I'm experiencing a sort of writers block (probably because I have no papers to write and no need to procrostinate. :)) So bear with me on these posts 'till I get back to normal. :-)
So, my father keeps telling me to look for a job, and I really don't want to. I just graduated college and am working full time at the job I've had since last summer (as staff support for rent managment). I like my current job. Its perfect for me right now. I can take off basically any day I want (as long as my coworker is in that day) and I have alot of freedom, generally. Now, I know its a bad job, and I know I need to find a better job, it's just that I don't want to right now. I don't care now. Now I just want to rest.
Honestly I don't see what the big deal is. I'm 20 and already a college grad. Most (not all) people my age are still in college, and some with a long way to go (and I'm not talking grad school). I don't understand why I NEED to look for a job so quickly. Why can't I enjoy my youth? I have the rest of my life to work.
Not only that, but I have the type of personality in which I get sick of doing the same old routine nonsense over and over again (and nothing is more routine than my current job), so I begin to flip out, and find myself things to do to either a) get my mind off the fact that the main thing in my life is routine, or b) find a new "main" thing in my life to focus on.
For the past 20 years, I couldn't choose what my main daily focus was, because that was always mom/babysitter, daycare, elementary, HS and college, so I would always find random activities to occupy my thought so I wouldn't go insane (dance class, swim class, gymnastics), then shuirim, shopping excursions with friends, now karate class, and so forth. Now, that I'm done with college, I can officially choose what I want to focus on. And so, what I need, is for me to flip out on the fact that my job is so boring, alot of energy, and many sleepless nights, and I will find myself a job, that will be challenging and have room for growth, so that the "routine" won't be for so long.
All I need is space and a nice break so that the fact that I graduated college settles in. :)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Outside World
A few days ago I finished reading The Outside World by Tova Mirvis. The book was absolutely phenomenal. Mirvis, being frum herself was able to capture the frum lifestyle perfectly,and her message was clearly conveyed.
The book is about Tzippy a 22 year old FFB girl who was going crazy because she was still single and all the guys she was dating seemed the same.
In the meantime Bryan/Baruch comes back from Israel after two-years of learning in Yeshiva. While he was raised Modern Orthodox, he came back from Israel- to his parents dismay- a lot frummer.
Both Tzippy and Baruch end up in Israel and they bump into each other and... (I didn't give anything away, this is all on the back cover).
I strongly recommend reading this book. The author is fabulous. :) Its also a quick and easy read. Nothing too serious for you busy types who cannot commit full attention to their reading.
Here is one quote from the book that I just had to keep:
He had been raised to think that only Harvard, Penn and Columbia were good enough. Law School, Medical School and Business School were his parents' most heartfelt dreams. He had once accepted this as the word of truth. He had worked hard to get into Columbia. He had wanted to be a corporate lawyer like his father. Now he saw that his parents worshipped the false idols of achievement and success. Learning for the sake of learning because it was the will of Gd was of no value to them.
The above is a brief description of what Baruch felt when he returned home from Israel and had to stay in his parents house.
The book is phenomenal! The other book by Mirvis The Ladies Auxiliary is also really good. :)
The book is about Tzippy a 22 year old FFB girl who was going crazy because she was still single and all the guys she was dating seemed the same.
In the meantime Bryan/Baruch comes back from Israel after two-years of learning in Yeshiva. While he was raised Modern Orthodox, he came back from Israel- to his parents dismay- a lot frummer.
Both Tzippy and Baruch end up in Israel and they bump into each other and... (I didn't give anything away, this is all on the back cover).
I strongly recommend reading this book. The author is fabulous. :) Its also a quick and easy read. Nothing too serious for you busy types who cannot commit full attention to their reading.
Here is one quote from the book that I just had to keep:
He had been raised to think that only Harvard, Penn and Columbia were good enough. Law School, Medical School and Business School were his parents' most heartfelt dreams. He had once accepted this as the word of truth. He had worked hard to get into Columbia. He had wanted to be a corporate lawyer like his father. Now he saw that his parents worshipped the false idols of achievement and success. Learning for the sake of learning because it was the will of Gd was of no value to them.
The above is a brief description of what Baruch felt when he returned home from Israel and had to stay in his parents house.
The book is phenomenal! The other book by Mirvis The Ladies Auxiliary is also really good. :)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
What if they genetically engineered a pig?
Over Yom Tov my family and I were kinda just sitting around laughing at the Yated writers and I said out loud "What happens if they genetically engineer a pig to chew its own cud, will it be considered kosher?"
My family's initial reaction to the question was obviously laughter. After all, why the would scientist's waste time creating a pig that would chew its own cud? This pig wouldn't help fight cancer, or save lives by creating a new and improved version of antibiotic, so what would be the purpose of this new pig- so that Jews could eat it?
After all the laughing stopped, I was like "no really, I wonder how the frum people would react, technically the pig would be kosher. It would be awkward and all, but it would have the split hooves (which it already has) and it would chew its cud, so therefore there wouldn't be any issue to it. So I wonder how the frummies would react. I wonder if any frum groups would eat the pig.
The funny thing is, is that the entire pig situation would undoubtedly lead to another divide within in the frummy world. Two sources I found on the issue prove this, the first is Jewish Perspectives on Genetic Engineering and the second is called Kosher Bacon?.
The divide in the frum community would also lead to further scrutinizing of singles by shadchanim. The shidduch questionnaire would look something like this:
Name:
DOB:
Height:
Parents Name:
Circle one: MO, Litivish, Chassidish,
Parents names: School:
Rav: Stance on eating pig:
While singles are being scrutinized, many yeshivish newspapers and yeshivish speakers will undoubtedly ban the pig. The chassidim (Lubavich not included) will claim they're happy with gefilte fish and chulent, and anything else is goyish. One of the representative Rebbeim will make a speech and will be quoted as saying:
Hashem doesn't believe in science. Just like the world is only 5769 years old, the pig is trief. You are what you eat. Eating a pig that is genetically engineered will make one a scientist. Scientists are the spawn of Satan. Science is an abomination and allowing them [the scientists] to control our diets is strictly prohibitted... If we allow our children to eat this blasphemous animal, what is to stop them from going to college, and reading novels, and learning English? First the pig, then the acceptance of the Internet! We have to have boundaries.
The Jewish Press would report such a speech by asking a top, frum U.S. scientist, who graduated YU to write the article. He would reply:
...the genetically engineered pig is a sign of human progress. Hashem undoubtedly wants us to find a link between Torah and science. Gd would not grant mankind such intellect to allow it to go to waste. The pig is now kosher. It is with this wonderful new creature that we can say a bracha and be reminded of how much Hashem really runs the world, but Hishtadlus by the human, is what allows him to really show his wonder.
While singles are being further annoyed, and the yeshivish newspapers are yet again attacking the Jewish Press and adding the pig issue to the list of why its a "crisis" (yes, there's a Jewish Press crisis), a third group, of unsure/undecided frummies will come out. These frummies will be the type that use alot of quotes that are actually related to the issue. They will be a "mixed" group. They would either be the type who go to kosher restaurants with "questionable" hechshers and eat the genetically engineered pig there, but not in their own homes or the type to completely ban the pig because of these quotes, but never succumb to the "follow in the ways of the goyim" crap used by the yeshivishe types (though they will slightly touch upon it). They wouldn't judge those that do/don't eat pig, but they would start the argument on pig eating, to show how frum they are for not eating it. The main quote they would use would be as follows:
However, these in particular you may not eat of those that chew their cud and that they have cloven hooves: the camel, for he chews his cud but does not have a split hoof it is unclean to you. The Rabbit, for it chews its cud but does not have a cloven hoof it is unclean to you. The hare, for it chews its cud but it does not have a cloven hoof it is unclean to you. The pig, for though it has cloven hooves, and its hooves are [completely] split- it does not chew its cud- it is unclean to you. (Vayikra 11:4-7)
The group that would eat the pig restaurants would chant:
While the pig is completely permissible due to the fact that it is genetically engineered, and now chews its own cud, the pig was specifically mentioned in Vayikro as a treif animal. Any eating of this pig would completely take away the validity of Vayikro as law. The practice of pig-eating should not be an acceptable norm. However, if it were any other animal that was genetically engineered that wasn't exclusively mentioned in the chumash, there would be no problems in eating it. Until that day comes, we shall reject the pig in our everyday lives, and only use it for reasons of peace with distant family members and when we have no other choices on what is available.
Those that would not go to restaurants would be the holier-than-thou type. They would use the same quote and say:
Hashem mentioned the pig as an exclusive animal that has split hooves and does not chew its cud. The pig is a trickster. It is an animal that is out to fool us. We are not here to be fooled. A bunch of scientists will not make us change our ways. We will deny the pigs existence as kosher. The scientists can go back to their apikores ways and leave our community alone. What is this world coming to? How can we eat the pig if Hashem exclusively mentioned the pig? It says in the Gemara (insert reference here) that when moshiach will come, the pig will become kosher! Who are we to act as messiah? If Hashem wanted us out of golus he wouldn't send us mad-scientists who do not learn Torah to engineer pigs for us, he would send us MOSHIACH ben DOVID! For now, we must daven and do chesed for Him to save us! What next? Will we try to create the rabbit, hare and camel with split hooves so that we can eat those, too? Or is it that we want to be like the goyim? The goyim eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, does that mean we should too? The goyim eat rabbit on their Holidays, will we? Will we implement eating a rabbit head on Rosh Hoshanah instead of the fish head? Is this our future? We should read the words in the sefarim, and then we can come to peace with all the glorious foods we already have!
All these people will end up in huge arguments. They will be annoying. All the Goyim in the universe will not care one bit about the fact that Jews may start eating pig. They have better things to do than worry about a guy in a kippa eating bacon, at a restaurant that says "Glatt Kosher" on it. Organizations such as the OU will have to come up with new kosher symbols; ie OUg to represent products that use genetically engineered pig gelatin, and OUf for products that will continue on using the traditional fish gelatin.
Oh...and Moshiach will not come 10 minutes later, and not because the Jews have Israel, or because the Jews are becoming pompous and self-sufficient in creating kosher pigs, but because the Jews don't leave simple stupid things like "genetically engineered pigs" alone and will still argue over them.
My family's initial reaction to the question was obviously laughter. After all, why the would scientist's waste time creating a pig that would chew its own cud? This pig wouldn't help fight cancer, or save lives by creating a new and improved version of antibiotic, so what would be the purpose of this new pig- so that Jews could eat it?
After all the laughing stopped, I was like "no really, I wonder how the frum people would react, technically the pig would be kosher. It would be awkward and all, but it would have the split hooves (which it already has) and it would chew its cud, so therefore there wouldn't be any issue to it. So I wonder how the frummies would react. I wonder if any frum groups would eat the pig.
The funny thing is, is that the entire pig situation would undoubtedly lead to another divide within in the frummy world. Two sources I found on the issue prove this, the first is Jewish Perspectives on Genetic Engineering and the second is called Kosher Bacon?.
The divide in the frum community would also lead to further scrutinizing of singles by shadchanim. The shidduch questionnaire would look something like this:
Name:
DOB:
Height:
Parents Name:
Circle one: MO, Litivish, Chassidish,
Parents names: School:
Rav: Stance on eating pig:
While singles are being scrutinized, many yeshivish newspapers and yeshivish speakers will undoubtedly ban the pig. The chassidim (Lubavich not included) will claim they're happy with gefilte fish and chulent, and anything else is goyish. One of the representative Rebbeim will make a speech and will be quoted as saying:
Hashem doesn't believe in science. Just like the world is only 5769 years old, the pig is trief. You are what you eat. Eating a pig that is genetically engineered will make one a scientist. Scientists are the spawn of Satan. Science is an abomination and allowing them [the scientists] to control our diets is strictly prohibitted... If we allow our children to eat this blasphemous animal, what is to stop them from going to college, and reading novels, and learning English? First the pig, then the acceptance of the Internet! We have to have boundaries.
The Jewish Press would report such a speech by asking a top, frum U.S. scientist, who graduated YU to write the article. He would reply:
...the genetically engineered pig is a sign of human progress. Hashem undoubtedly wants us to find a link between Torah and science. Gd would not grant mankind such intellect to allow it to go to waste. The pig is now kosher. It is with this wonderful new creature that we can say a bracha and be reminded of how much Hashem really runs the world, but Hishtadlus by the human, is what allows him to really show his wonder.
While singles are being further annoyed, and the yeshivish newspapers are yet again attacking the Jewish Press and adding the pig issue to the list of why its a "crisis" (yes, there's a Jewish Press crisis), a third group, of unsure/undecided frummies will come out. These frummies will be the type that use alot of quotes that are actually related to the issue. They will be a "mixed" group. They would either be the type who go to kosher restaurants with "questionable" hechshers and eat the genetically engineered pig there, but not in their own homes or the type to completely ban the pig because of these quotes, but never succumb to the "follow in the ways of the goyim" crap used by the yeshivishe types (though they will slightly touch upon it). They wouldn't judge those that do/don't eat pig, but they would start the argument on pig eating, to show how frum they are for not eating it. The main quote they would use would be as follows:
However, these in particular you may not eat of those that chew their cud and that they have cloven hooves: the camel, for he chews his cud but does not have a split hoof it is unclean to you. The Rabbit, for it chews its cud but does not have a cloven hoof it is unclean to you. The hare, for it chews its cud but it does not have a cloven hoof it is unclean to you. The pig, for though it has cloven hooves, and its hooves are [completely] split- it does not chew its cud- it is unclean to you. (Vayikra 11:4-7)
The group that would eat the pig restaurants would chant:
While the pig is completely permissible due to the fact that it is genetically engineered, and now chews its own cud, the pig was specifically mentioned in Vayikro as a treif animal. Any eating of this pig would completely take away the validity of Vayikro as law. The practice of pig-eating should not be an acceptable norm. However, if it were any other animal that was genetically engineered that wasn't exclusively mentioned in the chumash, there would be no problems in eating it. Until that day comes, we shall reject the pig in our everyday lives, and only use it for reasons of peace with distant family members and when we have no other choices on what is available.
Those that would not go to restaurants would be the holier-than-thou type. They would use the same quote and say:
Hashem mentioned the pig as an exclusive animal that has split hooves and does not chew its cud. The pig is a trickster. It is an animal that is out to fool us. We are not here to be fooled. A bunch of scientists will not make us change our ways. We will deny the pigs existence as kosher. The scientists can go back to their apikores ways and leave our community alone. What is this world coming to? How can we eat the pig if Hashem exclusively mentioned the pig? It says in the Gemara (insert reference here) that when moshiach will come, the pig will become kosher! Who are we to act as messiah? If Hashem wanted us out of golus he wouldn't send us mad-scientists who do not learn Torah to engineer pigs for us, he would send us MOSHIACH ben DOVID! For now, we must daven and do chesed for Him to save us! What next? Will we try to create the rabbit, hare and camel with split hooves so that we can eat those, too? Or is it that we want to be like the goyim? The goyim eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, does that mean we should too? The goyim eat rabbit on their Holidays, will we? Will we implement eating a rabbit head on Rosh Hoshanah instead of the fish head? Is this our future? We should read the words in the sefarim, and then we can come to peace with all the glorious foods we already have!
All these people will end up in huge arguments. They will be annoying. All the Goyim in the universe will not care one bit about the fact that Jews may start eating pig. They have better things to do than worry about a guy in a kippa eating bacon, at a restaurant that says "Glatt Kosher" on it. Organizations such as the OU will have to come up with new kosher symbols; ie OUg to represent products that use genetically engineered pig gelatin, and OUf for products that will continue on using the traditional fish gelatin.
Oh...and Moshiach will not come 10 minutes later, and not because the Jews have Israel, or because the Jews are becoming pompous and self-sufficient in creating kosher pigs, but because the Jews don't leave simple stupid things like "genetically engineered pigs" alone and will still argue over them.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Shidduchim Gone Nuts
The following are crazy shidduch stories:
1) I was at shuir earlier today and a lady mentioned that her daughter is in shidduchim. The daughter just graduated college with a degree in Business Administration. The shadchanim have been asking her for years why she chose such a non-shidduch friendly major. Some went as far as to suggest she go back to college and become a speech or occupational therapist.
I heard the next two from my best friends mom who was AT the shidduch meeting:
2) Friend's mom was at a shidduchim meeting. The meeting was for mothers to present their sons (they alternate son/daughter days). One mother was presenting, she said her son was 6'1 (not sure if that exact height, but he was tall), and he only wanted a girl shorter than 5'. He would MAYBE consider a girl that was exactly 5', but that's only if she's from a good family, pretty, rich etc. Why only a "shorty" (no offense)? Because he doesn't want his kids to be giants. His mom wasn't even embarrassed to present this!!
3) Another lady at this same meeting was presenting her son. She said "My son wants a girl who is short, with blond hair, and green eyes." Another lady screamed out "That's my daughter!"
-What is this world coming to?-
1) I was at shuir earlier today and a lady mentioned that her daughter is in shidduchim. The daughter just graduated college with a degree in Business Administration. The shadchanim have been asking her for years why she chose such a non-shidduch friendly major. Some went as far as to suggest she go back to college and become a speech or occupational therapist.
I heard the next two from my best friends mom who was AT the shidduch meeting:
2) Friend's mom was at a shidduchim meeting. The meeting was for mothers to present their sons (they alternate son/daughter days). One mother was presenting, she said her son was 6'1 (not sure if that exact height, but he was tall), and he only wanted a girl shorter than 5'. He would MAYBE consider a girl that was exactly 5', but that's only if she's from a good family, pretty, rich etc. Why only a "shorty" (no offense)? Because he doesn't want his kids to be giants. His mom wasn't even embarrassed to present this!!
3) Another lady at this same meeting was presenting her son. She said "My son wants a girl who is short, with blond hair, and green eyes." Another lady screamed out "That's my daughter!"
-What is this world coming to?-
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Awesome Skirts!
I ordered a few skirts from Old Navy. My sister and I love them. They are awesome!! AND REAL CHEAP! $10 a skirt! :-)
Here is the link.
They are awesome for the summer (really thin) and great for camp :-)
I had to share. The quality aint that bad either (even though its old navy )
Here is the link.
They are awesome for the summer (really thin) and great for camp :-)
I had to share. The quality aint that bad either (even though its old navy )
Hobbies and interests
I have nice family friends, friends, relatives, rabbi's, and all other weird random people who try and set me up all the time. I don't mind going on these dates. I like the experience of meeting new people, and I like having stories to tell my friends. I don't date a lot, I'm on the picky side, and I do not know too many people, so its not like my phone rings off the hook with "shidduch suggestions" but I've been on enough dates that I can officially complain about it.
Firstly, I will explain what I mean by picky, so that you can understand where I'm coming from. I am not picky about height, eye color, hair color or dress style. I'm super OK with any guy taller than me (I'm 5'2 so that's really not that hard) who has orange hair and wears purple pants to work every morning because he feels like it. I just want him to have a job- with growth potential, and be the ambitious go-getter type. And I want him to have hobbies, and interests and some sort of fun in his life.
Most of my well meaning "shadchanim" (I guess that's what they are, even though they literally do not involve themselves in anything after the exchange of phone calls), wouldn't know a shidduch if it beat them on the head. I got set up only twice with normal guys. What do I mean by normal? Well, for one, they had interests and hobbies outside of work and surfing the web. They read books, newspapers, were interested in politics, and other random things exclusive to them. But that's two guys! Only two. The other guys had literally no interests outside of their jobs. I guess that would be a good thing, that they like their jobs so much... but its not. Because when you're on a date and you ask the guy "do you have any hobbies", and he says "Well, I come home tired, so I just kind of read magazines and watch TV" it gets really annoying. And please do not think that sports is a hobby- unless you actually play.
Seriously...I care just as much about the Mets/Yankees as you probably do about the shoes I'm wearing. I don't mention my shoes (unless the walk is killing my feet) and I'd prefer you not mention Derek Jeter or Mike Piazza. I'm NOT interested. Mention something else... do you collect comic books? play video games? Nope, guys I've dated these days don't do that.
When I ask "so what do you ?"
I almost always get "Well, I work as X, then I come home tired. I watch TV. I sometimes hang out with my friends."
I had one guy tell me his brother takes him to clubs so that they could meet girls. SERIOUSLY? Why are you telling me about your ventures in meeting other girls?
Anyway...I never get "Oh, I like to read sci-fi books" or "I collect comic books" or "I'm interested in art, sometimes I come home and just paint" or "I keep a journal". Nothing. All boring.
There were two guys I went out with not like that. Who had hobbies. And I broke up with them for various reasons. But when I go out with other guys, I begin to wonder if I did the right thing in breaking up with them. Then I drive myself nuts...lately I've been taking it out on blogging.
Firstly, I will explain what I mean by picky, so that you can understand where I'm coming from. I am not picky about height, eye color, hair color or dress style. I'm super OK with any guy taller than me (I'm 5'2 so that's really not that hard) who has orange hair and wears purple pants to work every morning because he feels like it. I just want him to have a job- with growth potential, and be the ambitious go-getter type. And I want him to have hobbies, and interests and some sort of fun in his life.
Most of my well meaning "shadchanim" (I guess that's what they are, even though they literally do not involve themselves in anything after the exchange of phone calls), wouldn't know a shidduch if it beat them on the head. I got set up only twice with normal guys. What do I mean by normal? Well, for one, they had interests and hobbies outside of work and surfing the web. They read books, newspapers, were interested in politics, and other random things exclusive to them. But that's two guys! Only two. The other guys had literally no interests outside of their jobs. I guess that would be a good thing, that they like their jobs so much... but its not. Because when you're on a date and you ask the guy "do you have any hobbies", and he says "Well, I come home tired, so I just kind of read magazines and watch TV" it gets really annoying. And please do not think that sports is a hobby- unless you actually play.
Seriously...I care just as much about the Mets/Yankees as you probably do about the shoes I'm wearing. I don't mention my shoes (unless the walk is killing my feet) and I'd prefer you not mention Derek Jeter or Mike Piazza. I'm NOT interested. Mention something else... do you collect comic books? play video games? Nope, guys I've dated these days don't do that.
When I ask "so what do you ?"
I almost always get "Well, I work as X, then I come home tired. I watch TV. I sometimes hang out with my friends."
I had one guy tell me his brother takes him to clubs so that they could meet girls. SERIOUSLY? Why are you telling me about your ventures in meeting other girls?
Anyway...I never get "Oh, I like to read sci-fi books" or "I collect comic books" or "I'm interested in art, sometimes I come home and just paint" or "I keep a journal". Nothing. All boring.
There were two guys I went out with not like that. Who had hobbies. And I broke up with them for various reasons. But when I go out with other guys, I begin to wonder if I did the right thing in breaking up with them. Then I drive myself nuts...lately I've been taking it out on blogging.
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