went to see a chiropractor. Of course, I have been self-adjusting my neck and back for most of my life, but it was great to get an expert in on the action.
I feel great and I got some exercises to do for my neck which I hope to practice regularly. Then, in the spirit of getting healthy, I ate some carrots and hummus for a snack. I think I will also floss my teeth tonight.
There's no stopping me now!!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
This weekend I
experienced the best of Rochester, NY.
Rochester is an undervalued city, but not by me. If you've ever had a conversation with me, I have probably tried to convince you of all Rochester's merits: great art culture, lots of available free parking, general accessibility from place to place, nice people, attractive neighborhoods and parks, etc. I like to say that Rochester has all the things that great cities have, just smaller and less expensive (museums, shows, concerts, sports, historical landmarks).
Often, Rochester is accused of not having a vibrant nightlife scene, not having young attractive single people, and not having a beach.
Well, this weekend proved all of that wrong. I went out with large groups each night, filled to the brim with young attractive single people. We hit up some nice bars on Park Ave on Friday, and then the East End on Saturday. The populace was friendly and spirited! I have no complaints about the Rochester night scene--on the contrary, I have only good things to say. Costs are reasonable, lines never get too long, and there are lots of cool places to choose from!
Earlier today, I debunked another anti-Rochester legend: no beach. Well there is no ocean, that's true, but there is certainly a beautiful beach along Lake Ontario! I met my girlfriends at Durand Eastman Park and we hung out in the sand and in the water. There was a festive atmosphere and many good looking lifeguards. And no sharks. What more could a girl want?
Rochester is an undervalued city, but not by me. If you've ever had a conversation with me, I have probably tried to convince you of all Rochester's merits: great art culture, lots of available free parking, general accessibility from place to place, nice people, attractive neighborhoods and parks, etc. I like to say that Rochester has all the things that great cities have, just smaller and less expensive (museums, shows, concerts, sports, historical landmarks).
Often, Rochester is accused of not having a vibrant nightlife scene, not having young attractive single people, and not having a beach.
Well, this weekend proved all of that wrong. I went out with large groups each night, filled to the brim with young attractive single people. We hit up some nice bars on Park Ave on Friday, and then the East End on Saturday. The populace was friendly and spirited! I have no complaints about the Rochester night scene--on the contrary, I have only good things to say. Costs are reasonable, lines never get too long, and there are lots of cool places to choose from!
Earlier today, I debunked another anti-Rochester legend: no beach. Well there is no ocean, that's true, but there is certainly a beautiful beach along Lake Ontario! I met my girlfriends at Durand Eastman Park and we hung out in the sand and in the water. There was a festive atmosphere and many good looking lifeguards. And no sharks. What more could a girl want?
Friday, July 27, 2012
Today,
my friend Liz posted on my facebook wall that she saw me in a commercial on MTV Italy for the show Savage U. Just one step closer to eternal fame and glory!!!
Savage U is a series on MTV that follows dating and relationships expert/columnist Dan Savage around different college campuses. When the show came to Cornell, there was a group on facebook asking people to sign up to be on the show. It sounded like a cool opportunity, so I called the producer, told her about myself, and filled out an application. The application asked for the gritty details of my dating life, and apparently I impressed them because I was asked to appear on the show!
A few weeks later, Dan Savage and the whole production crew took over Cornell. They hung out on the quad polling random students about the dating culture on campus, they went to the bars, they ate in our cafes. They also interviewed a few people like myself for about 2 hours at a time.
My interview took place on the beautiful Willard Straight Hall patio overlooking West Campus and Cayuga Lake. It was a chilly day, which was fine, because I wanted to wear a scarf. I was bummed that they didn't want to do my hair and make up, but luckily I was having a good hair/skin day. The producers were also bummed for a different reason. Despite my saucy application and phone interview, I vowed to be only the most ladylike of guests on the show. They were expecting something a little more...edgy. But I couldn't really see a good reason to lose my dignity on national television.
I got hooked up to a microphone and the producers told me to "do homework" while I waited for Dan Savage and his producer Lauren to come talk to me. I happened to have a prelim that week so I was actually studying when they came over (prelim=success).
We talked for a solid hour and a half about my dating experiences at Cornell. Dan was quick witted, smart, funny, and he gave some really good advice! I never felt like his jokes were at the expense of anyone else, which I appreciated. He told me that he predicted I would spend my whole life searching for the perfect Nice Jewish Boy and then one day fall madly in love with a Puerto Rican and live la vida loca with him forever and ever.
After we were done filming, he asked me to show him pictures of the boy I was currently seeing. I didn't have a smart phone, so I logged onto my facebook on Dan Savage's iPhone and found a few pics. He was impressed! Then he showed me pictures of his husband (partner? boyfriend? something) and his son. Delightful.
The Cornell episode aired in mid-June, and there have been many other episodes as well. Some of the content is inappropriate for a younger audience, but the show also covers some very important topics! Definitely worth checking out.
If you see the show (it's on MTV.com, and it's really quite interesting!), just know that it is totally unscripted and totally real--Dan Savage really is that nice and funny! And you might even learn something!
Savage U is a series on MTV that follows dating and relationships expert/columnist Dan Savage around different college campuses. When the show came to Cornell, there was a group on facebook asking people to sign up to be on the show. It sounded like a cool opportunity, so I called the producer, told her about myself, and filled out an application. The application asked for the gritty details of my dating life, and apparently I impressed them because I was asked to appear on the show!
A few weeks later, Dan Savage and the whole production crew took over Cornell. They hung out on the quad polling random students about the dating culture on campus, they went to the bars, they ate in our cafes. They also interviewed a few people like myself for about 2 hours at a time.
My interview took place on the beautiful Willard Straight Hall patio overlooking West Campus and Cayuga Lake. It was a chilly day, which was fine, because I wanted to wear a scarf. I was bummed that they didn't want to do my hair and make up, but luckily I was having a good hair/skin day. The producers were also bummed for a different reason. Despite my saucy application and phone interview, I vowed to be only the most ladylike of guests on the show. They were expecting something a little more...edgy. But I couldn't really see a good reason to lose my dignity on national television.
I got hooked up to a microphone and the producers told me to "do homework" while I waited for Dan Savage and his producer Lauren to come talk to me. I happened to have a prelim that week so I was actually studying when they came over (prelim=success).
We talked for a solid hour and a half about my dating experiences at Cornell. Dan was quick witted, smart, funny, and he gave some really good advice! I never felt like his jokes were at the expense of anyone else, which I appreciated. He told me that he predicted I would spend my whole life searching for the perfect Nice Jewish Boy and then one day fall madly in love with a Puerto Rican and live la vida loca with him forever and ever.
After we were done filming, he asked me to show him pictures of the boy I was currently seeing. I didn't have a smart phone, so I logged onto my facebook on Dan Savage's iPhone and found a few pics. He was impressed! Then he showed me pictures of his husband (partner? boyfriend? something) and his son. Delightful.
The Cornell episode aired in mid-June, and there have been many other episodes as well. Some of the content is inappropriate for a younger audience, but the show also covers some very important topics! Definitely worth checking out.
If you see the show (it's on MTV.com, and it's really quite interesting!), just know that it is totally unscripted and totally real--Dan Savage really is that nice and funny! And you might even learn something!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Tonight I
was ALMOST too tired to blog. But I pulled it together for the sake of my adoring fans.
I just want to highlight one snapshot in my life, from yesterday night:
I was at a bar with a nice boy. We got onto the dangerous topic of politics (he's a libertarian...I stumbled through an explanation of my beliefs in an attempt to not sound as much like the raving liberal I am), which led us to farm subsidies (naturally) which led this Economics major to pull out two cocktail straws and tell me to imagine an x and y axis.
He then proceeded to create a supply and demand curve with the drink straws, adding a third straw to represent the shift in supply that occurs when farmers are paid by the government by the bushel.
I was reminded just how much I LOVE BEING IN COLLEGE.
I just want to highlight one snapshot in my life, from yesterday night:
I was at a bar with a nice boy. We got onto the dangerous topic of politics (he's a libertarian...I stumbled through an explanation of my beliefs in an attempt to not sound as much like the raving liberal I am), which led us to farm subsidies (naturally) which led this Economics major to pull out two cocktail straws and tell me to imagine an x and y axis.
He then proceeded to create a supply and demand curve with the drink straws, adding a third straw to represent the shift in supply that occurs when farmers are paid by the government by the bushel.
I was reminded just how much I LOVE BEING IN COLLEGE.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
This summer
has been dubbed the "Golden Summer" by my mother. And indeed it is. I have a low stress job, I fill my days taking care of darling children, and I come home in the evenings to my kitties, my crazy parrot, and my mother. We eat the food we like, we watch Monk, we read good books. Sometimes I skip out to hit the town with my friends from high school, and we hang out in nice bars and meet nice people.
I used to equate Rochester with a prison and my parents as prison guards. I have about 8 diaries filled with those sorts of sentiments. Now I am blogging publicly about how much I love my hometown and how much I appreciate the time I am getting to spend with my folks. I wish I could go back and tell my 15 year old self all of this, but I suppose this was really something I had to learn the hard way.
Today I was reading in my new book, Morality for Muggles: Ethics in the Bible and the World of Harry Potter, and while it has all been very enlightening and entertaining, one quoted verse struck me as particularly relevant.
"Teach us to number our days, that we may form a wise heart." (Ps. 90:12)
Which reminds me of a more modern quotation that I picked up in a rather funny way. When my friend Julia (my big sister figure) was graduating high school two years before me, I looked up to her and strived to replicate aspects of her life in my own. One such aspect was her group of six close girlfriends (to be sure, I graduated high school with a strikingly similarly balanced group of six beautiful friends). Her friend Sarah had made miniature cardboard books for all of the girls in the group, and on each page of the little book was one word from this quote:
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
I remember flipping through the book with frustration, because if you read the quote word by word, it is a little hard to tell where the author is going with it. But then I got it, and I remembered it, and true to form, I made my own little cardboard books for my group of six when we left high school (only mine were a little more involved...I took it a step further, you might say).
[I am a firm believer that the context of discovering a quote is just as important as the message of the quote itself. Reader's Note: Julia graduated in 2007, so you can see that this whole business really made an impression on me.]
The Golden Summer is a one time deal--never before have I been this free of angst (though not totally free), and never again will I have so few commitments or worries. I have no stressful forthcoming adjustment or transition, as I will be going back to my beloved Cornell in just a few weeks, so I'm not anxious about some big life change. And I'm finally at the age when my parents and I can communicate as adults (though I may have demanded this kind of treatment earlier in life, perhaps I wasn't really prepared for it). Never before have I been 21 in this great little city of mine, and never again will the bar scene feel so fresh and new.
I am truly blessed, and I am making an honest effort to never forget that. These are the ideas I try to hold on to every day of my precious life, and most especially this Golden Summer.
I used to equate Rochester with a prison and my parents as prison guards. I have about 8 diaries filled with those sorts of sentiments. Now I am blogging publicly about how much I love my hometown and how much I appreciate the time I am getting to spend with my folks. I wish I could go back and tell my 15 year old self all of this, but I suppose this was really something I had to learn the hard way.
Today I was reading in my new book, Morality for Muggles: Ethics in the Bible and the World of Harry Potter, and while it has all been very enlightening and entertaining, one quoted verse struck me as particularly relevant.
"Teach us to number our days, that we may form a wise heart." (Ps. 90:12)
Which reminds me of a more modern quotation that I picked up in a rather funny way. When my friend Julia (my big sister figure) was graduating high school two years before me, I looked up to her and strived to replicate aspects of her life in my own. One such aspect was her group of six close girlfriends (to be sure, I graduated high school with a strikingly similarly balanced group of six beautiful friends). Her friend Sarah had made miniature cardboard books for all of the girls in the group, and on each page of the little book was one word from this quote:
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
I remember flipping through the book with frustration, because if you read the quote word by word, it is a little hard to tell where the author is going with it. But then I got it, and I remembered it, and true to form, I made my own little cardboard books for my group of six when we left high school (only mine were a little more involved...I took it a step further, you might say).
[I am a firm believer that the context of discovering a quote is just as important as the message of the quote itself. Reader's Note: Julia graduated in 2007, so you can see that this whole business really made an impression on me.]
The Golden Summer is a one time deal--never before have I been this free of angst (though not totally free), and never again will I have so few commitments or worries. I have no stressful forthcoming adjustment or transition, as I will be going back to my beloved Cornell in just a few weeks, so I'm not anxious about some big life change. And I'm finally at the age when my parents and I can communicate as adults (though I may have demanded this kind of treatment earlier in life, perhaps I wasn't really prepared for it). Never before have I been 21 in this great little city of mine, and never again will the bar scene feel so fresh and new.
I am truly blessed, and I am making an honest effort to never forget that. These are the ideas I try to hold on to every day of my precious life, and most especially this Golden Summer.
Monday, July 16, 2012
This morning I
missed Israel more than words can express. I saw a photo on my Facebook newsfeed of some people's glowing faces in the unmistakable Israel light. It triggered a flood of memories and feelings of my beloved country.
The only consolation I can find is that every day of my life is another day closer to my next visit.
Whenever I feel like this, I have the same argument with myself over and over. "If you love it so much, why don't you make plans to live there one day?" "How could you leave your family and everything you have built here in America?" Nothing about it is simple.
For now, I will continue making plans to visit on a somewhat regular basis, depending on my finances or perhaps staffing jobs (Taglit, I'm coming for you!), and I will try to keep my Hebrew from slipping away too much.
And as long as I cannot be in Israel, I will keep Israel in me, in my heart.
The only consolation I can find is that every day of my life is another day closer to my next visit.
Whenever I feel like this, I have the same argument with myself over and over. "If you love it so much, why don't you make plans to live there one day?" "How could you leave your family and everything you have built here in America?" Nothing about it is simple.
For now, I will continue making plans to visit on a somewhat regular basis, depending on my finances or perhaps staffing jobs (Taglit, I'm coming for you!), and I will try to keep my Hebrew from slipping away too much.
And as long as I cannot be in Israel, I will keep Israel in me, in my heart.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Last night I
finished reading Scar Tissue, the autobiography of Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The book opened my eyes to so many new ideas, helped me to understand the sickness of drug addiction, and even brought out a little of my rock and roll side. Not to mention it made me appreciate the songs on a much more meaningful level.
Truly a must read, even for those who are not fans of the Chili Peppers. It is a book about family, friendship, battles over our deepest demons, and finding our passions in life.
I'm so glad I took the time to learn more about myself through the story of someone else.
Truly a must read, even for those who are not fans of the Chili Peppers. It is a book about family, friendship, battles over our deepest demons, and finding our passions in life.
I'm so glad I took the time to learn more about myself through the story of someone else.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Today I
joined the rest of the modern world and got an iPhone! I have just been sliding the screen back and forth for hours. I'm delighted! Very excited to learn how to use it to its highest capability.
I'm looking for suggestions for great free (or low cost) apps!
I'm looking for suggestions for great free (or low cost) apps!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Today I
got an account at Fidelity and opened an IRA! I talked to "the guy" there for about an hour, asking all of my IRA-for-dummies questions. I think I get it now. I'm excited to have mutual funds that have stocks so I can care about the stock market for more than just general world well-being reasons!
I am on the road to fiscal responsibility! And financial independence! And a luxurious retirement!
What better way to put my frugality to good use than to invest in my FUTURE!?
I am on the road to fiscal responsibility! And financial independence! And a luxurious retirement!
What better way to put my frugality to good use than to invest in my FUTURE!?
Thursday, July 12, 2012
This week
at the preschool at my temple where I work, several of the children have had big breakthroughs! One child suddenly decided he can pee standing up and by himself, a girl we previously thought to only speak Russian started speaking in full English sentences without uttering a word before, and a boy who had only played by himself started engaging fully with the other kids and became Mr. Popular.
Getting to know the children has been so exciting, because at this age, they are going through so many changes! It's so special to be a part of that for these kids. Being part of the potty training process, the socialization process, even just speaking and making silly noises...it makes me feel important and responsible. I love watching their personalities develop and seeing how they interact with the other children.
While they are all quite the little characters, I am also conscious of what they are being taught. It's fascinating to observe how gender roles are perpetuated in the classroom by the children themselves (one boy has long dreadlocks and at first the other children didn't understand how a boy could have long hair, and they kept calling him a "her"). It is impossible at this point to tell what is taught and what is intrinsic, but either way, it is so vital at this age to minimize gender-role talk. I hope I make a sliver of difference in the development of these precious children!!!!
Two interesting related links:
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/the-camp-counselor-vs-the-intern/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/06/28/7-ways-youre-hurting-your-daughters-future/
Getting to know the children has been so exciting, because at this age, they are going through so many changes! It's so special to be a part of that for these kids. Being part of the potty training process, the socialization process, even just speaking and making silly noises...it makes me feel important and responsible. I love watching their personalities develop and seeing how they interact with the other children.
While they are all quite the little characters, I am also conscious of what they are being taught. It's fascinating to observe how gender roles are perpetuated in the classroom by the children themselves (one boy has long dreadlocks and at first the other children didn't understand how a boy could have long hair, and they kept calling him a "her"). It is impossible at this point to tell what is taught and what is intrinsic, but either way, it is so vital at this age to minimize gender-role talk. I hope I make a sliver of difference in the development of these precious children!!!!
Two interesting related links:
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/the-camp-counselor-vs-the-intern/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/06/28/7-ways-youre-hurting-your-daughters-future/
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Today I
shadowed the cardiologist again. Another great day with patient appointments and lots of learning! Still, I can only grasp the medical content up to a certain point, so once I've depleted my relevant Latin prefix knowledge and written down patient history, I get to thinking about other things.
Today I was thinking about the importance of family. With almost every patient came another person, either a daughter or a spouse, who advocated for that patient, asked questions, took notes, and just kept the patient company. There was one man who came in who has a wife with terminal cancer and dementia. It was heartbreaking to hear him describe the stress (which is contributing to his heart problems!) of caring for his wife--they have been married 64 years. 64 years! That is three of my lives so far. Another couple who came in had been married 61 years! Pretty amazing.
It made me realize how much we depend on others, and the vital (literally) importance of maintaining good relationships.
Today I was thinking about the importance of family. With almost every patient came another person, either a daughter or a spouse, who advocated for that patient, asked questions, took notes, and just kept the patient company. There was one man who came in who has a wife with terminal cancer and dementia. It was heartbreaking to hear him describe the stress (which is contributing to his heart problems!) of caring for his wife--they have been married 64 years. 64 years! That is three of my lives so far. Another couple who came in had been married 61 years! Pretty amazing.
It made me realize how much we depend on others, and the vital (literally) importance of maintaining good relationships.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
This afternoon I
shadowed a non-invasive cardiologist! I saw five patient appointments, read a few echos, and got a lot of questions answered. I wish I could bottle the feeling I had when I walked out of the hospital in Clifton Springs. I was so inspired and energized by the thought of fulfilling my destiny, and by the fact that I believe I have found a career that will interest me and allow me to reach my highest potential through the years.
The universe sent me a sign of affirmation: swans and baby ducks all over the pond next to the hospital building! And Clifton Springs is really just the most adorable town ever.
The universe sent me a sign of affirmation: swans and baby ducks all over the pond next to the hospital building! And Clifton Springs is really just the most adorable town ever.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gilad, Sushi, Dan Savage
Gilad Shalit was released today. I woke up at seven to the sound of my phone vibrating--it was my mother texting me about his return. I had so many mixed emotions. First, to a college student, 7am is pretty much the middle of the night so I was tired, and
[I never finished this post. I just found the draft, and I just wanted to publish it like this...fill in the blanks with whatever you were feeling on that day.]
[I never finished this post. I just found the draft, and I just wanted to publish it like this...fill in the blanks with whatever you were feeling on that day.]
Today I
got a second wind for this blog. I was daunted by the task of following up my posts about the life changing trip I went on last summer, and I didn't know how to transition back to my regular life. I have decided to try to record just one memory, story, landmark, or fact in each post. I want to record the mundane occurrences that, when put together, make up a life that I'll want to remember.
Today I tried to boil eggs but it didn't go so well. One cracked as soon as I put it in the pan and then somewhere in the middle of the cooking, the flame went out. The kitchen had a lot of gas in it. Whoops. And then I overcooked them so it was hard to peel the shells off. I ate them though. Salt will fix anything.
Today I tried to boil eggs but it didn't go so well. One cracked as soon as I put it in the pan and then somewhere in the middle of the cooking, the flame went out. The kitchen had a lot of gas in it. Whoops. And then I overcooked them so it was hard to peel the shells off. I ate them though. Salt will fix anything.
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