shamir*power

distilled vinegar is my friend!

2008-01-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

so after almost a year of not blogging i suddenly feel the urge again. somehow with facebook as a place i can post regular updates, it doesn't quite seem to make sense that i should also be posting updates here. now with mirrorblog app, i can post here and it still shows up on facebook. yay!

i just have to share the most amazing experience of my afternoon. for over a week my espresso machine, probably my best friend in my apt besides my laptop and my bed, hasn't quite been working. while some people might think to throw it away and get a new one, i was determined to find a way to fix it myself.

after a bit of searching, i found some instructions for 'descaling.' basically, i poured white distilled vinegar into the top of the machine (where the water usually goes) and turned it on (without coffee in the filter basket). you would not believe the disgusting grime that came out! the vinegar was light brown and had all kinds of yucky gunk, not just coffee grains.

as it turns out,there's still something wrong with it...but it's good to know there's an easy way to clean it!

shabbat shalom.

a taste of israel

2007-03-04T07:47:00.000-05:00

hi there loyal shamir*power readers. here is a sampling of my visit in israel so far. purim photos will be up later this week!

you can see me with NK hiking in ein gedi, me reading on the beach, and floating on the dead sea with NK.

Hair and Hoods

2007-01-30T01:07:00.001-05:00

Bridge by the Libra Project

2007-01-28T15:07:00.001-05:00

Check out The Libra Project's first music video, featuring my sister Rakia and Rafael:

Exposing Misleading Anti-Choice Fake Abortion Clinics

2007-01-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

I was terrified and appreciative when the premiere season of the L-word had a scene on fake abortion clinics. Basically, a woman comes in to have an abortion, but instead of being counseled and having the operation, she is harassed and told why she shouldn't have one. See the clip from the L-Word here. Below is an excerpt from a recent article of the real life side of the issue.

According to a recent Planned Parenthood email, a 17-year-old girl mistakenly walked into a crisis pregnancy center thinking it was Planned Parenthood, which was next door. "The group took down the girl's confidential personal information and told her to come back for her appointment, which they said would be in their 'other office' (the real Planned Parenthood office nearby)."

When she showed up for her nonexistent appointment, she was met by the police, who had been erroneously tipped that a minor was being forced to abort. The crisis pregnancy center staff followed up this harassment by staking out the girl's house, phoning her father at work, and even talking to her classmates about her pregnancy, urging them to harass her.

I contacted Jennifer Jorczak of Planned Parenthood of Indiana to verify this story, and while she was unable to provide details out of respect for the patient's privacy, she confirmed that everything in the initial action alert email was true.

This humiliating and frustrating experience seems, by all accounts, to await more American women in the near future. And the best part? It's funded by your tax dollars.

Full story

(h/t to cole at Jvoices)

bostonians talk like midwest

2007-01-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Boston
The West
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Inland North
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

(h/t to mobius for the link. yay more encouragement for started to record podcasts!)

we could be sisters, no?

2006-12-28T23:36:00.000-05:00

tonight i has a surprise night on the town (read: shamir-style...west village and union square) with the ever glamorous KC (pictured above with me at a party this past july in j'lem). we grabbed dinner at an old favorite of mine, Panchito's Mexican Restaurant.

i can't lie; i'm pretty sure it was my first time that i went there and didn't have an alcoholic drink. it was actually one of the first places i ever had a drink out at a restaurant -- in oct. of my junior year of college i came to nyc for the weekend and met some friends there for dinner. it was a few months before i turned 21 and they didn't card. wahoo! i've been there a few times since, including the night in may 2005 i went to see Mysterious Skin (our first Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie) with AB (this summer we saw Brick at the j'lem film festival).

anyway, i'm not at all trying to imply that the lack of alcohol had anything to do with my disappointment in the food, however, i was not as impressed with the food as i have been in the past. the salsa was watery. we were seated in a corner and we were forgotten about many times. our waitress didn't ask if we wanted drinks even once; after we ate some salsa&chips and our order finally came, then we asked for water which she brought. we also had to ask for forks and knives after our meals came.

i splurged and ordered jalepeno poppers in additon to a huge veggie burrio. poppers are one of those semi gross deep friend foods that i've only recently started to like. (they are quite spicy but the cheesiness wins out!) sadly, despite the menu description of plenty of hot cheese, the poppers merely contained a small blob of solid ambiguous white cheese. that was not worth eating something super spicy and crazy deep fried. the $7.95 burrito was decent, but spicy for no reason and way too many beans. at the end of the day, the real issue is that it wasn't as yummy as my regular order from burritoville, lost in austin, which is $6.99. will i ever enjoy mexican food again beyond burritoville?

the waitress did check on us once during the meal; however, we had to track her down in order to get the check after much waiting.

all in all (forgive me for using inexcusable redudant phrase), it was a lovely evening. we took a walk up to union square and enjoyed a cool evening that still wasn't bone-chillingly-freezing.

day 2 at the beach in st. croix

2006-12-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

things that are different in st. croix in december (as compared to the northeast of USA where i've spent all of my life):
-it's not cold
-there are mosquitos at night, and no-see-ums at sunset on the beach. i'm covered in bites!
-the only snowmen are blow-up dolls (yet still on people's lawns)
-on the radio, you get wished a "brown christmas" in a west-indian accent

okay, that's it for now. more photos tomorrow!

day 1 at the beach in st. croix

2006-12-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

sometimes people ask me why i keep the daily temperature & weather forecast for St. Croix, USVI on my blog. well, to make a long story short i have a little gig down here where i come twice a year to lead services and teach.

when i left nyc this past fri, it was 20 degrees F, but with the windchill it was ZERO. very very cold. the coldest day yet! my host family is the one i first stayed with last october, EH and CF. three dogs and one sweet cat. seriously it surprises me how much i love cats. i just love 'em!

best things about st. croix: warm air, beautiful ocean views, fresh fruit, local beer. oh, and EVERYONE says "good afternoon" in addition to good morning and good night (as a greeting). freakishly polite, in a good way.

worst things about st. croix: MOSQUITOES. NO SEE-UMS. why must the small bugs constantly eat me up? why must i sleep with a mosquito net yet still have something buzz by my face at 4 in the morning? also, i wish i had some friends to hang out with here. the community is super sweet, but if i could just afford to bring a few friends along, it would be really great to have people to hang out with after 9pm. who wants to come in april?

okay, photos.

PICTURE #1: this is me on a chair at the beach. notice my camping pillow keeping my neck comfy. (love thermarest!) if you look closely you can see the trunk of a palm tree. eventually the shade from this spot was making me a bit chilly, so i moved to an area with more direct sunlight.

PICTURE #2: here are my toes. this is the view directly in front of where i'm sitting. again, gorgeous view -- yet, who to share it with? if you answered harry potter, the new yorker, an iced coffee, and jane magazine, then you'd be correct.

PICTURE #3: general ocean view, this time without the toes. notice the palm trees. my favorite!!

cute frogginess and bagel rant

2006-11-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

here's a photo of rafael's recent visit to nyc. i just got back from lexington where i was visiting with my famiy since tuesday.

for some reason, i'm telling myself that i'm on a health-food kick. the weekend before i left for boston, i was inundated with bagels and pizza. i found myself eating one, two, even three bagels per day...day after day! i'm honestly not a huge calorie freak, but one bagel a day for three days in a row, that's just too much. i once read that eating a bagel is the equivalent of eating five slices of bread! considering i rarely eat white flour bread but almost always eat white flour bagels, it's just whack for me to have a whole bagel ever, let alone many bagels day after day. yes of course i love bagels -- but a girls' gotta have a limit.

the good news is that my roommate and i just cleaned out our refrigerator. therefore, we are starting with a minimal amount of everything. i'm not in a place yet of cutting any one thing out of my diet; rather, i plan to go back to my plan from last year: two meals a day that are particularly healthy, with a third meal of whatever i want. for examle, yogurt smoothie for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and quinoa, veggies & tofu for dinner. with that, i also plan to keep going to the gym 3 days a week, and hopefully hit 4 or 5 days.

somehow now that it's in writing, it seems more official. next week: MORE FRUIT.

when i got home tonight, i made a huge pot of quinoa, kale and tofu that i divided into 5 servings, some for this week and the rest for the freezer. my roommate and i also made a huge pot of 13 bean soup with vegetarian beef broth, onion soup mix, and carrots & celery. definitely on our way. am i too proud of myself?

jenny, be the water!

2006-10-17T00:29:00.000-04:00

had a traditional nyc afternoon/evening outing with jr from toronto. we attemped to get standby tickets for the daily show and colbert report, then grabbed schwarma and ate it on a pier overlooking the hudson river. we then proceeded to take some silly photos with jenny, a 0.5 inch plastic naked baby doll:

it was a hilarious photo shoot to say the least. if i were to try to explain the further levels of silliness you'd think i'm nuts, so just trust me on this one...

love + love = love

2006-10-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

when two beautiful people that you love announce that they are ready to announce their love to the world for the rest of their lives, you walk around smiling so hard that your face hurts. you scream at the top of your lungs and jump up and down at a random gas station in upstate ny. you wish ruby-k and knucklehead the BIGGEST MAZAL TOV YOU CAN WISH!

DELICIOUS: The Zeek food issue launch event (Thu. Oct. 26)

2006-10-02T23:55:00.000-04:00

Take the 1/2/3 train to 72 & b'way and you're there. Don't forget to sign up in advance and mention Zeek, or bring a printout of this listing to the event to get in for $5 (instead of $8). Hope you can make it!

9/11/06 and the Jewish Music Awards

2006-09-12T10:31:00.000-04:00

Last night (the 5th anneversary of 9/11) I attended the Jewish Music Awards in Battery Park City at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It was certainly a strange co-mingling of people, performers, and anneversaries. Here are some photos to help sum up the evening:

This is a crew of us posing with comedian Jackie Hoffman. From left to right:
The Last Trumpet, Josh Frankel, Esther, Jackie, and me:

more trumpet, mobius, shana, the jewish robot, me, and brigitta from budapest:

visiting yd on gan chava v'adam

2006-07-19T19:27:00.000-04:00

for a few hours on a sweltering hot afternoon, ab & i made it up to modi'in to check out the site of the Jewish farming school's summer fellowship, Shorashim.

sarah writes some rhymes

2006-07-13T07:15:00.000-04:00

last night i went out to daila for my first ever Corner Prophets event. after a few poets went up to perform, mobius lead us in an exercise in which he gave us three key words and a topic (orange, mediocre, sullen, and immigration) and each person then wrote something which he or she then performed. everyone had a great time chilling out, creating art, and supporting each other. check out the site to see the rhymes we made up.

dj mobius at yellow submarine

2006-07-11T07:15:00.000-04:00

on mon. night after the conference, Ab and I came back from tel aviv in time to make it to a crazy party with a fabulous band, a rockin dj, and some random female poets. this photo was taken with my camera, but by the world famous Kitra Cahana:

the beach in tel aviv with EK and AB

2006-07-10T06:41:00.000-04:00

jewish bloggers unite!

2006-07-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

the beautiful people in this photo represent, roughly from left to right:
Jewlicious, Judapest, Jewschool, Shabot, The View from Here, and Blogs of Zion

here are some photos from the final night banquet of the conference:

because i love the nature

2006-07-04T08:33:00.000-04:00

chillin with our make-shift family for a week in 'horse park' at the top of ben yehudah street

evening with the sarahs

2006-07-03T08:05:00.000-04:00

my first day together with the sarah i've been longing to meet ended with a fancy banquet on the campus of HUC in Jerusalem.

summer in israel part one: climbing

2006-07-03T07:50:00.000-04:00

during day one of ROI120, the conference that brought me here, we went to 'the woods' (read: random hill with lots of thirsty pine trees and plants with thorns) for some "group building games." it was hot and tiring, but i did get to climb some stuff...

The AT With B'MBB

2006-06-20T11:39:00.000-04:00

i love the appalaican trail. special time in the woods, back to the basics. thunderstroms followed by chirping birds and sun showers.

happy shavuot!

2006-06-01T10:44:00.000-04:00

hi all. i know i am super behind on posting. perhaps since i will be traveling for the next two months i will try to get back on it so you can all keep track of me. for now, read my latest post over at Jewschool for my rants on my relationship with fruit, cheese and coffee.

public art in riverside park

2006-05-09T09:04:00.000-04:00

this is going to be fun!

Curated by Karin Bravin and produced by BravinLee Programs, Studio in the Park will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Riverside Park Fund.

On May 6th, 2006 ten site specific installations wil l be on view in Riverside Park, Manhattan’s largest waterfront green space. Riverside Park stretches over four miles along the Hudson River and is one of the most interesting and beautiful parks in New York City. The Park offers a unique combination of man-made and natural elements and the art works, which will be located from 72nd Street to 153rd Street, will respond to and intensify this relationship. The art will infuse the park with color and unexpected materials giving life to discreet areas of the Park and providing the viewer with visual surprises.

Artists include: Orly Genger, Robert Greenberg, Elana Herzog, McKendree Key, Mischa Kuball, Emil Lukas, Fabian Marcaccio, Alexis Rockman, Kenny Scharf, Gary Simmons, and Steed Taylor.

- read more from the ny times

something's coming

2006-05-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

this is how i always feel as i end a semester. two finals left! at 3pm on tuesday i will be a free woman! it's also how i felt last year when my nephew was about to be born any minute. but this time, i won't be back in school this fall. and rafael is already here! (see above on passover) i also won't be or scrambling for a summer job. or pulling my hair out to sublet my apt. instead, i'll be going on a few retreats, my nephew's first birthday party, a trip to israel, and then starting a new full-time job. who knows what else can happen? it's all about to explode and be super exciting.

Could be
Who knows?
There's something due any day
I will know right away
Soon as it shows
It may come cannonballin' down through the sky
Gleam in its eye
Bright as a rose!
Who knows?
It's only just out of reach
Down the block, on a beach
Under a tree
I got a feeling there's a miracle due
Gonna come true
Coming to me
Could it be?
Yes it could
Something's coming
Something good
If I can wait
Something's coming I don't know what it is
But it is
Gonna be great!
With a click
With a shock
Phone'll jingle
Door'll knock
Open the latch!
Something's coming, don't know when
But it's soon
Catch the moon
One handed catch
Around the corner
Or whistling down the river
Come on - deliver
To me
Will it be? Yes it will
Maybe just by holding still
It'll be there!
Come on, something, come on in
Don't be shy
Meet a guy
Pull up a chair
The air is hummin'
And something great is coming
Who knows
It's only just
Out of reach
Down the block, on a beach
Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight...

-Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (for West Side Story)

good news for the jews!!

2006-05-02T13:40:00.000-04:00

this morning i took my oral comprehensive exam for an M.A. in Bible from JTS. and then i got this email:

From: David Marcus
Subject: Sarah Chandler
Date: May 2, 2006 12:11:49 PM EDT
To: Debra Blank
CC: Sarah Chandler

Dear Dean Blank,

I have great pleasure in informing your that this morning Sarah Chandler successfully passed her MA Comprehensive examination in Bible. I believe that, with the completion of her present course work, Sarah will have fulfilled all her requirements for the MA.

Sincerely,
David Marcus
Professor of Bible

Two finals to go! I'll be done by 3pm one week from today (May 9).

rally rally here i come

2006-04-25T00:06:00.000-04:00

check out my latest post over at Jewschool about:

April 24, Armenian Genocide Day.

28 Nisan / April 24-25, Yom Hashoah V'hagevurah (the Memorial Day for the Holocaust and Heroism)

The Save Darfur Rally this Sunday, April 30 in Washington, DC

here's one of my favorite photos from the sign making/havdallah party i had on my roof a few years back i preparation for the march opposing the republican national convention, april 2004 (the hebrew sign on the right translates to "justice, justice you shall pursue"):

here's me with a fabulous jew-crew at the march for women's lives in DC, april 2004:

dc, i'm coming to you in just FIVE DAYS.

SHMINI: A D'var Torah for this Week

2006-04-21T17:43:00.000-04:00

Below is the d'var Torah I'm giving tonight here at my student pulpit in St. Croix. Enjoy!

Friday, April 20, 2006
Parshat Shmini
Jewish Community of St. Croix

What does a community do when they have put all of their energy, their heart and soul, into building a structure that everyone will benefit from? Do you remember a time you attended a dedication ceremony for a local building or a community playground? What about a new addition to your house or office? I have a strong memory of being nine years old when a community built playground was dedicated in my hometown. There was a huge ceremony which finally ended with a ribbon cutting, at which point I ran to my favorite section – the swinging monkey bars. What an exhilarating rush I felt to be the FIRST PERSON ever to swing on those bars. For years and years, every time I would return to the park, I would look at those bars and think – “I was the first one to swing on those!” Participating in the moment of dedication, being among the first to touch those brand new bars – it was an exciting and important moment.

The most important and extensive building project in the Torah is the building of the mishkan, which was the portable sanctuary that contained all the instruments and furniture necessary for the ancient sacrificial rituals. Just a few weeks ago we closed the book of Exodus with its completion. The book of Leviticus opened with God giving instructions for its use. The last Torah portion went though the details of the seven day dedication ceremony for the sanctuary. Additionally, Moses, who has been learning how to divide up his leadership roles by delegating various tasks, is now training his brother Aaron, as well as Aaron’s four sons, to be kohanim, or priests.

This week we read Parshat Shimini – literally “The eighth” – referring to the eighth day of the dedication ceremony. It opens with great excitement and elaborate ritual slaughtering. The climax is at the end of Chapter 9:

Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of G-d appeared to all the people.

And there came a fire out from before G-d, and consumed the ascent offering and the fat [of the other offerings] upon the Altar. And all the people saw, and sang out, and fell on their faces.

The next chapter opens with the following two verses:
"And Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his pan, put fire in them, and placed incense upon it, and they brought before the Lord foreign fire, which He had not commanded them. And fire went forth from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord."

Why were Nadav and Abihu killed – right in the middle of this inauguration ceremony?

In response to the incident, And Moses says to Aaron: "This is it that which G-d spoke, saying: I will be sanctified in those who are close to Me..." (10:3)

Based on these words, perhaps the death was not a punishment at all. Rather, he sons of Aharon were on such a high spiritual level that they could not function in this world; their souls were thus separated from their bodies and they ascended to heaven so that they could be closer to God. Though these are the words that God speaks to Moses and Aaron, I do not recommend saying these words to anyone who has just lost a family member or friend.

Rashi, an 11th century commentator, who is well-known for his logical analysis, attempts to find the answer in the context of the narrative.

Just as the commandment to not worship foreign idols exists in proximity to the golden calf incident, Rashi links the next closest commandment – indeed, just a few verses later, God commands Aaron, "Do not drink wine that will lead to intoxication." Therefore, Rashi writes, “We know from this that they died precisely on account of the wine.”

Based on some verses later in the Torah, Rashi propsoses that: Nadav and Avihu died because of Aaron's making of the Golden Calf, since Moses later states: "And against Aaron did G-d verily rage to destroy him; and I prayed also for Aaron at that time" (Deuteronomy 9:20). Moses' prayer was halfway effective, so that two died and two remained alive.

One Midrash or ledgend, states that Nadav and Avihu resented the authority that Moshe had invested in their father Aaron, asking: “When will these old men pass on so that we may be the nation’s new leaders?” God thus struck them down in punishment for this sin.

While these answers of blaming people for Nadav and Abihu’s death may have satisfied some, I cannot accept a God who strikes down two young priests in training just for any reason. Though I do believe in some sort of legal punishment, I also believe that Judaism is a religion that believes in forgiveness and repentance – not divine zapping during public ceremonies.

I wish to present one last interpretation of this story.

Rashbam, Rashi’s grandson, says that Nadav and Avihu did no more than enter the holy of holies, the innermost chamber of the sanctuary, at the moment the divine fire descended. While some commentators refuse to see anything in the Torah as an accident, and evidence that their death was an accident is also not quite comforting, I believe that Rashbam’s method of showing us how this chain of events took place teaches an even broader lesson that we can all take with us.

As I mentioned earlier, a climactic moment precedes the death of Nadav and Abihu. One of the verses I read before was:

"And there came a fire out from before G-d, and consumed the ascent offering and the fat [of the other offerings] upon the Altar."

Just two verses later, at the start of chapter 10, we read:

“And there came a fire out from before G-d, and consumed them.”

Since both cases use the exact set of words, “And there came a fire out from before G-d, and consumed”, Rashbam claims that perhaps these two events happened simultaneously, thus being a case of resumptive repetition. In other words, it is up to the reader to notice that the same fire that burnt up Moses and Aaron’s offering at the end of chapter 9, also accidentally struck Nadav and Abihu.

Though we cannot erase the fact that the text describes Nadav and Abihu as having “brought before the Lord foreign fire, which He had not commanded them,” Rashbam gives us a crucial shifting of perspective that puts the scene in a whole new light.

How often do we jump to conclusions or act overly judgmental without much investigation? How often are we disappointed that others do not give us the benefit of the doubt, looking favorably upon us in a difficult situation?

(Bavli Shabbat 127b)

The sages teach:  One who judges his friend favorably will be judged favorably.  The following story is told:  A man went down from the Upper Gallilee and was hired as a worker for a landowner in the south for three years.

On the day before Yom Kippur the worker came to his boss and said, “Give me my wages so I can support my wife and children.” He replied, “I do not have them.”

He said to him, “Give me produce.” He replied, “I have none.” He said to him, “Give me land.” “I have none.” “Give me animals.” “I have none.” “Give me pillows and covers.” “I have none.”

The worker slung his things over his shoulder and went home frustrated.

After the festivals the employer took the worker’s wages in hand, and along with them loaded three donkeys -- one full of food, one with drink, and another with tasty foods -- and went to his worker’s house.

After they ate and drank he gave the worker his wages.

He said to him, “When you asked me for your wages and I told you I have no money what did you suspect me of?” “I said perhaps you came across inexpensive merchandise and bought it.”

“And when you said to me to give you animals and I replied that I have none, what did you suspect me of?” “I said perhaps they were hired out.”

“And when you said to me to give you land and I told you I had none, what did you suspect?” “I said perhaps it was leased out to others.”

“And when I told you that I had no produce what did you suspect? “I said perhaps it was not tithed.”

“And when I told you that I had no pillows or blankets what did you suspect? “”I said perhaps he donated all of his property to Heaven.”

He said, “I swear that is what happened. I vowed off all of my property because of my son Hyrkanus who did not go to learn Torah. When I went to my friends in the south they annulled all of my vows. As for you -- the same way you judged me favorably, the Omnipresent should judge you favorably.”

Even in Judaism we are innocent until proven guilty. Though we should still use our logic and reasoning to look at a situation thoroughly, we must always remind ourselves to give the benefit of the doubt, just as the landowner in the story. We all want to get the benefit of the doubt, so doesn’t it make sense to routinely give the benefit of the doubt? It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Shabbat shalom.

this will make you laugh. i promise!!

2006-04-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

if you're in nyc, or you can make it there by monday night, don't miss the fabulous, the sexy, the talented, the hilarious Late Night Players playing at on of NYC's top comedy club's, Carolines, located just north of Times Square - B'way between 49 and 50th. BONUS: And...if you RSVP in advance by calling 212 757 4100 and mentioning "Late Night Players" you can go for only FIVE BUCKS!!!!!!

every animal product is made of corn!

2006-04-11T11:03:00.000-04:00

...you can still devour them on passover, but you may not want to the rest of the year. CORN:

"Corn is what feeds the steer that becomes the steak. Corn feeds the chicken and the pig, the turkey and the lamb, the catfish and the tilapia and, increasingly, even the salmon…. The eggs are made of corn. The milk and cheese and yogurt, which once came from dairy cows that grazed on grass, now typically come from Holsteins that spend their working lives tethered to machines, eating corn."

- via aldaily.com

zeek and passover at jewschool.com

2006-04-10T02:09:00.000-04:00

check out my recent posts about zeek and passover over at jewschool. you'll be glad you did!

i am now on my last break of the semester. four more days of class, two oral exams, one final, and one seminar paper...then graduation may 18! it's all about may 18...

exactly what i needed

2006-03-23T01:50:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Robbie Gringras for your entertaining and educational performance at JTS this evening. The music, the stories, your ability to teach us the importance of love, sensitivity, and interconnectedness of the Jewish people - thank you. You bring a sincere love of israel that others born abroad can relate to - even if some of us may be more observant and less zionist than you are.

During the discussion after the show, Robbie articulated the exact thing i needed to hear at this moment in my life, and it rang lound and clear: Jews believe that there is a way about arguing that is sacred - a machlochet l'shem shamayim (an arguement for the sake of heaven). Americans especially are too afrait of conflict - we are so afraid of stepping on each others toes, we create barriers and separate ourselves out. Yet a true community is not made up of people who agree on everything. Rather, a community is created over what people argue about. By arguing with another, we show we care, that we want to understand, and that we value the other. Blind agreement does not show committment; it shows apathy.

Finally, on the topic of having a relationship with the State of Israel, and all world Jewry, Robbie reminded all of us that the Jewish world can no longer pretend that we are not connected. Even if we don't understand.

Okay it's time for this Shamir to get out there! Live the journey! Be the ball! (Huh?)

"Cutting Down the Shoots"

2006-03-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

Ariel Beery gives a fascinating explanation of the obscure phrase and Elisha Ben Abuya's Platonic philosophy. Assimilation is nothing new, folks.

Shabbat Shalom!

that tzur mishelo tune

2006-03-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

e was right. we all sing it wrong!. thanks to ZT for the tip.

[update] oh crap and that lecha dodi tune is off too...

Purim tonight!!!

2006-03-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

Don't know where to go for megillah reading this year (and live in NYC)? Now, you don't have to choose. Storahtelling, with Zeek Magazine and Jewish Women Watching bring you a crazy parade up Broadway that will include music, singing, chanting, and surprise giveaways. If you can't make it for the parade, then definitely join us for the party afterward. Here's all the info:

DATE: Monday, March 13, 2006—Erev Purim, Adar 13, 5766
SCHEDULE: (times estimated)
6:00pm PROMPT —JCC, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th Str.
6:45—Ansche Chesed, 251 West 100th St.
7:45—B’nai Jeshurun Adult’s Service, 86th St. and West End Ave.
8:45—Carlebach Shul, 305 West 79th St. (Between West End and Riverside)
10:00—Crossroads (a funky bar, formerly Raccoon Lounge), 480 Amsterdam Ave at 83rd St. [no cover!]

JOIN US IN COSTUME (Think Brigade - Putting the Fun in Fundamentalism…)

For Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross' Megilla Guerilla Brigade March 2006 PuriManifesto,

Why is Purim night different from all other nights? Because - the moon is FOOL, the Queen is crowned and the secrets spill out into the streets… And so, to the streets we march!

This holy night of Purim I will march with the Megilla Guerilla Brigade, a holy army of lovers: Purim priestesses & fools, drummers and dancers, birds of every feather, in a mad masquerade parade turning the upper west side upside down. From the JCC we shall dance, bringing Purim to the people! Along the way we will visit our friends in different synagogues, bringing gifts, drinking L'chayim, and, of course, inspecting the local observance of the Laws for Purim.

(The Brigade is trained to enforce the laws of Purim in keeping with the strict guidelines of Halacha and Rabbinic supervision.)

Befitting of Purim, we will end our night at a Crossroads (the one at 83rd and Amsterdam, to be precise). There we will drink and dance as legally bound. On this night, kinderlach, it is a Mitzvah to drink and dance until you don't know what is bad or good, or uptown or downtown, man or woman, meshugeneh or mentsch.

Purim is my birthday – and now that I am in my seventies, again, some worried friends ask me – Hadassah, why the schlepping? Why dance in the streets and not celebrate inside a respectable shul and entertain your guests? I tell you, and this I learned from my dear departed friend, King Hussein, also a leader who understood his obligation to his people – it's his favorite Arabic saying – 'If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain'. If the people don't come to Purim, Purim will come to them!

I know - I know that some of my dear Muslim friends may get offended by using the name of the prophet, and some of my Chasidic mishpuche will be angry that I use an Arabic teaching on a Jewish Holiday. Nu, dayenu to all of that, and love to all of you, and please come have a glass of slivovitz with me - what a perfect night to put some fun in all that fundamentalism!

So, let the Esther scrolls roll out and the secrets spill and the band lead and the feet pray and play the night away!

Join the Brigade – bring your costume, your noisemaker, and accompany those voyeuristic Jewish Women who Watch, those geeks from Zeek, the Storahtellers, and all the other fabulous freaks who await you!

Happy Purim, kinderlach!

I Am Seattle

2006-03-13T01:42:00.000-05:00

Lots of love to my cousin's the Moore family out in Seattle.
Take the quiz:
Which American City Are You?

Seattle
Your dark exterior masks a caffeine driven activism. You'll take up a cause and you'll get ugly to advance it.

happy birthday to me!

2006-03-13T01:05:00.000-05:00

well computer is still in the shop. they are waiting for a new something board or board of something - they do not know when i will have it back. luckily for me, both my birthday and purim are taking place during this crazy computer-less time. below are some of the highlights from last thursday's big celebration:

chillin with the newly engaged couple

love it when the family comes!

am i attracted to beards or are beards attracted to me?

yza and i surrounded by men who manage to be hot without beards

big bear hug with nd and ns

"one love, one gulp, let's get together with ys..."

Good news, so far

2006-03-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

According to my buddies at the Mac store, they were able to recover all of my data before sending it in for repair. Wahoo! The repair center sent me an email today to let me know that they are waiting for a part before they can repair it. In the meantime, everyone should read: Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi's A parable on the state of the Jewish mythic world after my hard drive crashed.

please say a prayer for my laptop

2006-03-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

[fyi i am writing this post from the sexy grey/blue dell of my roommate. thanks, ns.]

on friday morning, march 3 i looked over and my laptop had shut herself down. so i plugged her in and booted her up again. she seemed to be fine. then i left her alone for a few minutes while i did a few things in the kitchen. when i came back, she was off again. a strange smoky smell was coming out of the vents in the back. i tried turning her on again. i tried hitting all the keys. nothing.

after many phone calls, many waits on hold to bad music, and the eventual trip down to the mac soho store, i put my laptop in the hands of a mac genius (i'm not making that title up) named peter. even though i have a backup at home (thanks mom and dad for the external hard drive, and thanks mobius for telling me to get one), i still don't trust myself to put it all back on my computer, so i told peter to, if possible, download the contents of my hard drive to a server at the store before sending it out to be repaired.

it was such a difficult day. as much as i keep feeling guilty to comparing the crashing of my computer to losing a person - that is ultimately what i am going through. the metaphor is somewhere between being dumped and losing someone to illness. thoughts in my head: "i should have treated my laptop with more respect. i should have deleted more unneeded files. i should have backed her up more regularly. i shouldn't have dragged her around so much. perhaps then she would be okay now."

another thought that came to my head is that of my being punished for stam overusing my computer. not literally overusing, as in a laptop cannot take that many hours per day (though that is possible), but me, as a person in the world - perhaps i spend too much of my waking hours on my laptop. now that she is gone (temporarily), i have some time to sit and think about her - what do i really need her for? why would i spend so many hours on her? what of that was worthwhile productive work and what was lounging on the couch and playing around, reading blogs, iming, diddling?

as much as this whole thing has been a disaster, i cannot help but view it as a blessing in disguise to remind me that this is a good time to chill out, take a break from dating my laptop, focus on my studies and just make the best of it.

but in the meantime, i ask all of you to learn from my situation...
1. back up your hard drive. a cd is not enough; spend the $100 to get an external hard drive so you can make a rebootable version of your computer. do it today!!!
2. take some time to think about what you really need your computer for. perhaps your daily calendar would be eaisier on paper? perhaps you don't need 5 email accounts? maybe it's time to get some of those photos printed out so you can share the hard copies with family and friends anytime.

...and please please please say a prayer my laptop comes back as good as new. (and that i will deserve to get her back having learned my lesson)

thank you.

Last day on the Island: Swimming with dogs and Snorkeling

2006-02-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon JL and I took his dogs Billy (basset hound) and Julian (white with brown spots mutt) to a state park on the water called "Salt River." Billy has had minimal swimming experience in a freshwater river, but neither of them had done any real swimming in the ocean.

At first, they test the water:

Billy jumps right in!

(only later on when JL and I were in the water as well did both of them swim all the way out to us, stop for a break by leaning on us, and swim back to shore. absolutely adorable!)

here's the view of salt river.

this was a gorgeous rock made up of a rainbow of colored rocks all stuck together with sandstone.

snorkeling shamir! we only had to swim out a short distance to see beautiful coral with hundreds of fish swimming by right under our noses. it was so relaxing to just float on the surface with my mask on watching the scene below. really, who needs TV?

night out on an island...take two!

2006-02-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

Last night, JL and I went out to a fabulous outdoor bistro called "Savant." Though we didn't have ocean views this time (terrible, I know; how do i put up with it?), we did have a full clear sky of stars. I had a fabulous grilled mahi-mahi and a very tropical coconut/pinapple drink.

Coconut Saga: A story in pictures

2006-02-26T12:05:00.000-05:00

You have to imagine that I have never, ever seen a coconut on a tree, let alone a fresh one on the ground, let alone eating a freseh coconut that came from a tree that I met myself! I was overjoyed to hold it in my arms and eventually take bite after bit of its sweet goodness. Pictured below are AB and her mom RB who hosted me during my stay on the island. Coconuts forever!

Meeting the tree and taking one of her babies. (I can't seem to get it to rotate; I'll fix it later)

Giving some love to the baby. So beautiful...I want to take her home. But I don't want to get arrested. Time to eat fresh coconut!

I stand there terrified...what are you doing? Smashing baby's head??!??!?

Throwing her on the ground! Ouch!

CRACK! Smashing her open! But she is leaking something wet...

Umm, this coconut is delicious...

...perhaps Wendy wants a bite?

After peeling away all the skin and hairs, I make it into a coconut-cone. My dad would love this!

a woman's gotta kayak...

2006-02-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

the ocean through a palm tree

my first jump in the pool

so we forgot to take a photo while i was still in the water...looks real, no?

sunset

a night out on the island

2006-02-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

if i wasn't ironic enough last december when i used a disney princess special dvd to practice my princess voice for the kodesh kingdom shabbat storytelling, then coming to an island called "St. Croix" which literally means "Saint Cross," surely counts.

the island is 80 square miles, has 60,000 residents, 200 churches, 1 mosque and 1 synagogue (and one black hebrews congregation that meets on saturdays at their restaurant).

going to see JL tonight was just what i needed. after i found parking on the side of one of many tiny streets in the former dutch fortress neighborhood turned funky downtown area, i began searching for 'the mix.' the guy who gave me directions said: "walk down until you reach the water, and take a left on the boardwalk, you'll see it straight ahead." it was just gorgeous - imagine, a restaurant right on the water that you need to walk down the boardwalk to get to! also amazing on an island that has no sidewalks in rural areas has copius boardwalks by the shore.

Here's JL and his buddy S jamming out. They played a mix of jazz standards and originals. I drank overpriced lemonade and flipped through tourist info guides while sitting on the couch:

JL and I got to chill out a bit afterward and catch up. we are standing in front of something that looks like a silo but was once used for sugar, which used to be a major export from St. Croix.

arrival to the island

2006-02-23T15:44:00.000-05:00

what to expect when you land on this tropical island...
-complimentary ice cold punch at the airport
-sunny skies
-the ocean in every direction
-palm trees palm trees palm trees (and sea grape...and a bunch of others)
-the best reggae music station "in the world"
-82 during the day and "cool" (70) at night
-close to normal cell phone service (if you have sprint or cingular)

and...
-everyone drives on the left
-gas is inexpensive (thanks to 6th largest oil refinery in the world located on the island, hevensa which gets all its oil from south america)
-the place i'm staying has wireless internet, a pool, two cats, two dogs, three birds...and i'm sure i'll run into some more pets somewhere

so now i'm...
-drinking cranberry juice
-about to take a nap
-psyched to go see JR play tonight at "The Mix," a semi-upscale restaurant on the pier (read: ocean views)

dawn and dusk lounge on the patio:

wendy the dog who looks like a cat (and that's why i love her):

singing to yourself

2006-02-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

there are two kinds of singing to yourself:

1. you are singing to yourself but you don't know it. when you realize it, it hits you that you are in a super positive, excited, perhaps even giddy mood. ask: what song are you singing? why this song? do you even know the words? what memories are associated with this song/tune?

2. you are having a rough day, or you are frustrated while standing in line. you decide to sing to yourself to pass the time or calm yourself down. do you have a regular song for this?

SING!

-brought to you by random thought from shamir's head

boston visit and countdown to st. croix

2006-02-20T00:28:00.000-05:00

i took advantage of cancelled class this monday to come home to see my family for a few days. today we had an 88th birthday party for my grandma (photos forthcoming; my camera battery is dying). was psyched to see some of the cousins and spend more time playing around with rafael.

on thursday morning (7am, in fact) i will be heading back to my student pulpit in st. croix. this, as most of you know, is a misnomer, since even though i am playing a student rabbi, i am not a rabbinical student. i will be leading services on friday night and teaching two classes. perhaps one would say i am their 'spiritual leader' since i am going to lead them in worship; but the rest of the year they have lay-led services, so it's quite clear to them they don't need something of that sort in order to be in communication with God. thus, i continue to be freelance jewish educator extraordinaire, traveling the world spreading the good word. and, most importantly, enjoying the weather. (see new st. croix weather tracker to the right)

Beach:

Me and a banana tree:

oh and how could i forget - i hope to see the donkey again that lives around the corner from the shul (right behind one of the churches in the neighborhood):

maybe she will speak to me and tell me what she sees...

Jethro the Shaman?

2006-02-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

In honor of this week's parsha, Rabbi Jill Hammer brings us a teaching that suggests that Moses' father in law is the shamanic mentor of our people.

a visit from my sister and nephew

2006-02-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

for those who have been around me this week, you know how giddy i am that my sister lily (who hasn't been able to visit nyc since tu bishvat last year) and my new nephew rafael came to visit for the week. though they have been here since monday, lily wanted to make it to the big park slope seder at ND's place, so she spent a few days with friends there at CR and KK's place. today she arrived on the UWS!
here is a photo from this afternoon when we were playing around in my room. seriously, this baby is such a pleasure to be around. i know it's normal for his age, but i just love it! he's always looking around, grabbing, smiling, giggling. most of all he loves his mommy. it is a new thing to see my younger sister as a mother, but she's just so fantastic at it that i enjoy it. it is really a blessing to see someone (rafael) who loves his mother so much. pure love!!!

today's roundup

2006-02-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

The Christian Science Monitor reports on global warming becoming a "Hotter Issue in Red States"

Tel Shemesh is adopting a salt marsh in Jamaica Bay, Queens to help in its restoration, which protects the New York shoreline and hosts many kinds of animals and plants. The salty marsh has been damaged in recent years and a large-scale effort is underway to repair it. Our task will be to remove the marsh straw that has collected in a fence placed to protect plant growth, so that the new plants can grow. We will also be learning about the salt marsh, sharing lunch, and singing. Our intention will be to heal the earth in our community and to welcome the rebirth of spring.

BZ reports on ridiculous English spellings of Tu Bishvat.

BJ announces their annual women's retreat which will be at by second home, the beautiful Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT (which has a lake, 400 acres of beautiful hiking AND a hot tub).

Read here and here about my friend JR's ridiculous way of celebrating V-day: beautifying Toronto's Queen Street with "love, love, love in the form of pink painted hearts all over the sidewalks."

beautiful snow angel

2006-02-13T01:10:00.000-05:00

for a photograph of a snow angel in nyc, check out dareius's latest post.

Tu Bishvat post on Jewschool

2006-02-12T18:00:00.000-05:00

Check out my latest post on Jewschool all about Tu Bishvat.

should the non-Jewish partner of an interfaith couple convert?

2006-02-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

an important question; posted on recently discovered by my apparent neighbor Akira.
i really enjoy his copious use of photos on his blog, much like enjoy the regular use of quotations over at dc's blog.
okay, seriously sc - it's mid-afternoon and you haven't gone out to play in the snow yet. get off your butt!

new old blog

2006-02-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

i just rediscoverd Velveteen Rabbi via a 2 year old post about a zalman retreat at Elat Chayyim.
some of my favorite quotations she writes from zalman:

If I could hear all of the vibrations in this room -- cell phones, broadband, wifi, radio waves, microwaves -- I'd hear a jumble. If I can tune in to a particular frequency, I might hear something I could understand. God broadcasts on all frequencies; we need to adjust our radios to attune to God.

Philosophers don't dig it because they want a single definition, an object. I'm talking about God as a verb. People who have triumphalist notions that God only speaks to the Jews are not correct. Different people attune to different frequencies; God speaks on all frequencies; we receive based on where we're open.

In Aramaic, the word for window is kavan, related to the term kavvanah [focus or intent, esp. in prayer]. In davvening, we need to open a window.

When we first saw earth from space, there was a paradigm shift. We can conceive of earth as a single being now. Earth is a being who maybe has emphysema now, has blood poisoning. And people who care only for themselves and their own expansion are like cancer cells. But every religion is a vital organ of the planet: all are needed, all are interdependent.

So then people ask, "If you're so universal, why be Jewish?" And my answer is, because the Jewish organ needs to be healthy, and if we're truly who we are, that helps the other organs be who they are.

Some people drive using only the rearview mirror. "Is this what we used to do? Then we'll do it this way."

jews in oregon

2006-02-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

i just stumbled upon the website for a havurah in ashland, oregon. they have a really fabulous website! it is times like this when i think 'well maybe i could live outside nyc.' i particularly enjoyed reading their "our two cents" page which includes links to Opinions, Articles, Letters, Ideas as well as "the Gallery of Jewish Jokes". i love the idea that a havurah took the time to make that part of their site. finally, and perhaps most importantly, was the rabbi's article Confessions of a New York Jew.
they also have an impressive list of links to members websites as well as a links page. i know you shouldn't judge a havurah by it's website...but this just looks like a really chill place!
i wonder if i lived somewhere where there was only one liberal jewish congregation if i would join it and help make it [or help sustain it to be] fabulous. in nyc there are pockets of fabulous-ity - (kz, bj, a few others) - but somehow the existence of so much choice makes it so i never have to choose. is the heretical imperative operative? it may not apply to me, since i'm destined to choose whether or not there are many options. at the same time, i would be terrified to move somewhere that didn't already have something established.
okay enough about moving.
back to enjoying beautiful snow outside my window!!

p.s. this photo is from washington, d.c. last winter - but i figured it could be approprite now!

mini update

2006-02-12T00:21:00.000-05:00

so i know i haven't posted about much lately. and i know i still need to blog the rest of my israel photos plus stuff about limmudny. but i figured since i had a few minutes i should write a few thoughts cause that's the point of a blog, right?

just a minute can change everything. sounds cliche right? but it's just totally true. it all began last week on tuesday afternoon (a week ago tuesday, so that was actually on jan 31). i woke up not feeling great; i thought i was getting over a cold but in fact the cold was just getting ready to do me in. first i had a stuffy nose. then a sore throat. then as i was taking a relaxing bus ride home from jts, it happened. i was blowing my nose and my left ear just started to hurt. and i mean really really hurt. it was clogged from all the pressure of blowing i think; like when you fly in an airplane? that sort of feeling. except extremely painful. i went home and rested before hebrew school that afternoon. after class i wasn't feeling much better. my ear hurt so much! i was in serious pain. on wednesday i slept in, didn't go to class, and went to the doctor as soon as i could. he took one look inside my ear and told me i had an ear infection.

ear infection! !דלקת באוזן

yikes. i used to get them all the time when i was a kid. this is not like how i remember. i am telling you my ear was in serious pain from that tuesday afternoon until this past tuesday when i finally went back to school and work, but only because i really had to; my ear still hurt until later that day. oy! for a week i barely left the house. luckily i had antibiotics and tylenol with coedine drugging me up. but once tuesday happened, i was psyched to get back into the game.

what a game it was!!! tuesday i had an impromptu lunch with some of my all time favorite jts people. DA, JF, AP, JG and L?. and if that wasn't cool enough, we ate OUTSIDE in the courtyard. can you imagine? outside in feb? it wasn't like 70 degrees or anything, but it was warm enough to be out with jackets and without hats. score!

tue night i staffed the homeless shelter at jts with BS. so great. she totally was there for me when i needed her. slubmer party baby! we talked about our new dream which is to hike the AT for a week in june. wahoo! i hope it works out.

wed i had a leisurely lunch with yg, followed be delicious 2 hour nap. i deserved it! wed. night was not as productive as it could have been, but i had some chill visitors such as YZ and JM who rock, so no worries there. why go out when fun people arrive at your door expecdting nothing besides your company?

thu brought more good news - quite a productive day doing my own "real nyc freelancer" thing most of the day. then at hebrew school a few of my kids admitted to one another during snack that they have been saying blessings over their food at public school snack! how freakin cool is that? i mean just really freakin cool i am telling you.

then i ran back to the upper right [east] side for storytelling workshop with master Jewish storyteller Peninah Schram. it was fabulous!

on friday i had three great hevruta [partner study] sessions in the beit midrash, just in time to make fabulous shabbat plans, including breakfast and lunch with my parents on sat and the compnay of MV, ES, and WC at the Michael Lerner event fri night.

then today i spend a bunch of time with the parents who left nyc early to avoid the beautiful snow that is now falling all around us. lucky for me this meant i got to check out the bj havdallah event which gave me a chance to catch up with a million people including BS (again), DI, AC, AB, AFR, LT, LF and finally meet KM. ridiculous! (in a good way)

just got back from quality time at the city diner with DI, AC, AB, AFR and KM - half a veggie burger and a cup of red wine later, i am ready to go to sleep at an hour reasonable enough for me to get up in the morning for an eco-zionism program i am leading downtown at town and village synagogue in the morning. wish me luck!

shavua tov.

bling bling blingo!

2006-02-03T14:13:00.000-05:00

so just a couple of days after Mobius invited me to join Blingo, I won a $10 iTunes gift certificate. So freakin cool!
Basically it means instead of using google.com to search the web, your first ten searches a day that you do with Blingo get you entered to win one of many prizes. But you have to be registered! The coolest part is that if you win, the person who invited you also wins. Blin-go!
So now all of you have a chance to try Blingo as well. You can either click on any of the occurances of Blingo in this post, or click on the blingo icon on the right hand side bar of my blog.

the birthright trip: dec. 2005

2006-01-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

so many of you know that from dec. 15-26 i was a madricha [counselor] for a birthright trip run by IsraelExperts. there's so much to say but now i am just way way overdue, so i'm going to post some photos. more thoughts and photos to come. shout out to any of my bus 2 participants!!

LimmudNY Live Blogging at Jewschool.com

2006-01-15T02:17:00.001-05:00

Check out live coverage of LimmudNY 2006 over at Jewschool.com. Leave some comments!

10, 9, 8, 7...

2005-12-06T07:34:00.000-05:00

ten days until i get on that plane for the holy land. here's a photo of me last year in israel. at this moment i am still enjoying my paper writing and finals prep. i am not looking forward to a 12 hour flight. i am looking forward to my first cucumber. ring ring ring ring ring......melaphaphon!!!

the countdown begins

2005-11-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

two weeks left until my finals. two weeks from tomorrow i leave with Israel Experts. today promises to be a long day of camping out in the library. some people would focus on "vacation is around the corner." however, since i chose to be a student and i actually enjoy being a student most of the time, what i need to really to is enjoy these two weeks. be excited about my papers. be psyched to review all the hard work i did in preparation for my finals. and fall in love with the library all over again! i'm ready!!!

okay i admit it

2005-11-29T01:59:00.000-05:00

i am overwhelmed. i have 2 papers, 2 finals, 5 hebrew school classes to teach, 5 lesson plans to write for when i'm away, princess pasuk debut at the 92nd st y, plus going to regular classes, eating, sleeping...oh yeah and leading KZ this Fri. i forsee two saturday nights IN and many chinese takeout evenings with NS. so far so good. must pace self. the new plan is to finish both papers by monday; this way i can study for the finals for the rest of the time.
did i mention i leave for israel dec. 15?

new photos of my nephew

2005-11-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

over t-day break i got to spend a lot of time with my 5-month old nephew, raphael. he really likes to grab everything he can and put it in his mouth. he also likes it when i sing to him and make kissy noises. the best ever is when i make him laugh. such a cutie!!

i've figured myself out

2005-11-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

next time someone asks me what do i do, instead of saying i'm a jewish educator or a grad student, i should just tell them about my morning today. i think it really defines me:
-woke up 10 min before my alarm (8:50am)
-checked email immediately; made plans to see cousin tomorrow, friend from israel on friday, still indecisive about shabbat [okay it's tuesday that's allowed]
-emailed friend in israel
-watched 20 min of dawson's creek
-read essay on eruvin; glanced at the daf i'm supposed to read for wed
-packed my backpack for the day: apple, harry potter, jps tanach, notebook for biblical archeology class
-checked the weather 5 times
-said hi to mom on IM
-emailed boss about cinderella dress needing more sparkles for parsha princess [more on this later!]

okay time to run to class...

Everyone should read Zeek Magazine

2005-11-07T01:02:00.000-05:00

Instructions:
1. Point browser to http://www.zeek.net
2. Choos article
3. Read
4. Expand mind
5. Be challenged
6. Think more deeply and intentionally about the world

Kol Nidre D'var Torah

2005-10-12T14:29:00.000-04:00

Earlier tonight we sang a short song that we only sing on Yom Kippur: Ki Anu Amecha. The translation of the title, “Because we are your people” comes from the opening line, which finishes “and you are our king.” Growing up I always liked this song because a friend of mine would sing the solo in the choir and I just really loved the tune. When I got older, it was pointed out to me that the metaphors in this song may be difficult for modern people to understand.

For example, the first line that claims “Because we are your people and you are our king” was written at a time when the Jewish people likely had a contemporary understanding of kingship. Even if we had to struggle between the king of our nation and God, our true king, we nevertheless had regular reminders of how one should relate to a king – bow in his presence, be obedient to his laws, et cetera.

However, looking at this metaphor in modern times, I do not think it is that difficult for us to view God as our king; in fact, perhaps the fact that none of us live under the rule of an earthly king makes it easier for us to regard our God as the one and only true king.

Another metaphor in this song is when we say: “Because we are your sheep and you are our shepherd.” Again, even though most of us have never experienced life as a shepherd, we understand the general idea of the metaphor; God looks after us just like a shepherd looks after sheep.

It was not until a few years ago that I came to understand this metaphor even more deeply. A friend of mine, Sam Apple, recently wrote a book, “Shlepping Through the Alps” based on his travels with a shepherd:

If you’re traveling the Alps with a Yiddish folksinger who also happens to be the last wandering shepherd in Austria and he assigns you the task of walking behind his flock of 625 sheep, you’ll discover that the little lambs sometimes tire out and plop down for naps. Since your job is to make sure no sheep is left behind, you’ll approach the sleeping lambs, your shepherd’s stick firm in your right fist, and shout, “Hop! Hop!” You’ll have learned to make this noise, which rhymes with “nope,” from observing the shepherd and his sons. On occasion, when a lamb is in a deep sleep and not responding, you’ll look around quickly to see whether the coast is clear. If the shepherd is far ahead or busy singing Yiddish ditties to himself, you’ll kneel down next to the sleeping lamb and say, “Come on, little cutie. Time to move on.” Then you’ll attempt to give the lamb a quick pat on the head. Usually the lamb will wake up before you touch it and scurry ahead in search of its mother. When this happens, you’ll let out several angry hop hops, as though you’re completely in charge.
…
Suddenly, you’ll reach a narrow passage and find you’ve drifted too far ahead and are now stuck in the middle of 625 tightly packed sheep. You’ll realize that the sheep, for all their virtues, don’t have much regard for human shins or feet. They’ll bump their woolly sides against you from every angle until you almost lose your balance. You’ll try to clear some space with your stick, but it will be no use. The sheep will treat you like the novice you are. Then, just as you’re regaining your bearings, a mangy gray sheepdog will race by and bark its angry orders. Your heart will skip a beat, and you’ll hurry ahead as fast as the others. If only for that one fleeting moment, you will understand the hardships of life in the flock.
… eventually your eyes will wander downward, and then all you’ll see is manure. Sheep droppings, you’ll come to appreciate, are formless, unaesthetic; droppings that, if not for the smell, could pass for mud. Next to the charming pebbles of goats or the healthy round cakes of cattle, the mushy green-brown splotches sheep leave behind can only disappoint. Still, you’ll keep staring at it because it’ll be everywhere, a parade of digested grass and Alpine flowers. You’ll see one sheep’s droppings stacked upon another’s. You’ll see globs of dried dung clinging like black icicles to the wool of sheep tails. You’ll get to know the droppings so well that, for the first time in your life, manure will seem harmless. You’ll walk through it as though you’ve been walking through it for years. You’ll stab at it with your shepherd’s stick for sport.

Apple’s book goes on to tell many stories about the shepherd and his sheep. While getting to know the life of shepherd made me connect better to the metaphor of God as our shepherd, nothing to me was more meaningful that this opening passage that I just read. Not only does God as shepherd show us that God cares for us, but God is so close to us that after walking through all of our wasteful, negative, or hurtful actions, God remains by our side in full dedication to each of us – one flock wandering this earth.

The other significant part of the metaphors of “Ki Anu Amecha” is its parallelisms; each “Ki anu” phrase, “ki” which means “because,” is followed with a “V’atah” phrase, meaning “and you are.” While other texts read simply, “God is my shepherd,” this song contains a “Ki” section – because we are your flock. It is not enough to say that God is our shepherd; it is a much stronger statement to also support this idea with “ki”, because – we, the Jewish people, we are one people, a flock in God’s keeping.

Why is this ki phrase so important? How does it extend the metaphor for us?

Harvard University social psychologist Ellen Langer writes about what she calls “mindful attention,” explaining the drawbacks of learning a skill to the point of doing it without thinking. She identifies examples of tasks where performance becomes inadequate when one only relies on past learning rather than from individually evaluating the current situation. When a task is rotely over-learned, it is more difficult for the learner to make adjustments when circumstances change, and thus his or her initial knowledge becomes less meaningful and less useful.

Even though Langer is writing in the context of education, her theory is also relevant to our understanding of connecting to God through metaphors. Simply having the prayer book display a metaphor, such as “God is my shepherd” is not always enough for us. The “ki” phrase, the section that tells us because, is the next step in our understanding, as well as meaning-making.

In 1978, Langer attempted to do an experiment with this word “ki,” “because.”

Standing in a line in the university library where others were waiting to use the copy machine, Langer posed three different questions to those in front of her.
1. "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I am in a rush?”
2. "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
3. "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make these copies?”
Only in requests 1 and 3 was the word “because” used. Langer explained that 94% complied with the first request because there was some reason provided and introduced with "because". To the second request 60% complied without any reason being given. In the third case, where "because" was also used but reason of substance was offered, just a "because" clause, 93% still complied.
The addition of the word “because,” even in the case of #3 in which the person stated the obvious action, “because I have to make these copies,” merited compliance more often than in its absence. While I am not suggesting that we all go out to manipulate people with this newfound data, I would like to encourage everyone to use this word, “ki,” because, to maneuver our individual actions.

As we go into the New Year, let us examine ourselves carefully. Are we acting by rote, or our actions connected to the world around us? How often do we think through our actions? From choosing our words to choosing which companies to support, we have the opportunity to insert a “ki” phrase, to say “because” about everything we do.

On this Yom Kippur, we stand before God not just as servants of a King, but together by saying “Ki” – because we are Your people, Your children, Your flock. May God hear our prayers because they are full of sincerity. By taking our actions mindfully, we do justice to the things we are resolving to do in the new year.

TING

2005-10-11T22:03:00.000-04:00

i. love. ting.

no, not tings - yeast covered corn pops...TING! Sweet, all natural grapefruit soda from the Carribean.

will i ever survive without it back in nyc?

google ads

2005-10-11T15:12:00.000-04:00

so some of you may be wondering why there are ads for the kabbalah centre and other random thing across the top of my blog. i can actually earn money over time for having this bar there - even if people just come to my site and don't click i can sometimes even earn a few bucks. so, we'll see if it's worth it.
i also think it's kind of fun to see what google's automator thinks it should be advertising on my site. clearly there is some sort of search function that picks out key words and chooses what to put up there.
i guess if it doesn't change that often or if i never end up making money i'll just get rid of it. however, i've had 5 hits in the past two days; maybe it has a chance!

soul vegetarian

2005-10-11T14:33:00.000-04:00

so i took my vegetarian soul to "soul vegetarian", a local vegan restaurant run by Black Hebrews. they had music that was in Hebrew and English; and they keep Jewish hoildays! (but only according to the Bible; not the Talmud) quite an interesting group. in any case, the food was fabulous! i had a plate that had a taste of a variety of things, including green beans, rice, tofu stir fry and a seitan stew. we also had fried breaded cauliflower that tasted stragely like fried clams (yes i ate fried clams in childhood).
those of you who know me well know that i eat meat occasionally, but really think i should be vegetarian (actually vegan!)- thus, vegetarian soul!

to the left here is one of the latest lizards. just on the wall inside the house!

rainy sundays

2005-10-09T18:26:00.000-04:00

it's chandler's warf! a small shopping center/office park by the water.

taught four kids in the usually parent run 'sunday school' this morning. we looked at the book of jonah, sang 'bo-bo-bo-boker tov," and ate honey rolls.

was supposed to go sailing and snorkeling today but the storm won. the boat of the woman who was supposed to take us out was full of water and had a dead battery as a result of yesterday evening's storm.

yesterday i lead a small discussion (okay it was me and one guy) on rav kook's fourfold song.

this afternoon i read more harry potter (100 pages left!), took a long nap, and munched on some nachos. i'm now enjoying a cool breeze on the porch (i'm wearing pants!) and trying to motivate for my talmud homework which i'll need to email in tomorrow afternoon.

tomorrow we'll try again for sailing and perhaps hiking. this of course, all weather permitting.

morning walk on the beach with the dogs

2005-10-07T09:12:00.000-04:00

just your average beach...it's called "hay-penny beach" (short for half-penny)

i'm really here!

here's moose after he fetched a stick from the water. he had to swim out and ride the waves in!

d'var Torah: Erev Rosh Hashanah

2005-10-06T18:29:00.000-04:00

Here is the D'var Torah I gave on Monday evening. Tuesday morning we did something more interactive; I'll post the text when I get a chance. Enjoy!

There is a story told of a man who gave his son a gift of a white cloak. Before the son left to live in a far away land, the king instructed his son on how to properly care for it. The king made sure to explain that a cloak of such delicate material would need to be washed regularly in order to not accumulate stains. The son listened carefully to the king’s advice, and set off for his new life in a small, distant town.

In the first few weeks, the son took the King’s advice to heart; taking special care of the cloak, washing it regularly and with great care. However, the son eventually became tired of the ritual, washing the cloak less and less often, until he rarely bothered to wash it at all.

One day, it was announced that the king would be coming to visit the small town. As soon as the son heard the news, he immediately ran to see if he could make his cloak appear presentable for his father. At first glance, the task appeared hopeless. How long had it been since he’d washed it? He thought. It was too long to remember.

The son took a large barrel of water and dunked his cloak inside, hoping for the best. While a few stains remained, he was still able to clean off a significant amount of dirt from his cloak. What should he do? Wear the slightly stained cloak and hope for his father’s compassion? Or wear no cloak, risking his father’s disappointment?

Finally the son had an idea. He decided he would wear the cloak for his father, but bring with him the dirty water as proof of his final cleaning attempt.

The son braved the crowds at the center of town, finally moving his way up in order to greet his father. But his father did not recognize him at first glance. “Father, father!” the son called. A look of disgust and disappointment came over the king. “How could you be my son? I was sure to expect my son to be wearing a beautiful white cloak; not to be draped in dirty rags!” Mustering up the courage to speak, the son stepped forward. “Father,” he said. “I am sorry to say that I did not take as good care of this cloak as I could have over the past year. However, you must believe me that in anticipation of your visit, I have gone to great lengths to get as clean as it is today. To prove my dedication to cleansing this garment, I even saved the dirty water from this past week’s washing.”

The king looked at his son, then at the dirty water, then back at his son. Looking into his son’s eyes, he stretched out his arms to his son, embracing him with compassion and forgiveness.

Today begins the “yamim noraim”, the “Days of Awe;” the ten days of teshuva, or “repentance” from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.

Repentance is a challenging process. The more time we spend in reflection, often the more confused or even depressed we can feel about a year not lived to it’s fullest. The overwhelming task of raking over a year’s work of actions may seem too daunting to attempt. Yet just like the King’s son, we must awaken to the season and make our best attempt. God would not ask of us something that was not possible; part of this examination is each person’s individual assertion of what he or she is capable of; the path of teshuva will be different for each individual.

Teshuva, the Hebrew word for “repentance” comes from a root meaning “to return.” It is during this season that we return to the truth of our past actions, finding a way to be honest with ourselves, and renew our lives with the new year.

The Rabbis teach that during this season, we each approach God with a perfectly balanced scale. On one side are our good deeds from the past year, on the other our transgressions. Each person is equally half-guilty and half-innocent. We must imagine each of our deeds as one that has the potential to tip the scale in favor if him or herself. Even if a person is righteous all of her days, if she rebels at the last she loses the benefit of her early deeds. But even if a person was wicked all his days, if he does teshuva at his last, his wickedness is never remembered again against him. [kiddushin 40]

As Jews, though we are expected to make regular teshuva for our mistakes, these ten days both God and our community are watching closely at our actions. Even a decree against us can still be overturned at this point.

At this point you may ask: So how feasible is this teshuva work? And is it all so heavy and spiritual? Is there a practical side to it?

A midrash, or legend, about Abraham tells about the time that he recuperating after his (adult) circumcision. As he sat and spoke one on one with God in this very holy moment, Abraham noticed three nomads approaching over the hill. Without so much as an “excuse me” to God, Abraham jumped to his feet in order to welcome the nomads, offering them food and drink. From this story it at first appears that Abraham’s immediate instinct to offer hospitality to strangers shows a turning away or even a disrespect to God. However, at second glance we come to understand that the selfless act of helping others is in and of itself an even higher level of experiencing the divine.

We walk in Gods ways both in seeking forgiveness and having an open heart to forgive others. Especially during the days of awe, we must each rise to a level that allows us to forget the details, look beyond what created the problem to begin with, and strive to behold every individual from God’s perspective.

A pupil once asked his rabbi “How far is it from east to west?” He replied “Easy, just one turn.” What we think is most difficult is in fact already within us. The most important act is pivoting our bodies in a new direction.

As we enter the final ten days of awe, I would like to bless everyone with a three-fold strength: the strength to take the first step toward repentance, the strength to emunlate God’s compassion in forgiving others, and the strength to find God in the most basic selfless actions.

Shana tova.

ocean sunsets and diet coke with (fresh) key lime

2005-10-06T18:09:00.000-04:00

here's what i did today:
-slept late
-read harry potter
-drank mango banana yogurt smoothie
-downloaded mellel, now necessary hebrew word processing program
-chatted with friends on IM
-went for a walk halfway to the beach (it's really hot in the sun! and there aren't really sidewalks...tomorrow we will drive to the beach)
-went for a swim
-rescued a grey gecko who jumped in the pool running away from moose (the dog) only to have moose (the dog) catch him and spit him out on the pavement (no he didn't survive)
-made delicious jack and goat cheese quesedilla
-drank many rounds of diet coke with fresh wedges of key lime and lemon
-worked on assignment for Biblical Hebrew Grammar [on the computer!]

still in store:
-dinner with host family (they are hoping to take me somewhere with local delights, probably fish!)
-possibly join JL for trivia night at a local bar
-talking to the dogs
-more harry potter #4
-no more diet coke! must sleep eventually!
-take some photos so everyone can be even more jealous of my mini-tropical vacation

about the dogs

2005-10-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

is it because i'm in the country that people enjoy the outdoors more, or is it the warm weather? i suppose there are plenty cold weather places that have people who love being outdoors.

there are THREE DOGS here at host family #1 during my visit to st. croix, VI.

moose: we call him "moo" or "moo moo." moose is very rowdy; likes to jump up and get mud on your shirt, but only if it's white or a nice one. he barks the most too. moose is allergic to somem local wild flowers so he spend a lot of time scratching himself. he's cute cause he follows me everywhere when i'm the only one home. today i took a swim here in the pool. after i did one length of the pool, just as i was reaching out to grab the edge and turn around, moose reached down and put his hand in my mouth! it freaked me out but i couldn't stop laughing. then i swam to the other end of the pool and he did it again! he thinks it's a game i am playing with him. even when i start out at one end and he is far away from the pool, he always manages to meet me at the other end with a huge lick.

zoe: zoe is older and bushier than moose. she doens't jump but she definitely likes to follow me around. she's here with me now on the porch licking herself. a few days ago i came home and took a nap. she wasn't so happy that i wouldn't allow her in my room. so she stationed herself up against the door and i had to push really hard to get out! i think this was her way of telling me she was mad at me.

cleo: i'm not sure exactly why i like cleo the best. probably cause she doesn't jump on me or lick me. she is small and furry and very old. she snores A LOT. i can hear her from across the house! tomorrow when we go to the beach with the dogs she won't come because she doesn't like going in the water. her favorite thing to do is chase peacocks! (which are wild here)

there's also a white cat. it's name is "knox" or something like that, but just like cw's cat, she goes by "kitty."

family weekend in binghamton

2005-08-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

here are some fabulous photos from my family weekend in binghamton.

more fire!

2005-08-16T00:22:00.000-04:00

what's that i'm wearing? oh the same smelly clothing i keep around for all my fire building needs. smoke smell anyone? "you smell like bishul!"

breakneck ridge

2005-08-12T00:26:00.000-04:00

here i am on my last tiyul of the summer. gorgeous river views!

another fabulous trip

2005-08-02T16:36:00.000-04:00

here are some photos from my latest adventure on the AT. click here to see all of them. this was such an amazingly positive group of kids. and the davening: me'uleh!

here's my group at hang glider's view:

this is me on the pine knob overlook:

here is me bonding with a millipede:

al hagova staff dinner

2005-07-30T00:17:00.000-04:00

this was hands-down my favorite night in camp. we cooked and ate all this amazing organic food. what a feast!

here i am in the shack with dt and bc cooking up a storm. fire fire!

tl and more fire, this time in an igul. it's pita time!

mb, dt, ta, and dl at the igul. smokin'!

late night yum

2005-07-29T00:13:00.000-04:00

one night i brought some ice cream scoops to help an edah out. in return, a huge bowl of ice cream.
here i am with mb doing one of our favorie things: eating ice cream. is there anything else to do at night in the summer?

shabbat singing and female energy

2005-07-25T01:00:00.000-04:00

overall i had a pretty selfish shabbat. (selfish looks so much like the word shellfish!)
sang a lot with people i like to sing with instead of 600 kids banging on tables. at one point the group boiled down to five women - two americans and three israelis. it was really intense; we just kept singing and singing; almost as if we were afraid something might happen to us if we were to stop. i don't think i've ever sang that much with just women. it was great! especially since between the five of us we knew so many of the same songs.
then on sunday the jts students had lunch with neshama carlebach, who taught us one of her favorite niggunim that her father wrote, "niggun neshama" (her name for it).
after shabbat she performed a concert for the whole camp. it was exciting to hear the songs all jazzed up and i think she is a great role model for the kids in camp, epecially the young teens.
okay, sleep time. more later!

sweaty day off in nyc

2005-07-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

days off are so key. sad that they have to end. luckily i am going back to camp with much excitement and little stress. tonight is the zimriyah - the whole camp comes together for tons of singing hebrew songs (each unit and group of staff has a song). sadly i am not super psyched about the one i'm performing, but i am excited to be part of the camp spirit of the evening.

tomorrow morning i leave on a two day bike trip. don't get too excited - i'm driving the truck with all the luggage, water, food, and of course, first aid equipment. basically i'm driving about 3 miles over 6 or 7 hours, plus a lunch break. i think the plan is to drive for five, rest for five, etc. driving behing 15 bikers has the potential to be quite dangerous. luckily there will be plenty of exotic weeds growing along the side of the road for me to pick and make into things. (thanks ms and ye)

had another gourmet meal last night with ab and a long overdue lunch with my uncle today. my plan is to remain inside until i head back to camp on the train later on. less movement=less sweat=less heat rash.

oh i almost forgot! i think i had the highlight of my summer, in camp that is. out of camp my highlight was definitely the three day camping trip, the highlight of that being shachrit and informal conversation. anyway, mon. night sb and i were sitting by the al hagova shack nigguning up a storm. ta joined in. then we added a drum. then two gesher (16 year old) campers joined in as well. it was so spontaneous and fabulous and right in the middle of everything. okay so it was in the middle of anything, but it was by the shack, it was unscheduled, and there were people who passed by. beyond having chances to be in the woods (which is, in my opninon, quite few), i crave more chances to sing. and though i love singing in a small group, i think the public jamming that went on mon. night, which reminds me of late nights at havurah, is something i want to make happen more often. not only is it something i enjoy, but i like the idea that it's participatory. and especially since we can't use instruments on shabbat, a weeknight jam may be just what this camp needs to bring peopole together in a new way. i guess we'll see if we can find other opportunities to, um, be spontaneous. sb says he's down.

okay i'm waiting for bz to join me in a movie on my couch. then it's to the train for me.

in closing, some photos from the past week. the first is a sunset, the second is me with some of the al hagova staff on the low ropes course. i am wearing long pants and sleeves to avoide the poison ivy that was surrounding us. luckily, i survived!

real update, no photos

2005-07-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

i'm sitting in the camp office on duty to drive people around on visiting day. it was raining before but now it's nice and cool - breezy and not too sunny.
i'm exhausted after staying up until 3am last night. (that's actually 4am real world time; we have 'camp time' here which is an hour earlier). what was i doing up so late?
well, a few things.
first, i wasn't tired. i really wasn't tired. usually on shabbat i nap between lunch and dinner; somewhere between 3pm and 6pm. the past few shabbats i have had programming to do at 5pm. this shabbat i learned parshat hashavua for 2 hours with sb and ls. we got up to the fourth aliyah which i think it a record. since i took dr. marcus's class last fall on numbers/bemidbar, i am super pscyhed to be in the midst of it. i have this academic knowledge about it, but i haven't looked deep into the text to see how it mirrors my life since last summer. [ah last summer. memories of eh and bz and others on the rooftop...]
anyway, since last night was "cafe aby" (a crazy staff evening program where everyone stuffs their face with quesedillas, root beer floats, mozzerella sticks and other junk...like greek salad with grape leaves!), i decided to take a nap from 5-7pm, thus skipping dinner. and what an amazing nap it was!
since my room (yes, i have a single room. this is what happens when you are 26 and work at a camp) has 3 huge windows that face the area where the little kids play and bring in a LOT OF SUN (yes i know you are all super jealous now), i need a very special set up when i take an afternoon nap.
after i turn on my ceiling fan (how cool is that?), i put in my ear plugs. then i curl up in bed and put a pillow over one of my ears. then the end of the pillow case falls over my eyes and i drift into blissful sleep. fabulous, no?
okay, back to sarah staying up late.
after helping some campers tidy up their bunk and filling up at cafe aby, i started to head out to check email. this was around 11pm. i ended up taking a detour to visit sb on shmirah outside b9. sb was avoiding working on an article for the camp newspaper. after complimenting me on my writing/blogging skills (smart people always compliment a person before asking them for a favor), i sat down for what turned out to be a 3.5 hour project.
okay well that's my anti-climatic ending to why so tired today. more rambing updates soon!

"i finally accomplished something in my life besides video games"

2005-07-15T01:29:00.000-04:00

this is one of the many "peak experiences" that my campers reflected on after a 3 day back packing trip on the appalacian trail. success! below are some photos from the trip.

Here we are before the trip - so clean!

Here I am with Tamar doing our tvi impression: (That's the little deer symbol on Israeli postage stamps.)

Here I am at a beautiful overlook with Ayala and Ilana:

blogging is back!

2005-07-10T01:01:00.000-04:00

so i'm at camp. crazy place - tons going on all the time. lots of shachrit services. hundreds of kids. and it's quite rare to be over 22 around here. but it doesn't bother me; i get to do the most fun stuff so can't complain. over shabbat i did a teva-themed program for cochavim, the kids entering 4th grade this fall. such sweetness!

this week i went on two caving trips and a 'scrambling' trip to a huge mountain with a waterfall. scrambling is like a cross between rock climbing and hiking. we actually hiked from new york into connecticut, into massachusetts, and back into new york. i told my campers they had to stop being yankees fans when they left new york. they didn't really listen to me.

here's a photo of me 20 feet in the air on top of the rock wall:

here i am on the appalacian trail with a through hiker named "chair man:"

last but certainly not least...since june 19 i became an aunt! a week after that i had the pleasure of going to lexington for about 24 hours to meet rafael velvel and be there for his bris.
here are a few photos (see above link to his blog above for even more):

2005-05-29T18:02:00.000-04:00

"i think your favorite tactile senses are soft and fuzzy and crispy and
crunchy" -ds, 05/29/05

new day, old bike, new to me

2005-05-23T23:21:00.000-04:00

day 1 of learning how to ride a bike. yes, you heard it here: sarah is
finally going to learn how to ride a bike at age 26. probably a good
idea since my supervisor hopes that i will be able to lead mountain
biking trips this summer. hehe. first JF replaced the gear cables and
the balloons inside the wheels. then my heroic roommate LW took me to
riverside park just before sundown for some lessons. i know soon i will
be able to do it. but right now - it's just really tough! i am a big
wimp and, i'll just say it, it hurts my crotch! i look forward to the
day that i can finally do it. i shall be patient, however. i think i
can do it.

chan chandler is going to give me a bad name

2005-05-08T10:37:00.000-04:00

uh oh. who knew there was a guy named <<a
href="/http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/07/church.politics.ap/index.html">chan
chandler<</a> A pastor in North Carolina said of him the following:
<<blockquote> <fontfamily><param>Arial</param>Members of the
congregation said Chandler told them during last year's presidential
campaign that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic nominee John
Kerry needed to leave the church.</fontfamily><</blockquote>

recycle your electronics!!

2005-05-06T01:17:00.000-04:00

am super psyched about this. we need more awareness and action on this issue; it is so ridiculous how some people obsess over recycling cans or paper, but don't think twice about trashing batteries or televisions.

just got this post on the koe email list:

Electronics Recycling Drive, St. John the Divine @ 112/113 & Amsterdam, Thurs. May 12, 3-8PM. Taking PCs, TVs, VCRs, fax machines, cell phones, pagers. NOT taking stereo equip., radios, cameras & small appliances. For more information, please call 212-865-9595.

photo post test

2005-05-04T22:58:00.000-04:00

so i saw this new feature that lets me post to my blog via email. i'm testing it with text and a photo. it's my latest friendster photo. i think it's from this past fall sometime. great hair day right? crap i don't know how to make it smaller...

clean sleep

2005-05-04T00:41:00.000-04:00

i actually feel like i'm staying at someone else's apt. not the gross apts with mismatched couches that i have had the pleasure of crashing on, more like somone who has a clean apt. just anyone.

5 megillot final in 9.5 hours or so. my final final!
excited for a big day - lunch with my bro, my favorite (ef), plus je and lw who are always fab to be with. did i just use the word fab?
then 5pm interview for camp ramah job as stated in earlier post. then dinner with cousin ag and maybe even bz, followed by concert in east village with cr!!

nyc is cool. always things to do. why was i ever thinking of leaving? it's all here really.

shiny floors

2005-05-02T23:13:00.000-04:00

it's a miracle. my room is clean. my clothes are clean. my alarm clock is plugged in and set! no more cellphone for my alarm. my modem and router are neatly on top of my deak. this time really i'm going to make it happen. and craziest of all, my laptop is plugged in and set up at MY DESK - not just by the couch in the living room. seriously i am a real person again. how come i had to wait till the end of the semester to become a real person, huh?

hopefully the fact that i scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees will keep me from waking up with a sore throat from all the dustiness.

AND I HAVE A WORKING PRINTER. it's only been about 10 months or so since i bothered to replace the cartridge. i am invincible! now i can do anything. i really think so.

now i just have to go through the 9 boxes and 3 shelves of random shit, throw stuff out, file stuff, put in binders...make some real decisions! oh yeah and probably give away some clothing. so hard! must stay strong. i can do it!!

must help bz think of clever blog title. minutes from crawling into super clean bed...

sarah washes and folds!

2005-05-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

after being inspired at wc's apt last week, i have decided to do my own laundry. after months of not feeling that i had an extra 2 hours in the day, i think it is time. also it will be too expensive for me to wash my comforter at the cleaners', so i may as well take some other laundry along with it.

really what i need to do is get rid of some clothing. on the one hand, if there are things i haven't worn in over a year, i should get rid of them. on the other, many belong in a 'new york sarah' category - perhaps i will need them again one day should i end up in an office.

must sort. must mimimize. strive to be more like wc and ab. without curling hair...

pesadik restaurant!

2005-04-28T00:12:00.000-04:00

...she'hechiyanu, v'kiyamanu... my first time eating out at a k for p restaurant! so cool! meet ab for dinner after 'work' at the Teva office. now that i think is real freedom.

am excited to get up early to make some quinoa for pot luck lunch at 'the office'
will i go to brooklyn for a play? will i go to queens for matzoh lasagne? or will i go to the limmud meeting? i feel like chilling. taking it easy. deciding at the last minute. sarah is on the path to chillitude. thanks for the tip, ab.

my bed is calling me...

online passover animations rock

2005-04-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

50 cent does the 10 plagues - Shabot6000

the newest jib jab - matzah rap

everyone's favorite - passovergreeting.com

pesach vacation on the couch

2005-04-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

well now that i have the time to be checking other people's blogs, i figure i can start mine up again. i'm really not going to spend the whole week on the couch...and it's not even like i go back to classes once pesach is over. it's all a dream really that i may not wake up from until classes start in sept...

i only have one final left - 5 megillot & jonah, may 4 - and besides that just a few part time jobs over the next few weeks. i have a ton to do though ... apply for summer job (camp ramah in the berkshires), apply for fall job (probably Derekh Torah), a few more classes for west end synagogue, and a few small projects for Teva. oh yeah and there's also cleaning/organizing my room, finding a summer subletter, and finding a new roommate for aug. 1. now that is some serious business.

maybe if it doesn't rain on sun i will make it to the brooklyn botanic garden.

here's a highlight from tu bishvat photos:

Shirley and Liz!

aaron on the dij

yakir, chana, joe, sarah
(yes i know they are from jan 25 and that was 3 months ago)
for the rest, click here.
more photo links as they arrive!

breezy sunny afternoon

2004-08-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

i really feel like i am on vacation in my parents house. not that i feel like i'm a guest, but i feel like i do when we stay at a house on the beach...long lazy days relaxing, reading, visiting with each other. granted there are late night phish shows in between, but now that i have a full day where i'm in charge...it's just really great. tonight i'll have another bbq with my family, then soon it's time to return to the nyc for shabbat.

sunday i head to long island to hofstra university for the caje conference. i'll be representing the melton research center and jts press at the shuk part time and the rest of the time attending classes, workshops, concerts, israeli dancing...it will be jam-packed with activities.

just got an update from lw that the tor (my sister's pet turtle) is eating well. she is being such a good auntie feeding him this week. i really miss the little guy. here's an old photo for those of you who haven't met him yet:

yesterday spent the afternoon with grandma g. we had thai for lunch (she's had thai food 3 times at the same restaurant and always orders the same thing). we did some errands and went to the ma'ket (since we were in ba'stun that's what they call it). i need to start making a list of all the great things grandma g has to say. here's quote #1:

"In the evening, I like to take a peach or a nectarine."

I love it! Take a peach! It's great! I've got to start using that.

6 hours until phish

2004-08-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

so as of yesterday i've been officially blogging for two weeks. i hope to keep it up for at least the month of august. as for the fall semester, which starts after labor day (and therefore the hazon ride, we shall see what things look like when i'm trekking up to freedman three days a week for teva stuff.

i have a few hours to shower and organize some dinner before i head down to the tweeter center, ahem 'greatwoods,' for phish's 4th to last concert ever. i think i i will be making some grilled tofu and veggies for the ride.

wed. will be lunch with grandma g, perhaps after a visit to grandma c. thu i have plans to have dinner with zs and it looks like i'll find myself on the chinatown bus by early fri morning. not many other plans; mostly chiling in the 'hood and at my parents house...relaxing and surely saving $$.

btw, if you are reading this blog, i would love to get a comment or two from you, even if it's just: "hi, i'm reading your blog"
making a comment is easy to do-just click where it says "0 comments" and you can add your own.

peace.

chinatown midnight

2004-08-10T00:07:00.000-04:00

my brother is due in on the chinatown bus in about an hour. last summer he once picked me up around 2am (since, you know, the subway stops running at 1am here in boston!), so i really owe him one. would be somewhat easier if i wasn't also waking up at 7am tomorrow (tue) to drive mom to work and borrow her car for the phish concert, but ah well...he's my brother and he needs a ride. it happends. this is why we should all live in new york. so we can be out super late and be independent about it.

yet as i see myself getting older, i think there will be a time where i don't plan on being out after 11pm, let alone 1am. so, nyc is not forever...but surely it is still for right now. nyc: i'll see you at the end of the week!