My Week in NYC

Okay, so I haven't been here quite a week, i'm leaving tomorrow, but I figured why not update? I actually didn't do much this past week. I saw a movie with my aunt the day after I came into NY, the movie was Sweeney Todd. No idea WHY I agreed to see that, I hate horror movies and I was afraid I would end up with nightmares after that. I didn't thank g-d, but I have had some very srange dreams this week. The next day I went to B&N to meet a friend, who I saw for all of 10 minutes because she was busy researching for a paper. After that I went to the Museum of Natural History with my friend CJ (who I'm staying by) and the museum has an exhibit with DRAGONS!!!!!! That made me very happy as you can imagine, and I bought a book on Dinosaurs for my dad. The next day we went to see a Broaday show (we saw Chicago). Actually we went out to lunch with a couple of other friends first, after we got the tickets for the show. Lots of fun! Next day was Friday, hung out in the apartment and watched a movie until we left for my aunts for shabbos. Shabbos was nice and relaxing, after shabbos we went to another friends and watched a movie and then went back to the apartnment. Today, we just hung out and relaxed,which was very nice. Actually, currently not relaxing at all. CJ's roomie is acting crazy and I'm having fun watching her torment CJ. Will post more after I get home.

New York, Here I Come!!

Okay, so I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going to NY for a week. My flight is tomorrow afternoon. In any case, I'm not sure whether or not I'll be blogging while I'm there. I can try, but no guarantees. I'm very much looking forward to it, but not so much to the cold, I prefer warm weather, one of the reasons I like living in Florida. But, anyways, I get to see some friends and have fun, and am really looking forward to it.

Favorite Authors

Since I really have absolutley NOTHING to blog about at the moment, I decided that instead, I'll make a list of some of my favorite author's and their books (or series)

1. Terry Pratchett - Discworld Series - it is, in my opinion at least, one of the BEST series out there. Incredibly funny, yet thought provoking as well. Satire on almost anything that you can imagine. Some of my favorite books in the series: Thud!, Going Postal, Moving Pictures, Jingo, Weird Sisters, and Reaper Man. Another book I like that is a collaboration between him and Neil Gaiman is Good Omens.

2. Tamora Pierce - She has several series: Song of the Lioness (4 books), The Immortals (4 books), Protector of the Small (4 books), Trickster's Choice & Trickster's Queen, Beka Cooper (3 books). These series are all set in Tortall. And the other set of series is The Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, and The Circle Reforged. I love all her books, both series.

3. Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files- wizardry in the real world, solving mysteries and using magic. Now that's my kind of thing!

4. Robert Asprin - Myth Adventures and Phule's Company. Myth adventures is pure fantasty, while Phule's Company is Pure Science Fiction. He is incredibly funny, with lovable characters. He also collaborates for some of his Myth Adventures books with Jody Lynne Nye.

5. Anne McCaffrey - The Dragon Riders of Pern - while this is completely Science Fiction, it includes dragons, so as you can guess, I absolutely love it. Faves: All the Weyrs of Pern, Dragon Flight, Dragon Quest, the White Dragon.

6. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl - a mix of fantasy and science fiction, it's a nice balance, while it's written for kids and is in the children's section, it's still immensly enjoyable. A criminal mastermind (who is only 12 years old) gets one over the fairies so he can get their gold.

7. Mercedes Lackey - Valdemar and Dragon Qaurtet (Joust, Alta, Sanctuary, Aerie) - Fantasy that includes talking horses and magic, the dragon books, I think are self explanatory. I am so there. Faves: All four dragon books, Arrows of the Queen, Take a Thief, Exile's Valor, Exile's Honor.

8. Diana Wynne Jones - a lot of books - complete fantasy writer, her books are very often confusing, until the end when everything becomes clear, and if everything isn't clear, you should read the book again. Even if you DID understand it, read it again, and you'll see things you missed the first time.

9. Eric Flint - 1632 and the books after that - I've only read the first book, but I have the others and really like it so far. Basically: send a town of West Virginia from the 21st Century to Germany in the middle of the 30 Year War. Like it says on the back "Freedom and Justice - American Style"

10. JRR Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings - I love those books, though wasn't thrilled with the movies.

11. Alexander Dumas - The Three Musketeers - One of the best books of all time. Definetly deserved to become a classic.

12. H.G. Wells - The Time Machine, War of the Worlds - both excellent books, though Time Machine was a bit depressing at the end.

13. Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Also two very good books

14. Isaac Asimov - I, Robot - incredible book, loved it the first time I read it.

Ooops

Er...I did say I would be updating more frequently didin't I? Heh, oops. Well, there hasn't been much to say in all honesty. I went to two wedding showers on Sunday for girls from my BY class and then I went and spent two days by my grandmother. I have a very close relationship with my Grandma since I am her oldest grandchild, and the only who can come up really frequently to stay overnight. Not to mention that I like to go up also because she buys me books or clothes, but it's enjoyable to spend time with her. Even if some of that time is spent trying to explain to her why religious Jews do certain things. Oh well.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that nothing has really come up for me to talk about. Except that I'm going to NY in less than a week and I'll be there for a week. YAY!!!

Black and White

There are some people that see situations, things and people, only in black and white, good or bad. Most of us, I believe, see everything in shades of gray. Those who see in only black and white are at the one and same time both limited and free. While they might not see the reason for a "necessary evil" or they might not see another person's point of view in a conflict, they also see clearer in a way. But when a perso sees all the shades of gray, how people can be good and bad at the same time, it's a bit more confusing. Take me and my brother for example. My brother is one of those people who sees everything in black and white, it's either good or it's bad, there is no grey area, no overlapping. If this person did something bad, then they're bad all the way through. Whereas I see it, that yes, this person did something bad, but that doesn't mean that there is no good him.

What brings this whole topic up? I found out something very personal that really affected me, but I can never tell my brother, because of his "black and white" view. He would lose all respect for the person involved. So, it's a little hard for me, but I don't think I ever will tell him.

Finished the Semester!

Yay!!!!! I took my last final this morning and I am now DONE for the semester! Woot! I have a three week break before my next semester begins. I'm going to NY for a week to visit some friends,and I get lots of relaxing time.
On a completely unrelated note, I am having a blast watching my kitten try to eat her collar while she's wearing it. I got her a new colla and made it a little loose on her so she could grow into it. The thing is that now she can see the little pink tag on it, as well a s the bell and she keeps trying to eat them, its really funny to watch.
Let's see, what else....I'm going to a chanukah party tonight at my high school principle's house and a lot of my highschool classmates will be there. Well maybe not a lot, but a few. And on Sunday I have two bridal showers to go to, both in the same area thankfully and are an hour apart. One at 10:30, the other at 11:30, like I said, thank goodness they're in the same area.
Um...anything else? Not really...anyways, hopefully more updates more frequently...for the next three weeks at least.

Here's a very good way to get exercise...

Chase the dog for six or seven blocks on a Friday afternoon. That's what I did on Friday anyway. See, I took him to the groomer and then when I cam eback to pick him up, he DID NOT want to go in the car. Since his collar was a little bit loose, when he backed up, it just went over his head, and off he went. I went after him, managing to keep him in sight, but every time I got close he would run. (He was stopping at every bush to "mark" it.) Finally, I got him cornered be hind a house and got the collar on, and tightened it, so he couldn't slip out, and then I had to walk back all six blocks. Fortunately, once the dog had started running,i had called my mother and she was on the main street, so I picked him up and shoved him in her car, went back home and put up my feet. They HURT. I was not wearing shoes for any kind of running and I don't ususally do that kind of sprinting. My shins hurt all day yesterday, but Baruch Hash-m I am doing much better today. Soooo, yeah, I had LOTS of fun on Friday.

And Now...

For a lecture on Florida Weather. Typically, in most of the US of A, there are four seasons, yes?

Well, in Florida there are three. These are: Wet Season, Dry Season, and Hurricane Season. The Wet Season begins around April and continues till mid October, during this time there are many thunderstorms, quick pouring showers that go off and on throught the afternoon, and general humidity. Then after the Wet Season the Dry season begins. All the grass becomes withered, and the broadcasters start predicting a drought (they do this EVERY year by the way, you'd think they'd learn better by now). And finally, there is Hurricane Season, which starts June 1 and ends November 31. Fortunately, the last couple of years there have been no hurricanes that hit Florida, from either coast, and it would be nice to think that that trend would continue, though I sincerely doubt that.

So, JDJ, when you come down to Miami, I really don't think you'll encounter much rain....unless you go the Everglades, then you might.

This post brought to you by: NOT WANTING TO STUDY FOR FINALS

Mittens: Then and Now

Well, my kitten is growing up. She was so little when we first brought her in! The picture on top was taken when she was proabably 5-6 weeks old, and the bottom picture was taken today. Right after I took the picture she went and bopped Boots (her mother) on the nose and then chased behind the table. Like most adolescents, she doesn't get along with her mother.

Basically this is a filler post until I come up with something real (probably after I finish my finals) My first final is tonight. Wish me luck!

Fun Stuff

This will certainly make you feel like an idiot in no time. I got 2/6 right...which just goes to show how demented I am, but we already knew that, didn't we?
And this is oh so true, at least for me.

Paving Paradise

But don't it always seem to go
You don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise to put in a parking lot
Paved paradise to put in a parking lot

I don't know who sings that, but it was playing on the radio today as I was driving back from dropping off my brother from work. And it's certainly true... You never really appreciate what you have until after the fact. Until after it's gone....
Don't mind me, I'm in a depressed mood, I have two papers due, and finals coming up. UGH.
I can't WAIT until the semester is over.

Happy Turkey Day!

Hamster Video

This video made me laugh and brightened up my day!

ADD

I'll admit, I had in mind something to post and then I got distracted and I forgot it. *sigh* I'm sorry... Maybe I'll remember it later.

In the meantime: a video for your viewing pleasure!

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Sara Rutti to put up seven weird or personal things about myself. First, as per usual the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list thier names and link to them.

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.



Alrighty, here I go, some really random and werd facts about me:

1. When I was little, I used to pray every night that my mother would suddenly not be allergic to cats anymore, and that when I grew up, I'd have a houseful of cats. Now, all 3 cats that I own, my mother is not allergic to, (actually, one ofthe cats is allergic to my mother, though that doesn't stop the cat from sleeping on her bed) and I'd say my house is full of cats, wouldn't you?

2. My favorite animal (real animal, not imaginary) is the tiger, specifically the Siberian Tiger. My other favorite animal is the wolf.

3. The first Broadway show I ever saw was Josef and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had the playbill for it for years, and I might still have it, somewhere in my closet.

4. My favorite color is blue. My car is blue, my pocketbook is blue, my room is blue/green, most of my clothes are blue, my eyes are blue...I like blue, you get it.

5. I wanted to be a teacher since 10th grade, took one course in education, and tutored a second grader, and realized that I am not cut out for teaching.

6. I love to collect stuffed, glass and plastic animals. (No big surprise there.)

7. I have a lot of odd dreams, and believe me, I mean ODD, as a friend of mine once said, odd fro me, would be a normal dream. I remember a lot of my dreams and I write them down in my dream journal.

Ok, got that done with, and now I tag: Jacob , come running, lakewood schmuck, bad4shidduchim ,halfshared, Brooklyn wolf, NJG

A sad Story

I saw this in CNN today, it's a very disturbing story.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/17/internet.suicide.ap/index.html

I would suggest going to the video part, as the text is not showing up for some reason.

Story; Part Two

The sailors working in the harbor stared at the small group going by with blatant curiosity. They were most definetely not a very typical group. As a matter of fact, the only one of the group who blended in with the locals was the short, dark Japanese girl, Miki. With short dark hair, flashing black eyes that were filled with mischief, and her cheeky little grin, Miki was perhaps the least unusual. Pyro, a tall, lanky sixteen year old, with long dark hair, a blond stripe going through the middle of it, and his fair skin and green eyes, stood out very much in the crowd. But, the one who drew the most stares, was Lisa. Tall, willowy blond, beautilfully bronze skin, with golden strands glowing in her hair, her eyes flashing sapphire, and her beautiful body swayed and sashayed and promised an interesting time for anyone willing to take her on.
Lisa looked around, searching for the best ship, the one that would have a captain easy to bribe, or control, with the fastest speed. Suddenly, she spotted it.
Ok, and that would be all I have at the moment, and I need to look up something about ships, which I have absolutely NO knowledge of. Not of this time period, not of this part of the world, nothing...*sigh* oh well, I guess I'll work on it some other time.

Story

They stood out on the docks, dressed as they were in such finery. Lisa was wearing a gown that was the height of fashion, with a lovely billowing frilly skirt. Lisa had insisted on it, and Pyro had resigned himself to the idea. Miki, of course, was thrilled, because she had never worn anything like it in her life. After all, she had been the daughter of a farmer, and farmers can’t afford fancy clothing. Lisa walked a few feet ahead while Miki and Pyro tried to keep up. “Now, when we get to the ship, don’t say a word! I’ll do the talking to the cpatain for us. Pyro, you’re going to be my brother, and Miki, I’m afraid you’ll have to play our servant.” She tossed out over her shoulder. “You really don’t look enough like us to pass for anything else.” “Well, that’s the understatement of the year,” Pyro muttered under his breath. Miki, walking beside him, over heard his comment. “Oh, I don’t mind.” She said cheerfully, her eyes dancing with amusement, but then she glared at him. “However, if you even think about treating me like a servant when we’re alone, I’ll box your ears.” And she would too. In the few weeks he had known her, Pyro had come to respect her threats, because she had a tendency to carry through with them. And while she might look small and dainty, that girl could really pack a punch! Caught up in his thoughts, Pyro almost walked straight out into the water. Only Lisa’s well timed grab stopped him from taking a involuntary swim in the harbor waters.

This is (or was) the beginning of a story that I started several months ago. I took some of the characters from a book my best friend, CJ, and I are writing. We've been writing it for the past three years, though it's been in production for more like eight years. Um...just re-read what I wrote and you probably would have no idea what is going on unless you know the background...oh well. Okay, all these characters just mentioned are Metanimii, otherwise known as witches. This takes place in 1687 in Japan at the moment. Miki is a 13 yr. old Japanese girl, whereas Lisa and Pyro are typical Americans (kind of, except for the fact that America is not a country yet) Lisa is anything but typical since she is the "daughter of the devil", actually the devil's creation. Pyro and Miki are her students. I think that's all you need to know for now. Leave a comment if there are any other questions. I might continue on with this story since it will probably never make it into the book and this is the only way I'll get it out.

My personality

I took a quiz on facebook and this is the results I got back. I'm not entirely sure of it's accuracy though.

Temperament
Flexible
Nothing seems to bother you - you sail through life crisis free. It's not that your life doesn't have its ups and downs, it's just that you handle everything without unnecessary drama and antics. You approach each day fresh, not worrying about yesterday or tomorrow. You are confident that you can handle anything that comes your way and experience has shown that you are absolutely right about this.

Interests
Simple
You are continually pursuing a simpler and less complicated life - you don't allow yourself to fall victim to all of the "should do's" that society continually bombards you with. You are thoughtful about your life choices and think in terms of yourself, others and the world in which we live. You have a great sense that we are part of something much bigger and we must be good to others, if we want others and the world to be good to us.

Amusement
Thoughtful
You are easily stressed out and overwhelmed - you need to take care of yourself first and foremost. Because you tend to be self reflective, you know your limits quite well and must remember to not exceed those limits. When you overwhelm your life with obligations and responsibilities, you tend to shut down and go into yourself even further. Take some time to find your serenity and kick back your feet.

Passion
Traditional
Your notions about romance are viewed as unrealistic by many, but don't let that stop you. When you think of romance, you think of huge gestures of commitment, sacrifice and love like we see in the movies. Flowers, chocolate, and wine are just some of the ways to your heart. You want to feel loved and treasured by your partner and you expect to be courted, admired and hotly pursued. You long for old fashioned dating.

Living with OCD

Have you ever been to a museum, where you can go in a wheelchair, and get a glimpse of what it's ike to be in a wheelchair everyday of your life? Then, you get up and go on your merry way. I wish there was a way to replicate for someone what it is like to live with OCD. Obssessive Compulsive Disorder. Not that I have it, though that's what the title may lead you to think, but my brother does. There are different kinds of OCD, where the person affected may feel the need to check, double check, triple check, that a door is locked, an oven is off, etc. Another type of OCD, the one my brother has, is he views certain things as being "contaminated" Certain people, generally those homeless, those are 'wrong' in some way, and....whoever he doesn't feel comfortable around. He also views places as being "contaminated", for example, whenever he goes out to school, to theme parks, and ESPECIALLY old places. I don't mean 50 years old, OI mean, like hundreds of years. The car, generally the back of the car, his fishing gear, my computer, the kitten, and the cat...all "contaminated." It's hard to be aroundsomeone who must compulsively wash, or shower, after doing something, going somewhere, touching something. And also insisting that family members wash as well, if they touch something "contaminated" It is incredibly frustrating, in a way that is impossible to convey. Though he has been much better these past couple of years, after he was first diagnosed, it was very hard for a while, and it's gone in swings for the most part ever since. It's hard to explain what it's like on a day to day basis, and I think I'll save that task for another time.