Thursday, July 31, 2008

Books to Read, Modesty

Boundaries
Girls Gone Mild
"I Kissed Dating Goodbye"
"What Color Is Your Parachute?"

Why is modesty such an issue for certain people? Seriously...Why is it that there is still a double standard for guys?

Somehow I found this book browsing on Amazon; click the photo of the book and read the table of contents. I found it pretty funny!

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Double-Standards-Every-Should/dp/1580052452/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217549033&sr=8-6

I found this newspaper article about 2 college students who are choosing not to have sex until they get married, plus the facebook group dedicated to the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/magazine/30Chastity-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

Perusing facebook groups, I found a discussion within the "Girls Gone Mild" group revolving around this link:

http://stuff.co.nz/4629757a1860.html

I was surprised reading the article, as the others in the discussion were. What do you think?

***
I also found the link for this documentary "America The Beautiful"

http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/

Any thoughts?

***

I just found this great new clothing site! I think it may take 2nd-place in my "favorite online-clothing store" list! 2nd of course, behind Funky Frum. :p

Called Be Precious (http://www.bepreciousclothing.com/), based in L.A., was featured in The Jewish Week.

http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a7184/News/New_York.html


The store has cute things and good prices! Next time I have some extra money, I will definitely be picking some skirts up! :-)

To Pack or Not to Pack? Moving Drama

I talked to my landlady this week. She had someone that wanted to move in this weekend. I made phone calls, started packing (I'm about 1/2-way done), and then after calling her find out about things, she said the girl was so desparate to get into a new place she signed a different lease!

I had also called my new landlord to see if I could move in between the 13th+20th, and he said to call him on the 10th to check in with him.

However, my landlady said there are people coming from out-of-state next Monday+Tuesday, so hopefully I'll have my stuff packed up, the place cleaned and tidied and hopefully they'll sign after looking around. I would prefer NOT to unpack/repack, especially my dishes... The good thing about moving out early is that I wouldn't have to pay August rent; only pay for June/July.

So, I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess stay in my apartment. Next week is gonna be short. I want everything packed and cleaned before next Wednesday so I don't have to worry about things when I'm not in town.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

what do to, what to do?

I just found out that a friend has a job offer in Belgrade! I should be, and I am, happy for her, but that's the latest friend who's work, or schooling, has taken them abroad. Not counting E, K is in Helsinki, T/N is, or will be soon in Cairo, with her husband; N applied for a job in Baku.

Where does that leave me? I'm still in the U.S. Figuring out what to do and where to go with my life academically or professionally.

I sit here watching "Kadosh" reading the Spanish subtitles, and I feel that that religious a life is not for me. I think of the few Frum girls I know, Black Hat or Chabad, a few years younger than myself, already married and living in New York. Their facebook pictures, or stories on others' walls telling the latest news of their acquaintances. In their pictures these girls, livin' it up in New York, are dressed funky yet frum, as religious law dictates, seem to have have a care in the workd. They have their sheitels. Their husbands. Life is set for them. They don't have to worry about anything else. One has been married a few months, her sister set to marry in September; the other just over a year, gave birth to a baby boy.

Thinking about religion versus my academic life, I need to get one situated before the other. I don't know what I'm going to do academically. I wan--no, I need to get out of here. Nothing is working out financially, and I have no other options for next year. No money to go anywhere, and there's no point in staying if I can't take another year of coursework. I could Au Pair, but I have no momey for the flight, even if the couple did want me to come over in the next 3 weeks. Which won't happen, because we haven't really corresponded. Well, I have a wedding to be at on the 8th. Maybe I can figure things out while I'm there. Money options, work options.

PS: Malka's wedding dress I don't particularly care for. I'm not the one who married in it, so I guess I don't have to worry about it.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Bureaucracy

I applied for state residency about 5 weeks ago, and found out almost immediately thereafter that I got it. Well, apparantly that isn't the case. The Registrar called me because my case is one that requires more info before they can decide one way or the other: it's unclear why I came to school: to study, or to work. They think I previously knew about the twelve-month residency rule, and then went ahead and came down here to find work after learning that. Which is not the case. I came here, found a job, classes started, and then I found out about the rule. I don't think I can prove I *didn't* already know about it. And for that I think they'll reject my application. I can appeal it however, but the gentleman I spoke with from the Registrar is *on* the Appeal Committee! I've been looking at other options for next year already:

A.) Take a full course load (3 classes) in the Fall, and just the language in the Spring.
My loan money covers out-of-state for Fall, but then I'd need to get outside loans for Spring. (Catch-22: The classes I'd take let me receive loans from the govt; without being full time I lose the money.)

B.) Take only the language both Fall+Spring.

C.) Move

D.) Nanny+take translation courses at the university

I called the Embassies in DC+Ottawa and the Consulates all around the US.
Funny (and true!) story: I called the Embassy in Ottawa and the secretary answers. I ask her if the Embassy is accepting application for employment. She doesn't understand (or maybe she doesn't hear me that well due my cell reception cutting out...), but I have to say the same thing 3 different ways: "Are you hiring?" "Can I apply for work at the Embassy in Canada?"
After understanding my question she asks, "You would work at an Embassy?"
Me: "Yes, if they would hire me."
Then she asks where I'm calling from. I tell her the United States, and then she turns to tell a co-worker my situation--without putting me on hold! I understood a lot of what she said, too (basically telling that an American is calling asking about work)! She comes back and says that they weren't hiring, after all that. -sigh- But...I did get positive reinforcement! The Consulate in Los Angeles told me to fax my CV! So I'll be working on that after I finish this, and then think of other things to do.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Going to Church

I went to church today. A co-worker, B, told me about it last week--that there would be a carnival at his church on Saturday and asked if I wanted to go. It sounded like fun, so why not, I thought. Well, B+I and one of his friend's picked me up. I was surprised at the similarities between this right-wing Christian church (or so it seemed by being at the carnival) and the Orthodox communities I was around the past 3 years: older couples, young couples my age (or a few years older), tons of kids, and everyone deeply committed to their religion.

I met a lot of wonderful people, including the husband of a couple who invited me to church this morning. I wasn't in a position to decline his invitation so I accepted and made plans to carpool with a couple this morning.

We arrived at church just after 10. The service started and my jaw mentally dropped. The singing, the arms in the air, it was just like those Evangelical church services you hear about, and/or see on TV! Everything was 'Jesus this' and 'Jesus that!' Something about mourners being sinners so they have to be forgiven (or something like that). Why do mourners have to be forgiven? They're just mourning someone who died.

And then the Preacher started talking about a prophet named Stephen and how he went against everything that happened before, and that he didn't believe in it: how the temple was destroyed, Joseph and his brothers went down to Egypt, the Israelities made a statue of the Golden Calf, received the 2 Tablets...He equated the apple pie, George Washington, and motherhood to things that America is quintessentially American. And then he went off about abortion, homosexuality, and adultery. He even said how some of his congregants admitted to 'killing their [unborn] children.' I thought he was kidding. I mean, in a church where the Preacher mentions 'Billy Graham,' 'Evengelical (twice!),' and is against abortion, among other things, I would have thought that none among the congregation would willingly have an abortion. Apparantly that's not the case.

I was really uncomfortable during the whole service. After, the couple I rode with this morning brought me home. Well, the husband of the couple did. On the way, he, like a few people yesterday, asked me if I went to church, and what church was like for me growing up. Well, since he was the first to ask me outright, I told him that I'm Jewish. [If you're just tuning in to the blog, scroll to the bottom to get caught up.] We were then discussing Orthodoxy between the 2 religions, and figured that Fundamentalism (a) and Evangelicalism (b) were like Ultra-Orthodoxy and Modern Orthodoxy, respectively. At least, I think that's what we agreed on...Fundamentalists follow the Bible+everything else to a T, and Evangelicals follow only the Bible, and consider the other things, but all don't necessarily do them; (Drinking, swearing, and smoking, for example). The movie "Jesus Camp" is Fundamentalist and TLC's "The Duggars" are Evangelical.

Yeah, my first and last time at church. After I got back to school, a friend took me out for lunch since it's my birthday today. Yes, I'm 24. Hopefully next year around this time, I'll be going on shidduchim, but we'll see how things go. :-)

Maybe I'll go to the Reform shul next week, where I'll see the Frum couple that offered to teach me Yiddish! But for now, I'm watching the third Lord of the Rings and enjoying the rest of my day.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Stitches, Yiddish, and tuition uncertainties--yay!

Well, I got my stitches out and have been back in my apartment since 6/25. I haven't posted in awhile because I don't have much to post *on*! I applied for in-state residency to hopefully receive lower tuition next year and I'm awaiting the results. When I was home, I called to check the status and the woman said I got it. Then on the 25th, I got a letter in the mail saying that the Registrar wants a copy of my license and tax returns...and no, I must have been misinformed about my already-checked residency status because "(the school) doesn't have *that* quick a turnaround on decisions." -sigh- I had the paperwork in before the 4th of July, so now I'm just waiting. Let's see...

Coming out of Borders last week, I see this Frum couple walking down the street. No, that's not the begining of a joke. I really walked out of Borders and saw this guy with his tzitzis swaying in the breeze, all dressed up like he's going to a wedding (just guessing [but I wouldn't really know since I've never been to a religious one]), his wife next to him also dressed up, but the most...unexpected thing about them was that they were holding hands. Yeah! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm used to c0uples holding hands, but never religious ones. I, dressed in work clothes, stopped and asked if he was a new rabbi in town. He just smiled and said he was in town studying an Eastern European language for the summer, after which he introduced himself and his wife, who were here, for the next month or so, from another rather large Midwest university. After a few sentences, asked if I know Yiddish, and after my negative reply, offered to teach me-----::snaps:: That's who I forgot to call! I need to do that tonight or tomorrow.-----