A Published Newsie, Again

The first "news" article I ever wrote was way back in college when I worked as a copy editor and copy desk chief at The Daily Nebraskan -- the official newspaper of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and proud owner of many Student Pulitzer Prizes, not to mention a later deadline than the actual local paper (making it an awesome place to work for breaking news).

You see, I wanted the Arts and Entertainment editor to write up a piece on a Slam Poetry competition in Omaha, but he just didn't have the manpower. "If you want it in the paper, write it yourself," he said. So I did, and I never wrote another. Too much pressure, a chance of being edited, inability to write my own headline.

But my good friend @Mottel pointed someone in my direction and thus comes the second, long-awaited installment in my "news" reporting career, this time for Lubavitch.com.

Read the article here!

And if you really want to read my first "news" story ever published, it's here. 

Note: I wrote a lot of satire pieces for the Daily Halfasskan, which was our April 1 joke issue. For some reason writing fake, hilarious stories carried a lot less pressure than "real" news. 

Updates, Future Dates, and Some Sad Stuff

I hope you all have been enjoying The Tzniut Project -- and from the comments I've been getting on and off the blog, I'd have to say that the preliminary answer to that is yes. On that note, I really want to do a Men's Series on the same topic, with a few added/altered questions. Any volunteers? I'd probably start it up in about two weeks, so we've got time. If you're interested, shoot me an email!

In other news, I've been out and about around the web, and I hope you'll do some reading off-site.

I wrote a piece for Lubavitch.com about my Memories of Joplin, because, well, as you'll read there, I grew up there and everything that's been happening has been insanely emotional and devastating for me. If you click here, you'll see the Google Map of the tornado's path, and if you search for my childhood address (1921 East 33rd Street), you'll see that where I grew up is in the path. So, if you haven't already, please consider donating to the relief fund. The OU has set up a Disaster Fund for Joplin.

I also have a piece up on JDate.com in honor of the soon-to-come One-Year Anniversary of being all married and stuff. The piece is from my perspective, but in case you're new around here and haven't heard the story of how we met, it might be amusing for you. Man, I can't believe it's been almost a year; it feels like just yesterday. We made it!

Stay tuned for some real and meaty posts about the reason I have been MIA aside from The Tzniut Project posts. I'll cheat and tell you where I've been: At an iCenter Fellows meeting in Oak Brook, IL. And as a further teaser, the hotel we're staying in is on Hamburger University Campus (yes, that's McDonald's) and everything here is laden with McDonald's propaganda. I feel dirty.

And sad. I just found a street-map of the skating rink I wrote about in the Lubavitch article. Keeley's. The name was Keeley's. Sigh ... 


Note: I will be in Israel from June 6-23 most likely. Will need some meals and things, and I'll be in Jerusalem for the trip. Wahoooo! Let me know if you'd like me to crash your Shabbos table.

Chabad on the Moon!?

While perusing Etsy.com, as I do sometimes when I'm bored, need to refresh my brain, and don't have a graphic novel laying around, I came across some funny comics up for sale. This one gave me a happy giggle. If you'd like to purchase one, just visit this Etsy Shop! (I also like the Rashi on a date one, tee hee.) After all, we have to be able to laugh at ourselves, right?

Madagascar!!!!

I managed to finish Michael Chabon's "Yiddish Policemen's Union" and it was truly one of the best books I've read -- ever. I've never read anything by Chabon before, though he's famous for a variety of his other books, including "Wonderboys." I'm considering dabbling in other Chabon books, but for now, I'm going to delay myself.

For those not familiar with Chabon, you're really missing out. I'm not going to divulge any details or spoilers about the book, but the idea of a homeland in Alaska for the Jews is completely crazily awesome and no doubt arises from the crazy idea of Hitler and his posse that moving the Jews to the Canary Islands or Madagascar (which plays a part in the book) would be a stellar idea. I truly had no idea that the book was going to end up where it did, but let me tell you, I was shocked and impressed. It is a very, very smartly written book. Plenty of Jewish history, facts, myths and legends in this fictional masterpiece.

But perhaps the best part of the book was the author's incredibly vivid way of expressing a simple thing. His "the teacup of her ear" is just one that caught me. What imagery, nu? Even better? "The black cake of the kid's hat is already dusted with a quarter inch of frosting. Zimbalist gives him the attention you give a tree in a pot" (pg 107). I mean, wow. WOW. Those are the kind of lines and imagery and word play that I *dream* of when sitting down for a poem. The black cake of his hat ... dusted with a quarter inch of frosting. Amid the snow, that image is beautiful.

I have to wonder how the Lubavitch feel about this book. It definitely paints the uber-religious community as laden with underground mob-like activities, not to mention a front of piety that is no more legitimate than a Lance Bass vouching as a straight man. The idea that the devoutly religious would do the things that this book suggests, merely for that which the book expresses, is shocking and probably pretty incensing for the movement.

Either way, this is an ultimately amazing book that is worth your time. At a little over 400 pages, it's probably one of the fastest reads I've experienced. My (non)black hat is off to you, Michael Chabon. Your smartly written book had me hooked, and I only hope the rest of your books are just as brilliant.