Good Game

Well, the Shluggers lost, but it was a GREAT game! I had a lot of fun. I kepy yelling things like "Get a touchdown" and stuff. I enjoyed it. I was up until 4am this morning making shirts and signs for the game. I made 5 little signs and each one had a word on it that spelled "That's what I'm talkin' about" because that's what the Rabbi always says. I made a sign for my little brother's friend, Joe, that said "Marry me, Big Red." Hey, he wanted it. The shirts were cute. A pain to make, but cute.

After the game, we went out for lunch with my brother in law's parents and 3 nieces because they were passing through town. I had a big bowl of bean and barley soup, in case any of you were wondering. When we were done, we went outside the resaurant and the 3 girls put on a little performance for us. It was really cute.

Now I am just chilling. Not too much to do. Maybe I'll go to Target. Yes, Morah Miriam...TARGET!

Today's Thought:

If athletes get athlete's foot, do astronauts get mistletoe?

Oh! I forgot to tell you the ending to my story that I started in the last post! So he called me up and it had nothing to do with the girl! He called me to invite me as one of two NCSY advisors to go on a National Leadership Training Seminar next month! He said that each region can bring 2 advisors that they feel are up-and-coming in the region. I guess he liked me after my first impression, since the first one was my ONLY one! I knew about this program and wanted to go, but I didn't think I would get invited. Look at that! I can't wait! Okay, I just thought I would tell you because I know how annoying suspense could be!

Oops

Okay, so I never posted a thought for yesterday. I apologize.

The girl who I had the little "talk" with online two nights ago, is going to be in town for Shabbos. The person at whose house she is staying e-mailed me and invited me for lunch and told me to call him. I e-mailed him back saying that I can't come this week, but I will take a raincheck. He wrote back saying okay, but call me at *cell phone number*. I really hope that this girl didn't say anything to him, because I don't want him to get the wrong idea. The girl read my e-mail that I sent yesterday (you can check on AOL), and I haven't heard from her. Whatever. I did what I felt needed to be done.

In other news, there are only two weeks left of camp, which means that I have to go to NY in 4 weeks. WHOA! Crazy stuff.

My brother plays in a men's shul (synagogue) softball league, and his team made it to the championship game! They will be playing for the Kiddush Cup against Beth El of Newton on Sunday. It will be my first time watching a game! I am going with signs and making t-shirts for our family. It's going to be awesome! Don't worry, my brother wants us to embarrass him. I'll try to post some pics of the shtick after they win (IY'H!)!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful Shabbos/weekend!

Today's Thought:

Why do banks leave the door wide open but the pens chained to the counter?

About the drama from last night. I e-mailed the girl to whom I expressed my feelings. I apologized for ending it the way I did. I wrote that I know we won't be able to go back to the way we used to be (i.e. talking on the phone) but I hope we can handle it in a civil manner. Good enough. I think.

TODAY WAS SO MUCH FUN! Want to know what spur of the moment means? Let me tell you.

This morning, Morah Miriam came into camp and said, "Can we make pretzels?" So our "Morah Minds" got to work and together we made a whole activity to lead up to our pretzel making. Since we learned about travel this week, we decided that I will be a trolley driver (with a crown with a green line trolley on it) and drive the kids to the pretzel factory. Here is an excerpt from our weekly newsletter:

On Thursday, we took a pretend trip to a pretzel factory. Morah Hinda put on a hat with a trolley on it and she became “Morah Hinda the Train Driver.” We talked about how going on a train is a way we can travel. Then we made a pretend train on the carpet, we each paid a token to get on by putting a penny into the tzedakah box. We sang “The Wheels on the Train” while we were driving. When we got to the pretzel factory, we met “Morah Miriam the Pretzel Lady.” (It was really Morah Miriam wearing a pretzel crown.) She showed us how to make real pretzels! She let us help her make them! We even got to eat the pretzels! They were so yummy!

There you have it. The epitome of "spur of the moment-Morah style".

I can't believe that it is going to be August next week. The summer FLEW by! Whoa! My Hebrew birthday is on Monday, so for those of you who missed my English birthday...Monday is your chance to repent!

My brothers are now fighting over who gets the computer, so I will stop here... The thought of the day will come later. The suspense should keep you on your toes.

THANK YOU, ED!

I would like to thank Ed for encouraging me while I was going through the drama of the night.

THANK YOU!

YOU ARE SO COOL!

I am proud to be your hero!

and MORE drama

Yes, more drama. I have officially expressed my feelings towards someone who I felt hostility towards. I let her know how I feel and she let me know how she felt. I don't think I am going to be hearing from her anytime in the near future. I hate drama. Have I mentioned that before?

About the "M" thing. She still hasn't called me back. I have a friend from ENGLAND who got engaged last week, and we will call her "D". She was in Israel at the same time as me in June. After I came back, I didn't hear from her for a while, so you can imagine how surprised I was when I heard that she was engaged! My English roomate from last year called me from the lechaim and let me talk to D. It was really nice. Today, I pulled out my phone at work today and there was a message from D! She called to talk because we haven't spoken for a while. THAT is how to do it. It was so nice.

Anyway, not too much is going on. Camp is going well. The kids are really sweet and they like me. They really like me! Working with little kids is a real ego-booster. They think I am so cool and I AM, darnit! (You are too, Morah Miriam)

NIGHT NIGHT!

Today's Thought:

Why do they call it “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” when they know the answer is going to be everyone?

Oh, well.

Read this slowly so you don't get confused:

My friend from Brooklyn, who feels the same way about the girl I am upset with, is supposed to be picking up my Belgian friend from the airport when she comes in. My Belgian friend told me to get in touch with my Brooklyn friend so I can go to the airport, too. So, I e-mailed "Brooklyn" and asked her. Then I told her about the conversation, or lack thereof, that I had with "Girl I Am Upset With." You know what? Let's call her "M". This is an excerpt of the e-mail that I got back:

i dont even bother anymore and i dont think you should either , ya know what its her loss one day she'll wake up and wonder where all her friends went, it's just a shame though.

When I read that, I realized that it is so true! I wrote back to her telling her that one lesson we can take out of this whole drama act is that now we know how NOT to treat our friends when we are dating/engaged/married. A lot of my friends are dating (I have my suspicions)/getting engaged around now ('Tis the season) and I hope that they realize the same thing! NEVER LEAVE PEOPLE OUT! I am not making an effort with "M" anymore. She can call me back when she can tear herself away from her busy, busy schedule to make a 5 minute phone call to someone who thought she was a really good friend.

Enough of the drama. Sorry about that.

I got out at 2 today. Fun fun. I didn't do anything too interesting. Came home, went to the grocery store with my mother, came home again, picked up my brother from camp, came back home, ate dinner, went with my friend to visit her grandparents, then sat on a bench in a field and watched a baseball game from afar.

That reminds me. When I was at my friend's grandparent's house, we were watching the Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay game, and I saw Clement (Red Sox pitcher) get hit in the side of the head by a line drive in the third inning. They showed it over and over again. It kind of freaked me out. I hope he'll be okay. *shudder*

Nighty Night.

Today's Thought:

Have you ever wondered why Trix are only for kids?

Drama

I called the girl that I am upset with. (Read the Fun in the Sun post)
She asked me how I was and I told her that I was fine. I told her that I thought I should call her since we haven't spoken for a while. She was like, "Yeah, a while." She asked me how Israel was, I told her it was really nice. Then she told me that she would call me back because she didn't have good reception where she was. Did she call me back? Everyone together now...NO! I know it's not worth it since she is getting married in Israel and living there for "a year" and I probably won't see her before then, but I just want to get my feelings out. Even though I have told her before, she may have forgotten. I HATE THIS! I have a feeling that I won't be talking to her anytime soon. SO ANNOYING.

ANYWAY, I DO have what to look forward to:

1. Many nights in the Heights

2. My friend from Belgium who is currently working in England is coming to New York in September, for a few months or more, for school. I am really excited to see her!

3. A trip to Israel in January, IY"H. This trip will be much shorter than my last one. Ten days...if I'm lucky.

4. Many weddings, B"H.

5. Why am I listing this stuff? Oh, yeah, to make me happy! Ha!

Oh, and I get out of work at 2 tomorrow! SWEET! I usually get out at 2 on Mondays, but I switched with Morah Shifra this week due to a special occasion...I hope you had fun, Morah Shifra!

Nighty night!

Oh, and here's a shout out to Ed. You deserve only a tiny shout out because you doubted my relationship with Devora. Come to think of it, you have ALWAYS doubted my relationship with Devora. Oh, the jealousy...

Over 2,000 hits! And only 1,994 of them are ME!

For all of you who have not been able to sleep due to wonderment of whether I found brown shoes or not, wonder no more, because I did! After work, Morah Shifra (Ed, she is more of a Morah than you'll ever be!) and I walked to Starbucks and got Frappaccinos. Then, we went our separate ways. She went home and I went downtown. Rebecca's bus was supposed to get in at 3:20, but she left me a message saying that it won't be getting in until 4:30. So, I figured that I should go shoe shopping before I got her since it would be late by the time she got in.

I looked in a lot of stores for shoes. You would think that since every store sells brown clothes they would also sell brown shoes! But, noooooooooo. I looked at my watch after looking in 5 different stores and saw that it was already 4:45. I called Rebecca and she told me that the bus was going to be late. So, naturally, I kept shopping. I found a pair in the Skechers store! They are a light shade of brown and they remind me of a pair of shoes that I borrowed from DJ for a few weeks. The first size I tried on were too big and the next size down fit perfectly. Perfectly, meaning that my toes were at the top. They weren't too cheap, but I bought the smaller size. I'll just have to make sure that I stay in air-conditioned rooms! They hurt my heels (they're flat shoes, but they rub my heels...oh, the pain a girl MUST endure!), but I'll be okay. Until the feeling comes back in my feet...

After leaving the store with my shoes in hand, I went to South Station to get Rebecca. It was about 5:00. She didn't end up coming in until 5:30. I was so happy when she came! I told her how worried I was, and realized that I am going to drive my kids crazy one day! I can't wait! HAHA! We got to my house at around 6:30 and Shabbos started at 8.

Shabbos was really nice. My brother's friend's bar mitzvah was a lot of fun. I love Sfardi davening!

I was up all night last night with my Aussie. Why, you might ask? Well, her flight from NY to LA (which is where she will get her flight to Australia) was at 5:45pm today. So, she was going to take the 2:30am bus early this morning so she could do some things in NY. My brother started driving us and the exit to South Station was blocked off (welcome to Boston) so we didn't get to the bus station until 2:45am, due to the detour. The security guard told us that the next bus was at 7am. Great. So, we came back home at about 3am and my brother found out on the internet that the 7am bus is an express bus, so it wouldn't be too bad. I stayed up until 5:30, then slept on the couch for 45 minutes. My older righteous brother told me that I could wake him at 6:30am to drive us (I was planning to take the T). So, I did. Hey, he asked for it! So three sleep-deprived people got into the car at 6:40am and we got her on the 7am bus.

I miss her, but I KNOW that I will be seeing her again soon. SOON, Rebecca!

Hope you enjoyed the long post. HELLO?

HELLO?!? Are you AWAKE?!?!?

Ahem.

Today's Thought:

Why do people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

Here's Your Shout Out!

This is a shout out to my co-Morah, MIRIAM! There you go. I shouted out!

Okay...

Camp is going well. The kids are usually cute, depending on whether I had my coffee or not. Just kidding. If you know me, you know that I am immune to caffeine. Besides, I usually drink decaf. I do not need any outside influences to be hyper!

My Aussie is coming for Shabbos. My brother's sefardi friend is having his bar mitzvah, so we will be davening in a sefardi shul. Woohoo! My Aussie, okay, I'll call her Rebecca, is planning to leave on a 2:30am bus on Sunday morning, because her parents put her on a 5:30pm flight back to Australia (well, first she has plenty of stopovers). Yes, she is crazy.

I am going to meet her at the bus station tomorrow after work. Then I am going to look for a pair of brown shoes. Yes, ladies (Ed) and gentlemen (everyone else), I need brown shoes. I think I have been at Stern too long. Last time I needed brown shoes, I ended up covering my good pair of black shoes with scotch tape, and coloring them brown with a permanent marker. Other that making a lot of noise when I walked and having the tape peel off, they served their purpose. They also ruined my shoes, but hey, no hard feelings.

I am looking forward to a restful Shabbos. I hope to get to Gila's for Seuda Shlishit. We'll see.

Shabbat Shalom, everyone!

Oh! P.S. If anyone can think of anything for me to write for this assignment, that would be great! "Research 2 different interpersonal relationships. For each relationship, cite two examples in Tanach and write about what our Tanach characters teach us for each relationship."
This may seem simple for some of you, so please share the wealth! I need to make up assignments from my semester in Israel, or I will be in Stern FOREVER! Thanks in advance! :)

Today's Thought:

If practice makes perfect, and no one is perfect, then why practice?

Fun in the Sun. I mean...humidity

It was wicked humid today. Inside and out. I got out of camp at 2 today, so it was all good.

There is a rally against the Gush Katif evacuation tomorrow from 12-1 and I can't go. I really wanted to. Oh, well.

My friend from Australia is coming for Shabbos and I am really excited.

I heard some devastating news about a very good friend and it is really getting to me.

I am starting to get nervous about the upcoming steps that I plan to take in the near future.

I am having trouble facing the fact that I am 20.

I miss my nephews too much.

I miss my friends that are far away.

I can't stop feeling a lot of anger towards someone who: I used to be friends with, got engaged to a guy I know, never calls, and TEXTED me at 1:40am after my birthday was over. If she didn't have a missed call from me, I don't think she would have texted me. Am I supposed to call her and tell her how I feel? Her text made it seem as if she thought I might be mad at her. "hi hinda, I am not sure if you are upset with me, but I miss you and happy bday". She misses me, huh? Misses me enough that she actually makes an effort to call? Hmmm. I hate these situations. Girls are so stupid. I know I am a girl, but you know what I mean.

Maybe I'll e-mail her and pray that she actually reads it. She is always "too busy".

I need my Tuesday Nights in the Heights back. I need a hug from a special someone. (You know who you are).

Nice to see my thoughts in list form. I am considering going on HMS in November. Anyone who has an opinion on that, please e-mail me.

Have a good night, everyone.

Editor's Note: I am not depressed. I have been thinking a lot, that's all.

Today's Thought

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

Saturday night, Saturday night

This is my second Saturday night that I have stayed in. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. For one thing, Shabbos ends late, and for another thing, there's isketch. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, DANI!

Work is going well. I don't think my voice is going to be back to normal until camp is over. It sounds like a I-am-a-13-year-old-boy-going-through-puberty voice. It's cool, unless you are trying to sing with your kids and can't hit the notes. Ha!

I hung out at Gila's for about 2 hours today. We were sitting at her dining room table talking about camp and I said, "Isn't it great that all we talk about it camp?" It was funny. Okay, well it was funny at the time. Not laugh out loud funny, but...okay forget it.

DJ's sister is getting married tomorrow. MAZEL TOV! The announcement is already up on onlysimchas. DJ promised to post pictures. I can't wait to see them! I really wish I could be there, but such is life.

I am going to play on isketch now. If you haven't tried it, I wouldn't recommend it because it is SO addictive. Sort of like beating yourself over the head with a bowling pin. Okay, so it is nothing like beating yourself over the head with a bowling pin, but wouldn't that be funny? I think so. Funny in the way that if you took a bowling pin and hit yourself over the head with it, I would laugh. Really hard.

That's the end of my rambling for now.

Today's Thought

Why do they call the small candy bars the "fun sizes"? Wouldn't be more fun to eat a big one?

It's Official...

Okay, so I am officially 20. However, if you ask me how old I am, I will tell you that I am 19. That's right. I am in denial. And that's not just a river in Egypt. (That one was for you DM, since you are the only one who would appreciate it)

OKAY...SO LAST NIGHT, I ALMOST PASSED OUT! Now, I'll explain.

So, my friend from seminary was in Israel for the entire Shana Bet. Instead of going straight back home (AUSTRALIA), she came to America for a month. She was supposed to leave this Sunday, so I didn't think I was going to see her. Neither did she. I had had a dream a few days ago that she was here, but, alas, she didn't come.

Last night, my parents went to a speaker. They got back at around 10:30pm. My father came in the house and said, "Hinda (that's me), can you go out to the car and get the bag from the trunk?" I said okay, figuring that he wanted me to bring in some groceries. I went outside and my mother was standing next to the trunk and she said, "Can you take the bag out of the trunk?" She had that I-am-up-to-something look on her face, so, naturally, I was nervous about picking up the bag. My first thought was, maybe they got me a laptop. Or that whatever it was was going to bite me.

SUDDENLY, I hear a familiar Aussie voice say, "Sometimes, dreams do come true."

If I said that I FREAKED out, that would be an understatement! I went nuts. After I found my heart, we went inside and she told me that she was supposed to be in Baltimore, but her plans fell through at the last minute so she jumped on a bus to Boston from New York. THAT, my dear readers, is the meaning of a true friend. We spent the day together. It was really nice. She is going back to NY tomorrow morning, but she is hopefully coming to my house next Shabbos since she extended her ticket for another week.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent birthday wishes. I really appreciate it!

Today's Thought

If someone turns 20 and there is no one around to believe her (and she doesn't believe it herself), is she still 20?

Oh, and PS

I'M ALMOST TWENTY!

LESS THAN THREE WHOLE DAYS LEFT!

I am going to find a quiz that tells you how old you really are. I would be lucky if the results showed that I was 8. Okay, so that is really generous.

7 11

I hope everyone got their free slurpee today. If you are reading this before midnight and didn't, then GO! Okay, so it's a really small cup of slurpee, but it's FREE!

In other news:

1. I had wanted to go to Baltimore for DJ's sister's wedding, but that isn't happening. Oh, well.

2. I went to a 5 year old's birthday party yesterday. It was so much fun!

3. After the birthday party, my co-counselor and I went out. We went to the mall and looked at stuff that we are going to buy "after we get paid."

4. I put a cool pair of "Naot, but not" on hold while I was with my co and picked them up today with my mother since she has a Simon gift card.

5. I have to go to NY for a weekend sometime soon.

That's pretty much the extent of excitement in my life right now. I will probably think of more in the near future. Who knows?

I know this is a boring post, but deal with it! Sorry. That was rude...

PLEASE deal with it!

Today's Thought:

If rabbits' feet are so lucky, then what happened to the rabbit?

Thank G-d!

Will you make a great parent? Perfect Parent Congratulations, you will be adored by your children!

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Thanks to Ed who gave me the link for a million quizzes. This one caught my eye. This link can keep you busy for a while. Trust me. I'm not spending a lot of time on it right now, but I will. I have a while.

Oh, man. I can already imagine the smart comments I am going to get on this post...

I finally have something to do!

I started work yesterday. I am a morah for 12 three-year-olds. A lot of them are Israeli, so I won't lose my Hebrew skills (or I can improve on the lack thereof). There is one kid that only listens if you raise your voice. Fun. Overall, I am going to have a great time!

In other news, I have hit 1600 hits! Woohoo! I am sure that some of you are thinking, Why do people post how many hits they got. Isn't it obvious? My answer to you is, yes.

Anyway, I have to mail my Israel rental phone back today. It is supposed to be returned within 48 hours of your arrival. Oh, well. I am going by Jewish time.

Have a good Shabbos everyone!

Today's Thought

Whose cruel idea was it to put an "S" in the word lisp?

(I know it wasn't Ed. Well, at least I hope it wasn't!)

Home!

I'm back. Hold your applause. Never mind...go NUTS!

I spent yesterday morning with the nephews. I started crying a few times. The shuttle to the airport came at 1:30. We ordered it for 1:00, but that's how it goes. I was in the check-in line by 2:30, so it all worked out. The plane took off at 5pm. I sat next to a really sweet Israeli girl who was flying by herself for the first time. B"H, the flight went pretty fast. We landed at JFK at 10pm American time. My luggage came together and I was out of there by 10:40. My parents were waiting for me. They were so happy to see me. Sigh...what can I say? I am easily missable.

We drove straight home from the airport. I had two new voicemails since I checked them from Israel. Thanks, DJ! I fell asleep at around 12 or 1 and when I woke up, we were 5 minutes from home. We pulled into the driveway at 3am. My parents went to sleep and I just wasn't tired. It was 10am for me! Stupid jet lag. So, what did I do? I was on the computer until 5am! Then I went to sleep. I set my alarm for 10:30 and when I opened my eyes, my little brother was sitting across the room. He came over to me and said "I was here since 8 waiting for you to wake up." He works as a junior counselor at a camp in the neighborhood and my mother let him stay home because the camp was going on a field trip to a roller skating rink and that's not my brother's thing. My mother woke up at 11:30, came downstairs and said, "YOU came back from Israel, and I have jet lag!" It was really funny.

My parents took me and my brother out for "breakfast" at 1:30. Okay, we went out for pizza. Then we went to the bookstore next door. I saw Tonny (surprise!), DevorahAC and Rube. My brother had gift certificates there and he said he would buy me CDs for my birthday! I ended up buying 2, but the guy at the counter said that if we wanted our regular discount, we can't use the certificate. So, my father ended up paying. Whatever. It never goes the way you think it will.

My father said I can drive as soon as I pass the "Ema driving test". This means that I have to drive with my mother in the car. It was pouring rain today. Crazy stuff. It's over now. The dude on the radio said that an inch of rain was falling per hour. Whoa.

ANYWAY, that's the update for now. Once again, it was mostly babbling. Oh well. What can you do. For all those who are suffering from withdrawal from my thoughts of the day... I AM HERE TO SAVE YOU!

Today's Thought:

In the song, She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain, who is she?

Going

My sister and BIL just came back. I am going to the Kotel. Just thought I'd let you guys know so the mystery wouldn't keep you from sleeping tonight. Or whichever night you read this. Well, technically, any night you read this will be called "tonight." Okay, stop it.

Ed (okay, there. Now you're included)

I can't believe I am leaving tomorrow. The time flew by! I am going to have a really hard time leaving. Why can't I take my nephews with me?!?!?

That was a rhetorical question. I am going to miss them so much. The older one says my name now. Well, he says "Didda", but I know what he means. We bonded so much over the past few weeks, all so they can forget who I am. I am getting choked up just thinking about it. My sister and BIL went to drive someone home. If they get back at a reasonable hour, I am going to go and cry my eyes out at the Kotel. If not, then I will have to go early in the morning. I don't want to go when my nephews are awake! Maybe I'll go at 6am. I really don't want to leave. I CAN'T LEAVE. I am very emotional as it is, and now I have to LEAVE?! My shuttle is coming at 1pm tomorrow. I am going to be such a mess. I hate this part. The leaving part.

Princess Perica, since we are in so many classes together, we can spend them planning our next trip. Winter vacation sounds good to me. Wait. You're right. Someone should pay attention in class. You can have the honor of being that someone. I'll take care of the planning.

I am thinking about leaving. I don't want to be thinking about leaving! This post contains a lot of babbling. Whoa. I am so wiped out from running around like crazy today. There is so much that I needed to do today, and I accomplished a lot of it...but not all of it. Oh, well. My apologies to those who were expecting presents. Sorry. Ed and Tonny, don't complain because you are coming soon IY"H! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY MINUTE. IT WILL FLY BY.

So who's up for a vacation in January?

I will see you (most of you) back in the States.

I need a hug...