I'm Moving!

I'm moving. Unfortunately I am not having a garage sale before I move, so you will be unable to buy cheap tacky crap that you will one day sell at a garage sale.

Anyway, here's my new url: http://jabberwocky-jessica.tumblr.com/

Please change all blogroll links accordingly and I hope to read your comments on my new blog!

I'm On My Way To Me'ah She'arim

While in Israel I had an idea for a t-shirt. After hearing that some chassidish guy in Me'ah She'arim tried to beat up my brother-in-law because he and my sister-in-law were holding hands I was inspired to come up with this t-shirt:

I Got Stoned in Me'ah She'arim...
... and all I got was this blood stained t-shirt.



//Blue Fringes' Flippin Out

'Good Omens' by Neil Gaiman

I finally finished my 'G' book. I have technically been reading this book since April. Between final papers, finals, morning sickness and then skipping town I put off finishing this book. I'd have to say that although I can barely remember what the first 3/4 of the book were about, I do remember enjoying them. I also enjoyed the last 1/4 of the book, but as a whole I had a lot of trouble with the book. Whenever there is more that 4 main characters that I have to pay attention to I get confused. Undiagnosed learning disability? Maybe. Attention span of a crack baby? More likely. If you're looking for a good story, this book definitely has it. But if you're like me, I'd say skip this book and find one with less characters to focus on so you don't have to keep saying to yourself, "Wait... who's that?"






As usual you can read all of my ABC book reviews at my website under the "ABC" link at the bottom of the page.

I Might Just Get Up and Dance or Buy Some Acid-Wash Pants

My last semester in college starts this coming Wednesday -- well, technically Thursday for me, since I don't have class on Wednesday. I always get excited for the new semester. Even though I know about two weeks in I'm going to start counting down the days until the semester is over, it's always fun finding out what books I need, what the requirements for each class are, etc. This semester though, I am especially psyched because I know that the sooner this semester starts, the sooner it is over. The sooner the semester is over, the sooner Corey and I are out of New York (and are parents!!!!!!!!). Whether I'm waiting for the semester to end or begin is not really the point of this post though. I always feel like the beginning of a new semester is a good time to make "New Years resolutions". In no particular order, here are some of the things I hope to accomplish over the next few months.

+Start davening again -- I used to daven shacharis every morning. I was even davening mincha and maariv for a while, but that was mostly because Corey was a gabbai and I just happened to be with him during davening times. I didn't lose faith in davening or anything like that. I just got lazy. But Corey bought this beautiful green siddur in Israel so I'm going to put it to good use -- that is not the only reason I want to start davening again. I'm going to start off slowly; just brachos and shmoneh esrei -- I have the attention span of a- I like candy. Um, what?

+ Master at least 5 new (mostly healthy) recipes. Corey and I have decided to get as healthy as we can be for the new baby. I'm not allowed to exercise or go on a diet, but I am allowed to eat more healthily (actually, I am strongly encouraged to eat more healthily) and, unfortunately, most of my go-to recipes aren't exactly the healthy type. If anyone has any good and healthy recipes please send them my way!

+Keep the apartment clean. For two people living in a nicely sized one-bedroom apartment, Corey and I sure do make a mess quickly. For example, right now I am sitting in the living/dining room. All the surfaces are covered with books, plastic cups, papers, etc. Under the dining room table is another plastic cup, Corey's old shabbas shoes and a sock. When did we become such, as my mom would say, schtunks (pronounced: sht-oo-nks)?!

+Continue with Project Alphabet. For those of you who don't remember, or don't know, I decided to read a book from each letter of the alphabet. Each letter corresponding to the first letter of the last name of the author. I am currently in the middle of my G book and have been since about April. Again, that attention span is getting the best of me. I actually switched around some of the books that I'm going to be reading. Check out the new and improved list at my website by clicking on the "ABC" link at the bottom of the page.

+Make the dean's list. I make this resolution every year and have yet to accomplish it. Last semester was a particularly bad one (because of the first trimester of my pregnancy and the baby only wanting me to sleep and puke) and it dropped my GPA below a 3.0 -- good thing I'm not going to grad school! But this semester I'm taking all mid-level courses, so I think the dean's list is definitely possible, though I'll probably just maintain my typical B average.

5 is a good number for a list... and I can't think of anything else anyway. So, here's my schedule for my final semester as an undergrad!

Monday and Thursday
1:10-2:25 Hebrew Prophets in English
2:45-4:00 Philosophical Psychology

Tuesday and Friday
9:45-11:00 Asian-American Literature
11:10-12:25 Revolutions in Modern Philosophy

You Can Only Blame Yourself

Put yourself in that person's shoes is what, I assume, most of us have been told to do before we judge someone. I find that putting yourself in another person's shoes is just another way for people to judge other people. People put themselves in the other person's shoes then proceed to explain how they would be able to do things so much better. I include myself in this vast array of people as well. The most recent example of this that comes to mind is when my brother-in-law and sister-in-law told me about their experience in Me'ah Shearim (a very, for lack of a better word, religious area in Israel). They told me that they were holding hands and all of a sudden one of the townsfolk starts hitting my brother-in-law in the arm. My sister-in-law had not idea why this guy was doing this. Turns out that they guy didn't appreciate that they were holding hands in public in his area so he did something about it. My reaction to this story was, "That's ridiculous! What's it any of that guy's business? If that was me, I would have started hitting him back though!" After I said it I thought to myself, What the hell is wrong with you?! You weren't there, why do you assume you could have/would have done anything differently?
I think that if we truly did put ourselves in other people's shoes we would probably realize that we wouldn't be doing anything that much different from what those people are already doing. When you take into account every part of the shoes that you put yourself in, it is really not as easy to do things differently as you would think. Most of the blogs I read are very judgmental toward the yeshivish community. They do this silly, they do that silly. I can't say I disagree, but when you're brought up in that type of community, how do you expect to know any different? If you're told to trust only what your rebbeim say, even if someone came up to you and explained to you that you are wrong, why would you believe them? The only person you can trust is your rabbi, why would you trust this random person?

If we're going to continue putting ourselves in other people's shoes I think we need to take a long walk in them before we can even begin to understand what it's like to be someone else.


//Brand New's The Archer's Bows Are Broken

Celebrate the Irony

Corey and I have been in Israel for the past week and a half (check out the pictures on facebook!). We got back to the states today. Though my mind is not fully functional right now, I did want to share an experience with you all.

Corey and I were dropped off by a cab about a 5 minutes walk from the rova (they weren't letting cars near sha'ar yafo at the time, for reasons I'm still unsure of). When we get out of the cab and begin our short trek, I see a man with a scraggly beard, long, scraggly hair, an odd attire and a walking stick made from a tree branch. I whisper to Corey, "Look! It's Jesus!" As we are about to pass by Jesus, he says, "Excuse me?" Corey and I look at him, "Yes?" "You don't have to look for the Messiah any longer, I am here." I grabbed Corey's hand and we continued walking. About two seconds later I said, "We just met Jesus!" We both regretted not asking for a picture with him, but there was nothing we could do about it now. We continued on our way to the rova (and subsequently the Kotel) when Corey said, "Who said Jews can't find Jesus?"

//Let's Dance to Joy Division by The Wombats

[No Lyrics. It's The 3 Weeks!]

I had a[n] [insert adjective that I cannot think of right now]moment while driving today. Corey and I are in Cleveland until next week visiting my family. The Football Hall of Fame is about an hours drive away, so I decided to take him there. Normally I am a very aggressive driver. I tailgate, I speed, I swerve. But today, I went the exact speed limit, did not tailgate even once and stayed in pretty much the same lane the whole way through. I was thinking to myself When did I become an old lady? Why am I driving like a pansy? That's when it hit me. The baby has made me a safe driver. I didn't think it could be done. I've always made fun of my mother for being a slow and cautious driver and she always said, "Just wait until you have kids." I would just roll my eyes at her, but now I know what she means. The kid isn't even out yet and I'm trying to protect it in every possible way. I've never gotten into an accident speeding, tailgating or swerving, but now I'm just not willing to take those chances because now I have someone else to look out for. I guess this is just a moment that I wanted to share with you all. Have any of you had moments like these? Even those of you without children. Was there ever something that happened that just switched something in your head and you only realized it later?

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Haven't had regular access to a computer for a few weeks. My husband's computer had to be sent in for repairs because Windows wasn't working and a few days later my computer's battery died and refuses to recharge. In that time many rant-y things have been going on in my head.

The first thing that comes to mind is something my husband told me last night. He said that in Israel some of the rabbis have gotten together and decided that when a woman takes a regular bus she should only enter through the back doors. Now, let's imagine for a second that this isn't completely insane. The first thing that popped into my head when I heard this was back in the days before the whole Civil Liberties, Martin Luther King Jr. thing, black people had to sit at the back of the bus. The Torah doesn't require women to be treated as second class citizens. Are they going to take away women's right to vote too? (To which my husband replied, "No, because they need the religious vote." -- How convenient.) I'm no feminist, but last time I checked no rabbi was allowed to tell me where I am supposed to sit on a bus. (There may be men at the back of the bus too... should women then just hold onto the bumper?)

I feel like I had more rants to post here, but I seem to have forgotten them all. I guess I'll explain the title of this post then. They are lyrics from a Queen song called "Bicycle Race", but that has very little to do with why I chose them. Basically just those lyrics apply to me right now. For the past four months I haven't been allowed to ride a bicycle. "Why?" you ask. Excellent question! Well, I'm pregnant! Yippee! I was debating actually putting a formal announcement in my blog, but this is good news and I'd like to share it with, well, pretty much everyone I can. Oh, and I don't know if all pregnant women are forbidden from riding bikes, but I am. I'm actually one of the few pregnant women who have been told that I am not allowed to exercise. I have an issue with my thyroid so I guess it makes my pregnancy slightly higher risk. Fear not, I have an endochrynologist who is taking good care of me and trying to get my thyroid hormone levels back to normal.

On a totally different topic, I think I'm going to start e-mailing and/or facebook messaging my friends once a week. I hardly ever see my friends because 1. some live in a different state, 2. the ones that live in the same state... well, I'm too lazy... and tired to make plans. But this way, I'll actually be able to keep in contact with people on a regular basis. Let's just hope people actually answer my e-mails...

Oh, and happy July 4th!

*Minor Edit: 7/6/08*
I updated my page. I added a new mix to the Mixology section. Took out a couple of links from the elsewhere section. And completely removed the art section (I only had two stories in it and I'm 95% sure no one ever read them). Please check out the new mix though. It is my favorite mix to date (including all the mixes I made for friends in high school).

So Hot That I Melted

I'm not sure if anyone actually checks at my website regularly, but in case you don't, I've created a new mix in the "Mixology" section. I actually have several mixes floating around in my head, but because of the omer and a few other things, I neglected to actually create them and put them on my site. One such mix I already have a name for; "What I Was Listening To While You Were Singing Along to the Backstreet Boys" -- pretty much a mix of all my favorite songs from the age of 11 until 14 (the music that helped to form my musical tastes of today). I hope to also make a new random mix for the front page. I'll hopefully put up a new playlist there by the end of the week.

I had so much more to say than just updating you on the updates of my page, but none of the thoughts seem to be melding together correctly right now. I was basically going to go on a rant about how silly it is to focus on the differences between people and that that is what causes rifts in communities. Not that people actually being different is the cause, but the focusing on the difference is the cause. Eh, I pretty much said it all right there. Well, in much less detail, but I think the gist is just as effective.


// Jason Mraz's 'I'm Yours'

Nothing Rhymes With Cholent

I put my winamp on shuffle today. One song that popped up was the theme for this blog post (and its title). Whenever I hear Blue Fringe, specifically the song 'Flippin' Out' it makes me think about my year in seminary in Israel. Their first CD came out the year I was in Israel and for the first time ever, I actually liked Jewish music. Probably because other than the lyrics, there isn't really a very Jewish feel to the music... but I digress. I think that music, more than anything, brings back the best memories for me. Sure, looking at pictures makes me remember the great times I've had with friends, but when I hear a song, I get the same feeling I had as when the memory was originally happening and that makes me happy. A few examples: Any song from Simple Plan's first CD reminds me of the summer between 11th and 12th grade that two of my friends (hey Sara and Simona!) would drive around all day and night. One specific day comes to mind, but I won't bore you with the details. Any song from Travis' '12 Memories' or Coheed and Cambria's "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" reminds me of sitting at the back of the bus for tiyulim (seminary in Israel, obviously). My friends and would hang out, listen to music, eat pamelos. Music and memories... I love 'em.


//Flippin Out by Blue Fringe

I Guess It's Nobody's Fault Now But My Own

My thoughts have been few and far between lately. Had no real inspiration to write, but I'm awfully bored right now, so seems as good a time to write as ever. Well, first things first, today is mine and Corey's 10 month wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's already been 10 months. Been a great 10 months, I love Corey and I am so happy I never have to go through sheva brachos again -- well, until our future children get married, but then the focus won't be all on me and the Core-inator. Yeah, I mixed Corey with Terminator. I'm awesome like that.


Besides for loving Corey, I also love music. It is awesome.

I had a dream last night that Barak Obama and Sherry Palmer (the biz-nitch from '24') were married... and he was cheating on her. Seems pretty realistic to me... the marriage part, not the cheating on his wife part though. I don't hit that low.

Mayonnaise sandwiches are awesome. Put some Miracle Whip Lite on two pieces of toast and stick a piece of American cheese or two in the middle. I've been eating these sandwiches since I was about 6 and I still love them as much today as I did then. Oh, and Miracle Whip Lite is the only mayo worth eating. That is your fact for the day. Spread it.


//Phantom Planet 'Nobody's Fault'

My Lack Of Music Will Be Over Soon Enough and I'll Start Using Lyrics In My Title Again

Now, I am not a fan of any of the 3 people mentioned in this video, but this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Talk about propaganda (wait, is that even the right word here? I don't know. It's finals week. My brain don't work so good.) Anyway, like I said, this video is ridiculous so please don't think that these are my opinions. And though this is ridiculous, it is also absolutely hilarious. Enjoy!

An Idea.

I had an idea a few months ago and decided to write it down before someone else thinks of it.

A new ad campaign to get young people to get their clothes checked for shatnez:

Shatnez is not the Shiz-nit.

Get Checked.

Save a Calf, Eat A Midget

Most of the blogs I read tend to write about serious stuff. Even when it's done in a satirical fashion, there is still an underlying seriousness. So, for anyone who just needs a laugh -- not that more than a couple of people actually read my blog anymore -- here is my favorite comic from one of the weirdest comic strips I've come across. Enjoy!

//This quote brought to you by the mind of yours truly.

I Don't Know What's Left To Say

I'm supposed to be writing a 4000 word paper for my metaphysics class right now. Instead, I have decided to write a bunch of random thoughts down in my blog.
In no particular order:
1. The sight of Barak Obama really bothers me. Maybe its because I disagree with his politics, but I think its probably something else. When I was about 12 or 13 years old the sight of Minnie Driver really bothered me. Still not sure why that is, but I have a feeling it is the same reason seeing Obama bothers me.

2. If you don't put down, mock, etc. yeshivish people in your post, you are guaranteed no more than 5 comments (unless of course, you get 3 comments and reply to each separately. Then you'll have 6. woo. hoo.)

3. I was on the phone with my mom the other day and we were talking about when my husband and I finally get our of here (aka New York). My mom said, "You're probably going to miss being around a lot of Jews though." I immediately said, "No" to which my mom replied, "Why?" "Because they're frum on the outside, not on the inside." (Hey, maybe I'll get more than 5 comments for saying that...)

4. Last night I had a dream I went to L.A. with one of my friends to interview musicians.

5. My husband and I are nearly finished with the entire series of The X-Files. We're a few episodes into the 8th season (out of 9 seasons). Just in time for the movie coming out on July 25th!

//Ah-ha's "Take On Me" -- covered by Reel Big Fish, whose version is currently my ringtone and the only song I've heard since pesach ended. Oh, how I hate you, sfira!

You're Too Funny To Be So Heavenly

Registered for Fall 2008 and my last semester as a college student! WOOHOO! As of late December 2008/early January 2009 (depending on when my grades get in) I will have a BA in philosophy. So useful! Anyway, here's my schedule for this coming fall semester:

MON and THURS
Hebrew Prophets in English: 1:10-2:25pm
Philosophical Psychology: 2:45-4:00pm

TUES and FRI
Asian American Literature: 9:45-11:00am
Revolutions in Modern Philosophy: 11:10-12:25pm

Why am I taking an Asian American Lit class and two classes on Friday? Well, I need one last "pluralism and diversity core" which Asian American Lit satisfies. Plus, a friend of mine is taking it this semester and she said it's very easy. And I'm taking two classes on Friday because Revolutions in Modern Philosophy is a core part of my major and they only offer one section every 3rd semester. Stupid, no? So I'm stuck with class on Friday, but I don't mind since I probably won't be working after June. My boss informed me the other day that they're making budget cuts and they're probably going to have to let me go. Doesn't bother me all that much though. I didn't want to work during the summer and I would only be able to work one day a week next semester anyway.
So, to those of you in college, what are you taking next semester?

//'God' by Head Automatica

They'll Never Understand What It's Like To Be A Kid Today

I read about a dozen different blogs on a regular basis. When I have nothing to do I'll look at the other comments on my favorite blogs and go to the commentors' blogs and read those blogs. Today I just happened to come across a teenagers blog since their screen name somewhat interested me. This kid was complaining about his family during the seder. He was talking about how he was so excited for the 4 cups because he got to drink alcohol and how he wishes he could drink more. I know that not all teens are like this. When I was a teen I loved the seders with my family as much as I do now, though that alcohol thing I could definitely relate with at the time. But that's just the thing, it was at the time. I can't relate with that anymore. Drinking alcohol just doesn't have that appeal anymore. I drank only grape juice this year and after the second cup I started feeling sick to my stomach. After not having eaten since lunch, then drinking this super-sugary grape juice, my "old" stomach just can't handle it anymore. It's weird. I was a teenager less than 3 years ago and so much has changed in that time. I'm somewhat of a grown up now. I don't have the same issues as even a 19 year old has. Even a married 19 year old, I doubt I have the same issues as. I'm not trying to be an age-ist. I'm not looking down on teenagers. Just saying that I used to feel very close to other teens and now, we have almost nothing in common. When did this all change? When did I become an adult? When did I stop being a teen and stop blaming the "old" people for my problems?

//'Teenage Riot' -- The Ataris

I Control My Future

I sat down in front of the computer about four hours ago. I was planning on getting some school work out of the way. Had some summaries to write and a paper to write for philosophy of science before the semester ends. Instead, I wrote one summary, did two loads of laundry, watched Funny Games -- I give it a 7.5/10 - interesting film, but my expectations must have been too high and they weren't met -- and posted on a various forum boards. I don't really have anything on my mind, but I figured it was due time for a blog post. The title of this blog... "I control my future". No, actually, I don't. Well, in some ways I do. I choose to do good or bad, but ultimately, G-d's in charge of my future. I don't really understand why that bothers some people. With G-d taking care of your future you can kind of sit back and relax. Every little thing you do doesn't need to be over-analyzed because in the end, you're going to end up wherever G-d takes you. Some people don't like having complete control, but I, on the other hand, think it's a huge stress reliever.


//'Festival Song" - Good Charlotte - it's sfira and that song popped into my head for reasons unknown.

Can't Think of Any Lyrics, Sorry.

It's amazing. It only took one conversation with one friend to make me completely change my opinion (from my last post). Just thought I'd let all my readers know I'm in a much better place right now.

Who gives a crap what the title is? I'm pissed.

I feel like I've been given the shaft by a lot of my friends. I try to keep in contact, but if I don't contact them, I won't hear from them until, well, until the next time I contact them. I'd have to say that this pisses me off quite a bit and makes me rethink our entire friendship. Now I don't know if these memories that I'm having are real or not. Was this always how it was and I didn't notice it or because this is happening now my mind is seeing things that are not there? I just feel like I put in a lot of effort and get almost nothing in return. Although I doubt any of them actually reads this, I hope that they just happen to read this post. Maybe I should just bring it to their attention (not the post, but the feelings I'm expressing in it), but I know the answer I'd get. "Oh Jessica, you're just being silly. You know we're friends!" And then I'm made out to just be seeing things that aren't there... great.