i'm about to blow a fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
i bet you didn't know...
So many people have been tagged in the last few days to write 7 random things about themselves and tag 7 others to do the same. I haven't (welcome to loserville), but I'm gonna go out on a wire here and say that I did just because I needed a starting point for a new entry. It's been a month. I hope everyone that comes across this page will do the same, since one of my favorite things on earth is learning about other people. So watch out blog-world, I'm about to go on a tagging spree!
1. I have a confession to make. I have become OBSESSED with photography and event planning blogs lately. Like, it's the last thing I do before bed and the first thing I do when I wake up (ok, after a few hits to the snooze button, brushing my teeth, and checking my email). One of my newest faves is http://www.hostessblog.com/. It's delicious. Makes me want to spend the rest of my life finding reasons to entertain friends and family with themed parties. Ho-hum.
2. I have a non-ossifying fibroma (also known as a fibrous cortical defect. huh?) in my right leg. That's code for really benign, unimportant tumor... until someone blasts you with a soccer cleat. two years in a row. and you spend your high school days being pushed around school in a wheelchair (thank you Emily Bailey, I am forever indebted to you) with a cast the length of your entire leg and pain more excruciating than giving birth to a dinosaur.
3. I've traveled to about 25 countries all over the world, but never been to Yosemite. Or the Grand Canyon. Or the local zoo for that matter.
4. I bit my nails for the first 24 years of my life. I look at photos of myself from a couple years ago and am repulsed that I carried on for as long as I did. But I guess that's why they call them bad habits.
5. All things aside, I have a pretty incredible job. It has brought me to have tea at Simplyummy with the Senator's wife in Winston-Salem, NC. It has taken me to meet with David Carey, publisher of Conde Naste, in his Times Square Plaza penthouse suite. It's brought me to Austin, Texas to watch the sunset at the famous Oasis and have breakfast burritos at the landmark Juan in a Million. My job has brought me to the First Lady's conference in Long Beach, CA, to hear the Dalai Lama speak on forgiveness. It's put me in the driver's seat of a Gulfstream jet for 130 miles somewhere between North Carolina and Orange County. And every day I get to hear about the incredible work being done for kids, and really, that just about does it for me.
6. I used to (and sometimes still do) collect thousands of quotes in quote journals - on subjects ranging from friendship to travel to life to love to judaism. Over the years, as some of the pages yellowed from spills and the corners of the book bent, i'd randomly open up one of my journals and find something written in a handwriting that's not mine, and have no idea whose contribution it was. To this day, it still drives me nuts, but I guess I'll never know. Regardless, I love it when I'm sitting there soaking up the brilliance in one of my Rabbi's sermons, and I can complete his sentences when he references a quote from one of my books.
7. In April 2000, I took two weeks out of my senior year in high school to travel to Poland and Israel on March of the Living. I spent a week as a witness to death, destruction and hate in the concentration camps, while hearing Holocaust survivors tell their haunting stories on long bus rides from camp to camp. Our second week in Israel celebrated life, hope, and Israeli Independence. I came back a mess. I cried for two weeks straight and couldn't even look at a flower without being reminded of gas chambers and Auschwitz. I skipped senior prom because I just couldn't deal with all the hype. The trip changed my life in innumerable ways and still, hardly a day goes by when I'm not reminded of the lessons that loom from it.
1. I have a confession to make. I have become OBSESSED with photography and event planning blogs lately. Like, it's the last thing I do before bed and the first thing I do when I wake up (ok, after a few hits to the snooze button, brushing my teeth, and checking my email). One of my newest faves is http://www.hostessblog.com/. It's delicious. Makes me want to spend the rest of my life finding reasons to entertain friends and family with themed parties. Ho-hum.
2. I have a non-ossifying fibroma (also known as a fibrous cortical defect. huh?) in my right leg. That's code for really benign, unimportant tumor... until someone blasts you with a soccer cleat. two years in a row. and you spend your high school days being pushed around school in a wheelchair (thank you Emily Bailey, I am forever indebted to you) with a cast the length of your entire leg and pain more excruciating than giving birth to a dinosaur.
3. I've traveled to about 25 countries all over the world, but never been to Yosemite. Or the Grand Canyon. Or the local zoo for that matter.
4. I bit my nails for the first 24 years of my life. I look at photos of myself from a couple years ago and am repulsed that I carried on for as long as I did. But I guess that's why they call them bad habits.
5. All things aside, I have a pretty incredible job. It has brought me to have tea at Simplyummy with the Senator's wife in Winston-Salem, NC. It has taken me to meet with David Carey, publisher of Conde Naste, in his Times Square Plaza penthouse suite. It's brought me to Austin, Texas to watch the sunset at the famous Oasis and have breakfast burritos at the landmark Juan in a Million. My job has brought me to the First Lady's conference in Long Beach, CA, to hear the Dalai Lama speak on forgiveness. It's put me in the driver's seat of a Gulfstream jet for 130 miles somewhere between North Carolina and Orange County. And every day I get to hear about the incredible work being done for kids, and really, that just about does it for me.
6. I used to (and sometimes still do) collect thousands of quotes in quote journals - on subjects ranging from friendship to travel to life to love to judaism. Over the years, as some of the pages yellowed from spills and the corners of the book bent, i'd randomly open up one of my journals and find something written in a handwriting that's not mine, and have no idea whose contribution it was. To this day, it still drives me nuts, but I guess I'll never know. Regardless, I love it when I'm sitting there soaking up the brilliance in one of my Rabbi's sermons, and I can complete his sentences when he references a quote from one of my books.
7. In April 2000, I took two weeks out of my senior year in high school to travel to Poland and Israel on March of the Living. I spent a week as a witness to death, destruction and hate in the concentration camps, while hearing Holocaust survivors tell their haunting stories on long bus rides from camp to camp. Our second week in Israel celebrated life, hope, and Israeli Independence. I came back a mess. I cried for two weeks straight and couldn't even look at a flower without being reminded of gas chambers and Auschwitz. I skipped senior prom because I just couldn't deal with all the hype. The trip changed my life in innumerable ways and still, hardly a day goes by when I'm not reminded of the lessons that loom from it.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
rock the vote.
For someone who's an international studies major with a focus in political science, active in the ADL, and generally just "aware" of the issues we're faced with, i'm admittedly apathetic when it comes to half the crap that goes on in politics these days. i tune out when i want to, and rarely speak up unless there is something wise to be said. so sue me. but a recent blog post by one of my favorite americans, adam duritz of the counting crows, really ignited that fire in me that i so badly needed just 5 short weeks away from election day.
read on, or don't...i could care less as long as you know that one day i'm gonna marry this boy. :)
"Let me get this out of the way first. I can't stress how important I think it is for you to vote in this election. It's time for our nation to reclaim it's place as a beacon in the world. We may never set the example we might have around the world again as a leader in foreign policy or diplomacy. It's possible we are just too tied to powerful lobbying interest groups to make those kinds of changes. But there's nothing that says we can't set the example of a country of free men and women banding together to decide our future as one nation. We CAN remind the world how a democracy truly works, why it works, and why it matters that it works. A democracy matters because, on its most basic level, it says that every single person matters. It says that no one person is of lesser or greater importance than another. It disputes and it spits in the face of a way of thinking that had gone on for thousands and thousands of years, basically the entirety of human existence, until we came along two hundred and thirty-two years ago and said there was a better way.
I hear a lot of people talk about patriotism and flags and American values but the truth is there is only one truly American value: your right to vote. It is the definition of America. It is the way we decided to define ourselves that set us apart from all the other countries in the world at that time and it is the reason we fought that first war. It took 72 years for the first group of women to organize a conference to seriously discuss getting themselves the right to vote and another 72 years of hard fought struggle before they got it. That's 144 years your great grandmother and their great grandmothers fought to secure those rights for their daughters and granddaughters and you. Can you seriously hold so little respect for them in your hearts that you would throw that right away?
For the first hundred years of our nation's existence, we actually had slaves, people considered by some to be less than human. Their children and their children's children hold their own fate in their hands in 2008 but their ancestors paid a heavy heavy price to carry them here over the chasm of that injustice. We have come to this country from every point across the globe and we have made a pact with one another. We will live here together and we will decide our future together and then we will abide by that decision and live out that future, whatever it may be, together. The proof of the strength of a true democracy does not lie in your ability to elect the person you want; it lies in our ability as a people to lose an election and still abide and stand by the pact. Democracy is hard that way. Sometimes you lose. But we have kept the pact for over two hundred years, failing only once to abide and that one time was the worst disaster in American history.
Our country may not be perfect but the ideal is. And anyway, it's still our country. If you don't like the way something's being done, we have a system in place that allows for peaceful change. All you have to do is take part. If you're over the age of 18 and you're an American citizen, get yourself registered and vote. Just go to the front page of CountingCrows.com and click on the flag. It'll register you anywhere in the United States for any party you like. Then come out on the first Tuesday in November and take part in the birth of a new nation, one that is reborn over and over and over again. Every time you step in to that booth, you breathe new life into the ideals that began this country two hundred and thirty two years ago.
It's your turn now. There is nothing more important you can ever do for this world than to wake up and be a part of it." -adam duritz, http://www.countingcrows.com/, 9/20/08
read on, or don't...i could care less as long as you know that one day i'm gonna marry this boy. :)
"Let me get this out of the way first. I can't stress how important I think it is for you to vote in this election. It's time for our nation to reclaim it's place as a beacon in the world. We may never set the example we might have around the world again as a leader in foreign policy or diplomacy. It's possible we are just too tied to powerful lobbying interest groups to make those kinds of changes. But there's nothing that says we can't set the example of a country of free men and women banding together to decide our future as one nation. We CAN remind the world how a democracy truly works, why it works, and why it matters that it works. A democracy matters because, on its most basic level, it says that every single person matters. It says that no one person is of lesser or greater importance than another. It disputes and it spits in the face of a way of thinking that had gone on for thousands and thousands of years, basically the entirety of human existence, until we came along two hundred and thirty-two years ago and said there was a better way.I hear a lot of people talk about patriotism and flags and American values but the truth is there is only one truly American value: your right to vote. It is the definition of America. It is the way we decided to define ourselves that set us apart from all the other countries in the world at that time and it is the reason we fought that first war. It took 72 years for the first group of women to organize a conference to seriously discuss getting themselves the right to vote and another 72 years of hard fought struggle before they got it. That's 144 years your great grandmother and their great grandmothers fought to secure those rights for their daughters and granddaughters and you. Can you seriously hold so little respect for them in your hearts that you would throw that right away?
For the first hundred years of our nation's existence, we actually had slaves, people considered by some to be less than human. Their children and their children's children hold their own fate in their hands in 2008 but their ancestors paid a heavy heavy price to carry them here over the chasm of that injustice. We have come to this country from every point across the globe and we have made a pact with one another. We will live here together and we will decide our future together and then we will abide by that decision and live out that future, whatever it may be, together. The proof of the strength of a true democracy does not lie in your ability to elect the person you want; it lies in our ability as a people to lose an election and still abide and stand by the pact. Democracy is hard that way. Sometimes you lose. But we have kept the pact for over two hundred years, failing only once to abide and that one time was the worst disaster in American history.
Our country may not be perfect but the ideal is. And anyway, it's still our country. If you don't like the way something's being done, we have a system in place that allows for peaceful change. All you have to do is take part. If you're over the age of 18 and you're an American citizen, get yourself registered and vote. Just go to the front page of CountingCrows.com and click on the flag. It'll register you anywhere in the United States for any party you like. Then come out on the first Tuesday in November and take part in the birth of a new nation, one that is reborn over and over and over again. Every time you step in to that booth, you breathe new life into the ideals that began this country two hundred and thirty two years ago.
It's your turn now. There is nothing more important you can ever do for this world than to wake up and be a part of it." -adam duritz, http://www.countingcrows.com/, 9/20/08
Saturday, September 20, 2008
maybe we could sleep in, i'll make you banana pancakes
this is by far the laziest day i've had in a few months. i unplugged my laptop, brought it in to bed with me (euw, kinky) and i'm sitting here catching up on life. cleaned my desk, organized (but ignored) some paperwork, made a smoothie, turned on jack johnson, and all is right with the world.
tonight is the annual kids of kilimanjaro gala at balboa bay club, hosted by the incredible namkung family who designed (and continue to fund) a school lunch program for kids living in the monduli district in tanzania. i admire anyone who sees a need and makes it their life goal to take action and solve the problem. kudos to chelsea and her family for doing just that. i'll be helping out at the event tonight - and whether or not i win another $1,000 bloomingdales gift certificate or meet another beautiful girl like mary (pictured at last year's event), i'll be happy to see what's in store for the evening.
in other news, i gave birth to a new website this month, which has taken over my life at work for many, many, many hours. check it out. i'm stoked about this project and can't wait to see what comes of it!
in other other news, i'm counting down the days until a week-long stay at the stunning Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta in november. i have no problem with places like london, rome, new york, and san francisco (in fact, i've been to all of those in the last year!) but i have been craving a tropical, do-nothing-but-eat-drink-sleep-read-and-tan getaway for a couple years and it's finally that time! i will be joined by some of my best friends (and maybe a certain boyfriend) and i can't wait.
my baby sister just took off on a 3-month jaunt to tel aviv, where she'll be working with renowned desiger, galit levi. keep up on her travels, falafel consumption, and camel rides here.
better go check on grams.
peace, love and kilimanjaro.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Reality Check
I AM … enjoying the calm before the storm.
I WANT… to lose 30 pounds.
I HAVE … to learn to hang my clothes up daily.
I KEEP … secrets. well.
I WISH I COULD … take a month off.
I HATE … ignorance.
I FEAR … old age, and i don't know why.
I HEAR … the buzz of my fan, which isn't quite doing the trick.
I DON’T THINK … I could ask for better friends.
I REGRET … nothing.
I LOVE …kisses on my forehead, pinkberry yogurt, and cafes in foreign places.
I AM NOT … capable of speaking swahili.
I DANCE … best when under the influence.
I SING … even though i can't.
I NEVER … underestimate the power of saturdays and sundays.
I RARELY … leave my camera at home.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH … olympics commercials and weddings.
I AM NOT ALWAYS … the best daughter/sister/friend i know how to be.
I HATE THAT … bad things happen to good people.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT … why americans are so focused on work.
I NEED … to always brush my teeth before bed, otherwise i can't sleep.
I SHOULD … be organizing my life.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
ABC's of me.
the point in filling this out is to tag 5 others and make them do it too. see "T" if you think you could be one of them!
A. Attached or single? attached, if that's the right word!
B. Best friend? you know who you are.
C. Cake or pie? cake, hands down.
D. Day of Choice? friday nights
E. Essential Item? laptop, toothbrush
F. Favorite color? i like every color. especially the perfect blue.
G. Gummy bears or worms? bears
H. Hometown? boston, mass
I. Favorite indulgence? cookies & cream ice cream
J. January or July? july, for sure
K. Kids? one day
L. Life isn't complete without? good friends, good wine, good music
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 sisters
O. Oranges or apples? apples. YUM
P. Phobias? i don't have any serious ones.
Q. Quotes? it would be cruel to make me choose just one...so inquire within!
R. Reasons to smile? 'cuz things are looking up.
S. Season of choice? winter, spring, summer or fall...all for different reasons :)
T. Tag 5 people: betty, jenny, todd, nicci, chelsea. who else has a blog?
U. Unknown fact about me? i would rather listen than talk. but i guess if you know me well enough, it's probably not an unknown fact is it?
W. Worst habit? putting clothes everywhere but on hangers. i'm getting better...
X. X-ray or ultrasound? who cares?
Y. Your favorite food? anything mediterranean
Z. Zodiac sign? cancer, through and through.
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