An attempt

The Ritual

2009-03-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have a ritual.

It's a sad one, and it's one I don't like doing. But being a part of a caring community means that I must oblige.

Every Wednesday, the Rabbi's secretary sends out an updated list of life-cycle events for the month. There are categories for "Honorable Menschen," Engagements (and I was thrilled to see my name in there last month), Weddings, Anniversaries, Births, those in need of healing, and those who have died recently.

My ritual is that I read this list and pay special attention to those who have died. More specifically, which participants have lost a grand-parent or, God forbid, a parent. Who needs comfort?

My job, but more importantly my passion, is to care for those around me. I just hate opening these documents, knowing that a loved one has been lost.

In a meeting about my possible future Rabbinate, a friend asked me, "what's your greatest fear about becoming a Rabbi?" I answered "funerals and circumcisions." The friend laughed and said "you know you don't actually cut the kid, right?" Yes, I did. And, truth be told, I will probably get over that fear. Funerals, though. That will take some work.

Death is something Jewish professionals deal with a lot. There are various ways of coping. How do you cope with loss? How can you be a support to those who are dealing with loss?

I ask because I am genuinely interested in your thoughts. I hope we can all learn something.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone

2009-02-08T10:44:00.001-08:00

But I really like Boudin's tomato soup in a bread bowl.

Mmm...

And the gf and the sis get along really well. That's really nice :)

Well, THAT'S not something you see everyday...

2009-02-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm from the old-skool where women, especially pretty women, are given special privileges just for being, well, pretty women. I could go into some rant about how that's sexist towards guys, but I'm sure someone will point out five more examples of how sexism towards women is more pervasive in this country and society. And honestly, I just don't want to get into that conversation.

Then again, I'm from the old-skool, with a "k."

I got my usual lunch today (Subway, 5...5 dollar...5 dollar footlong...and now it's stuck in your head) and I was taken aback by the following situation:

Very attractive blond gets a 6-inch tuna sandwich, asks for a large cup with ice, and a bottle of water. Price rung up? $8.27. She pays without a second thought and moves along.

Wait, what?

Now maybe I just noticed this because I almost always watch my finances, but that wasn't right. In a matter of seconds, the cashier rung her up for a footlong sandwich (she had a 6"), a large drink (even though it only had ice), and a bottle of water (the only fully legitimate item she paid for). He overcharged her by about $3. And me? I just stood there and let it happen, awestruck by the lack of the customer's wherewithal.

Yes, I should have intervened and said something. But she should also have recognized a mistake. Where can you get a bottle of water and a 6" tuna sandwich? A nice restaurant. Not Subway.

I don't tell this story to bring up how the cashier took advantage of the blond stereotype. Rather, I mention it as a warning to all consumers:

Check your receipts. If you're paying for something that you shouldn't be paying for, or are overcharged, tell someone. Make them make it right, or leave with every single cent in YOUR pocket. Don't let companies take advantage of you.

If you do, the terrorists win.

And the old-skool.

This is an INCREDIBLE music video.

2009-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Boring, then Super Awesome Bowl

2009-02-02T09:26:00.001-08:00

The Game:

With the exception of the last play of the first quarter, the first 55 minute of this year's Super Bowl was probably the most boring piece of football I've ever seen. And I went to almost every single UC Davis home football game. Owch. However, the last five minutes were spectacular!

Although I give the Steelers credit for their win, I do believe that the Cardinals should have received one more play with 0:05 left on the clock. It was very obvious the Warner's arm was moving forward, meaning the play should have been called an incomplete pass, rather than a fumble. Regardless, I do not think the Cardinals would have won the game, but at least it would have been the right call.

The Commercials:

How do you spell "lackluster"? The 2009 Super Bowl ads. The the USA Today voters found the Doritos "Crystal ball sees free Doritos" the best, with Budweiser's "Clydesdale's romance with circus horse" and "A Clydesdale can fetch" in close second and third, respectively. Yes, those were good and mildly funny. But on a 10 point scale, no ad received an 8.5 or higher.

Then again, I really disagree with some of the USA Today votes. For example, the "Cash 4 Gold.com" ad came in with a score of 5.58. I thought that was one of the smarter ads of the entire Bowl. It was self depricating, and perfect for the company.

I did agree, however, with the score for the Vizio ad, 3.77, and title of this year's worst ad. The worst thing you can do is tell your possible consumers they have failed (at least, you can't tell them this outright), especially when they made a completely irrevocalble decision, such as buying a new HDTV. Yes, you can return the TV and exchange it for the Vizio, but that's a pain in the butt. Vizio's message was "you're an idiot for choosing quality over value." During an event with such lively comedy, high emotions, and a 3 hour getaway from the worries of the world, Vizio failed to bring joy to the viewers in their ad. (as an aside, Apple did not bring joy to its viewers with their "1984" Super Bowl ad, but it was thought provoking and a watershed moment in Super Bowl ads. The Vizio ad did not accomplish this goal.)

The only ad that made me say "whoa, I'm excited for that" - Angels & Demons. I can't wait to start reading that book and then go see the movie. What does that say? A very poor Super Bowl of ads. Oh well. At least the last 5 minutes of the game made up for it.

By the way, props to Jennifer Hudson. Her rendition was outstanding.

Today will be a great day...

2009-01-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

*iLife 09 will arrive today
*GF's bday gift will arrive today
*Last day of my "Jewish Experience Through Music" class, which means that we're just going to sing and listen to the best music from the class
*GF's advancements are today...she'll be great!
*I pick up two more final drafts from my producer (picked up Adon Olam & By A River last night, and while they need a few minor changes, they sound AMAZING)

Hooray!

Food related post to come later today...or tomorrow...

Highlights from "The Speech"

2009-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

These are lines that may, or may not, be remembered as the highlight catch phrases of President Obama's (I can't believe I can actually say that now!) inaugural speech. Enjoy!

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

What if...

2009-01-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

...John McCain had won the election? Would there be the same number of people marching on the capital? Or would the vast majority be there, but protesting the results?

...John McCain had won the election, and then died because of some health issue? Sarah Palin would have been inaugurated today. I just don't want to think of that.

...Dick Cheney had not pulled a muscle in his back and was confined to a wheelchair today?

There are plenty of "what if's" and even more "what now's." One thing is certain, though:

Barack Obama is our next President. And I couldn't be more proud.

the end of me

2009-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

there may or may not be a wii in the living room.

"Inauguration Survival Guide"

2009-01-15T10:17:00.001-08:00

Something rubs me the wrong way about how the Washington Post's inauguration guide (i.e.: where to go, how to get to the ceremonies in the quickest way, etc.) is called:

The Inauguration Survival Guide

Are there threats people should know about? Oy.

I hate to say it, but if Obama goes his entire presidency without an assassination attempt, it could be a miracle. And I don't mean a miracle in the sense of "oh wow, I was able to get the lid off the pickle jar!" I mean it in the sense of "dude, if this happens, the head of the secret service could be up for saint-hood. Ya know, assuming he's Catholic."

Apple Releases two new SWEETS

2009-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I went there.

iWork looks awesome, but iLife is even better!
I am so excited to integrate the new version of iWeb in my website, and the "faces" trick in iPhoto looks downright awesome.
Check it out at apple.com/ilife

Two Events, Same Reaction: Kachow!

2009-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Event #1 - I finally saw Cars. Great movie with incredible referential humor. Kachow!

Event #2 - The Chargers beat the Colts! Kachow!

A Restart

2009-01-03T10:45:00.001-08:00

Well, there's a reason this blog is called "an attempt." I stopped posting a few years ago, but I think it's time to restart. Get ready for some thoughts on life and times, food, Judaism, music, sports (watching, not playing).

So, what's up today?
1) News: "Israeli ground troops have begun moving into Gaza." There are lots of people that have VERY impassioned thoughts about Operation Cast Lead. I will leave other bloggers to write their thoughts. For example, check out J. Fro in J. Lem, Just Another MOT, or Social Jewstice, amongst others.

2) Sports: I'm not usually a betting man, unless you're talking about the amazing free sports betting site, cent sports. Here's how it works: They give you 10 free fake cents with which to bet. You can make bets and win and lose the money. If you drop below 10 cents, they bump you back up to 10 for free. If you win and keep winning until your dollar level is above 10 dollars, you can cash out and they'll send you a real check! No joke! They cover their expenses through advertisements. If you are going to sign up, though, become my crony so you can get a portion of my winnings and vice-versa.
Anywho, I bring it up because the Chargers are playing today, and I don't expect them to win. LT and Gates are pretty banged up (bung up?), despite both teams coming into this game with a lot of momentum. Don't get me wrong, I am a San Diego fan. But being a true San Diego fan means that you expect your teams to lose, unless, of course, they are playing indoor soccer (soccers) or minor league hockey (gulls). Then, you expect them to win some obscure title or trophey (Taylor cup?). Nevertheless, when the San Diego sports teams win, the thrill of victory is compounded as we also celebrate the lack of another loss. I started a Facebook group about this a few years ago called "The San Diego Sports Curse." Check it out if you'd like the full history of San Diego professional sports losses. The spread is Chargers +2, and that's where my money is. This means that the Bolts can lose by up to two points for the bet to win. Hooray!

3) I get to sit with two great souls today and just hang on the couch. It will be a great day.

Giving thanks. It's a good thing.

2005-11-24T01:41:00.000-08:00

        What a difference a year makes. In many ways, my life is completely different than the last time I wrote my thanksgiving thoughts; in many ways, it is very much the same. At this point last year, I was in the most serious relationship I have ever experienced, I was on NFTY board, the reality of the Bencher was a mere point in the future, I was barely involved with ASUCD and AEPi. While the venues of these commitments and involvements has changed, in a more general sense, the time that I dedicate to each has remained the same. While I am not in a romantic relationship, I have taken that time to make sure that I keep friends. I know, this seems obvious, but I am learning that keeping friends close is a difficult task even though it is one of the more important things in life. While I am no longer on NFTY board, I am still heavily involved with the Reform youth movement. I am constantly song leading and these opportunities have turned into a real job - a web site, business cards, a resume, compensation, and all. The Bencher was published. Now, I've taken it on myself to think of creative ways to market the book so that NFTY can get returns on their investment and, more importantly, the Bencher can be used for its intended purposes. While I was considering a Senate bid for a while, I have decided that two years will be a good amount of time to dedicate to ASUCD. This means that I will work my ass off for the commission, finish out the year as the External Affairs Commission chair, cut my losses, and run like hell. As you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for, and there are many people who deserve thanks.
        First, of course, my family. My family is in good health, and they're all happy. And there is nothing else I could ask for. My incredible sister has a great job that she really enjoys, she keeps getting more and more involved with the business side of things, and she has become (and I never thought I would actually say this) a true adult. But not one of those "I'm an adult so I'm better than you" kind of adults, Becky's one of those "I'm an adult which means I can do cool things, even though I know my responsibilities" kind of adults. She's a great person and is always willing to take the extra step to make me remember why she's the best sister in the whole entire universe.(Pause for the obligatory "aw"s) Becky is also very lucky. Almost two years ago, she met Eric. I am really thankful to have Eric in our family. Even though it's not official, he's always at family get-togethers in the bay area (which seem to happen more often than get-togethers in San Diego) so it pretty much seems like he's a MOG(member of the Gimbels). He's such a great guy, and I'm so glad that "Frank" and "Gimbel" are so close in the alphabet so it provided Becky and Eric to sit together on the flight to Israel. My parents. I am so thankful that so many great things happened to them in the last year. My dad's new business has finally taken off and he is able to sleep at night. I am also really thankful that my Dad and I are able to have more meaningful conversations about mutually interesting topics. One of my favorite days this past summer was when the two of us went guitar shopping. We must have spent a good six to eight hours together going from place to place. We had not had the time to bond like that in a very long time, and it was great to catch up with him on so many levels. I am so thankful that we have reconnected and now that the song leading gigs have picked up, he is always my first call before making a business decision. This was also a very big year for my mom. Though, I think every year after last year's birthday will be considered a "big year". I am so thankful that we have finally found a venue where I come to her for advise: food. It's so great that we're able to bond over simple things like how to boil water, and how Emril can kill a recipe with one ingredient. I am really thankful that we have a certain level of distance so that we actually appreciate the time we spend together.
        Second, I am very thankful for my friends. I lost contact with some friends, and others I reconnected with. Remaking connections is always something I really enjoy because I feel like it gives us another chance to keep in touch. I really hope that I keep those connections. Every time I get the chance to, I always thank my friends; however, like last year, I feel it necessary to mention a few people in particular: my board(NFTY Board and Soffer...they will always be "my board"), Arielle, and Sarah
        Soffer - In short, I could not have had this past year without you. Your support and guidance during our time on board was inspiring. I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but you really deserve a great deal of thanks for your help on the Bencher. And you should also know that every time I presented something in the Bencher during Biennial (at the PSW Council dinner doing candles and kiddush, and the HUC alumni breakfast doing Birkat Hamazon), I thanked you. I could really go on and on, but the truth is you embodied what a Rabbi should be: a mentor, a mensch, and a machor(macher? good person in yiddish...). I always look forward to our conversations about all things Jewish and secular, and I'm excited to continue our conversation on how for an american, going to Israel is kind of like going to Grandma's house. I am so thankful for you and Jen and I hope you both have continued happiness. You did it!
        My board - BASBHAT. 'Nuf said. No, not 'nuf said. You all made this past year so incredible for me, and I am so thankful that you are all a part of my life. I know that we are all going to stay close because every time we speak or meet up, it is as if no time has passed. We're still close, and I know that we will meet up on many future occasions. (Hopefully one this summer...) You all really mean so much to me, and I hope you all know that I will always be there for you.
        'Relle - Not gonna lie, we had an awkward moment this past June. But it made me realize that considering you a "good friend" wasn't enough. I realized that if I wanted to change our status from "good friend" to something more substantial, we actually would have to put the effort into keeping in touch. I am so glad that we have put the time in and reconnected. You helped me get through some trying times, and you were there during the times when all I could think of was track 1 on the new Jason Mraz album (it's "Life is Wonderful"). You helped me realize that what is important in life isn't the spur of the moment events in life, the important part is what you do after those moments. You mean so much to me, and I am so glad that our friendship has started to flourish, again. Some day, at some big life event, I'm going to get you a bottle of Jonnie Walker Blue with a note: "Bartlet for America".
        Sarah - I am so thankful we have remained close though all this time. You have been there for me when times were tough, when they were good, and when they just were. Even though we had some interesting events and situations during the summer, I never feared that our friendship would be affected. We really have gotten to that point in our relationship where I know that however our relationships change with others, ours will not. It's a comfortable place, and I am very thankful that you are such an influential part of my life. I hope you have a safe rest of your trip and I'm so excited to see you in December.
        Lastly, I want to apologize to those who I have hurt in the last year. I know this is something I should have done on Yom Kippur, but I believe that it is never a bad time to repent and forgive. I try to do my best to say I am sorry when it is necessary, but there are many times in life when your actions hurt others, even though you don't know their ramifications. So to those who are distressed because of my actions, I truly and sincerely apologize. I hope that you will bring this to my attention so that I don't make the same mistake twice. A person's friendship is something I truly treasure, and I hope I can help mend wounds.
        I'll conclude the same way I did last year. Not because I'm trying to be vain by quoting myself, but because I am still struggling with my questions: Something bothers me about Thanksgiving. I understand how one can be thankful, I can understand how one can be appreciative, but how does one give thanks? It is going up to someone and saying "thank you"? Is that giving thanks? Or maybe it derives from a sacrificial ritual from the early Temple days which would prove that Thanksgiving is REALLY a Jewish holiday. Maybe. It's something to ponder, and maybe there is no right answer. All I know is that life is good.

Biennial Plog Post #2

2005-11-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005 - 1:08AM(CST)

Biennial has been a unique experience for me. For the first time in a VERY long time, I actually get to participate in an event. I know, shocking. I'm only responsible for a few things, and the rest of the time, I have the incredible opportunity to take advantage of everything Biennial offers. That is the best way I can describe the past day.
I woke up this morning, had breakfast with Allison L., and went across to the Convention center. I didn't really have anything to do until the workshop I was co-leading at 1:30PM, so I had the morning to myself. After wandering around the halls for a while(the exhibit halls weren't open before noon), I called my old Rabbi (Rabbi Jon Stein) to find out where he was and when he was coming in. Curiously enough, he was just pulling up to the convention center. We met up and grabbed Starbucks. It was so great to catch up with him. I caught him up on everything in life - family members, how each is doing, and what they're up to; music stuff; his super-cool Treo; friends; college life; everything. In my Jewish upbringing, I've found that I identify Rabbi Stein as "my rabbi." After some good chatting, we shopped at the bookstore and the exhibition booth. And yes, we got matching yarmulkes.
Then, I had my workshop. The title of the workshop was "Blogs, Chatrooms, and LiveJournal: What the E-generation is Doing Online," and I taught it with Rabbi Koppel. The workshop was basically on how kids put WAY too much information out on the open internet and how to make sure that kids are safe online. A few notes about the meeting I found amusing:
*We were talking about how technology has changed over the last 30 years(1975 - First home computer; This year's senior class started kindergarten when the first widely-used web brower, Mosaic, was introduced), and there was a woman knitting. I found that amusing.
*New term I didn't know for AIM: POS - Parent over shoulder
*www.blackjew.com. 'Nuf said.
*Rachel G: Change your myspace. I used it as a REALLY bad example of a myspace, and everyone gasped when I showed it to them. You put yourself WAY out there. Take some of the info down. Your myspace is WAY high-risk. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.
After the very successful workshop, I had some time to chill with Andy S. It's so great that even though he's in a position that could go straight to his head, he's still a really good guy. We sat for a while, then met up with Dr. Soffer(Matt's dad), talked to Matt in the Holy Land, met up with Sarah R. and Rabbi Laura, and talked about responsible sexual behavior for about 45 minutes. It was pretty intense. Although, I did want to go to the workshop Craig Taubman, Cantor Lisa Levine, and Rabbi Billy Dreskin were leading: "Klezfusion, Country, and Hip Hop: the next wave of liturgical music?" But alas, I did not.
We came back to the hotel, tried to go out for dinner, but had some difficulties navigating downtown Houston, and ended up ordering in Papa Johns. Then, we went to the first big Plenary session. After a brief welcome by Chairman Bob Heller, there was a beautiful and moving presentation about the URJ's response to Hurricane Katrina. As the video presentation ended, the VOG(Voice of God - Paul) announced that everyone should rise as the Torahs from the affected Congregations, which had all been saved, were entering the room. The scrolls were carried by the Clergy of the synagogues. The emotions in the room ran very high. Feelings of sorrow for those who had lost their homes, hope for the future, and pride in the fact that the scrolls were saved filled the room instantaneously. It was a beautiful moment.
Then, it was off to networking:-). One of the things I love about my summer job is that it gives me a legitimate opportunity to go up to people like Beth Schafer and say "Hey, can Camp Newman steal you for a week this summer?" Then we trade business cards. It's so sweet. I'm so excited for this next summer. It really looks like the music program will finally have a great structure again. I just love walking into the hotel lobby and running into people, like The Cantor. It was great to meet up with her and find out when her service will be. I'll be there, for sure.
Until a few lines down,
jg

Biennial Blog Post #1

2005-11-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005 - 12:58PM(PST)

My Biennial experience started this morning with something I had been looking forward to since June: voting in the WZO elections. I got the e-mail this morning, right before the SuperShuttle came, and I cast my vote for the ARZA slate. After voting for the second time in two weeks, (at least, for something that matters; ASUCD meeting votes don't count) I realized that voting is one of my favorite things to do. I know, I am a dork. I might even go so far to call myself a nerd. It still doesn't change the fact that I always feel so empowered after voting. It's so simple, yet it is the easiest way to make change happen. If you havn't already registered and/or voted, PLEASE register and vote at www.votereformjudaism.com.
After a pretty easy SuperShuttle ride to the airport, I checked in and sat down at my gate, A2. I was about an hour and a half early, so I just started working on some GarageBand projects. A guy walked by, sat down near me, and pulled out a guitar. It was a beautiful guitar - a custom made Larveiee D-series. He started to play some riffs, and I got really intimidated by his abilities. He mostly played bluegrass, but we were able to find some songs that we both knew (ie: "Man of Constant Sorrow," "Long Black Veil," and a jam in A). His name was Chad, he had just finished doing some session work for Dreamworks, and was flying to Detroit to audition for one of the "biggest bluegrass bands in the country." This guy was awesome. We talked about guitars, playing style (he had played with John Mayer at a festival, the 2nd guitarist for Cream at a random bar, Jean Larveiee - ie: the maker of Larveiee guitars), and other music items of interest. Something he mentioned, which I had never heard before, was that it is actually bad for the guitar to de-tune before going on a plane. This was contradictory to what I had been taught, as it would seem that the strings could break as the altitude gets higher and the strings contract. He said Jean Larveiee had taught him that you need to keep constant pressure on the strings so that you don't wear out and warp the neck and head. From this day on, I won't detune when going on planes. If there's someone I will trust on this subject, it's someone who makes guitars for a living.
Now I am just chilling on the plane, REALLY enjoying the fact that NFTY travel got me elite status on America West, and hoping that the flight doesn't get delayed so that I miss my connection to Houston.
Until a few lines down,
jg

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005 - 1:21AM(CST)

It really is amazing. Every time I come home from an event such as this, my parents always ask "So, do you still want to be a Rabbi?" My answer is always yes; if anything, the event only strengthened my want to get into the Rabbinate. I can tell that even though I've only been in Houston for a few hours, this will be that kind of event.
Those who have been to a NFTY event or Kesher Convention will understand the following: You know when you arrive at an event and you find that it takes you far longer than it should to do a simple task, such as checking in, because you keep running into people you know? That's what Biennial has been for me so far. After arriving at the hotel, I kept seeing people from past experiences, beit NFTY Board(staff members, mentors, commission members, etc.), friends, camp, random past Jewish experiences. I'll give you an example. (And no, I'm not just naming these people to name-drop them, this story actually happened.) I was talking with a rabbi about Friday night's dinner service, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Craig Taubman walking past. I had never met Craig, but I had wanted to, so I quickly got out of the conversation with the rabbi, and I met Craig while we were walking across the sky-bridge that connects the hotel and the convention center. The conversation lasted maybe 45 seconds, but it was awesome. 2 minutes before that, I had never met the man, and because of the greatness that is Biennial, I had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people.
Until a few lines down,
jg

I'm shaking it's so exciting...

2005-10-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0807409650/qid=1129929139/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/102-0424223-1375352?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Birkon Mikdash M'at is available for pre-order on amazon.com. Wow.
It's $5 a copy, and has this description:
This pocket-sized volume of blessings and songs was compiled by a Reform Jewish teenager, making it one of the most unique benchers on the market today. Birkon Mikdash M’at promises to inspire a new generation of Reform Jews. Perfect prayer and song selections are sure to make this wonderful resource a popular addition to weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and many other celebrations. Throughout the Reform Movement, prayers such as Birkat HaMazon and Shabbat blessings are recited and then followed by communal singing. Birkon Mikdash M’at is designed to facilitate the joy of singing in groups, the ritual moments of holiday observance, and enhance the spiritual experience of Shabbat.

Go check it out!!! Plus, it's available for Free Super Saver Shipping...so if you buy 5 copies, they'll ship for free.

You can see it for yourself when it's officially released at the URJ Biennial!

Rice-a-VP? The San Francisco Treat?

2005-10-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

From today's USNews and World Report
Sparked by today's Washington Post story that suggests Vice President Cheney's office is involved with the Plame-CIA spy link investigation, government officials and advisors passed around rumors that the vice president might step aside and the President Bush would elevate Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"It's certainly an interesting but I still think highly doubtful scenario," said a Bush insider. "And if that should happen," added the official, "there will undoubtedly be those who believe the whole thing was orchestrated – another brilliant Machiavellian move by the VP."
Said another Bush associate of the rumor, "Yes. This is not good." The rumor spread so fast that some Republicans by late morning were already drawing up reasons why Rice couldn't get the job or run for president in 2008.
"Isn't she pro-choice?" asked a key Senate Republican aide. Many White House insiders, however, said the Post story and reports that the investigation was coming to a close had officials instead more focused on who would be dragged into the affair and if top aides would be indicted and forced to resign.
"Folks on the inside and near inside are holding their breath and wondering what's next," said a Bush adviser. But, he added, they aren't focused on the future of the vice president. "Not that, at least not seriously," he said.

Okay, good part about Condi possibly being Veep: A woman VP. It's about damn time.
Bad part: 'Nuff said... Even though the article says many Republicans don't think she should run in '08, the possibility is still out there. I think it would be funny (not funny "haha", but funny "whoa man, our country is going down the crapper") if a theory I heard came true: Dems put up Hilary for Pres; in response, Republicans put up Condi, arguing "Yeah, we've got a woman too. AND SHE'S BLACK!" Oy. I'm not saying I'm against a black woman president, in fact I think it'd be great for our country, but Condi's not the kind of president I want.

Thoughts? Yve?

Current Music Raves

2005-10-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to tell you lovely, fantastic, loyal readers to go out and spend money on something. That is, unless I think it's really worth it. These two current music raves are TOTALLY worth the 99 cent cost.

1) Love Heals (From the upcoming movie version of the musical, "RENT"). The lyrics are great, and the song is actually one that Jon Larson wrote even though it didn't make it onto the stage version of the show. Even though the movie sound track is getting mixed reviews, I like it a lot...I almost think it's better than the broadway recording...but that could also be because I'm a production nut and this album is INCREDIBLY well produced. Anyway, the song is great and I highly recommend getting this track.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=80447021&s=143441&i=80447008

2) Tears In Heaven by Various Artists. Somehow, they got tons of artists to record this great new version of the beautiful Eric Clapton song. And it makes you feel good when you download the song because all 99 cents will go to Save the Children, a group helping people in the Gulf Coast and the areas affected by the Asian tsunami. Great song, great cause.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=82153265&s=143441&i=82153199

I really need to go back to writing a paper, but I wanted to update you all on this...

But in the style of Steve Jobs, I've got ONE MORE THING (and yes, there is a media event tomorrow for Apple where they will be showing the "latest pro innovations"...rumour sites say there will be new powerbooks and powermacs, and some are saying there will be a new software app called "Photo Plus" which is supposed to be "iPhoto on steroids." Who knows...we'll find out at noon tomorrow! Yet I digress...

This article was in the New York Times today:
Ms. Pirro Seeks an Unlikely Donor for Campaign Funds: Mrs. Clinton
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Recently, Jeanine F. Pirro sent out letters to potential donors in her campaign to unseat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton next year. But there is very little chance that she will get any help from one recipient of her appeal: Mrs. Clinton herself.
In a potentially embarrassing (albeit minor) gaffe, one of the Aug. 19 fund-raising letters that Ms. Pirro's campaign sent out was addressed to none other than Mrs. Clinton.
It would have been bad enough if the letter had been addressed to, say, Mrs. Clinton's home in Chappaqua. But this one was sent to her previous residence: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500-0030 - an address more commonly known as the White House. The letter was forwarded from the White House to Mrs. Clinton's Senate office.
"Dear Hillary, You and I have been through a lot over the years," the solicitation begins. "I need you and every New Yorker on my side. But most importantly in this difficult campaign, I need people like you who I can trust."
The Clinton campaign, which released the letter to reporters, said the misdirected solicitation could explain the Pirro campaign's anemic fund-raising pace.
"It's not surprising that they're having trouble raising money," said Howard Wolfson, one of Mrs. Clinton's advisers.
Last week, Ms. Pirro's campaign reported that she had collected slightly more than $400,000 since announcing her candidacy on Aug. 8. By contrast, Mrs. Clinton's campaign reported raising nearly $5.3 million in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30.
Ms. Pirro's campaign manager, Brian Donahue, said that the appeal was sent to Mrs. Clinton because someone registered on the Pirro campaign Web site. He speculated that the person who registered was out to create mischief. "If it was in fact Hillary Clinton, we'd be happy to have her contribution," he said.

Oh man...first the infamous "Hilary Clinton.....(48 seconds of silence and confusion later...)...Where's page 8?" and now this...my money's on Pirro to beat Clinton. If Clinton doesn't turn this into a land-slide victory, she shouldn't even consider running for President at ANY time.

Back to my paper titled "The Right Boat" where I use a boat as a metaphor for the development of rights from the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution. Yeah, I went there...

La la la la la la la, Life is wonderful. Ah la la la la la la, Life comes full circle.

2005-09-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

Almost two years ago, a friend of mine, a musician, had to leave his house very quickly because wild fires were approaching. He didn't have time to gather any belongings. When his house burned down, he lost everything; significantly, all three of his guitars: an ovation, nylon string, and an electric. While I knew insurance would cover everything, I knew that it was really important to make sure that we got a guitar in his hands quickly. I asked a number of people from our Synagogue, where we both worked, and we were able to pull together enough to get him a really nice guitar: A Taylor 214. It sounded great, and he was very happy with it.

During the last few weeks, I have been researching guitars to buy. I got one today after scratching Carvin and Timberline off the list. Both brands had decent guitars, but they were not what I really was looking for. Larrviee had good guitars, except their sound died when I put a capo on the neck. Seeing as how capo playing is how 70% of song leading encompasses, I knew I had to pass. Tonight, I found what I wanted: a Taylor 214e - the same guitar I bought my friend, but this has electronics so I can plug it in to a pa system. I'm super-duper stoked. Like whoa. It sounds great, the action is fantastic, it's got a very rich sound, and it's a Grand Auditorium(which means it's got the feel and sound of a jumbo, but not as big of a bottom end). Here are pics:

Link to the main Taylor page for the guitar: http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/model.aspx?model=214-E/

Case Closed

Case Open

Full body shot

Head shot

Full box

Close box

See, it's REALLY a Taylor! The tag even says so...

DMB - August 25, 2005 - Coors Amphitheater

2005-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Preface: Sorry for not doing this behind a cut. But you can scroll if you want...Also, the pics at the bottom, are not resized(found them on an antsmarching.org forum)...enjoy!

Simply, incredible. Dave and the band looked like they were having an incredible time and the crowd totally fed off their energy. (I'll go into more detail further down in the post)
Before the show, I met up with Lauren W. at the Park & Ride in Mira Mesa. We had a fun drive down to Chula Vista, surprisingly only hitting traffic when we merged onto the 805. After having lots of fun telling the other cars to move (okay, maybe I was the only one talking), we made our way over to Ben Farris' house. It was really great to see Naomi (Ben's mom) again. I don't think I had seen her for about a year, so it was great to catch up in the five minutes we were there. After picking up Subway, the three of us had more fun in traffic as we parked at Coors Amphitheater. Then we waited for Nate H., who was stuck in more traffic, we went in to the show. Unfortunately, we waited so long that we didn't get to see the opening act: Slightly Stoopid. Oh well. Not a big deal, but we didn't pay to see Slightly Stoopid, we came to see Dave. And the Band. And Butch. He's not an official member yet...yeah...
Lauren and Nate's seats were in section 303, but Ben and I had seats in section 201.

Yeah, that's where we were sitting...sweet...
Since we had some time to kill before the band was coming on, we decided to see if there was any merchandise we wanted to get. There was. An awesome poster. Every tour, they make concert specific posters(ie: has a general design with the date of the show and the venue) and this tour's posters are great. This poster is mos def goin' up in my room when I move in. I'll post a comment when the images are available in the DMB store.
Anyway, so on to the show:
Lights go down, we're all stoked. I'm sitting next to a couple that had gotten tickets from a friend who couldn't go. it was their first Dave show. I don't think they knew what to expect. The first song starts: "Pantala Naga Pamba -> Rapunzel." Awesome. Great opening song. It was also a great live version. Carter, the drummer, and Stefan, the bassist, kept going back and forth with slight nuances. All in all, a great opener. Before the first song was done, I smelled a familiar smell. I said to Ben "you know you're at a DMB concert when the first song hasn't even ended and you get a whif." Good times. Didn't partake, but they sure did. Back to the music...I was very worried about the setlist. This was the first show since the three show Gorge stint, and I was anxious to see if they would revert to some of their older setlists, like the show in Marysville. Instead, they opened with a song they have only used once before as an opener. Awesome.
After that was "One Sweet World" with a crazy scat outro, courtesy of Dave and Carter. It's a good song, but I think it's a bit overplayed in shows. This was the 21st time they've played the song this tour, and last year, they played it 31 times...that's a bit much for a song that was never on a major studio release (ie: from "Under the Table" on). I am also REALLY glad it wasn't the opening song. It just doesn't have the same feeling of an opening song as PNP->Rapunzel does. Also, it would have been the 10th time on this tour that One Sweet World would be an opener. That's just too predictable for me. Also, it's a pretty slow song. As a second song in the list, I felt like I was almost ready to sit down. Anyway, bottom line: good song, but I won't be disappointed if the song takes a break for a few years.
Then came the first song from the new album: "Stand Up(For It)". This is a song that is great on the album, and even better live. On the album, the first part has a voice through a vocoder that takes the voice down an octave or two; live, Butch Taylor(the pianist/backup vocalist) just spoke some jibber-jabber, but it sounded pretty cool. The crowd really got into dancing throughout this one. Although, it's hard not to when Carter's pounded out the incredible beat for this song. Even cooler: LeRoi helped in vocals (the "Stand Up" part). Since when does he do that?!? Yeah, I was excited.
After that one, Butch did a cool string (keyboard strings, of course) prelude, Dave gets up to the mic, and conducts the vocals (Dave, Carter, Butch) for the intro "yeah"s of Dreamgirl. A really great version ensued with some mild jamming between LeRoi and Boyd. The song has really come into its own live. It's really great to see how this song has evolved since it was first played live.(and yes, I have a version from june 4...it's changed) Then, instead of the song ending and the lights resetting, Dave went straight into "Hunger for the Great Light". It was not a transition I was expecting, but it really worked well because Dreamgirl has a lot of harmonies, and the beginning of "Hunger" has some great three part harmonies. Hunger was okay; strong and powerful, but kinda short without too many changes between the studio and live versions.
Then, a curve-ball. Carter starts doin' this solo. I say outloud "You Never Know?" because the solo sounded like it could have been the introduction for YNK. Still unsure, we waited the solo out. Then it hit me: "Say Goodbye." One of my favorite DMB songs, and they totally played it. The version was just great. Nothing completely over the top, but a great all-around version of the song. During the opening drum solo though, some guy ran on stage and started dancing without a shirt. Then a security guard whisks him offstage, and Carter didn't skip a beat. He just went on like nothing was happening. Awesome.
Then, "Grey Street." Great song; powerful, crowd dancing, good vibes. Nothing special, nothing bad, only greatness. I was really glad they played it because it is one of my favorites, and it's even better live.
Next, the "American Baby Intro." I thought it was very risky for Dave to be playing this song in such a military town, but they went for it. The song started with Dave doing the main riff solo. Then the song built. Everything revolved around this one two bar riff. The song just built and built until Dave was literally screaming "SHE SAYS...YEAH" with such a passion that I just got chills. It was beautiful. I really think that of the new album, the American Baby Intro is the most under-rated track. Not many people pay attention to it because it's so abstract for DMB, yet it encapsulates such incredible emotion. After the show, I was looking at the fan forums and many people who travel to multiple shows a summer said this was a truly stellar version.
Surprisingly, there was no direct transition into the next song: "American Baby." Good song, well translated to live performance. After "American Baby", I turned to Ben and noted that I was surprised that we were 10 songs into the set and there hadn't been a slower song yet. Then they played "Granny". Good song, nothing too special. Although, it was great to see all the fans shouting "LOVE!" and "MAYBE!" Such curious lyrics: love, maybe.
Next, a crowd favorite: "Warehouse." Can't go wrong with live "Warehouse." They even did a salsa style outro. Groovin'. At the end of the song, Carter and Butch trade looks, nod at each other, and Butch goes into "Norwegian Wood!" WHO DOES THAT?!? It was the second time in the tour they've done that outro, and it was so great. Then, Butch goes into the intro for "Steady As We Go" and as the song goes on, christmas lights light up on the light rigs around the stage and by the climax of the song, the fibre-optics behind the stage lit up in the firedancer. It was so sweet. Here's a pic.

Then they started ending the set with "Louisiana Bayou." It was a good version, but I think it would have been better with a guest or two as they had done in previous shows. Oh well. Then they did "What Would You Say," and I was pretty surprised that they had LeRoi (the sax player) do an extended solo, and then they didn't go into "Anyone Seen The Bridge? -> Too Much" which is a transition they usually do with "What Would You Say". I was caught a little off guard. I just checked up on it though, and they usually play this one as it's own, and go into that segue between "So Much To Say" and "Too Much"...So Much to say, What Would You Say...such slight differences...
Fortunately, they ended the show on a really high note: "Tripping Billies". Such a great song live. Again, nothing too special, but just very energetic.
After a long encore break, they came back with two songs that I was very disappointed with: "You Might Die Trying" and "What You Are." Don't get me wrong - these are good songs. But as an encore? I was really hoping for something "Watchtower" or "Ants Marching" or "Everyday" or something like that. But no. The version of "Die Trying" wasn't bad, but it just seemed like the guys just ran out of gas. I was really bummed that the closer was "What You Are". The introduction before the song was interesting, but almost scary. I'm sure the guys behind us must have been tripping like crazy. After the concert, we sat in traffic for about an hour and a half. Oh well.

Overall:
The concert was really great. With the exception of the encore, the setlist was really great. If I had a list of songs I wanted to hear, just about all the songs they played would have been on the list. Plus, they mixed things up and kept it interesting for those who have been going to the shows all tour (or at least those who have been downloading the shows all tour:-)). I was impressed with the way the new songs translated live. They played my favorites from Stand Up, and I really can't wait to hear what they come up with next. All in all, a great night.

Pics from the show(More will show up later):

My Favorite Representative

2005-06-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite representative in the US House is Mr. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Escondido, CA).

Today in the San Diego Union Tribune, there's an article about some of his real estate dealings:
"A defense contractor with ties to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took a $700,000 loss on the purchase of the congressman's Del Mar house while the congressman, a member of the influential defense appropriations subcommittee, was supporting the contractor's efforts to get tens of millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon."

In response to this, Duke claimed: "I've never even smoked a marijuana cigarette. "

Good for you Duke, but WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!?

This is why Duke is my favorite.

--------------
Full article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050612/news_1n12windfall.html

My first listen to Stand Up:

2005-05-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dream Girl - Not a bad song. Something that sounds like it should be in the middle of the album, not the begining. Then again, it's a really good warm up and transition song(transition from DMB of past and new album). I'm glad there's a little outro at the end. It's something I really liked about Before these crowded streets
Old Dirt Hill - I think Stefan (the bassist) is doing the vocals in the beginning. Awesome. Great line "the first time I kissed you, I lost my legs." Obvious hip-hop influence, especially on the rhythm section. Oh...there are strings. Strings and hip-hop beats. Wow. Surprisingly really well done.
Stand Up - weird intro; the intro drums don't match the rest of the song, and then there's some weird deep vocals. Dave used "angel" in two consecutive lines "an angel next to me...an angel in my bed", bad form Dave; I think that was meant to be a first draft of the lyrics, 'cause it's a little awkward. I like the informal jamming sounds in the background. Awesome percussion additions: clapping, tambourine, shaker, and an awesomely tight beat. This song sounds like it will evolve into something really cool when on the road with tons of flexibility for solos/jams.
American Baby Intro - this is where Rolling Stone said there were guns/bombs sounds. Dave playing piano I think. Really powerful background chords with reverbed violin and echoing vocals. Everything faded out and now it's just solo piano with gun sounds. This is beautiful. Strings are really striking a beautiful chord, makes a great transition into American Baby.
American Baby - whenever i heard this song on the radio or on my iPod, I thought it was good. it makes so much more sense now in the context of the album. I now realize the song is on par with hatikvah: it's about hope for the future. Powerful statement DMB. Hope the next song can transition well though. This is going to be crucial. I love the jam at the end of American Baby. It's just awesome. That is the transition. The jam. Maybe?
Smooth Rider - Whoa. Deep piano, deep drums, echoed vocals = DMB attempts a blues track. It's okay, not too great, but not bad. This track is definitely not normal DMB. No sax, no violin. Drums, Piano, guitar, bass, organ. Weird. It's only 2:17; am I missing something? Aparantly it's just a short song. It does fade out though; I'll put money on this song only being played when they have special guests (ie:
Everybody Wake Up: Cool intro. Dave's vocals don't seem to match up to the beat, but the beat seems to be really abnormal; I'd be curious to see the sheet music. He totally just made a reference to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The lyrics of this song appear to really be a statement: "everybody wake up / if you're living with your eyes closed / see the man with the bomb in his hands / everybody wake up". I don't think Dave liked the election results. I didn't either, but he can make a statement like this and it's awesome. Another fade out, another jam on tour?
Out of my hands - solo piano/vocal, just Dave. Interesting contrast from the statement of the last song and the lyrics of this one "it's out of my hands now / I can't just walk away". Really cool drum effects in the background with simple march drumming; nothing intrusive, very much in the background, really cool mixing idea. In the last song, it's subtitled "Our finest hour arrives", even though that lyric doesn't show up; in Out of My Hands, he mentions "Now our finest hour arrives". Drum outro blends very nicely into a possible live transition to Hello Again...
Hello Again - This song debuted on this past summer tour; it's turned into a semi-country song. Interesting effect on the mix: there are very few low tones; it's all in the highs and mids; makes for a good contrast to the previous song which was really low. This is the only song that made the album of the five that were debuted this summer, interesting choice. Really heavy organ parts; it seems like they're giving Butch Taylor more and more to do and more prominence. Maybe they'll make him a full member of the band soon? He's so essential for so many of these songs now, they might as well. WHOA! The song just cut off and transitioned into Louisiana Bayou. And I know it's not just from my version, because it started the transition before the track ended. That was really cool.
Louisiana Bayou - Not a huge fan of the chorus of this song; kinda gets annoying after a few times. I really like the southern influence in this song, unfortunately though, the gentle piano kinda takes away from the feel. Last half of the song is a jam; I love it! I'm so glad they got away from the rigidity of "Everyday". This song leaves itself open for lots of improvisation live, which is great. Once it finds its groove live(if you heard the version from the Jazz Fest in late April, you'd see how the song hadn't really found its groove yet), it'll be really awesome. Nice to listen to a jam for half a track though.
Stolen Away On 55th and 3rd - the intro beats are straight up hip-hop; then some sax soloing that sounds like it's coming from an alley; really cool. Very chill, grooving song. "The first time you did me that way...I saw you dancing / but I thought I'd get in the way" in a hesitant voice; almost shyly; I can see how a lot of people are going to connect to the mood of this one. Fade out came kinda early, lots of silence.
You Might Die Trying - "to change the world / start with one step / however small / first step is hardest of all / once you get your way / you'll be walkin' tall." Really vocally focused song, not too much going on musically; the guitar part is pretty circular, and the bass/drum lines are really simple. "If you give / you begin to get the world". Really interesting contrasts: try to fix the world, try something you hadn't done before, but you might die trying. Aw, Boyd(the violinst) gets a little solo...how cute...(I like him, but I feel like he doesn't do that much musically...he's there sometimes, but at least LeRoi (saxophonist) does really long solos and improvises a ton...oh well)
Steady As We Go - Another piano driven song, Jazz-y feel; not like jazzed-up, more like Jazz lounge feel. I feel like I need to listen to this song with a cigar and a whiskey. "so if the road gets rocky / just steady as we go". This is a really melancholy song, but hopeful. That seems to be the theme of a number of songs on this album: sad with the past, but hopeful for the future. "troubles they may come and go, let good times be the goal." Oh I like this: totally thought the song was ending, drum roll off, Broadway style re-ignition with a powerful force of every instrument available. Awesome!
Hunger for the Great Light - I heard this one was really expressive...and sexual..."i wanna see you open wide, and then I'll go down for you, I wanna blow your mind" Yup. it's pretty sexual. Very rockin', which is a cool sound for DMB. Lots of grunts. Queen style vocals in the middle! Tons of harmonies and overdubbing! I love it! The song is completely traditionally structured: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Nice to see them try the standard. The track ends with an album outro of strings. They don't resolve, just fade in the tension. Really cool.

Hope you all enjoyed that! Stand Up is officially released on Tuesday, but is available for streaming on vh1.com. Shabbat Shalom!

What my "normal" week will look like for the rest of the school year

2005-05-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Mondays:
9-10 AM - Computer Science class
11AM-1PM - Tabling for External Affairs Commission(I'm the chair)
Tuesday:
10AM-3PM - Class(Comparative Literature, War and Terrorism, Intro. to International Relations)
5PM-6:30ishPM - External Affairs meeting
Wednesday:
8-9AM - IR discussion
9-10 AM - Computer science class
3-4PM - Computer science discussion
6-7PM - War and terrorism discussion
Thursday:
10-3PM - Class (same as Tuesday)
3:30-5:30PM - Office hours for EAC
5:30-8:30(if we're lucky) - Senate meeting
Friday:
9-10AM - Computer Science class

And somewhere in there, homework, and...well...eating...

Today on the awesome scale: AWESOME

2005-04-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

+Ate Breakfast for the first time in a REALLY long time
-tried to help matt reber fix his comp...didn't help...then applecare were lameasses to him
+Comp lit went well...which was fun...we talked about hell(in Dante's inferno)
+My fav prof this quarter lectured in SAS 7(war and terrorism)
+My fav prof this quarter lectured in POL 3(intro to IR, his class...)
+we played "who wants to be an IR scholar", based on "who wants to be a millionaire"
-meeting about Esperanza...
+picked up and ate Chipotle
+attended my first full ASUCD Senate meeting
+got confirmed as External Affairs Commission chair!
+Karly, from EPPC(environment policy and planning commission) wrote this note: "Good job! Congrats and welcome to the table!" Stellar.
+Participated in lively, yet very long discussion on a piece of pending legislation
-The debate lasted about 3 hours (no joke)
+all the commission chairs at the meeting walked out when the vote passed. it was so awesome.(we weren't in favor of the bill...Monday's Aggie will have the story...I'll post it here)
+Grabbed late-night with the chairs...had to swipe them all in, but it was totally worth it...so much fun
+"take a look in between my eyes, because I'm back. yeah."-weezer
+ending the day feeling SOOO accomplished...such an awesome feeling.

Just Call Me Murphy

2005-03-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Murphy's law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. Murphy planned my trip to Florida.
If I started getting into what the flights and everything were supposed to be, I will just get more frustrated and keep typing incessantly until my hands fall off. Therefore, just read the rest of this with the knowledge that it was originally simpler. Not by much, but two modes of transportation were added that weren't part of the original plan.
Wednesday:
Airport Shuttle picks me up at 7:15 AM. Got on an America West flight from Sac to Phoenix, then Phoenix to Tampa, FL. Before boarding in Phoenix, they told our flight that they were offering $400 America West dollars, and two nights hotel in Vegas to take the red-eye from Vegas on Friday night. If I had more flexible plans and I hadn't already gone through so much, I TOTALLY would have taken it up and probably flown someone in to keep me company, 'cause that'd be awesome. Anyway, didn't take it and went to Tampa. I got to the airport, checked into the Howard Johnson(yeah...don't talk about it...) and ate at Wendy's. I mention it because on the way to Wendy's and back, I saw the strangest things. First, the liquor store next to the hotel was called "ABC Liquor" with ABC in child blocks style. Their sign also said "Special order no problem". Okay, so you want to go to the liquor store for your favorite spirit, and they special order it. You still walk out that night without your booze. I thought it was amusing...then again, I'm only on a few hours of sleep. Second, there was a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant (ie: Souplantation for places where "Soup" or "plantation" have bad connotations). Kinda random, but nothing more than that. Third, as I crossed the street, a Ford Ranger burned rubber and sped off when the light turned, leaving a plumb of smoke. I wasn't so much confused about the burning rubber and dragging as much as I was confused that it was a Ford Ranger. I mean, I'd expect a Mustang to do that, or some other sports car. But a Ranger? Dude, go off-roading or something if you want to fuck up your tires. Fourth, I was in line at Wendy's and a girls high school tennis team was ordering. They were in town for a tournament. Again, not too odd, but just kinda random. Fifth, as I was walking back to the hotel, a car turned and I noticed it was dragging something. It was caution tape. The car got caught up with some caution tape and it was now dragging it. Rather awkwardly too. So random.
Thursday:
Ally and I woke up and took the hotel shuttle to the train station to get to Miami. This shuttle was the most unorganized thing ever. It says in the hotel literature, it's 8 dollars and runs often. I asked the woman at the front desk the night before when I checked in, and it was as if I had just made the shuttle up; she had no clue. The next day, there was a little less confusion, but we eventually got to the station. When I asked the driver how much it was, he replied that I only need to tip. Awesome. More money in the pocket. I tipped well though. Long story short, the train was an hour and a half late getting into Tampa, and we got into Miami over two hours later than originally scheduled. This means that we were on the train for just about 6 hours. Not that much fun. I mean, it kinda was...we had movies and such to watch...but yeah...I think long train rides can only be good if you know you're going to be on the train for a really long time and it runs on schedule. So that was Thursday's traveling.
Sunday:
Bus from Miami to Tallahassee. Supposed to be 8 hours. Long enough as is. Flat tire. 2 hour delay. 10 hour bus ride. And they wouldn't play Blazing Saddles because, and I quote, "it was a western shoot-em-up movie and no one wants to watch that." Dear Jesus, in honor of your resurrection, can you make sure that people realize a satire when they see one? Especially when the director is MEL BROOKS? Thanks. Love, J.
Tuesday: I'm just gonna go by times(all local times btw)
3:30 AM - picked up by cab to get to Greyhound station
4:30 AM - bus is supposed to leave
5:20 AM - bus actually leaves Tally
11:30 AM - bus arrives in Tampa, an hour late
12:00 PM - Jeremy gets to the airport, checks in, and waits
4:45 PM - flight to Phoenix leaves (yeah, that's right. 4 hour wait)
9:30 PM - Jeremy arrives in Sac, takes Super Shuttle to dorm
10:30 PM - Jeremy posts this and crashes.

Total time spent traveling this trip(including wait time for delays, etc.): 50 hours, 22 of which were from Tuesday alone(1:30AM-10:30PM Western time)

Total highlights of today

2005-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

1) DMB summer tour dates came out...the dates of interest:
Sat / Aug 12 / SBC Park / San Francisco, CA
Sun / Aug 13 / SBC Park / San Francisco, CA
Wed / Aug 16 / Sleep Train Amphitheatre / Sacramento, CA
Fri / Aug 19 / Gorge Amphitheatre / George, WA
Sat / Aug 20 / Gorge Amphitheatre / George, WA
Sun / Aug 21 / Gorge Amphitheatre / George, WA
Thu / Aug 25 / Coors Amphitheatre / Chula Vista, CA
Sat / Aug 28 / Home Depot Center / Carson, CA
Sun / Aug 29 / Home Depot Center / Carson, CA
Tue / Aug 30 / Cricket Pavilion / Phoenix, AZ

I'm debating about which one(s) to go see:-) Maybe visit the UA? Maybe go right before camp ends? Maybe wait 'till they're in SD? So many choices!!! Woot!

2) The Pat Metheny Group will be performing tonight at Jackson Hall at UC Davis!!! And I just bought Orchestra seats!!! Ah! So excited! It's my first time seeing him in concert and I couldn't be more excited to see really good live music(if you didn't already know, I'm kinda a sucker for really good live music, nonetheless Pat Metheny).

iPod Shuffle Review

2005-01-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

Like many Apple products, it started as a rumor. At least in public. The Mac rumor web is constantly filled with information relating to possible new products and features.
In the past, about two-thirds of the rumors have been right, or at least on the right track. For example, On August 31, 2004, Mac Expo Paris was where Phil Schiller, Apple’s VP, would give the keynote speech. This speech is usually done by Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, and is where he announces the new major products and company updates. The rumor mill had been churning about Mac Expo Paris. What would be released and announced? Among the rumors was the possibility that the iPod would receive new Bluetooth or Airport compatibility so that users could sync their iPods without plugging them in. The speculation was founded on information from a job listing at Apple. The listing was looking for an iPod engineer possessing the skills for these functions, but there was no more proof than that. In hindsight, this rumor has never seen fruition. Instead, Apple used those engineers to develop an iTunes Music Store on certain Motorola phones. Who would have thought? More often than not, though, the rumors can make some good guesses. The iPod Shuffle was one of them.
Again, it started as a rumor. The “Mini iPod Mini” was first alluded to by Phil Schiller in a Mercury News article on January 7, 2004, who also said Apple had not ruled out making an iPod at capacities smaller than 4GB. The first actual rumor about the new MP3 player was posted on October 1, 2004 and it said that the “flash-based” iPod would be in stores for Christmas. 22 days later, another rumor came out that the new iPod would start at $99. By the end of October, news.com, a technology news site, added some credibility to the rumors by posting some analyst suggestions. The analyst said after meeting with Apple executives, he could see the new iPod in the $149 range. The two prices were right.
On December 7, 2004, a Mac News site, themacmind.com, posted “confirmed details” on the new iPod. The specs they posted were exactly right. But because their site was not very credible, no rumor site gave this information the light of day. This rumor also included the date of entry: Mac World Expo 2005, exactly one year after the introduction of the iPod Mini. As the day of Steve Job’s keynote address at Mac World Expo arrived, much about the iPod Shuffle was known, including the name. The US Patent office, which posts information relating to new patents, posted that Apple had received two new patents; among them, the name “Shuffle”. The rumor mill worked perfectly and Apple supporters and information leeches, myself included, were not overly surprised, but very impressed with the iPod Shuffle.
The iPod Shuffle. It is the newest member of the Apple iPod family and the smallest. For comparison, it is about the size of a pack of Trident. Take out four quarters. Hold them in your hand. You’re holding more weight than the iPod Shuffle (it weighs in at .78 ounces). There are two models: one that holds 512 MB, and one that holds 1GB of music and files. In other words, Apple claims you can hold about 120 and 240 songs, respectively. (I tested my music library to see how much of my music I could fit on each model: about 125 and 235 respectively) The 512MB model retails at $99 and the 1GB model at $149, and while there is no education discount for the 512MB model, the 1GB is only $139 with this discount. The rechargeable battery lasts an incredibly long time: about 12 hours before it needs more power. If you are going on a flight longer than 12 hours, for example, or just will be away from power for a while, there is an accessory battery pack that uses two triple-A batteries for 20 extra hours of music. The battery pack retails at $29, and $26 with educational discount.
It has an incredibly simple interface. On the front side, there are 5 buttons, all arranged in a circle: play in the middle, left and right buttons for next and previous track, and up and down buttons for the volume. The top has a jack for headphones, and the bottom has a cap that covers the built-in USB jack for easy synchronization to your computer. The back has a slider controller with three settings: shuffle, standard play, and off; there is also a battery level indicator.
I have heard many arguments against the iPod shuffle saying that “you can no longer listen to your playlists.” This is just not true. The slider controller has three settings, two of which control whether you want your music to play straight through or you want the music shuffled. If, for example, you want to listen to a new CD you just got, just bring it onto the iPod Shuffle. If you don’t care what you listen to, you can use a feature called “AutoFill” within iTunes where it will fill the iPod Shuffle with the maximum amount of music it will hold.
Linking the iPod Shuffle to a computer is also incredibly simple. Take the USB cap off to reveal the USB connector, and just plug it in to your computer. It will automatically link up to your iTunes software and charge itself at the same time. Incredibly cool. It looks like a USB “thumb drive” when you plug it in, and you can use it as such. In the iPod Shuffle preferences, you can allocate a certain amount of the space to storage of files instead of playable music. For comparison’s sake, I just went onto compusa.com, and for the same amount of storage space, thumb drives were $60 and $100, respectively. So for 40 dollars more, you can play music with your thumb drive. Awesome.
So, who is Apple targeting with the iPod Shuffle? Why would someone want to buy this? Well, the iPod Shuffle is not for people who want to store their entire music library. That’s why someone would buy a normal iPod with 20 or 40 GB of storage. One might even get the upper-level iPod Photo with 60 GB of storage for their whole music library. But those are much more expensive. With the iPod Shuffle, Apple is taking on the low priced, flash-based music industry, which is the one area of music players they have not affected. This player is for someone like my family friend Holly. She wants a portable music player at the gym. She doesn’t need to carry her whole library, just a few CDs worth. The iPod Shuffle is for her. The player is for someone like me. I’m a college student on a short budget. I listen to most of my music in my dorm room on my computer. I want to listen to some music when I go to and from class, and I want to be able to select what I listen to a few minutes before I leave for the day. The iPod Shuffle, with its sleek integration to iTunes and quick data transfer (it employs USB 2.0, which runs at 480 Mbps; in other words, really fast), is for someone like me.
Some argue that the iPod Shuffle is missing something: a screen. This is not an argument; it is fact. There is no screen. Then again, when you were listening to a CD (remember when we had single CD players?), how often would you look down at your display and expect to see the title and artist? Never, because most standard CD players only have screens that show time elapsed or remaining. And do you really care that much about that kind of information when you’re just listening to music for the sake of listening? No, the iPod Shuffle does not have a screen. And no, I do not think it is a big problem.
When the iPod Shuffle was released, the first store to carry them was the Apple Store in San Francisco (interestingly enough, right up the street from where Mac World Expo was held). People swarmed to the physical and online stores. As of today, January 22, 2005, 11 days after its release, there is a 2-3 week wait for the 512MB model, and 3-4 week wait for the 1GB model. If I had been in San Francisco then, I would have been with the mobs. Overall, I think the iPod Shuffle is great for Apple. Apple has finally realized that if they want to expand their market, they need to make their products more affordable. They showed they learned this at Mac World Expo with the iPod Shuffle and the Mac Mini. That review will come later…I’ll need a long flight for that…good thing that’s coming up!

Life Update

2005-01-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've updated, and it's been a while since I rode the Yolo County bus. So now, I'm on the Yolo bus, on the way to the airport to purchase my spring break plane ticket:-). Good thing about flying standby: free flights. Bad thing: you have to go to the airport to redeem them(at least for America West...Continental was much better...yes, I have to fly both for this trip...) Where to start?
Classes. Classes are really pretty good. I can't complain about them. In every class, there's at least one thing that entices me to pursue my studies in that course. In Macroecon, our lectures are pretty bad. She goes over almost exactly what the book says, but does not speak very clearly. I usually zone out and do something else between powerpoint slides. Like today, for example: I wrote an AppleScript(mini-application, basically) that will launch my mail program, weather reports, and the first five web sites I always go to in the morning. (okay, you REALLY want to know what they are? You're gonna think I'm a dork. But if you are reading this, you probably think that already. 1) facebook, 2) NFTY mail, 3) NYTimes, 4) MacUpdate(software stuff), 5) macrumors.com) This way, I'll not only wake up to my favorite music, courtesy of iAlarm, I also will get my mail, news, and weather! stellar. woot for being bored in Econ. Anyway, the part that actually makes the class worth while is our discussion section. The TA is awesome. Last week, we looked at why it would be more profitable for a poppy grower in Afghanistan to make seeds than heroin. Awesome. Poli Sci (comparative politics) is pretty good. Horrible discussion section(the teacher thinks she's giving out her own grade on a 100 point scale...when it's only 10 percent of our grade, and being there each time gets us 5 percent of that. participation in discussion is another 5 percent. so she's giving stuff that doesn't matter in her scale. oh well.), but the lectures are really interesting. The way I learn a topic is that I try to relate it to something I already know. Like NFTY. I've been using NFTY as a way of comparing governments. It's kinda weird to explain. For example, it's difficult to classify NFTY into a particular class of government because we don't really have districts. We do have regions, but it's not equal member-to-delegate distribution. Also, in NFTY, the representatives are more like trustees than delegates. Point is that I learn about governments by using the NFTY general board as an example. I'm thinking of doing my senior thesis as an analyzation of NFTY as a case-study of a government. More on that in a few years. Back to classes. Intro to Judaism is pretty entertaining. I'm learning a lot more about the history of the Jewish people and getting a better foundation on which to make my cases. All in all, not too bad. Pretty easy, but I'm okay with that. Last, my favorite class: Intro to Music Literature. I really think I'm one of the luckiest guys on campus. I get to start every monday, wednesday, and friday learning about classical music. It's such an awesome class. We've been learning about very basic elements of music (texture, dynamics, overall sound, instrumentation) and I'm now able to get so much more out of music. I just hope these lessons will carry over to my song writing. Speaking of which...
I recently uploaded my music to a web site. As of earlier today, people had played these four songs over 200 times. I've never been so happy about my music. I'm really excited that now, I have a really good portal to get my music out to the public. The ease of this has inspired me to write and record more. So expect to see some new songs on there soon. Hopefully, I'll be compiling an album by the end of the school year. (of course, I say this now...)
NFTY is fantastic. I just went to NY for a meeting and am very excited to go to my first travel region, NFTY-MI at the end of this month. I'm spending Thursday night with the Rolnicks which should be fun, then working the event the rest of the weekend. I'm so excited! Also, my project for convention is coming together REALLY well! If you're going to convention and want an awesome workshop, come to "Putting the 'C' back into RCVP." No idea who's teaching it, but I heard it's gonna be a lot of fun;-) Can't wait.
Besides that, I'm more smitten than ever. I get through the days because I look forward to the evenings. Sometimes, I even get lucky and I don't have to wait 'till evening. It's great though. Every time I look at my desktop, there's a picture that just makes me smile. I am so content with life because of this.
Alright, back to the bus. Hope everyone's been having a wonderful few weeks!
Also, just because I'm a nut, check out the ipod shuffle and mac mini. Now, no one can say "I can't get a mac...they're too expensive..." because you can get an equivilant mac for the same price as a PC. Boo yah. The ipod shuffle is just damn cool. I'll explain why it's great in another post.
Deep breath, and I'm off.

My cousin's toys...

2005-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

So glad I'm in a family that appreciates Apple products...

http://homepage.mac.com/greendesert/iblog/C1676615283/E1365317995/index.html

(btw, that's my cousin Justin. He's about 1 and a half. He's not usually so faceless...)

First Day of Class

2005-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Today, UC Davis had our first day of classes in our Winter 2005 quarter. Woot.
My first class of the day is Music 10, Introduction to Music Literature. It seems like it will be a really great class. It forces me to listen and study classical music to start my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Awesome. Today, we looked at Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man". We looked at it in a very broad sense, not getting into too much detail; basic rhythms, reasons for various notes and intervals, and instrumentation.
After a break at home, I went off to my second class: Religious Studies 23, Introduction to Judaism. First off, my professor isn't a great group leader, and the class seems SOOOO easy. Beyond one of the books being a repeat from a class last quarter, one of the assignments for an upcoming class is "Be able to define mitzvah and halakhah." Please sir can I have some more? Should be an interesting tongue-biter. Oh man...I could go on, but it'd take way more energy than the class is worth.
Fortuantely, because of my schedule, I have a one hour break between Judaism and Poli Sci. So I just used that time to get some emailing and this entry done. Off to Poli Sci!
First off, the class room reminds me of the class room in "Young Frankenstein." It's almost eery. I keep hearing Gene Wilder shouting "My Grandfather's work was DOO DOO! I am not concerned with death! I am only concerned with the preservation of LIFE!"(Said, of course, as he jabs a scalpel into his thigh) Ah observation. Good times. The professor kinda looks like my middle school English teacher, Mrs. Moore. I know it's not her, but it's still pretty weird. It's like how last quarter, my English teacher looked like my Aunt Patty. Weird. It's a continuing theory/fear of mine: that I'm living something similar to "The Truman Show." I know I'm not, but there are times when people just look too alike. Looking around, I don't recognize anyone in the class. New faces are always good. Stark contrast from Intro to Judaism, where I knew just about 15% of the class; and in a class of about 40 or 50, that's a considerable amount. She started talking, and she doesn't remind me of Mrs. Moore anymore. Class was kinda cool...it was like my last poli sci class: the Prof. explained the powerpoint slides in more detail, and I did random organizational stuff on my computer...awesome. Should be in an interesting class...we're going to be covering the rise of democratization in a post-cold war world. real chill. haha...that was a good one.
The good news about my schedule this quarter is that my day ends at 4 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No night classes!!! I think I might do some good reading, or go to dinner at a normal hour, or maybe, just maybe, indulge in the resurection of Iyun T'fillah...eh, who am I kidding? it won't happen for a few years...gotta start somewhere though, no?
All in all, good first day. Too bad it was so gloomy outside, but it's Davis. Kinda goes with the territory between November and late February. Woo Ags!

Ally's Visit

2005-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 25th
•Ally arrived
•Drove to In-N-Out, but it was closed (stupid businesses closed on Christmas...)
•Becky picked up Eric
•Dinner with family(Jer, Ally, Becky, Eric, Mom, Dad, Aunt Iris, Uncle Dave, Adam, Jessica, Nana, Marion[Iris' Mom], Chaime, Lora, Elisa)

Sunday, 26th
•Walking around La Jolla Cove
•Brunch at IHOP
•Nap at home
•Christmas decorations at Hotel Del
•Visiting Mount Soledad
•Dinner at Hotel La Jolla
•Scrabble game (teams of couples: Ally/Jer, Becky/Eric, Mom/Dad)

Monday, 27th
•Sesame Street with Ruben Studdard
•Lunch with Holly/Kayla(family friends)
•UTC, met up with Seth and Joanna
•Coffee shop in La Jolla, met up with Sarah
•Dinner at In-N-Out in PB
•Back to Alexa's, met up with Jordyn, went outside and talked to Stacy for 1:15

Tuesday, 28th
•Lunch at Onami
•Hall of Champions, Automotive museum, Aerospace museum
•Back home to watch "Love Actually"
•Dinner with fam and watching Keeping the Faith

Wednesday, 29th
•Breakfast at Jamba Juice
•Auto show (fell in love with Acura TSX, disappointed with Honda Accord)
•Lunch at Greek Palace (Jer, Ally, Dad, Iris, Jessica)
•Nap to Rules of Attraction
•Dinner at Rubios
•Walking around Old Navy and Ross (Ally found stuff in the kids section, Jer found a nice shirt at Ross for $7.45)
•Seth's get together

Thursday, 30th
•Holiday bowl parade (Cookie Monster balloon)
•Battle of the bands
•Lunch at In-N-Out
•Watched Holiday Bowl at home (Nana and Jess stopped by)
•Mom/Dad & Becky/Eric played Scrabble, Ally/Jer watched, talked to Ellie, and watched Pat Metheny

Friday, 31st
•Bruch with Grandma Doris at Coco's
•Visiting Nana
•Went to Vons for pizza making stuff
•Services (Friday Night Chai)
•Made/ate pizza
•Jordyn/Sarah's party
•Came home to watch new years countdown

Saturday, 1st
•Watched part of Rose parade
•Breakfast of apple pancake
•Took Ally to airport:-(

Thoughts on the Eve of December 24

2004-12-24T23:06:00.000-08:00

First, I must give a warning to all of those who do not celebrate Christmas: Christmas doesn't start until the 25th; it does not start at sundown. Good job.
I'm watching Midnight Mass on WGN right now, and I thought I'd provide some commentary to it...
• They're singing songs in English and I recognize some of the lyrics as from the Old Testament. I know this because these same lines are used in certain Jewish songs; "Sing a new song unto God(aka: Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash)", and "let the heavens be glad".
• There are two cantors singing. If they were Jewish, the only change that would need to be made is the language used. I don't particularly care for that. I understand the purpose of sacred music, I rather enjoy it. What I don't understand is why it must take a form so similar to that of the church. Please don't read too much into this comment as I really don't know what point I'm trying to make. Just a thought.
• The Archbishop is giving a sermon. It's so simple. But it teaches. He's talking about his religion, not politics. I think I might understand why Christianity has such a big draw: simple lessons and values that are easy to understand, and these lessons are taught over and over again. That is also, however, why I love Judaism. I love the nuances of our faith and how so many people can take these same texts and get so many different ideas and conclusions. I just wish the pulpit was used more for the purpose of teaching, rather than politicking.
• The podium being used by the Archbishop is made of wood. On the front is a carving of the body of Jesus on the Cross. The top vertical post, however, is not there. So it looks like Jesus is carrying the podium.
• They're prostrating. It reminds me of Yom Kippur.
• They're talking about his death. I thought this was his BIRTHday? I need to study this religion more...
• There's a guy speaking in Latin with an American accent. It's like "Spanglish", but more like "Latinish"
• I find it fascinating that above all, Jews and Christians pray for the same thing: (as quoted from a song during this Mass) "Oh Lord, hear our prayer." It's so simple; we all just want to make sure that there's someone/something listening.
• Now they're passing baskets attached to poles for collecting money. It's kinda in your face giving. I hope that money goes to a homeless shelter.
• Funny shot: cups of wine, and a mic cable sticking up. Awesome.
• The people leading the service keep bowing to each other. I'm confused. Again, I need to learn more about this religion.
• The Archbishop is doing an adaptation of the Priestly benediction for the congregation. Mos def an adaptation...but still close...

That was really interesting. It made me want to learn more. Happy holidays to all.

The Weekend That Was

2004-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

Note: This was refering to Thanksgiving weekend...a little delayed I know...

"I don't want my love to go to waste, I just want you and your beautiful soul."

This weekend was unique. I think that's the best way to describe it. There weren't any earth/relationship shattering events, but nothing of exceptional positive significance either.

Wednesday: I left Davis on a shuttle and wrote. It was awesome. The thanksgiving thoughts from the previous entry were written on that ride. I sat in front of a girl and the conversation she had was really interesting. She was describing a problem she was having in the dorms: her roommates talked to her about cleaning up her dishes in the sink. She was so distraught that they would have the gaul to ask her that request. I found it really amusing.
I got to the airport and realized that I had just about 3 and a half hours until my flight left. I also noticed that three flights were leaving before mine. So I requested to be put on the stand-by list for one of the earlier flights. Not only did I get on the earlier flight, I was in group A, and the flight was more than half empty. Crazy. I guess Southwest had too many flights to San Diego or something. Either way, I got home earlier than I thought I would. I got home and spent some good time with my parents.
Thursday: Early in the morning, my dad and I got up and went to Seaport Village for a 5k walk/run for Jewish Family Service. While it was nice to spend time with my dad, I think the best part was hearing the live bands along the way. There were some blues and rock groups, there was a DJ along the way, and two Blues Brothers and an Austin Powers impersonator. The walk went around about 15 blocks downtown. I was able to see the area in a way I hadn't seen before: slowly. Usually, I am driving through the area, but it was really interesting to see downtown up close and personal.
After the walk, we went to Jamba juice, went home, and got the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Before dinner, there was an incredible sunset. When I saw it, I remembered how beautiful the sunsets are in California and San Diego. I'll let the picture speak for itself.
Friday: After some much needed sleep, my parents and I went out to get some clothes. For those who know me well, you know that I don't get new clothes very often. So this was a significant occasion. We went to Old Navy and I got...well, your probably don't care.
Friday evening was a lot of fun. I went to Sarah's and random people showed up, and most seemed to be in pairs. Catherine and Kevin, Taryn and Amy were there for about 5 minutes because Taryn thought that we thought something about her. I didn't really understand. Alexa and Jordyn, Ben Lieberman and Mike Feldman, Dusty and Joanna, Yve, Seth, Sarah, and her Brother Ben. It was really nice to see everyone, especially Dusty. I hadn't seen her since February and I realized that this was the first time we'd seen each other where we didn't hook up, and it also wasn't incredibly awkward. After some good times, I went home content from a really fun evening. There was no drama, just good fun.

A Eulogy

2004-11-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

"These days, these days.
These days I seem to think about
How all the changes came about my ways
And I wonder if I'll see another highway." -Nico

These lyrics come from the song "These Days" by Nico and I came across them in the movie "The Royal Tenenbaums." Tonight, the only thing I can reference is that movie.
Today, I learned that my step-aunt, Marsha, passed away. She had been struggling in a battle with Crohn's disease, and I'm fairly sure complications relating to that are what caused her death. I'd like to think that her death was untimely, but the unfortunate truth was that we lost touch years ago, so her death could have happened years from now and it would have made just about the same impact it does now.
I think the best way that I can characterize Aunt Marsha was that she was a female version of Royal Tenenbaum. She was bright, but was never really able to hold a job for too long. She loved her family, but seemed to mistreat them in a way that only she could sympathize with. She didn't bring our family together based on a fake disease, like the movie version of Royal did, yet she had incredible talent and vibrance, like the movie version of Royal did.
It's hard to describe what I'll miss the most about my aunt. The last significant time I remember seeing her was many years ago. What is significant is that the battles between our families have left two dead. We're not a huge family. And two is a large number. What I will miss about my aunt is that there is now no chance for the two sides to make peace with Marsha being a player in the negotiations. I will miss her presence. Though, I will miss that side of the family getting together for holidays and occasions more than just the physical existence of Aunt Marsha.

Whether some will admit it or not, you will be missed, Aunt Marsha.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2004-11-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

"This morning, there's a calm I can't explain.
The rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain."
-John Mayer

        Who would have thought it was true? Thanksgiving, as my Jewish Studies professor David Biale explained, is a Jewish holiday! In Hebrew, Chag haHodaya is a holiday of thanks, and Chag haHodu is a holiday of Turkey. The similarity of these words is so striking, that it is obvious that thanksgiving is a holiday derived from the Jews. With a joking lecture aside, it is curious to note that the kids in the Religious school I song-lead for also thought tried to convince me that Thanksgiving was a Jewish holiday. Their rational was that Thanksgiving was just the goyisha version of Sukkot, one of the Jewish harvest festivals. Regardless, the argument that the secular Thanksgiving derives from a Jewish holiday has just about as much validity as if one were to argue that Christmas was created so that store owners could increase business. In any case, this year, I have much to be thankful for.
        First, my family. This year, my cousin Laurie had her second child, Samantha. Since last thanksgiving, Becky has met and fallen for Eric, and I have a hunch that they'll be together for a long time. I'm really happy for her. My parents FINALLY completed the remodel, and my mom just had a very happy, accomplishing birthday. I know it means a lot to her that she was able to get to this point and it is something I give thanks for. My dad is always continuing his pursuit of the business which allows him to retire, and I think he's found it. I'm thankful that he found it, but I will be much happier when he finally does. He deserves it. He defines "workaholic," and I see where I get my work ethic from.
        Second, my friends. My friends are a special breed of people. They inspire, discover, learn, grow, and they cause me to do the same. I am so happy to say that I have remained close with many friends, despite the distance of college. There are two which I feel are necessary to specifically mention because of their contribution to my life: Stacy and Ally. I do not mean to say that these two are the only ones who have contributed to me and kept me sane in the last year, but they are the two that I could not say the same about last year. Joanna, Sally, Ben, Sarah, and Molly have made such an impact on me, I am forever grateful, yet this year I add Stacy and Ally to the list of who keep me true to myself and others.
        Stacy and I met in June of 2003 at Mechina, but we didn't really get to know each other that well. We also didn't really keep in touch. This past summer changed that. Stacy and I were able to maintain a great support system for each other that rivaled friends of many years. I don't know what I would have done without her listening and helpfulness since we reconnected. She's also someone who I'm incredibly proud of. She has overcome some very trying times incredibly well and has matured so much in a short amount of time. I'd like to think that I had as much impact on her as she has on me, but regardless, I am thankful that we are as close as we are and I hope our relationship stays exactly the same.
        Ally. It takes a lot for me to get butterflies in my stomach. Yet Ally is the kind of person that I get so excited to speak to, that it happens almost every time I even think of her. I also don't know what this summer would have been like without her. There are a few people who read me really well. Ally's one of them. Ally does more than read my emotions, though, she knows how to deal with them and how to handle a situation. This summer, for example, she could tell when how on the last night of camp, I was incredibly frustrated with a situation. She read this and took me outside for a few minutes. We just went outside and breathed. She could tell that I needed to not be in that room and acted on that instinct. There are moments like that which bring such joy and comfort to my life. I am so thankful that she is a part of my life and I only wish that we could live closer together.
        I have a lot to be thankful for when I look back on the last year. I couldn't have imagined I would be where I am now: on NFTY board, a brother of AEPi, incredible friends with a mutual feeling of love, on a bus going from UC Davis to the airport to fly home for Thanksgiving. I only dreamed of this moment. To quote Edwin McCain, "I could not ask for more."
        Yet something bothers me about Thanksgiving. I understand how one can be thankful, I can understand how one can be appreciative, but how does one give thanks? It is going up to someone and saying "thank you"? Is that giving thanks? Or maybe it derives from a sacrificial ritual from the early Temple days which would prove that Thanksgiving is REALLY a Jewish holiday. Maybe. It's something to ponder, and maybe there is no right answer. All I know is that life is good.

On a Cloud

2004-11-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

Things are really looking up!

Last night, I recorded the bass line for "A Ballad" and I got really excited, so I posted some of the lyrics on LJ. Today, someone quoted them. Awesome. It's such an amazing feeling to know that you're words have a positive impact on someone else.

Today: I'm writing a paper. Which brings me back to earth from my cloud, but also keeps me elevated. I really enjoy writing, so it shouldn't be too bad.
This afternoon, I'm going to get two shots so I can get my academic holds taken off and I can take more than 13.5 units next quarter. Then, it'll be back to writing the paper for sociology.
Tonight should be good. I think we're getting initiated into the Chi Delta Chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Putting up with everything has DEFINITELY made it a worth while experience. I'm so anxious for it to be official.
That's the update from the farm. Back to describing the socially constructed identity.

Deep breath, and I'm off. Havn't done that in a while.

Why didn't this happen in High School?

2004-11-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

I got my first Jewish Cultures paper back: A-
I just got my first Sociology paper back: 99 out of 100

How did this happen?!? I just hope I can keep it up.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay I-WEEK

People Watching

2004-11-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy people watching. Not that I'm a stalker, but sometimes it's incredibly rewarding to just observe other people. Right now, for instance, I'm on a bus heading to the airport. A mother and her two daughters just got on at a mall. The curious thing about them is that they appear to be the stereotypical southern family: stringy hair, always trying to make themselves more beautiful, but generally content with themselves. They're very friendly, though, as is the bus driver. I can tell the driver does this shift regularly by the way that she knows more than half of the passengers that come on and off by name. Back to the family, it makes me wonder where, at 8:00 AM, they came from and where they are going. It does not seem like they are going to school, as they don't have backpacks. Do schools get this Friday off too? I guess it's only a real-world situation where people only take Thursday off for Veterans day.
Another girl just came on. She looks like she's in middle school, talks like she's from Texas, but has the maturity of an adult. (Just as I was typing this, she mentioned a Texas area code, which makes me think that she is actually from there, as opposed to the other family who appear to just be Woodland-ites) She obviously has become accustomed to West Coast society, where the social scene permits anyone to speak as if they were from the ghetto without needing to be in a minority. For example, when talking to the bus driver about cell phone plans, she mentioned that the plan her parents wanted to set up "fuckin' ain't worth shit." It always amazes me what people do and how they change when they attain different levels of independence. I don't really know why it is, but I think the amount of independence one receives -- rather, the amount of dependence on oneself that is required -- as a child is one of the most influential factors on that person.
We just went to the other side of the 113 and the fog here is very thick. I hope it won't impair the airport.
Earlier, we were leaving the mall and I noticed a very funny sign. It was on the other side of the street, said "one way", and pointed to the left. But it was a two way street. There was a divide between the sides of the street, but not a major one. So we turned right anyway. It was a pointless sign. At the next stoplight, there was a sign that showed how each of the two lanes could turn one way or the other, yet right next to that sign was another: "one way." I was amused. I wanted to take a picture, but alas, no such brevity came.
I'm pretty excited to be going home, but I'm glad it's only for the weekend. I really enjoy Davis, but I am very glad to get to see my family before this next week. I'm really glad to see that my has passed and is living past her mother's age. Despite everything, she really is a good woman.
I just had the oddest experience sitting in the airport. I was sitting, looking out at the planes, and an elderly couple sat down next to me. There were other open seats, but for some reason, they chose those seats. I had the strangest urge: I wanted to ask them about their history. I was curious to hear how they met, what their lives were like before they met, and how their lives have changed since they've been together. It was weird. I wanted to know about them for no real rhyme or reason. Not sure what to make of it, but I didn't ask them.
Now I'm home. Should be fun!

Some thoughts I've had and been too busy to compile and post:

2004-11-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

I voted. Go team. Too bad we couldn't pull Ohio...and those 20 some-odd other southern states...

There was a demonstration on campus with a wall being pulled by a mini-van representing the wall/fence/etc in Israel. It was sponsored by SJP(Students for Justice in Palestine), and they were promoting a speaker that was coming in. He, obviously, must have been knowledgeable in peace negotiations as -- no, not a member of the PLO, K'nesset, some other organization involved with peace negotiations -- a hydrologist. His talk was about the "devastating environmental impact of Israeli aggression on the people and the land of Palestine." Oh please. Gotta save the land, but fuck our children. Let them blow themselves up. This will be a fun four years! I can't wait to start showing up to Cross Cultural center meetings and the like and throwing this kinda shit at them. Just to see them squirm. I really should stop typing before it gets me in trouble. And it has just become a private post. BTW, I'm all for civilized talks with the anti-Zionists, so long as they are.

I got groceries: TP, Jello pudding, ritz crackers, albertsons brand pop-tarts, and gatorade. Yum.

Quote of the day(a few days ago)
"If you want to find a Rabbi, you’re going to go to a synagogue. You’re not gonna go to the [coffee shop], you’re going to go to a synagogue."-Prof. Biale of Jewish Studies

i think that's it for now...awesome weekend at kesher convention! oh debauchery.

Takin' A Break From Politics

2004-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

So I got bored in English class (shocker) and wrote this blues song. Pretty much true to life, but names are changed. Guess who's who and get 10 points.

He hops into bed
All alone
It's 10 o'clock, he's thinkin' of her
He can't go to sleep
But he's dreamin
'Bout every word he's gonna say
Ben's been around
Not in this town
But now there's someone that he has found

She hops in her car
All alone
10 o'clock, she not thinkin' of him
She sleep easily
No chemestry
But when to tell him what she's got to say
She's been around
Ben's new in town
Throw me a quarter and I'll keep playin'

That's all I've got so far. At some point I'll write a third verse, but I can't really do that until more of the story plays itself out.

The Continuation of "The Acceptance of Diversity, or As You Like It"

2004-10-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I recieved an e-mail back from Prof. Cramer:

Jeremy,
Does it seem odd? In a cynical way, no. I can readily imagine that the Chancellor is quite sincere but that people in Housing had no idea that Saturday was Yom Kippur (or felt they had no options to do otherwise given a tight schedule). More cynically, I can even imagine that the Chancellor put out his announcement for PR purposes but didn't intend to follow it exactly; but knowing the Chancellor personally, I very much doubt this.
Question: you say there were two move-in days. Did students have a choice which day to move in, or were half assigned one day and the others assigned the other day? If students were assigned, did they have an option to request the other day?
Jim Cramer

And this was my response:

Dear Dr. Cramer,
On the school's calendar, it only listed Sept. 25th as a move-in day, however, I later learned that there were two move-in days. Half of the housing had the 25th as a move-in day, and the other half moved in on the 26th. I do not know whether or not they had the option of requesting the other day. The students were assigned a specific day that their dorm was having their move-in day. For example, in the Cuarto Area, two halls moved in on the 25th, and two moved in on the 26th.
While I doubt the Chancellor put his announcement out for PR purposes, and also while the dates did not affect me personally, I still find the message to be ironic. I also think there could have been ways around it and completely avoid the situation. For example, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz, also on the quarter system, moved in the week before. This difference in dates only changes their academic schedule slightly.
Obviously, I don't think anything can be accomplished about this year's move-in date, however, it is something that I believe the administration should take into consideration when planning school-wide events.
Respectfully,
Jeremy Gimbel

The Acceptance of Diversity, or As You Like It

2004-10-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Tuesday the 5th of October, I began a new class. It is a sociology class called "Multi-Cultural Societies" and we will be studying diversity on campus and in macro-sociological environments. I received a forward from professor, Jim Cramer, today that read, "Here's an example of how the University takes diversity into account - - FYI." The attached memo is from our Chancellor, Larry N. Vanderhoef, and the Chair of the Academic Senate, Daniel L. Simmons.

The first half of the memo reads:
"UC Davis is committed to providing students, faculty, and staff with an
environment that furthers their educational and career pursuits. Each year
we write to remind all members of the UC Davis community of our commitment
to avoid, when possible, the scheduling of campuswide events, retreats, and
meetings that conflict with religious holy days. The precise dates of these
holy days may vary from year to year, but they are usually indicated in
contemporary datebooks and calendars and may be found at
http://diversity.ucdavis.edu/html/calendar_holiday.html. We ask you to be
mindful of the Academic Senate resolution stating that "UC Davis seeks to
accommodate any student who, in observance of a religious creed, encounters
an unavoidable conflict with a test or examination schedule...." That
resolution may be found in the 2004-2006 General Catalog on page 63.
"In addition, as an educational institution, we can play a role in fostering
an awareness of, and respect for, the various spiritual and cultural beliefs,
practices, and needs of our community."
The second half of the memo describes how to tastefully decorate for the December holidays without offending anyone.

I decided that this hypocriticalism should be pointed out. So I wrote the following e-mail back to Prof. Cramer:

Dear Dr. Cramer,
This year, like every year, there were two move-in days for those living in the dorms. The first of those two days fell on Yom Kippur, arguably the holiest day of the year for the Jews. On this day, those observing the day are required to fast and some very observant Jews won't do labor of any sorts. That means no driving, lifting, etc.
For those with the move-in day of Saturday, September 25, they moved in on Yom Kippur. Does it seem odd to you that the University would put this message out after it had violated the policy itself?
Respectfully,
Jeremy Gimbel

We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Gotta Love It!

2004-10-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

I love it when a question mark turns into an exclamation point! Hopefully I'll have some more moments like that in the next few days! Good times in Poli Sci:-)

I've posted pictures!

2004-10-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to see pictures from my college experience so far, go to this photobucket site:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v480/JerAtCollege/

the password is "davis" without the quotations.

Enjoy!

College Update

2004-09-29T01:03:00.001-07:00

What a rush. I can't even describe it anymore than that. So instead, I'm going to list the three questions everyone asks to try to start conversation:

1) where are you from?
2) what's your major?
3) where do you live now?

Man I love this school. Almost as much as Randy Newman loves LA.

College Update

2004-09-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

I'm actually doing it!

2004-09-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm actually going to college! Finally!

Voting with Rational (#2: Prop. 59)

2004-09-22T01:50:00.000-07:00

Voting with Rational (#1: Prop. 68)

2004-09-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

Preface: Before the November election, there will be many advertisements regarding propositions, and candidates for various offices. This is my forum to tell you of my views. I encourage you, whether you agree or disagree, to comment on what I have to say. This is what the political process is about: choosing what is best for our city, county, state, and country. These choices should never be made blindly and, therefore, I will present links for places where you can research other points of view.

Topic #1: California Proposition #68

The full text of the proposition is too long, and the official summary can be confusing, so here's my summary in normal language:
Proposition 68 will limit new tribal gaming, however, it will require tribal casinos to pay 25% of their gaming revenues to a government fund. If tribes do not accept terms within 90 days, the proposition will then allow 16 specific non-tribal casino companies to build their casinos and force them to pay 33% of their revenues to fund public safety, regulatory, and social programs. The measure also provides a future clause which will exempt these casinos from future increases.
So how will this measure affect California's budget? The California Director of Finance and a Legislative Analyst estimate revenues of likely over $1 billion annually(that means our state would bring in $1,000,000,000 more dollars a year. That's a nice check to take home.). And these funds would be used primarily for additional firefighting, police, and child protective services.
It seems like a great proposition to me. The state gets money from the casino's revenues. What downsides could there be?
According to the "stop68" website, "Prop. 68 would authorize the big corporate gambling interests bankrolling the measure (racetrack and card club owners like Hustler Magazine’s Larry Flynt) to operate Las Vegas-size casinos with 30,000 slot machines in our cities and suburbs—near 200 schools and traffic congested streets and freeways."
So in other words, they don't want any kind of economic stimuli near their schools, cities, and suburbs because their streets and freeways are already traffic congested. They even go on to claim that Californians will have to bear 400,000 more freeway car trips. However, that Wal Mart Super-center, or that new strip mall, or that new shopping center; they are obviously exempt from this worry. The rational against 68 has even more holes in it, and enough deception that I wonder why they call the proposition the "deceptive gambling proposition," and not their own site as the deception.
The site has provided a map which shows exactly where the new casinos would be going. Unfortunately, they have struck a chord with many voters where this measure wouldn't even apply. For example, they have been advertising heavily in San Diego. Why? Because we've got a huge population to vote against the proposition, even though it will barely affect us. The only casino on the map in San Diego county is in Oceanside. Interestingly enough, they HAVE made the attempt of making it look like the casino will go right next to a recreation park. While it would be about two blocks away from a park, the recreation park drawn on the map that looks so large isn't a normal park. It's a golf course, ironically called "Center City Golf Course", despite it's location at the north most end of San Diego County. Nonetheless, a golf course. A privately owned golf course. So in other words, their argument is "we favor this private business over your private business. They don't provide money for the state. But we like them better. They look nice. They maintain their greens. Really well actually. I saw them mowing earlier." Yet, I digress in sarcasm, so what else is new.
I noticed in their arguments that they mention Larry Flynt a lot. I guess it's a great way to mention someone who wives will see as an immoral, disgusting sleezeball; someone who husbands see as a godsend, yet will still publicly despise. I guess the more times they mentioned his name, the more it got the message out. The phrase "racetrack and card club owners like Hustler Magazine’s Larry Flynt" appears 3 times on the site, and Larry Flynt's name is on 17 different pages bringing his name total to over 50 times mentioned. They even go so far as to call the measure the "Flynt Gambling Proposition." They base this claim off of his introduction of the concept as a part of his gubernatorial campaign. So, in other words, we should vote against this measure because we don't want to have a womanizer from the entertainment business taking control of our state. Good thing we avoided that crisis.
The last point I'd like to bring up on the negative's side is how they play the quoting game. "As the San Francisco Chronicle reports (5/11/04): Prop. 68 means 'California will quickly surpass Nevada as the nation's top gambling state.'" Would that necessarily be a bad thing? California's economy is strong, the 5th largest in the world, so why do we have such an unbalanced budget? Wouldn't more money in the state's treasury be, dare I say, GOOD for the state? If we surpass Nevada as the nation's top gambling state, what will that mean? We might have a lower sales tax. Or even no sales tax. Nevada's casinos are so strong and bring in so much money that they don't have a sales tax in their state. None. Zilch. We Californians, of course, pay around 7.75% and 8.5%, depending on where we live in the state. I'd rather have lower taxes. Wouldn't you?
To be fair, I went to the "Yes on 68" site. It has its quarks, and some were just annoying, but these were only the matter of bad web design, not content based. The site just provides a lot of numbers with no real context. Which is unfortunate because the other site is very well designed.

The reality is this: make sure you know who you're getting your information from. The pro-68 side says that they are supported by horse racing and card clubs, and the con-68 side say that they are "A Coalition of Indian Gaming Tribes, with major funding by United Auburn Indian Community and Pala Band of Mission Indians." Obviously, both sides have a vested interest in your vote, one way or the other. The Indians don't want competition, and the "Larry Flynts"(sorry, couldn't resist) want to make money in California.
The difference between the two options is that as a voter, you can't say that you want more funding for schools, firefighters, police, and social services, but you're turning this opportunity away. It's not the best solution to get more money into the government, or to these services, but it is one way, and it's actually being presented. The only other way that the Governor is providing budgetary relief is through cuts. Here's a way to get more money for the government where nothing is cut and everything is gained.
Yes, there will be more traffic. But there's traffic everywhere you go. And these casinos won't add a noticeable amount on a local level. And here's the bottom line: 68 could mean less taxes eventually while stimulating the economy in a positive way. Unless you have a gambling problem. Then you'd be screwed.
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

Get Your Own Info:

Click Here For Non-Partisian Voter Information With Links to Biased Sites

IT'S YOUR VOTE. MAKE IT COUNT!

Why I Love Macs

2004-09-21T01:42:00.000-07:00

I just had a 10 minute video chat where I met everyone in the Carmel program in Israel. Yes, I video conferenced Israel. Free. Man I love Macs.

AEPi Sighting

2004-09-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I was college shopping in target a few days ago, and I came across this. No joke. I didn't even make it say that. It just did. Maybe it's a sign. Or maybe it's a display.

Apology

2004-09-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologize to you, the reader, for having to read the poor grammar usage in the previous post. I shall hang my head in shame.

The evening that turned out not so badly

2004-09-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

So after a lot of trying to figure out what was going on, Sarah, Alexa, and I hung out and saw Wimbledon. Not a great movie. Don't even wait until it's on video. Wait until it's on tv for free. But then, you'll have to wait through the commercial breaks and it won't even be worth it because you'll just have wasted time on a really bad movie, AND had to bear the brunt of cliff hangers that lead into the same ads over and over again. In other words, don't see this movie. However, if you like really predictable movies that feature british actors attempting sports, then this movie is right up your ally.
Anyway, the evening didn't turn out so bad, and I made through it unscathed and without remorse for any friendships. That means that it was a successful evening. Good times, Shavua Tov. Deep breath, and I'm off.

Sad day

2004-09-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's sadder:

• The fact that I have two friends that I would even consider calling right now

or

• The fact that I posted an invite to hang out on Live Journal. Yes, I did stoop that low. Not quite sure what to do with myself. The post that I'm sure I'll regret.

I got a new phone!

2004-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

So I finally got a new phone. And while it is the one everyone else and their mother has (excepting of course, my sister and, ironically, my mother), it's nice. Now I'm just waiting for it to charge so I can leave the house. No, that's a lie. For me to leave the house, that'd mean I'd have somewhere to go. Which I don't. I love road trips and what they do to friendships. Anyway, here's the phone:

http://us.lge.com/Product/proddetail.do?action=mobile&prodId=VX6000&categoryId=0401

A day of randomness? Or just a Rosh Hashana thing?

2004-09-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Or maybe, I'm just having one of those really odd days. Sometimes it's good to have a strange day. A day where you really don't know why you're doing what you're doing, but you do it anyway, and the most random things happen while you are doing the most random of things. I guess being more specific would probably be helpful.
Today, I woke up, had breakfast, went to go pick up Buddy's guitar(random #1) for tonight's service. When I got to Buddy's, he showed me everything like I wouldn't have expected picks and a capo to be in the pick box in the guitar. I understand that it's his baby...whatever...random. Then I went to the post office to drop off two packages to wherehouse records. It's pretty cool. For 9 bucks, I sent CDs off which will give me about $200 credit at Wherehouse.com. Pretty cool. Also, pretty random.
After some time at home getting ready for services, my dad and I drove to the Civic Theater, where my Temple holds High Holiday services, listening to Air America radio's Randi Rhodes show. She had on a guy who was the founder of "nametheoctobersurprise.com" which wasn't that random, but the concept behind the site is just scary. Karl Rove's past candidates (Nixon was one of them, I think Bush Sr. was another) almost always have an "October" surprise which seals the win for them. For Nixon's second term, Kissinger said, in October, something along the lines of "we are at peace." This set the nation at ease and won the election for Nixon. There were many other details involved in the election, and this wasn't the only reason they won, however, it just goes to show how evil and scary Rove is. Anyway, the rational for the site is to guess what Bush's October surprise will be. Some of them, scarily, could very well come true.
One of them especially caught my interest. It's been pretty widely rumored that Osama will be caught in October. This caller's idea was an expansion of the rumor. His prediction was that Osama would be found. In Iraq. Under the protection of the insurgents. This way, Bush can say "see, I was right!" in a nice little package and Kerry wouldn't have time to respond, unfortunately. Again, not that random. Just scary.
Back to the randomness of the day.
So when I got to the Civic theater, I unloaded my gear and saw an Expedition on the sidewalk. I didn't really think much of it because it was a loading dock, after all, and there were a few other cars in the area. My Dad pulled me over, though, and pointed out something I hadn't noticed at first glance: Mayor Dick Murphy's body guard was helping him in, went around to the other side, and then drove off. You wouldn't have noticed the car to be any different unless you had seen what I had, but it was still really cool to see a civic leader up close and personal. I'll admit it, I still get star struck about those kinds of people. It happened with Yoffie, and now it happened with Mayor Murphy.
I also don't know if I was unimpressed or impressed with his entourage, or lack thereof. In one way, the fact that he had a special car was something I didn't really expect. Then again, I really had never given the security detail on a Mayor any thought. Anyway, pretty random.
Once I got inside, my ear, which had just been annoying, started acting up and I could barely hear out of my right ear. I asked Dr. Feldman about it, and he got me meds for an ear infection. Kinda random. Rather, just unfortunate and irritating. Anyway, it's really productive to song lead, nonetheless be a part of a makeshift band, without the ability to hear well out of one ear. I'm assuming from reactions of others that it sounded good. I really have no idea. Pretty random though. (I'm at 11 times using the word "random", notwithstanding this past time)
Now it's a new year. Kinda like a new month. But less often.

I'm movin back

2004-09-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

After much internal deliberation(okay, it was really because there are stalkers on lj), i'm moving back to posting on blogger. thoughts?

Moving to Live Journal

2004-01-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

So, for a few different reasons, I'm moving this blog to livejournal. Please follow along at the new site.(it will be linked on my site http://www.geocities.com/gimbeljeremy/ soon.)

Dave Matthews Interview

2004-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

I recently read an interview from Rolling Stone with Dave Matthews. There are a few lines from it which I would like to share:
"I was thinking the other day if I could write a nice song about the word fuck. It's such a great word, and such an ancient word. Ryan Adams and Liz Phair are good at putting fuck into songs. It's so beautiful and conversational. You need a certain kind of confidence. I don't think I have the cool."
"I think that we're all equally good and, for that reason, equally bad and have the potential for both. Kindness and love and all those things, without exception, are the most important. And I don't care how weak it sounds. If peace doesn't wear a leather coat, if it doesn't have studs or a nice haircut, if it's uncool, I don't care. Fuck it."

And that is Dave Matthews.

Pictures from Camp NFTY

2004-01-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

You can check out my Camp NFTY pictures!

Dave Matthews Concert

2004-01-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

What can I say? Every time I see Dave play(this was the second time, first being with the band right before "where are you going" was released, which was before "busted stuff" was released...so it had been a while), it is as if he want's to put the best set list ever in. You can check it out at this site. For the first time, I saw Tim Reynolds perform. I was in complete awe. I didn't know that both hands could work so well and so fast with eachother while producing sound that is incredibly unique. Our seats were high up on the left side of the stage, but with large LCD screens, we could see everything that happened relatively clearly. The songs they played were so incredible, both in their selection and quality of performance, it is nearly indescribeble(thats why I have this blog. so i can describe it). I also learned something very interesting about Tim's playing style. He uses a slide a lot, which wasn't what I would have expected. Nonetheless, a great set. Then the friends came on.
Each of the musicians that came on were amazingly talented in their own right, yet bringing them together was awesome. They almost played everything on Some Devil. But they played awesome covers, such as "Tell Me Something Good". And that was just the concert.:-) The encore was amazing(im running out of adjectives here). It was just dave and trey(from phish) to start out. Their reditions of Three little birds, everyday, and bathtub gin were nothing completely special, but everyone in the crowd was singing with them, making them what they were. One of the greater moments of the concert was when Dave played the intro for Everyday and the crowd was singing "Honey honey, come and dance with me..." He could have just played that riff for hours and I'm sure we all would have been content singing along with the solo guitar. Then the band came back on and did a post-Lillywhite version of "Sweet Up And Down" which was actually quite good. Props to Stephen Harris on that, but Steve: you got nothin on Butch Taylor when it comes to the keys.
The part of the concert that was the most interesting for me was how every person there came with their own baggage, for their own reasons, with their own friends(if they were with people). For example, I was with my friend Ben. We've been dave fans for about 7 years now, and so for us this was intense. It was his first Dave concert. The guy across the row from us smoked 4 joints through-out the concert, wasnt with anyone, but was throughly enjoying the music in his condition. A few rows down, a group of four guys were sharing joints, just having a good time out with a good reason to get high. Yet, not everyone smoked up. The woman next to us was alone, and was clapping along to nearly every song. The unfortunate thing is that she had a horrible sense of rhythm. But to her, it didnt matter. She was enjoying herself and the music. It's amazing to me that one artist can pull such a range of emotions and crowds. While everyone came with their own pasts, the music was universal. And that is why I had an amazing time at the Dave Matthews Concert.

New Rabbi

2004-01-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's been a while since I last posted, however things in my life have been quite hectic. Monday night, I experienced something I had not before seen: an interview by my Temple's Board of directors and the Rabbinic search committee of the newest candidate for Senior Rabbi at Beth Israel. It really was a first chance to see a part of the process first hand, which was great. I realized, however, just how political my congregation has become and how it has moved away from much of the Judaic customs, even among its leaders. When Becky(my sister) was in Israel, she bought me a really cool yalmuke that I now wear anytime I leave the house for some Judaic event. The unfortunate thing is that of the 30 or so Jewish adults there, my Cantor and I were the only two in the room that were wearing a yalmuke. I was not overly surprised to see that none of the board were wearing yalmukes, however, I was surprised to see that neither the Associate Rabbi nor the Rabbi who was interviewed was wearing one. I do understand that yalmukes are usually associated with prayer, and this was a far cry from it, but if someone such as a Rabbi makes their Judaism so much of their life, I would assume they would wear this symbolic gartment to a Temple function. On the other hand, there was careful attention to make the food Kosher style, and Reform Judaism does believe in "Choice through knowledge," so I'm really not one to judge anyone's personal decision, I just found this interesting.
Anyway, I found the prospective Rabbi very good. His involvement in youth activity is very encouraging for our program. His philosophies in working with the board are ones which I highly respect and honor. I liked how he characterized himself as "main stream" in his Rabbinic theories and his stance on inter-marriage was very good and worthy of respect. As a person, I found him very outgoing and personable. I think he would be a great addition to our congregation and can maintain stability with the board and the congregants.

Nothing

2004-01-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

What can I write about when nothing comes to mind? Nothing. I'm using this blog as a stage for reflections about life in general, not necessarily personal experiences. Today, I'm turning a new page and doing something different. Please click this sentence to see my first picture for this blog. It is titled "Guilty".
Story of the picture: I was at the beach with BITY(Beth Israel Temple Youth), my TYG(Temple Youth Group). We were walking along and I noticed there were a number of seagulls pecking at a trashcan. One of the bags fell out and this bird took claim to it, which I found unusual. Most of the time, seagulls just go for whatever they can. Anyway, this bird was very protective of it so I waited from about 20 feet away untill he looked up and I grabbed the shot. I titled it "Guilty" because the shot is more evidence than showing the bird's emotion. Thus, this would cause the bird to be guilty; it is not meant to portray the bird as feeling guilty. Hope you enjoy!

What will people say at my funeral?

2004-01-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

People often consider, "what will people say at my funeral?" My response to that question has always been, and may always be, "why does it matter? Hopefully, that's a long time from now, and I won't even be conscious enough to understand what ya'll are saying. So, why spend time dwelling on it?" The original question, however, was brought to my attention again today. Not from a friend asking me, but my thought process today led me to it.
Today, I went to the funeral service for Ben Zoloto, father of a family friend, Bonnie Graff. I was an acquaitence with Ben a number of years ago, but in his later years, our paths just never crossed. The sad thing is that people who knew him his entire life, friends and his children, were giving the standard cliche eulogy. This is not because Ben didn't "light up the room he was in;" it's true, this did happen. The things they said could have been about nearly anyone, unless they were rather dull, to be blunt. (bad pun. . . I know) It's unfortunate to me that here was this amazing person, and what they were saying was completely impersonal. With the exception of a few, namely Bonnie and Cantor Berstein, there was nothing incredibly specific and unique that would separate this funeral from some other random person's. But Ben was special. Ben deserved more Bonnies and Cantor Bersteins.
And that is what I want people to say at my funeral. I don't want the words "lit up a room whenever he entered it" to appear in anyone's eulogy, even if it is true. I'd like to think that the people I am closest with are more creative and have more adjectives and descriptive phrases about me than the cliches. At a time of greaving and heavy-heartedness, the last thing people want is more heaviness in their life. Cliches are jokes. To everything there is a time. Jokes are okay in their time. A eulogy is not oft one of those times. Keep the cliches for another occasion, and speak from your heart. Your loved ones in heaven and earth will thank you for it.

Thank You Note

2003-12-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

Most people recieve money as gifts during the holidays or other days of importance. Yet, a question that I have had is "How can you write a thank you note to someone and make it personal enough that they feel pleased for their gift? After all, an open-ended monitary gift is something that is hard to specify." I wrote a thank-you note to two of my relatives that partially answers this question. I say partially because it is very difficult to respond to any question with a definitive answer. Todays entry is that note.
Dear Uncle ______ and Aunt ______,
Thank you so much for your wonderful gift. Your gift is something that appears general to most, however, I consider one of the most thoughtful. It is gifts like yours that enable me to get more out of NFTY, Judaism, and music -- the three aspects of my life, other than family, that mean the most. Thanks again, and I hope you have had a wonderful Hanukkah!
Love,
Jeremy

Day 2

2003-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day. I went to work for my dad's company becasue it was inventory day, and they needed some extra help. Woke up early which, despite the difficulty in waking, was provided incredible observation. Although I go to school early enough, it's rare that I have the opportunity to view the world at the beginning of the day. As my dad and I were driving, he turned on a tape of an episode of "This American Life," from National Public Radio. I'm sure it was a nice story that he wanted to share, but I really had no interest in hearing it. Knowing my dad, I'm sure it covered something along the lines of "my family was broken, and now we are together and happy," or "our family is broken and I wish we could do something about it," to which he can reply something along the lines of "This is like in 'Our Town' and I'm so glad our family is so close." Yes dad, I am too. But take a moment and observe what's going on outside the car. I was paying attention to my own advise to my father.
It seems to me that in every car, there is a different story going on. Everyone is going somewhere, from somewhere, listening to their own personal collection of CDs, tapes, 8 tracks, or radio stations. However, this morning I noticed that, in a general way, it didn't seem like that was going on. While the specific destinations were different, almost every car we passed, or so it seemed, was off to their place of work. Not many people take aimless drives to see friends, stargaze, or grab a bite to eat, just to arrive back home at 7:15 in the morning. In nearly every other car we passed, the driver had a cup of a hot drink -- most likely coffee. There was a sense of determination in everyone's eyes that is only known to those who are driving to work, ready for the day to come.
A day is a challenge. No one day is without challenge. If it is, then either you were really lucky that everyone and everything happened to go your way, or you didn't make for yourself a good day. Make for yourself a good day. Challenge yourself and your boundaries, your limits. Try something new. Today, my challenge was the office inventory. But who knows? It is only 5 PM now, and the day is still ripe with possibility. For now, I am content. I have made for myself a good day.

In the beginning...

2003-12-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today is a day. It is like every other day, yet it is unlike every other day. Everyday is the same and yet different. Does it matter what day this blog started? Yes. Today is the day. And this is the end for today. David Miller, in one of his journal's questioned the purpose of a prologue. "Why isn't it just Chapter 1?" Of this blog, this is chapter 1. Of my life, the chapters continue.