Found It!

I found the camera charger! And the room looks cleaner. The charger wasn't even in here. It was in the drawer of my dresser which is in the living room. Ha.

Just thought you would all like to know so you can sleep well tonight.

Moral of the Story: Electronics Don't Like Me

Last night, due to a crazy adventure at Nili's house, I didn't get back to my aparment until really late. This morning, I woke up feeling blech.

I was going to get my computer replaced today, but I was told that I have to back up all my files. The suggestion was to e-mail them all to myself. The only problem is, my computer cord doesn't work anymore (I used to be able to twist it around to make it work) so it has about 5 minutes of life left. I am going to ask Erica if she has the same one. I thought a girl in my aparment had the same one, but, guess what? It didn't fit. Uch.

AND, I can't find my camera charger...AGAIN. I am going to finish cleaning my room in the hopes that I remember where I put it.

Tonight, I am going to the dinner part of Girl's Night Out. I can't sit through a movie too. I have to pack. Thank G-d, Zehava is going home this weekend too. My roomie Kaila might come! Devora isn't coming because she is sick. FEEL BETTER, LAMAL!

Okay, back to looking for my camera charger.

Long Day

I went to the UWS this morning to get a copy of Nili's apartment so I can chill there today while she wasn't home. I left the apartment for a minute and when I came back, I couldn't get into the apartment. The key just wasn't working. Thank G-d I had my Metro card in my ID holder, so I was able to get back to my apartment. I came back and used other people's phones to call Nili. I apologized up and down and side to side, and she forbade me from apologizing anymore. I am meeting her at the train station later tonight.

I wasn't feeling too great this morning. I walked into my first class late and the head of the ed department was speaking to our class about the senior year and how important it is blah, blah. Then she started talking about graduation and I kept making faces at Erica and shaking my head. Then tears started falling down my face (I wasn't actually crying) and the head of the department told me to e-mail her. I need to talk to someone who knows stuff. I need her to HELP ME!

Oh, I got a new phone. Well, it's really my roomate's old phone, but I activated it to be my number. That's in Nili's apartment too. GREAT.

That's pretty much all the news for now. I am sure that I am missing out on telling you stuff, but you'll get over it.

I am hoping to go to Best Buy with someone tomorrow to get my computer replaced. WISH ME LUCK! Then it's time for Girl's Night Out! WOOHOO!

DJ, COME FOR SHABBOS!

Long Day

I went to the UWS this morning to get a copy of Nili's apartment so I can chill there today while she wasn't home. I left the apartment for a minute and when I came back, I couldn't get into the apartment. The key just wasn't working. Thank G-d I had my Metro card in my ID holder, so I was able to get back to my apartment. I came back and used other people's phones to call Nili. I apologized up and down and side to side, and she forbade me from apologizing anymore. I am meeting her at the train station later tonight.

I wasn't feeling too great this morning. I walked into my first class late and the head of the ed department was speaking to our class about the senior year and how important it is blah, blah. Then she started talking about graduation and I kept making faces at Erica and shaking my head. Then tears started falling down my face (I wasn't actually crying) and the head of the department told me to e-mail her. I need to talk to someone who knows stuff. I need her to HELP ME!

Oh, I got a new phone. Well, it's really my roomate's old phone, but I activated it to be my number. That's in Nili's apartment too. GREAT.

That's pretty much all the news for now. I am sure that I am missing out on telling you stuff, but you'll get over it.

I am hoping to go to Best Buy with someone tomorrow to get my computer replaced. WISH ME LUCK! Then it's time for Girl's Night Out! WOOHOO!

DJ, COME FOR SHABBOS!

Well, What Do You Know?

After a very frustrating apartment meeting tonight, Kaila and I have ended up back in the room that I had moved into when I first got here. It doesn't solve the problem of being on the 27th floor, but it will do.

I helped DJ out at her office today. Labelling, labelling, and labelling. Then I bought a book that I needed (for $3.22, thank you very much). DJ said that it's a really bad book, so yippee. I have to read parts of it for tomorrow. Oops. I'll start reading it online. We'll call it a bedtime story.

Tomorrow, I need to get a new phone since mine officially stopped working tonight. People can call me, they can hear me, but I can't hear them. It's great. AND, my computer cord doesn't charge my computer. We're doing well here.

That's all the kvetching I have for now.

Pictures are Up!

Yitz and Sorah Rivka's l'chaim pictures are now up!

I got home from Boston at about 12:30am. I chilled with Kaila for a little while. My computer cord wasn't working, so I got really annoyed, but then I moved into my bedroom and plugged it in here. It works! I am hoping to go to Best Buy this week to replace my computer. I was directed to go to a certain one where they are known to be friendly.

Shabbos was really nice. Chilled with DJ, (D, I am still really sorry), her neighbors and some other people. My aunt picked me up after Shabbos and we drove to Worcester. We stayed there overnight, then made our way to Boston. I had all the paper goods (my parents left them in my apartment by accident). The l'chaim was really nice. Lots of people came, and I was so happy! They are so cute.

Since we don't have fieldwork placements yet, there is no class tomorrow morning which means that I start at 12 and only have 2 classes! WOOHOO! And I actually like the classes! Awesome.

Oh, so I never shared my latest "I Love Stern" story:
On Thursday, I was supposed to have my Psych Lifespan class. The psych department had recently made a rule that if you had taken Psych Child, you can't take Psych Lifespan, but Erica and I had gotten special permission to take it. Before the class started, the teacher said, "Let me start off by saying that if you have taken Child with me already, you can not take this course." Erica and I didn't think that referred to us since we got special permission. Erica went over to ask her, and the teacher said she couldn't take the class, so she left. Miriam and Erica tried to convince me that I was an exception, but I wanted to leave. When the teacher was handing out papers, she came over to me and said, "Hinda, come talk to me after class." So, I said, "Am I allowed to be taking this class?" She said no, so I said, "Well, they said I could if I was making up a class." So she said, "Well you'll have to do it with another professor."

I was really mad. Two academic advisors had told me that I could take this course. The worst thing was that she had asked me to see her after class. Had I sat there and wasted an hour of my life, then gone over to her so she could tell me that I couldn't take the class, I would have been even angrier than I am now. I told my father about it today, and he said that he is still willing to come down here for a day and straighten everything out. I think I am going to ask him to do that.

Okay, I am going to sleep now. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mazel Tov!

As of 2am...

YITZ IS ENGAGED! He came in for the night last night and got engaged (as my mother told me at 8:45am)! WOOHOO! I had sent him a text from AIM at 1:30am saying "NU???" And this morning I had a message from his phone saying "Mission accomplished." I'm glad he didn't back out because I had to shlep all the paper goods for the l'chaim to the Heights. I am getting a ride home with my aunt on Saturday night. The l'chaim is at my house on Sunday afternoon.

Oh, to who? He's engaged to Sorah Rivka Jacobowitz from Far Rockaway. MAZEL TOV!

Hasn't quite 100% hit me that he's getting married. It hit me last week and now I am waiting for it to hit me again.

So, there you go. MAZEL TOV!

More Drama

So, the apartment drama has gone to a new level.

Yesterday, two girls from apartment 8F came up to look at our apartment set up. They saw mine and Kaila's room and said that it was the only thing that was different because they have a wall going across the living room making a nice sized room where our study space is. They suggested that we switch apartments with them because they have five girls in a space meant for six, and we have it the other way around. Kaila and I got really excited about it, but the other girl in the apartment said, "I saw the other apartment and I like this one better." Yeah, right. Davidah is on our side, B"H. We heart Davidah...a lot.

So, since Kaila is the braver one in the relationship, she was the one who approached the others. One of them is away on vacation until next week. The other two are the ones who took over the room I had originally moved into. Now, here's the fun part. When Kaila asked the "grandmother girl (GG)" about it today, she said that she had looked at the apartment and would only agree to move if she could get the big room off the living room. Kaila (so proud) was not happy to hear this. When (If?) I start talking to her, I will tell her that she is being so selfish that I am getting sick. She said that she wants that room because of the sunlight. Okay, so every room has sunlight. Kaila stood strong and said, "So, you're saying that you want to shaft us again?" GG's roomate doesn't want to move because she doesn't want to move her stuff. Kaila told her that they could hire people to do it. Seriously. They are being so annoying about it. At least we are thinking of doing this now before we get too settled. We don't even have any furniture in the living room because the girl who bought it last year took it back.

I am getting really frustrated. If they don't move, then there's going to be even more tension in our apartment than there is now. Kaila and I are living in a closet. Seriously. We aren't living like we're in an apartment. I just want to know why GG wants the living room room so badly. Well, I guess I can always move her stuff out if I don't want her to be there. Wait. Is that revenge? Oh, well.

Okay, Hinda, change the subject.

I went shopping with Devora and Ed today. We got Devora a beautiful gown (I saw it somewhere and really wanted it) and found a top for it. It's BEAUTIFUL! Pictures coming soon.

Speaking of pictures...The wedding was beautiful. Really beautiful. Here's a collection (as always):

I am at Devora's now. I should get to sleep. She's actually letting me cook! :)

Have a great Shabbos! I might have something to blog tomorrow...

First Day

The first day of school went really well. Mondays and Wednesdays will be my good days. This semester, I will be doing a lot of fieldwork in classrooms. That should be interesting.

The apartment drama is still annoying me. I just have trouble looking her in the face. We had a small e-mail exchange this morning. I presented my side (with help) and she wrote back. It didn't make anything any better. Eh, whatever.

I can't wait for the wedding tonight! I can't believe she is getting married. I didn't make any shtick! I should probably go to Staples now and get some materials.

Have a great day!

Back in the Apahtment

The rest of the conference was alright. There were two Rabbeim who spoke via sattelite (R' Noach Weinberg shlita and R' Mendel Weinbach shlita). That was definitely the highlight of the day. I took some good notes and felt like I have finally gotten some Judaism in my summer. Yes, it's still summer.

I came back to the apartment and Kaila was here. We rearranged everything so now the former 1-bed bedroom has 2 beds in it, and we made a nice work space in the back of the living room. We blocked it off with 2 big desks. After that, I ran to the shuttle and went to Devora's. I got to see Ed and Matt. That was awesome! I went to Devora's and got my camera charger and got to chill with her! I LOVE YOU! I can't wait until Shabbos.

I can't believe that school is starting. GO AWAY!

I'm so overtired. Good night!

Back

We started our road trip at about 7am. We stopped at my grandparents' graves in Connecticut on the way. I wasn't ready for that.

I hung out in Frockaway while my parents met with some people and I got to see Adi and Aliza! I can't believe Aliza is getting married! I am so excited. After that, we went to Amazing Savings and I got some stuff for my apartment. Then my parents and I headed into the city and started moving me in. I came in and saw that one room was already claimed. All that was left was one bedroom with 2 beds, one bedroom with 1 bed and a bed in the living room. I didn't know what to do. I had a lot of stuff (2 college boxes on top of my luggage) and I wasn't sure whether to take the single room because I would feel bad doing that, and I didn't want to take the bed in the living room because I didn't want to get shafted, so I moved into the room with the 2 beds. I unpacked everything and got ready to walk to Penn Station to meet Georgia. We got the train and got to the hotel. While I was here, one of the apartment-mates called me to ask me about the apartment and I told her that I moved into the room with the 2 beds, but I will move if I really have to. Then her roomate called me but I ignored it because I knew she was calling to give me a hard time. She finally left a message (after calling 10 times, from two different numbers) saying that she is moving in tomorrow morning and is moving all my stuff out of the room. I got really mad. Then a text came in saying the same thing. I picked up when she called again (yes, again), and told her that it's not fair because she goes home all the time and Kaila (my roomate) and I didn't. (Kaila and I are the only out of towners. The rest of them are from NY and NJ.) She said, "Well, my grandmother is the one who got us the apartment!" Then I got really mad and said, "Fine.", and hung up.

I was fuming. I had just gotten to this conference and I was miserable already. Thank G-d for Georgia...that's all I can say. I ended up texting this girl back and forth from someone else's phone. I told her that I don't want to stay in the apartment, especially if she is going to keep using the grandmother line and she told me that she won't use it all the time, but she will use it for the apartment. She went on to say that I knew that she and her roomate were supposed to get the good room. I wrote back saying, well I was going to leave a note saying that I would move if I had to. She could have done it differently. I was SO MAD. Then I told her that all my stuff was unpacked (and I mean all of my stuff) and she better not mess everything up. And I told her that if she wants it this way, then she has to call Kaila to tell her that she's living in the living room. We were so excited about sharing a room. I was considering leaving the apartment and maybe going to Schottenstein (single rooms). One of my friends told me to just squash it for Shalom Bayis (peace of the house) reasons. I will squash it, but that doesn't mean that I can't be upset about it now. I knew there would be issues if I lived with this girl. I figured that since I like the other 4 girls a lot, then it would cancel out. I guess there's still a chance, but this is not a good way to start the year.

This is going to be interesting. I don't want to go back there tomorrow night. I don't want to know what she will do to all my stuff. I mean, I made the bed really nicely and everything. I don't have anything to say to her. Mommy!

Why do girls have to be so mean?

Aw, MAN!

So, Debra just told me that the Windsor rules are that I have to move in by 4pm. What to do now...hmmmm.

PROCRASTINATION TIME!

Shabbos was really nice. Just me and the parentals on Friday night and today we had my parents' shadchan and his family over for lunch along with three girl counselors from my shul's camp. I slept the rest of the day away and Dena came over to wake me up.

Now, I am supposed to be packing. I even washed the dishes in the hopes of stalling my packing. I am so not in the mood. I hope to be able to check into Windsor tomorrow at the check-in times, then come back with my stuff later. I don't see why not. We shall see.

I am going to go back to procrastinating now.

I MIGHT SURVIVE!

So, Tiff told me what apartment I am going to be in and I just asked Dena about it and her answer was, "That's the nicest apartment!" Her friend was in it and it has 3 bedrooms (I don't have to sleep in the living room!), a huge living room, huge dining room and I am so excited about it! WOOHOO! I called my roomate of the year and told her about it since we were both really nervous about ending up in a living room. *Insert big sigh of relief here*

I spoke to my DJ today. I am so excited to see you!

I got my computer back for the second time, and once again, it is still not fixed. The sound sounds as if it is in slow motion. I just bought DVDs! I NEED IT TO BE FIXED! I need to work my connections in high places. DAC said that she will call Toshiba with me on Sunday night to yell at them. At this point, they should be replacing my computer. Uch.

Shabbos this week is just me and my parents. Tomorrow we are having guests. It is my parents' Hebrew anniversary today, so they invited their shadchan and his family over for lunch tomorrow. I am going to Young Israel to see my kids. I am so excited! I miss them.

Speaking of which, I played with Uriel today. Fifteen minutes after he came, my mother told me that two other kids are coming over. We went to a lot of parks and played. It was awesome.

Alright, have a great Shabbos everyone!

Activity for tomorrow night: PACKING! I hope Morah Shifra comes over...

DOWNTOWN DAY!

Today I went downtown with Morah Shani. It was AWESOME! We got the same bag (from 2 different stores), I got 2 skirts and a bunch of DVDs thanks to Shani's expertise at Strawberries. It was a great deal. Then we had lunch at Milk Street, went to Quincy Market and came home. Then I went to the eye doctor and got ripped off with contacts. of course, my prescription got worse and I just bought new glasses which means I would have to pay a LOT to get the lenses changed. The dude said that I should just wear the contacts most of the time and see if I can go without changing the lenses in the glasses. Oh well. The best part of the trip was that I helped my mother pick out new glasses and I told her to get the same ones as me! She thought I would mind. What do I care? I'm barely home! She agreed that they would look good on her because, "We have the same face!"

At around 8pm, we had a surprise party for Morah Shani since her birthday is on Shabbos and her family is moving to Philly on Monday. She's going to Israel next week and then she's coming to Stern, so I will be seeing her. Magic Morahs Forever!

Now I am home and ready for bed. I'm not going to bed yet, but I am ready for it. Tomorrow, I am babysitting for URIEL! He is coming to my house. I might take him to Dunkin Donuts or something. Woohoo!

I am not looking forward to packing on Saturday night. I really hope Yitz picks up my computer tomorrow so I can listen to music while I pack. I hope to update my iPod too. We shall see. My parents are taking me to NY, it's just a question of whether or not they can take me to check in. I might have to find a place to go in the morning until 3 which is when I can check in. Eh.

Good night!

I Can't Believe I Forgot!

Yesterday, my mother took me to Linens and Things and I got a green comforter and a green sheet set. The comforter is light green on one side, and a darker green on the other. The sheet set is light green with blue, white and dark green stripes. SO EXCITING! I told my mother that it might actually make me sleep this year. Yeah...right.

I also got towels and some kitchen stuff from Target. What? You are so interested in my shopping exhibitions? Okay, good.

It's Over...and I'm Still Alive

Camp is over. I am not too happy about it, but I had a good last day. The kids had such a great summer, but I definitely had more fun than them. Morah Shifra came over last night to make the presents with me. Then we went to the Yeshiva to drop off the stuff. It was late and really DARK in the building. We felt like we were in a horror flick.

After camp, my mom, Morah Shani and I went to Dunkin Donuts and my father picked us up when we were done.

I can't believe the summer is over. I don't want to go to school. Uch. Tomorrow, I am going downtown with Shani and Shifra. I need to find something to wear to a wedding I have on Wednesday night. On Friday, I have a playdate with Uriel in the morning. He's so cute. He's one of my camp alumnus.

I am waiting for my friend to call since she wanted to go out to dinner.

That's my exciting life for now. I miss camp.

One More Thing...

Lesson of the Night:

Always make sure that Morah Shifra is hyped up on caffeine before Morah outings because she makes me seem normal. Yes, it was THAT bad.

I love you, Morah!

And we all say, Amen.



Shout out to Om Shinarah for driving us around! WOOHOO!

Two More Days...:'(

I don't want camp to be over. End of crying session...for now.

Yesterday was my day in NY. Got lots of exercise, a recorder (the instrument) with a book of Disney songs, and EMPIRE RECORDS! WOOHOO! And it was 25% off. I KNOW. Then...bowling! I was supposed to win. Oh, well. It was a good day.

I took TWO campers out on a date after camp. Yes, two. Well, I was originally going to take just one, but I saw that she was having a great time with another girl, so I called her mother and asked if I could take her daughter for a few hours. She was like, "Just for fun?" Yes. It was fun. Other than the fact that I am extremely overtired and was really hot, it was fun. I can't wait to have kids to spoil. Mwahaha.

I got home at 6pm and had a Morah outing with 3/4 of the Morahs to Dollar Tree ("Because Heaven Only Costs a Dollar!") and TARGET! We got presents for the kids for the last day of camp. I am going to decorate the containers. Party! We're giving the kids a small Rubbermaid container (they were 4 for a dollar) with a box of crayons, a small cup of Play-Doh (not the imitation stuff), little squishy balls, and, oooh, I just realized that I have taffies that my friends sent me for my birthday. This will be fun. I got Pirates and Shrek on DVD from Target. On sale this week, baby!

I got 4 YU housing e-mails today. All of them (thank G-d) said that I am going to be in Windsor. We are very happy about that. We are not happy about the fact that we are going back. Oh, well. One step at a time.

Got a call from one of my old NCSY advisors with an interesting question...we'll see how that goes. (Yes, I know. MYSTERY!)

That's all the news for tonight. I am way overtired to think of anything else.

Night night.

PS You'll never catch up...MWAHAHA!

Motivator?

Are you still considered a motivator if you need to use something materialistic, like, oh, I don't know...a Frappucino, to motivate someone to do something that they should be doing on their own? Hmmm...I guess so. I'll take it. :)

Shabbos was awesome. Really. I spent a lot of time with friends. Morah Shani, her sister, and I walked to Young Israel and I saw two of my campers and a few other ones. I usually see more, but a lot of them were out of town. Morah Shifra walked back with us and came to my house for lunch. After lunch, Morah Shani came over, then DAC walked over from Newton. WOOHOO, party in my room! The weather was, BH, beautiful. We all walked over to Gila's house for her birthday, but we didn't stay for too long.

After Shabbos, we were going to have a "Morah Outing" with 3/4 of the Morahs, but one backed out, so Morah Shifra and I had a nice night out. We went to Barnes and Noble (open until 11pm on Saturday nights!) so Shif could get something for her father, then we went to CVS and Walgreen's. They didn't have what I was looking for, so I drove to Stop and Shop and I found it! It wasn't easy, but it was a successful trip. Very worth it. :)

I can't wait to go to NY tomorrow. I'll be exhausted, but that just means I'll have more energy. don't ask me how that works. I am still trying to figure it out. Nine hours of Peter Pan/Greyhound fun. Woo...hoo. I made sure to get Peter Pan buses because they show movies. If the movie is too boring, I was told to make a phone call, so it should be fine.

I had asked to miss work on Monday because I was going to go somewhere with DJ, but that didn't work out. I had told my camper in shul that I wouldn't be able to take her on a date (Barnes and Noble then JP Licks...be jealous) on Monday, so I told her I would take her on Tuesday. Boy, will she be surprised when she sees me in camp! I am so happy I don't have to miss work. My assistant won't be there Monday and Tuesday, and I felt bad leaving. All for the best!

I can't wait to go shopping tomorrow! I know that is weird coming from me, but I think I might enjoy it. Okay, I'll admit it...I KNOW I'll enjoy it!

Sweet dreams, or as Tonny and I like to say, "PAZ!"

TGIF

I am so tired. TGIF! I went to sleep really late last night making the newsletters, cleaning my room and trying to find my camera battery charger. I couldn't find it and I was not too happy about it. Oh, well.

Camp was great. We had a grand finale to musical insttruments week. The morahs put on a concert. Morah Shani played the flute, Morah Shifra played violin, Morah Miriam played the piano and I played the piano and recorder. I really wish I had kept on with the lessons. All I can do is play by ear without chords. I really want to learn guitar...sigh. So much to do.

A kid from camp came home with us today and we chilled. His brother is in my group but he wasn't in camp because he has strep. I, being the generous morah that I am, sent him the challah that I made. It was a mama challah, if I must say so myself.

Morah Shifra is coming for lunch. Morah Shani, her sister Sarah and I are walking to Young Israel on Shabbos (a 40 minute walk). It's a camp reunion there every week. I am so excited!

I am going to NY for the day on Sunday...I can't wait! ;) There's nothing like shopping with an old pal and knowing that I don't have to go back to a dorm afterwards! Speaking of which, I still don't know where I am living. I am supposed to move in next week. Fabulous.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and restful Shabbos!

AWESOME DATE!

Camp today was, as usual, lots of fun. I got out at 2 and a friend picked me up to get ice cream (shout out to friend!). It was awesome. We ended up going shopping afterwards (I bought 4 more shirts like the ones I got last night at Gap Outlet) and I got to camp to pick up my date RIGHT ON TIME. He was just as (if not more) excited about the date. We walked to the train with Morah Shifra (shout out!). Ariel was so happy! See?


We started off by going to Barnes and Noble. I bought a book (the Educator's Card didn't expire yet!) and I bought one for Ariel. My book is called Because A Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! By Rosetta Stone. I used to read it at my grandmother's house. I'll probably read it again next time I go over there. I bought Put Me In The Zoo for Ariel. No, not as an insult. After that, we went over to Cafe Eilat for pizza! The best part was that two of my other campers came in! Gabrielle (I'm taking her out after camp on Monday) came with her mother and adorable little brother, and Ayelet came with her grandmother, siblings and other people. I had a nice chat with Gabrielle's mother for a while, then we left.

Off to JP Licks! Ariel got a small cup of chocolate chip ice cream with sprinkles. We sat while he ate it for a little while, then we started towards the train home. We got to his house and his mother tried to pay me. TO PAY ME. What was she thinking? I told her that I wanted to take him out. She argued that I said I would babysit. Oh, please. She makes shoes so she was going to give me a pair of shoes instead. I told her I wouldn't wear them, so she asked me what I like. I said "Target and green." She asked if I liked anything that was green and I said yes. She said I'll have something tomorrow. Mysterious...

I came home, ate dinner, made squash kugel and I have been up here ever since. I started writing the camp letter, then I realized that I have no idea what we did this week. Short term memory? No thanks, I have one of my own. I was supposed to clean my room a while ago. It's going to be a long night. YAY!

Alright...enough of this. Good night!

It's Almost 1am and I Haven't Told You About My Night!

SO...

After eating a little bit of dinner, I took Abba's car to pick up DAC and go to Watertown.

Here's the breakdown:
We started off at the Arsenal Mall. DAC returned something at Marshall's, then we both got shirts at Gap Outlet (yes, one of mine is green). Then we walked all around the mall and didn't buy anything else. Then we went across the street to the Watertown Mall. We started at Payless and I went over to the girl at the counter (the same one who helped me find my dream shoes) and said, "I just came to say hi. Remember me?" Then I pointed to my shoes and she was like, "Oh, HI!" Then we went to Target and DAC bought me a pair of Dr. Suess fish pajama pants. We each got a clearance t-shirt to match. For me a green one and for her a blue one. Thank G-d for the men's department. I can't wait until the next Shabbaton! I got a shirt for Yossi (on clearance, too!), a cool watch, and exchanged something for Dena.

Overall, a fun night. Plus the fact that my father's car has a CD player, we had a lot of fun with that.

Now I am sitting here wondering how it got to be 1am. WHAT?!?

Good night!

Afternoon of Rip-Offs and New Do's

Camp was great. I woke up on time! Thanks to my wake up call...

Anyway, after camp, I walked to Nail Stylus and got my eyebrows done. The "Rip-Off" in the title of this post refers to both the action and the financial loss I suffered. After that, I took the train to Cleveland Circle and got a haircut at Supercuts. People ask me if they are any good there and I say that it depends on who does it. Duh. This time, Robert did it and he was brilliant! He said that the most important part of a haircut is the consultation, and let me tell you, he really knew what he was talking about. I gave him a $5 tip. Mostly because the haircut was $15 and I would have totally spent $20 or more to get a haircut like this! I love these moments! Sigh...

Tomorrow, I am taking one of my campers on a date after camp. His father is out of town and his mother doesn't feel well, so I told her that I will pick him up from camp and take him out. I'm thinking that we will go get pizza and ice cream. Maybe we'll go to Barnes and Noble and look at the books there. I've always wanted to do that with a kid. You can be jealous if you must. I will not stop you. I asked another one of my campers' mother if I could take her daughter out on Monday. This girl is no ordinary 3 and a half year old. She is one of my best friends in camp. We'll probably do the same thing as tomorrow's shindig. I am so excited.

In other news, some family stuff is going on. I talked to my mother about it and everything is fine now, but my feelings towards people have not changed. Things will be changing and I am not looking forward to them at all. Therapy over.

That was my day so far...more later.

Oops I Forgot!

1. I bought cool Care Bear pajama pants for $4 at AJ Wright last night.

2. I spoke to Miriam on the phone tonight. My favorite part of the conversation was as follows:

Miriam: Hinda is gonna come for Simchat Torah. (Editor's note: MAYBE)
Miriam's Dad: Which one is she?
Miriam: The redhead from Boston
Miriam's Dad: Oh! The funny one.

Yes, I have an in with the in-laws! I met her father in May. He's pretty funny himself. I can't wait to go to Dallas!

Okay...that's all I needed to post at this time. Feel better, Miriam?

Bad Start to a Great Day

So, I overslept this morning. I woke up after hearing the end of my phone ring. It was 9 o'clock. Camp starts at 9 o'clock. It was Morah Shani who called me to see if everything was okay. She was supposed to drive me to camp and she told me that she came up to the door, knocked and rang the bell and it seemed like no one was home. I jumped out of bed freaking out, called Shani to let her know that I was alive and got ready quickly. My mother had gone out early in the morning to get a test done, so she wasn't home to wake me up. I am NOT blaming her. When I told her after camp, she laughed. She told me she had given me a kiss before she left, but I didn't know that. She said she didn't want to wake me because it was too early. My father said had he known, he would have called me to wake me. I told him that if I had known that I was going to sleep in, I would have asked him to call! :)

I took the train and was in camp by 10am. It was a great day. I am so sad that camp is almost over. I love it so much! We had another Dance Party today. The kids love that! Here are some pictures from today. (Notice my SHOES! The kids loved them and totally understood my excitement about them.)

After camp (I stayed until 4 o'clock today and yesterday and will tomorrow...I'm starting to not dislike it so much...), I went to the NCSY office to help DAC out with a mailing. It was a lot of fun. There were BU people there that I had met on the Boston Shabbaton (they came for lunch) and we made it enjoyable. We watched some Gilmore, Friends and Will and Grace (is was a really funny one). We ended off the night by starting Mrs. Doubtfire. Childhood memories? I think so. Then I realized that it was late, so I went home. I had a nice chat with my father about stuff then came upstairs to clean my room and AIM. Then of course, my AIM stopped letting me connect for a while and we got into a fight. We made up a few minutes ago. I didn't get too far with cleaning my room. Oh, well.

Goal for tomorrow is to get a haircut. I thought you should know that.

Good night everyone. I am getting a wake up call tomorrow, so maybe I won't sleep in...even though my mother is home, it's always good to have backup.

Wow...my blog posts of the summer are getting longer. Nice. (Speaking for myself, of course.)

GREAT DAY!

Today was awesome. We had a Jump-A-Thon in camp to raise money for Camp Simcha. Miriam and I jumped first and jumped 155 times. We would have kept going, but we wanted the kids to have a chance. REALLY!

After camp, DAC took me to Target, but believe it or not, it wasn't the highlight of the day. We went to Payless because I wanted to find a pair of brown shoes, and I found THESE!






Aren't they beautiful? I had seen them in one size smaller than I needed, so I went to the guy at the counter and asked, "Could you save my life and tell me that you have these in my size?" He laughed and checked the computer and said that they have 2 pairs. I was so excited. He sent one of the girls who worked there to get them for me and I thanked her up and down. We discussed the beauty of green for a few minutes, then I tried on the shoes and literally danced around the store. I went to pay and the girl who got the shoes for me continued to listen to me spew about them. When she rang me up she said, "I'll give you 10% off." WOW. How amazing?

I changed into my new shoes right when we got back into the car. DAC had to go to Friendly's to get something for her brother and I went in with her. When we were waiting, a woman turned around to me, saw my necklace and shoes and said, "Do you have a necklace to match every pair of shoes?" Yes, I was wearing a green necklace. It was funny. I guess you had to be there.

I got home and my family was sitting at the kitchen table. Yossi said he wanted to go to AJ Wright to look at t-shirts, so I ate a piece of meat roll and took him. I got three nice cheap skirts and he got some t-shirts which we are returning half of. Then we deposited my paycheck at Stop and Shop and went home.

This week in camp is musical instruments week. During lunch today, We put on Lev Tahor 4 and I started lip syncing to the music. I told the kids what lip syncing means and one kid told me to go on the stage and do it. I did that for a few minutes, then I got down and told them that the Morahs will put on a concert before the Shabbos party on Friday. When I was in Target, I found two blow up microphones for $.64. Bargain...HELLO?!?!?

Wow, have I gone on for a while. That will be all for now. Ta-ta. 

This Makes Me Happy

I saw this trailer for "Happy Feet" when I went to see "RV" and it made me laugh a lot.

This should pick you up when you're in a bad mood. I really hope I get to see this movie...;)

Watch trailer 2. It's worth it.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/

Why....WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!

If I went to sleep at 4:40am, why am I awake now? What is going on? I woke up every hour...must have had things on my mind. I got up when Devora got up and she's getting ready to head out for the day. I don't have any set plans. I'm hoping to get a ride back with Yitz. He usually gets back at an insane time in the morning, but we had a good time on the way here, so I'm sure I'll be kept awake and entertained by Kashnow Karaoke. Good times, good times. I never want to take a bus again. I am now spoiled. I want to come into NY for the day next Sunday. I would come for Shabbos but I don't want to miss another Friday in camp. I love leading the Shabbos party!

I realized that maybe I can get a ride into NY with DAC before the conference with all my stuff for school. Hmmmm....interesting. I decided that I want to be back in the city at about 6pm on Tuesday because that's when Miriam will be in NY. I miss that woman. This means that I will have to leave the conference early. Watch me cry now. As you can tell, I am not 100% excited about this conference. I'll go for a day and a half (instead of two full days) and that's that. I mean, I start school the next day, man. Which, by the way, I am not ready for AT ALL.

Uch, whatever.

I might go back to sleep...not sure yet. I'm going to go continue wondering why I am awake.

Still Awake. What's up with that?

Yes, it is almost 4am and I am awake. I was helping Elana with something on the computer, then I got a phone call, got disconnected from that phone call, then called Miriam. I've been on the phone with her for over an hour. There is no sound on the other end right now because we are in the middle of a facebook wall fight. If you are reading this and you have facebook, you should read the wall-to-walls between me and Miriam. You have to be friends with both of us, but it's worth reading!

She just told me I could look at my wall now. I dominated hers and she dominated mine. I'm nervous...okay, bye.

In New York

I had such a fun Shabbos. I am sitting here with Amy G and Elana and we are not doing much, but we are enjoying each other's company.

Memorable quote of the weekend.

Devora: Honestly, (then she said stuff I can't remember)
ElanaPerew: You want honesty? I want to have your babies...and she's not even listening to me.
Devora: What? You want to have my babies? I know.

I guess you had to be there. We're going to go figure out what to do now.

HAHA!

I am STILL awake! Packing is so overrated. Man oh Manishevitz.

It's light outside. It was still dark not that long ago. I think my father is supposed to be getting up soon. Oh, boy. I hope I get to sleep in the car tomorrow.

Back to packing so I can be done!

GOOD MORNING! :)

It's 3:32AM. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

Well, they're probably NOT doing laundry, like I am! I haven't even started packing yet because everything I own was in my hamper for a while. Not to worry, I am almost done! At least I had someone to keep me entertained on the phone for about an hour and a half while my first load was in! ;)

Shout out to Mirrac. I really love you guys. I can't wait to see you soon! REALLY!

Sigh...I am so tired, but I am going to pretend that the two cans of Coke Zero worked wonders.

Good morning, everyone.

Fast Broken

Another Tisha B'Av, gone like the wind. Like wind that could have toppled me over since I had no food in my system.

I wanted to go to the OU video presentation today, but I didn't. I didn't do too much at all. I did think about the Beis Hamikdash though. And I thought about Israel a lot. I also said Tehillim. So, I guess I did some of the things I was supposed to do.

I am going to NY tomorrow. I have to ask my brother when he's going. I think I'll end up on a bus in the early AM. I need to see my DJ! Amy and Elana are coming to sleep over too. I love those girls. I can't wait.

I got guilted into going to the NCSY conference on August 21 and 22. DJ said she might try to stop by one night to say hi, so if she does that, then I will leave with her. I am not looking forward to it too much. Besides, I went to LTS (Leadership Training Seminar) last year and it was amazing. I am afraid that going to another program like it is pushing it. We'll see. I had told Amy that if she goes, then I go. Since she's going, I'll keep my end of the deal.

I don't feel like packing. Can someone come and do it for me? Thanks.

Have a good night! I will try to post again before Shabbos since I'm sure this post kept you on the edge of your seat.

A Thought for Tisha B'Av

Av, The Month of Tragedies

The sign of the Month of Av is Aryeh / Leo. The lion is the king of the jungle. He brooks no opposition. The lion demands to rule alone. He represents pride - the collective noun for a group of lions is a 'pride' of lions.

Pride was the fatal flaw of the spies whom Moshe sent to investigate the Land of Israel. The spies returned on the ninth day of the month of Av.

Pride is rooted in the element of fire which seeks to rule at all costs. The spies' pride and their concern for maintaining their own ruling status distorted their vision of the Land.

If the spies erred in their perception, making self-fulfilling prophecies of doom, the Jewish People were also at fault by listening to their distorted report.

The month of Av is associated with the tribe of Shimon - from the same root in Hebrew as the word 'hearing.' Thus, Av is a propitious time to correct mistakes in regard to hearing - listening to lashon hara (gossip) and rechilus (slander).

Fraught as it is with tragedy, Av is the saddest time of the year for the Jewish People: On the same date that the spies returned and spoke evil about the Land of Israel, the First Temple was destroyed. It was on that same day, the ninth of Av, that the Second Temple was also destroyed. On the ninth of Av, the Romans destroyed Betar and massacred thousands of Jews. As the prophet Yirmiyahu predicted, Jerusalem was ploughed over - on the ninth of Av.

On the 9th of Av 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain. On the 9th of Av 1914 -The First World War began. The insubstantial peace that concluded this war was a direct cause of the Second World War in which the six million perished. The 9th of Av 1942 - The first killings started at Treblinka: "The first transport of 'deportees' left Malkinia on July 23, 1942, in the morning hours. It was loaded with Jews from the Warsaw ghetto. The train was made up of sixty closed cars, crowded with people. The car doors were locked from the outside, and the air apertures barred with barbed wire."

In the future, to that same degree that the ninth of Av has been a day of tragedy, it will be a day of great happiness. For on the 9th of Av, the Mashiach will be born from the tribe of Yehuda (whose symbol is the lion).

His coming will wipe the tear from every eye.
(Taken from the Aish HaTorah website)

I wish everyone an easy and meaningful fast. May Moshiach come soon and redeem us and Eretz Yisrael.

It's Been A While

Tonight, I got back in touch with someone I haven't heard from in three years. It's awesome. :)

Stay cool tomorrow! And remember...wear sunscreen.

PICTURES!

As is Hinda's Blog tradition, here is the collage of pictures!