The Things People Do for Attention...

This is just so weird...although I guess no weirder than anything else that goes on in NYC, right?

Bride In Toilet-Paper Dress Plans To Wed In NYC Restroom

Why men should wear wedding bands

Besides the obvious reason...

Wedding Ring Deflects Robber's Bullet, Saves Mississippi Store Owner's Life, Police Say
Sunday , December 02, 2007

JACKSON, Mississippi —

Police say a Mississippi man's wedding band deflected a bullet and probably saved his life.

Two men walked into Donnie Register's shop at The Antique Market in Jackson on Saturday and asked to see a coin collection, police Sgt. Jeffery Scott said.

When Register retrieved the collection, one of the men pulled a gun and demanded money. A shot was fired as Register threw up his left hand, and his wedding ring deflected the bullet, police said.

"The bullet managed to go through two of his fingers without severing the bone," said his wife, Darlene Register. "A part of the bullet broke off and is in his middle finger. The other part is in his neck, lodged in the muscle tissue. But it's not life-threatening."

She said she gives God all the credit.

Police were searching for the robbers, who Scott said "stole a substantial amount of cash."

Words of Wisdom

Bad4shidduchim is going to love this one.

From last night's episode of Samantha Who?

Regina: You're never going to get a date if you just stay home all night. Marriage doesn't just happen. You gotta get out there and expose yourself to it; like chicken pox!







Hattip: E.A. for the impetus to post this. ABC.com for the full episode viewer so I could get the exact quote.

My Thanksgiving Vacation

An essay by SaraK.

I went to Cleveland. It snowed. The end.

LOTD

I thought this was appropriate due to the strike of the Broadway stagehands.

Broadway
Goo Goo Dolls

Broadway's dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway's dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die

The cowboy kills the rock star
And Friday night's gone too far
The dim light hides the years
On all the faded girls

Forgotten but not gone
You drink it off your mind
You talk about the world like it's someplace that you've been
You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten, around here

Broadway's dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway's dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die

You choke down all your anger
Forget your only son
You pray to statues when you sober up for fun
Your anger don't impress me
The world slapped in your face
It always rains like hell on the loser's day parade

You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten
When you're thinkin' you're a joke and nobody's gonna listen
To the one small point I know they've been missing around here

Broadway's dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway's dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die

You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten
When you're thinkin' you're a joke and nobody's gonna listen
To the one small point I know they've been missing around here
Round here, yeah

Broadway's dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway's dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die

And the Video

Do I have an accent?

I am always told that I have a "Bawlmore" accent. Well, this quiz puts me in the Mid-Atlantic area, so I guess it's pretty spot-on.

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Mid Atlantic Also known as a "Philadelphia accent" but also heard in south Jersey, Baltimore, and thereabouts.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Another animal visitor to my office - Updated with better pics

Back in April we had a very unusual visitor at my office. Today we had another one!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18176&l=de326&id=729957810

Anyone want to venture a guess as to our next visitor? ;)

Update: Better pics here.

This gal is a riot

Check out this amusing post at this blog http://badforshidduchim.wordpress.com/

What is up with Fresh 102.7?

Shoshana, I know you had this as your facebook status the other day.

This radio station, in the NY area, bills itself as playing "today's fresh music". So why am I hearing songs from 1993? Free Fallin' by Tom Petty, La Isla Bonita by Madonna? Edwin McCain, circa 1999?

If you call that fresh, I'm scared to see what is in your refrigerator.

Lovin' Living' in NY today!

Besides that it is an absolutely GORGEOUS day today (I'm going running in Flushing Meadows Park in a few minutes), I just love seeing vendors selling lulavim, etrogim and sukkah decorations right on the street! The entire Main St here in KGH is like a Sukkot fair; it has gotten me into the mood for the chag. Chag Sameach to all my readers!

Race for the Cure

Today I ran in the Komen Greater New York City Race for the Cure. The Susan G. Komen organization does tremendous work for breast cancer awareness.

Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.

This was my first time participating in an event like this. There were thousands of runners; men, women and children. Many people had pink tags with the names of people they were running in honor or in memory of. I was tearing up reading some of them; wives, mothers. There were many teams running to support a friend or relative with breast cancer. It was such an inspirational event. I was emotionally overwhelmed. All survivors wore special pink t-shirts and received pink leis and pink carnations at the end. There were also many special gifts from the vendors just for survivors.

The energy and vibe during the run was terrific - everyone was smiling and cheering all throughout. All the volunteers and organizers were making sure everything ran smoothly.
It was especially touching to see so many breast cancer survivors running.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the amazing support I received from my family and friends. I raised over $900!

It was a really wonderful event and I hope to participate again!

This is really cool

I really liked this.

Hattip: Christina C.

It's Only August!

It was over 90 degrees today, and school has not started yet, but Stop and Shop (and I'm sure others) has Halloween candy on display! What is up with that? Can we get through our Labor Day BBQ's first?

Israel's Newest Residents

The Nefesh B'nefesh pictures always get me emotional, but these, from yesterday's Nefesh B'Nefesh flight are especially meaningful to me. My good friends Chanina & Solomon, along with their 4 beautiful children, KAH, made aliyah yesterday. I miss you guys and hope to see you soon!

Very Cool Card Trick

I don't know how this guy does it, but it's really cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C96Hc1m7pRU

Hattip: Adina

Lovely Sunday

One of my commenters posted that I seem to focus on the negative too much. I am really not a frequent blogger, so I apologize if it seems that I don't post positive things (even though I disagree and I should not have to justify what I blog about). But anyway, I had a really lovely day today so I decided to share. Started with a power walk in my neighborhood. Then met my friend in the city at the Whitney museum. We had a really nice time there; they have some interesting exhibits. Then we got ice cream and hung out in Central Park. The weather was a little hot, but we managed. It was really nice to spend time with my friend and to expand my cultural horizons and take advantage of some things that NYC has to offer.

So sad

This is just so sad. A plane carrying organs to be donated crashed. All six people on the plane died and all the organs were destroyed as well.

LOTD

Looking out my window right now has gotten me depressed.

Another Rainy Day In New York City
Chicago

Another rainy day in new york city
Softly sweet, so silently it falls
As crosstown traffic crawls

Memories in my way in new york city
Tender, tough, too tragic to be true

And nothing i can do

City workers cheer
The taxis disappear
Another rainy day in new york city

Another spacey stay in new york city
High up in an overpriced hotel
The view is really swell

Windy, wet and gray in new york city
No one here i really want to see
Old friends and family

So suddenly serene
The air is fresh and clean
Another rainy day in new york city

It's another rainy day
Just a rainy, rainy day
It's another rainy day
Just a rainy, rainy day

Seen on the streets of Queens, NY

An 80+ year old woman wearing a t-shirt proudly proclaiming
"Single and Lovin' It"

I got a chuckle out of that one.

Seen on the streets of NYC

A woman wearing boots. On June 1. Black leather boots. It's 84 degrees, clear and sunny. Just. So. Wrong.

Happiness is a state of mind

Calvin & Hobbes gets it right, yet again.

LOTD

Inspired by Shoshana, I decided to post Lyrics of the Day. I will not be doing this every day (as you see how often I post at all) but whenever the mood strikes me.


Phantom Planet
Fine on My Own

Yeah
I hear you talking, baby
I see you going crazy
But it's not over me

So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you
So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you

'Cause I
Know you haven't got a clue
And I'm fine on my own
Without you

Yeah
You hear me talking, baby
You see me going crazy
But it's not over you

So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you
So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you

'Cause I
Know you haven't got a clue
And I'm fine on my own
Without you

So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you
So don't you tell me that I'm hanging around 'cause of you

'Cause I
Know you haven't got a clue
And I'm fine on my own
Without you

Yeah, I'm fine on my own
Without you

Yeah, I'm fine on my own
Without you

Miriam's prognosis - amazing!

Just wanted to give you all the final update on Miriam. Her doctors have reviewed her latest CT scan and have given her a clean bill of health. She doesn't need any rehab or therapy, which is really amazing. She's off of the heavy painkillers and feels really good. She will still be taking it easy for the next few weeks but it's a miracle how well she is doing.

Thank you all for your tefillot (prayers) and good wishes. I know that they all helped in her recovery.

Miriam is on her way home

Miriam was just discharged from the hospital and is on her way home!

Miriam is out of the ICU

Thank G-d Miriam was moved out of the ICU today. All IVs have been removed. I spoke to her and although she sounds very tired, she is able to have a conversation and said she's doing well, besides for a pretty bad headache. Mentally and cognitively she sounds fine. She's walking on her own, as well. They expect to discharge her on Friday, G-d willing.

Prayers Still Needed

Thank G-d my friend Miriam is improving, slowly, but definite improvement day by day. She is able to speak and recognize people. She is still in the ICU, in a lot of pain, so please continue to daven (pray) for her. Thank you!

Miriam bas Chaya Gittel

Prayers Needed

A very close friend of mine needs a refua sheleima (speedy recovery). Please have her in mind in your tefillot (prayers).
Miriam bas Chaya Gittel

Jewish Heritage Month

Received via e mail:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

­

For Immediate Release April 30, 2007

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2007

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The faith and hard work of Jewish Americans have played an integral role in shaping the cultural fabric of America. During Jewish American Heritage Month, we celebrate the vital contributions of Jewish Americans to our Nation.

Throughout our history, Jewish Americans have contributed to the strength of our country and the preservation of our values. The talent and imagination of these citizens have helped our Nation prosper, and their efforts continue to remind us of America's gift of religious freedom and the blessings of God's steadfast love. Jewish Americans have worked to promote civil rights and build bridges of mutual understanding among the world's religions. Their deep commitment to faith and strong ties to family enrich our country and set a positive example for others.

This month is also a time to recognize the sacrifices of Jewish Americans who serve our Nation in the Armed Forces. These brave men and women are dedicated to freedom's cause, and all those who live in freedom live in their debt.

Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Jewish-American citizens and to remember that our Nation is a melting pot of cultures. I join all Americans in celebrating the rich Jewish heritage and the many ways they contribute to a bright future for our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America , by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States , do hereby

proclaim May 2007 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor Jewish Americans across the country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

I found some stuff going on in NY here and in Washington, DC here. Apparently 2006 was the first observance of this event, which I guess is why I never heard of it.

Even rich people have to go to jail sometimes

This article in the NY Times reports on "pay to stay" jails. I'm betting Paris Hilton would serve her time here if convicted of violating her probation.

Bear visits my office - Updated

Some of you probably feel like you work with animals on some days ;) and Shoshana occasionally has the company of her co-worker's dog at her office, but today we had a real live baby black bear come visit us at my office in midtown Manhattan! Yes, you read that correctly. Unfortunately, I don't have a camera phone but lots of my coworkers were snapping pictures and taking videos so as soon as someone shares photos, I will post them. But we had a trainer from Animal Planet come up to our office and let the bear loose in our conference room. It was pretty interesting. Never a dull moment. :)

Here are the photos below! And videos are here, here, and here.

Hysterical clip on dating "etiquette"

Pobody's Nerfect, over at SerAndEz, posted this hysterical clip on dating.
Go check it out.

Is she wearing a snood?

Check out this photo of Beyonce'. Doesn't it look like she is wearing a snood?

Shlissel challah

The Shabbat after Pesach it is a custom to bake challah with your house key inside of it as a segulah for parnassah.

My friend came up with something better. Bake a little "mentshie" in your challah as a segulah to find your husband. ;-)

Nice dvar torah on shlissel challah here and post by asimplejew here.

Needless to say, I am still awake right now because I baked challah with my key in it.

Shabbat Shalom.

What they won't think of next...

There is an auction up on eBay for the rights to buy the first pie of pizza at a Brooklyn pizza shop on Motzei Pesach.

Check it out.

Funny Commercial

I just thought this was a funny and clever commercial.

Which Grey's Character Are You Most Like?

I found this quiz on abc.com. I had a feeling I would be pegged as Callie, although I would let myself be pursued by a guy and would not have come on so strong like she did. But I am definitely not Meredith (whiny, needy) or Christina (unemotional, singularly driven) or Izzie (too emotional, know it all).





Take the quiz and add your results in the comments!

http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/quiz/greysdiagnosis/index

I guess being Kosher isn't enough--Updated

My friend went to Cafe K for lunch today and told me it was closed down by the Health Department. Eeeewwwwww. The only other info I could find on the web was this. If anyone has any more info, please let me know. This was one of my favorite lunch places in midtown.

Update:
Ezzie pointed me to CWY's blog, where I found out that CWY was one of the last customers before the Health Dept shut them down. Yuck.

Piece of Cake

Some people seem to want to do an experiment to see if the whole world can go one entire day without turning on their computers. For Shomrei Shabbat (those who observe Shabbat) this should be a piece of cake.

http://www.shutdownday.org/

Do you think you can do it?

Hattip: Aryeh S.

Lots of people looking to keep Dunkin Donuts kosher

My blog is the #1 search result on google for "dunkin donut petition to stay kosher". Cool!

(Greg's blog is #2)

Save Kosher Dunkin Donuts

As seen on the KGHShuls e mail list

According to an out of state email list, *all* kosher Dunkin Donuts
will soon lose their hechsher because they will be forced to sell
non-kosher items. If you wish to protest this you can
call their corp hdqtrs

Contact: Michelle King
Dunkin' Brands
Phone: 781-737-3585
michelle.king@ dunkinbrands. com

and sign a petition at
http://www.petition online.com/ ddkosher/ petition. html

Snow storms bring out kindness in strangers

Thank goodness I am able to work from home (G-d bless wireless internet!) so I have been working from home yesterday and today. The snow plows buried my car yesterday so I went out this morning to try to dig it out. 2 different men saw me digging and helped me out. They do not know me and I'm sure they had better things to do, but they helped me get my car out. It was really nice of them. And it wasn't because I looked so cute in my sweats under my skirt and scarf and mismatched hat ;-)

Crossposted on kindness happens.

Not Alienating the Non-Religious

Wolfish Musings has an excellent post up here.
I agree completely.

Just have to keep my mouth shut

Don't you hate it when you want to complain about something, but you can't? (Not in this venue anyway) This will have to suffice as my rant for today. All I can say is coworkers can be annoying sometimes.

For all you Grey's Fans

Thanks to Shoshana for lending me Season 1, I am now a Grey's Anatomy fan. Someone pointed me to this clip, which is really well-edited. If you are a Grey's fan, you'll like it.

It's only 8 AM and it's already one of those days...

Seems that this is the theme of the day...

I had to be at work earlier than usual today so I set my alarm for 5 AM. As I was on the way out the door, I realized that I couldn't find my MetroCard. OK, I can buy another one at the bodega near the bus stop. Walk out the door and see that it snowed last night so I have to clear off my car. Drive to the bus stop, run to the bodega, they only take cash for the metrocards. Thank goodness I had cash on me, but we get money deducted pre-tax for metrocards in the form of a Visa card so I couldn't use that. Of course, I missed the 6:10 express bus so I had to wait (sans gloves by the way) for the regular bus and then take the train. While I was on the train I realized that I had worn a different coat on Friday (because it was so cold) and my metrocard was probably in the pocket.

I am usually so super organized that all of this combined just threw me for a loop. Hope the rest of my day goes a little better. It's sunny, so that is a positive! Maybe I will go buy some new gloves during my lunch break.

Cold Enough For Ya?

It was 9 degrees outside when I woke up this morning and the "real feel" temp (I just love that term! I know it just means wind chill) was something like -13. Waiting for the bus was no picnic! It doesn't get this cold in Baltimore! Why did I move here again?

Shabbat Shalom, ya'll and stay warm! As they said on the radio this morning, "Bundle up! Or just get on a flight to Aruba" ;-)

What a movie

I just saw Dreamgirls tonight. It was awesome! Some of the singing numbers seemed a little random, but Jennifer Hudson's voice--wow! Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy were terrific, Keith Robinson, the guy who plays C.C., is a cutie, and Beyonce' and the other girls were good too! I was crying at the end. Go see it! (Unless you don't do Kol Isha, then you are excused). Thanks, E, for going to see it with me!

Blast from the past

Do you remember the TV show Kids Incorporated? I found this clip and was totally transported back to my childhood.

Talk About A Sports Fan

A woman in Illinois induced labor on Friday so that her husband could go see the the NFC Championship game. Ezzie, would you convince Serach to do that? :)

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — Nine months pregnant and married to a fervent Bears fan with tickets to Sunday's NFC Championship game, Colleen Pavelka didn't want to risk going into labor during the game against the New Orleans Saints. Due to give birth on Monday, Pavelka's doctor told her Friday she could induce labor early. She opted for the Friday delivery.

"I thought, how could (Mark) miss this one opportunity that he might never have again in his life?" said Pavelka, 28, from the southwestern Chicago suburb of Homer Glen.

At 10:45 p.m. Friday, Mark Patrick Pavelka was born at Palos Community Hospital after close to six hours of labor.

While her husband watched the Bears play the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field Sunday, Colleen planned to watch in the hospital with the baby wrapped in a Bears blanket _ a Christmas gift from his grandmother.

The couple named Mark after his father, who wore a "Monsters of the Midway" shirt during the delivery.

"If he wasn't born by Sunday and the Bears won, I would have named him Rex," after Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, joked Mark Pavelka, 28.

Mark is the couple's second son.

This game is a lot of fun

Just got this very fun game...try it!

http://cognitivelabs.com/word_shoot.htm



Hattip: Aryeh S

For AlanLaz

Not even sure if he reads my blog, but I got this e mail and of course thought of AlanLaz.


"Singles for singles scotch tasting event"

and the not so single too!

Come Join KWS as we taste through 40 of the best single barrels,
malts, whiskies, scotches, and tequilas in the market today. This walk
through tasting event is not just for singles it's for any real scotch
lover out there. Or someone just new to the scotch crave. Company
ambassadors will be answer questions and walking you through all scotches.

Date: January 24th 2007
Time: 7:30 – 9:30
Location: Jewish Center 131 W 86th St , New York , 10024

KWS & Gotham Members event charge: $29

Buy Tickets Now:
http://www.kosherwinesociety.com/events.shtml

The Short List
- Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
- Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old
- Tobermory
- Ledaig
- Deanston

http://www.gothamwines.com/main.asp?request=EVENTS&event=22&

Sorry, I just couldn't resist

No offense to my lovely readers from NJ, but I just saw this headline.

Officials trace mystery smell to NJ

"We think it emanates somewhere between Secaucus and Jersey City," said Charles Sturcken, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

We always say that you can smell NJ as soon as you cross into the state. I guess today the smell drifted into NYC.

So the Mayor knows it all?

I arrived to work this morning and within a half hour had a very bad headache. There was an odor of gas and the building was temporarily evacuated. I already didn't feel well and no one seemed to know what was really going on so I left and I'm working from home. This is what the mayor was saying on the news.

"It may just be an unpleasant smell, but at this point we don't know anymore than that," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference Monday. "One thing we are very confident of is it is not dangerous, but how long and what the sources are, we just don't know."

If they don't know what it is, how does he know it's not dangerous? I wasn't taking any chances.

Pre-marriage discussions

The NYTimes has a list of Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying. I think most of them are pretty fair. The comments section on the article has additions from the readers. Feel free to add your thoughts here.

Beautiful Movie

This beautiful movie is based on a fictional story, but it is very touching.

http://www.teachermovie.com/

Hattip: Becky

New Year's Day

I know, it's not the New Year's Day WE celebrate, but it IS the start of 2007, which, for no other reason than its virtue of being 2007 will be an auspicious year for me (v'hameivin yavin) . I think it's OK to use the secular new year as a gauge of a year-long period in which events occur and things you want to accomplish get done.

Treppenwitz had a really nice post today, titled "A year of wine... not just bubbles." I really liked that line. I hope that I and all my readers have a year of substance, of importance. (and of course I would probably be remiss if I didn't put a bracha in there, right? Wine of the chupah...) :)

Hope that everyone who has a day off today enjoys it, and for those of you in the NY area--stay dry!