The Yes Man

I had a huge amount of boring, repetitive work to do tonight that left just enough brain power available for an easy-watching movie. Nothing too complicated and nothing that necessitates watching too closely. For tonight's viewing, I chose 'The Yes Man.' If you haven't seen it, it's about a man, burned by divorce, who goes to a seminar that teaches the power of the word 'yes.' He becomes bound by oath say yes to anything he's asked, and suddenly finds himself really living life.

I found that concept really interesting. Setting aside the things we say 'no' to because they go against our convictions, how many things do we, ok fine, I, say no to just out of laziness? Or, besides for laziness, out of a reluctance to move out of my safe zone? Who knows what we could be missing out on? The more we live life, the more opportunities there are to experience things and learn from them. I think I'm going to start keeping track of interesting things that happen to me because I said yes. After all, I think there's a world of possibilities out there just waiting to hear a 'yes.'

My Love Affair

I can't and won't apologize for it. Everyday, I come to appreciate you more and more. People may not understand our love, they may say it's unnatural; they may even say you don't deserve to be loved the way I love you. But I know the truth.

You're not perfect, of course. No one is. You have a mischevous streak that'll send me on a wild goose chase during a search, just for the fun of it. You'll often decide that you have better things to do and devote to me but the tiniest portion of your attention. At times, in your naivete, you will bring home all manner of riffraff and vagabonds, insisting they are your friends. Sometimes, I even wonder if you can keep a secret.

But you know everything there is to know. You are a glorious, multi-faceted being that can cater to any interest I might have. You gave me Delicious and Stumble Upon to help me and guide me through your deep, deep waters, and you gave me Google, that I may get lost in them. You gave me YouTube where I could laugh at people falling flat on their faces, and you gave me Facebook where I could show my friends just how insensitive I am. You provide me with endless shopping opportunites, that I may look my best, and you give me online banking to remind me to look, but not to touch. You give me email and instant messaging capabilities so that I never again need to hear another human's voice, and you give me 'read receipts' that I may know when I'm being ignored. You give me Mapquest, that I may find my way in the unfamiliar world outside my front door, and you give me FreshDirect, Target.com and Xbox Live, that I may never need to.

So despite your minor imperfections, my love for you endures.. I can, and do, spend hours in your loving embrace. I would be utterly lost without you. I am, always and forever, yours.

Everything That's Wrong With The World, Through The Eyes of The Soup

I am a huge fan of the Soup. Besides for its inherent entertainment value, it also serves to highlight everything that is wrong with this world. And since my taste in TV shows tends to run more mainstream, watching the Soup is the only way I'd be able to appreciate just how messed up society has become.

As I've stated earlier, I'm a big fan of the concept of free will. In this democratic country that we live in, (or most of us anyway, because face it, the US is the center of the world) we have full control over the remote with the freedom to change the channel at will. I fully understand that no one is forcing me to watch these shows, as evidenced by the fact that I don't. But my mind objects to the mere thought of such shows even existing. Just the fact that it crossed someone's mind to create shows like this, and to think other people would enjoy watching it... kind've makes me think we deserve to be conquered and annhilated by invading aliens.

Bottom line, I think Paris Hilton's new bff should be Tila Tequila and when they get sick of each other, they can do a wife swap with the Bachelor and his current significant other. They can all fight over taking America's Next Top Dog to the salon to be tended to by the Groomer who Has It. And then when we get bored of that, we can turn back to Rock of Love and do it all over again. And then Flavor of Love and do it all over again. And then the Bachelorette and do it all over again. Oh, and then Tila Tequila should give America's Next Top Dog a Shot at Love...

Not-So-Common Things To Do In Israel

I'm back after a long hiatus. With the in-laws and then the parents here, I've experienced just about everything there is to do while on vacation in Israel. Thankfully, some of the things we did were just obscure enough that I'd never done them before. And they were fun! So here is a list of not-so-common things to do in Israel.

The Dialogue in the Dark at the Children's Museum in Holon (http://www.childrensmuseum.org.il/)
This was one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had. For an hour and 15 minutes, you walk around in absolute darkness. There's no adjusting to the dark; it is total and complete. You are led by a blind guide who urges you to explore your surroundings and try to figure out what kind of environment you are in and what objects are present. Towards the end, the whole group sits down at a table in a cafeteria, still in the dark, to discuss their experiences and ask the guide any questions they might have.

Ir David's Segway Tour of Armon HaNatziv (http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/)
I enjoyed this so much with my mother-in-law that I went back a second time and took my parents with me. Segways are, without a doubt, one of the coolest inventions ever. The learning curve is extremely quick and you get the hang of it almost immediately. The tour takes you along the scenic pathways of the Peace Forest up to the three promenades from which you can experience the unsurpassed view of Jerusalem. The entire city is laid out in front of you and you can see to the far corners. This location is said to be the spot where Abraham was standing when, during his travel to Har HaMoriah from Be'er Sheva, he 'lifted his eyes and saw the place.'

Tour of the Old City with Simcha Hochbaum
I don't have his contact information on me but you can ask around (or email me) and I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Now, if you're anything like me, you're probably thinking, 'Another tour of the Old City? Been there, done that. Not interested.' Let me set your mind at ease. This is NOTHING like Old City tours you've done in the past. The tour didn't even enter the actual city till half-way in. I never realized there was so much to see just outside the walls of the Old City. About an hour and a half into the tour, we finally entered through the Lion's Gate and walked through to the Muslim Quarter. There we saw numerous yeshivot and synagogues in the heart of the Muslim Quarter, and even visited the apartment of a young Jewish couple living there. It was so inspiring to hear the stories of these modern day pioneers. But the highlight of the tour was when we walked through an obscure section of the Arab shuk and stood at the doors to the Temple Mount. Through those huge open doors, we saw the actual place where the Temple once stood.



Tour of the City of David (http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/)
This is a little long but a must for those fascinated by Jewish history. People tend to assume that the Old City of Jerusalem was the place where our ancestors lived since they entered the land. The fact that the City of David was the real Jerusalem for most of that period is usually overlooked. This tour gives you an in-depth look at the ancient city. It takes you past what is believed to have been King David's palace to the Gichon spring which was the city's main source of water in ancient times. The Jebusites, who lived in that area before its conquest by King David, had chiseled tunnels out of the mountain for the water to flow through, into the city. The tour guides you through these tunnels, which are now dry and explains some of the theories behind what you see. If you're feeling more adventurous, you can brave Hezekiah's tunnels which are pitch black and necessitate wading through thigh-deep water at some points.

The Smadar Cinema
Nestled away on Lloyd George, one of the numerous side streets off Emek Refaim, this 80 year old movie theater traces its history back to the British Mandate. It shows just two movies a day but it's worth a visit just to look around. On one wall there is a letter from the British government demanding an electricity payment for a specific amount of "Palestine pounds."

PLACES TO EAT

Non-Mehadrin
Buffalo Steakhouse Rabbanut Yerushalayim
Located on Emek Refaim, this is by far the best restaurant I've ever been too. Every single dish was prepared to perfection and served beautifully. They advertise themselves as mehadrin but, unfortunately, it's a bogus hashgacha as I found out later.

Mehadrin
Dan Hill Cafe
This cafe is brand new, only 2 months old as of the date of this post. It is located underneath the new Harmony Hotel, in a small, indoor boutique mall. The name of the street is Yoel Moshe Salomon Street, a slightly obscure street between Rechov Hillel and the main thoroughfare of Ben Yehuda. It is a large cafe with an indoor seating area, a semi-indoor seating area, which is in the main area of the mini-mall, and an outdoor seating area, situated directly on the street. The decor is modern, light and open, and the food, while typical cafe fare, had that extra something that pushed it over the border between mediocre and excellent. The ingredients were all fresh and of the highest quality, and it showed. An extremely friendly and helpful staff rounded off an overall enjoyable experience.

El Gaucho
No trip to Israel is complete without a trip to El Gaucho, an Argentinean steakhouse located at 129 Jabotinsky St in Ramat Gan. They have some interesting dishes and the food is quite good. The most interesting attraction is their 1 liter glasses which leave you feeling as though you're drinking out of a vase, rather than a glass.

Gong
Slightly more well known, this restaurant is located at 33 Rechov Yaffo. An Asian restaurant with Asian decor, it has a sushi menu and a more western menu as well. The menu is not very large but the dishes we sampled were, on the whole, very good. I recommend their sushi tempura and the salmon carpaccio.


And then of course, if you find yourself in Bet Shemesh for some reason, there's Aroma, an upscale coffee shop that serves huge sandwiches made with thick, deliciously fresh slices of bread. There could be other mehadrin Aroma cafes but this is the only one I know of.

Now, it's diet time.