College

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

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

Summer in South Florida Through the Senses

Starting with Smell:

Air before a afternoon thundersorm, the air after a thunderstorm, the overpowering sweetness of mangoes ripening and rotting, the strong chemical odor of chlorine, greasy barbecue, and salty ocean.

Sight:

People wearing a bit less than usual, seeing the rain coming pour down, a sheet of water on one side of the street, while being bright and sunny on the other, seeing the wind blow the trees before a thundersotrm, and the waves crash on the shore, the sand between toes, the grass turning greener as it finally gets watered after a long dry winter.

Sound:

The roll and crash of thunder, the rain pouring down, the splash of water in the pool, the sizzle of a barbecue, people laughing and playing, AC blasting, and the bugs coming out in the twilight, the muted roar of the waves, quietly hissing as it laps on the sandy beach, birds chirping throughout the day and night.

Touch:

The humidity of the air on skin, coolness of AC, wind preceding a storm, refreshing rain, hot metal on the car, hot seats in the car, and hot seatbelt (ouch)

Taste:

Barbecued hamburgers, hotdogs etc., sweet delicious mangoes, salty seawater (or chlorinated poolwater), juice and soda, cold water (and before you debate that, yes it does have a taste) and corn on the cob.

These are the things I associate with summer, different people most likely would pick different things.

"Quotes"

"Life is a stage, and all the men and women merely actors upon it. They have thier entrances and they have thier exits. And one man in his lifetime plays many parts." - King Henry VIII, William Shakespeare

The only reason I know this quote by heart (though it may be slightly off) is because I had it quoted at me throughout high school by CJ, since she made it her goal to memorize at least one part of almost every Shakespeare play. This was the only one that really stuck in my head however. Perhaps because unlike the others, there was a message behind it. And so it has stuck in my head ever since, for the past 6 years. Funny what things manage to stick with you in your memory forever.

Key West

Key West was fun, we checked out the college, which was really nice, and the director of the program gave us a tour, which was cool. After that we went to what was probably the only Kosher restaurant in Key West. It wasn't even a restaurant exactly, it was a little shack with a kitchen inside, and two tables and a counter in front of it. But the food there was VERY good. After we had lunch, we walked down Duval Street, which is just a lot of shops, we went in to a few and aI got a new skirt, nice and light, perfect for the summer. And a shirt that says "Margaritaville". After that we went to Earnest Hemingway's house and took the tour there. Though it's very cool to see a famous author's house (and a VERY nice house it was, even though there was no central AC and everyone was very hot, but they had fans in all the rooms) I really just went for the cats. There are 45 cats living there, just wandering all over the place. After that we left Key West and went to one of the State parks in the Keys. My mother and brother waded out into the water, while I sat in the car and finished a book. I was too tired to get out of the car and go wading. We got home by 8:30 at night, and Mariner was thrilled to see us. Then this morning I was supposed to have my first class, but the teacher didn't show, so apparently my first class will actually be tomorrow. I'm already counting down the days until the semester is over.

A Trip to Key West

Tomorrow is my birthday and we're going down to Key West for the day. Tomorrow is also Lag B'Omer, and this is the first time I can recall it being on the same day as my english birthday. So on the way down to Key West, I'll be able to listen to my ipod! As to what we're actually going to do down there I have no idea. We're going to be looking at a scuba diving college for my brother (Yes, unusual, but then again so is he, and currently he's not even sure he wants to go to college, though I'm trying to convince him that he should, especially since he wants to open up his own business.)

My Philosophies on Life

If you've read my posts for a while, you probably can guess at at least one of my basic philosophies on life. Whether or not you agree with it, is another matter. In any case, up until now I had two basic philosophies:

1. "People are people." - no matter what race, religion, culture, etc. people will always be people. This ties directly in to
2. "People are idiots." - this is self-explanatory.

My third philosophy has nothing to do with people.

3. "Life = Irony" - This should be self explanatory as well, but if anyone feels it needs clarification I would be happy to provide example after example after example.

Ears

Mariner seems to have a thing for other animal's ears, he likes to chew on them. The other dogs at teh dog park don't usually mind this, not even the smaller ones. The only problem with this is he especially loves to eat Boots' ears, and when he tries to do this since she has tiny ears, it looks like he's eating her entire head. Mariner seems to be under the impression that the cats are just like small dogs and like to be played with in the same way. Needless to say, the cats are not very happy about that. He bowls Boots over and begins to bat her around with his paws that are ar almost half her size, she goes bolting for the door, he chases her thinking what a great game this is, once they are at the door, he bowls her over again and then either me or my mom take pity on the kitty and let her outside. Mittens in the meantime is usually smugly sitting curled up in her cat tree, high above all the abuse taking place or watching with detached interest from a chair. She knows that all she has to do is stay high up off the ground. But since Boots is under the impression that she lost her ability to jump after she got sick, she just runs and mews pitifully. It's funny and yet at the same time kind of painful to watch. There's a reason there;s a saying " they get along like cats and dogs"

Happy Mother's Day!

K is for Klutz

I have finally realized after almost 22 years, I am a complete klutz. I constantly discover new bruises that I have no memory of getting. I once got a black eye, from what I have not the faintest idea. I walk into walls and doors, and have shut doors on myself more times than I can count. I've tripped over my own feet, and banged into anything in my way.
And yet, I have yet to do anything quite serious to myslef, B'H"

Mangos, Shopping, and Books

YAY!!! I got to eat a mango from our tree, yesterday I got one that was ripe off the tree. I LOVE mangoes, best fruit on the planet in my opinion.
I stayed overnight at my grandmother's, even though I'll be seeing on her on Sunday for Mother's Day. I got another one of Robert Asprin's books, and I went shirt shopping since I didn't have any light shirts to wear this summer. And now I am sick of shopping, I don't have that much patience with it to begin with. The most time I can spend in a store/mall is an hour, then I get very antsy and want to leave. I know, that's not what most people think of as typical for a woman, however, put me ina bookstore and I can stay there all day long....that's where my impulse buys usually are. So while I'm not likely to spend $30 on a rock, excuse me, a meteorite like Child Ish, I will spend $30 on a book by an author I like because I can't wait to read it. So unless I actually have money on me, I try to stay away from the bookstore, it's much too tempting.
Addendum: Today is the 13 Iyar, which means it's my hebrew birthday! And my English one is in 5 days. YAY!!!

STUFF

Today I went shooting with my father and brother (though I was the one who did most of the shooting.) I didn't do too bad, at least I never missed the target, and I even got one shot near the bulls eye! My brother brought one of his school books that he hated, and used up a clip on that. Some guys in the shooting lane next to us saw that, laughed and said that was a great idea.
I bought a book at Border's and one of the managers rung me up. WHen he saw the title of the book, he exclaimed "I love this series!" I replied that I did too, and so for the next 10 minutes we discussed the series (Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures). After I left the store, I passed by another store, and saw graffitti written on the wall that sobered me right up. "The Party is Over, America" was written on the wall. Definite downer.
And currently I'm staring longingly at the mangos on our tree which I want very much...only problem is they're about 40 feet up in the air...so until they come down...or we can get someone to take them down, no mangos for me. *sigh*

The Semester is OVER...Among other things

I took my last final last night, and got it over with in 20 minutes. I'm SO glad the semester is finally over, freedom at last...for about a week. And then starts summer class, oh joy. Oh well at least it's only 1 class as opposed to 4, and it will only last 6 weeks as opposed to 16. So there is a bright side. I still have work and will be looking for another job, for when the school year is over.
I took some new pics, and decided to show how big Mariner's gotten by comparison pics. In the first pic, he is 8 weeks old and about 10 lbs. In the most recent (taken today) he is 7 months old and weighs 50 lbs. He's huge. He steals food off the counter ( he LOVES peanut butter) and he goes for "drags" not "walks". He is also going to puppy training class starting tonight. The last picture is the back of a pick-up truck I saw in the Walmart parking lot. It looked so cool, couldn't resist sharing.

The Omer

I'm not entirely sure which is worse, not listening to music at all or listening to acapella over and over and over again until Lag B'Omer. Either way, I may feel like going crazy before then (I think I say this every year, but especially in recent years when I spend so much time in my car.) Now I know that there are other things to listen to, such as torah tapes, comedy tapes, etc. However considering my tendency to zone out what the person is actually saying on those tapes when I'm driving it's not such a fantastic idea. I know, because I bought myself an audiobook last year. I thought "Hey, this is a great idea, I know this book and I'm sure it'll keep me from wishing for music!" Yeah, right. I barely made it past the first chapter before I got bored and started wishing for more music. How am I going to make it another 3 weeks?!

Pesach is Coming!

Yes I know that everyone who reads my blog must already be aware of this fact, but since everywhere I look I see blog talking about it, I figured I may as well add in my two cents, before the chag is actually here. Other than the insane things people do to get ready for pesach ( a topic which has already been beaten to death with a sledgehammer several times over) and the complaints of family members suddently inconvenitly (or conveniently) reappearing at you, neither of which is the case at my home, there is not all that much to blog about...well there's been family issues, but that's not exaclty a pesach theme. Actually this post is really just to wish everyone a happy, kosher, chametz free pesach, and enjoy your seder and your family. Chag Kasher V'Sameach!

Anyone know some sure-fire cures for stress?

On top of everything that needs to be done for pesach, I have two tests this week, a paper due next week (on the last day of pesach no less) and the week after that I begin finals. Talk about stress... by the end of this month I may be on the roof howling at the moon (hey, that was how people reacted to stress in the middle ages...)

The Argument for Crazy

When I listen to the radio, there is this advertisement that comes on that always makes me laugh. It starts; "Men and women are so different in so many ways. For example; men are crazy, women are not..." Excuse me, but I beg to differ. As a woman myself and from all I have observed...women are a LOT crazier then men. Men usually have rational explanations for what they did, though that does not include things that "seemed like a good idea at the time." But honestly? Women, quite frankly, are nuts, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

The Dog Park

The dog park is an interesting place, and you meet some very interesting people there. Even if you have nothing else in common with them, you can talk about dogs, after all that’s why they’re there. They love their dog enough to bring him/her to the park to get some exercise and socialize with other dogs. Some people spend the time on their phone, or read a book. Some play with their dogs, throwing whatever they find lying around or bring toys for their dog to the park. I remember the first time I brought Mariner to the park, I had to practically drag him inside the gate and he stuck to me like a burr the entire time, being somewhat afraid of the other dogs. Now however, HE drags ME into the park, and the moment I let him off the leash, he’s off playing with the other dogs. Or if there are no other dogs there, I throw a stick, he fetches it, and then he makes me chase him for the stick. He’ll fetch sticks, and even rocks, but he will not fetch a ball more than once. Though, that makes my life a bit easier, since you can just pick up a stick or rock from the ground, whereas you usually have to buy a ball, which then inevitably gets lost.

Happy Purim!!!

Freileche Purim one and all! I made hamantashen, for the first time in years...it's turned out very good, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the costume shop in time this year....so I cheated. I'm a pirate again...really all I need is a sword....but considering last year my sword brokw within an hour of my getting it, I think swords are overrated. Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful Purim!

Random Fun Things

At work, my mother's office is next to the sixth grade boys classroom, and it is very easy to hear them. This week was color war for the boys abd they were being a bit loud about it. I asked my mother, "Does it ever occur to you that being in your office is rather like being in an office next to the monkey enclosure at the zoo?" She said, "Yes" The reason I had brought it up in the first place was that the boys were making sounds rather similiar to chimps....

I went to the dog park and was priveliged to play with threee adorable 8 week old jack russel terrier puppies. I was SOOOO happy, as you can imagine. I got some pics of them on my phone which I am going to try to load onto the computer so everyone can bask in thier cuteness.

Oh, and Moshe asked for a video of Mariner, well, I have one, though since i took it from a kneeling/ sitting position (after being knocked over by Mariner) it's a lil bit dizzying, so here's a warning, don't watch it if you get motion sickness easily.

Spring Break

Ah, first of all I'd like to apologize for the Hiatus, I just did not feel like I was getting any news to write about. Now, however, there seems to be plenty. For one, I started a job as a secretary at an all boys middle school. My mom happens to be one of the principals, which is how I got the job to begin with. It involves a lot of typing, which, fortunately for me, I'm good at. So working there should provide me with lots of blogworthy material. Another thing is the dog park. Three weeks ago, I started taking Mariner to the dog park...there is SO much you can talk about there, the people, the dogs, the park itself, the weather....you get my drift. What else is new...oh, I got a new phone, the Samsung Instinct, which I love. It's pink. I would have preferred blue, but sadly they don't make it in blue...considering it took them this long that if they sold phones in pink and red, women would buy it, I'm not really surprised. I'm on Spring Break now, was planning on going to NY, but not happening, this time at least. oh, and I just took new photos of Mariner to put up. As a side note, he's now 5 months and 40 lbs.

At what price is friendship?

You can't pay someone to be your friend, as I think everyone knows. a friendship, like any relationship is one of give and take. Sometimes you gotta know when to give and when to accept help. I'll admit, one of my greatest weaknesses is my reluctance to ask for help. Why? I think it has something to do with my pride, I view asking for help as a sign of weakness, though when I see no other option, I will ask. Sometimes however, I do that when it's already far too late. It was an issue in school, and it's been an issue for throughout my life. It's something I try to work on, but when it comes to asking for any sort of help, my first reaction is to balk, and say, no, I can do this on my own. Fortunately for me, I have some good friends who see that I need help, even if I can't ask for it. This is just a shout out to those good friends, to say thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Tests and Winter

Well, I got my test back....and let's just say it's a very good thing he give us a nice big curve. But at least now I know what his tests are like and I'll know how to study for the next one. Thanks to everyone who wished me luck, I really appreciated that.
On a side note, this has been such a ridiulously cold winter! I'm wearing pants under my skirt for the 6th time this winter, and considering in years past I could go the entire winter months wihout doing that....it's just driving me crazy, though I have to say the cold is better than heat...at least there's always the possibility of putting on more clothes.
And in other news....there isn't that much. When there actually is, I'll post it...in the meantime, why don't I put up pics of Mariner, showing how much he's grown?

Studying for a Test

I've always found that the easiest way for me to study for a test is to read the material right before the test. Though this time I'm a bit nervous because I don't know how this teacher will test and from what I've heard, his tests are hard...also the fact that he wasn't able to finish the material that will be on the test in class hardly inspires my confidence. On the other hand, MOST of the stuff on this test I've learned about 3 times before, perhaps more. So it can't be TOO hard, right?
I hate studying....wish me luck everyone!

GCF: Bachelor Food Storage Guide

Here it is, the secret chart used by bachelors worldwide, because they don't have wives who can recognize on sight (and sometimes before) when the Big Mac has become one with the special sauce.
FREEZER FOODS:
ICE CREAM - If you can't tell the difference between your ice cubes and your ice cream, it's time to throw BOTH out.
FROZEN FOODS - Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled (or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife.
IN THE FRIDGE:
EGGS - When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.
DAIRY PRODUCTS - Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway -- if you can dig down and still find something non-green, bon appetite!.
MEAT - If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, toss the meat.
LETTUCE - Bibb lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without Comet and a brillo pad. Romaine lettuce is spoiled when it turns liquid. Endive never spoils, but you will never eat it anyway.
MAYONNAISE: If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled. Permanently.
CARROTS - A carrot you can tie into a clove hitch in is no longer fresh.
CHIP DIP - If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.
UNMARKED ITEMS: You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking, Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them. If the original can you put it away in has finally lost it's label, it's probably done.
EMPTY CONTAINERS: Putting empty containers back into the refrigerator is a fine old trick, but it only works if you live with someone else.
ON THE SHELF:
CANNED GOODS - Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of ... Very carefully.
WINE - Should not be confused with salad dressing.
POTATOES - Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.
THE GAG TEST - Anything that makes you gag is spoiled (except for leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night).
GENERAL RULE OF THUMB: - Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.
BREAD: Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are good indications that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment. You may wish to discard it at this time, depending on your interest in pharmaceuticals.

CEREAL: It is generally a good rule of thumb that cereal should be discarded when it is two years or longer beyond the expiration date, or when it will no longer fall out of the box by itself.
FLOUR: Flour is spoiled when it wiggles, or things fly out when you open it.
PRETZELS: Normally eternal, pretzels may be discarded if they can no longer be picked up without falling apart. Otherwise, there's nothing to stop you from eating a pretzel that the Pharaoh put down only 4000 years ago.
RAISINS: Raisins should not usually be harder than your teeth.
SALT: It never spoils. However, if you can't chip off reasonable amounts from the block, maybe another box is in order, as fresh salt usually pours.
SPICES: Most spices cannot die, they just fade away. They will be fine on your shelf, forever. Put them in your will.
VINEGAR: If your grandmother made it, it is probably still good.
EXPIRATION DATES: This is not a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you'll spend more on groceries. Even dry foods older than you are may be ready to replace. Perhaps you'd benefit by having a calendar in your kitchen.

Graffitti in Bathrooms

Today after class I went to the Barnes and Noble across the street, I got a drink from the cafe and used their restroom. When I closed the door behind me, I noticed there was graffiti on the door. While I don't really understand WHY some ppl feel possessed to write on the door, I thought it was amusing and took some pictures, I will now put them up for your viewing pleasure.
This one is my favorite:

My Apologies....Yet Again

Today was the Presidential Inauguration....Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. Ok, I know I usually don't go into anything having to do with politics on my blog (for good reason, I have no wish to get into any political deabtes) but this is a historic day and should be noted....ok, it's been noted, that's all I have to say on it.
Anyways, I started my classes, I love all of them so far, which is a good way to start the semester. A bad way to start the semester however is getting a parking citation for not having a decal at one of my colleges. I'm taking 4 classes this semester: Personality and Social Development, Human Development, American History (with the same teacher that let me skip a final last semester) and Intro to Religion, which I haven't started yet and don't start till the 27th.
CJ came back from NY for a week, I hung out with her a total of twice in the time she was home. But at least I spent SOME time with her. She was enchanted with the pup (of course) though he kept on making spirited attempts to eat her clothes. (Which he does to me on a daily basis, he seems to think my skirt is very tasty)
Hmmm, what else...my brother is going back-packing with his best friend for two days, he's leaving on Sunday. And then on the 28th he's leaving to Chicago for a week to visit his rebbe, who just moved up there. Can't think of any other news now, but we'll see how the week goes.

Happy New Year...albeight a day late....

OK, yes, I know, sould have done a new years post, but never got around to it. Did absolutely nada on New Years Eve, just was bored. On New Years, I spent the day putting together a schedule for next semester....which starts on Monday...and i don't even know all of the classes I'm taking yet. Talk about very last minute! Anyways, finally got the pics on my comp, so here are a few from Disney. Enjoy!!!

Fun Times

Okay, blogger is officially a pain...actually, I dunno if it's blogger or my comp, but one of them is frustrating me. I know, it's been a while since I updated...was going to after I got back from Orlando....and as you saw, that didn't happen. Chanukah was fun....especially lighting the candles in the middle of the parking lot in 40 degree weather (ok, not that cold compared to some places, but I was freezing) It was lots of fun having SC here, we had an...interesting time. We went to Magic Kingdom (which she thought was boring, and too kiddie) then MGM, which she liked...we went on the Rockin Roller Coaster 3 times. Then we went to Islands of Adventure, on her birthday...went on the Hulk roller coaster twice, Dr. Doom's Fall twice, and Dueling Dragons 3 times...all in all very fun. I got several pins, which I put on my hat, which I then lost bec I forgot to take it off before I went on the rollercoaster. Which was dumb of me, and I've been kicking myself over that. Okay...well, I think that's all for now, I'll be posting pics when I get them on my comp....and I hopefully won't be as long in posting next time!

End of the Semester and things to come

So the semester is finally over. I am SO glad. No more finals, no more papers, free for the next three weeks, life is good. I know I have been neglecting the blog, but hopefully, more updates will be forthcoming since I am no longer overwhelmed by school. Though I don't know how much I'll be updating when my friend SC is here, I'll certainly make some updates after that, and maybe include pics of where we went. So look forward to more updates, especially those on Mariner. I think he grows overnight...he's so big now! Will be putting up more pics once I load them on my comp, I think I lost my sd card adapter....but whatever. Eventually, you will be seeing more.

New Comp and Finals

Got up at 3 am Friday morning to get my new comp...went to Office Depot and waited 2 and a half hours for the store to open. I made friends with a couple of people already on line, an Isreali guy and his British girlfriend. Apparently his parents own a bakery in our area....and I found out later that my step-father knows the owner of the bakery. So I got my new comp finally, and now I have some pics of the pup on it. I also have finals this week whicdh means I prob won't really be updating till next week. In the meantime, enjoy pictures of the oh-so-cute puppy, Mariner!

Newsworthy

Well, Blogger seems to be working for me now...kinda...in a weird sort of fashion, but at least it's working. Anyways, what's newsworthy? First off, my computer died, a problem with a corrupted hard drive and can't save anything that had been on it. Doesn't really make sense to pay for a new hard drive when I can get a new computer for just a bit more. But that's not gonna happen till the end of this week. In the meantime, I get use of my bro's computer...sporadically. When he's not home or is otherwise occupied. We got the puppy on Sunday, he is cute beyond belief, but pics won't be up till I have my own comp....oh, well. His name is Mariner (for the Mercury Mariner, the car my brother likes) and he'll be nine weeks old tomorrow, which is also when he's going to our vet. That should be fun....considering last week when I took my cats to the vet they peed in their carriers and got it all over themselves....yeah, anything would be an improvement over THAT. Thank goodness the cats only need go to the vet once a year. Well, that's all the current news I can think of, can't say when I'll next update...maybe when I have a new comp. Oh, and one last thing, all you northeners are gonna hate me for saying this but we no longer have a cold front...it's aboojut 75 here....and as my teacher said, one of the worst things is an 84 degree Thanksgiving. I LOVE FLORIDA.

Colds, Bookfairs, and Other Things

I know, haven't posted for a while. acually, right after my brother and I drove up to look at the puppies, I got a cold two days later, and I don't deal with colds well. I'm generally miserable and don't feel like doing anything. Thank goodness, it's almost gone now, except for a slightly stuffy nose and a cough, I'm doing pretty good. I actually caught the cold from my brother, who was sick, and we shared the driving....and sitting in a small enclosed space (namely the car) with someone who is sick for nine hours total is a pretty good gauruntee you'll get sick too.....
Yesterday I went to the Bookfair with my friend SS, and a friend of hers. It was lots of fun, I had a blast. Got 5 books, two of which I got signed by the authors there, which was cool. Also, the weather was awesome, it didn't go above 70 and it's supposed to be cool like that for the rest of this week. I LOVE this weather. Last winter was pretty warm, but this winter we've gotten at least two cold fronts. I just wish it would stay like this for the next couple of months, but we're lucky when it lasts a week.
A friend of mine will be coming down from Baltimore in December and I can't wait! Actually, this is the same friend I always stay by when I'm in Baltimore, so it'll be nice to be able to return the favor, and we'll be able to do lots of stuff. I'm hoping that we'll go to Disney...anyways, I gotta go now, have to run to class. Just wanted to post an update since I've been pretty neglectful lately. THough as I mentioned, unless you wanted to hear how miserable my cold made me, not much to tell....

Puppies Puppies Puppies!!!!!

Yes, I know, I'm ridiculously hyper. I saw the puppies today!!!! They were SO CUTE!!!! I'll post some pictures up of them, and I just have to mention we're gonna be bringing one home in two weeks!!! YAY!!!!

The trip was good, my bro didn't drive me crazy at all (though I might have driven him a lil nuts with me being so hyper....) And the trip actually took more than I thought, about 9 hours total. I know, my family is nuts....anyways, here are some pics of the pups, enjoy!

Just a Few More Days....

Ok, I know I often talk about my brother, I live with him, I'm pretty close with him, but he has a tendency to drive me bonkers, that's what brother's do after all....problem is, he's 17, four years younger than me, but he often acts more like he's 7. And it's not that he has issues with long car rides, we've both done much longer car rides than a mere three and a half hours each way...but this time, for the first time, it's just the two of us, without my mother in the car. The good thing though is that since I'll be driving for the most part (he hates driving my car, but I'm hoping he'll take over some as well) there are parts where I will have to say, don't bother me I have to concentrate,and I know he WILL shut up then. That, and I went out and bought some things to keep him entertained. CDs, a movie, maybe even a book....whatever, anything that will keep his mouth shut. Maybe I should get duct tape too, just in case.....nah, I'm kidding, though I think during the trip I might be tempted.
I've been asked, why do we go to a breeder to get our dog, why not a shelter? We have several reasons not to get from a shelter, or a puppy store. Often times, pups that are in shelters came from something called a "puppymill" meaning that there was no pedigree involved, there is a good chance that later on the dog will develop problems, and get sick. By that point of course, the owner is too attached to the dog to bring it back and will spend thousands of dollars on vet bills. Secondly, with dogs in a shelter, you can't tell what their temperment will be like when you bring them home. Will they get along with the cats, will they be scared of everything they see, will they be aggresive towards everything and everyone, and those are not questions the people working at the shelters can answer. With a reliable breeder, they bring the puppies up by hand, make sure they're used to ppl and will get along with the family, they can pick out the pp most likely to get along with our family lifestyle, the pups are less likely to develop problems later on bec they have been bred from good lines with healthy bones. A reliable breeder will keep in touch with you, and you can always call them up to ask questions. Yes, it's a bit more money, but in my opinion it is totally worth it.
I think this answers a couple of questions, yes? If not, feel free to ask away, I'll answer the best that I can. Anyways, I got to go study for my test today, wish me luck!
FINAL NOTE: The last and probably biggest reason, *I* am not the one making the decision, not am I the one dishing out the money. My mother is. You have issues, take it to her, she'd be more than happy to explain why she'd rather go to a breeder than to a shelter.

Lakewood, Voting and Puppies

Lakewood was interesting, though to quote my friend that I was staying by its also "one of the most messed up places ever." The weekend I was there, there was a chicken shortage, apparently no chicken to be found anywhere in Lakewood, which was to me amusing, to the people of Lakewood, rather less so. I went to the wedding, had a blast, got to see friends I hadn't seen in a year, and the friend I stayed by I hadn't seen in two years, since she got married as a matter of fact. All in all, a great time, though I have definetly decided I never want to move to Lakewood.
Today I'm going to go vote after my afternoon class, and hope that it doesn't take TOO long, I'd like to be able to get to my evening class on time. Luckily, the place where I vote is within walking distance so it should all be good.
And on Sunday I'm going up to Tampa with my brother to look at the puppies. No, we're not bringing one home yet, they're only six weeks old, can't leave their mother till they're eight weeks. So two weeks after that, we'll be bringing one home. I can't wait to see them, so excited about that. However, the one thing I am most certainly NOT excited about, is sppending 6 to 8 hours in the car with my brother.... I really hope he doesn't drive me too nuts.

I'm in New Jersey!

I got in a few hours ago and now am using my aunt's computer for this update, I know, I've not been updating as of late, but hacven't had much to say. Lessee...I learned how to play hearts (the card game) lost the first game miserably because most of my attention was on a psychology textbook (not my own, CJ's sister's) the next day i played again and won because the textbook wasn't in front of me.
So tomorrow I'm going to Lakewood, and going to see one of my roommates for the first time since she got married, which was two years ago almost! Looki8ng forward to seeing her and one of my other roomie who will be there for shabbos. And I have decided that I am SO glad I don't live up north, I am FREEZING here. I'm glad I'm only up here a few days, I don't think I'd be able to stand a lot longer of this! Anywaysm just making up for my lack of posts and once i have a computer again. I'll update on how the wedding was adnd my impressions of Lakewood.

Or Not....

Apparently we're NOT going up to North Carolina this weekend. It appears that the woman was advertising herself as something other than the actual deal, so our plan fell through. On the other hand, next week , G-d willing, my mother and brother will be going up to a breeder in Tampa to look at puppies. No, we won't e getting one right away, they can't generally leave the mother till they are 8 weeks old, and these puppies will only be four weeks old. I will not be going because I will be in New Jersey and going to a friend's wedding. Oh, and it was not wet during succos, except for a bit of drizzle here and there, the weather was gorgeous with a nice breeze and not unbearably hot, thank goodness for that. The sukkah was only wet the first night, we had a gigantic puddle in the sukkah, but it pretty much disappeared by the second day.
And while driving today, I have decided for perhaps the millionth time, that people can't drive.

Eeeeeeeeeek!

Ok...maybe that's not the most mature response I could have had...but guess what? I don't really care. That was my response this afternoon when my mother called me and told me that we would be driving up to NC to look at PUPPIES!!!!!! English Golden Retriever puppies! I'm SO excited! On my way home I had a hard time keeping a big stupid grin off my face and if I hadn't been driving at the time, I would have been hopping around like a demented bunny. Have I mentioned I'm REALLY excited? Oh, and it looks like tonight, the first night of sukkos, will be rainy....sigh, I hate sitting in wet sukkahs...
And shockingly, my brother is spending the first two days of sukkos by one of his rebbeim. I am speechless.

I got a hairbrush stuck...

in my hair, and I had to have it in all shabbos. And then, after shabbos it took 6 hours to get it out of my hair, because my mother refused to cut my hair. I never want to smell olive oil again. I had it in my hair, and after a while, I got REALLY sick of the smell. How did a hairbrush get stuck in my hair? My mother was trying to blowdry it, but she used this small round brush, that was a little bit odd...and it didn't really work with my hair...so it was stuck in my hair for about a total of 30 hours...I don't think I'll ever use a round brush again, at least, not without a professional hairdresser weilding it. The last time I got a hairbrush stuck in my hair (yes, it happened before, but this time at least, it wasn't my fault) My mother just chopped it off, because it was right before carpool came for school, and I was only 8. Wouldn't have had the patience for her to work on my hair. Hopefully, never again. And I'll make sure not to have those brushes in my house so that my kids don't tdo that, because unlike my mother, I'm not sure I have that much patience!

Rosh Hashanah

Yeah, I know, I haven't blogged in a few days, but there's not been much to blog about. How was Rosh Hashanah? Fine, I got rained on, but otherwise it was good. Oh wait, my favorite lines over Rosh Hashanah:
"I never want th hear a New Yorker complain about going out in the rain {in New York} again!" - CJ, as we were walking back to her house during a thunderstorm.
"Ha! I know what facebook is and you don't! I'm hip and cool!" - my mother to my step-father. She actually had no idea what facebook was until 2 that afternoon when I had told her about it.
And having my brother not home for Rosh Hashanah felt weird, but otherwise I was perfectly happy with that. And he won't be home for Shabbas either, he'll be spending it on the Beach (Miami Beach) for a friend's bar mitzvah. Not much else to report....anyways, will blog when I can actually think of something. I know I thought of some over Rosh Hashanah, but now I can't recall a single one! Oh well, that's the way it always is.

L'Shana Tova Everyone!

Rosh Hashanah is tonight, and I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, wonderful new year. Amazingly my brother is going to be spending Rosh Hashanah away from home by one of his rebbeim. Do you have any idea how big a thing that is? He hasn't been away from home for Rosh Hashanah since...well, never!! It's going to be weird, but good for him, since this means he'll actually go to shul. Anyways, I need to go get ready, I'll try to update after rosh hashanah.

Yesterday was the First Day of Fall

Who noticed it getting cooler? Not me, I can tell you that. It's probably not going to get cool here for another few months. There's a reason September is the height of hurricane season. LWt me give you an idea of the weather, it's about 84 degrees out, it feels like it's 90..and that's the way it's going to feel for quite a while longer. Forget fall, I can't wait for winter!

First Time...

that I've seen a billboard for a Judaica store.

That was Cool!

So on Friday I got to hold a wild bird. It flew into one of our windows (omething of an unusual occurrence, though not that unusual) and it fell onto the patio, stunned. It was just sitting there, out in the open, without cover with its beak open. Now, Boots saw this poor helpless thing on the patio and crouched by the sliding glass doors. So my mother sent me out to pick it up and put it somewhere safe. I put it on a bush, ran inside to get my camera, and took some pictures of it on the bush. But those weren't so good, so I picked it up again and took a couple of pictures of it on my finger. Then I tried to put it back on the bush again, and that was when it came ojut of shock and zipped away. But it was pretty cool. Pics of the bird are below.

Prompt 13: "I had the weirdest dream about you."

“I had the weirdest dream about you last night.” Alan said with out preamble, as he walked into the kitchen. I didn’t even look up from the newspaper in front of me, as I spooned cereal into my mouth as fast as humanly possible. His comment was not unusual, perhaps one morning a week he made that statement. I swallowed my last bite of cereal, and before taking a swig of coffee, asked offhandedly, “Oh, and what was it about this time? What makes it any weirder than any of the others?”
Alan had shuffled around to the coffeemaker and poured himself a cup. His cup had a happy little leprechaun on it, jigging around with a bubble coming out of its mouth saying “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” Alan was your stereotypical Irishman, a towering bear of a man, with unruly red hair, and forest green eyes, that lightened or darkened with his mood. This morning, they were light with cheer, a good thing as far as I was concerned. He sat down at the table, his immense size dwarfing the chair he sat on, as well as making the table feel a whole lot smaller. The chair creaked, I winced. I’m positive that one day that chair will one day give up the battle and deposit Alan’s bum right on the floor.
“Well, you were in the forest, like every other dream,” he began, and paused while he took a gulp from his mug. “But this time was different, this time you had a companion. It was a wolf, but not one of those little wolves around here, a real wild huge wolf, like what used to roam Ireland before people. You were dressed like a regular warrior, and you seemed to be talking to the wolf. Well, arguing more like it which is not that unlike you in real life.” He shot a quick grin at me, I smiled tightly back. “We Irish might be known for our tempers but you, Sean, you take the cake!” I nodded at him, and gestured with my spoon for him to go on with the dream. It was always considered wise to hear other’s dreams about you. He took another gulp of his coffee, and went on. “Well, finally the wolf gave in, and he led you to a cliff that overlooked a port town. Nothing like what’s around nowadays, a real old-fashioned place this was, y’know dirty and smelly and all that. Anyways, you went down, but when you got into the town, the people looked…different. They all looked like animals! Fur, tails, the whole nine yards, but they all walked about on their hind legs, and went about human business like it was perfectly normal. Suddenly, I see that you too look like that, still dressed the same, but now you look like a wolf, the same wolf that was your companion earlier. After that, ypu charted a boat, and seemed to prepare for a long voyage. At that point, I woke up.” He leaned back, a speculative look in his eye, “I wonder what that dream meant…”

Completely Random Observatrion

Hebrew sounds very odd when spoken with a thick french accent.

Flying in Dreams

Last night I dreamt that I flew to my friends house. I love flying dreams...except for the factr that in this one I had to flap my arms to get into the air and fly. I'm sorry, but that just is not cool. It looks incredibly dumb, as a matter of fact. But, hey, at least I flew, and barely managed to avoid crashing into several trees and a building. My flying skills need work apparently.

The Night Sky

What do you think of when you look up at the night sky and see the stars? Ok, not an easy thing to see in or near a city, but I assume everyone has seen the Milky Way at least once, yes? What is the first thought that crosses your mind when looking up at those stars that are so far away? Science says we are looking at history, light that started out from the stars years and years ago, and only reach the earth now. Tradition in some cultures says we look at the souls of those who have gone before. We are looking out into the darkness, the vaccum of space...and it never fails to make us feel small and insignificant. (Well, me at least, as well as some others I know...) The stars play out mythology of ancient long gone cultures that we still recall today. As many as the stars....

Narrative Traveling Essay

While going through my files, I found this. An essay that I had written for one of my composition classes, and it makes good post fodder. Enjoy!
What is every traveler’s worst nightmare? I will tell you, it is arriving at their destination and finding out that their luggage has been sent somewhere else. That is what happened to me two summers ago, as I embarked on a year long journey to study half way around the world. I was very excited. It was only my second time flying by myself, but this time I was headed for Jerusalem, Israel. This was something I had been planning for as long as I could remember. My parents had agreed that upon graduating high school, I could spend a year in a post-high school program in Israel, where I could pursue my religious studies and gain some independence at the same time. Little did I know at the time how quickly I would learn about the challenges that accompany independence. I was en-route from Florida to New York, and once in New York I would have to get my luggage and get ready to connect my next flight. The first flight went very smoothly, not much trouble to speak of, and then we landed in Kennedy Airport in New York. I got off the plane and made my way down to the luggage carousel to get my three, fifty-pounds, giant bags of luggage. After all, I was going to be in Israel for almost a year. When I first arrived at baggage claim one of my bags appeared pretty early. I had arranged for a porter to pick up my luggage and help me bring it to the next terminal where the International flights departed. I stood at the carousel and we waited, and waited, and waited some more. After what seemed like an eternity, the carousel stopped. It took me about 15 minutes to realize nothing else was going to come off.
That was when things started to get interesting. I went to the luggage claims office and I told them my luggage had not arrived. “We’ve been waiting for you to come in.” One of the women said. “Hold on while I look for your -” She asked me for all my flight information, which I gave her, and she started putting the information into the keyboard of the computer. When she finally found it, she told me that an error had been made. Instead of sending my other tow pieces to Kennedy Airport, it had been sent to LaGuardia Airport. It was the in the same city, but given how ineffective the baggage claims works and how bad the New York traffic is, it might as well have been in California. The woman politely informed me that it would take them at least three hours to get the luggage over to Kennedy airport/ I didn’t have that kind of time. I had to be by the other airline leaving for Israel by then!
I called my mother to let her know what was happening. My mother was livid. She had intended to fly with me to New York, but at the last minute my little brother got sick and she opted to let me handle flying by myself. She insisted on speaking to the lady in luggage claims. I’m not exactly sure what she said, but the woman was thoroughly chastened. In one brief phone call the situation changed from me getting my baggage in three hours, to getting it in one hour. “Your mother is pretty scary, you know that?” she asked me. I smiled, I knew.
I sat there for an hour waiting literally on the edge of my seat for my luggage to arrive. When it finally did, I was very relieved. I jumped up out of the chair and thanked the woman. She smiled somewhat nervously, I think she was glad to see me leave, andnot have to deal with my mother anymore. Fortunately for me, the porter was still waiting to take my luggage, so I handed it to him and we went to the terminal for the International flights. Then I gave him a very generous tip and thanked him.
After that, things went pretty smoothly. I had to wait another six hours to board my flight, and I met some of the girls who would be my class mates for the next year. When we finally got to Israel, I waited anxiously for my bags to arrive, praying that the same thing would not happen again. Happily, it did not. I got all of my luggage, right on time. Some of the other girls weren’t so lucky though. A few had to wait three days, and in some cases, even a week to get the rest of their luggage.
I have traveled a lot since that time and thankfully have never had to go through that again. I’ve learned to always have a carryon with all the essentials I might need to get me through a few days without my luggage. And, most importantly, I never take for granted that my luggage will arrive in a timely fashion. I am always very grateful when everything I checked in mysteriously re-emerges out of the black hole in the wall in the carousel.

Compy Fixed!

My computers working now, though apparently it had a lot of infections that had o be wiped off. And I also aooarently have a lot of junk on my computer that I really should be getting rid of. I just need to make time for it this week. Anyways, I'm so glad to have my computer back! I missed not being able to blog and actually I composed a few posts in my head, and guess what? The moment i got on the computer I forgot what they were. *sigh* Well, maybe I'll remember them.

Computer Broke

My computer broke today, and tomorrow I'll be bringing it in to be fixed. At the moment I'm using my mother's computer. Hopefully my computer will be up and running by tomorrow night. If not, I'll be on hiatus, or updating sporadically for a bit. Just bear with me. Thanks y'all.

My Favorite Song

College This Semester

Keeping true to my last several semesters here, I met someone is Jewish, but not religious, though the rest of thier family is. In this case, it's one of my teachers. *Sigh* It's getting kind of depressing.
All my professors this semester are good, but I've decided I really dislike online classes, there is absolutely nothing that will get me motivated for those classes. I've made some friends, (kind of, people that I talk to at least.) I start one more class tomorrow, and I wonder how that will go. This semester I'll be missing more classes than before, due to the holidays, but what can you do? At least all of my professors are understanding about it (even if they've never heard of some of these holidays, like Sukkos) So far my favorite classes are Psych (no surprise there) and history, the teacher is very good at getting you interested in the subject. I have my first test this week. and am not looking forward to it, mainly cause for me, first tests are always the ones I do the worst at. I don't have a very good idea of how the teacher tests, and so I mess up. Oh well, I just have to hope I don't do TOO badly.

Sigh of Relief

It no longer looks like Hurricane Ike will hit us, however, it's going to hit Cuba, perhaps go into the gulf much reduced. Unfortunately there are a couple of other storms we have to keep an eye on. The latest prediction for Ike looks like this.

Hurricane Ike

I hate hurricanes. Currently, there's Hurricane Ike, it's a cat. 4 (really bad) and if it stays it's current course, it'll hit us, still at cat. 4 strength (even worse) I just really really hope it either decreases in strength, or turns some other way. We still have four days, so it's just wait and see.

I Miss...I Treasure

I miss....coming home to a happy face, and wagging tail.
I miss....old friends.
I miss....seeing the old city of yerushalayim.
I miss....praying at the kotel.
I miss....when the world was simple.
I miss....staying up late to laugh with my friends.
I miss....when my imagination was unlimited, and I could do or be anything I wanted.
I miss....the joy that a simple touch could bring.
But Life goes on.
I treasure.....the memory of that happy face and wagging tail.
I treasure.....memories of old friends, and the new ones I've made.
I treasure.....the rembrarnce of seeing the old city at dawn
I treasure.....the hope that I'll be there again some day.
I treasure.....my memories of a simple world.
I treasure.....the chances I got to be with my friends.
I treasure.....my ability to dream, and be unlimited once more.
I treasure.....the joy that comes from holding tight to a friend.
And Life goes on.

It seemed like a good idea at the time

That is one of my favorite excuses for someone doing something dumb. "Why did you set your shirt on fire?" "It seemed like a good idea at the time." "Why did you light the street on fire?" "It seemed like a good idea at the time." "Why did you decide to do jumping jacks at 4 in the morning?" "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Actually, between 3 and 5 in the morning, almost anything seems like a good idea at the time. But that's just my experience. And the look you get after giving that excuse is priceless.
By the way, EOW, this post is dedicated to you.

Seeing is Believing

Perhaps this should have gone under the "Ineffective Arguing" post, but I feel it deserves it's own post. (THat, and I don't feel like going back and revising it) People are creatures of the senses. For a lot of people they feel that, if I can't feel it with one of my senses, it doesn't exist. People are also incredible at deluding themselves that one thing looks onw way, when in reality, it's completely different. Take, for example, a woman who believes her son can do no wrong: "He's a good boy, he's a good boy, he's a good boy....WHAT?! What do you MEAN he was just arrested for selling cocaine?!" There is a terrific example of someone who bleinds themselves to what's right in front of them. Perhaps the saying should be, "Believing is seeing." It always amazes me the extant to which people can fool themselves.

We Found Him.

Wishbone is no more. As I write this, I fight back tears, and fail. My brother found him on the side of the highway. He was coming back from a bar-mitzvah with a friend, and when he saw Wish, he called me, absolutley frantic, to get Imma. My step-father took Wish to the Humane Society to be buried. It's so hard to deal with this, to realize he's gone. It's not like I haven't dealt with pets' deaths before, but it's always hard. Like a friend who loved you unconditionally is gone. And, yet, despite my tears, I know that life will go on, That it will, eventually, resume normalcy. U ntil then, I'll hide my tears behind a mask, because I cannot bear the pity, and the sympathy. But until then, I lie in my bed every night, and cry, as I mourn the passing of a faithful friend and companion. I'll miss you Wishie.

The Need for Belief

Anywhere there is a civilization of humans, there is a belief system. Go back through history, and every single culture that has been on this little green and blue planet, you will find a belief system no matter how simplistic or complicated it may be. People have always had a need to believe in something bigger that Someone had (has) Plans for us, that we were put here for a reason. That’s not to say that there aren’t people who believe with all their hearts that we got here by accident, that nature just plopped us here for no good reason. With nothing else in mind but for us to survive until something came and would wipe us out, leaving nothing but ruins for whatever came next to find. But what a depressing view of life that is! There’s nothing to strive for? There’s nothing but to eat or be eaten? Why strive at all if we have no greater purpose? And yet, it’s human nature to strive, to look for the next best thing that we can find, or create. We are curious creatures, we look at the stars and wonder what is out there, what can we find? We believe that there is something to strive for, something beyond our understanding. That we don’t truly end when we die. We are creatures with the ideas of hope, justice, mercy, good and evil. We have systems of government more complex than the hierarchy of any animal group. And so, we believe. For without belief, we are just another kind of beast, with nothing to hope, live and grow for.

My step-father was telling my mother and I about a client of his who he thinks has OCD. One moment the guy is nice and normal, the next he flips out. My mother said, does he go "NOOOOooooooo!" When you pick him up? My step-father looked at her a bit oddly and said," I don't pick him up. " My mother looked at me and said, "Mak knows whatt I'm talking about." I grinned, and we chorused, "NOOOOOooooo!" My step-father looked back and forth between us, and said "You know you're nuts, right?" "NOOOOooooo!"

Note: It has to be heard for the full impact. But we were making a reference to my kitten, she makes that noise when she doens't want to be picked up, but I do so anyways. We're convinced she has OCD, because everytime after we touch her, she bathes that spot. In conclusion, Yes, we are crazy. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Our Dog Ran Away

On Shabbos morning, at about 8 am, Wish got out and ran away. We weren't able to go after him really and so now he's lost. Tomorrow I'm going to go around the neighborhood putting up flyers, and I really hope someone finds him. Or even better, if he finds his way home himself. Only one other time was he away for so long, but he found his way home, and he was back by 10 at night.I really hope he's alright.

Ineffective Arguing

It's hard to convince someone of something, if they don't want to listen in the first place. They'll say, try to convince me, but once you start talking, they metaphorically shut their ears and go 'la. la, la, I can't hear you!' But part of the problem is that they are denying that they are shutting thier ears in the first place, claiming that they are 'open-minded' and are 'un-biased'. Yeah, right. If I know that you do not want to hear what I have to say, and I know that shoving my ideas down your throat are going to push you farther away, why even open my big mouth? Try arguing with someone who feels they are absolutely in the right, and NOTHING you will say will change their mind. Maybe over time, as life passes, they'll realize that it was not as they thought, or they'll continue believing that they are right. Changing people is difficult, and the first step must always be, that the person themself wants to change, and wants to be convinced. Otherwise, you might as well be banging your head against a brick wall for all the good you do. It's incredibly hard to just stand by and watch someone you care about ruin thier life, but if they don't see it, if they keep denying it, there is nothing you can do. And one of the worst feelings in the world is just standing by, knowing you're absolutely helpless.

My Brother's in NY

Well, not now, but he was yesterday. He went up for a friend's chasunah yesterday, and he came back this morning. Apparently he had an interesting time. He spoke to an older Jewish couple in the airport, and the husband had asked if he was going to a chasunah. (Since he was dressed up in a suit with a tie and cufflinks, I guess it was kind of obvious) The wife pointed to the book my brother was reading and said that she had read it a few years ago and it was a very good book. (Note: the book was Lions on Lucerene, by Brad Thor, not exactly the kind of book you would picture her reading, he said)At the chasunah, a woman approached him (she was the chosson's aunt) and said "Hi, I'm friendly. Want to play Jewish Geography?" My brother found out that he stinks at Jewish Geography. He was one of the last to leave, and the chosson's parents drove him to the airport. He stayed awake all night, till he got on his flight at 5:40 this morning. Then he slept. He knew he couldn't fall asleep in the airport, because once he falls asleep. nothing short of an earthquake will wake him up. Anyways, he had fun, and it was his first wedding. All is good now.

Going Stir-Crazy

Earlier, I was sitting at my computer, staring at the computer screen, thinking "What the heck am I going to write?" After several abortive attempts, getting up and walking aound the house, sitting down to stare at the computer again, I decided for the moment, to just forget it and get out of thed house. I was going a little bonkers and if I didn't get out of the house I'd go nuts. So I did go out for a few hours, run a few errands, and now I don't feel like tearing anyone's head off. It used to be I could just stay inside for a couple of days before I needed a change of scenery. Now however, I can only stand a few hours. It's a good thing I have a car, for the sake of my sanity and those around me.

Discworld

I have mentioned that Discworld is one of my favorite series. Anyone who can guess three of the reasons I like it get a cookie. (Hint: they're all in my bio) I've read almost all the books (except for ones not readily available at bookstores or our library) and I brought about half my Discworld collection to sem with me. I introduced several people at sem to the series, and shared my books. Now, I'm just waiting, like every other Pratchett fan for the next books, or the next movie, to come out. I know that there are other Discworld fans that read my blog, so a couple of quick questions: Favorite book? Favorite Sub-series (Watch, Witches, Death, Rincewind) ?Favorite characters (even though, yes, it is so very hard to pick)? Oh, and finally, which book would you like to see be made into a movie next?

Seminary Memories

Just to have them up here, little drabbles of memories.
Staying up till 2 a.m., the lights were supposed to shut off at twelve but someone fiddled with them the first night....Our plumbing no longer working and so the shower overflowed and all thw water came into the center of our dira...Clean up on Sundays, the powow with the garbage acting asz the "fire" and DBH dancing around it, singing at the top of her lungs, my roommates dressed up as Russian cleaning ladies...at the end of the year, working on the yearbook going several nights with no sleep, at around 5 am desperately wishing for bed....Staying up all night wandering around the old city Yerushalayim on succos with one of my roomates, I made friends with a kitten by the kosel...tiyulim, we were all so sore after our first one and having to go up four flights of stairs was sheer torture....my dira's "wall of happiness", basically just a bunch of cute quotes, and we had a hieght chart as well...walking all over Har Nof with SCC, and walkinmg to geulah and tachanah merchazit....

A Realization

I finally realized something. I am absolutely obsessed with my kitten, Mittens. All of my readers are probably thinking "Mak, we've known that for ages, why did it take you so long to realize it?" Well, I took a look at all the pictures I have on my camera...more than half are of Mittens! So I'd say I'm just a bit obsessed. Here are some pics, showing how she's grown.

The Funniest Thing

I saw this when Iwas in Myrtle Beach, and my brother went to the shooting range. Part of the range was also a civil war museum. I saw this and started laughing, my mother came over and started laughing as well. What do you think of it?

Fun In NY

Shopping, staying by my aunt's, setting her alarm off, the cops coming, going to airport, whole mixup with planes staying overnight...or actually only 7 hours at a nearby hotel, realizing just how big JFK airport really is, going back and forth on the little monorail at JFK while trying to figure out the whole mess up with the flights

Tropical Storm Fay

Thanks to Tropical Storm Fay, I didn't have class today, and I don't have class tomorrow either. So the good news is no class, the bad news is that it's due to a tropical storm, but at least it's not a hurricane. Our area (all of South Florida) is only expected to really get the out bands of the storm, it's expected to make landfall farther to the north and on the west coast of Florida. I'm just hoping that my flight out won't get canceled. I'm going to be in NY for two days, shopping. I mentioned a while ago about the challenge my mother set me? So since I passed it we're going to get me new clothes because my closet is two thirds empty. I'm looking forward to it. Again, assuming my flight doesn't get cancelled.

Frum in Myrtle Beach

We were able to actually eat out and order chalahs while we were in Myrtle Beach thanks to the local Chabad. My brother met the Rabbi of the Chabad at Walmart, and he gave my mother his card. So thanks to him we were able to get Challahs for shabbos. (Our alternate plan was to have them fedexed up to us) Then, when we went to a tourist gift shop (I think it was called pacific or some such thing) the owner was a religious bearded Jew. Not what I expected. Anyways, he gave us directions to a kosher restaurant, and we were able to eat out, which is a real novelty on a beach vacation. It's so nice that Chabad is everywhere!

What I did on Vacation

Monday - Awakened at 5:30 am by the fire alarm, we had to go down 16 flights of stairs, and then wait 15 minutes to finally get on the elevator back up was given (5 minutes after we got down) fire alarm went off again at 8:30 and again twenty minutes later. My mother and I did not g downstairs those times, because by then it was pretty clear that some kid was playing a prank. My brother went down however. He mentioned that the first time, 4 fire rescue trucks, the second time 3 showed up and the third time only one showed up. And all the fire alarms came from the 14th floor. (Really the 13th but they don't have that as a floor) We went on Dolphin Watch, we saw a pod of dolphins and I lost my long cherished CIA hat.
Tues. - We rented a boat for 4 hours, my brother drove it, we stopped on a deserted beach and I collected shells. We also saw two small crabs, watching them walk was odd.
Weds. - We went to the IMAX and saw two films, The Grand Canyon, and Monsters of the Deep, both were pretty good. It rained all day.
Thurs. - Went miniature golfing, and went to Barefoot landing, a tourist shopping place. Also went to the shooting range where my brother rented a gun for half hour. He did pretty good on the target. There was also a civil war museum in the shooting range, I took quite a few pictures there.
Fri. - My brother and I went Jet skiing for the first time, I had loads of fun, but my bum and back are rather sore today.We drove down to Rita's for ice cream, and then we went to see TIGERS!!! There was the cutest little baby tiger, it couldn't have been more than four weeks old, and it was falling asleep while people were taking pictures with it. There were four really big tigers, they were gorgeous, and quite a few cubs. I wasn't able to take pictures however because I forgot my camera at the apartment. Go figure. I have decided that I would love to volunteer t wok with tigers this semester. I think that would be an incredible thing to do! I start classes on Monday, and I'm taking five this term...we shall see if I get anything interesting to post about from college (it's almost guaranteed at least once...)

Fabricati Diem, Pvnc (Apology to Pratchett fans)

I get quite a few hits from Pratchett fans who type "Fabricati Diem, Pvnc" into whatever search engine, and my blog comes up among the first of the list, with that as a title of my post. Of course, the post itself has absolutley nada to do with Pratchett or the Disceworld series. So, since this will probably show up as well on the search engines, to all Pratchett fans, sorry that it's misleading, maybe I will do a whole Ddiscworld post, just so I don't get lynched by a mob.

Vacation

On Friday, we left at 6 in the morning and drove to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It took about 12 hours to finally get here, but we arrived with an hour and a half to spare before shabbos. I spent most of Tish B'Av sleeping, and trying to stave off the gigantic headache that was inevitable. Broke my fast on bagel and cream cheese and feel so much better. However, since I slept so much, I'm still wide awake now, at 2 am. We'll be here for a week, and hopefully I'll be able to update, and put up some pics of Myrtle beach, and all the things we'll be doing here.

An Apology (of sorts)

So yesterday, my brother drove me up the wall, bonkers. Today however, he hepled me out a lot. He helped me bring my car to get fixed, then went on errands with me afterwards. He helped me do some other stuff and all was good. And then, this evening, while I'm at CJ's house, he calls me and tells me that Abba drove by and saw someone braking into my car. I freaked, though right there, that should have been my first clue, if Abba had seen it, he either would have done something about it or called me himself. But, I wasn't paying attention, so I ran out to my car, but there was no one around. I was still on the phone with my brother, and I said, "There's no one there, there's just a sticker on my window." It was a sticker of a baseball going halfway through the window. If done well, those things can look pretty realistic, this thing...didn't. My brother pulls around the corner in his van laughing his head off. I got really, really pissed. You do NOT call someone and say something like that. Especially not as a prank! So, he might have "apologized" for yesterday's misbehyavior, but he's going to have to do something serious for this.

Rant: Florida Drivers

I know I have ranted about this before, but I feel there are a couple of things that cannot be stressed enough. 1) Turn signals: they are on the car for a reason! Use them! And when you don't use them, don't be surprised that people aren't letting you in the lane, and are in your blind spot! Which leads me to: 2) Watch where you are going!!!! There are other cars on the road, and other people are in these cars, we are not mind readers, we can't tell what your intentions are! So please, use your turn signals, be aware of what's around you, and there will be far fewer close calls and far less accidents!

I spent some "quality time" with my brother today for three hours, I had to take him down for a doctor's appt. For 2 hours and 10 minutes of those three hours, he drove me absoulutely bonkers. The rest of the time? He was asleep, or in the doctor's office. So, as a result of this "quality time" my temper is a little frayed, hence; the rant. On the other hand, today I had my final and I am now done with Algebra! Whoot!

Prompt 10:

Prompt 10: A dentist is stabbed while he waits in line at the movies.
Mike Router stood in line at the movie ticket kiosk, and tapped his foot impatiently. This was taking forever! All he wanted was to sit in the nice, quiet, cool theater, watch a movie and just zone out and forget about life for awhile. Especially forget about work. Being a dentist was not an easy job, and he would be happy not to look at any more teeth for the rest of the day, more like for the rest of the month, but that wasn’t going to happen. He would settle for just a few hours of peace and mindlessness.
“Hey buddy! Could you spare a few?” Mike turned around and was immediately overwhelmed by a repulsive odor, rolling off the man that stood in front of him. The man had an unlovely smile on his worn face, and held out his hand in supplement. He wore tattered clothes that had obviously seen better days, and his skin was dirty and oily. His eyes were small and beady, as well as shifty, and all in all, he rather reminded Mike of one of the rats that wandered the sewers of the city.
“Well, I guess a few wouldn’t hurt.” Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a few dollar bills. “Here ya go, five dollars. You could get a foot-long sub at Subway for that.” He grinned and turned back around to face the line. As he turned he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked down and saw a knife sticking out of his abdomen, blood dripping down his shirt. “Sorry bud,” he heard, before he blacked out, “but I really need the money.”

Prompt 11: "I'm never doing this again."

“I’m never doing that again,” I moaned, gripping my stomach and trying not to hurl. “Remind me again why I thought that was a good idea.” My buddy Sean, who was in the same position as I was, made a gagging sound, his only response. Most likely, he was afraid if he opened his mouth he would throw up, which would probably cause his father, who was driving us, to pull over and kill us for ruining his leather upholstery. “I told you boys that you would regret it,” he called over his shoulder. “But you didn’t listen, and now you’re paying.”
I told you so…why do you never listen? I’d heard that many times over the course of many years, usually aimed at myself and Sean. We had a habit of getting into trouble, and this latest mistake was probably one of our worst. I had come with a brilliant idea, or so I thought at the time, to go try out for Fear Factor’s latest challenge, but we had barely made it past the first steps. My stomach roiled at the memory of putting live cockroaches into my mouth. I had done it and immediately regretted it, that was the end of that brilliant plan.
“Dad, pull over! I’m gonna blow!” Sean groaned, and his father immediately went over to the curb. Sean threw open the door, just in time. Blurgh, splat! All of what Sean had for lunch, and probably some of his breakfast as well, landed on the street. I took advantage of the stop as well, and made my own contribution to the mess.

Amusing

- I was walking over to my friend CJ's house this afternoon, and I passed a guy on his way to shul. He was whistling the theme song to Woody Woodpecker.
- Friday morning I was woken up, at 7:17, about an hour earlier than usual, by my cell phone ringing. "I need you out of the house in 30 seconds! We're on the highway, by Exit 19." My mother tells me over the phone. "30 seconds! I'm not awake yet! There's no way I can get out of te house in 30 seconds!"She told me to just throw some clothes on and get out. While it did take me a bit more than 30 seconds, I was out of the house in 5 minutes, thinking all the while, "get out of the house in 30 seconds, what is she, nuts? That's just asking for an accident!" Fortunately, I did not get into an accident and I got over to her in no problem. It turned out her tire had blown on the highway, and my brother was going to miss his fishing boat. I got to the dock with 2 min. to spare, then went back home and slept for another hour. The day proceeded as usual after that. Reason for doing all that to get my brother on the boat? It makes it muc easier to live with him.
- I got my father a birthday present. A t-shirt that says "I still want my flying car!" He occasionally complains that it's already 2008 and that his generation was promised that by the year 2000 we would all have flying cars! It's a cute shirt and I hope he likes it. But I have no idea what to get for my mother. My parent's birthday is on the same day, they were born only an hour apart, and for me it means, I only have to remember one day, not two! But getting my mother a gift is a little bit harder, I have no ideas!