Frum in South Florida

My little boy

2011-09-21T00:23:00.000-04:00

He loves standing, and empty cups, and slapping on the wood just to here the noise. He's discovered he can grab things, and affect the world around him. He knows if he cries, he'll be taken care of. He's found that spoons and bowls can be fun to play with, but he doesn't care for the food in them. He's found that water is fun and wet, and doggies are warm, wet and furry. Every day is a new experience, everything is new, never before seen. He smiles at everyone, because for him, the world is a wonderful place. He may learn differently when he gets older, but for now, he has his mom and dad, and he smiles. I love my little boy.

Just Something I Wrote

2011-07-11T13:36:00.002-04:00

Blah Blah Blah, that’s all you have to say. Nothing of real substance, just fluffy little thoughts that pop into your fluffy little head. You talk about clothes, and the latest fashions, who’s going where with whom. Forget about politics, the world economy, or anything outside of your little bubble, it’s all about you and what you think is important. Whenever I would try to steer the conversation to a different track, you’d completely run over me as if I hadn’t even opened my mouth. What is it with you? Are you really that vapid? I remember when I first met you, how worldly I thought you were. After a month of knowing you, now I think I was mistaken. I can’t take it in more! Your world is too small, too confined for my tastes. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can stay cooped up in that little bubble. It was nice knowing you, but I think I’ll go to wider pastures.

Note: This is not to anyone I actually know, I just wrote whatever came into my head. So please don;t take offense!

The Shidduch Blogosphere

2011-06-05T20:49:00.003-04:00

My husband, perusing the blogosphere, exclaimed, "Why are there still so many shidduch blogs?! We're married, that should be the end of it!" I laughed, and asked him, " Really? The shidduch crisis should end just cause we're married?" "Yes!"
Now clearly, he wasn't being serious, but it made me think. There seem to be, to me at least, both more and less shidduch blogs out there. More; because I have found some shidduch blogs that cropped up since we've gotten married; such as: Masculine Jew, Stuck in shidduchim, and Life after Stern College. Then there are the bloggers who've gotten married such as Bas melech, the Babysitter, and Frum N' Flipping. Of course, my blog never really counted among the shidduch blogs, because I didn't really date...and of course I ended up meeting my husband through our blogs, so it never really mattered. But sometimes, reading these blogs makes me look at my cooing little son and wonder what he's in for twenty-something years down the road. A while to go, I know, but still, it does makes one think...

On Becoming A Mommy

2011-05-26T13:09:00.002-04:00

My son is now 3 months old, which, for me at least, is hard to believe. Three months flew by so fast! In some ways, being a mother is a lot easier than I expected, in others, harder. Fortunately, my little boy is incredibly easygoing for the majority of the time, good with being held by others (not just me and my husband). He's a pretty good sleeper, though still waking up once at night to eat, but has started sleeping longer. My challenge right now is to get him to sleep in his crib. I never would have believed how much having a child changed my life. Now it takes longer to get in and out of the car, longer to get places, can't always sleep as long as I want...etc. As time goes past, he can do more things and I marvel. I can't wait to see all the things he'll start doing soon, but at the same time, I treasure every moment, because he won't stay this small forever.

On another, unrelated, note, I will try to be posting more. I hadn't been before because my computer died on me. Now that I have a new one and am itching to use it, there will be more posts!

First Doctor visit

2011-02-23T07:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Little One's first visit to the doctor...unfortunately, I forgot the diaper bag at home and had nothing but the baby with us. We asked if they had extra diapers before we took his off...good thing. He was in the middle of pooping and pooped all over the table and got some on mommy. He then proceeded to pee all over himself...TWICE!! My dh and I started cracking up, and cleaned up. Fortunately, after that, the visit was uneventful, and amazingly Little One is already almost back to his birth weight! Just one oz away from it. Next time bringing the diaper bag no matter what!!

Are You Ready For This?

2011-02-22T22:40:00.000-05:00

My father asked me this when I got pregnant, and again after the baby was born. It's been 6 days now, and my response is: Is ANYONE ever ready for parenthood? Really and truly? It's so unlike anything else, unlike any previous experience. You have this tiny creature who is reliant entirely upon you for his every need 24/7. And yet, when you look at him, it makes your heart melt, whether it's 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning. Our little boy came into the world via c-section on February 16, 2011, at 9 lbs. and 2 oz. He is so incredibly cute, and my husband and I are head over heels for him. What a blessing he is. Even though I'm getting nowhere near enough sleep, it's all worth it. I love him to pieces.

Memories

2010-12-25T23:50:00.002-05:00

I was looking through my gmail account, and I ran across my first conversations with my husband. Re-reading them made me smile, as I think back. When we first started talking, I never would have believed we would end up married. We were too different, or so I thought. But as we got to know each other, and especially once we met in person, I realized we weren't as different as I had first believed. In fact, in many ways we were incredibly alike. So when my husband asked me out, I was more than willing to give him a chance. Yes, our dating was not typical...but then again, neither are we. Now here we sit, two and a half years later, with our one year anniversary just around the corner. The surprises life can bring!!

Dreams

2010-12-12T22:56:00.003-05:00

What is my subconscious trying to tell me when in most, if not all, my driving dreams involve me being either in the passenger seat and driving, or the backseat and driving? If I was to interpret my dreams like Freud or Jung would do so, I would say that my subconscious is telling me I feel out of control, like I need to get my life back. Is this true? I honestly couldn't tell you. Right now, my conscious mind is feeling perfectly content with my situation, but who knows what bubbles beneath the surface? My dream the other night involved me driving from the backseat of my car and getting pulled over (twice!) by cops because I kept missing lights. The headrest on the driver's seat was blocking my vision. Each time I was let off with a warning, and after the second time I was sick of being pulled over and figured it would be best to drive from the driver's seat. And then Mariner somehow appeared in the dream...and it kinda went vague from there. Although I think I recall him being dressed up in a clown costume in our kitchen...but then, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how my dreams can go weird. But still, backseat driving....something to think about, or just my crazy imagination acting up again? The world may never know...

Yom Kippur

2010-09-17T11:52:00.002-04:00

Admittedly, I have not been posting much lately, either too busy, or simply can't think of anything worthwhile that I have to say. However, on this erev Yom Kippur , I would like to request forgiveness, and wish everyone a G'mar Chasima Tova and wish everyone an easy fast. May we all be inspired and be granted an amazing year!

Writing Prompt

2010-09-13T00:56:00.001-04:00

It’s a late summer night, the air humid, not a breeze to be felt. Two boys loiter in front of the local pool, lounging around, trying to look cool dragging a smoke on their cigarettes. Despite the muggy air, they don’t go back to the air conditioned pool room. They are waiting for someone, possibly several someones, they are not sure which. Their contact had not been very specific with them.

The boys are nothing special to look at. Two young men in their early twenties, one blonde, the other dark, neither overly tall nor too short, nothing to mark them as being out of the ordinary. Nothing to show that they were more than just a pair of slackers, wasting another Saturday night. The blonde shifted from foot to foot nervously, which annoyed his companion to no end. “Will you stop that?!” he snapped, quietly. “You act like you’re a fresh greenie, not a seasoned agent.” He sniffed disdainfully, and took another drag at his smoke.

“Well excuse me for breathing,” his companion muttered. “They’re late, and I’m melting in a puddle of my own sweat. Do you even have any idea who we’re looking for?” He nervously sucked on the end of his cig, almost succeeding in burning his tongue.

The blonde roiled his eyes at his compatriot’s stupidity, but answered his question readily enough. “Actually, I managed to get a name out of our contact before he broke off the message.” He smirked, feeling very superior. “One Isaac Dell is who we are meeting. Tall guy, around 6’5, hard to miss.”

“Huh. Isaac Dell? It’s been a while since I heard that name. He was pretty religious once, you know. But he gave it up, said it was too restricting, that he’d rather ‘live life to the fullest’, then be held back by chains of tradition.” He took a thoughtful drag on his cig, and blew out a smoke ring. “Funny, never thought I’d see him here though.”

Tisha B'Av

2010-07-19T13:29:00.002-04:00

Not one of my favorite holidays, I'll admit. Fasting for around 25 hours? I don't fast well on even short fasts, and this one is killer. True, you should be sitting in shul, or wherever, and thinking of all the horrible things that have happened to the Jewish people throughout history. However, I can't usually get out of my own misery long enough to do much commiserating. Anyways, hope that everyone has an easy fast!

Ocean-Blue

2010-06-17T23:03:00.003-04:00

Don't you love impulse purchases? You know, when you see something you decide you just really want and can't live without it? Whether it be shoes, books, or even pets...Y'see today my husband and I went to Petco (due to my begging) and we were right next door to it. As we walked in, we were greeted by the sight of these pretty little budgies flying around in a glass enclosure. My hubby turned to me and said, "Should we get one?" I, of course, was thrilled with the idea, and now we own a little teal colored budgie named Ocean Blue, Blue for short. Here's a couple of pics of him!

Music and Pictures!

2010-06-09T20:19:00.003-04:00

My husband bought me a iPod for my birthday (If you are a longtime reader of my blog you may recall I had one...it works when it feels like it.) Combining music he had on his hard-drive, and music CJ had on her iPod, I now have 13000 songs on my ipod, including several audio books. As my husband says, I'm addicted to music, and so this makes me VERY happy.
My father got me a camera for my birthday. My other one is still working, I just wanted a newer one that worked slightly better. Here are a few pictures that I took with it!

Story: Prisoners

2010-05-31T21:33:00.001-04:00

Haven't posted in a while, but not in the mood to type up a whole post now. Instead, I'm gonna post a lil something I wrote a while ago. Hope you enjoy!

As the submarine slowly sank into the water, and then under, I stared out the porthole watching as the scenery turned from clear air to murky water. Fish swam by, completely unconcerned by the huge machine that had invaded their environment. Turning away from the port-hole, I turned to view what would be our home for who knew how long. It was dark, only slightly lit by a low hanging light, and almost completely empty, barring the beds.

I looked at my fellow passengers. Though at this point, fellow prisoners was a better term. None of us had planned to go on this journey, and we had all been thrown together by our captors. Why us, why this specific group of people, we still didn’t know, but I suspected we would by the time we arrived at our destination.

The man who stood closest to me, Charles Vermier, was a tall man, and looked to be in his early forties. Blond and blue eyed with strong features, he had a bearing that spoke of time spent in the Navy. He was quiet, and had barely spoken five words since he had found himself in our company. The strong, quiet brooding type I supposed.

Shrugging inwardly, I turned my eyes toward the petite red-head standing next to Charles, Violet Pren. She with the large blue eyes and full mouth, and rather put me in mind of a fragile china doll. What she brought to this group I had not the first idea, since she was a tiny delicate looking thing. Perhaps she had hidden depths that only our “employers” knew of. She seemed nervous and timid. Though given our situation, I couldn’t really blame her.

Across from her, leaning against a wall and looking entirely unconcerned was my brother, Merlin. Small, with dark curly hair a quick dark eyes, he put one in mind of the bird of his namesake. He appeared to be taking this entirely calmly, but I knew him better than that. Had it been just us, he would have not felt the need to put on a mask and would have been pacing back and forth in the small space we had been allotted, driving me crazy.

And then of course, there’s me, Osprey, the last of our little group. I glanced at my reflection from the porthole, also dark hair, but straight where Merlin’s was curly, and quite a bit longer. Dark brown eyes framed by long lashes with a sprinkling of freckles across my cheeks. Though I tried hard to appear calm on the outside, I feared I was failing miserably, for I could feel myself shaking. I’m not fond of enclosed spaces at the best of times, and this was a scenario out of my worst nightmare. We were trapped in a small space for an unspecified amount of time with complete strangers. We had no idea where we were going, had no way to contact the outside world. Who knew what our imprisoners had in mind for us? I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. That drew a sharp look from Merlin, he knew how I felt about enclosed spaces. Not that I was claustrophobic, I had just had…a bad experience with them. His eyebrows knotted in concern. I shook my head at him, I would be fine. Really. If I wasn’t….that didn’t bear thinking about.

Packing!

2010-05-21T10:54:00.003-04:00

So we've driven all the way to NY and just started packing my husband's books last night. The trunk of the car is already full, and there are still more books to pack! Plus we still need to pack his computer (his laptop in Miami crashed and burned, he's very upset about that) and all of his CD's. I can't wait to put them on the iPod he got me for my B-day. I think we're going to try to finish packing the rest of our stuff on Motzei Shabbos. Hopefully our luggage will still fit! Also while we've been here, my husband's been looking for something to bring back to Miami that only Brooklyn has. No luck so far. Any ideas?

News

2010-05-09T20:11:00.002-04:00

When I woke up this morning, my husband told me he was going to go out for a drive. Then, after I call him asking him to get breakfast since he's out (since at this point there are no dishes in our apartment) he calls me back saying he's rented a U-haul Cargo Van and we're going to move the dresser, 2 bookcases and recliner into the apartment ourselves. I was not entirely happy about it to say the least, but we did it in the end. My birthday is in three days, and very much looking forward to that, and then that evening we're driving up to NY for a week and a half. Lots to do!

New Update on all the stuff I haven't been talking about

2010-04-27T19:21:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness the semester is almost over. At this point I'm reading my anatomy book/ power-points, and feel like I'm reading Greek. Such as "The Hypophyseal Portal System and Blood Supply to the Pituitary System." Fortunately (or unfortunately) the test is on Thursday and then I'm done with it. As long as I pass at least. Then, once that is out of the way, or perhaps even before that, we'll start moving into our new apartment. Exciting!! Then once we are done moving in (hopefully we should be done by then!) we're driving up to NY for shavuos and to pick up (some) of my husband;s 3000 books that are there. Yes, I did type three thousand, that is not an extra zero. He has a LOT of books, way more than I do, although I believe some of our books overlap. In any case, we plan on getting lots of bookcases to put all of them, which should be fun. Oh, and before I forget, I went with my husband, and saw How to Train Your Dragon and it was awesome. Makes me want a dragon of my own. (Though when haven't I?) Pity we didn't get to see it in 3-D, but otherwise it was fantastic, both in the plot and the animation. The dragons were if not instantly lovable, certainly made so later on. The movie took you into it and carried you off. Lots of fun for all. Anyways, I'm going to go back to studying now, and will hopefully update again soon!

Biking is Fun, Workouts are fun, and I'm Wiped!

2010-04-11T22:18:00.002-04:00

Today we got my husband a new bike. I got a bike last week as my "afikomen present". Right after he got the bike, we went biking, all around the neighborhood and a nearby park, fortunately the weather was perfect for it. We biked 10 miles total, which was an accomplishment for me, who had never biked more than 2 miles before! On our way back, I managed to fall off the bike, and almost went flying. Adding new bruises to the fading ones from the last time I went biking. I am obviously not the most coordinated of individuals. Later, after taking a break from biking, I went over to CJ's to exercise. Then, when I got back, I exercised again with my husband. I am SO wiped.

Pesach Cleaning (Or Not)

2010-03-25T23:26:00.003-04:00

This year, I'm not cleaning for Pesach. Shocking, isn't it? Ok, well not entirely avoiding cleaning, but since we're selling the kitchen and going to my mother's for all of the meals, it means I have no need to make myself crazy over every little detail. However since my mother is cleaning for Pesach, we invited her and my brother over to our apartment for the shabbos meals so she has one less thing to worry about. We still need to clean the car, vacuum carpet, make sure all the chometz stuff is actually in the kitchen... But Pesach should be a lot of fun this year, especially with my husband conducting the seder. It'll be interesting to see how long it will go. Wishing everyone a chag kasher v'sameach!

Last Night's "Nightmare"

2010-03-12T11:39:00.002-05:00

*BANG pop pop BANG*
I turned over slowly, still more than half asleep. Cannons? In South Florida? Wait a sec...those weren't cannons...those were gunshots! Still lying in bed, hearing people yelling, hearing more "bang" and "pop", debating whether to call 911. Hearing a car drive away. Checking my phone for the time. 3 AM. Then there was a very very loud bang and I saw sparks fly. That got me out of bed and looking out the window. Outside, in the apartment building's parking was a car on fire. Not just coming oiut of the hood, but the entire car was in flames. I started shaking and woke my husband up. Then I dialed 911, as I was waiting for someone to pick up, he showed me there were cops already there. I felt slightly relieved. We watched as a fire truck came and dowsed the car, till there was nothing left but a smoldering heap of metal. I tried to fall back asleep, but my husband was too wound up. He left the room. Came back later to tell me that what was left of the car had been towed. When I woke up this morning, it all seemed like a bad dream, but when I looked out the window there was a huge black spot where the car had burned. Scary.

Wedding, Sheva Brachos and All the Rest...

2010-03-02T23:29:00.004-05:00

Wow, okay, haven't written for a while, but considering I just got married, I think it's excusable. The wedding was gorgeous, and yes, I am biased, but considering I heard it from a lot of other people too, I believe it's true. It rained and drizzled all day, so in the end the chupah was held inside the hall, but as my husband and I agreed later, that was really for the best. The theme color was blue/teal. Not surprising to those who've been reading my blog for a while. Lots of dancing, lots of fun was had by all, and CJ took lots of pics (547 to be exact) afterwards, she printed them out stuck them in an album and gave them to us at our second sheva bracha. She didn't print out ALL of them, just 200, and gave us a CD with the other pictures. We had 2 nights of the sheva brachos in Florida and those were lots of fun, especially since the first half of the second sheva bracha we sat in mostly darkness since the block's lights went out. But it was cool, because we used some of the lanterns we had from the wedding. Incredibly early the next morning we hopped on a plane and went to NY for the rest of the sheva brachos. After we got off the plane, we slept for several hours in his parents’ basement. Did I mention we were up REALLY early? We stayed at a hotel the few nights we were there, had sheva brachos at a few people’s houses, saw our good friends Moshe and Jacob, delivered shaloch manos on purim, were very late for our last sheva bracha and left late on Sunday back to nice warm Miami. We finally got stuff toiveled and now have real plates to eat off of. But now that we’re back, I have some school work to make up…namely an anatomy test. Uch. Wish me luck! And now I think that brings everything up to date.

Getting Married TOMORROW!!!!

2010-02-21T14:12:00.003-05:00

I can not believe that I am getting married tomorrow. At random intervals it hits me how close the wedding is and how much my life is going to change. I am giddily happy and excited and cannot convey this enough through the mere medium of writing. Unfortunately, won't be able to blog on the wedding day since my computer is in the process of being fixed, and I am currently using my mother's. We're going up to NY for the last 4 Sheva Brachos on Thursday and our last Sheva Bracha is going to be on Purim. That should be lots of fun! :) Of course, then we get back and I have to take an anatomy test and a Hebrew test. Not so fun, but not going to worry about it the day before my wedding. If you have any names you want me to daven for, just leave it in my comments, or shoot me an e-mail.

Wedding and Cold

2010-02-14T15:22:00.002-05:00

I'm getting married in a week and have a very bad cold. NOT fun. I spent the past 2 days in bed, and should be in bed now, but I am so sick of sleeping...not to mention my bridal shower was today which was what got me up in the first place. Now comes the week of rushing around and getting ready, but first I have to get better. I think I'm about ready to crawl into bed and sleep some more.

Synthetic Sheital

2010-02-02T16:49:00.001-05:00

I doubt whoever wrote this joke was thinking of sheitals....but still funny when put that way. Enjoy!

GCF: Who Did Your Hair?

"Good heavens! Who did your hair? It looks like a wig!"

"It is a wig."

"Really? You could never tell."

Apology and Musings

2010-01-31T10:52:00.002-05:00

I know, I haven't posted in 2 weeks, maybe more. I've been busy! Classes, getting ready for the wedding, studying, and tons of pressure. It's a wonder anyone stays sane when getting married. I have noticed one thing though, it seems to be the case that most guys would rather elope than deal with all the nonsense entailed in a big marriage party. While it would probably be a whole lot stressful, like the stereotypical girl, I love the idea of a wedding. Getting dressed up, having friends and family be there, taking pictures, to have for posterity. So I can look back and show my kids, see this is how we looked then. Some couples are given the choice by their parents. The "Golden Ladder" I've heard it called. (I think) Take all the money that would be used for the wedding and use it for other things. I know that one couple that was offered that preffered having a wedding. We were never given that choice, and honestly I can't say which way I would have decided. Either way, doesn't really matter now. The wedding is in 3 weeks and one way or another it will be over soon enough. Maybe I'll have more time to post then.

First Day of Class

2010-01-11T21:03:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a hebrew class, and that was my first class of the semester. It was...interesting to say the least. Most of the students had some kind of background in hebrew, and for the most part were Jewish (though not religious), there were perhaps 3 or 5 who had no idea what was flying, and the teacher gave them hebrew names. We learned three letters of the 'aleph-beis' (not the first three letters either, don't ask me why, I've got not a clue) Anyways, this should be an interesting class throughout the semester. We were put into groups and I somehow became the self-proclaimed 'leader' of our group if only because I was the only one who knew what was flying and was not too shy to speak. Tomorrow starting two of my other classes, can't wait to see how that goes. And right now, Mariner is jumping on me, wanting to play, so I'm gonna stop typing so he'll stop drooling on my keyboard and play with him.

Back from NY

2010-01-05T23:01:00.004-05:00

So I'm back from NY, just got in tonight. I'm tired and a lil cranky and feeling mixed emotions. Glad to be back where it's warmer (50 degrees as opposed to 30 plus wind chill), good to be home, but missing my chasson, starting to stress about the wedding (thank G-d that my mother is so organized or I'd be ready to tear my hair out), and dreading the start of the semester come Monday. A full week and a half of the freezing NY weather was definetely enough for me, thank goodness the wedding is going to be in Miami. We did lots of things (including WAY too much eating out), movies (Sherlock Holmes and Avatar), registering for the wedding (Bed, Bath and Beyond and Amazon.com), wandering around different stores including several jewelry galleries, Ikea, and FAO Schwartz. I got a shaitel with my future mother-in-law, and snoods, and robes. We went and ordered a ton of things from Eichlers, and got the chasson watch. And I started thinking of more posts contrasting NY and Miami, which is now I think one of my favorite past times. Oh, and when I was there we saw Jacob da Jew, went to Moshe for a meal, and met with Mike in Midwood at the vort and at Moshe's. It was good to see all of you again!

2009-12-24T22:38:00.004-05:00

It's been a pretty busy week and a half, and now I'm going to be off again for another week and a half. Going up to NY for that time, and I dunno if I'll have internet access. Leaving tomorrow, ridiculously early in the morning and I'm not even packed yet. I know, I should probably be packing instead of writing this post, but I felt I couldn't leave everyone for almost a month without a little warning.
Anyways, details!!!
Thanks everyone for the mazal tovs! No, we're not joining our blogs, two totally different blogs generally about totally different things.
I got engaged the day after one of my best friends, and since I had two wedding dresses (long story short: a friend gave me two wedding dresses several months ago for free) I took one and the other one worked perfectly for S.S. I'm really glad about that since I know neither of their parents are wealthy, and it's one less thing to have to spend money on.
Hopefully I'll have more of an update for everyone when I get back, but right now I really should get back to packing if I want to get a semi-reasonable amount of sleep tonight. See y'all in a week and a half!

Mazal Tov!

2009-12-17T00:10:00.002-05:00

I am the happiest girl in the world right now. Why? Because I just got engaged to the most wonderful man I know. He'd probably say I'm flattering him, and inflating his ego (which I admittedly am) and I probably sound like the swooning maiden who finds her true love, but at this point I really don't care. Actually, those in the Jblogosphere will know him, it's Child Ish Behavior. He asked me to marry him, and I said "yes" without a second thought. Now the fun starts.

Done!!!!

2009-12-08T23:17:00.002-05:00

My last final was today, and I am now finished with the semester! Month -long break, here I come! Now it's time to take care of things I hadn't had the time to because of school. Like my phone (which some buttons are not working - uh oh!), my car (in desperate need of a wash and replacing the windshield wipers), and my computer (the screen has some serious issues).

Call Me Crazy...

2009-12-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've been called crazy a lot. By my parents, my friends, random classmates...usually for various strange things that I do. Such as randomly deciding that I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle, or wearing high-heels on a day that I wold be standing pretty much the whole day, or my (typical) tendency to squeal "kitty!" or "doggy!" whenI see either of those. It has come to the point where I now consider being called crazy to be a compliment. So when people ask, "You're crazy, you know that?" I say "Yes." with a grin. Because, hey, who wouldn't want to be called crazy?

Eating Out (or Not)

2009-12-06T10:49:00.003-05:00

Over at MM's blog, her latest post mentions a difficulty in deciding whether to go to a friend's birthday bash that is being held at a (for all intents and purposes) non-kosher restaurant. She wants to know if it's ok to go and drink her tea while her friends are eating there.
I have this same problem in a way. But here, it's not with my friends, but with my family. My father and his family are not religious, and every year, twice a year the entire family gets together at a non-kosher restaurant to celebrate my grandmother's b-day and mother's day. My father insists that I come along, as it would make my grandmother happy to see her eldest grandchild. I typically either eat before, or I bring a wrapped sandwhich (which the restaurant usually doesn't know about). No way to avoid it for me.

Burn Out

2009-12-03T18:52:00.003-05:00

Stress. We all get stressed at some point or other. There's the good type of stress (preparing for a wedding, getting ready for guests) and the bad type (studying for a test, trying to finish a project/paper last minute). Either way, can lead to burn out. And boy, am I getting burnt out. Unfortunately from the bad kind of stress as opposed to the good kind. The good thing though is I'll be getting a month-long break from that after next Tuesday. Going up to NY for a week and a half, going to work, and in general relaxing. Then, once I'm recharged - back to school. A new semester, a new start, a new stress.

New York and Florida

2009-11-20T15:25:00.003-05:00

OK, I know I've done posts on the differences between NY and South Florida. But that was more differences of the people that live in those places. This post is on the differences between the places themselves...and how very very very different they are.

Note: This is between NY (the city) and South Florida and not the states as a whole.

NY: Lots and lots of tall buildings.

SF: Buildings taller than 4-5 stories are unusual. Unless you're talking about downtown, which usually reminds me of NY in any case.

NY: Lots of leafy trees, and in the fall, the leaves actually fall...
SF: Palm trees, all different types, very few decidous trees.

NY: Lots of buildings made of brick witht he brick exposed.
SF: Buildings made of concrete, to keep the buildings cool.

NY: Public Transportation!!! (subways, trains, buses)
SF: None worth speaking of. Hard to get around without a car. See previous post about distances...

At Work...

2009-11-16T16:21:00.003-05:00

"Hey, I have the right to remain silent, you hear me? Anything I say can and will be held against me in a court of law, pal. I have the right to an attorney, and if I cannot afford one, one must pe provided for me." - One of the boys, talking through the door.
"What are you doing?" - another boy passing by.
"Oh...hi! That was my twin brother...we were cloned."
"Riiiight." Other boy leaves.

Me - in the office trying not to crack up.

Half-Birthdays

2009-11-12T23:12:00.002-05:00

Who celebrates half-birthdays? No one I know does, certainly. Today is my half-birthday, and though I don't do anything to celebrate it (or even typically mention it) and it made me think. I am now halfway through my 22nd year on this earth. 22 and a 1/2 years, and looking back at everything Ive been through, everything I've done. Perhaps a better time to typically reflect on this kind of thing is on my actual birthday, but let's face it, who has time then? (Between the cake and the presents...) So I thought back on all of that, for all of about 5 minutes...then went back to thinking about other things...like trying to figure out where those files had gone...

Jewish Geography and Working in a Jewish School

2009-11-10T20:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I forgot to pack a lunch, so I went to a CVS that's right across the street from my campus to grab a snack. When I went to get online I noticed a girl who had just paid. She wore a long sleeved, collared button down shirt, and a long khaki skirt. She saw me at the same time, smiled widely and waved me over. "Hey! Where're you from?" We introduced ourselves, and played a little Jewish Geography.
"There are so few of us that every time I see another frum Jew, it's like "Hey Frummy! Let's talk!"
We chatted for a few more minutes, then both went our seperate ways. It's nice to reach out and connect. Even just for a few minutes.

I Call Your B.S.!!!!

2009-11-04T21:29:00.003-05:00

This week in the Darwin class, I'll admit I mostly zoned out the discussion in class. One part which did draw my attention however was a discussion of respect of other people and other people's beliefs. One guy in the class argued that he shouldn't have to respect other people or their beliefs, specifically religious beliefs. He then sent out a letter after class to the entire class giving all his reasons. I figure I'll post this controversial letter, and let everyone comment on it. I think that it's obvious to all what I think...
Alright, here is the letter, in it's entirety. Names are left out to protect the....well, I'll let you fill in the blank.

It was suggested to me in class this week that I ought to respect thebeliefs of others, or, if not respect their beliefs, than respect them.This claim was made particularly with respect to religious beliefs. Iwould like to explain why I hold the position I do: namely, that notonly do I not respect the beliefs of religious people, but in manyinstances, I also do not respect those persons.
First I'd like to point out the irony and hypocrisy of people who giveme a hard time for my view - they aren't very respectful of it! If youhold to the principle that people and beliefs ought to be respected,then you are actually committed to respecting the view that otherpeople's views and those people themselves ought not to be respected -thus, if you do not respect me and my beliefs, then you arecontradicting the very position you object to my not holding. Universalrespect actually obligates you to respect disrespect - which is why itis a self-defeating and ultimately absurd principle. It is the verysame people who advocate "respecting" literally everyone who alsoinsist on "tolerating" everything - even abject tolerance. Suchpositions are absurd, self-defeating extremes born of ill-thought andunreflective ideality, not reasoned consideration.
Anyway, I will state this with particular regard to religiousauthorities, for whom I hold no respect whatsoever. This is why. One oftwo things is likely to be the case with a religious figure. In thefirst place, I would maintain that religious figures, because they aredealing with unverifiable information, are no more competent a judge ofreligious “truths” than anyone else, and, lacking any genuine insightinto anything within the confines of theology, they are no morequalified than a layperson to be an authority on moral matters,scientific matters, or any other matters. This being the case, suchpersons are, with respect to the claims that they make, incompetent.Insofar as they are incapable of understanding, or object to scientificconflict with their views, they are also incompetent, and representingthemselves as authorities when in fact they are not is irresponsible.
Second, they may recognize this fact, or understand full wellobjections to their religious beliefs, and yet reject them anyway. Ifthis is so, then such persons are not only exhibiting willfulignorance, they are propagating this ignorance by preaching what theyought to know to be false or at least dubious to others, which, again,is irresponsible, and, I might add, morally reprehensible.
In neither case do such persons deserve respect. In reality, there isno such thing as a religious “authority”, not in the Pope, not in arabbi, nor a priest, nor an imam. There are no authorities on God anymore than there are authorities on faeries or unicorns. Just as none ofus ought to respect silly and ignorant beliefs, neither should werespect those who actively defend and promote silly and ignorantbeliefs – we should not respect them either because, A) they areincompetent, in which case my “disrespectful” charge of their beingstupid is vindicated, or, B) they are competent, in which case theyought to know better and are doing a positive moral wrong bypropagating ignorance. No one would call a psychotic cannibal whohonestly believed he was doing good by eating others a “good” person,simply because his motivations were good; why, then, should we call apreacher good if his motives are good, if his actions are, in fact,harmful to humanity? And, I submit, preaching religion is preachingignorance, and this is harmful to humanity. And, as it happens, moreharmful than cannibalism.
I will add as an aside that the Judeo-Christian religions not onlypropagate ignorance, they propagate hate, discrimination, and a host ofevils and harms: Christian apologists standardly oppose gay rights,women’s equality, and the moral standing of atheists. They oppose manythings that may very well be good for society, at least in someinstances: abortion, science education, stem cell research, euthanasia,sexual liberties of various forms, and birth control.
The Catholic Church actively campaigns to spread lies andmisinformation to the poor folks in Africa, claiming that condoms areevil and don’t work. This has led to untold human misery by increasingthe transmission of AIDS and continues overpopulation, and, ultimately,starvation of children. And this is the largest church on earth – withsuch vile ideas promoted all the way up its hierarchy to its leader,who was complicit in protecting child rapists and the hypocrisy andextortion of their clergymen. If complicity in the molesting ofchildren isn’t something someone ought to lose respect for, then whatis? And given that the present pope, previous pope, and very likely allor many of the present cardinals were aware of their church’sactivities, then I submit that not only are such persons not deservingof respect, but we have a moral obligation to publicly and vociferouslydisrespect and scorn such persons, and the hypocritical, bigoted idealswhich they purport to represent. And that's not even going into thehistory of an institution that committed itself to purging the world of"heathens", made an art of torturing innocents, and aggressivelysilenced truth-seeking scientists and philosophers.
Now, there are some billion or so Catholics in the world, who activelydonate to a misogynistic, homophobic hierarchy of greedy old menactively complicit in covering up and protecting child rapists amongtheir own ranks, many of whom themselves are child rapists. I impugnanyone who tells me I ought to “respect” persons who hold religiousbeliefs: such persons are, if not actively, then passively complicit inthe propagation of ignorance, and ignorance is the principle enemy ofprogress.
If anyone wishes to engage in a dialog about the matter of respect, I'dbe happy to. I am able and willing to put forth a reasoned and robustdefense of why I not only don't respect other people or their beliefsautomatically, but why I feel we have a moral obligation to go aboveand beyond this, and actually oppose and ridicule such persons (whenthey hold bad beliefs). If you object to this, it is not enough merelyto say that I "ought to" respect others - you must articulatelegitimate reasons why. Anything less is intellectual apathy and merelytrumpeting social norms you have no justification for believing.

Prompt #14

2009-11-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

I know, I haven't put up any prompts in a while. Mainly because I haven't done any in a while. But I did one a bit recently and since I can think of nothing better to post, I thought I'd put this up for your enjoyment. Feel free to comment!

I was on the plane, on my flight back from Houston where I had been spending the past few days fighting off a horde of savages, otherwise known as a family re-union. I was looking forward to getting back to the peace and quiet of my apartment in New York, when I started to overhear the conversation of the couple sitting in front of me. Having nothing better to do, aside from read the book I brought, which currently held no appeal, I idly listened in.
“What do you mean, you don’t think you can do this anymore?” the man’s voice was low, his tone was slightly threatening. “It’s getting too much, I think my husband might begin to notice.” The woman lightly sobbed. “So what? You don’t care, or you said you didn’t a month ago, why don’t you leave him?” She started to cry harder. “Because….because I think I might be pregnant with his child!”
I gasped, but not so loudly that they could hear me. While I was no stranger to the horrors of the world, this was the first time I had had such a drama played out in front of me. I leaned forward and held my breath. My morbid sense of curiosity aroused.
“What do you mean? How could that be? You said you hadn’t…” his voice trailed off. “Oh. Never mind, I see it now.” His voice had turned angry and bitter. The woman sobbed harder, and seemed to turn away from him. Her shoulders shook, and she covered her face, as if seeking an escape. The man instantly turned remorseful. “Hey, babe, don’t worry, we can work this out…”
I leaned back, my curiosity for the moment satisfied. I didn’t really want to get involved. This was not my problem, not my affair. And yet…something about it resonated with me. Something about the situation this (seemingly) young couple brought back to me memories…memories of what my mother had told me years ago. How she had had an affair, but dropped it, when she realized she was pregnant with me.

I want cooler weather!!!!!

2009-11-01T12:55:00.002-05:00

It's November 1st, and guess what? It's STILL in the 80's here. High 80's at that. OK, I'm sure that all the northeners that read my blog are going "Why are you complaining?! I wanna be down there!" OK, yes, I'm grateful that it's not like 40 degrees here, but it's starting to feel like an endless summer. I want a break! I want for the temp to go down to 75 for at least a few days, is that too much to ask? It would appear so.

Conversations with my dad

2009-10-28T12:07:00.000-04:00

Me: "Why are they so fond of big words?! Why not use simple words like 'front' and 'back'?"
Dad: "You're going into a scientific field, what did you expect?"
Later
Dad: "At least you'll know all these big words and when people talk to you they'll say 'You're so smart!'....while staring at your dragon necklace"
Me: "But that's the fun part, people are so easy to confuse!"
Dad: "You like confusing people...?"
Me: "Of course! That's why psychology is so much fun!"
Dad rolls his eyes and walks away shaking his head.

Reasons I Love the 21st Century

2009-10-27T23:28:00.002-04:00

1. Air Conditioning - can't imagine living in Florida without it...
2. Telephone - much as I dislike using it most of the time, it's a fantastic invention...and under telephone falls cellphone with all it's wonderful gadgets.
3. GPS - never get lost, or if you do, you have a convenient thing to blame it on. Men get thier toys, and get away with never asking for directions!
4. Computers - and all the lovely stuff you can do on it. Wordprocessing, games, pictures, the list goes on...
5. Internet - the world wide web...do I need to elaborate more? Information at my fingertips.
6. Electricity - without which none of the above would be possible.
7. Ipods/MP3 players - now you can have your own soundtrack through life
8. Planes - can go around the world in WAY less than 80 days
9. Digital Cameras - makes even an amateurs pictures look good!
10. And the myriad other things that make our lives so much easier...too many to list!

I won't grow up!

2009-10-25T23:15:00.002-04:00

I saw this comic on XKCD, and it really struck a chord. When exactly did I grow up? When did I become an adult and (supposedly) capable of making my own decisons? At what point does one turn from a "kid" to an "adult"? And do we ever really grow up?

Classes

2009-10-19T19:42:00.003-04:00

I don't think I really did a post on when this semester started, which is what I usually do. Cover what classes I'll be taking, which I think I'll love, which I think I won't be so fond of. Alright, the semester is already half over, but why not do that post now? I'm taking five classes, all of which are psychology related classes. This should, technically, make me very happy, right?
Wrong.
My first class is Biological Basis of Behavior, and everytime I go to this class I am reminded why I tended to skip anatomy in High School, and why I will never ever follow in my father's footsteps. It falls under WAAAAY too much information, and is (in my opinion anyways) too fond of big words for its own good.
My next class is Fractals in Psychology. The title is a bit misleading...what it boils down to is trying to convince a bunch of psych majors that "math is fun! and pretty!" At this point, I'm convinced that mathematicians are more than a bit crazy. Considering my college algebra teacher had a tendency to refer to problems as being "adorable" and "cute", and this teacher says "look at how pretty it turns out!" would you really argue with me? On the other hand, at least he tries to make it entertaining. Such as creating a hypercube ( a 4-D cube) from whatever you can find lying around at your house.
Class after that is the one I like the most. Social Psych, which has always fascinated me, as well as making the most sense to me. While I'm not into researching myself, the research that comes from this area of psych is pretty interesting stuff, all about how relate in our social settings, and how our cultures and environment effect us more than we think.
Second to last class, is probably my least favorite, if not actually tied with my last class. Billed as "Evolution and Animal Behavior" I was sold on it by the "animal behavior" bit. O'course, when I went to the class I was in for a bit of a surprise....we were gonna be learning Darwin...doing almost as close as we could be to meeting the man, we would be reading his biography, autobiography, and his most well-known work, "On the Origin of Species". Which currently, I have to read a chapter a week of and then come up with questions on it. And he is NOT an easy read, despite what my teacher seems to think. Plus I happen to completely disagree with one main part of his theory and have to sit through a 3 hour long class of people who agree with it...It's my once a week torture session.
The last class, which I hate almost as much as Darwin, is my Research Methods class. Now, I'm not going into the research side of psychology, however, the college I'm currently at only has a research psych graduate program, so that's what a lot of their classes focus on. So, like it or not, I have to write a research paper. Fortunately not expected to conduct a whole experiment myself, but I think I may have to do that before I can my B.A. And I'm a wee bit behind on it.
Well, that's it. All five classes. Thank goodness the semester is halfway over. Just need to survive the rest of it.

Right Name...Wrong Person

2009-10-08T20:21:00.002-04:00

I was out walking Mariner tonight and a van pulls up next to me, a Jewish man is driving it, and he has two little boys inside his car.
"Excuse me, are you Mak?"
"Yeah..." I'm a little puzzled, since I've never seen this guy before.
"Oh, I'm CB, I've been getting your invitations all summer."
"OHHHHH"
See, my step-father has the exact same name as this guy. And to make matters worse, this guy also lives RIGHT around the corner from us. So apparently when people were calling to find my address, they gave my step-father's name. I had honestly been wondering why I hadn;t gotten some of those invitations (and I went to the weddings anyway) but I guess that would explain it.
So, now when I'm missing an invite, I know where to look...either at this guy's house...or my next door neighbor.

A Walk-y

2009-10-01T17:09:00.000-04:00

"Hey Mariner, wanna go for a walk-y?"
Mariner pauses in his barking and starts bouncing around. I grab his leash and harness.
"Sit!" I snap my fingers at him, trying to get his attention. He lies down.
"That's not sitting...but ok."
*baaaarp* he burps.
I laugh, put on his harness and take him outside. He does his business, then decides to get playful and grabs his leash in his mouth. After a brief tug-of-war, I manage to get him back inside, where I take off his harness and leash, (so he doesn't eat through his 5th harness, how he manages to do that, WHILE he's wearing it, I have no idea, but it's getting ridiculous). He goes back to barking at something in the backyard.

What if people treated cars like computers?

2009-10-01T12:46:00.001-04:00

General Motors doesn't have a help line for people who don't know how to drive, because people don't treat cars like they do computers. But, imagine if they did....

Help Line: "General Motors Help Line, how can I help you?"
Customer: "I got in my car and closed the door and nothing happened!"
HelpLine: "Did you put the key in the ignition slot and turn it?"
Customer: "What's an ignition?"
HelpLine: "It's a starter motor that draws current from your battery and turns over the engine."
Customer: "Ignition? Motor? Battery? Engine? How come I have to know all these technical terms just to use my car?"

HelpLine: "General Motors HelpLine, how can I help you?"
Customer: "My car ran fine for a week and now it won't go anywhere!"
HelpLine: "Is the gas tank empty?"
Customer: "Huh? How do I know?"
HelpLine: "There's a little gauge on the front panel with a needle and markings from 'E' to 'F'. Where is the needle pointing?"
Customer: "It's pointing to 'E'. What does that mean?"
HelpLine: "It means you have to visit a gasoline vendor and purchase some more gasoline. You can install it yourself or paythe vendor to install it for you."
Customer: "What? I paid $12,000 for this car! Now you tell me that I have to keep buying more components? I want a car that comes with everything built in!"

HelpLine: "General Motors HelpLine, how can I help you?"
Customer: "Your cars suck!"
HelpLine: "What's wrong?"
Customer: "It crashed, that's what wrong!"
HelpLine: "What were you doing?"
Customer: "I wanted it to run faster, so I pushed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. It worked for a while and then it crashed and it won't start now!"
HelpLine: "It's your responsibility if you misuse the product. What do you expect us to do about it?"
Customer: "I want you to send me the latest version that doesn't crash any more!"

HelpLine: "General Motors HelpLine, how can I help you?"
Customer: "Hi, I just bought my first car, and I chose your car because it has automatic transmission, cruise control, power steering, power brakes, and power door locks."
HelpLine: "Thanks for buying our car. How can I help you?"
Customer: "How do I work it?"
HelpLine: "Do you know how to drive?"
Customer: "Do I know how to what?"
HelpLine: "Do you know how to drive?"
Customer: "I'm not a technical person. I just want to go places in my car!"

Mariner's 1st Birthday!

2009-09-25T17:48:00.003-04:00

Mariner turns one today! Here's a pic of when we first got him, and one from today. Wow, has he grown....

Time and Travel: Florida vs. NY

2009-09-24T23:29:00.002-04:00

Ask a Floridian how far a place is; and they will tell you not in miles, but in time. Not, it's 30 miles away, but it's 30 minutes away. Ask a New Yorker how far something is, and they will tell you in terms of blocks, "oh, it's only 15 blocks away". Time also is different for New Yorkers (or Nor'Easterner's in general) and Floridians. I have a 1/2 hr commute (30 miles) every day to one of my campuses, and when I tell people this, the reaction I get is: "that's so far! I couldn't do that!" But in NY, people will commute an hour and a half both ways every day. In Florida, everything is "15 to 20 minutes away." Anything above 20 is "far", but not much is very below 20.
But hey, even though my commute is considered far, at least I don't have my brother's! His commute is about 4 hrs, each way, 2x a week. So, 1/2, an hour at most, is not such a high price to pay. Still wouldn't do a NY commute though.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

2009-09-22T23:18:00.002-04:00

The Internet as Random Acts of Kindness
A fascinating way to view the internet, thought I'd share with you guys. It's a bit long, but well worth it.

L'Shana Tova

2009-09-18T16:28:00.001-04:00

Have a healthy, happy and sweet New Year! May we all be inscribed in the book of life, and let this year be the year Mashiach comes.
Chasima V'Chasima Tova!

Superpower Meme

2009-09-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

Child Ish tagged me with Mike in Midwood's Superpower Meme, and since I didn't really have any other ideas of something to post, I figured why not? However, I am feeling slightly limited by having to choose just one power, after all, there are so many cool ones to choose from. (I had been going to type "they're all so cool..but I can think of plenty that would be very uncool, and useless.)
Ok, hmmm, which to choose? Mind-reading has always been one of my personal favorites, just because it would help me to finally understand people. On the other hand, I've read too much stuff to think that that would really help me. So, not mind-reading.
Oooh, talking to animals, another favorite! (For obvious reasons) I'd finally get what my pets are trying to tell me. THough, let's be honest, while animals are wonderful companions, I'm not sure they'd make such great conversationalists...no Dr. Dolittle-ing for me then.
Teleportation? Telekenisis? Telepathy? Teleportation would be cool, but I get the feeling I'd take it for granted after a while. Telekinesis would be cool, though it depends on how much effort it took (I'll admit, I'm lazy in the superpower department) Telepathy kinda falls under mind-reading, and is only really useful if there's someone else who has that power too.
Allright, I've got it. Shape-shifting, with no limitations. If I can imagine it, I can shift to it. How cool would that be? Gives me the ability to fly (another one I'd love), "talk to animals", and hey, I could even shift to dragon! (Yes, I added that in, come on, you guys didn't expect anything different, did you?)

Alright, I'm not gonna tag anyone, mainly because I'm feeling too lazy to try to link it. Anyone who wants to do the Meme (and I'd say go for it, it's fun, and gives you a post when you can't think of one) can do this.

The Newest Dog Breeds

2009-09-13T12:59:00.001-04:00

NEW DOG BREEDS!

Collie + Lhasa Apso
Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport

Spitz + Chow Chow
Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot

Pointer + Setter
Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund
Pyradachs, a puzzling breed

Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso
Peekasso, an abstract dog

Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel
Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever
Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists

Newfoundland + Basset Hound
Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors

Terrier + Bulldog
Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes

Bloodhound + Labrador
Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer
Moot Point, owned by.... oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway

Deerhound + Terrier
Derriere, a dog that's true to the end

Bull Terrier + ShihTzu
Oh, never mind....

9/11/2001

2009-09-11T18:10:00.002-04:00

An infamous day in American History. Anyone old enough could tell you were they were when they heard the news. Possibly even what they had eaten that morning, to what they were wearing. 4 planes hijacked by 19 muslim terrorists. Two planes went into the Twin Towers, one went into the Pentagon, the fourth crashing in a field. Many people lost thier lives that day. Many people lost loved ones. And yet, even in such tragedy, there were many little miracles. That the planes didn't crash just a little later in the day, that people were delayed coming into work, that someone missed thier flight. Perhaps that day they had been slated to die, and yet were spared. For some, they don't want to remember that day at all, for it meant a change in our world. But, if we want to continue on, as a nation, as a people...we must remember it, and all it stands for. There are those who would see us dead for what we are and what we stand for. We might not want to remember, but we must never forget.

Uploaded Pics from My Camera

2009-09-10T19:21:00.003-04:00

Decided to upload some pictured from my camera last night, and found some pictures of the pets (mainly Mittens and Mariner) Oh, and there's a picture of Sammy, my father's dog. Enjoy!

Root Canals and Laughing Gas

2009-09-08T11:51:00.003-04:00

Today I had my root canal...or to be more accurate, part one of my root canal. I need to go back next week to finish it. As I type this, my mouth is still numb from the novacaine, though the laughing gas has probably left my system by now. Since i was given laughing gas however during the whole procedure I think my behavior was a little bit....off. I felt like I do when I'm hyper and giddy. Which basically meant I babbled a LOT. And when I couldn't (since they had my mouth held open) I started "singing" along with the music from the ipod I borrowed from CJ. Disney songs. The nurse started laughing at that. I also made weird faces when the novacaine started to kick in (I was already on the laughing gas for a few minutes before that). Overall wasn't so bad....though I really dislike being numb. And it's over. Till next Monday at least.
Add: Ok, once the novacaine wore off, not so fun. I felt like I'd cut my own my head off if I thought it would stop the pain. Instead I took advil and went to bed.

What to post about?

2009-09-03T19:25:00.002-04:00

Let's face it, I don't get a whole lot of comments on here. Not that I'm compaining (ok, maybe just the tiniest bit...) But if I really wanted more comments, it would probably require me making this blog as something other than what it currently is. What would get me more comments? Posting on shidduchim, (which is a topic that has been just about bludgeoned to death by almost everyone) on politics (I'm a right wing conservative, but I refuse to get pulled into useless battles) or other contoversial topics. Now me, I'm not controversial. I like nice, easy simple...I LIVE with controversial people, they thrive on it. When you live with that 24/7, you occasionally need a break, right? Right. So I guess I'll stick with my blog as is, my online journal. A place to vent, share my observations...and generally let the whole world (or those who care at any rate) how my life goes. I'm just one blogger among many. I guess I should be happy I get any readers period. Thanks guys!
Edit: Getting my first root canal on Tuesday, wish me luck!

Pack or Herd?

2009-08-28T10:24:00.001-04:00

Walking along the Breezeway, on my way back to my car after class, I looked around me and watched the way people walked. I saw a loose group of guys and girls walking easily and loosely. Then, around the corner I saw a group of guys walking, close together, very loud. The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw them was "Pack - predators". After that, I realized there were two ways people tend to group together, as a pack, like the predators they are, or as a herd...easily led, and easily swayed.
So how about you? The next time you're out and walking, you might want to watch...pack? Or herd?

My Trip to the Dentist

2009-08-26T23:46:00.002-04:00

Today I went to the dentist to get a cavity filled in, this was my first time at this dentist, and I didn't know what to expect. Apparently I didn;t only have a cavity, but I had several and what I had thought just needed to be filled in needed a root canal. Actually, I don't just need one root canal, but 3!!! The best part? The total that they gave me was $11,915. Lotta money...so I handed the problem to my mom and in the meantime, my teeth hurt!!

So CUUUUUTE!!!!!!

2009-08-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

Tiger Quadruplets @ Yahoo! Video

Here's a thought...

2009-08-20T14:01:00.001-04:00

My favorite song...Live Like You Were Dyin' by Tim McGraw. So here's my question....what would you do?

Broward cops are wusses, but don't #%&* with Miami Cops

2009-08-19T17:50:00.003-04:00

First I must begin this post by explaining the difference between the 3 different counties that make up South Florida (Technically 4 counties, but Monroe doesn't always count.) Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dade. Palm Beach cops neither astound with unbelievable stupidity or incredible bravery, and thus have not made it on to my radar. The Broward and Miami-Dade Cops however, are what we are going to discuss today.
A few years ago, a Broward cop was shot and killed. The police response? They put out a reward of $200,000 for any information regarding the possible suspect, last seen driving away in a white car. They still have not found the cop killer.
Several weeks after the incident with the Broward cop killer, a Miami cop was accidentally shot. BIG difference. The police were all over it, they shook down the community, practically shut down the neighborhood were the shooting took place, and by the end of the day, the cop killer was dead in a shoot out.
The lesson? Don't mess with Miami cops, but Broward cops have their hands tied by bureaucracy (stupidity).

Money

2009-08-19T15:16:00.001-04:00

It can buy a House

But not a Home

It can buy a Bed

But not Sleep

It can buy a Clock

But not Time

It can buy you a Book

But not Knowledge

It can buy you a Position

But not Respect

It can buy you Medicine

But not Health

It can buy you Blood

But not Life

So you see money isn't everything.

And it often causes pain and suffering.

I tell you this because I am your Friend,and as your Friend I want to take away your pain and suffering! So send me all your money and I will suffer for you!

Cash only please

High Speed Chase? Not So Much....

2009-08-17T17:09:00.002-04:00

I recall a few years ago, there was a car-jacking, that had cops after it for several hours. Sounds cool, no? Only one problem with this scenario. The car that was hijacked was a little mailtruck...that at it's fastes only goes about 30 mph. So the "high-speed chase" that lasted three hours, was more like a snail chase. Funnily enough, they were reporting it on the radio like it was the biggest thing ever. (Never mind that SoFl, especically Miami, has much more "exciting" things happening than that) I remember feeling very bad for the woman who was stuck in the mailtruck with the hi-jacker, and being relieved when he was caught. But you've got to wonder...what on earth possesed him to hi-jack possibly one of the slowest moving vehicles you can get around here?

Savannah, Georgia

2009-08-08T21:36:00.002-04:00

The Historic district: One of the largest historic districts in the U.S., and CJ and I walked all over it yesterday. We also drove all over it on a trolley tour, which was pretty cool. After the trolley tour, we had lunch and went on a walking tour. We got our own private guide (probably because it was 2 in the afternoon, and it was HOT) we walked pretty much everywhere, and after the tour, we learned to orient ourselves by the squares that were equally spaced througought the historic district. We went through an old mansion, and the carriage house. It was amazing, but sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the indoors. Then we went shopping (of course) while waiting to go to the ghost tour. The ghost tour wasn't as scary as CJ had hoped, but we agreed later, it was still pretty good. All in all a good time, and definetely something I would recommend to anyone in the area, especially history buffs.

Hilton Head, Here I come!

2009-08-06T23:31:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Hilton Head at 7 am, and driving up with CJ. It's an 8 hour trip, so should get there in plenty of time for shabbos. Currently packing, and worrying I'm gonna forget something. But, no worries, I'll be taking lots of pictures, and posting them. Yay for road trips!

Pitfalls of Pets

2009-08-05T17:44:00.003-04:00

Cats and dogs are hunters. You forget this at your own peril. Especially if one of your animals is an outdoor/ indoor pet. Heck, even just an indoor pet can do plenty of hunting with the bugs that enter the house. We are constantly finding "gifts" left by Boots by our sliding glass door out on the patio. A dead bird, usually dead lizards....with their guts ripped out. One time we had a half grown tadpole get in the house (how? I have NO idea) and Mittens killed it, and then it looked like Mariner was gonna try to eat it. I threw it out. Just now, I found a still twitching lizard's tail that had caught Mariner's and Mitten's interest. I just REALLY hope neither of them tries to eat it. Otherwise they'll throw it up, and guess who cleans it up? Much as I love my animals, this is the one thing I dislike. On the other hand, they eat the bugs too, so that's good, as well as amusing to watch.
Add: I found the rest of the lizard...

The Foundation of a Relationship

2009-08-04T00:57:00.003-04:00

Honesty. Trust. Respect. These are the three main basics of any kind of relationship. Whether it be a friendship, a marriage, between co-workers, an employer and employees, I think you get the idea. Lacking one of these key ingredients, the relationship will inevitably fall apart. I'm confronted with an accusation? I react defensively perhaps, but underlying is my honesty.That leads to trust, does the other party trust my honesty? Which both lead to respect. There is NO relationship without mutual respect from both parties to the other. Lack of respect means the relationship will inevitably fall apart, because one party views the other as inferior, and not worthy. Keep in mind, when interacting with another party in a relationship, do you have these? Or is one missing? Look inside, face the truth, and decide whether it's worth fixing.
Edit: Written at almost 4 am, I'm not sure how much sense this makes, I'll fix it up when I can make sense of it.

Tagged!

2009-08-02T17:11:00.004-04:00

Moshe and frum single female tagged me for a meme of 7 things you love.

Ok, most of this everyone who reads my blog probably already knows, but whatever. Here goes, in no specific order:

1. Animals! Or at least the cute furry ones. (This includes my pets)

2. Dragons! Actually most mythical creatures, but my love of dragons is probably the most obvious.

3. My family - despite the fact that they tend to drive me up the wall at times.

4. Reading - fantasy mainly, though I've read almost every other genre. Except for horror, that I refuse to read.

5. Feeling the changing of seasons (one thing that I miss by living in Florida)

6. Sitting and talking with good friends - who know me inside and out the same as I do them.

7. Meeting new people and learning new things!

Who to tag?

Jacob Da Jew, Mike in Midwood, SuperRaizy, Material Maidel, Child Ish, Frum College Girl

Treasure Hunter Part Deux

2009-07-27T12:52:00.001-04:00

After being long awaited, here's more of Rhea, you're favorite treasure hunter. And some new characters!

Finally having a break to breathe, she took a look at the artifact she had been sent for. It was a curious object, all rounded edges and curved lines. She discovered that looking too closely at it gave her a headache and made her feel nauseous and dizzy. She put it away. Let her employer deal with it. That was his arena, not hers. She looked around, seeing the choppy waters glinting in the moonlight, noting the lights off the starboard of her boat, indicating a seaside city. Rhea looked around, searching for the bobbing lights she knew were out there. She scanned the horizon, narrowing her eyes against the sea spray.
There, slightly obscured behind a seaside cliff, she saw the tell-tale red and blue lights of her employer’s boat, dipping on the wavelets of the sea. Turning the boat, she headed toward them, grateful that she was drawing close to the end of her job, and that she would finally get paid. This was of course no more dangerous than jobs she had accepted in the past, but it was far more dangerous then she had originally been informed, that would cost her employer dearly. Of course, he could more than afford it. After all, he was one of the wealthiest men on the planet.
This was what made his hiring Rhea, one of the most well known thieves (though she preferred the term “treasure hunter”) on the planet, all the more odd. If he was so wealthy, couldn’t he merely have purchased the item, instead of stealing it? Though all of those precautions set in place for such a little thing…she glanced at it again, out of the corner of her eye. When she looked at it this way, it almost seemed pretty. She shook her head, and focused on her goal.
She pulled up alongside the boat, more of a yacht than a mere “boat”. “Ahoy the ship!” she called out, not raising her voice overly much. Voices carried well over water, why borrow trouble by alerting anyone else in the vicinity? “Rhea? Is that you?” A tousled blonde head peered over the rail. The head belonged to a 17 year old boy, her nephew actually, who was also related (in some distant fashion she didn’t entirely fathom) to her employer. “No, it’s Donald Duck. Of course it’s me, now let down the ladder!” she half scolded, smiling. It was hard to be serious and grim around the infectious joy that Aeries inspired. The fact that her adrenaline was still spiked from near death experiences lent some giddiness to her as well.
There was a clatter, and a rope ladder was tossed over the side of the yacht. Tucking the strange artifact inside a satchel, not quite looking straight at it, she tucked the satchel close to her body and shimmied up the ladder. “I’m so glad you’re back!” he cried, still keeping his voice down. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tight for a moment. Then, remembering himself, he coughed and drew back, his face a brilliant scarlet, just barely visible in the moonlight. “I mean, um, I’m glad you’re safe.” He muttered. She grinned, safe in the knowledge that her face was still hidden in the shadow, but kept the laughter out of her voice. “It’s good to know someone was keeping a lookout for me. Oh, and you better not let Mr. Thomas see you covered in all that ash, he might think you disobeyed his orders and came with me like you wanted.” Aries looked down, dismayed. In his enthusiasm, he had hugged his aunt before checking the state of her clothing, and a great deal of the ash and dirt that covered her from head to toe had transferred to him. Then he looked at her, and took in the grey ash, turning her already grey camouflage even darker. Her light-brown hair was grey and brown with ash and dirt, her face was streaked with it.
Her light green eyes danced with amusement at the dismay in her nephew’s face. “Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. Just go wash off, and get changed. I’ll meet with you and Mr. Thomas in fifteen minutes in the briefing cabin.” She strolled off, looking as calm and collected as ever. She always looked calm and collected, even when she was panicking inside. That was one of the things Aries admired most about her. That, and who wouldn’t admire someone who went off into danger, on grand adventures at the drop of a hat? So it was dangerous, as he had been lectured many times before, but like any teenager, he thought he was immortal.
Aries cleaned up as thoroughly as he cared to, and threw on a new t-shirt and cargo pants. He just hoped Mr. Thomas wouldn’t do a very close inspection. Sticking his hands into his pockets, he wandered over to the briefing cabin, though he knew he’d be the first one there. HE didn’t mind though, there was always something good to eat waiting for him in the room, no matter what time of day or night. Pushing open the door, he sniffed the air appreciatively it was his favorite, fried mangoes. Settling down in one of the big plush chairs around the table in the center of the room, he grabbed one of the sticky treats from a platter on the table. Just as he was about to take a bite, Mr. Thomas, walked into the room and Aries started guiltily.
Mr. Thomas was not a tall or imposing man. In fact, he was rather short and round, with a neatly trimmed red goatee, and his red hairline rapidly receding from his forehead. Despite the fact that he typically had the aura of a favorite uncle, he could be incredibly intimidating when he chose. Fortunately, now was not one of those times that he chose to. He smiled indulgently at Aries, and made a sweeping gesture. “Help yourself. I had it specially made for you and Rhea-“
“Did I hear my name uttered in vain?” Rhea asked, sweeping in, looking a bit more presentable then when she had been pulled over the side of the yacht. Her hair was up in a bun, her face was clear of ash, and she wore a clean t-shirt and jeans. “Oooh, fried mangoes, my favorite!! See, this is why I love working for you Mr. Thomas, the effort is well worth the reward.”

Path Taken

2009-07-26T18:06:00.003-04:00

I close my eyes.
I stand at a crossroads, which road to choose?
So many to choose from, but where do they go?
To decide one path is to rid myself of any other choice.
But what if it's wrong? I can't go back.
I look down one path, I squint down another, trying to figure out which is best.
As I stand there undecided, one path disappears.
Wait! But...what if I had chosen that path?
It's too late. I can't take the time any longer.
I choose my path.
I open my eyes.

Another E-mail My mother sent me

2009-07-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

ENOUGH:
Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I love you, and I pray you enough.’
The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough, too, Mom.'
They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'
Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'
'Well...I'm not as young as I once was, she lives so far away & has her own busy life. I have some challenges ahead, and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.
'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I pray you enough.' May I ask what that means?'
She began to smile. 'That's a prayer that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I pray you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'
Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I pray you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more
I pray you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I pray you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I pray you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I pray you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
Then, she began to cry, and walked away.
They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.
TAKE TIME TO LIVE......
To all my friends and loved ones,
I PRAY YOU ENOUGH....

2009-07-21T09:26:00.003-04:00

She sat alone in the dark room, motionless, as the tears dripped down her cheeks and off her chin. She occasionally sniffled, staring off into the shadowed corners of the room. She wondered why she was crying, why she felt so miserable. She recalled that earlier that evening she had beeen her carefree, easy, cheerful self - in the space of a few short minutes, all of that changed. She now sat alone, as miserable as could be, wishing she had the courage to stand up and face what she had to. But she couldn't, she just stared into the dark with large tear-filled eyes, not yet willing to put aside her fear and tears. Finally, she uncurled from her position, and went in search of paper. After tearing out a sheet of paper from an old school notebook, she wrote down the events that had taken place a half hour ago. Perhaps that would ease her pain and she could get on without the burden - perhaps it would help her to understand why she cried. In the course of writing, her tears dried up and her nose unclogged. The mere act of getting the words down on paper had a soothing effect. No longer were they inside, unspoken. They were now on a page, visible to anyone who cared to look. Even if locked away, they were free. She looked up, wiped the last tears from her eyes, and decided to go out the door. She would not let anything hold her back any longer.

Mariner Goes Swimming

2009-07-19T22:42:00.003-04:00

My mother and brother took Mariner to the dog beach today. He liked the beach and the dogs, but he was too scared to go in the water. So when they got home, they decided to take him into our pool. I just got home from biking when they decided to do this and I took some pictures. He wasn't too thrilled about being in the pool, but he looked VERY cute.

Driving, Directions and Getting Lost

2009-07-15T17:27:00.002-04:00

Typically, when I'm driving I have a fairly good sense of direction, especially if I've gone to my destination at least once before. If I've gone once, I can find my way back ther with a minimum amount of mishap. If I've never been there before, I rely on Mapquest or my brother. (We had a GPS, it broke, haven't gotten around to replacing it yet.) In any case, it's all fine when I'm the one drving. However, stick me in the passenger seat, and then ask me for directions, even to a place I know WELL, and I will manage to get us lost. CJ has finally learned this after many many repeats. She's learned to question whether I'm absolutely certain...I'll say yes, and then around 3 seconds later I say "oh....wait...oops" That is generally the point where she threatens to kill me for getting us lost...AGAIN. Last year in Myrtle Beach, I got her a magnet that said "We've been through so much...and most of it was your fault." However, as she said, most of it was actually MY fault. So, never listen to me when I'm giving directions from the passenger seat, even if I insist I'm right. I WILL get us lost.

Biking!

2009-07-15T00:50:00.004-04:00

So even though I only learned how to ride a bike last night, I went to the park with CJ and SSC and went bike riding for 2 1/2 miles. I KNOW I'm going to regret it a LOT tomorrow, but I totally think it was worth it. Fell off the bike once, because I can't really do turns so well. CJ tried to go down one of the nature trails with the bikes. But I told her a few feet in, that this was like putting a rookie through mountain bike terrain. So we left, but not before SSC got all bitten up by mesquitoes because she forgot to spray her legs with the OFF. I love riding the bike, but I was SO hot by the time we were done. 90 degrees with about 95% humidity = HOT.
Can't wait till the next time I ride though. Now I just need to get a bike, though that's not happening till I get back from Hilton Head.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-14T11:01:00.004-04:00

I LEARNED HOW TO RIDE A BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you probably remember that one of the things that I've mentioned is that I couldn't ride a bike. Well, last night I went to meet a friend who had come to Florida for a few days. SG was one of my roomates in seminary, and she's the only one i hadn't seen since seminary (about 4 yrs ago) So we went to dinner with her grandparents, who paid for the meal (we had steak - which made me very happy) and afterwards I drove with SG and her grandmother back to the house that her grandparents own - they're one of the winter snowbirds - only down this summer to ship some of their stuff to Isreal. But anyways, SG said why don't we ride the bikes around. I said I couldn't ride a bike, so she decided that she'd teach me. At first she tried holding onto the bike (like you would for a little kid) but then she gave up. After all, I'm a big girl, it was a big bike...I fell off a few times, but within half an hour I learned how to ride a bike!!!! I'm SO happy about that. On the other hand, today I am SO sore, but it was totally worth it.

Mitten-Kitten in the Sink

2009-07-10T18:50:00.003-04:00

Pet's Nicknames

2009-07-10T10:26:00.001-04:00

Mariner: Mah, Mah-ri-ner, Ner-Ner, Marinara Sauce, Mari

Boots: Boot-boot

Mittens: Mitten-Kitten, pussycat, Mrrrr kitty

Diamond: Little Bird

Suki: Sukster, calico tiger

My First Day of Class

2009-07-09T21:32:00.003-04:00

Never finished this, but it was started the first day of class. Hope you enjoy anyways. Oh, and there are pictures!

I walked to the building and looked up. *sigh* Yes, this WAS the right building, unfortunately. Somewhat daunted, I pushed open the door and entered the building. OK, my classroom was 209 so that meant…I had to go to the second floor. Where were the stairs? Turning to my right, I saw the men’s room, and across from that, the well-worn grey stairs. I trudged up, taking my time. After all, class wouldn’t start for another fifteen minutes. I got to the top of the stairs and saw a glass door in front of me, over the door, there was an emblem that said “South Florida Juvenile Correction Center”. Huh? Am I in the right place? I mentally shrugged there was no other building with a big number 10 on it, so maybe this was left over from when this building was used for something else. I pushed open the door, and entered a small hallway. To the right was a door with 218 over it. Ok…looking for 209…hmmm. Oh, there it is! The door to the room stood wide open. I looked inside and bit back a groan. Something told me this class was not going to be what I had expected. The room looked like an aerobics room, complete with mirrors, stepping stones and a laminate floor. The desks and whiteboard currently taking up most of the space looked completely out of place. Walking to the front of the class, I chose one of the desks near the teacher’s desk. I always sit near the front. It used to be because I had a hardtime seeing the board, but I no longer had that problem. Now I sat in the front so the teacher would know who I am, and would be more likely to be lenient with me. I was also more likely to actually pay attention when sitting at the front of the class, if only because I knew it would be obvious to the teacher when I wasn’t. I sat down and took my iPod out of my purse, but didn’t even get a chance to turn it on before the teacher and the first of the students came into the classroom. The teacher was chatting away with the student, who clearly must have been in one of her classes before. I listened with half an ear to the conversation while I took stock. The teacher looked nice, a mother-ish black woman probably in her early to mid 40’s (though I am notoriously bad at guessing ages so I could be WAY off the mark). Despite that, she looked fit, which made sense for a teacher of a wellness class. I decided I could like this teacher, and she would probably be receptive to the fact that I’d be missing the last day of class. Slowly, more people trickled into the classroom and took seats.

An E-mail that my mom sent me

2009-07-07T14:08:00.003-04:00

Enjoy.
Haven't verified if this is true.
And I don't care.
Pictures are cute anyway.
WATCH THAT DOGGY DOOR
Could you imagine coming home from work to find this tiny creature napping on your couch with your dog? Guess who came home for dinner?
It followed this beagle home, right through the doggy door. This happened in Maryland recently. The owner came home to find the visitor had made himself right at home. This hit the 6 o'clock news big time.

Isn't this adorable?

Treasure Hunter

2009-07-02T10:17:00.001-04:00

She ducked and rolled, keeping her mouth shut and inhaling through her nose, trying not to inhale too much smoke. She slunk along behind the burning crates, staying close enough to the flames that her own body heat wouldn’t show up on radar, but far enough away that she wouldn’t be roasted. Her eyes were locked on the goal just 15 feet in front of her, only a short sprint away in normal circumstances. However between she and her goal was not only a blazing inferno, but a yawning pit, filled with spikes.
Who still uses pits filled with spikes? She thought, starting to panic. Then she mentally kicked herself. Get a GRIP, Rhea, you can DO this. Just focus on what’s right in front of you. Examine the situation calmly and without panicking. She glared at the deep pit, calculating it to be about 15 feet deep and 30 feet across, no way she could get across without some kind of tool. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a long piece of wood that was only mildly singed, but still serviceable and sturdy. She lifted up one end, grunting with effort, it was heavier than it had first appeared, which was all to the good as far as she was concerned, that meant it was more likely to hold her weight. Once Rhea got her board to the edge of the pit however, she realized she had a problem. The board fell short of the end by ten feet.
She groaned quietly. Why was nothing ever easy? Just once it would be nice if everything fell into place. She shrugged off her brief bout of self pity and got back to the situation at hand. Okay, so the board was too short, was there anything else around, and don’t just look at the ground but look…up. She craned her neck, and looked above her. There, in the rafters was a rope swinging, if she could only get to it. But once she got it, would it be able to support her weight? Were the rafters so weakened by the fire that she’d go tumbling to her death? It didn’t matter, she had to take the chance, there was no choice, and no other way out. Once she got past the pit and grabbed what she had come for, she’d be out that final door and on her way to freedom. Or if not freedom, at least on her way to getting paid, which was close enough.
She clambered onto a nearby crate and grabbed the rope as it swung past her. She tugged a little, making sure it was actually attached at the top, and not just hanging over a rafter. Having assured herself that she would not immediately plunge to her death, she took a firm hold of the rope, took a deep breath, and leapt from the crate. The hot air choked in her throat, and blurred her eyes, making it all that much harder. On the first swing, she saw that she wasn’t going to quite make it across, but if she made herself a human pendulum…maybe she could gain enough momentum and then jump for it. As she swung, the thought crossed her mind that she had watched Indiana Jones WAY too much as a child. One swing, two swings, three swings…at the top of the arc she jumped, launching herself away from the rope. For a brief second, she had the glorious feeling of flight, and then she landed, rolling in the ash on the other side of the pit. Coughing and retching, she stood up. Not even bothering to brush off all the ash that had accumulated on her hair and clothes, she took off running. The time was over for stealth, it was now time to grab the artifact and run like hell. Good thing she had lots of practice with that.
There, just in her reach, was the object she had come for. It was a peculiar looking thing, but she didn’t have the time to stop and look it over. She could do that once she was out of the burning warehouse, which even now was beginning to creak, the fire taking its toll on the already ancient building. She reached out and grabbed it from its alcove inside I small box. When her hand touched it, she felt a small jolt, like electricity. She tucked it in to her jacket, so there would be less likely to be damage to it. The less damaged it was, the more money she’d get.
Turning, she saw the open door and ran for it, once she got outside, she dropped and rolled, just in case any of the snipers had escaped the inferno. After looking around and seeing that no one was shooting at her, she ran for the pier, and jumped into one of the boats waiting tied to the dock. Feverishly, she untied it, and pulled the boat away from the dock. Then she headed out to the ocean, for the planned rendezvous with her employer. Right on time.

I went a little camera happy...

2009-06-30T13:44:00.005-04:00

Dragon on the back of the car!!!!!

Boots wonders why I bother her the only time the dog is NOT bothering her.

Suki decided my suitcase was a good place to sleep.

Mariner just wants to be played with.

Little Bird didn't like me so close to his cage.

And Mittens of course, thinks I'm crazy.

My Trip to NY and Other things

2009-06-28T17:23:00.005-04:00

I had a great time in NY, went to my friend's wedding, met Child Ish and Moshe, visited my aunt in the Upper West Side, and enjoyed myself overall. I stayed by my friend M.A., who was my roomie in sem, and stayed over at my house two years ago for a week. M.A. came with me over to Moshe's for Friday night dinner, and got a kick out of it, though I think she was a bit horrified over the fish. Good food, good company, good conversation, and didn't get home till about 1:30 in the morning. Actually, were it not for her insistence that her mother would be worried, we might have stayed even longer, but as it was, we were exhausted too, and walking back took WAY too long. Left NY early this morning, but for those bloggers upset that they missed me, don't worry, planning on coming back to NY in December, for a bit longer stay than just a long weekend.

And the other stuff? Pictures of Mariner of course! He graduated from puppy obedience training and they had a little graduation party. Including graduation caps...the owners were thrilled about this, the dogs less so.

Going to NY

2009-06-24T12:13:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow I'm going to Brooklyn, NY for a friend from seminary's wedding. Staying there only till Sunday though, because I'm starting classes (again) on Monday. I just finished my semester today, and this is my "break", not very long, is it? On the other hand, only taking one class twice a week next semester, so it shouldn't be too bad.
Whenever I get into a discussion with a NYer about living in NY, I tell them I like visiting, but I wouldn't want to live there. For some reason, every NYer I have told this to, then decides to take it upon themselves to convince me how great NY is, and why I should live there instead of South Florida. I've heard it all, and I'm still not convinced. Then again, maybe I'm just biased. Both of my parents were born in NY and grew up there, and both of them hated it (which is why they moved down here obviously) so it's quite possible that I'm just brainwashed. But that doesn't mean I'm changing my mind, I love FL!

Good Joke

2009-06-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

The sign reads:
WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS
WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS
THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW.

This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a businessin Philadelphia. Most would be outraged at the thought of such aninflammatory statement...
One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the countrywould be marching on this business and that the National Guardmight have to be called to keep the angry crowds back...
But, perhaps in these stressful times one might be tempted to letthe proprietors simply make their statement. We are a society whohold Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty and afterall it is just a sign...
You may be asking what business would dare post such a sign?
.........Goldberg's Funeral Home!

This is interesting...

2009-06-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

No Pain, No Gain

2009-06-22T20:30:00.003-04:00

It's a common saying, for good reason. Anything worth getting, is worth working hard for. That which does not break us, makes us stronger. Pain builds character. While I may have my doubts about that last one (if only because I read it far too often in Calvin and Hobbes,) it's all true. However, we humans are creatures who enjoy our comfort, and pain is looked at with horror and fear. However, what in this life is not painful? And the pain DOES contribute to our growth, whether it be physical pain, emotional pain, or spiritual pain. We shudder, but we get through it, and hopefully come out better for what we have gone through.

Yet Another Odd Dream

2009-06-22T01:13:00.003-04:00

Lately I hadn't been remembering my dreams as much, but this past shabbos, I had one that acutally stuck with me when I awoke. What exactly prompted this dream I have not the faintest idea, but it's a dream I kinda liked because it involved beating bad guys, and we all know how much I love to do that. Anyways, here's the dream.

I'm standing in the middle of an airforce base next to an airplane hangar, and a large guy stumbles out, holding onto something, he gives me this kind of bleary grin, like he's wondering what I'm doing there. I tell him that I'm an emotions wizard, and I get my power from people's emotions. (for some reason I feel the need to explain this to every person I stand near in my dream.) He shrugs, and asks me if I want some weed, I tell him no, he gets high and very happy and I get the power from his emotions. Apparently, I figure out after meeting a few people, it doesn't matter what KIND of emotions, I get power from any equally. Anyways, I transport myself to this little bazaar, with camels, and a guy who wants my power (of course). And apparently camels have emotions too, so I was able to get power from them. Suddenly there was a horde of zombies coming to attack, and I found out zombies have emotions too, which gave me the power I needed to destroy them.

I seriously wish I could interpret my dreams sometimes.

Mango Tree

2009-06-16T09:45:00.004-04:00

Very Funny Ad (warning: bad language)

2009-06-14T15:37:00.001-04:00

Subconcsious Dreams

2009-06-07T20:34:00.002-04:00

I believe my subconscious is trying to tell me something though I'm not entirely clear on what...
I've had the secind dream in 2 nights about saving the world. Which means I either have a hero?heroine complex or or that I think that the world is in serious need of some saving. Or possibly both.
What I KNOW my subconscious is telling me is that Diet Pepsi is evil....since apparently it had an evil prescence trapped in a bottle. Clearly I need some intervention either way.

Driving in the Rain

2009-06-05T13:04:00.005-04:00

I took this video while driving (holding the video camera to the side while I payed attention to the road, don't think of it too much or it will just scare you.) I had the radio on while driving, and it was pouring, there are parts of the video that sound like interference but that was just the rain coming down on the car. Bit of a long video, but I think it will give a good idea for those who have never driven in Florida rain before. For those who have, it will just bring back wonderful memories I'm sure.

Hurricane Season

2009-05-31T21:35:00.004-04:00

Today is the first day of Hurricane Season. So we're now on the watch for any storms shaping up on the Atlantic ocean, and ready to freak out when one starts heading our way. The only season that lasts half the year, and even when it's over isn't necessarily completely over. Three years ago, they ran out of names for the Hurricanes and started naming them for greek letters. I believe Hurricanes kept forming until sometime in December that year. (I wouldn't know for sure, because I was in Isreal that year.) But now we will get the typical list of things to do before a storm, numbers to call, the radar following a storm..etc. All I can say is I hope we're as lucky as we've been the past couple of years.

2009-05-31T03:31:00.002-04:00

Admittedly, it's 3:30 in the morning as I'm typing this which will mean that it's probably not going to be entirely comprehesible, but I shall do my best. Shavuos was nice, I visited with a friend who came down from Baltimore to visit her brother, and I slept and read. Actually tonight I went out with her till 2 a.m. at a restaurant, and then we went back since she has a flight to catch tomorrow. This week is my brother's 18th birthday, I got him a card, and I'm not sure how much he'll like it, but hey, it's the thought that counts right? (I just keep telling myself that...) Tomorrow (or I guess technically today) I'm going with my dad to see Night at the Musuem and am looking forward to that. And then I get to study for my comp test on Monday and my cognitive psychology test I have on Thursday. Anyways, I think I shall stop babbling and actually get some sleep. Hopefully I will have something more postworthy this week.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their county, for us. All we can do is remember."-- Ronald Wilson ReaganRemarks at Veteran's Day ceremony, Arlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia, November 11, 1985

The Glorious 25th of May and Towel Day

2009-05-25T07:51:00.002-04:00

For the fans of Terry Pratchett's "Night Watch" and Douglas Adam's "The Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Joke

2009-05-21T10:57:00.002-04:00

A Jewish father, Moisha, was paid a visit by his eldestson Yitzak...
"Father, I am going to marry!"
His father begins to dance with joy and sing Hava Nagila...
"Tell me, is she a good Jewish girl?" says the father. "What is her name?"
"O'Brien," replies the son... "She's Catholic..."
"Oy!" says the father.... "But are you happy?"
"I'm very, very happy," says the son.
"OK...as long as you're happy ... my blessings to you both,"replies Moisha.
But the father is still counting on his remaining sons, Schlemiel and Chutzpah.
Schlemiel calls on his father the next evening."Father... I too will be married soon!"
Again, Moisha breaks out in a dance and sings God's praises...
"What is her name?," implores the father.
"Kazalopodopolous," says the son. "She's Greek Orthodox."
"Oy," says Moisha. "But are you happy?"
"I'm happy, Father."
"OK ... then you, too, have my blessing," intones Moisha.
Dejected, Moisha goes to the Temple to pray."Please God... let my remaining son, Chutzpah, marry a nice Jewish girl to raise nice Jewish childrenin your eyes ... PLEASE," he cries out.
The very next week, Chutzpah comes to his father excitedly andexclaims, "Father, I am to wed in the spring!"
"HER NAME? WHAT IS HER NAME?", his father immediately demands."Goldberg!" says Chutzpah! Moisha is beside himself with joy!
"Praise God! Praise theProphets!" Turning to Chutzpah, he asks, "Is she DoctorGoldberg's daughter Shelley, from Los Angeles?"
"No," says Chutzpah.
"Hmmm," says ! Moisha... "Must be Attorney Goldberg's daughterRachel from Beverly Hills?"
"Ah... no, Father," says Chutzpah..."What is her first name, my youngest, truest, most handsome son?"
"Whoopi."

College

2009-05-19T14:49:00.002-04:00

I'm taking 2 courses this summer, one is a basic computer class, the other is cognitive psychology. Now, technology, especially computers, is a wonderful thing. When it works. When it doesn't, I'm very tempted to go "Office Space" on them, with a good dose of some heavy artillary. I have a test in cog psych tomorrow, and I just hope that I don't completely mess it up. It's an interesting field, but a little bit much when packed into only 5 weeks of class.
I also went to a Bake Sale for Shavuos tonight, and we bought a very choclatey choclate cake ( I know, techically cheese cake is the food of the yom tov, but my brother and I get sick of it VERY easily). We listened to a fantastic speaker, Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, and watched a couple of BY girls put on a very amusing skit. All in all, a very enjoyable evening.
Now if only I could get out of this test, tomorrow evening would be nice too....

Computer class

2009-05-18T18:15:00.001-04:00

Those two smiley's just about sum up my feelings about this computer class.