oh. hi.

oh! hi! how are you?

So... yeah, sorry about the lack of updates on my normal-life-that-you-all-seem-to-think-is-interesting-or-else-why-would-you-read-this.

The last six weeks, in poetic form:

'puter broke my hands
could not type for many weeks
now with voice software

*bow*

Art acquisition, 5 years in the making

I bought some new art...






...I'm pretty ecstatic about it.





This isn't just any old piece of art...





...it is a copper wire screen that has been picked and poked to form the shape of a woman...



...and I love it.






5 years ago I was in New York and walking by the Met - there are always many artists displaying their wears along the park there. I stopped at one display that was particularly good, it was a man making 3d shapes out of metal window screens. It was beautiful. I wanted to buy something, and even talked prices with him for a bit, but didnt have enough cash and was running late to catch my bus back to Boston. Ever since then, I have deeply regretted not buying one of his pieces.


This weekend Lindsay invited me to walk with her to the Harvard Square Mayfair. After sampling some free fudge and fighting through the crowds, I saw an artist booth - with 3d metal screen sculptures. I went up to the artist, "Years ago I saw something like this next to the Met in NY..." "yes, that was me."

DESTINY

I immediately purchased a piece. And yes, I was sure to get his contact info and website. Pete Smith of Burlington VT, I <3 your work.

my beautiful mom

I know mothers day is a week away, but oh well




















This is a portrait that my parents photoshop teacher did of them. I guess she used a few photos of them as reference and then created this picture as a painting in photoshop. It is beautiful. You can tell my mom was a total fox when she was younger - she is still quite beautiful.

My friend Lindsay pointed out that she looks a LOT like the actress Glenne Headly. Never realized it, but she's very right. I hope I inherit some of both of their excellent non-aging qualities :)

Twitter celebrity and careless stinkers

one of the more emotional-rollercoastery days on record. I shall ellaborate in numbered form, per the usual:

1. I actually got up when my alarm went off. Lately I've been pressing snooze a lot, but there was something about this day... I think I knew it would be a weird one.
2. As any other day in the last several months, I checked my ever-growing twitter feed on my open/professional/general account (@rosegrabowski) and saw a funny post from an important person in the Search / SEO/ Google world. I am one of his >22,000 followers. I re-tweeted and added my own commentary
   
   mattcutts I can't stop watching this 7 second video: http://bit.ly/kXsde
   rosegrabowski 7 seconds of physics bliss. nerdily brings me back to the happy days of AP Physics & the right hand rule http://bit.ly/vd2ls (RT @mattcutts)
   mattcutts@rosegrabowski AP Physics FTW :)
   
   wait, WTF??? he replied to me, apparently he likes my nerdyness (FTW=for the win.) But the best part... he then proceeded to ADD ME TO THE PEOPLE HE FOLLOWS. and you know how many people that is? 116. Or, now it's 117.
   
   This is a big deal. I have no idea why this guy, who is kind of a big deal at google, would follow me. But with great power comes great responsibility. I.e. I have to be careful what I tweet now, or my superiors at work might get angry :)
3. So that was cool.
   
4. Yup, that was cooler than meeting Ben Affleck this weekend. And more lasting (now I have a direct line into Matt Cutts' computer. holy god.) I was giddy and blushing (who the crap AM I? super nerd, thats who.)
   
5. I came home from work and on my kitchen table was a bowl of yogurt. Just sitting there. and I smelled coffee... because the coffee pot was still on. And the crud was burnt to the bottom of the carafe. My first thought was that maybe my sister was abducted suddenly from the house. Then I remembered her boyfriend was here. Michael, I know you try - but I shall continue to passive-aggresively call out acts of carelessness through my blog on an as-needed basis. Sorry :)
   
6. I ran off to the grocery to get some food stuffs for grilling tomorrow (yay! more grilling!) As I backed out of the parking spot into the general part of the lot, I looked behind me and saw someone else getting into their car behind. I figured he'd, you know, at least look to see I was backing out. I slowly moved, and just as I was about to go from R to D, I looked and saw him BACKING UP INTO ME. I beeped as harshly as possible, but to no avail. The idiot must not have looked in his rearview at all w/in 15 seconds of moving. He hit my bumper, I didnt see any damage but I still yelled at him. Or, kind of raised my voice. I dont yell. BUT I F*ING WANTED TO.

what a weird day... these orange popsicles I bought at the grocery should help keep me calm :)

Ok, officially love grilling

I did some grilling today...






















... it was, in a word, delicious.

I am pretty glad that we picked an apartment with a backyard and a grill.

Because, as it turns out, everything tastes better grilled.


I made some asparagus, just drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, and then splashed with a little lime juice after. Umm, heaven. I ate most of it before remembering to take a picture of it in the serving bowl.

I then stuck on a pattie that I had grilled on Saturday (half turkey meat, half beef. when I think about it, the idea of mixing their flesh is super weird. but it was still tasty) and made a little sandwich while I put on the zucchini.





mmmmmmm zucchini. As a child I thought this was gross.

Now I think it is divine.



HAPPY MONDAY!

Easter peeps (poops)

I made marshmallow easter peeps last weekend.












They looked more like easter poops.












After much experimentation I was able to form some moderately human-looking peeps


so I had marshmallow people and their poops. HAPPY EASTER!

My Mosaic Matrix

a new facebook chain, but i figure this is a more polite forum. enjoy

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/fl

ickr/mosaic.php).

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Favorite drink?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What do you love most in life?
9. One word to describe you?


anyone care to guess what words I used? :) Hint: #1=Rose. PSYCH.

Salsa Stories

I went salsa dancing again Friday - that's 3 times in 2 weeks. I'm already a LOT better. Before this I had gone to Havana Club (3 blocks from where I live) only every 4-6 months, but I still remember some of the people I'd seen a few times. Turns out some of them remember me too.

This guy (turns out his name was Ivan) asked me to dance, and when I looked up at him I said "Hey, I know you!"
Ivan: "yes, last time we danced I disrobed you!"
Rose: *long pause* *more pausing* "OH THAT WAS YOU!?!?"
(took me a few seconds, but I finally remembered the time we were dancing and I was wearing a wrap dress - at one point he was turning me, and his hand accidentally caught in the loop tie at my waist, pulling the tie out. I caught it before my dress flashed open, but it was a hilarious moment.)
Ivan: "haha yes, that was me. I tell that story sometimes, it was very funny."

Glad we both had a sense of humor about it :) (and glad I learned my lesson, I never wear that dress out dancing any more!)

Happy Birthday to three important women

MITRA happy birthday (4/4,) miss you love you.

JULIET happy birthday (4/5.) Umm go away.

HOLLY happy birthday (4/8) miss you love you!

in other news, this is how I feel sometimes:

nataliedee.com

Random list of thoughts - ice cream, mysterious pains, salsa

• I realized recently I probably consume 10% of my calories via ice cream or the equivalent (frozen yogurt, sorbet, ice cream bars, you know.) I'm ok with that.
• This morning I was walking around the office and my knee hurt a bit. I had the faintest memory, so very fuzzy and unclear, of waking up in the middle of the night having put my body in a crazy position and being in pain. I know know if this was a real memory or not, it is very odd. I'm wondering what really does happen at night that I dont remember. (hopefully I'm not eating MORE ice cream in my sleep.)
• I really, really love failblog. Props to Juliet for opening my eyes to this wonderfulness.
• Speaking of opening eyes, check out this crazy piece of art. Yes, these are real.
• I went salsa dancing last night, to a class a friend invited me to. I had intended on starting salsa lessons this year, but hadnt gotten my act together. I am an ok salsa dancer, but mostly fake it (my body can figure out most things in the club, but I dont consciously know what I'm doing half the time.) I was really impressed with how much everyone, including myself, improved by the end of the class. Much salsa dancing in the future to be had.
• Mitra's birthday is Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITRA!!!
• Juliet's birthday is Sunday. Juliet, you can suck it.
• Just kidding, I hope you have a happy birthday too.
• A few nights ago I was thinking about one of my close friends and how much I love him and his girlfriend, and what I would say if I ever get to give a speech at their wedding. And I actually started to cry. Wow. They are really special people, I hope they are happy forever.
• I fell for multiple april fools jokes today. HARD. even though, every year, I resolve to be careful and not fall for anything. I am PATHETICALLY gullible.

that is all.

I love the interwebs

my trip to the Holy Land instilled a desire to actually learn about jewish history/thought, and I planned on getting an annotated Hebrew Bible to try to read through.

THIS is much easier

Yale open course with video lectures on an introduction to the Hebrew Bible.
On lecture 3, so far so good!

Since it's almost easter...

... get your peeps ready
(I wish I remembered where I found this months ago, sorry for not crediting the creator. Major mental props though.)

BACK from israel

so much information and experience to digest...

for now I'll just post about the race I ran on Sunday, 3 days after returning from the middle east.
This was the An Ras Mor 5k along Mass Ave (i.e. practically my back yard.) I ran it net 30'57", just a few seconds longer than my time last year. But, really, with jet lag and having barely run for 2 weeks, I'm trying not to let it bother me too much.

CHECK ME OUT WITH THE FIRE ON MY HEELS!!!

Off to the land of milk and honey

SEE YA

Tonight's activities

1. pick up a package of nike merch I ordered - two new pairs of running shoes and a new running shirt. the shirt is pretty sweet.
2. Started some laundry. Set it and forgetabboudit.
   
3. did some sweet tempo running at the gym (5 min warmup, 2x(10 min 6.4 mph +5 min 5.6 mph,) 4x(1 min 7.8 mph + 1 min 3.6 mph,) 7 min cooldown. Wore the sweet new running top and shoes. Glanced strategically at the cute muscly guy I see there most nights. Noticed he has a soul patch on his chin. OK never mind thats gross.
   
4. Started cleaning my room so that I can actually FIND items I need to pack for Israel. Realized I'm a slob. Yup, slob.
5. Opened the laundry and discovered one of my fav pairs of jeans has a big hole in the crotch now. WTFFFFFF!!!!!!!!
6. Poured a glass of wine
7. Wrote this blog post
8. Realized I need to go continue to clean since I have LITTLE time to pack CRAP bye
   

My tummy says no but my taste buds say yes

so... much... fondue.

Mitra, my lovely lovely Mitra, got me this electric fondue set for my birthday.

Mitra knows me well. Chocolate and cheese are two of my favorite things in the world.

and MELTED chocolate and MELTED cheese??? yeah, you done well, girl.

So I had Samantha over tonight to have chocolate fondue with me and Juliet, as a quasi late-birthday celebration (see cake with candles in lower right.

We dipped angel food cake, ladie fingers, pineapple, apples, bananas, and lemon raspberry cake.

OMG, so much deliciousness. My tummy might burst. Good thing I've been working out my abs, their raw strength is keeping all the delicious foods inside.

The three of us went through... a lot. Oops. OOPS.

I'm going to run 5 miles tomorrow. Just sayin.

I am the flower. Juliet is the bee.

nataliedee.com

mmmm food

Just got back from getting sushi with Sam for her birthday. We went to Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street, and I must say that there is nothing quite so satisfying after a workout (which I had finished 30 minutes earlier) as a bowl full of brown rice and thick slices of bright pink raw salmon. Yeah, pretty satisfying. And possibly more healthy than the croissant french toast I had for brunch this morning. Though that was ALSO quite delicious.

omg I love food. FOOD FOOD FOOD food food.

Oh, so THIS is why I dont run much in the dark

Damnit damnit damnit damnit DAMNIT.

I dont normally run at night. It's dangerous for three major reasons - 1) cars cant see me, 2) I cant see the ground, and 3) I'm afraid of the dark. OK, two reasons. But sometimes I have to do it anyway. I mean, I dont HAVE to... I could very well just sit on my ass and feel it grow. But I'm trying not to do that anymore. Or at least do it a little less.

I'm training for another half marathon, this one in Providence in early May - which means I have to slowly work up to 13 mile sessions. That basically means that, accounting for safe increases of only around 10% a week, and with my two weeks in Israel shooting some time in the middle there, I needed to run around 6 miles today. Tomorrow is out, I'm going to an all-day conference (super excited, it's a product management conference in cambridge that is organized all grass-roots wiki style. SOOOO 2009.) Sunday it's supposed to snow. STUPID SNOW.

And tonight was BEAUTIFUL out. Perfect running weather, really. But I didnt get home until it was dark - so I got back to thinking about those two reasons not to run at night (cars, ground.) The first one is solved by the birthday present Holly gave me this year - a reflective running vest. It's super cute/shiny. But the second one... well, f*ed me up.

On my planned 6 mile run, I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk around mile 2. and freaked up my shin, scraping and bruising it as well as scraping part of my palm. I've labeled the picture at right because my leg is so bulbous it's hard to tell exactly what you're looking at. Gross. Anyway, good thing it was so nice out, plus it gave me some sweet adreniline, because I just felt like keeping going. I ran through 4 miles and then did another mile at the gym since it was starting to rain. People gave me funny looks in the locker room, but thats fine, I think they were envious. Or afraid I'd bleed my poison blood onto them. Hey, stuff happens.

Booooo Pixar's Gendercisim

Interesting rant about how Pixar makes ALL Of its movies about men, even when it is not necessary. I remember the first time I was introduced into the concept of society labeling male as 'neutral' and women as 'other' (and consequently rushed to the bookstore to buy Simone De Beauvoir,) that was absolutely a turning point in my understanding of gender.

So anyway, BOO PIXAR

Couch vs Bed

There's something about couches that make sleep different. Beds should, logically, be more comfortable and sleep-worthy, but there is something about napping on a couch, of nestling your frame in the fold where the seat meets the back, tucking a colorful throw pillow under your neck, of sitting half upright on it when you're sick or just tired that makes it infinitely more appealing than my actual bed. I'd rather nap on a couch than my own bed nine times out of ten. But I'd rather sleep a full night in my own queen size pillow-top. WHY IS THAT??

anyway, time to transfer myself from sickly post-nap on the couch to sickly pre-sleep on my bed.

Day three of sickness, but at least I got my ass off the couch

Took thursday and friday off of work due to crippling snot-ness and fever. Today I had some of the former, but none of the latter, so I felt a bit better. Plus Juliet's med-school boy toy recommended I use some of her meds (thank you, CVS brand non-drowsy cold-and-flu treatment! I shall cherish you forever and ever.) That helped.

I made myself take a shower, the first shower I'd taken in 3.5 days. Last time I went that long w/o a shower was when I was in Arizona with Holly's family and spent 6 days on the road and in the desert. The shower at the end of that ordeal felt like bliss. This one felt not too bad either.

After walking the 2 km journey down the road to and from Trader Joe's, trying hard to breath through my mouth discreetly so as not to alert people to my sickly predicament, I decided to spend some quality time on the interwebs. Becuase you know, I hadnt done enough of that in the last 2.5 sickly sickly days. I came upon this blog that until now I had only read at a cursory level, but this time I went to the main site and found this ridiculous story of the writer's love and romance with her "marlboro man." Pretty cool how she wrote it in installments, just like 19th century novelists used to do in city newspapers. If you have a few hours on a rainy day, I highly recommend this. She is a great writer, very funny, and the story is oh-so-sweet. Of course, despite her having started the serial a YEAR AND A HALF ago, it's still going. BLARG! please write more! this girl over on my side of the interwebs is still sickly and still needs a romance fix!!

I'd been pretty sore all through my sickness, partly because my personal trainer gave me a really good workout tuesday night (Pete, you are SUPER awkward, but great at your job) and partly because fevers always make my muscles tender. But today I was itching to get out and get my heart rate up, so [after consulting the interweb and deciding that 3 out of 5 commenters/bloggers say it is ok to run if you are sick as long as you dont have a fever and sickness isnt in the chest/lungs] I went for a short 3 mile jog. Of course, nothing could go smoothly, and my Nike+ receiver wasnt working (BLAST!) but was probably better that I wasnt measuring my workout today. It could only have led to dissapointment.

Tonight I made a lasagna for dinner. I'm not sure I've ever made it before, but I'm on an Italian kick (last month I made exclusively Indian... this month it appears to be the Boot country) and I'd bought ricotta and parmesan recently. After consulting a variety of online recipes, I decided to wing it, using whole wheat lasagna strips, making my own sauce with tomatoes and herbs and pepper, sauteing a vegi mix of onions, garlic, and spinach, and throwing together a cheese mix of ricotta, cottage, and jarlsberg, with parm sprinkled on top. Mmmmmm fresh parm. The whole thing came out only so-so, I probably should have used less red pepper flake in the tomato sauce and added more salt. Oh well.

(but doesnt the freshly grated cheese on top look DIVINE?? I was too impatient to leave it in the oven long enough to brown, but thats pretty typical of... me.)


POST SCRIPT
I've been rummaging around the kitchen for something dessert-link for almsot an hour, and JUST remembered that I bought chocolate chip granola bars at TJ's today. As I approached the box on top of the refrigerator, I said aloud "Why HELLLLLOoooo" in a smooth and sultry voice. There is no one else in the apartment.

SICK SICK SICK

Today's ROSEUPDATEEXTRAVAGANZA:

Good: I found this comic online. I find it very fitting for my life.

nataliedee.com

Bad: I'm sick. I freaking hate being sick. Last night when I left work I could feel that something didnt feel right, and I knew I'd be ill today. This is the first sick day I've taken since I started my job in July. I enjoy being idle or doing mindless things for an hour or two, but not for an entire day. Around 9pm i reached the end of the interwebs.

Interesting: This explanation of the credit crisis.

It's official...

... I make a DELECTABLE kale stew. I've been playing around with my self-invented recipe for this for a while, but this is definitely the best I've made. It has onions, garlic, jalapenos, bay leaves, italian herbs, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, sea salt, ground pepper, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red kidney beans, white kidney beans, and whole wheat elbow macaroni.

So today's Good/Bad/Interesting:

Good: My absolutely delicious kale stew
Bad: I think I twisted, just SLIGHTLY, my ankle when walking around in 4.5" heels in the grocery this evening
Interesting: brett made this video. glad you're doing stuff for yourself now, man :)

Hollywood ASST from Back of the Class on Vimeo.

Bad, Good, and Interesting

was reading a blog post in my rss feeder about small family activities that can bring pleasure, and I found one particularly interesting:

8. During dinner, ask each family member to tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them that day. The good things are obviously fun to share. The “bad things” are a great opportunity for your kids to talk about things that bother them and for you to be more involved in their lives.

I would modify this to refrain from only thinking of good and bad - there are often small things that happen during the day that are neither good or bad, but are interesting in their own way.

So here's a go for my yesterday:
GOOD: My cousin sent me a funny picture of me that he had doctored on his iPhone. Yay for iPhone apps.
BAD: Google sent another "you have too many URLs in your site" message to my team. We had been getting them for months and did a bunch of stuff to take care of it, and didnt get one last month, so we thought we were in the clear. DRAT.
INTERESTING: When meeting my personal trainer at the gym, I said "how are you?" He said "good, you?" I said "Good. So how've you been?" How awkward. He is one of the most awkward people I've ever met. Nice guy, great trainer, but socially very very weird. He is so offputting that I feel enormously awkward whenever I talk with him. I mean, it's like his awkardness is contageous and I cant act like myself.

Valentines Weekend in NYC

As I had previously bloggered, Mitra invited me to meet her in New York for the long weekend. It was glorious. I took the bus down Saturday morning at met mitra at our hotel, the W in union square. Lets just say, it was pretty nice - we were in one of the largest rooms, on the very top floor. This was the view... you could see all of the lower east side and some of downtown. We're fancy-like.

Later that day we walked ALL around manhattan. I mean, seriously. We took the subway all the way to the upper east side and proceeded to walk more than 4 miles down the island. At one point we passed through Bryant Park and through Fashion Week. I can't believe I didnt know it was fashion week (just kidding I never know these things) but we got to stand outside one of the tents and watch rich/famous people exit after a show. My best observation: EVERY SINGLE woman who left the tent had great shoes. My second best observation: it must be weird to be a New York cop, having to guard fancy people who pay waaaaaay too much for their garments.

Sunday we walked through SoHo, went to a fancy bakery that Mitra had read about on the interwebs (my cheese danish was delicious and nutricious. or, at least delcious, which is all that matters anyway.) Then we walked through downtown and across the Brooklyn Bridge. We were VERY touristy, stopping to look at the great views and take pictures of each other. Of course, it was no problem to ask others to take pics of us together - because most everyone else there was also a tourist and they sympathized. Oh New York, you are so fancy and yet full of randoms.

We walked around Brooklyn Heights (my conclusion : very cool area. Upon first impression, I decided that if I ever had to move to new york I'd try to live in Brooklyn) and then met my cousin Stu for pizza at one of the famous Brooklyn pizza eateries, Grindwals underneath the bridge.

I've only met my cousin Stu once since I was old enough to form long-lasting memories - when I was about 12, we drove down to southern Ohio and visited his family and played with the cows and geese on their small farm. This visit was much more mature. And pizza-filled. He, Mitra, and I each at a FULL half of a pizza. Good thing we were walking several miles each day, or I would have come back as I did after Europe.

This is me and Stu with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background - yay Kabakoff family!

Mitra and I spent the next day walking around southern manhattan and going to a fantastic mac and cheese themed lunch place (conclusion: yes, you can really pay $8 for mac and cheese and get a meal that is worth the price.) Sadly, I had to get back to boston, so I boarded the bus back that afternoon, sitting between some spoiled rich BC girls and some spoiled rich BU girls. DRATS.

Israel Itinerary (or, How I learned to Become a Jew)

Just got our semi-final itinerary for our Birthright Israel trip. We leave in 19 days (ummm like woah.)

On the evening of day 4 we get to ride camels and sleep in a bedouin camp... Mom, thanks for being Jewish so we could do this!

Day 1 - Monday, March 9
• 11:35 AM arrival. Arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport. You will be met and assisted through customs by IsraelExperts staff and will meet your Israeli tour guide and driver who will be with you throughout your tour.
• Orientation at Nachshon: Take some time to get to know your fellow participants, staff, and guide while preparing for the 10-day journey ahead of you.
*Accommodation: Afik

Day 2 - Tuesday, March 10
• Tour around the kibbutz
• Hike at Gilabun nature reserve in the Golan Heights and help collect recyclables as part of the \'Green Activity\'
• Travel to the former military outpost at Har Bental and take in a stunning 360 degree view of Israel and Syria.
• . Spend the evening relaxing in the natural hot springs of Chamat Gader
*Accommodation: Afik

Day 3 - Wednesday, March 11
• Explore Tzfat - the ancient and modern home of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Tour ancient synagogues and artists’ square. Here you will meet with Avraham Lowenthal, a student of Kabbalah and artist who will share his art and his life story.
• Visit Camun in the Galilee and learn about early Jewish settlement in this region
• Enjoy the Taglit-Birthright Israel Purim Party
*Accommodation: Olympia Tel Aviv

Day 4 - Thursday, March 12
• Learn the history of Midras in the Iron age and the roman period; hike around the Bar Kochba caves
• Mifgash (\"Encounter\") Begins. Today you will be joined by 8 young Israelis who will be traveling with you for the next 5 days. You will have the privilege to explore Israel through their eyes (and they through yours) and to forge new and lasting friendships.
• Take in the views and beauty of the Negev desert landscape at Ben Gurion’s desert home and tomb. David Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel and played an instrumental role in the founding of the state
• Spend the night at Kfar Hanokdim Bedouin Dessert Village Experience. Start the adventure riding camel-back as the sun sets over the desert. Partake in a light taste of Bedouin tradition and culture including a welcome ceremony of coffee and tea followed by a Middle-Eastern feast dinner served in the traditional style seated on rugs and pillows in a Bedouin style tent. Accommodation is in a mock up of a traditional Bedouin tent...
*Accommodation: Kfar Hanokdim

Day 5 - Friday, March 13
• Climb Massada at dawn watching the sunrise at daybreak Walk up to the earthen Roman Ramp built 2000 years ago to storm this desert fortress and view the remarkable excavations including Herod\'s Palace and stables, the ancient synagogue and the ancient water system
• Hike in the Ein Gedi desert oasis at Nachal David and float in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.
• Arrive at your hotel in time to prepare for Kabbalat Shabbat (the arrival of Shabbat) and candle lighting followed by Shabbat dinner. Participate in Oneg Shabbat (special deserts) with singing, stories and games as a group.
* Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 6 - Saturday, March 14

• Spend Shabbat relaxing with your group and taking walking tours.
• Engage in the “Changing Map of the Middle East” activity and discussion program, which focuses on the political and historical background that led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and the current geo-political situation in the Middle East.
• Get to know your Mifgash soldiers by partaking in a special activity they have prepared for you.
• Go out for dinner and spend the night out on Jerusalem\'s vibrant pedestrian mall, Ben Yehudah Street. Following the conclusion of Shabbat this open-air mall (a.k.a. \'ha midrechov\') opens up its pubs, shops, and restaurants with plenty of live music.
*Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 7 - Sunday, March 15
• Get a breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the lookout at Haas Promenade.
• Enter the Old City through the Zion Gate. Visit the Jewish quarter and be witness to millennia of Jewish history, from the time of biblical kings and prophets to modern celebrations and conflicts. Walk to the Cardo, the street built by the Romans in the sixth century, situated 20 feet below modern street level, one part of the Cardo is a restored arcade of Jewish galleries and shops, while the other part is an open-air reconstructed street.
• Take a mystical tour inside the Kotel Tunnels, built under the Muslim quarter of the old city. Explore ancient underground remnants of this intricate city and discover a true archeological wonder
• Learn about life in Israel and the Jewish religion from the esteemed Rabbi Stern
• Participate in a political panel showcasing young activists from the political spectrum in Israel and learn about the Israeli government, elections and current hot topics in Israeli politics.
• *Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 8 - Monday, March 16
• Visit Yad Vashem, Israel\'s national memorial to the Holocaust. The museum presents the historic events that befell Europe following the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany and the fate of the Jews under Nazi rule in the occupied countries.
• Visit Mahane Yehuda – Jerusalem’s largest \"shuk\" (outdoor market) for lunch.
• Visit Mount Herzl, Israel\'s military cemetery and the burial place of Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and Theodore Herzl.
• Enjoy a night-out in Tel Aviv in an area full of trendy restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes and shops
*Accomodation: Deborah Hotel

Day 9 - Tuesday, March 17
• Drive to Tel-Aviv and explore Jaffa, one of the world\'s ancient port. Modern Jaffa has a heterogeneous population Muslims, Christians and Jews.. Jaffa is a major tourist site with an exciting combination of old and new. You may have time to explore the local flea market called
• Engage in dialogue at the Jaffa co-existence seminar. In collaboration with the Arab-Jewish Center in Jaffa, this intense program sheds light on the intricacies of life in a society that is shared by both Jews and Arabs. You will be escorted through the neighborhoods of Jaffa by two guides, an Israeli Arab (who is a pro-existence activist in the community) and an Israeli Jew.
• Enjoy some free time on Shenkin Street, one of the most popular streets in Tel Aviv to shop and people-watch in a cafe.
• Tour the Joseph Bau Museum, showcasing art influenced by themes such as holocaust and Zionism
• Experience the impact of Na L\'gaat foundation for blind and deaf. At this cultural and recreational center you will watch a play presented by blind and deaf actors and enjoy the center\'s restaurant.
* Accommodation: Deborah Hotel

Day 10 - Wednesday, March 18
• Visit Independence Hall where David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel\'s Independence in 1948.
• Visit Rabin Square (\"Kikar Rabin\" in Hebrew); a large public city square in central Tel Aviv. It is named after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated at the conclusion of a massive peace rally held at the square on November 4, 1995.
• Bring the experience to an end with a concluding banquet at Svil Izim

Day 11- Thursday, March 19
* 01:00 (AM) Flight Departs

Drag Race = new fav show

Lindsay: so i am working at home today and i decided to take a minute off to turn on the TV and be distracted
Lindsay: did you know that there is a RuPaul drag reality show? "RuPauls Drag Race"
Lindsay: its AMAZING
Rose: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH what channel?!?!?!
Lindsay: VH1
Rose: OMG OMG
Lindsay: i just caught the end
Lindsay: and they had two people who were at the bottom for... whatever
Lindsay: but to decide who would be out they had a lip-sync-off
Lindsay: is it weird that i saw it and immediately thought of you?



I hope that was a compliment :)