Freshly Jewish
|
|||||||||||
November 15th, 2009
| ||||||
| GETTING A JOB TOMORROW OR BUST. By which I mean Monday, naturally, as most HR people aren't available over the weekends. | ||||||
comments: Leave a comment   |
October 22nd, 2009
| ||||||
| While I've removed most users for inactivity from my reading list, I've also started removing people that do lots of memes and quizzes here at InsaneJournal. It just depends on how many is being posted at a time and that type of thing. I'm not ANTI-meme, per se. But, I don't know, I just can't deal with memes, quizzes, surveys, and other things like I used to. At LiveJournal it's okay because I have so many community posts and other people posting so it's not the only thing I see. Over here at InsaneJournal it just gets overwhelming. Just sayin' because there's a few people who will have noticed I've removed them by now and I want to make it clear that it's not an issue at all. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
October 5th, 2008
| ||||||
| So, languages I'd like to learn include Spanish (as in, better than now), Hebrew (in the process), Arabic (nowhere near now), etc., etc. I mean, one of my goals is to be a person of many languages before I die, should I accomplish nothing else. iTunes is making this difficult. It's not seeing my iPod. Actually, this happens to me frequently - PC or Mac, sometimes they just don't see my iPod for WEEKS. This happened with BOTH my classic iPods. So I have a lot of Pimsleur CDs that I can listen to in the car, but can't listen on my iPod because I can put it in iTunes but not in my iPod, since the computer isn't seeing it. It's driving me crazy. I've reset it, I've updated software, I've reset the computer... Looks like I'll be handing it off to tech support. Until then I'll be doing all my Hebrew education in the car. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
September 13th, 2008
| ||||
 My first time using PhotoShop. Well, third technically, but still my first day using it to edit pictures of drawings I've taken. | ||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
March 23rd, 2008
| ||||||
| So, Mary and I went to watch "Horton Hears a Who" last night, which was hilarious. And I bought not only my usual "Rasinets" but also "Gummi Bears" if I've spelled it correctly. I can not even believe how long it's been since I had a favorite such as Gummi Bears. ... They sell "Muddy Bears" too. But those just seem gross. I know they're just chocolate-covered "Gummi Bears" but the cover picture is gross and doesn't make me think "Oooh, goody! Muddy Bears!" | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
March 11th, 2008
| ||||
| I donated blood for the third time in my life today (I started last November, so I'm not saying I donate rarely, just that I only just started donating at all period). I also want to take part in the Big Brother/ Big Sister program. I'll find out how it works in a few days, I guess. I like helping kids. And being a good influence. And showing them why reading is cool and stuff. And, well, yeah. So hopefully I'll have a schedule that works. | ||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
March 10th, 2008
| ||||||
| So, today I was supposed to get tested for being retarded - so I could get more time on math tests. But I forgot that I had an appointment and thus completely missed out on my appointment to test for being retarded. So, I mean, can't that count as evidence? | ||||||
| comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
February 9th, 2008
| ||||||
| I have that black/white/hand layout on. I don't really like the mainstream layout, and in almost every way this layout's perfect for me. Exception: Support board. I cannot read the support board in this layout. It's light green with white letters. And then very light tan with white letters. I know my support activity's on and off pending on circumstances and time (e.g. - almost completely absent during semesters, fires, and family crisis which happens frequently). However, if it's easy enough, maybe we could make sure the support board is easily readable in all layout formats? | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
February 5th, 2008
| ||||||
| I'm not technically late for school yet, but I needed to leave two hours ago to make it on time. Anyway. Yesterday was horrible, so I stayed home for part of today. I did well in Geography, but then I did bad at math, then I backed out into someone's car (they didn't want my insurance - being my fault, I can only assume they didn't have any and didn't want their dirty little secret discovered), and then a kamikaze bird flew into my windshield as I was driving down the Ortega Highway. People keep asking me if the bird lived. Let's see. The speed limit is 55 MPH. A hollow-boned bird flies at your windshield at feasibly 50 MPH, but even the slower birds are probably going 20 MPH or so. I am pretty sure the bird died. I mean, I can't say it was dead when I saw it, because unlike bugs, birds don't splatter on your windshield. So it slid off my windshield as soon as it hit. I mean, it doesn't get much worse. So yeah. I needed a break. I was planning on skipping Humanities, too, but seeing as I'm awake I might as well get dressed and go now. I just hope my midterm isn't due today. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
January 27th, 2008
| ||||||
| My life has been really hectic lately. First of all, I'm in 17.5 units. I go to school which starts at 7:30 am, go to work on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (I'd be going Mondays and Wednesdays, too, but I get out too late), on Wednesdays I have Introduction to Judaism from 7:15 pm to 9:00pm. I spend tons of time at LAP, on Fridays, Saturdays, sometimes Sundays, sometimes at some other point in the week I have to go to the synagogue and meet up with the rabbi. And because I'm in school all morning, and day-camps of course aren't evening things, I don't get as many hours as I think I need. I'm not sure how that will work out yet. After May when school ends for the summer, this wouldn't be a huge problem anymore. Until then, I'm worried. I'm good for this month (which means I'm good for next month, too, since I already have the bills covered this month, so I'm referring to "next month" already). But my hours are cut down a LOT right now. So I am not sure if I'll actually be all right until May. A few things I was planning to do before my hours started getting cut was sell my limited edition Wyland copy (signed, certificate of authenticity, etc., etc), and possibly getting a weekend job. But I only really need enough to get to the summer. And I can't afford a job. I have to drive to all these places - that's like a few more classes by itself. It's two hours to school, two hours back. One hour to the Introduction to Judaism, one hour back. On the bright side, January's almost over already, meaning that I'm that much closer to the finish line of The Toughest Schedule Ever. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
January 21st, 2008
| ||||||
| I'm referring to love, not anything else. I want... A new crush. I really want a new crush. I have this problem. Crushes are based on how long and how well I know a person. Many people think that's... Cute, or something. But it's NOT cute. I am stuck liking one person because he's the closest male friend I have. And dating's hard when you need to be friends first (particularly good friends). Okay, maybe "up-grade" isn't the right term. But I need a switch of some sort. Or I'll go insane. I'm already at the right blog for that. I just need a place to hang out with singles. Yeah. That's what will work. Not. Forget the awkwardness (notice: awkward is spelled awkwardly) - it'd be hard to make friends not interested in anything more at any sort of singles place. I don't want to date right now, either. I just don't want to have a crush on one person for so long. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
January 19th, 2008
| ||||||
| I have a busload of courses this semester. I have to re-group to kill in my second week of class, since I slipped up a bit the first week. Thank God it was the first week and therefore not the most important week ever. It's the "catch a clue" week, you know? I made it to shul last week, but woke up late this week. I feel awful because I told Rabbi I'd be there today, but I'm needed at home to clean and take the car to get the oil change, AND I woke up late. And at this particular synagogue, you can't be late (because there are so few people there that everyone notices). It's important to understand that at most synagogues I've been to, it's typical for people not to be there the first half hour (shul is three hours long). Generally, no one comes for the opening prayers. Here? You gotta be on time or everyone is going to know you're late. So when I saw I was going to be late, I didn't want to go. It's embarrassing. So I'll call him Monday or Tuesday and explain that I'm an idiot. He's probably not too surprised, though, because I told him my dad was taking me to a Beatles Tribute concert, where some guys that are capable of sounding a lot like the Beatles dress in Beatles costumes and perform their songs. It was great. I need to call Mom today; she was getting tested for breast cancer yesterday and I don't know what the end result was. Hopefully the things she was talking about were cysts. But she hasn't told us yet. Memo and I seem to be talking and hanging out more. Though that's mostly because of the current situations in both of our lives have made us feel the need to talk to each other currently. That's about it. I'm going to nap and then get all my stuff done. | ||||||
| comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
January 7th, 2008
| ||||||||
| OMG I am such a happy customer. This computer would bring tears to my eyes if I was any more sentimental about computers than I am now. | ||||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
January 6th, 2008
| ||||||
| I missed the last two shul services. Fortunately, Christmas break can be seen as a reason why (even if you don't celebrate it, your family is likely to have less work that time of year unless they're in retail). I have been upset; I haven't had a chance to get up to see my family and my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few months back. Supposedly he's not doing so well with the chemo (unsurprising). So we have to get up there, but we don't know how or when. Anyway, so Judaism is going well; I'm getting better at reading Hebrew and am becoming familiar with a lot of the prayers. I should be getting into a course soon ("Introduction to Judaism" and a "Taste of Judaism") because you can't convert without learning a lot about Judaism, first. As in, education is required - you have to live with Jewish experiences, holidays, shul (synagogue service), read Jewish books and books about Judaism or by Jewish people, see Jewish movies, and do Jewish cultural events for at least a year. It depends on how long it takes a person to really embed themselves with the Jewish culture - because Judaism isn't just a religion, the Jews are a people, an ethnicity (note - I am saying an ethnicity, not a race. You can have African and Asian Jews - who do exist and have existed for long amounts of time. Early-on Hebrews let people in quite easily before their persecution started). Anyway, I've been lighting Shabbat candles a few weeks in a row now. I'll need to re-supply soon. And I need to figure out how to clean my candlesticks better. It's been a great experience. I find that Shabbat candles and the mezuzah have been my favorite parts o f Judaism. I have a havdalah set, but I don't have candles to do that, and I need spices. I'm also learning more about my family history this way. One of my great-great grandfathers on my dad's side was an important rabbi in his area (Morocco). That was pretty cool to find out. It's hard to learn about my family's past. They came from areas of the world and times where it wasn't recorded well. Mom came from Northern Ireland, but with all the terrorism (not to mention the earlier World Wars) she didn't know anything about her grandfather - he went "funny" after the war and never came home, or something like that. I'm not sure, my grandmother can't remember well enough. Anyway, so, I saw Memo once this break, which was more than I could hope for. I lent him a few books, gave him his Christmas presents (gothic, of course - a dragon statue holding a sword letter-opener - but Memo is a very happy person), and also lent him Gankutsuou (don't ask). His brother was home for a while; he went into the military soon after high school. I don't know if he's still there. Also, his old roommate Joseph left, and he got a new roommate last week. He was really worried about what his new roommate would be like, and if this roommate would accept him. I'd ask him how it's working out, except I don't really want to be intrusive. I only called him when I was heading up to visit (I helped him clean the apartment and re-decorate it for his new roommate, and get his old roommate moved out), and once to make sure he had turned in a form (Christmas present thing). I gave a huge amount of my room away to Goodwill. My closet's mostly gone. My closet drawers now have clothes instead of crap that I can't sort out. I have a Jewish Book Shelf in my library, with books on Jewish ethics, books written by Jews, about Jews, etc., etc. At the rate I'm going (this is just since talking to Southern California Rabbis) I'm going to have a whole library on Judaism. But it's not just Judaism. I learn a lot about the beginnings of Christianity, too, especially Paul. But other than talking about the things I've done, I'm trying to not talk about religion with non-Jews, because it's forbidden to argue and try to change anyone's mind (and Jewish law sees any form of debate as trying to change someone's mind - therefore, religious discussion with non-Jews isn't allowed). You're supposed to let people believe what they believe and not try to correct it in regard to religion. With other Jews, you're supposed to argue ;-) | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
December 28th, 2007
| ||||||
| So, Joseph walks into the room where Memo and I are checking e-mail and asks me out of nowhere, "If I farted in your face, and for whatever reason it smelled so incredibly good that you had a mind-blowing orgasm right there, what would you do?" Me, "I have no idea what I'd do." Joseph, "That's not a good enough answer. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?" Me, "... Please sir, may I have another?" Joseph bursts into laughter (I guess it was a good enough response) but as I explained to Memo later: "You males take your ease of orgasms for granted. There's the assumption in the earlier question that I've had an orgasm and knew whether it was really want-worthy or not. Don't you guys know some women don't figure that out until they're thirty, unlike your, I don't know, thirteen or whatever years? And I've heard some women say they prefer foreplay to orgasms. That sort of thing's tricky." I didn't mind the question, but it really WAS a bit harder to respond to considering, well, who and what I am. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
December 24th, 2007
| ||||||
| So, Dad and I figure Kevin can have my notebook, and I'll get a desktop. But he wants me to have $1,000.00 in the next few days, and I do not have $1000.00, nor am I likely to have that much money for a paycheck or two from now. Maybe three or four. Why? Because I've been paying for my unit fees and a lot of other things (such as movies for him, etc., etc), as well as getting things for Mary. Therefore, I am worried about what his attitude will be when he finds out that I do not currently have that much money, but was giving an option for somewhere around the twentieth of January to the fifth of February. Not today. Not tomorrow. Seriously, I did not mean to imply that I had half of the desktop money NOW, immediately after paying for my school units. ... Eh. He'll probably be fairly easy-going, since it's going to be a family computer until I transfer (at which point, I might upgrade and leave the computer to permanently be a family computer). It will be in my room, but I've already told Mary she has full access to it other than what I need for schoolwork. The same goes for Dad. Which gives me all the more reason to clean my room. I need him to fix the file cabinet; I should remind him of that mild problem that, when solved, will make my room a lot nicer looking (a place for non-shredded paper!). | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
December 21st, 2007
| ||||||
| I know some of my friends here are into anime, and I have developed an interest in a particular series. I happened across a boxed set for "Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo" - loosely based on a French novel. It was expensive and I decided I'd try to learn more about it online and see if I couldn't get the episodes cheaper than the Best Buy price. I read good reviews amongst the few reviews I found, saw some AMVs (I couldn't find episodes) and was quite intrigued by the artwork. I noted the boxed set is no longer sold, and it's a lot cheaper than buying the individual episodes. It's not even in the Best Buy online store, leaving me to think that I possibly walked away from a relatively good deal (especially when I found the used copies on sites like Amazon.com were actually more expensive, save one that I don't trust at all). So, has anyone heard of this series? Is it worth watching? Or is the hype just from die-hard fans? | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
December 16th, 2007
| ||||||
| First off, I need to get the office to remove a self-paced course I got an F in because I received the book the weekend AFTER coursework was due. Since it's a self-paced course, I'm not too worried. I'm pretty sure they'll take it off without question. Second off, I am enrolled in 17.5 units next semester (including the one I got the book late for). I've ordered the books to arrive second-day, so that I can read and get ahead (I'll need it). Third off, I'm going to go to the Transfer/Career Center and Guidance Office to try to get a game plan going for getting out of community college ASAP with my new major outlines. My majors of choice being - Journalism/English (Creative Writing Emphasis)/Religious Studies - Which the requirements for entering are more similar than, say, English and Biology, and I'd be much more likely to pull off a "double major with a minor" scenario, because a lot of colleges have all three of these education options. Fourth off (and the problem), I can't seem to figure out how to get science and/or Speech 1A in this semester. I need to plan this semester really, really carefully, because with any luck, I'll be through after fall semester in 2008. I'd have gotten through with the spring semester, probably, if I had been allowed to enroll 5 days a week. Dad's not very supportive. He's demanding about me getting through college and at the same time criticizes me for not being able to cut down the days that I drive, the amount of time I go to school, etc., etc. Emotionally and mentally, I'm on my own every semester. And in response to his callous attitude, I keep trying to pay for all of it myself (so while he helps financially, it's not nearly as great as before). But it doesn't make him any happier. So I'm a little lost there. *sigh*. All I can do is hope I get into Sonoma State University, or some other university where I'm likely to be able to stay with relatives and further cut down expenses. If I get into SSU I can live with my grandmother and uncle *shudder*, but if I got into a college in some other areas, I have family too. But I like Santa Rosa, so SSU would be a great fit. Though Humboldt State seems cool, too. It doesn't change much, though. I have to figure out how to be on my own MORE. My current goals include getting a license for motorcycle driving, and a motorcycle for highway rides. Kawasaki sells a 250CC for 4,000, so I could afford the motorcycle myself (after paying for my own lessons), over the course of a year or so. Then I can afford to buy a lot more of the gas. I doubt he'd mind; 250CC is by no means a power-hungry beast, and he used to ride a motorcycle himself. As long as I wasn't riding it on the freeway and had lots of practice before going over highways, he'd be fine. And it would cut down parking permit expenses, too. Theoretically in SSU I wouldn't have to pay for gas at all - I could bike everywhere. But for emergencies I'd still need a motorized vehicle of some sort. *lesigh* I don't really know how to help out more than I am. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
December 15th, 2007
| ||||||
| I lit Shabbat candles for the first time in my life (as far as I can remember) last night! It was very exciting, and I love Shabbat candles (this is not the first time I've seen them lit). Anyway, I fell asleep before they went out, as candlelight makes me feel very peaceful. I can read Hebrew enough to say the prayer now, so that helped, since Dad was asleep already. Ugh... Yeah. I'm breaking Shabbat, but I can't help it as I have a dental appointment, which I need to prepare for. They are going to scrape my bottom teeth this time (pft). | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
November 29th, 2007
| ||||||
| Well, I talked to the Conservative rabbi in the local synagogue. I'm into Jodi Picoult lately. I'm also reading a lot of works by Rabbi Telushkin. So far I've read Jewish Literacy and A Code of Jewish Ethics, which is rather complicated and I can tell I'll have to read it more than once to really get it. But it's a good story. I donated blood at St. Martha's Catholic Church. As you can tell, I'm everywhere lately. ... That's about all I have to say. Oh, I've decided that all the people I was amazingly mad at before, I'm going to try to not be mad at anymore or ever again... The Ethic book made me do a huge amount of thinking about how I had reacted in the past. It'll take some time, but I'm going to start thinking a lot more about things in the future, and I hope to be a lot harder to anger or get to a point where I dislike people. I want to read the thing on appropriate action when people have wronged you, as well as on anger every day for a week. | ||||||
| comments: Leave a comment |
Freshly Jewish
|
|||||||||||