hawaiian_jew

Hey Everyone (if there's anyone left reading this blog of mine),
I moved to a new blogging space. It's on Vox.com and my new address name is kahahawahine.vox.com. Feel free to check it out! I won't be posting on livejournal anymore....when you see Vox, you'll know why... :)
See you there....er, sort of.

...In Her Very Own House! In Her Very Own Shower, Even!!! So, here's the story. I was standing in the shower washing my hair, and out of the corner of my eye, I see this black spot...so being the naturally curious one that I am, I turned to check it out...
And what do I see?!
A Black Widow Spider!!! In between the two shower curtians I have. I have never been so happy to have two shower curtians!
So, this is how the conversation in my head went:
"Oh My G-d!" ....ew. I shouldn't have said that. But I did. Oopsie.
"Hmmm. Should I get out of the shower now? Or wait, til I am done washing my hair?"
"I'll wait 'til I'm done otherwise, I'll just have to get back in later and waste time and possibly be late to work." (Gee. I hope my employers read this so they know how dedicated I am to my job)...
"Okay, so, I'll just finish washing my hair...." (I said this while facing the shower curtain so the dern thing was never out of my sights. Never ever.
So, I carefully move the shower curtain and the stupid Black Widow starts to crawl down inside the two curtains.
I, naturally, jumped back and made a mad dash to get some clothes on as I just couldn't bare (pun intended!) catching a spider of this size (and colour) in my birthday suit....Ghhh! * Shivers *
So, I scrabble into most of my clothes and run into the kitchen part of my house, grab a glass jar with a lid and head back into the bed/bathroom with the jar fully extended in front of me.
I set the lid in the sink and oh-so-very-carefully peeled the first shower curtain back and away to expose the icky-invader and, bravery required for all you scaredy-cats reading, pulled the one shower curtain taught and pressed the jar up against it, moving said jar up and down a little so the Spider Of Death has no choice but to Go Into The Jar, then jumped back toward the sink and snapped the lid on as quickly as possible (the icky thing was already making a mad dash for the top) and set it down to stare at it.
It really was a Black Widow! It had the violin shaped thingy on the bottom and everything! I caught it in my very own shower! Mostly clothed! Methinks I caught it before she had the "kids" but, I've been Oh-So-Very-Careful since then to check my shower each morning....
Can you blame me?

Ick-i-di-ness!!!! (And I usually don't mind spiders all that much - gack - could it be? Do you think I'm....I'm....Turning Into A Girl?!!???)

...of course, I then brought it to work to show it off....maybe I'm okay after all.

Yes, that's right all y'all. My birthday is in (drum roll please) 7 - seven - days! I have been counting down to it as I do every year... A bit pschyco, granted. Namely: counting down since my 1/2 birthday, which is March 12. I celebrate both real birthdays and half birthdays of everyone I love dearly. I think it's just such a shame to wait a whole entire year! How sad. So, "half day" became a tradition. I buy a book and a piece of cheesecake. (And now that I'm over 21 - something alcoholic).... :)
But, next Tuesday is THE day, not the half day...the actual real thing! The day I've been looking forward to for more reasons than people at bars looking at me and thinking, "oh, how sweet, she's 21 and she can drink now...isn't that just precious." Now, the 22nd unit of time in my life will begin and I should be able to actually feel more like I'm actually 21....Jewish thought there, folks. Once you've completed a year, there is no question whatsoever that you are "that age."
Anyway, 'nuff of that. Today is Labor Day (A holiday begun in NY in 1882 - 5th of September - and only became a Nat. Holiday in the '30's) and I am with Family. Yay for family! I shall go drink coffee now.
(P.s. I have the MOST Amazing recipe for Caramel Pie in The Whole Wide World now - feel free to ask for it if you want!) Yummy!

So, I've been in one of "those slumps" recently...as my last post kinda touched on. Loneliness still sucks. And sometimes even my cat doesn't help...actually, that would be most of the time, since all he does is bite my hand anyway. Meany head.
Anyway, the highlight of this past week was the dinner from Katz's Deli in New York City. I won a drawing at my Synagouge and finally had it delivered. (It gave me something to look forward to on my Romania-tastrophie....if that's how one would spell such a word). Both my parent's, and pretty much everyone else who partook of the feast, said it was the best meat they had ever eaten. Alas for the poor lil' Veggie Head me who stared at them, then at my sandwich on rye that was just Veggie "hot dogs" ...to which everyone turned and stared...then mocked. "That looks so gross, Hannah."
"you wouldn't say that if it was "real" meat."
"Oh, yes, I would....actually it would probably look even more disgusting. Sicko."
Oh. The comfort best friend's bring to us in our time of need.

Mayhap, my slump is self-inflicted....hmm. Pauses for thought....
I should just kick myself in the butt and get it over with. Actually Shananon (yes, spelled right) said I could physically do that. I tried and discovered it's like licking your elbow. Some people can...some people can't. Like whistling. Still can't do that.
I can snap, though. (He he....Kevin can't - oops. Don't tell him I said that!!!)
:)
Alright enough meaningless meandering for tonight.
Goodnight world.

Thanks to Jasper Fforde for the title of this entry. I didn't feel like borrowing from Tolkein this time...
So, I have officially stopped attending the church I've been going to since I was 11. And I am sitting here in front of a computer on a Sunday afternoon - after not going to a Sunday service - and I have to say...I don't feel awkward at all. Which is weird, 'cause I thought I would. I went to Shul yesterday and then, sadly, had to work, but I feel just as "fed," to use a christianese term....besides, I don't really have any other words for it...that's what it is.
I have plans of getting to the Library ealry tomorrow so I can gather information about my Visa to get to Israel...as well as find a few more Au Pair websites. Possibly even In Israel. Which would be SSOOOO great! I had a really loverly conversation yesterday about my plans to go over there with a friend of my Mama's - and it was one of the first Americans I've spoken with who are actually encouraging me to get over there as soon as possible....(my close friends and parents are the only others - so far).
I almost feel disconnected from my plans - if that makes any sense at all. Here I am, almost 22, having never been anywhere for longer than two weeks and I'm planning to MOVE (as in Live There) in a country half way around the world. I must be completely bonkers. (Please read that with cockney accent - it sounds better) :)
Sometimes, I feel soooo excited that this is happening....and then - like this morning for instance - I woke up and thought, "You idiot. What makes you think you can pull this off?!?"
Then I read Isaiah 35? I think it was 35 and the verse about the L-rd coming to strengthen those with feeble knees and wake up the disheartened for the L-rd You G-d is coming to save just jumped out at me. And I thought, I can do this. If this is the L-rd leading me to take this step...I can do it.
I may have another connection in Israel to help me out a little. Shmooze.com has come in really handy for meeting people actually in Israel already...I really hope this guy sticks around long enough for me to get to know him. Ever since I was a little girl I've only had a male friend last about two weeks at the most. I still don't know why that is. (Maybe I am really freaky?)
Oh well.
I suppose, as I continually type that I believe Hashem to be in control of this move to Israel that He is also in control of my friendships be they with men or women...and I just can't worry about it.
I think another reason this has been sinking in more and more is my being lonely. I always wonder why it strikes when it does...stupid loneliness! Although giving me every reason to watch my favorite chick flicks again, this time, they just haven't helped. Sometimes being alone just sucks and that's all there is to it.
I wish I could come up with some great phrase to get me out of the dul-drums I've landed myself in...
But you know what the Monty Python boys say: "Never expect a Spanish Inquisition."

SO, I lied about being done with this by last week. I'm sorry. :( The other story is about me being vegetarian. Everyone knows this. At least everyone who knows me...
So, being the only veggie head on the trip, I asked how our Team Leader (from hence forward TM) was going to deal with it, and his reply was "Gotcha Covered." So, I went blythely along not worrying about it at all. dA DA DAH DUH!!! (dreaded drum beat in the background - think shower scene).
And the second half of previously told story is now upon you: it goes like this.
While in Bistrita we had a Romanian cook fix us this great lunch! Potatos and Carrots and Chicken. It smelled really great, but as I have been a V. gor almost 9 years, I couldn't eat it even if I wanted to. (And believe me, I would have so she wouldn't be insulted!) So, I asked our other TM if she could ask the cook not to put a piece of chicken on my plate - thinking it would be better if I didn't have it at all, rather than not eat it once it was on my plate - but, all this was stemming from the thought that people knew WHY I'm Vegetarian. Not because I don't like meat or am against animal cruelty (excessive yes...) but, because I CAN'T eat it. I puke. Forced Bulemia not being my thing, I just don't eat it.
Okay, this is getting long and complicated and I guess you had to be there....but the short end is, I got the chicken on the plate anyway 'cause the TM just said "she doesn't want it" not "she can't eat it" and it went downhill from there.
So, we switched the bone off another plate and someone who was still hungry took my meat and we were great! No one saw us! Yay.
In Sancraiu it was another story though. After the "Gotcha Covered" of said TM, he didn't have me covered. He never told anyone (Not A Soul) on the team that we had a Veg head on the team...so the minimal food budget had been set aside and dealt with already. All the food had been purchased.
The first dinner - I causally mentioned I couldn't eat meat, and could go to the store or whatever (I always bring extra money for that just in case), and Charity (the Missionary) was so great! She cooked me noodles and I had a little cheese on them and it was good. Life was grand.
Well, little did I know impending doom (I'm being dramatic) was headed my way. (hence the background drums from earlier - just makin' sure you're follwin' me).
The second half of the (long ago) mentioned meeting started with, "we wouldn't bring this up, except that it involves Charity."
And I went "O Great!" inside my head, 'cause I knew what was gonna happen.
"You're making too big a deal of being vegetarian and you just need to eat what's put in front of you."
I could have rammed my head into a wall. And one of my contacts was hurting. So, I was sitting there thinking, "Hashem, please help me not to cry. Not now." cause they said it all stern and stuff. And I just had to go into the whole thing of why I don't eat meat. Not to mention they only eat PORK over there. (canna' really it that, either)....shrugs.
And TM says to me, "whether it's your fault or mine that no one knew isn't the problem right now."
And I think, "Yeah. Right."
But what I say is, "No one knew?" all shocked and everything. "How come no one knew?" (Innocently asked - supposedly).
"That's not the point right now. And like we said, this wouldn't be an issue if it was anyone other then Charity. But it all started with the chicken the other day - when you didn't want it on your plate."
It was like they hadn't heard what I said about NOT Being Able To Eat It. !!!!!!!
Grrrrrr! Angry fist at them.
I mean, how many times could I explain this?
So, I told them again. And again. I think 4 times into they finally understood that I couldn't eat it.
And I told them, in all sincerity, "I would gladly not go to any of the meals so as not to bother Charity and just eat a PB and J in our room! I will do that for the rest of this trip if it will help Charity. The last thing I came here to do is insult people!"
So, the whole thing ended up with me telling them that the other day with "the chicken thing" I still got sick because the chicken fat was used to cook the vegetable AND I'm allergic to potatos. And I ate them without complaint. I felt like screaming and yelling at them and telling them just how humble I was really....
Yes. That would have defeated the purpose. But I felt right vindicated. (gosh darnit!)
chuckles. Aside from that whole meeting....and there were many like it...believe you me. Evidently I just cause trouble wherever I go. The rest of the trip was riddled with me....and more me. And the issued being me causes. So, suffice it to say, after about 6 months of wanting to leave that church...I did it. I have prayed about this and prayed about this and prayed about this. (I've only been attending it since I was 9 and I know everyone)
But this was just the last straw. I felt like a 10 yr. old being reprimanded for stealing a cookie. I guess I finally just had enough. I refuse to deal with people who refuse to grow up. It's just stupid! Grrr.
(thankfully with all the prayer going into it, I am able to go with a clear conscience knowing that I am walking forward with my Messiah. May He come again soon!)

Update on the move: Watch out Israel Here I Come! (I started selling stuff so I can get over there faster. Tons of bites on my bike! Yay!!)

So, all I've eaten the past week has been raw fruits and vegetables. And I'm loving it! Oh yeah. I decided to do this mostly because my house is sooooo hot and it keeps my temperature down (it's working, believe it or not) and to lose a little weight... I just didn't count on this much weight in one week. 10lbs. is a little much, dontcha think? (:-)
Not that I'm not okay with it....!! However, I did just get measured for a bridesmaids dress this past week and now it will need altered quite a lot, methinks. (The lady doth protest too much!)

Okay, so, I'm still working on getting more Romania stuff out here for y'all to read, and I promise I'll really get it done (or very close to it) by the end of this week. Mostly, as I have to rely on the public computers at the library, it's gonna take a little while. I really should just get one for myself, I know....I just haven't..... pooh on me.
One of the best stories I have is about one of the fella's from Bucharest spreaking Horse Latin in Romanian. My family (on my mom's side) has spoken horse latin for years...Most people have no clue what it is, which is the joy of knowing it! And it just cracked me up to hear a funky language spoken in a different language. !!! It was great!

Another story is the freaky RoosterDuck thing we saw in Sancraiu...it had the body and feet and beak of a duck, but it had the markings (even the red stuff on the beak, whatever it's called) like a Rooster. Now, what I want to know is, is that possible? Can you really cross a duck and a rooster? Or was it just a funky looking duck? Weird.
Okay, so, on the downside...there were a lot of meetings. One of which was about a HUGE miscommunication involving yours truly. I hadn't realized before the trip that we couldn't wear tank tops. So, seeing as how I knew it was going to be really hot there, I only packed one t-shirt...oddly enough, the one in my photo right now...(I should be sick of the shirt by know, but I still like it).
So, it ended up that my quick comment of "I'm freaking out, I've never even flown before - I don't know what to pack" was taken as "I think our leader sucks and he never told me what to pack."
Which is just so jr. high it make's me gag. I don't say stuff like that behind people's backs. (If anything, I'm honest and blunt enough to tell them to their face - whether that be a good thing or not - at least it's out there).
So, anyway....the team leader (a really great guy whom I admire A LOT) had a meeting with me and started it out with "If you made a mistake you just need to admit that you're the one who made the mistake. You can't go around telling people it wasn't a mistake you made when you're the one who made the mistake" and on and on. I mean, I'm tellin' 'ya, I had no clue what the man was talking about! But it all boiled down the miscommunication stated above....and thankfully the whole thing was rectified without too much damage. (Just my pride, a little). :)
And then the other half of the meeting started....for which I shall have to keep you in suspense as I have to go to work now. Heaven forbid I should be late to work....since I'm already here. :) I love the Library! :) :)

AND I REALLY LIKE IT!
Okay, you have to understand this is just something I've wanted to do. Since I was 9 - at which age my mother stared at me and said, "Over My Dead Body," and since then have been determined to do. (Not over her dead body...just without her foreknowledge of said act...) The funny thing is, she saw me this morning...and she liked it.
I've been walking everywhere with a huge smile on my face because of my hair, and no one has noticed. Now, see, if I had done this in the mid 90's everyone would have thought I was 'just doing it to get attention,' but now as it's so common I get no notice. And I'm glad. I think the phrase my mom used was, "What Are You Missing That You Need That Kind Of Attention??!?" To which I replied, "Nothing. I don't want attention, I just want blue hair."
Suffice it to say, she didn't believe me then....but now I think she does.
BLUE HAIR ROCKS. (Pictures coming soon...if I can figure out how to get them on here...)

"Did you notice that only Lebanese women and children are dying?" (In regards to the news we receive in America).
An excerpt from a news article:
"This is a war not of our choosing," he (Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to Washington) said. "The flare-up in violence began after Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border operation last week."

I don't know a whole lot of what's going on right now in Israel....it was strangely quite in Romania and Hungary about all this. I feel like I'm playing catch-up with the news. And the mixed messages from everywhere are not helping. May Hashem safe guard all who are over in this war and bring about His perfect conclusion. As the psalm says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." As in "Pray, tell me what you meant".....inquire after the peace of the Holy City. Don't just sit back and do nothing. Ask, Seek it out. There are so many people I've talked to who either a) don't care or b) only believe CNN.
Both of which are stupid. (see above quite by my brother).

So, for the past 4 months or so, I've felt the L-rd drawing me away from the church I've attended since before I found out I was Jewish...and I'm a little scared, I have to admit. As much of an "adventurer" as I am, I still have this homebody bone in my body and don't like to leave things I'm used to. I think I'm getting more used to the idea...and less scared...mostly because of irritation with almost everyone I come in contact with in above stated institution. (I was having issues with many of the people I was going on the trip to Romania with, so it was just a matter of time before I had to deal with it). I was remembering that verse in Romans that says, "If it is possible, and as much as depends on you, live peacably with all men." Sometimes I hate that verse....grr. grr. grr. * grins sheepishly *
I find myself sitting in this christian church thinking about how much I miss Shul...and trying to explain this to my best friends has been the hardest of all. I actually had a fairly-not-so-good disagreement with the elder of the two last night...and my heart (as sappy as this sounds) has been hurting over it all day. I've been so close to them for so many years, I would hate for them to think that because I am leaving the "christian set" and only attending Shul, that I am leaving my belief that Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah, behind. I am not. I believe Yeshua (in Hebrew: Deliverance) came as the complete sacrafice for mankind and in dying, completed the prophecies laid out in both the Torah (yes, I said prophecies) and the Haftorah. As stated many times before...I am not the world's smartest Jew. I confess to hardly knowing anything, actually. I am constantly learning new things about this faith I am beginning to embrace with everything I have....and after several months of "becoming okay" with the thought of Jews and Christians alike looking at me and saying, "FREAK," I'm still scared and trepiditious around people.
I have seen how hypocritical christians treat one another and stand alongside some atheists who proudly proclaim "That's why I'm not one of you."
I have seen even in the church I've attended for so long, many people who have bashed others who have left to attend services elsewhere...my parent's are numbered among those bashed. Mostly by those higher in the ranks who state "how sad it is you're parent's don't come here anymore...are they still believers?" This after knowing them for many many years. How can they ask such a question. Yes, I'm biased because their my family, but those who know them should also know better. I know of many people who after walking with the L-rd for 40+ years they up and leave with no explanation given...but my family is not among them. If anything, they are even more fulfilled - as am I.
My two bigger supporters (Bible study leaders) even want to attend Shul with me to see what the L-rd is doing in me. They were by far the most excited for me - aside from my own parent's of course - and that made me feel content.
Anyway...I know many people will talk behind my back. I know many of them will also be people in the church I have known for years, and talked to one on one. Eaten at their houses. I feel like David in the psalm about (oh what was his name!) Abner? Somebody....anyway..."I used to walk with you in the house of the L-rd and eat with you and now you are against me?"
Maybe I am exaggerating, as I have not told more than a few people I'm leaving...but, I've seen it happen one too many times to be too hopeful my case will be treated differently.
But, as the above mentions bible study leaders told me last night, "You have to go where you know the L-rd is leading. If you don't you won't be used by Him nearly as much. Or as fulfilled."
I hope anyone who reads this and has questions will talk to me...but I also hope you understand where I'm coming from.
I'm excited about where this is leading. My heart yearns for more of the L-rd and I'm so thrilled to be able to pursue this with all of me.
Okay...the sappy-ness is at an end....I cannot love a writer who speaks in cliches. Namely myself. * gag *
Shalom...from the neophyte.

Let's see...where should I begin. I slept almost 12 hours last night trying to forget my 36 hour day coming back from Budapest, Hungary. (I never knew it was actually Buda and Pest...depends on which side of the river you're on. Did I miss that in geography)? Our tour guide on the last "relaxation" day before we came home was a man training for the IronMan Triathalon. All I have to say to that is So Much For Relaxation. We walked 20 miles in 12 hours. Can you say Gag Me With A Spoon?!?? (It didn't help that his name is Attilla...he he he). I have to be nice about him, though 'cause he's going to marry one of my closest friends. (Way To Go Kara!!)

The trip itself, I think, was a success. Many of the experiences I had on said trip were not so successful - but hey, you grown through every expereince, right? There were many times I wished I could just fly my invisible plane home and get away from ignorance, but I was in it for the long haul and I did it. I am proud of myself in that sense. (I wonder what other people thought of me on the trip)?
My disclaimer on all entries regarding Romania: My Perspective Only is being expressed. (Anyone reading this has every right to disagree or be angry...feel free. But this is me. Okay?

The stay in Bistrita, Romania was our first stop and lasted 4 days. It was easier on the female part of the team, as they guys were busy building walls. Way to go, fella's! We were able to walk around and be a sort of a help to the missionary's stationed there as well as a few of the people living in the same building. We painted an apartment...it took 2 days and about 7 coats of paint. None of us could figure out why the paint wasn't sticking and chalked it up to Romanian Paint. about a 1/4 of the way into the second day of paint fumes filling our heads, in comes the lady who would be moving in when we were done....and adds about a gallon of water to the paint we were using!
Gee. No wonder it took 7 coats. All she did was smile mumble something none of us could understand and smile again as she walked out. Maybe they think it will last longer if you add water...increases the amount increases the coverage? * chuckles * It took less time to dry...if you want to look at it on the bright side. (I do have to brag here and say it really did look 99 percent better when we were done).
I took care of the kids while there. Sedona and Sage (ages 3 and 2 mo.) and they were a crack up! Especially Sedona. Especially Sedona with the kitty. Especially Sedona with the kitty and a digital camera. "Sedona see! Sedona See!" Poor thing was so disappointed when she found out my camera was a po-dunky little disposable. "Sedona canna see it? How come??" My favorite thing she did, though, was when we were walking home from the restaurant of death (they put peas on their pizzas there. And potatos and corn and....and ketchup instead of tomato sauce....ickity!) and Sedona was almost asleep on my shoulder...she lifted her head really fast and said, "Mom? Mom? You okay?" I thought something was deathly wrong, but all her mom said was, "I'm okay, Sedona. You okay?" "Yeah, I'm okay." Then she laid her head back down and four seconds later raised it again to say, "Any? Any? You okay??" (annie) "I'm okay, Sedona, You okay?" "I'm okay. H'nah? You okay?"
Thus it continued for about 10 people.
And then she started all over again. Crazy little girl. But oh, so cute! (Okay, I'm done now for those of you rolling your eyes and saying "Get on with it, already! Enough with the kid!")

Okay, so onto the next ride in the bus of Romania Andretti. (The first one was 5 hours long and we had blaring techno for the entire ride)...Repeat! The uni-brow driver (I never learned his name, sorry) got a total kick out of Tyra yelling at the top of her longs "Fuerta Freako!" (Fuerta is Very)
We had many bus rides while there...the one I don't remember was the first night from Budapest to Bistrita that lasted all night....after less than 4 hours of sleep on the flight over, I actually slept on the bus. I could've shot myself later for the pain I was in, but I slept! (Trying to think on the bright side, here, folks).

I weeded a garden my first full day in Sancraiu. (SinCryU) and got sunburnt. It hurt a lot. But the coolest thing about that, I tanned afterward. Laugh away, you tanning fiends! I have never been this dark in my entire life!!!! So there. (especially when my arms are compared with my legs).
Okay, I'm being boring again. Time to sleep some more, and I'll finish this later.

Americans, at least as far as I've ever taken the time to notice, usually don't think about cows being smart. In fact, I would venture to say, most even consider them to be one of the dumbest animals created... Not too many people think about the cow their hamburger came from...who would want to?? (I don't eat them, so I wouldn't know).
Well, in Romania they train their cows. They name them...and call them by name whan talking in conversation with their neighbors. It's not, Have You Seen The Cow? It's Do You Know Where Roschka is? (I had Roschka's milk while there....freshly delivered and boiled every morning. Don't think I'll keep that up when I get home). :)
The villagers in Sancraiu take hold of the cows lead and take them up to pasture every morning for about a week or two, then bring them home sometime near sunset. (The sun rises at such an early time the going out is a little flexible, but usually by 9 at the latest the cows bells passing your window will announce their presence).
Then after the few weeks of Intense Training the cows begin to go themselves. They don't need a leader or a guide they just head out early going straight up the main streets of the town...which makes for lovely walking later on...especially when most of them ate the wrong food the day before. (I'll be so glad to walk on a sidewalk with no diarrhea)!!!
So, being the crazy group of Americans we are, we decided to watch the cows come home. Along with a few Water Buffalo - (Those fella's are a little scary). Well this started a tradition for several people on the team (I wasn't one of them - party pooper me) to Go Watch Those Cows Come Home. So sitting on a bench accross the street, being stared at by the natives for more reasons than just the desire to watch cows, they discovered an ice cream parlour had just opened a few days before. One of our team members got so excited (so I hear tell), she jumped off the bench and headed across the street and into the nearest open door to get Ice Cream...only to discover she'd walked into a bar...
People smoke in any public building anywhere so I'm sure it was a vertiginous experience and one she would rather not repeat...but you never know. :)
They did eventually find the ice cream parlour and it became a nightly trip for many of the team...yet again, party pooper me. (What can I say? After working in Gypsy villages all day and gardening long hours (not in speedos like the natives) I just wasn't that into it)) That, and the flavors they came up with were really odd. Or should I say, the normal flavors they were going for just didn't work...my least favortite was the currant. Eww.
I feel like this is a boring entry, so for people reading, if your bored I'm sorry. I just woke up a few minutes ago after less than 5 hours of sleep (again) and traipsing all over Budapest for hours and hours and hours. (13 to be precise - my feet are just one massive blister...never wear textured flip flops if you don't know how long your going to be walking in a strange city....just a tip).
My plane leaves in 4 hours and I'll be on the journey back, though! I'm excited about that. Its just not coming across that well right now. All right, when I'm more awake I'll tell you about getting yelled at by a drunk german guide on Castle Hill. That was fun.

They pass other cars here like you wouldn't believe!! I could literally have counted the bugs on the license plates as we zoom so close to the back just before zooming out to the side and zooming past the other cars just before swerving back into the right lane as a Peugeot rages past us on the left with nary a honk.
Everyone drives the same.
CRAZY!!
No one honks unless it's to let a pedestrian know a car is approaching. And even then it's just a little Beep.
The horse and carts on the side of the road make for an interesting dodge ball game of driving too. And the pedestrians walking beside the horse and cart...and the sheep and the cows and the goats. I think I saw more cow diarrhea on the road than I ever wanted to in my whole life.
Believe me, friends - this city girl can't wait to get home!! Cow bells and church bells and people talking all around me in one of the oddest languages ever...Romanian...and now the weirdest language ever - Hungarian.
I went from almost being able to read and understand the signs in Huedein and Sancraiu to Budapest, Hungary where absolutely nothing makes sense. More people speak English here, but it's almost as confusing since I'm used to Romanian being spoken...confusion and chaos reign in this cranium of mine.
I've been awake since 5 this morning...no reason, really. Just woke up. It was light outside and my brain said Hey Silly! I know you went to bed past midnight last night, but it's light out! So, get out of bed you lazy girly!!!
Anyway, all of a sudden there is a line for this computer so hopefully I can get back on here soon and regale you with far more entertaining tales - Such as the cows coming home up Main Street....and walking into bars thinking it was the ice cream shop....(that actually wasn't me, amazingly...)
Shalom.

Well, technically, I'm in Kent...about a half hour outside of Seattle....but who's really keeping track?
Today (after waking up with no alarm at 5:30 a.m. - don't ask) we drove from Prosser, WA all the way to Seattle. We stopped the Indian John Hill Rest stop...evidently that is a some sort of nifty landmarkian thingymabob...but, it had toilets...and those came in handy. Then we drove the rest of the way into the most confusing city I have ever visited. I do believe it's worse the San Fransisco...!! I don't think I would much care to live in a city like this. Far too big and ickity.
Then we drove to the Tree of Life Judaica Store near Ravenna. (You know the city is just too dang big when they have different districts - "I live in Magnolia" or "I live in Ravenna" or "I live in Lake District" or whatever district you can afford... They even have a Jewish public library in the Jewish district.
Then we got to go to Leah's Kosher Deli for lunch - they had mini challah! (They're so cute!!) We got really yummy zucchini bread and a scone and the most amazing egg salad. Dude.
Okeeday, this is boring even me...I'll try to abbreviate, k?
Le' Space Needle! All the way to the top and around and we got to see a Naval Officer get honorably discharged at the top. I bought a coffee but no other souvenirs to speak of. I didn't really feel like payhing $125 for a paper weight with an tiny tiny picture of the needle itself. La de dah.
So, then I made mama take me to the Seattle Public Library - where they have a grand total of (Oo Ooo Oooo, wait the Reference Librarian had to look it up) 450 computers. 350 of which were just for the public!! (I took lots O' pictures so those will be fun to show people). I also met Bennie. I was walking past the Biography section and this fella' sitting at a table overlooking the courthouse said, "Hey, you wanna read?"
So, I started chatting with him and it turns out (at least as he told it) he is only 29 - (the age everyone is after they turn 30) and he wrote a book in 1980. He's from Georgia and he's "Not hittin' on you or anything, I just like makin' friends." So, Bennie gave me a clock and his address and told me he wanted a picture of Romania to look at while he is recovering from Scoliosis surgery. I guess that happens in three weeks....and I think he will enjoy a picture of Dracula's castle, don't you? :)
Let's see.
Then we went to Uwajimaya's market and had dinner. I also bought a few v-tipped pens so I can (gack!) physically write in a journal on the 22 hour plane ride to Bucharest.
I thought I wouldn't have internet until then, but that Goodness For Wireless Internet in Hotel Rooms!!!
(My mother is an impressive driver. We didn't once get flipped off or hit by one of the big bus thingy's that look like accordions).
Oooo. We drove around Seattle to see where my mom used to live and then to my Grandma's house. I've never been here before so it really has been fun to take pictures all over the place. The only thing I can easily regret at the moment is the lackage of a digital camera. I won't be able to easily upload any of these pictures for y'all to see. Pooh. So, one of my favorite pictures so far is the Redness inside the Seattle P.L.
I was just minding my own business being a tourist and walking up stairs and all of a sudden I am standing in a completely red hallway with completely red walls and completely red doors and no windows anywhere. It should turn out really well.
So - we drove all over the place today and now I am just that much more tired than I would have been...but at least I didn't have to drive the whole time. Bless my dear mother's heart!
I get to go to the very first Starbucks in the morning. Pike Market and belt shopping will be next. Methinks I shouldn't allow myself to get so stressed that I drop about 7 pounds right before leaving the country. I hate belts. * grimace *
Okay, so as much as I like sitting here with a laptop (Yes, I did write a whole entry on my fascination with laptops), I think I am now going to go away. Have a great night anyone who finds this while I am gone. And if you don't, I hope you just have a great time whenever you find it.
Romania here I come!

So, as any of you know who read this - I am a librarian. And as such, I feel it is my duty to uphold the laws of the (incredibly contradictory) English language and report any and all imprecise, improper, inaccurate and in all other ways CRAPPY writing that has, sadly, actually made it to the pages of PUBLISHED works of fiction!!! Gag Me With A Spoon!!!! Ickyity.
Here it is folks:
"Triumphant their cries, uncontrollable."
Yes.
That was.
The whole, sentence.
WHAT IS THE HUMAN RACE COMING TO!!! I HATE STUPIDITY!!!
I think everything started to go downhill when "smart" people decided to add forwards to classic novels, so the lesser intelligent people could understand them. (Hello CliffsNotes). They didn't need forwards and prefaces and afterwards and prologues when they were written! Why Now?! What makes the human mind incapable of reading and understanding Smart Books? How has society changed, as a whole, to simply accept stupidity as the norm? Why do we dumb down EVERYTHING?! It's not like the human mind is incapable of rational thought or anything....Or, wait. Maybe it is now that we've trained people that way.
Fetch Boy!

I am leaving tomorrow for Seattle, WA. A city I have never been to, but where my parent's met and fell in Love...* waggles eyebrows * Okay....'nuff mushy stuff! (esp. about the parents....) Ewwwww. Repeat in mantra..."I came from a stork. I came from a stork." (Everyone who knows about the dreaded drive to Idaho City knows....eh! I just can't go on)......
Then, although it hasn't really settled in with me yet - at least as far as I can tell - I leave for Romania via London. I GET TO BE IN LONDON!!!!!!!!
* no excitement whatsoever *
Hey Hey Hey! Guess What?! I get to be on a plane! I still really don't know what I feel when I say, er, type those words. I have nothing to compare it to...as stated, I'm sure, plenty of times before. Nothin'. My mother told me I was on a plane when I was 6 weeks old...That also doesn't count.
British airways here I come!!!
My next entry will/should be from an Internet Cafe in Bucharest, Romania. So, check in about two weeks and there should be something from a very sunburned Hawaiian_jew in a very sunburny kinda place.
Shalom.

I am leaving tomorrow for Seattle, WA. A city I have never been to, but where my parent's met and fell in Love...* waggles eyebrows * Okay....'nuff mushy stuff!
Then, although it hasn't really settled in with me yet - at least as far as I can tell - I leave for Romania via London. I GET TO BE IN LONDON!!!!!!!!
* no excitement whatsoever *
Hey Hey Hey! Guess What?! I get to be on a plane! I still really don't know what I feel when I say, er, type those words. I have nothing to compare it to...as stated, I'm sure, plenty of times before. Nothin'. My mother told me I was on a plane when I was 6 weeks old...That also doesn't count.
British airways here I come!!!
My next entry will/should be from an Internet Cafe in Bucharest, Romania. So, check in about two weeks and there should be something from a very sunburned Hawaiian_jew in a very sunburny kinda place.
Shalom.

So, I found this book called "Kosher Sex" and, of course, had to read it because of the title alone. Who cares how good it is! I just like the fact that Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was brave enough to publish it under that title. Yay! (Reminds me of the Princess Bride's "classic tale of love and adventure" before it was even published...) :)
Anyway, back to the book.
I like my life. Right now, I am single. I have my own house. I love it. I've never been kissed - a fact which when most people (like my boss today) discover it, stare at me and say, "What the Hell are you thinking!" (Evidently it's a crime to miss out on something soooo fun - and Hey, don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to kissing the fella' I fall in love with, but I don't want to waste good kisses on just anybody, y'know). Add to that, I've never been asked out on a "decent" date. Not decent as in I get booty calls 24/7, just a decent date with a gentleman who says "Hey, I like you. Let's go out." (No, I'm the loser who spends so much time in the coffee shop the employees of unstated establishment decided to interfere...er, I mean, help out my love life by setting up a blind date. It wasn't until, um, two days? before the "date" I found out the man was 34!!! Not that dating an older man bothers me, but really, when (at the time) I was still in my teens...19 to be exact, that's really just a bit on the much side of things)).
Right.
So. Decent date notwithstanding, I've also only been really interested in one guy I actually knew and hung out with....who has since gone off and married another "good Jewish girl" - his mother was sooo proud! (sarcasm alert)
Back to the book - I really do have something intelligent to type...eventually. Bear with me, all you non-existant trepiditious readers! Tally-ho and sally-forth and all that:
Quote #1 : "Today, men and women meet for all kinds of reasons: fun, a cure for loneliness, sex, companionship, participation in the social circuit, and peer pressure. But one reason they almost invariably won't date for, until much later in life, is marriage. Statistics show that the average man or woman goes through six serious relationships before they end up marrying. What this means is that they also break up at least six times before they finally commit. They will have endured harsh and sometimes unbearable pain at least six times before they settle down. Like a broken china dish that has been glued together after cracking, their heart has been broken and mended several times."
What this means to me, and out of pure logic: the more one's heart is broken in relationship after relationship, the less they will trust their new partner. I mean, why would, when you were promised the world by boyfriend #1 who then breaks your heart, would you fully give yourself to boyfriend #2. You'd have to be a complete lunatic to just take the flying leap and go through it all again. And believe me, I know plenty of people who have been so desperate to be with "somebody!" they will date "anybody" and "maybe this time it'll happen."
On to quote #2 : "Women have simply forgotten what true love is and what a real compliment is. A guy will tell a girl that he loves her and that he wants to share his life with her, that she is beautiful and that he cannot live without her. She is very impressed and flattered. So she saddles up her stuff and brings it around to his place. But, there is only one compliment that a man can give a woman: "Will you be my wife?" - It is the ultimate compliment, because it comes with a price that he is prepared to pay. All other compliments are just words."
I know there are many people who believe that marriage is just a symbol. And why would you "degrade" your love by doing something so meaningless as declare it on paper? What's the point, they say. I have a co-worker who says she has several friends who have "given in" to marriage....
How sad....to view marriage - something set apart and sacred - as "giving in"? As Rabbi Boteach says, "every company needs a letterhead, every country needs a flag" so how is it 'degrading' your love to "give in" to something that states to the entire world that you chose one person and that every day when you put on your wedding ring, you are declaring to the world you're love for that one person and they you?
The Jewish wedding ceremony - the bride wears a veil to show "no matter what I look like" and the groom has nothing in his pockets "no matter what we have or don't have." These two people delight in sharing with the world that they love one person. And that that person reciprocates.
How is that a bad plan? :)
Another part of the wedding ceremony - and my favorite - is when the bride walks around the groom 7 times. "Completing" her commitment to him. (it's from Jeremiah or Hosea - you should look it up - that way I don't have to... he he).
The rings, too, are a statement to the world that you delight in one person.
How can it get more sacred than that? So many people I talk to are jaded about marriage and relationships in general because they've been hurt one too many times or have been divorced and "don't believe in marriage" anymore.... So, in essence, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Where has commitment gone? Oh no, there are far too many people out there who "know what it's like to get hurt" so why would they just walk right into again and again?
I have some advice for you: stop being desperate. Yes: It's easy to get lonely. It's easy to get frustrated with not having a fella I can say, "just hug me" to. But that doesn't mean that my life is worthless right now. It doesn't mean that I'm just going to settle for the first guy that comes along. But, I'm also not going to hold myself off from someone who says, "Hey, let's get to know each and see what happens."
News Flash: Hurt Happens. It's called being human. But I believe that when you get hurt, you learn how to be better. I'm not saying that all hurt is a good thing or that you deserved it or even that it makes sense, but I am saying - it happens. And if you try to avoid it, you're only hurting yourself and the person you could end up with. Because they will know you aren't giving all of yourself to them and in turn will close off to you - and then where will you be? Lost and alone and bitter, that's where.
Having gained nor lost anything.
But, have you really lived?

One week from tomorrow and I will be on a airplane (a big jet-like airplane) for the first time in my life.
I was on an itty bitty planelet for my 21st Birthday last year...that I jumped out of at 10,000 feet. (Which, as I have stated before - IS SOOOO MUCH FUN! Just Do It)! It was a one-person-with-a-little-cargo planelet, and there were four of us...not including the pilot. My back was pressed against the controls. My left arm was against the door of the plane and my right was touching the pilot's seat. It was the weirdest feeling ever. Especially when the instructor I was jumping with told me to curl my legs under me and turn around (TURN AROUND?!) in the plane so we could strap the harness. While at 8,000 feet. Yet again, a really strange feeling. (I think I just realized I never actually talked about my skydiving on this journal thingamabob. I remember typing so many emails and having so many conversations about it...and occaisionally mentioning it on here...but, really, that is no excuse)! Okay, so back to the turning around at 8,000 feet to strap the harness on....So, I curled my legs under me. Turned around in a very "cozy" space and had to back up so the instructor could clip the harness at my hips and shoulders. It took 2,000 feet to get it tight enough.
Meanwhile, Hannah the go-getter is not scared at all. I don't know, to this day, how I can explain not being scared at all. Not one whit. Even the instructor had adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was breathing faster and faster and kept tightening the harnesses and asking if I was scared. (I did get to look out the window an awful lot and noticed on one of the farmer's fields a HUGE "Marry Me" scrawled in the dirt. A skydiver's proposal, I suppose. It was very sweet...) :)
Then, Mi Amiga, (Rachel) was in the back of the planelet starting to hyperventilate; (I don't think I've ever really seen anyone quite that green before) but she managed to calm down enough to get her harness on. (Rach had heard of me jumping on my 21st birthday and she walked up to me one day and said, "Hey! You want company?" So, I had a friend to jump with. Insanity comes in pairs).
The pilot, Jim, kept turning to me and asking what I thought of the view and saying things like, "Wow, I know they taught me how to do this when I was in flight school, but I forgot about til now." Or "Oh, is that where that lever is? I knew I'd find it someday!" (It wasn't quite convincing enough to be either funny or sarcastic....just kinda lame).
Then: El Jumpo.
The instructor I was officially "strapped" to said, "You ready for this?" and I said, "Yes."
(I think he was a bit disappointed with the calmness I exuded. He maybe was used to the squeemish girls who scream a lot)....??
Right. So. Having seen the video of another person jumping and how her cheeks flapped and how she couldn't talk when she landed because she'd screamed and kept her mouth open the entire time, I just mentally filed "Keep your mouth shut" and when we did jump out of the plane I did a little "Woot!" And then went silent and kept my mouth shut. I mean, c'mon people, 120 mph is a lot of wind to be filling your mouth with on the way to the ground 10,000 feet below.
So, back to being in the plane.
(this story is really dis-jointed) - The pilot and instructor's were going over last minute instructions and saying, "Okay, when I open the door you just put your foot out on this lever...here" and then he opened the door and told me to put my foot out there. Talk about one of the weirdest feelings. It's all quite in the plane (well, quite except for the engine roaring in your head and the wind rushing past the little planelet) and then all the sudden the door being opened and wind rushing in and filling the air with smell of ....gasoline?
So, I hooked my thumbs in the shoulder harness. Leaned out and all the sudden felt like I was being pushed to Antigua from all the wind...Thanksfully the guy I jumped with had a broad chest so I just let my head fall back on his shoulder and leaned even further out. Then he yelled in my ear - I barely heard him - "Ready? On the count of three....one, two....." and then we fell. I made the "woot" noise above stated and then realized we were spinning. I vaguely remember seeing the belly of the plane above us and then seeing the groundandthentheplaneandthegroundandtheplane....and then he righted us from the "alligator death-roll" and pulled the chute. It was the fasted 40 second free fall ever!
And the dang harness was really really tight. My shoulders ached from the "almost" dead stop we made in mid-air....before continuing our descent.
I had to stand on the instructor's feet so he could release the harnesses at my hips to land...and then he started floating us in lazy circles around and around and around....Oh! It was so much fun.
I'm tellin' 'ya: if you have $130-150 just hanging around being useless. Go Skydiving. 'Cause, really. It's so totally worth it! ( I would worry about the addiction, though, because I really wanted to just get back in the plane like it was a ride at an amusement park and keep going around and around...but you can't. Unless your Bill Gates or Donald Trump....or have a really big credit limit on your card). There is a T-shirt they have for sale at the Skydown Skydiving that says, "Anyone who thinks the saying 'why would you jump out of perfectly good airplane' is original, is a retard."
Or the even better thing: on the back of the jump suit it says, "CAUTION. SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH MY OCCUR IF THIS SUIT IS NOT UTILIZED PROPERLY."