Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Remarkable Friendliness of Strangers
I had four days to chill out in Tel Aviv and no friends around with whom to hang out or crash, so I decided to give CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.org) a chance. While I knew that the site offered free home hospitality around the world, I was excited and touched to discover that it’s members wanted to hang out and show you their favorite spots in Tel Aviv.
With the wonderful rhythm that happens when visitors are embraced into a friend’s life, my time was filled with dinners at amazing restaurants (including the best gluten-free restaurant I’ve ever tried), dancing at a music festival in the wonderfully quaint Bialik Square, 2am drinks at sidewalk cafes, and chilling on the beach with new friends. Between my host, Yonathan, who included me in all his plans, and the few other members I had time to meet up with, my social life was even busier than it is in NYC. Even better, they introduced me to the side of Tel Aviv I had been looking for and never found during the eight years I’d lived there, and I finally fell in love with Israel.
With the wonderful rhythm that happens when visitors are embraced into a friend’s life, my time was filled with dinners at amazing restaurants (including the best gluten-free restaurant I’ve ever tried), dancing at a music festival in the wonderfully quaint Bialik Square, 2am drinks at sidewalk cafes, and chilling on the beach with new friends. Between my host, Yonathan, who included me in all his plans, and the few other members I had time to meet up with, my social life was even busier than it is in NYC. Even better, they introduced me to the side of Tel Aviv I had been looking for and never found during the eight years I’d lived there, and I finally fell in love with Israel.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Perspective & Introspective
People see the external blurred by their own perceptions,
never really seeing what’s inside another person.
Seeing and yet not seeing.
To see my pain, my struggles, my reality,
look in me not at me.
Listen for the clues, feel my vulnerability, look into my eyes and
see the real me.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
My Great Grandfather's letter to my Mom - his version of 'Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus'
Dear Merri Ruth:
I understand you have gotten the idea that there is no Santa Claus. Let me say you must be wrong for there is really a Santa Claus. Yes a thousand and ten thousand times there is a Santa Claus.
Now there may not be a Santa Claus that brings boys and girls toys but the things he really brings us is much more valuable than presents and toys.
Without this greater(?) Santa Claus, we would not have any flowers, would not have the songs of birds, we would not have any day and night or winter and summer. He brings us the sunshine and the rain. He supplies us with the very air we breath every minute of our lives.
Yes a thousand and ten thousand times there is a very wonderful Santa Claus. In the Bible he is given another name.
Merry Christmas
Love
Grandpa
Saturday, November 27, 2010
What would you add to this list?
Adult Truths by Susie Baumohl
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? recent surveys show 54% of today's youth cannot write in cursive. We all should have been keyboarding!!!!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? recent surveys show 54% of today's youth cannot write in cursive. We all should have been keyboarding!!!!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
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