Thursday, December 24, 2009
kranky
beto's dog's name is kranky. i tried to hold her once but she was scared and didnt understand english. kinda like how i feel right now with hebrew. and i think im way more cranky than the real kranky. i need sleep and cant :(
Monday, December 21, 2009
friends at last?
when people ask me how i like living in jerusalem, i say that i love israel, but living in jerusalem is tough. why? i have no friends. i'm not religious. my hebrew sucks. it's kinda dirty. it's a cool experience, but i wish i lived somewhere else. however, now that i've been here exactly one year and four days, i can say i have a few friends. in general, the ones i do have are not ones i feel crazy-close with and talk to/text/call every day. i'm friends with my roommate and his gf but you can only be the third wheel every so often, ya know? plus it's good to have separate friends (which is easy, since jon is like, social king of the century, and i'm like, little miss outcast). i do have a couple friends i meet for lunches or dinners or drinks, which is always really fun! but mostly these friends of mine are religious, so it's difficult on the weekends while they're shabbating it up and i'm like, writing, showering, cooking, playing, typing, working, baking, etc.... when they are avoiding all those action verbs and are instead resting...praying..... eating a meaty shabbat meal somewhere if u will... (i realllllllllyyyyyy tried doing the shabbat-meal-going for a while. but when you rarely eat meat, you don't eat lettuce or most salad-type things, there's only so much challah you can eat). anyway, the point of this post is that very exciting people are around.
friday at the shuk i ran into a bunch of people i know - some from home, some from here. it's just comforting to see familiar faces in all the friday shuk madness that can sometimes cause my thoughts to be borderline-suicidal. ok i'm exaggerating :) but i LOVED seeing them!!! yesterday i went to see illana, who is here on birthright. it had been five or six years since we'd last seen each other. i met her at her hotel and got to meet the other participants and her trip leaders, and it was really comforting and almost bittersweet to know that 365 days before, i was at the exact same location (one hotel over) with the rest of the amazing 17 crew. i got over it (at least i pretended), and illana and i caught up and decided we will pick a city and become roommates. then i met some others who knew some of my faves in dallas quite well, which was exciting :) the trip leader invited me to go to dinner with them, and it's not like i had anything else to do....... hahah so.... the bus was taking the trip to emek refaim for a set amount of time and the participants could choose any restaurant they wanted. i obviously went straight for caffit cause it's my fave, and i never get to go cause i have noone to go with!!! so illana and i walk in to caffit, and about 16 others followed. it was SO much fun!!!!! i was really depressed when i had to leave them and go back to my own little world haha. wow. i took a taxi home and the guy kept saying he remembered me, but i def didn't remember him (and i have a pretty shockingly accurate memory). he asked "how long you are here?" and i said, "shalosh chodashim".... i was pretty sure he wanted to know how long i'd been here so far, but whenever i answer honestly they yell at me for not speaking Hebrew. once i answered in Hebrew, though, the dude spoke ONLY hebrew the rest of the way until i got out of the cab. but i managed to have a conversation - responding in hebrew- meaning i actually understood what he was saying. major progress :)
then tonight i got a call from my long lost friend (and iltc'er) ari, who i ran into at kol nidre services but hadn't seen since. he was in jerusalem, and i just got home from meeting up with him and a bunch of his friends. they were at nadin's (which i loathe)... buttttt i'd go anywhere for ari. he's a sweetheart. i'll never forget, he was the first iltc participant i met in 2002 the night matt and i arrived to perlman. OH the memories!
what's even more exciting is that in the next few days, i'll get to see 2 more awesome people from the past, and after that, 3 more! it's just so weird how much fun i can be having now that it's almost time to go. but i hear sometimes that's how it works. it's just crazy to me how greatly others can impact our time here - for the good and the not-so-good. regardless, i'm feelin very, very blessed.
some random things:
i'm STILL super-addicted to texttwist and need rehab.
i want a puppy.
i still want a best friend here.
i need to figure out what i'm doing next.
i haven't had la cuisine in almost 2 weeks. record.
bacardi breezers (lemon) are some of my other new friends.
cute boy = cuter than ever.
lately my dreams have been INSANELY random yet realistic.
i want to make pumpkin cheesecake this week.
the awkward boy at the cheese shop sold me ricotta, mozzarella, cream cheese AND brie for 50 shekels.
tomorrow morning i'm going to a lecture. haven't done that in a while.
don't be surprised if i turn into an avocado.
i'm still kind of in my own world more often than i'd like to be.
i miss you.
friday at the shuk i ran into a bunch of people i know - some from home, some from here. it's just comforting to see familiar faces in all the friday shuk madness that can sometimes cause my thoughts to be borderline-suicidal. ok i'm exaggerating :) but i LOVED seeing them!!! yesterday i went to see illana, who is here on birthright. it had been five or six years since we'd last seen each other. i met her at her hotel and got to meet the other participants and her trip leaders, and it was really comforting and almost bittersweet to know that 365 days before, i was at the exact same location (one hotel over) with the rest of the amazing 17 crew. i got over it (at least i pretended), and illana and i caught up and decided we will pick a city and become roommates. then i met some others who knew some of my faves in dallas quite well, which was exciting :) the trip leader invited me to go to dinner with them, and it's not like i had anything else to do....... hahah so.... the bus was taking the trip to emek refaim for a set amount of time and the participants could choose any restaurant they wanted. i obviously went straight for caffit cause it's my fave, and i never get to go cause i have noone to go with!!! so illana and i walk in to caffit, and about 16 others followed. it was SO much fun!!!!! i was really depressed when i had to leave them and go back to my own little world haha. wow. i took a taxi home and the guy kept saying he remembered me, but i def didn't remember him (and i have a pretty shockingly accurate memory). he asked "how long you are here?" and i said, "shalosh chodashim".... i was pretty sure he wanted to know how long i'd been here so far, but whenever i answer honestly they yell at me for not speaking Hebrew. once i answered in Hebrew, though, the dude spoke ONLY hebrew the rest of the way until i got out of the cab. but i managed to have a conversation - responding in hebrew- meaning i actually understood what he was saying. major progress :)
then tonight i got a call from my long lost friend (and iltc'er) ari, who i ran into at kol nidre services but hadn't seen since. he was in jerusalem, and i just got home from meeting up with him and a bunch of his friends. they were at nadin's (which i loathe)... buttttt i'd go anywhere for ari. he's a sweetheart. i'll never forget, he was the first iltc participant i met in 2002 the night matt and i arrived to perlman. OH the memories!
what's even more exciting is that in the next few days, i'll get to see 2 more awesome people from the past, and after that, 3 more! it's just so weird how much fun i can be having now that it's almost time to go. but i hear sometimes that's how it works. it's just crazy to me how greatly others can impact our time here - for the good and the not-so-good. regardless, i'm feelin very, very blessed.
some random things:
i'm STILL super-addicted to texttwist and need rehab.
i want a puppy.
i still want a best friend here.
i need to figure out what i'm doing next.
i haven't had la cuisine in almost 2 weeks. record.
bacardi breezers (lemon) are some of my other new friends.
cute boy = cuter than ever.
lately my dreams have been INSANELY random yet realistic.
i want to make pumpkin cheesecake this week.
the awkward boy at the cheese shop sold me ricotta, mozzarella, cream cheese AND brie for 50 shekels.
tomorrow morning i'm going to a lecture. haven't done that in a while.
don't be surprised if i turn into an avocado.
i'm still kind of in my own world more often than i'd like to be.
i miss you.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
maple syrup or strawberries and whipped cream?
i'm totally making pancakes for breakfast. AND it's illana day! WOOOOOOOO!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
google is freekin mind-blowing. so are my new fuzzy socks.
tonight i was planning on going to my cousin's chanukah party in hashmonaim. i was pumped. to the max. i made chanukah cards, which were precious in case you doubted my card-making abilities. i was really looking forward to hanging with the fam. however, the award my work recently received was being presented to us tonight in herzliya. and my work paid for me to go... baaaaasically i was going. even though i wasn't really excited because a) i wanted some latkes, and b) i adore my cousin and every single member of my entire family in israel and it's rare that we get together, and c) tonight's ceremony was supposed to be conducted in hebrew. at least, that's what the last line on the invite said.
aaaaaanyway, tonight i took two buses, a train, three taxis and a car (thank you nurit!).... if only i had rollerblades i'd feel like i covered the bases. or a bicycle. just kidding, there are two massive mountain bikes that live in the living room. salon. whatever. but i don't wanna ride them becauuuuuse they scare me. back to tonight. i feel so dirty after all that transportation. but i'm home. clean. in my bed. in a sweatshirt and leggings that were right in the drawer they should've been in (i love when that happens!). o ya, and i'm also wearing new fuzzy socks that came in a pack of three. no really, i'm in love.
so tonight. we were fed. justin gave a phenomenal speech - in ENGLISH!! at the end he compared CLI to the shamash on the chanukiah, which was a really really cheesy-yet-awesome analogy. i took pictures. candles were lit. MEAT was served. MEAT was consumed. and then the keynote speaker began. mr. google israel. he was ridiculously inspiring and pretty brilliant and basically i felt like a superstar just being in the same room as this guy. not kidding. the subjects, the technology, the stories, the methods, the words he spoke, the messages he conveyed, the passion he displayed (i made a rhyyyme) - it was all incredible. he showed some really neat stuff, like google insights (which was created in tel aviv! and which i never knew existed).... and then a pic of a cow came on the screen. that's when i started feeling nauseous for the meat i'd just consumed. it was like the cow was talking to me. there was a serious point to the cow slide, but i didn't hear a word google man said. i was listening to the ethical conversation my brain was having with my stomach and my heart. yup, my guts chimed in, too. AH i hate those conversations. i don't even know how to explain the thoughts. it's like my entire body escapes the moment and just starts hardcore debating and feeling guilty and chastising itself. argh. ok point: google. is. awesome.
k now im home. this kosher thing is also starting to effect me. i mean it had been hours since dinner, and a girl's gotta eat like 4383489239023 times a day. normally i totally would've gone for yogurt or pasta or cereal when i got home.... however, i consciously thought about the meat thing and debated between pita and hummus or chips and salsa. obviously we know what i went for. ayayayayayayayayayayayay!
oh my life.
aaaaaanyway, tonight i took two buses, a train, three taxis and a car (thank you nurit!).... if only i had rollerblades i'd feel like i covered the bases. or a bicycle. just kidding, there are two massive mountain bikes that live in the living room. salon. whatever. but i don't wanna ride them becauuuuuse they scare me. back to tonight. i feel so dirty after all that transportation. but i'm home. clean. in my bed. in a sweatshirt and leggings that were right in the drawer they should've been in (i love when that happens!). o ya, and i'm also wearing new fuzzy socks that came in a pack of three. no really, i'm in love.
so tonight. we were fed. justin gave a phenomenal speech - in ENGLISH!! at the end he compared CLI to the shamash on the chanukiah, which was a really really cheesy-yet-awesome analogy. i took pictures. candles were lit. MEAT was served. MEAT was consumed. and then the keynote speaker began. mr. google israel. he was ridiculously inspiring and pretty brilliant and basically i felt like a superstar just being in the same room as this guy. not kidding. the subjects, the technology, the stories, the methods, the words he spoke, the messages he conveyed, the passion he displayed (i made a rhyyyme) - it was all incredible. he showed some really neat stuff, like google insights (which was created in tel aviv! and which i never knew existed).... and then a pic of a cow came on the screen. that's when i started feeling nauseous for the meat i'd just consumed. it was like the cow was talking to me. there was a serious point to the cow slide, but i didn't hear a word google man said. i was listening to the ethical conversation my brain was having with my stomach and my heart. yup, my guts chimed in, too. AH i hate those conversations. i don't even know how to explain the thoughts. it's like my entire body escapes the moment and just starts hardcore debating and feeling guilty and chastising itself. argh. ok point: google. is. awesome.
k now im home. this kosher thing is also starting to effect me. i mean it had been hours since dinner, and a girl's gotta eat like 4383489239023 times a day. normally i totally would've gone for yogurt or pasta or cereal when i got home.... however, i consciously thought about the meat thing and debated between pita and hummus or chips and salsa. obviously we know what i went for. ayayayayayayayayayayayay!
oh my life.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
red, white, green and blue
rarely is my plate colorful...terrible, i know... but i just made a super colorful, yummy lunch that made me just a bit homesick... complete with a veggie quesadilla, slices of red pepper and avocado, and nowwww i'm eating strawberry yogurt. absolutely amazingly delicious. i juuuuust wish there could've been some el fenix salsa to go with the quesadilla, and perhaps some dr pepper to drink :) actually i could find dr pepper at the convenience store down the road, but it's almost pointless.. there's the ice issue, and there's no mommy here to share it with :(
oh so blue.
oh so blue.
Friday, December 11, 2009
chanukah sameach!
i just saw the most disturbing thing at one of my favorite places in all of jerusalem. . . none other than kadosh, the restaurant//bakery. some people like the sites, the history... i like the pastries. anyway, a dude behind the counter had a tattoo on the back of his neck. it said, skinhead. no joke. wtf. i bought a challah and ran away.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
cream cheese frosting and cab drivers who should die.
ok they shouldn't die. even when they almost kill me / undergo +-3 near-car accidents within a two-mile radius. no, they shouldn't die. but. they should NOT be allowed to smoke cigarettes when their cabs have NO SMOKING SIGNS ALL FREAKING OVER THEM. how is that ok? oh wait. it isn't.
one cab driver asked me last week if he could smoke three minutes prior to reaching my destination by saying "cigarettes, are this ok?" - and I responded, no, no, smoking is not ok. and he said, "okay, thank you. you know, you are right. cigarettes is bad." thank YOU, mr. considerate cab driver 2009. i wanted to hug him, even though he was super dirty looking and spoke fractured english. like, that was nice of him to at least ASK since i am paying him right? this afternoon, i had just gotten my hair cut, i had a ton of groceries, and cabbed it home rather than freezing carrying groceries on a half-hour walk. of course it's like, 4:45 and there's TRAFFIC, and he totally tries to rip me off since i'm american. but i told him to put the meter on, and halfway back, stuck at a red light, he just lights up without a care in the world. the back windows didn't work so i couldn't breathe. and now, my once-clean hair reeeeks of cancer. i was not very happy. but then walking into my apt., my favorite security officer michal, who was transfered about 2 weeks ago and i seriously miss seeing her every morning, was sitting inside at the desk. i was SO excited and was like, i miss you! are you back!? and she said, no, just right now i sit here. how are you honey? "good! how are you?" good. have good night, you see very beautiful!
beautiful-seeing me shall shower now.
one cab driver asked me last week if he could smoke three minutes prior to reaching my destination by saying "cigarettes, are this ok?" - and I responded, no, no, smoking is not ok. and he said, "okay, thank you. you know, you are right. cigarettes is bad." thank YOU, mr. considerate cab driver 2009. i wanted to hug him, even though he was super dirty looking and spoke fractured english. like, that was nice of him to at least ASK since i am paying him right? this afternoon, i had just gotten my hair cut, i had a ton of groceries, and cabbed it home rather than freezing carrying groceries on a half-hour walk. of course it's like, 4:45 and there's TRAFFIC, and he totally tries to rip me off since i'm american. but i told him to put the meter on, and halfway back, stuck at a red light, he just lights up without a care in the world. the back windows didn't work so i couldn't breathe. and now, my once-clean hair reeeeks of cancer. i was not very happy. but then walking into my apt., my favorite security officer michal, who was transfered about 2 weeks ago and i seriously miss seeing her every morning, was sitting inside at the desk. i was SO excited and was like, i miss you! are you back!? and she said, no, just right now i sit here. how are you honey? "good! how are you?" good. have good night, you see very beautiful!
beautiful-seeing me shall shower now.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
wishin on stars
israel and i have a love-hate relationship. i'm in love. and israel hates. ohhhh my my my.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
mutha fucking brr
rrrrrrrr!
how i know it's winter in jerusalem:
the flip-flop and fedora displays that lined the streets just weeks ago have been replaced with winter hats/beanies, scarves and boots.
my ears hurt.
the water takes forever to heat up and unless the dud stays on for like, an HOUR, the water gets freezing before it's time to rinse my shampoo :(
sufganiot are everywhere.
i look like rudolph once i get inside :O(
UM have you read the details article about the rise of the hot jewish woman? you gotta. but personally, i like this one. amen, sista.
http://www.details.com/sex-relationships/dating-and-cheating/200912/porn-star-joanna-angel-dating-JILFS
how i know it's winter in jerusalem:
the flip-flop and fedora displays that lined the streets just weeks ago have been replaced with winter hats/beanies, scarves and boots.
my ears hurt.
the water takes forever to heat up and unless the dud stays on for like, an HOUR, the water gets freezing before it's time to rinse my shampoo :(
sufganiot are everywhere.
i look like rudolph once i get inside :O(
UM have you read the details article about the rise of the hot jewish woman? you gotta. but personally, i like this one. amen, sista.
http://www.details.com/sex-relationships/dating-and-cheating/200912/porn-star-joanna-angel-dating-JILFS
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