decided to drop Poetry. After I spent 7 hours constructing my first poem, and another 3 doing the homework assignment this week, I've decided I just don't have the verbal prowess to handle the art form. I'm a prose girl - period. But, I'm a firm believer in letting the critics decide. And so, I'm including the three poems I've written during the past two weeks.

Assignment #1 - write a poem describing a landscape that reflects your inner state of emotions.

The Ghost Flower
Nestled within the tract of desert date trees
stands stout and spirited
the lone Ghost flower
sheltered from the sun
by sinewy palm fronds.
Translucent alabaster petals mature,
surrounded by the sweet russet fruits,
struggling to absorb
the essence of the disparate species.

Assignment #2 - free associate to the word yellow and then select 5 words and construct a poem

Sunny Snow
His furry belly warms
the ice as he lifts
his leg to pee.

Staining the pristine snow
the cheery color of a school bus
on a hot, hazy day.

Assignment #3 - use words embedded within each other to write a poem. The structure of the poem is 6 three line stanzas where each sentence takes the end rhyme from a single word.

The Legend of Brother Ted
Sister Therese tried for a moment to suspend her disbelief
In Ed's staunch belief
That the Universe was created from a leaf

She countered with the omnipresent
Handing him this knowledge like a present
That she preached was Heaven sent

But Ed couldn't be swayed, he wouldn't even blink
To the proof of the omnipotent - the link
to the Bible that Sister Therese had right there in ink!

Through his hair, his frustrating fingers brushed
Aside the doubts. While Sister Therese refused to be rushed
from their debating forum in the old shed

She told the tale of how the Lord placed
the heavens and the earth. The details weren't laced
with any embellishments, which appealed to Ed

Listening to her Gospel, his soul was uplifted
And he changed his ways. To the monastery he floated as if lifted
His story soon to be known as the Legend of Brother Ted.

Now y'all know why I'm leaving poetry behind and switching to Jewish American Literature. It's upsetting because I was looking forward to delving into works by Rilke, Neruda and Rich but I bought the reader and will just get into these poems on my own.

Anyway, Cousin Neil is going to be on deck in a few weeks as I continue my Medieval Jewish Philosophy course. I am really fascinated with this course and think Professor Harvey is an extremely thorough teacher. Today we discussed the differences between theology and philosophy. He quoted Harry A Wolfson as saying that Medieval philosophy begins with Philo and ends with Spinoza. I had heard of Spinoza, obviously, but never really knew what he stood for. I'm really looking forward to delving into texts by Rambam, R' Saadya Gaon, Spinoza, etc. I felt a little cheated actually that in all of my years of Yeshiva education, I never had any Jewish Philosophy courses. Personally, I would have much preferred to learn a little bit about Spinoza then the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha in 12th grade. Clearly the latter isn't applicable for me, at this stage of the game. And some strong Jewish philosophy knowledge could have helped me through a lot of those "questioning 20's".

So tonight, I'm working on a couple of new short stories. I need to complete one for workshopping by the 21st and I'm torn between The Virgin Pact story and this untitled one I'm working on that should be really interesting once I'm done writing it.

Oh, Bracha and Yotam are here and last night we hung out for tea and coffee at the marina in Herzliya. First of all, I love to be sitting on the water, sipping tea, and just catching up with good friends. If I could have been in scrubs and a sweatshirt, I would have been even happier but this was pretty close! I met her friends Edit, Kootie and Ohad. Today Bracha had an all day photo shoot for her debut CD album and some rehearsals for next week's concerts. I'm hoping to go to the one on the 8th but it will all depend on Ohad, since he's the one that lives closest to me here in Tel Aviv and he'll hopefully be the driver :)

OK, I'm off to get some quality writing done. Song of the night is Bang Bang You're Dead by Dirty Pretty Things, a great band that's getting plenty of airplay on XFM!