Oh Snap!

I Moved

2007-11-09T15:59:00.000-05:00

After resurrecting this blog I decided to start fresh and new. you can find me here

They're The Nicest Kids In Town

2007-10-31T17:43:00.000-04:00

It sickens me that the last time I actually read a book for pleasure was this past summer. I didn't even finish the book. I got about 2/3 of the way through and had to return it to the library. That books was "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand, by the way. So I've decided to make time to read. I'm going to read a book for each letter of the alphabet (the authors last name, that is). Here is the list so far, still missing a few though.
A - Antrim, Donald - "The Verificationist"
B - Bradbury, Ray - "Fahrenheit 451"
C - Camus, Albert - "The Stranger"
D -
E - Eugenides, Jeffrey - "The Virgin Suicides"
F - Fitzgerald, F. Scott - "The Great Gatsby"
G - Golding, William - "Lord of the Flies"
H - Huxley, Aldus - "Brave New World"
I - Irving, John
J -
K - Kerouac, Jack - "On the Road"
L -
M - Morrison, Toni
N -
O - O'connor, Flannery - "Wise Blood"
P - Palahniuk, Chuck
Q -
R - Rand, Ayn
S -
T - Thompson, Hunter S. - "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
U - Updike, John - "Rabbit Run"
V - Vonnegut, Kurt
W - Wiser, H. Fred - "Deadly Stakes"
X -
Y -
Z -

They Bump and They Collide

2007-10-21T18:12:00.000-04:00

Today in my Women In Hebrew Bible class we talked about how Yaakov (Jacob) was renamed Yisrael (Israel). This was a way of redeeming him of all his past trickery. Now, don't get me wrong, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Yaakov. He is, after all, my favorite Patriarch. But he was quite a sneaky fellow in his young life. He tricked Esav (Esau) out of his birthright by offering him soup, he tricked Yitzchak (Isaac) into giving him a blessing and he sneakily ran away for Lavan (Laban). Then, after the whole ordeal of him sneaking away from Lavan and Rachel stealing the idols, Yaakov is redeemed and names Yisrael. So, it got me thinking. Why is the Bais Yaakov movement called the Bais Yaakov movement? We don't call our kids Avram (who later became Avraham) or Sarai (who later became Sarah) because with those names they weren't really the same people we've come to know and love. So why does Yaakov stick? And especially why Bais Yaakov? Are they trying to say that the only way women can get an education is through trickery? That a girl has to sneak out of the house to learn? Back when it originated that may have been so. Does anyone have an answer for me, I would really like to know.

You Bleed For Me, I'll Bleed For You

2007-10-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

I'm currently procrastinating. Glad you could join me. Actually, I'm testing out something. I've been trying to write a paper for my Classical Greek Philosophers class since last night and I have only come up with an introductory paragraph. It's not so much that I don't have any ideas for the paper, I do, but I just can't focus. I thought that if I tried writing out some of my ideas here, in a less structured environment, it might help me to actually write the paper. I feel that I should start with what the paper is supposed to be about. I will just quote the syllabus. "Briefly describe the "function argument" (in Nicomachean Ethics) that Aristotle offers in I.7 and briefly explain how an intelligent critic of Aristotle's might go about disputing it." The good thing about this professor is he told us that we weren't allowed to write more than two pages. Yay! Two pages is the perfect length for me.

Here is what I wrote last night for my paper:
In the first part of Book I Aristotle explains that all of our actions are for the sake of something. That “something” which he is referring to is “the good”. In chapter 7 of Book I Aristotle is attempting to explain what “the good” is.
Now, I am going to take the time to edit it because I think I misused the quotation marks.

Here is my revised paragraph:
In the first part of Book I Aristotle explains that all of our actions are for the sake of something. That something which he is referring to is “the good (1094a4)”. In chapter 7 of Book I Aristotle is attempting to explain what “the good” is.
Just a minor change, but I think it makes what I'm trying to say slightly more clear.

What I want to go on to explain is what Aristotle's argument actually is. Aristotle is not an easy read and for this class we're not allowed to use any outside sources (unless we already learned something which could help us with our paper. In that case though, when you e-mail your paper to the professor you have to write a note saying how you know what you know. He's a really easy going guy though, so he doesn't give you a hard time about things.) What I had to do to even attempt to understand Aristotle's argument was to go line by line and translate it to Jessica style English. Here's what I came up with.:
Aristotle is trying to explain what "the good" is. He says that in order to do this we first need to "grasp the function of a human being. (1097b25)" He says that just as the good for a craftsman depends on its function, "the same seems to be true for a human being. (1097b28)" He goes on to ask if a human being has a function. He notes that each bodily part has a function, but what about the human being as a whole? The human also happens to share certain traits with plants (they're both alive) and with animals (they both have sense perception), so what is different/so special about a human? What is a humans specific function? He says that there is a possibility that reason is the action of human beings. He says that a human must perform the function of a human being well to achieve "the good". Lastly he says that a human being has to live a "complete life(1098a19)". By this he means that it takes time to get "the good", it doesn't just happen automatically.

After I wrote these notes, I wrote down some things that I thought were missing from what Aristotle had written:
He does not explain how a human does reason well. He also does not explain what reason really is.

Woo... this really helped. I just finished my paper and I think I did quite well. I would post it, but it hasn't been graded yet and I don't want my teacher to stumble across this blog and assume I plagiarized from here. Though I could just tell him this is my blog... eh, whatever.

A Self-Help Video With the Worst Theme

2007-10-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

We moved to Flatbush. I don't want to kill myself... yet. No, but seriously, it's really not as terrible as I make it out to be... as long as I act like a significant part of the Flatbush population doesn't exist. The apartment is awesome and spacious, we're right by Corey's brother and sister-in-law...scratch that, we're right by MY brother-in-law and sister-in-law... and we have a lot of kosher/Jewish establishments in the area. Enough about Flatbush though... Things are really starting to click for me academically. I've never been a straight a student. My report cards in high school were filled with mostly B's and the occasional A or C (actually... one time I did get a D). Even my first couple of years at college I was getting a few more A's, but still it was mostly B's. Now, I haven't actually gotten any A's this semester, yet, but I feel like I can. I got a B on my political philosophy paper and I felt like my paper was only a C at best. For the upcoming paper for that class I feel like I have a really good grasp of the material. Good enough that I don't have to write solely about the text, but that I can add in my own opinions (which was what my teacher thought was lacking from my last paper). Also in my Greek philosophy class. My last paper I got a B+ on and I felt like it was a B-, maybe B at best. But for this paper, even though the text is a lot harder(Aristotle is confusing as a motha trucka!), but I actually have ideas of my own that might work. Last night I took a midterm for my sociology class (Deviance and Social Control) that was supposedly really hard, but I feel like I aced it. Then there's my computers class which should have been named "Intro to Computers... For Morons", so I'm not even going to bother writing about how easy that class is (oh wait, I just did). Oh! and my Women in Hebrew Bible class... I actually wrote somewhat of an essay for it (that wasn't even required!). Okay, it's not quite an essay yet, its just the basic ideas of an essay that I plan to write in the future. Anyway, what was my point? I have no idea... I guess I'm turning into a philosopher because I really love thoughts and knowledge... I'm a dork.

//My Pesticide The Used

Right On The Foyer, On This Dark Day, Right In Plain View, Yeah

2007-10-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

I'm back! Hello and how are you? I had an assignment for my intro to computers class. I had to create a blog, write a few entries, put in some links and add some pictures. Clearly an easy assignment for yours truly. But it got me thinking... why did I give up my old blog? Yesterday, while I was attempting to study for an insane midterm I have a week from Thursday, I went through all the old entires in this here blog. I realized how much better my writing and vocabulary were when I kept up with this thing. I also noticed a few spelling mistakes and used all my self-control not to edit them. As much as it embarrasses me to have them up, I think that to edit them would take away the authenticity of the blog.
I've been gone for a while and things have changed a bit in my life. I am married to Corey (we've been married for two months), I am a philosophy major (with a minor in English) and Corey and I are moving to Flatbush on Sunday. I'd have to say that despite having to live in Evil Flatbush, my life is pretty good... mostly because Corey's in it. Sorry for the sap, I hope you keep your barf bags close to your computer.
Anyway, I'm back.

//Wordplay Jason Mraz

Corey is Hot

2007-05-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

I love Corey. I have one paper left to write for the semester. I am going back to Cleveland on the 15th. Corey and I are getting married on July 29th. Um...those are the basics.

//Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel

Hello

2006-10-29T02:24:00.000-05:00

Since I'm home for the weekend (one of my best friends is getting married tomorrow) I decided to write a little update on my blog (although most people who used to read it probably assume I gave it up forever --- and rightfully so, since I basically said that in my last post -- and don't even bother checking my blog anymore. But, just in case there are those who are wondering, here's an update. I recently moved into a new studio apartment in the Village. It is small and a little too expensive and I am having trouble finding a job. The money issue won't really be an issue until the last month or two of spring semester, but it is still an issue I need to deal with or I'll probably be evicted. I am taking 4 classes this semester. I had wanted to make it to the dean's list this semester but I doubt that's happening since at the moment I have two B's and C and I'm not even sure what grade I have in my other class, but it doesn't matter anyway with the grades I already do have... nothing can get me on the dean's list this semester. oh well. I am still with Corey and more in love than ever. I hate being away from him, but I'll get to see him again on Monday...yay!

Blah.

2006-08-25T17:03:00.000-04:00

Mmmk... so this is my official blog-goodbye. So... uh... goodbye. It's been fun. Bye!

Truth Is That I'm Overrated

2006-08-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of downloading lately. I love when lyrics speak to me... or at least inspire me. I wrote for the first time in I'm not even sure how long. Not blog-like writing, but "creative" type writing. I don't enjoy sharing my, shall I be pretentious and say, art(?). I have trouble with beginnings and endings of stories and most stories don't make sense without them, so I figure, why share something that doesn't make sense?... Not to mention I'm extremely apprehensive about giving people that deep of a look into my soul, heart or whatever may be there. Yeah, I know, then what'd I start a blog for? Well, with the exception of one entry, there really aren't any entries where I really let people get a good look at exactly who I am and how I feel, but I still want to try to express those things. With the anonymity of this whole thing (well, at one point I was completely anonymous, but now people I actually know read this thing) I was hoping I'd be able to bare my soul without the fear of being looked down upon by people I looked up to. I think I've written an entry or two like this already so I'm going to stop now.

---------
Here are some excellent songs I've been listening to/downloaded recently:
"I Will Follow You Into the Dark" - Death Cab for Cutie
"Marching Bands of Manhattan" - Death Cab for Cutie
"Hopeless Case" - Less Than Jake
"A Tornado; An Owl" - Action, Action
"My Blue Heaven" - Taking Back Sunday
"Snakes on a Plane" - Cobra Starship
"The Queen and I" - Gym Class Heroes
"The Press Corpse" - Anti-Flag

Yeah...

2006-08-20T14:55:00.000-04:00

I think I would enjoy smacking someone right now... yeah... that'd help me out a lot.

WOOHOO!!!!

2006-08-13T15:13:00.000-04:00

I FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE IN JEW YORK!!! WOOHOO!!! I'm going to be a commuting Jew. I will be living in Crooklyn! YAY!!!! And with 2 weeks to spare... wow...

Thunderbolt and Lightening

2006-08-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

I've been in Chicago with Corey for the last week and a half. I must say, I had quite the awesome time while I was there. I just feel better around Corey. I barely thought about my lack of New York living-area. And as for that, although I don't technically have a place yet, things are definitely looking up.... Just thought I'd post a bit just so you didn't all think I disappeared on you. I'll write more when I'm in a writing mood.

I Wanna Be Sedated

2006-07-20T19:40:00.000-04:00

You ever have one of those moments where you're not sure if you should punch a hole in the wall or weep uncontrollably for hours? Well, I'm having one of those moments right now. Why can't things just run smoothly?! Why does everything slowly start falling apart with only a little over a month left to spare?! Grrrr.... (*^%*)(&%$($$#$#$^*(*&()*)_*^)&(&%()__*^&%$$#$^@ ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hm... that feels slightly better.

These Vagabond Shoes Are Longing To Stray

2006-07-10T15:56:00.000-04:00

It has finally begun to hit me. I am going to New York! Of course I knew all along that's what I was doing, but now I'm starting to feel the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Although I haven't found a place yet, I'm not stressing over that anymore. I have many places to look at when I go to NY in about a week or so. It's no longer the preparations that are freaking me out, but the thought of actually living in NY... with people I have yet to meet... going to classes in a school I've only ever been to twice... and not being related to a single person within 500 miles! I know I'll have Corey and all my friends, but I can't rely on them to always be around. I can't use them as my social crutch. Can't expect them to be near me to do the talking for me. Needless to say, I'm scared (read: scuuuured).

One Tin Soldier Rides Away

2006-07-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about the death penalty recently. What do the Rabbis say about this? I mean, I feel that a murderer should be murdered, but... who are we to decide who gets to live and who must die? Back when we had the Bais Hamikdash the Beis Din (it was the beis din, right?) could put people to death for various aveiros... but I thought that we didn't have that power any longer. Should we really be supporting politicians who are pro-death penallty? (Just for clarification, I am not a democrat, nor am I liberal in my politics, these are just thoughts.)

You'll Be Doctor Creepy Weirdo

2006-07-03T23:21:00.000-04:00

(I will give 100 -- imaginary -- dollars to whoever can tell me where my subject line comes from.)

Poll: Creepy or not? Making a collage of pictures of your significant other and turning it into the background on your computer.

I'll Cry If I Want To

2006-06-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday. I'm 21. Whoop-de-do.

Dollar Signs Are Up

2006-06-19T06:06:00.000-04:00

In case anyone has noticed, the titles of each of my entries usually have very little to do with the actual entry itself. Usually I just take lyrics from whatever song pops into my head at the time. But I'm not here to talk about the title of this entry. All I wanted to say was that I wish "Lingo" was a major at Hunter. Out of the past 3 games I've played I've won them all and two of them I won by a landslide (10,500 to 1500 and 9500 to 0). Yes, I am very impressed with myself.

The Jukebox Bars

2006-06-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

I think I may have figured it out -- my major, that is. Linguistics. Well, actually it's anthropology with a minor in linguistics, but the anthropology major seems to put most of the focus on your minor. "Why linguistics?"you ask. Well, words interest me and this way I actually have a chance at a career. I had been thinking about language arts as a major for a couple of weeks, but the fact is, there's really nothing that can come of that major. That major was put there mostly for people planning on going into teaching elementary school students (and I definitely aint gonna do that!).
Let's see... what else? Oh! I was in New York last week. I took the Greyhound. I spent about 20 hours travelling and only about six hours actually in New York. Oish... I just went in for my Hunter orientation. Seems like a pretty nice (pardon my lack of adjectives, it's a Sunday morning) school. I took the subway -- pardon me, train -- all by myself. That 6 train is nnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccceeeeeee!!!!! At each stop it would clearly say what stop you were at AND what lines it connects to! Very impressive...
Oh, one last thing. On the Greyhound to New York, some random dude sat next to me. He laid his head down on my shoulder -- and not just laid it there, kind of snuggled on it -- then proceeded to lay his arm across my lap and started caressing my arm(!!!!!). Needless to say, I asked him in the most polite way if he could stop. "Oh, sorry baby," he said before actually removing his arm and head from my body. Ew!!!!!!! I still haven't taken enough showers to get that whole experience off of me. To add insult to injury, that guy had some stanky breath!

You Run In Platform Shoes

2006-06-04T00:39:00.000-04:00

Anxiety is my problem. I don't think I'd have half as many regrets about the choices I make/need to make, if I wasn't so anxious. No, not anxious, that's the wrong word. Apprehensive! Yes, that's the word. "Viewing the future with anxiety or alarm." Yes, that is definitely the word I am looking for. I am going to New York this week for my Hunter orinentation. I have to speak with some random woman I've never met before about my future. This woman knows nothing about me and I really have no reason to trust this woman, but, the fact is, I feel like I need this woman so badly right now. I need somebody to (almost) make some decisions about my future for me. Now, I know she's probably going to ask me what I want to do and blah, blah, blah, but... ugh, now I've lost my train of thought. Serves me right for sleeping 26.5 hours in the past 48 hours. Now my brain has turned to mush. Speaking of my future, I still have no idea where I'm going to live this coming fall because Hunter has decided that it is perfectly normal to wait until the middle of June to let everyone know if they've been accepted into the dorm or not. If anyone knows of a frum female looking for a roommate in Manhattan, please let me know! Thanks!

P.S. If I don't find a place to live soon, I fear that old man in the corner will be me this coming fall. Goofy hat and all.

Dark Blue, Dark Blue EDIT

2006-05-24T17:20:00.000-04:00

I just got off the phone with Corey. The entire time I wanted to say, "I miss you", but I didn't. I cannot figure out why that is. Why is it so hard for me to express everything?! It's not like I was afraid he would be angry because I said I missed him, or that he wouldn't say it back. I'm sure it would have made him happy and he would have reciprocated, but something held me back. There is some unknown force inside me that just stops me from saying what I really want to say. Okay, that's not completely true. "Love" is, in my opinion, the biggest one and I was (and still am) able to say that one, but... I don't know. I just wish I could say what I feel when I feel it and not have to write about it in this blog. And another thing, Corey reads my blog! If I can write it here where Corey can read it, why can't I just say it to him?! And why is it so easy for me to write it in such a public forum where other people can read it?! G-d... I really piss myself off sometimes.

Oh, in case you were wondering, that's Corey in the right-hand *Corey. My favorite picture of him to date. I will stare and drool now. Good day to you all!

*I would just like you to take notice of the fact that I wrote "That's Corey in the right-hand Corey."... I obviously meant "corner", but still... kinda sweet, I guess. No? Annoyingly sappy? You want me to shut up about my boyfriend? Well too bad!!! This is my blog and I can talk about Corey all I want, mothertrucker!

Have You Ever Been Alone In A Crowded Room

2006-05-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

With the exception of Shaun of the Dead and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there has not been a movie in recent years that has truly impressed me, until tonight. When I found out about this movie last year, before it even came into the theaters, I had very little interest in it, but since it is an indie film and it showed up on my amazon.com recommendations list recently, I decided to take out this film from the library. The film I am referring to is Everything Is Illuminated. In the past few years I have contracted A.D.D. (yes, I know, A.D.D. is not contagious, I'm just joking and trying to convey to you that it is very hard for me to sit through anything longer than a 30 minute sitcom), but this movie kept my attention the entire time. Not once did I look at the clock thinking, "When is this going to end?" Even during '24', one of my favorite shows, and 'Lost' as well, I have trouble sitting through the episodes. I sit there enjoying the episode but wishing it would end all at the same time. Everything is Illuminated was... interesting. Not interesting in the "Oh, that was interesting..." and roll your eyes kind of way, but in the "Wow, I want to watch that again" kind of way. The subject matter was not something that has never been touched before. It was the story of a guy trying to find out about his past. I don't know how Liev Schreiber (the director) did it, but he made this story actually mean something. (Okay, maybe I shouldn't be giving all the credit to Mr. Schreiber. The acting was excellent -- Great job Elijah (Wood, that is). And this movie was actually originally a book, so I should probably be giving a significant ammount of credit to that guy.) The ending of this movie is what really got me. Not the very, very end, but the ending to Elijah Wood's character's story. I do not want to spoil the ending for you, should you actually choose to see them film after reading this, but just know, I was very moved by it.

----------
I've been meaning to post this for a bit, but with my Corey post (I love you!) I decided to postpone it until now. It's not really so important, just a list of songs I have been listening to lately and wanted to share with everyone. So, here goes:
"Memories in F Minor" - Chronic Future
"The Ride" - Denver Harbor
"Where'd Ya Go" - Fort Minor
"Dark Blue" - Jack's Mannequin*
"Bruised" - Jack's Mannequin*
"Miss Delaney" - Jack's Mannequin*
"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's**
"Make Damn Sure" - Taking Back Sunday
"Knock Knock" - The Pink Spiders
"Sleeping In" - The Postal Service

*For the record, these are the only three songs I enjoy by this artist... I just happened to find them all at the same time.
**My current favorite lyrics come from this song: "A thousand miles seems pretty far, But they’ve got planes and trains and cars, I’d walk to you if I had no other way, Our friends would all make fun of us, And we'll just laugh along because, We know that none of them have felt this way..." - Yeah, I know, it's so corn-ily romantic, but I'm a girl and every girl loves romance.

And I'm Melting (Edit)

2006-05-18T05:52:00.000-04:00

"You could be the question killing me

or the answer that will set me free. "

'The Ride'

Denver Harbor

My Thursday book is a book called "Harp Strings and Heart Strings" by Moshe M. Eisemann. It was sent to my house a few years ago in hopes of getting the word around about the book and/or in hopes of getting some tzedaka for whatever institution sent us the book. This book is all about the beauty and importance of Yerushalayim. Since Corey is in Israel right now (the old city, to be exact) I can' help but think about him while I read this book. In the chapter that I read today it gives an exerpt from the encyclopedia about salmon. They will travel upstream for 1000 miles just to get to their home. "Home" in this book is referring to Israel, but, as I said before, I just kept thinking about Corey. There was a quote quoted in this book a few chapters back (the author was unsure of who the author of the quote was, but apparently it was a poet). The quote was, "Home is any four walls with the right person inside them." I believe that for me, Corey is the right person and, to be honest, I have not felt at home for the past few months. In fact, I've actually been sleeping in the guest bedroom. Until now I just chalked it up to me wanting to have a window open while I sleep (my actual bedroom is in the basement and I don't get much ventilation from those windows). Turns out it was my subconscious all along telling me I was a guest in this house. Guests sleep in the guest bedroom. I am a guest so I sleep in the guest bedroom. It is hard for me to be so frank, especially about my relationship with Corey, but yes, I truly believe he is the one for me. And I wonder sometimes if the reason it's so hard to be away from him is not just because I don't get to see him (when we're in the states we talk every night and even if we were to see each other in person we couldn't do anything more than that), but because my soul realizes it has found its match and it wants to be connected with it. I don't know. Maybe I'm getting too "mock-spiritual" here, but I know that I've felt my soul talking to me in the past. Why wouldn't it speak to me now?

Just a minor edit... I don't feel that I wrapped this up properly. To bring it back to that original quote of "home is any four walls with the right person inside," well, Corey is now "home" to me, I guess. Just like the salmon traveled 1000 miles to get home, I'm kind of doing the same thing. Cleveland and New York are a little less than 500 miles from each other. I'm traveling 500 miles to be with Corey... to get home. I guess this entry was more of an "I love you" to Corey than anything else, but hey, I do love him, so why not write about it?

I'll Never Be A Rock 'N Roll Star

2006-05-15T06:36:00.000-04:00

I like to think about what my life would have been like had I made different choices. I know these different outcomes don't matter at all, but I'm a daydreamer, what can I say? (Oh, and for the record, I'm not "daydreaming" about these things regretting what I am today or hoping I can become these things, they're just random thoughts in my head.) The one point in my life that I think made the biggest difference on how my life turned out is when I was 10 and my family became religious. Had that not happened I know my life would be completely different. There are any number of possibilities for what my life could have been like, but there are two that are in the forefront of my mind. One, I could have continued playing basketball (which I was actually quite good at, and not just for a girl). I could have played basketball in high school, gotten a basketball scholarship to college and become one of the stars of the WNBA. (Okay, that last part was a little too farfetched -- everyone knows there are no stars in the WNBA. lol.) Or two, I could have been a bass player in some angry punk band. I'd have a green mohawk and wear too much black eyeliner. What makes me so happy that I didn't become either of these people is that, besides for the fact that G-d would have had no part in my life, I never would have met Corey or any of my friends that I have today. Even if I had met them, I would have nothing to do with them. They'd be the religious extremists that my "open-minded" self wanted nothing to do with. And no, I am not saying that all secular people are anti-religion, but I see no reason why I wouldn't have been. And definitely if I had gotten into punk, I would have been anti-religion. Okay, I have to leave for work now. Have a nice day!

I'm Goin' Off The Rails On A Crazy Train

2006-05-11T18:56:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like the feeling of excitement to make your everyday life a real drag. For those of you who don't know, I work at Petland. When I first started this job back in January I absolutely loved it. My bosses were awesome, I worked with some great people and I got to be around puppies all day. While all of that is still true today, the excitement that I once had for this nearly perfect job (and I say nearly because eventhough I work full time I get no benefits and I get paid only slightly more than minimum wage!) has mostly faded away. With fall semester getting closer every second, all I can think about is being in New York with Corey, going to Hunter College and actually getting to see (most of) my friends on a daily basis (not to mention, making more friends). I actually found out earlier this week that I have orientation on June 7th so I'll be making a trip up there for a day and a half. Also, I finally got a school e-mail address, so I am officially on facebook! WOOHOO! Feel free to facebook me!
In other news, lag b'omer is on Tuesday! I plan on overloading myself with music on that day. I have about 400 (or is it 600?) songs on my mp3 player, I have every intention to listen to all those songs straight. No break from music on Tuesday. Think I can do it?

She Loves Jesus and America Too

2006-05-08T06:23:00.000-04:00

So that's probably the least appropriate title I've used to date. While I was doing my daily learning today I came across something very interesting. Monday's book to learn is Shaarei Halacha, and yes, I do have a different Jewish book to read everyday after davening. Anyway, in said book I came up to the part about Shacharis. He (the guy who compiled all the halachos, his name slips my mind right now) wrote about the importance of prayer. Just like one needs food to sustain his body, one needs prayer to sustain his soul. This made me think of a debate my parents and I were having over shabbas. My father was saying how homosexuality in America has become such a problem and that any Jew who votes democrat is an idiot because they're the ones helping the homosexuals to get rights, etc.* My mother and him were debating back and forth. My mother was trying to bring out the point that we can't change anybody but ourselves and we all have things about ourselves that we could make better so we need not focus on the homosexual's test. My father did not budge, but that's not the point anyway. What the point is that I suddenly had a moment of clarity. I said to him, "How about instead of bad-mouthing democrats and trying to sway every Jew to vote republican, you pray for the homosexuals. Pray that they see the light of Torah and try to get help with their ordeal." I will not tell you what my father's reaction was because, frankly, my father is much better than this post would make him seem to be. But...uh...where was I? Oh yes, the power of prayer. Prayer is an amazing thing. Just last evening one of the puppies at my job was not eating. The evening beforehe had to be taken to one of my co-workers houses to make sure that he got fed (and in case it was sick, as not to infect the other puppies). My co-worker brought back the puppy yesterday and at feeding times I had to sit the puppy on my lap and basically force-feed it. At the first feeding he managed to spit out nearly all the food. At the second feeding I noticed he was doing the same thing. I know this seems like a trivial matter, but I didn't want to see this little guy starve to death, so I said a little prayer. I asked Hashem to let him eat so he can go to bed with a full belly. And you know what happened? The puppy ate. No spitting and no forcing the food down either. I still had to put the food in the puppy's mouth, but I think that was because he was weak. The puppy started eating! Hashem listened to my prayers and let the puppy eat. The puppy that had no interest in food and would actually spit out when food went into his mouth started eating after there was a prayer said for him. How wonderful is Hashem for giving us such a tool.

*Please note that while i love my father, I disagree with him and know how he comes off when he says such things. But while he may seem like a biggot, I assure you, if he saw a demorcrat on the street he would not shoot him. :-P

They All Want A Piece Of You

2006-05-07T07:26:00.000-04:00

As I dine on a breakfast of 1000 miligrams of vitamin C and half a bottle of "Green Squall" Powerade I can't help but notice that my blog, once titled, "Building My Vocabulary One Entry At A Time", has not actually helped out my vocabulary in anyway. What my blog has done is let people take a peek into the mind of Ms. Introverted 2005 (I've won this award 20 years in a row... I'm going for 21 this year.) Not only that, but I've realized some things about myself too. I'm not sure exactly what those things are, but it definitely helps to express things. It is ironic though, that on the day I announce that this is not a vocabulary building blog, I have a new favorite word. For anyone who didn't know (and I believe that is everyone but me), my favorite word, up until now, was poppycock. Don't get me wrong. "Poppycock" is an excellent word and I highly recommend screaming it at the top of your lungs when you're having a bad day. It takes away most of, well... some of, ok... a little bit of the pain you're feeling. Trust me, just try it. Screaming "poppycock" at the top of your lungs can't help but bring a smile to your face. Oh! I still haven't told you what my new favorite word is. It is (drum roll, please) "archipelago". "What does this word mean?" you ask. It means "a group of islands." The first time I read it was in Kurt Vonnegut's "Galapagos" (which I have yet to finish) while I was waiting for my plane to take off to Chicago to meet Corey (my boyfriend)'s parents for the first time. "Why the hell is this friggin random word your new favorite word, Jessica?!" you might ask. Well, for one, I love random things. What better way of showing how much I love random things than by having my favorite word be so ridiculously random. Secondly, I love the way it sounds... the word kind of just rolls off of your tongue. Anyway, I did have more to write, but I have to leave for work soon. I will hopefully write more later. Have a nice day!

But Cupid's Got Me In A Chokehold

2006-05-03T19:54:00.000-04:00

There are so many things I could write about today. I was going to write about a recent forward I received from a friend (Hi Sara!). The forward was about how we should get gas from anywhere except Exxon and Mobil (I believe those were the two mentioned) so that gas prices will go down. I was going to make a point that (unless it would take waaaay too long) we shouldn't drive at all. I've been riding my bike to and from work (20 minutes each way) for a little while. I'm healthier and I'm saving money. But I decided, ya know what? I don't really care all that much about where other people get their gas or if they decide to ride a bike or walk or if they decide they don't really care about gas prices so they make sure to shop at Exxon and Mobil stations. Why write about something in my blog that I really don't care about? Then I was going to write about something else, but decided it's waaaay too personal for such a public forum, eventhough it is my blog. But uh... where was I? Oh yeah, nowhere. I never really decided what I was going to write about. I figured I'd just start writing and see what happened. So we have this. Not much here really. Hm.. let me think... there has to be something interesting I can write about... uh... Sfira is hard. I want music and I want it now!!!! Is that bad that the only thing I think about during sfira is listening to music? Honestly though, I'm not really sure what the point of sfira is. I'm assuming it has something to do with the destruction of the beis hamikdash and possibly some rabbis years ago dying, but I really don't know. I've noticed that I do that a lot. I just do things because I'm told, not because I actually understand why I'm doing it. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing or if it's just plain neutral. It seems a bit good because I'm not questioning G-d 'n stuff, but bad because what's going to keep me doing it? If I don't know why I'm doing it, is "because I was told to" always going to stand up in my mind when my little (ok, probably big) yetzer hara starts making noise? Hm... I really want some candy right now, but I'm too lazy to go to the store. Quite a predicament I am in, no?

Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen Smells Good

2006-05-01T17:13:00.000-04:00

Something my former roommate Bracha would say right about now is, "The anonymity of your anonymous-ness is no longer anonymous." If you think that doesn't make sense, you're wrong -- and if you think it does make sense, you're a liar. I was never trying to be all that anonymous on this blog, but I always worried about people I actually know in real life reading this. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not easily express anything. When this blog was just being read by complete strangers that I would probably never meet face to face, it was not hard for me to write whatever was on my mind. But now that a few of my friends know of my blog (including my boyfriend), I wonder if I'll be able to continue writing unfiltered(-ly?). Knowing that what I'm writing is being read by people I actually come in contact with, well, it frightens me. I don't know why, it just does. I will try to write from my heart, assuming that really is what I'm doing. (I am worried that I have yet to write anything from my heart. I worry that I am just writing what I think will make me look and/or sound cool, but, hey, maybe I am cool. Or maybe I'm not cool and what I write isn't cool either... but I digress.) Uh... where was I? Oh yeah, since I have trouble expressing myself in real life, I will make the extra effort to continue expressing myself here. I want my boyfriend and my friends to know what's going on in my head. I don't want to be mysterious (ok, maybe I do, but still... you know what I mean -- and if you don't, I ain't explainin'). Where am I going with this? I do not know. This entry is starting to annoy me and I don't know why.

'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky

2006-04-30T19:58:00.000-04:00

I've gone and done it. I have become a thief. I have stolen this little survey-thingamabob (yeah, it's a word -- a made up word, but a word nonetheless.)
Accent: I've been told I have a southern accent, but I (as well as my parents and grandparents) are all from Cleveland. (And for those of you that don't know, Cleveland is not in the south.)
Booze: Vodka tonic. *drool*
Chore I Hate: Anything that I can't do while listening to my mp3 player.
Dogs/Cats: I have three dogs and I despise cats.
Essential Electronics: MP3 player.
Favorite Perfume/Cologne: Tag body spray: "After Hours".
Gold/Silver: Silver is purdier than gold.
Hometown: Cleveland... eastside! Holla!!!!!.
Insomnia: Not since I got a job.
Job Title: Kennel Technician
Kids: One day.
Living Arrangements: At home with the parents, for now.
*Most Admired Trait: The ability to speak -- not just talk, I mean speak well about important things without having an awkward pauses.
Number of sexual partners: None yet.
Overnight Hospital Stays: Not since I was born.
Phobia: Midgets.
Quote: "Better to be thought of as a fool in front of man your entire life, than to be thought of as evil in the eyes of G-d for even one second." - Perkei Avos
Religion: Jewish.
Siblings: A brother, a sister-in-law and a Sister.
Time I usually wake up: 5:3o am Monday - Thursday. 6:30 am Sunday. Whenever I happen to wake up Shabbas.
Unusual Talent: I don't believe I have any.
Vegetable I refuse to eat: I'm quite fond of most vegetables, actually.
Worst Habit: Biting my nails.
X-Rays: Only time I ever had one was when i was three years old and had pneumonia.
Yummy Foods I Make: Miracle Whip Lite and American cheese on toast. *drool*
.Zodiac Sign: Cancer.

*I've noticed that other people answered the question as what trait they admire in themselves, but the trait that I mentioned, well, it isn't mine. It is a trait that I admire and wish I had.

When Life Gives Me Lemons, I Make Beef Stew

2006-04-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

It is very rare that I am so impressed with a show that I actually want to buy it on DVD. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love 24, Lost, Scrubs and Family Guy, but c'mon... how often am I going to watch repeats of any of those shows? Okay, scratch Family Guy from that... Family Guy repeats are the shiz and I wouldn't mind watching them over and over again. Another show that is "the shiz" is The Andy Milonakis Show. This kid, and I use that term loosely since he is actually 30 years old, is frikkin hilarious! The Andy Milonakis Show: Season 1 DVD is number one on my list of things to purchase, although at my local Target they don't seem to carry it (*tear*). You're probably thinking, "Why do you want to get it on DVD?! Yeah, Andy Milonakis is G-d's comedic gift to mankind, but they show repeats of his show every day on MTV and MTV2!" If you are thinking that, you make an excellent point. The thing is though, I really really want it (and yes, that was said in an extremely whiney, spoiled-brat voice). So there you have it, Andy Milonakis has now tied Conan O'brien on TimorousKid's Top 10 Funniest People alive. (Wait... I've never actually made a list, but you get what I'm trying to say.)
Chag kasher v'sameach!

Give Me A Chance To Shine And I'll Blind The World

2006-04-11T18:42:00.000-04:00

"I want to take my head

and cut it open extra wide.

Want to examine oh the thoughts

that seem to circle inside.

Electrocute my thoughts

or put my self on stand by."

'Paper Cliche'

Action Action

It seems that the more I get to know myself, the less I understand. These days all I do is second guess myself and I have no idea why. My life is great. It has never been so wonderful. Everything seems to be falling into place, but at the same time it is crumbling down around me. Why can't I make a firm decision and stick with it? I used to be so good at that. Then again, life was a lot easier (although a whole lot more depressing) when I was acting like I cared about my life. No, I wasn't some little suicidal cutter kid, but nothing I did really mattered to me for quite a while. I was just doing it as an act, just so no one would know what was really going on in my head; that I really didn't give a crap about anything. And I do mean anything. I was a selfish little bastard, still am in many ways. But these days I'm really trying to care, and for the most part, I do. Maybe other people are faking it too. Maybe they're not as empathetic as they seem. Maybe I am (somewhat) normal. Know what? Scratch that. I don't want to be normal. Maybe that's why I'm having so many doubts. My desire to not be like everyone else and my desire to not stick out and draw attention to myself are fighting against each other. Hm… this blog sure is therapeutic. It seems I've just had a breakthrough. Well, I didn't solve anything (yet), but I think I've figured out the problem. Thanks for listening...er... reading.

---------

This is totally unrelated, but here are some songs I think everyone should listen to:
"I Am The Doctor" - Socratic (can download this at purevolume)
"New York, NY" - Chronic Future
"Not the Same" - Ronnie Day
"Paper Cliche" - Action Action
"Shellshocked" - Chronic Future
"The Ride" - Denver Harbor

Dear Studio Audience I've An Announcement To Make

2006-04-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

I was thinking today about my future. Do I really want to be an English teacher? To be honest, the answer is no. Has always been no. I do love spelling and grammar and would love to incorporate that into my future career, but I really don't think teaching is for me. I'm not good with giving direction and I don't enjoy being the center of attention. Well, that last part doesn't really matter because most students don't pay attention to the teacher anyway. I'm thinking about becoming a critic... most likely a film critic, although I'd love to be a music critic as well. I'll have to make a trip up to Hunter one of these days to talk to a guidance counselor about all this. I wouldn't even know what to declare as my major. There is no journalism major. Maybe I'd be a film major with a minor in english (or vice versa?). We'll see.

Don't Cut Your Fabric To This Year's Fashion

2006-04-02T19:13:00.000-04:00

Apparently someone actually reads my lil' o' blog and would like me to (and I quote) "write." So I will give my one and only fan what she wants and write a new entry.
I was listening to a song by the band Action, Action yesterday while cleaning my room for Pesach. I hadn't listened to this song in quite a few months. The name of the song is This Years Fashion. I never realized just how excellent this song was. I managed to get all five of my vocabulary words for the week from this one song. The words are as follows: intrusive: intruding; being an intruder, erratic: wandering; off course; tending to err; eccentric, elusive: hard to grasp or catch; slippery, sporadic: appearing at irregular intervals; occasional, and obsolete: gone out of use; out of date. Technically I already know three out of the five vocabulary words, (Thanks to Clueless I've known the word "sporadic" since fourth grade.) but I figure it doesn't hurt to refresh my brain.
Not only is this going to be my vocabulary-building blog, but I would also like to work on my writing skills by writing essays. They will all be opinion essays since this is my blog and I don't enjoy doing research papers or book reports. If you have any topics you'd like me to write about, please let me know. I can't really seem to think of any topics anyway.
Speaking of books though, I do plan on reading at least a hundred pages of whatever book I happen to be reading a day. Right now I'm in the middle of Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It is really quite interesting. I've started a book list. Here's the list so far (and again, if you have any suggestions, please let me know!): Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay), Darkly Devoted Dexter (Jeff Lindsay), Hamlet (William Shakespeare), Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare), A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare), The Metamorphasis (Franza Kafka), On The Road (Jack Kerouac), The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), No Exit and Three Other Plays (Jean-Paul Sarte), Brand New World (Aldos Huxley), Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut), and Player Piano (Kurt Vonnegut). Those three Shakespeare's come with the easy English (I still need help with the poetic language of Shakespeare.)
In other news, unrelated to English, I finished cleaning my room for Pesach! Yay! All I have left is the rest of the basement (which will take about a half an hour), my car (about a half an hour) and the computer room (about 45 minutes). Woohoo! Just for the record, I am the only person in my house that has started Pesach cleaning and only started it last night. Yes, my family is crazy. We start this late every year and are always finished a few days before Pesach. Anyway... hope this entry is sufficient.

Shellshocked

2006-03-24T09:31:00.000-05:00

As with my previous blogs I have not been able to keep on bloggin'. I'm just a lazy bum. Oh well. Maybe I'll write again one day. Blah.

Irregardless is not a word.

2006-02-26T00:26:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is true. 'Irregardless' is not a word. If you feel the need to use the non-word, replace it with 'regardless' or 'irrespective'. Thank you.
So I bought this vocabulary builder published by The Prinston Review called "Word Smart." It is an excellent little invention and is helping me to build my vocabulary. My five vocabulary words for this week are manifest (visible; evident), conventional (common; customary; unexceptional), partisan (one who supports a particular person, cause or idea), contentious (argumentative; quarrelsome) and lament (to mourn). I have a good reason for these 5 words being my first of many vocabulary words and I am much too lazy to get into it. I am having absolutely no problem remembering what these words mean, but I am having a lot of trouble using them in sentences in my everyday life. I mean, come on, how often do you really use "to mourn" in a sentence?! The book said lament can also be used to mean that one regrets a poor decision. I cannot come up with a poor decision I have made recently though. Oh! Here's one that only my mother, my boyfriend and I will understand. I am sure that Susan and Joe lament their decision to hire Amanda and Hannah. Haha! I get quite a tickle from reading that again. Maybe I'll explain what that means, one day, although I am sure it is not too hard to figure it out.
Let's use the other four words in a sentence now. It has become manifest to me, as well as the rest of my co-workers, that Hannah needs to go back on her ritalin or I will be forced to smack her.
Though it is not conventional, I am a 20 year old female who actually cares about her intelligence. (Okay, so I probably should have used unconventional and most 20 year old females I know do care about being intelligent, but I couldn't think of anything else. )
I am the partisan of any decision Joe and Susan make because they are my bosses and I respect their opinions (even if Amanda badmouths Susan to me all the time!)
I hate to be contentious, but if you don't start pulling trays, Jill, I'm gonna beat yo' ass! (Okay, another one that needs explanation... and a grammar check, but I'm much too lazy.)

Good news! I got into Hunter College! See ya there in fall '06!

I've never been so surreptitious, so of course you'll be distracted when I spike the punch

2006-02-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

Spelling and grammar; two things that have become a passion of mine throughout the years. Sadly,I rarely get to show off either and by show off, I mean just that. I don't brag about much, butI would love to be able to brag about this. Speaking correctly makes me feel smart. Don't get me wrong, I make many spelling and grammar mistakes (I'm sure there are several in this entry already), but that's what this blog is for. It is a place for me to show off my skills and to build them up while doing so.
This dictionary you see in the corner is my most recent purchace. I also purchaced a pocket dictionary and a vocabulary builder around the same time. I bring my pocket dictionary with me wherever i go so that if I hear a word I don't know I can look it up and add it to my vocabulary. Unfortunately, most of my co-workers have vocabularies equal to or significantly smaller than mine so I have yet to use my precious pocket dictionary.
Now, to get on with it, every entry I will be sure to add in at least a couple of "big words." Although I didn't really use any big words in this entry my screen name and the title of this entry (which is a lyric from a most awesome band Panic! At the Disco) have "big words" in them. I will define those two words now.
timorous: of a timid disposition (I am shy in real life and rather than having a simple name like "shykid" I used a thesaurus and found this gem of a word.)
surreptitious: acting or doing something clandestinely (Most people probably don't know what clandestine means -- I know I didn't until I looked it up -- so here is the definition of clandestine: marked by, held in or conducted with secrecy)
If you are still reading this, I would like to officially welcome you to my self-righteous, vocabulary-building blog. Enjoy!

All definitions brought to you by Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.