Sh*t Frum Girls Say

I think this video just made my life. *snicker*

Ups, Downs, & Tu B'Shvat

It's been an amazing week for me, although it's been capped off with the flu. First there was the jDeal.com launch party at which I found out I was the winner of the position as the jDeal.com amabassador and some nice winnings. Then, yesterday, I got an email from SXSW Interactive letting me know that my panel was chosen as a Core Conversation, making it basically the same thing that it was last year, but with a different type of focus. So yes, I'll be going to SXSW 2011, and the illustrious @susqhb will be my co-panelist to discuss "Jewish Synergy: Social Media and the New Community." It's one big happy Social Media week for me. The bummer? I got a flu shot on Monday and it's given me the flu. Yes, it can happen. This is why I haven't gotten the flu shot in probably six years. Growl. (November through May are pretty much a lost cause for me -- it's one sickness after another.)

So, because I'm not functioning at 100 percent, I'll let the folks at G-dcast do the Tu B'Shvat goodness for me. I really love this video because I studied Honi the Circle Maker while studying at the University of Connecticut. The Rabbis appropriated Honi, who was a magic worker of his time, and called him "rabbi" in the midrash. In my studies, we discussed why the rabbis did this, and our discussions were quite interesting. I hope you enjoy this little video! Also, check out my brief blog post from last year, which is one post for I'm particularly proud.

And now? For the video ...

For Posterity's Sake ... Flipbook!

The video is cool, but my HAT is cooler. Mad props to Burlington Hat Coat Factory!

How Do You Say Shabbat Shalom?

Thanks to the folks @JewishTweets for putting this snazzy video together. It's got greats such as @YLove and @Gruven_Reuven in it!

"Light is Hidden Away for the Righteous Ones"

This week, we begin the cycle of Torah reading all over again with the first parshah: Bereshit. So it says "In the beginning ..." I've blogged in the past I do believe about this portion, and it's one of my favorites. It's not just because there's this freshness about starting the year again, reliving the steps of the words of Torah year after year, but also because of how it begins. The entire Torah starts off with the letter bet, which looks like this:

What's so special about this? The rabbis and sages taught that this beginning letter serves a special purpose, considering one might suspect that TaNaKh would begin with an aleph to follow some type of higher principle. Because Hebrew is written right to left, we are taught (via Midrash Bereshit Rabbah) that just as the bet is closed on the top and at the sides, you are not to investigate what is below, what is above, or what comes before -- rather, you must investigate and seek out what is in front.

Some other suggested takes on the use of bet as the first letter of Torah? One sage thought it was because the letter bet connotes power because of the force of the air (ruach) being spoken forth, and another thought that by starting with a bet rather than an aleph, the almighty was in effect revealing that man did not know the first principles about creation (I kind of like this one). Also, for more on this topic, check out Ilana-Davita's blog post on the same topic!

I won't get into a long discussion about the parshah itself, because I'm offering up this stellar new video series called G-dcast , which throws up a new animated piece of the series every Monday. This week's piece features Rabbi Lawrence Kushner and discusses the purpose of "light" in this week's portion and why we have two creations of light in the first creation story of Genesis 1. It's really a fascinating and cool little animated video. Give it a go, will you?


G-dcast: Parshat Bereshit from g-dcast on Vimeo.

Why not? Just because.

Listen, I'm not saying it's *good,* but it is kind of amusing ... and this is just a reminder that Rosh Hashanah IS NOT that far away. So, you know, buy something nice from Zelda's before the super special early bird sale is over on Sept. 10, mmk? Of course, as a poor graduate student, I'll take handouts :)



A nod to Frumhouse for posting this little vid, btw.

A Google Video Rilo Kiley Interlude (More Music!)

Here are a few clips from the Rilo Kiley show I went to on Saturday night at the Riviera in Chicago with Melanie and her sister. They're short, yes, because my camera almost got confiscated upon entrance because it's "professional grade" or something. So I had to be super sneaky and stealth!

A YouTube-Weezer Interlude.

Prepare to be absolutely amazed. Those of you who frequent the web will hopefully see this video as an amazing account of the internet age. See if you can catch all the internet/pop culture/viral references. Seriously, this is brilliant, and I have to say mad props to Weezer!



(Note: I've heard the 8 songs leaked, and in truth this might be the best of any of them. The album will probably be a disappointment, but I have to hold on and hope for the best, 'specially because of this!)

A brief interlude for music and words.

"I'm packing heat like the oven door." -- Jay Z

I'm attempting to look at rappers as poets, in the fashion of Tupac, if that makes sense. On my way in this morning I was listening to one of the many mixes that a Yelper put together of tunes that members of the Yelp-o-Sphere were listening to. Among these are lots of hardcore angry metal tunes, which to be frank I can't even bring myself to listen to. I don't see any musical value in them, nor can I really muster the patience to try. There's some Dragonforce and Dolly Parton ("Jolene") not to mention plenty of new "indie" rock and classic indie music. And then there is plenty of rap and I guess what you'd call hip hop by artists like Jay Z. I find it hard to listen to a lot of that type of music because of the prevalence of the "n" word.

Listen, as a grammarian and amateur etymologist, I don't believe in this whole "reclaiming words" business. Yes, language grows and changes and words take on colloquial meanings. New words are added to the lexicon and old words fade away. There's the old adage that "When I say a word, it means what I choose it to mean," or something to that effect, and my father used to spout that off frequently. Yet when I would say a word without knowing its meaning and dad would ask me what I thought it meant and I replied "I don't know," he'd insist I go look it up. I usually didn't, though. It was a rebellious act of a young wordsmith. But in my experience, in a single generation or two, words don't change their meanings.

In 500 years, the "n" word might fade into oblivion, left in old dictionaries never to be seen, read, or heard again. In truth, I'd prefer this route for the word, not to mention for words like "k*ke" and "c*nt" and "d*ke." The latter two, of course, have been embraced by the women's movements and the lesbian community. They've "reclaimed" the words, making them empowering -- not harmful or derogatory. But aren't there still those who use these words in the very way that ARE hurtful? The words themselves can be found in the dictionary with general definitions, but the colloquial usage has transformed them into words of hate and words of empowerment. It's like the word "queer" -- the GLBT community embraced the term, they say, and are proud to call themselves queer. But there's most definitely a difference in the types of people who call themselves "queer" versus those who call themselves "gay" or "lesbian." There's still a stigma with the word, and in many circles the word is still derogatory and full of hate.

The word "k*ke" is not used so much anymore, and it is said to have derived from Ellis Island. The story goes that Jews were supposed to sign with an X, like all new arrivals, but since it resembled the cross too much, they'd draw a circle. The German word (I think it was German) for circle is kikel or something of the sort, and thus the officers at Ellis Island began calling Jews "k*ke." It evolved, hate fell behind it, and now it's a word of oppresion. I'm reading the book "Generation J," and I have to say I find the book pretty distressing and self-centered. The author discusses the reclaiming of words and thinks, Why can't Jews reclaim the word? What a stupid idea.

So back to where I started -- the "n" word. I can't even type it. I find it easier to type the other words than I do the "n" word. I'm not sure why, but when I hear it, or see it, it says to me "HATE" in big, bold, angry, black letters. It screams of slavery and oppression and hate; pure, vile, violent hate. I've never understood the desire for the black community to "reclaim" the word. I don't know why you wouldn't just want it to fade away, to be left to the annals of a horrible time in history like slavery. For there is a difference between remembering and reliving and in my mind, everytime the word is uttered, it's reliving that anger and oppression. It's better to remember; it's wiser, at that.

But I'm giving Jay Z a shot. And it's phrases like that which I wrote above -- "I'm packing heat like the oven door" -- said with a rhythm and poetry that strikes me as worth listening to. It's a simple phrase, but it's quite beautiful in its poetic quality. So for now, I'm giving rap a chance, though I cringe at every utterance of the "n" word. I just can't help it.

On a different, yet related note, thanks to Melanie, here's a new video from Mates of State, who have an album coming out in May. It's good stuff, so give it a watch.

I faltered, but hey, Kosher for Passover! W00t!

I'll just say this: I succumbed to the pull of the computer around noon today, after becoming unsettled by the silence in my apartment. I subsequently went out and bought a radio today (people buy radios!?). Luckily, there isn't a "say 300 hail Mary's" kind of thing on my plate. Phew! Dodged a bullet there.

I have a video blog in the work about my myriad books, my stacks of books, my bags full of books that I schlepped across the city and spent nearly five hours at the Argo Tea tonight. You see, I'm going to Brandeis on Thursday and attending a class taught by Antony Polonsky, so what have I been doing? Yes, reading the required readings for the class. Lots of stuff about Jewish-Polish relations and the apologetics surrounding the whole ordeal. I have to say, of all Holocaust research, I find the Polish-Jewish conflict the most troubling and fascinating. I find the Polish-sympathizing papers to be frustrating. ARGH! But yes, video blog coming up.

So I just wanted to stop in and say ... I went to the store tonight and they had miniature AISLES set up with Kosher for Passover stuff! We're talking dressings and candy and meat and ... my G-d. I'm *actually* going to be able to be fully Kosher for Passover, folks. (Note: I've been doing the Passover thing for several years, and I really don't hate Matzo, and I avoid chametz entirely, but having actual, certified products? Exciting!) And the gigantic boxes of matzo? I mean, hot. I don't think I need to buy a 12-pack, but I do love my matzo pizza. And when I say love, I mean, LOVE. I fully intend on eating it for at least one meal a day throughout Pesach. The only thing that really took me by surprise was ... well ... gefilte fish patties, in a box. Ew :(

You can color me EXCITED, is basically what I'm saying. Yipee! This means I won't have to trek up to Skokie to get my Pesach goods. The only thing I didn't see on the shelves, though, was the Kosher for Passover soda -- but this is okay, since, well, I don't drink soda but once a month or so.

The Internet is GROWING!

Okay, so I ran across a YouTube knockoff yesterday called GodTube, and was sort of like "WTF, mate?" But then today I ran across Yideoz, and am thoroughly amused.

And here's is a spiel on the site:
Yideoz is the online Jewish community for uploading and sharing videos.

Our vision is to bring together the online world-wide Jewish community and provide Jews everywhere with the opportunity to watch, share and schmooze about all kinds of Jewish content videos. Share some scenes from your wild Purim party! Wanna show off your latest stand-up? Has bubbe seen how big the kids have gotten? Do you want to relive that simcha with all of your friends? Would you like to promote your school's/organization's latest video? Send someone a Vcard to wish them Mazal Tov! Tap into this great network to advertise your event, broadcast your shiurim, even create you own video resume.

With Yideoz you can do all that - plus create groups, start discussions, make friends, and more - all in a moderated, safe environment.

A Poetic Interlude!

Okay. I was originally posting an Oi Va Voi video. And then I found this. It's of the style of SLAM poetry. And it's beautiful. I particularly like the line "i never found god i just ran out of excuses not to" and "i learned how to get to the point where the only rules i followed were the ones i cared about, and that, is how i found g-d." Brilliant.



Be sure to check out Jewish Impact Films!!! So good.

One of my favorite is the kosher vid, and especially, this noir about Passover and chametz!

A Rosh Hashanah video.

Please ignore the unfortunate missing "for" between "time challah" in the slide ... it's late, and I'm too lazy to go back through and resave the movie and reupload it to YouTube. Enjoy the klezmer!