Susanne's Blog

Another Year Come and Gone

2009-09-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I celebrated my 30th birthday. I am officially not able to get away with tantrums...in public anyway. I am officially too old to still know where my blankie is (but I do). I am officially old.

I am now at the age that I thank God that my parents are still around. I am also at the age where I regret not seeing them more than I do. I am now at the age where my friends are moving on. We used to all live in the same neighborhood, now we are all dispersed around the US, with new families, new jobs, new educations and experiences. Some even in foreign countries.

I am now at the age where I can be proud of my accomplishments. I don't think its big headed or egotistical to look back on a year and smile at your merits. I won't say it was perfect. I'm sure I harmed people. I'm sure I didn't try hard enough to repair relationships that I'd damaged. I'm sure laziness and the flaw of wanting to take on too much too fast kept me from helping more people than I did. But, I did do good stuff too.

There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past year. Most importantly, I married my bashert Evan. He is absolutely the perfect match for me. He lets me be myself with no reservations and tells me every day how awesome I am. I pray that I put into this relationship at least a percentage of what I receive, because even that would be a ton. I loved my wedding. Not that I remember much about it, but it had been a long time since my whole family had been together. My fam doesn't have many opportunities to see one another. I got to see cousins that I hadn't seen in years and that was awesome. I am thankful that Evan has a large and loving immediate and extended family. They are all so great and have made me feel incredibly loved and accepted as one of them. Even if I am too busy to say it all the time, I know that Evan and I are very blessed.

I have worked hard to help others too, not just myself. Professionally, I am still working at NJOP and have been writing their @JewishTweets on Twitter. I love having this opportunity and getting to meet amazing Jews throughout the world that are using Twitter (of all places, right?) to engage in their heritage, whether by asking questions, telling jokes or sharing an inspiring story. I'm also interacting with fans on the Jewish Treats Facebook Page. If there is anything you want to learn about Judaism, let me know. If I don't know the answer, I have great people to ask for help.

Also this year I've worked on ParnasaFest (see blog I wrote on it here). What started out over lunch in Downtown NYC last February has turned into a internationally recognized grassroots initiative. After the mass layoffs in the Jewish nonprofit world, a couple friends and I asked ourselves, how can we help. A couple days later, we hosted our first ParnasaFest, a job networking event for those who need it. Whether they're in need of a new job opportunity, in need of new business contacts, or needing to meet people who are dealing with the same craziness in their lives that they themselves are dealing with, if nothing more than to shmooze and commiserate. Whatever their reason for attending an event or utilizing resources on our website, I hope they found utility in our work. I think they have, and that makes me happy.

I have also become a matchmaker on SawYouAtSinai's sister site YUConnects which is meant to facilitate matches amongst those in the Yeshiva University community. I love having this type of tool at my disposal to help Jewish singles. If you are on either of the sites, please seek me out on the matchmakers page and send me a message. I'd love to try to help you find your bashert!

Also, I was inducted into the prestigious ROI Community of young Jewish innovators and attended their summit in Israel this past summer. What an amazing collection of people to be grouped together with. It was a great honor.

And finally, I was honored last month to receive a nomination from a friend of mine in the United Jewish Communities' Jewish Community Hero contest. Its a huge honor. A lot of my fellow nominees are just like me. They desire to help their fellow Jews every day. A couple nominees who I'm voting for every day are Rabbi Moishe Engel who started the Gan Israel in my community that I attended every summer growing up and I attribute a lot of my religious growth to that experience and my friend Sharon Weiss-Greenberg who has just taken on the role of JLI Co-Director at Harvard where she and her husband are working with the Jewish students on campus. Then there is the Jewish Robot William Levin, my fellow ParnasaFester Dave Weinberg, and many more. So many great people on there that I'm happy are being recognized for what they do. Here is my profile, please check it out and shoot me a vote if you can. The prize money could be a huge help for the Jewish projects that I work on.

That's the year in review. I am so thankful for the friends and family in my life. I love you guys alot. Thank you thank you thank you. Shana Tova Umetuka, I hope you have a happy and sweet New Year. I hope you have a prosperous year full of opportunities to better yourself and those around you. I hope you receive all the things you desire at the right times. I hope you take advantage of your new clean slate and start filling it up with mitzvos and good deeds. And I will do my best to do the same. Gmar Chasima Tova, May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for Good!

Susanne

Sending Chaviva to Israel

2009-08-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last year I participated from afar in a Jewish Blogger Convention. Now the Nefesh B'Nefesh Second International Jewish Bloggers Convention is coming up on September 13th in Jerusalem. I will be attending once again via the world wide web. I was reminded tonight after reading my friend Chaviva's blog that the next convention is soon approaching AND this year they're doing a special contest giving a blogger who wants to attend a free flight to Israel so he or she can attend in person. I think Chavi is the perfect blogger to win this opportunity. A) She REALLY wants to go B) she doesn't have a few extra grand to buy a ticket and hop on a flight (who the heck does nowadays?) and C) SHE'S AWESOME. I've met 1000's of people online via my social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc) and honestly, there are only a few I'd desired to meet in person. Just from reading her blog and her tweets, I knew Chavi was a great gal. We've met IRL and remain buds. I even got to meet her boyfriend Tuvia. He's awesome too! If Chavi wins she'll get to fly on a real Nefesh B'Nefesh aliyah flight and matched with up with an Oleh/Olah/Family, who she'll be able to blog about. If Nefesh B'Nefesh is looking for a blogger who can flesh out the journey of an oleh, she's the one. After all, she's been on quite a journey herself (read her blog, you'll understand). :) Pick Chavi!

Lend me a hand!

2009-08-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all of my supporters in the United Jewish Communities' Jewish Community Heroes contest! I'm so appreciative! I wanted to offer a couple reminders. You can submit a vote for me EVERY SINGLE DAY through October 8th (every 12 hours to be exact). This isn't just a one time vote AND you can vote for as many other nominees as you want. Voting for me does not mean you can't vote for your other friends who are nominated. A ton of other incredible peeps are my fellow nominees so I encourage you to check them all out and vote for those who inspire you! If you haven't yet today, you can click here to vote for me.

Also, I'm trying to mobilize some friends and blog readers to help get the word out about me. I'd be so grateful if you'd email your friends/family, dedicate your Facebook status for a short time, or even tweet about my nomination. Anything you can do to help would be hugely appreciated.

Sample text: Vote for my friend Susanne who is trying to raise money for her worthy community projects. Just click here: http://budurl.com/Vote4Susqhb

Thank you!

Susanne

Susanne Goldstone Rosenhouse | Jewish Community Heroes

Posted using ShareThis

Am I Your Hero?

2009-08-13T15:21:00.001-07:00

Some things come up and demand a quick post. I know I'm behind on writing about so many different things that I've been meaning to get to but I have so little free time of late. But here goes... I was nominated by a buddy of mine for the United Jewish Communities' Jewish Community Hero contest. Its a great honor for those of us who selflessly devote our time, energy, and tiny paychecks to the Jewish Community. Sometimes a thank you is all I need to get through a tough and frustrating patch. Getting recognized like this can give me an even bigger push. Below is the text from my friend's nomination:

Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?

Susanne is the Social Media Coordinator of the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP), where she has been involved, since before social media was a normative means of communication, in reaching out to unaffiliated and loosely-affiliated Jews around the world, to engage them in their Jewish heritage. Originally a U.S.-based organization with a small reach into Canada as well, Susanne has helped to turn NJOP into a worldwide phenomenon, and has thereby touched the lives of millions of Jews worldwide, both directly and indirectly.

In her free time, Susanne co-chairs ParnasaFest, the international grassroots initiative providing job networking assistance for the Jewish community, teaches pro-bono social media classes at synagogues and organizations, volunteers as a matchmaker for Jewish singles, and has consulted for the World Jewish Congress.

What problem did your nominee identify in the community that needed to be solved? How has your nominee's efforts made a difference for others?

Through Susanne's efforts, NJOP has become a clearinghouse of information for Jews seeking to understand their cultural and religious identity. Previously, NJOP had a loose affiliation with synagogues around the U.S. that was most known for its Shabbat Across America program. Now, with over 4,100 followers on Twitter, a widely read blog, and growing networks among young and old alike, NJOP has transformed into a powerhouse for informal - and formal - Jewish education for all age groups and backgrounds. According to their 2009 report, NJOP, still a small organization with a dozen staff, "has successfully reached more than 1,054,000 North American Jews and engaged them in Jewish life," and its programs, "have been offered at more than 3,670 locations across North America and in 37 countries worldwide."

Some of my good friends are fellow nominees, including former roommates (Sharon that's you), my ParnasaFest partners Dave and Dani, fellow ROIers Tamar and Ari, and rabbis and community educators that I've become acquainted with via my work at NJOP. Every one of them is worthy of this honor for the incredible work that they do for their local communities.

I hope you'll find the time to take 30-seconds out of your day to click the below link and vote for me and other people who you think are deserving. You can vote once everyday through October 8th. Please encourage your friends and families to vote as well by tweeting my link or devoting your Facebook status update to my cause. Thanks for your support!!!

VOTE FOR ME HERE!!!

*Picture will be posted to voting site soon.
** Picture above shows how far I'd go for your vote. Even kissing babies on the campaign trail. ;)

Twitter and Hair Covering

2009-06-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well here we are. Susanne's Blog reboot, Take 9.

This has been a whirlwind year with about a trillion things absorbing my time. I got married, acquired a new roommate (the new husband), became a "professional" shadchan on a not-sure-I-should-blatantly-name-the-site-especially-when-you-can-figure-it-out-on-your-own dating website, got extra responsibilities at work, and if that weren't enough, I've learned to spend around 10 hours of my day on Twitter. Twitter snags all of my deepest thoughts before I have a chance to blog about them. It has literally destroyed my will to blog. I blame Biz Stone on my non-blogging. Biz, you have my dedicated blog readers (okay, reader singular) to deal with.

Here's what I wanted to mention. I was just in the shower after Shabbos. I had in mind that I needed to do my hair for tomorrow since we're attending the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School Semikha Ceremony tomorrow morning. Some of our buddies including Rabbi Ben Greenberg and Rabbi Drew Kaplan (and others) with be graduating and off to save the Jewish community. Anyhoo, back to the hair. There is a mitzvah regarding the covering of a married woman's hair called Kisui Rosh. I practice this mitzvah basically by default. Just about everywhere I go is somewhere I want to cover my hair. Synagogue, work (I work in a religious office), and other Jewy things. Oh and softball. At softball I'm never not wearing a baseball hat but that mainly to block the sun, not for religie reasons. In the shower I tried to remember where my hair dryer is. When so few people get to see my hair it doesn't really inspire me to spend the time blowdrying it. What I've learned from this is that letting my hair dry naturally ends up looking just about as good as if I'd spent hours fussing over it. Had I not gotten married and had I not decided to practice this mitzvah, I'd still be wasting hours with my Conair3000 and there would be even less of a chance I'd have the time to post another blog. So enjoy my mitzvah keeping.

Purim Shpiel Vids

2009-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

My shul Mt Sinai in Washington Heights did a Digital Shorts competition to enhance their shpiel. Shpiel was good other than the little too pointed skit about tensions on the Mt Sinai board (that was cringeworthy) and the making fun of my shpiel last year. The stand out of the night was the video done by Dov Friedman, Aviel Tamir and Dudie Silberman. This was brilliant my young kiddush club lads. Check it out below.

I also submitted a vid myself since I heard that they didn't have many entires. I was just going to forget about it since I am so busy working on ParnasaFest and I was on vacation at the time, but I did it anyway. So I wrote a script, filmed, and uploaded it all in 2 hours. It was meant for a target group of people I knew who'd be at the shpiel that are in love with the shows Avenue Q and In the Heights as much as I am (I didn't think incorporating Spring Awakening would be appropriate in a shul setting). I didn't expect anyone else to get the jokes. Those that did loved it. Those that didn't didn't. I'm just happy they used my idea of opening the shpiel with an In the Heights rap. That was the bomb. Anyhoo, here's my vid.

ParnasaFest is Global!

2009-02-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

This economy is in trouble. No one is doubting that. No one had a "good year" (other than bankruptcy lawyers). Heck, even my mom's plastic surgeon is offering discounts (true story). No one is safe. A bunch of my friends started getting laid off. First the guys in finance lost their jobs. The recent financial scandal then rocked the Jewish nonprofit world. I interviewed about 5 years ago for a communications job at Hadassah. Had I got it, I probably would have been let go last month. I was killing for this one job in YU for many years. If I got that, I might have been fired last week. Who's next?

Who's next? That's the question that inspired my friends Dave Weinberg, Dani Klein and myself to stand up and do something. Two things that I care about are the Jewish community and the social media world. You might not think so but they have a common bond. Members in each of these communities care deeply for one another. Jews give tzedakah (charity) and aid to others in need. Social networkers happily offer free advice and support to strangers whenever it is asked for. We asked, why not bring the two communities together? The Jewish community is in need. Jews from all industries (business, non-profits, lawyers, even doctors!) are unemployed or are searching for new, better jobs at a time when it seems like there aren't any. Perhaps we can do our part by showing our Jewish friends and neighbors how to network and most importantly, help themselves.

I'm a strong believer in histadlus (basically, an effort). Everyone must make an effort if they want to see results. I often compare finding a job to dating. Think about it. To find a job, you need to put yourself out there in every way possible. Talk to people. Let your friends know what it is you are looking for. This is 2009, UTILIZE THE WEB (I met my husband online, why not my next job?). Most importantly, learn how to brand yourself. Make your next employer seek YOU out, not just vice versa.

ParnasaFest is Jewish networking during bad economic times. What we started over lunch during Jeff Pulver's SocComm has become an international grassroots effort to provide networking and job assistance opportunities for the Jewish people and the greater community at large. This is not only an event for the unemployed. So many of my friends have replied to me, "Thank you so much for thinking of me, but thank God, I am still gainfully employed". Even if you are in a job that you love, I encourage you to come to a ParnasaFest event in your city. Perhaps you might be the link between one of the attendees and their next job. Maybe you are a lawyer, but your sister works in an office that is hiring an accountant and you can refer someone their way. All that we ask is that you come ready to schmooze and eager to help a brother out. As the New York Lottery says, "You Never Know".

You can follow our most recent updates on Twitter and you can visit our new website, ParnasaFest.org. We are updating constantly with new ParnasaFest events throughout the world. What started 11 days ago with a small event at my synagogue in upper Manhattan is now a global initiative. We are now planning events in Jerusalem, London, Toronto and throughout the United States! (For a full list visit ParnasaFest.org)

Finally, we could use your support. We don't ask for much. If you are a believer in our cause, donate $5. Local, national, and even international sponsorships are still available. Contact us at parnasafest@gmail.com if you have any personal questions, comments, suggestions or want tips on how to organize an event in your hometown. Remember, you are our partner in this effort. All it takes is the will to help your friends.

Make a donation today!

25+ Random Things about Me

2009-01-31T21:47:00.000-08:00

This list was too hard to narrow down so my 25, so I'm doing as many as I want. I'll just keep going until my life stops being interesting. Plus some may have subcategories. Be prepared...

1. I was kicked out of the Hebrew Academy in preschool for A) counting sweaters instead of learning the Aleph-Bet and B) Corrupting Lubavitchers. They punished me by making me rake leaves with the janitor Jose. I was 4. That school should have been shut down. Its better now I've heard.

2. I was then held back in kindergarten for:
A) Reckless endangerment of my classmates; One time I tried to stab someone with a #2 pencil during California Achievement Tests. I missed her and instead stabbbed myself in the pinkie. The graphite is still visibly embedded to this day. Ask to see it next time you see me.
B) Not being able to figure out how to tie my shoes the way my teacher prescribed. To this day I still tie them in the special way I devised when I was 5. No bunny ears for me!!
C) One day I told my teacher I changed my name to Susie because I couldn't write the letter N. More on that story here.
D) I kicked the Principal in the groin. Or at least, thats how the legend goes.

3. My brother Brian's favorite "Let's embarrass Susanne" story is...when I was 6 I asked my mom if I could walk to the store around the corner and get an ice cream. She said no. So I went upstairs and stole money from my dad's antique slot machine and snuck out to go to the store. My bro got home 20 minutes later and asked my mom, "why is Susanne walking down the street by herself with an ice cream cone in one hand and a king size Snickers in the other?"

4. My mom sent me to Camp Ramah for a month when I was 8. I refused to send her any letters because I was so enraged. She finally begged me to send her a postcard (see pic). So I started sending hatemail. Sending your homebody kid away for a month with no friends should be considered torture. I missed my Atari...

5. When I was 10 I devised a plan to runaway from home with my next door neighbor Rani Cohen. We were going to ride his scooter all the way to Mexico. Via the 405 Freeway. We stole nickels from the slot machine to finance our trip. We made it down the block before I got bored and told him to turn back.

6. I am OBSESSED with Archie comics. My Bat Mitzvah was Archie-themed with a real Pop Tate's Choklit Shoppe and souvenirs were sweatshirts with a cartoon of me, Archie, and the gang. I'm wearing it right now.

7. My mom refuses to give away the pink tallis I wore at my Bat Mitzvah. She says she wants it to be an heirloom for my children. Fine mom, but my son's will hate you forever if you make me pass it onto my kids because my daughter's sure ain't wearing it.

8. I seriously fear that my children will be as nuts as I was. I thank God everyday how even tempered my husband is. He'll keep them in line. Yeah, him and a strong prescription for Ritalin.

9. I was an Eader Beaver (an Eader Eagle once they discovered Eader Beaver sounded obscene), a Sowers Viking, an Edison Charger, and a Yeshiva Maccabbee!

10. My favorite foods growing up were McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, fried shrimp from Sizzler, and Chicken Parmigiana. Now that I'm kosher I haven't had them in over a decade.

11. I invented the game FTJ (Find the Jew) on a trip to New York in 10th grade.

12. I was kicked out of Bais Rivkah production in Crown Heights with Stacey Gluck for yelling out names of the performers. We didn't know any of them. We just kept screaming Go Chani! Go Rivky! Go Rochel Leah! figuring it was likely that someone on stage had that name. Mrs. Swerdlow the Principal stopped the show to get on the mike to yell at us.

13. Was at the finale of Spring Awakening on Broadway. In fact, saw the show 5 times in the course of 15 months. One time, I saw it sitting between my dad and boyfriend (now husband). Lets just say, the sex scene was more awkward than usual at that performance.

14. Worked for a year in an all Satmar office. Rachel Shtern told me I should have told them on the first day that I understand Yiddish. To this day I'm convinced they were talking about me constantly.

15. My celebrity look-a-like is Tipper Gore. Need proof? Here she is doing Susanne Face.

16. I still have my blankie that I got when I was born and my favorite stuffed animal (Mr. Buns). My husband says he doesn't mind. Good, because I've known them 27 years longer than I've known him. They'd win in a fight hands down. Blankie and I have been through a lot...

17. I was on Family Feud. Our episode aired on Thanksgiving Day 2000, the most watched episode of the year. We were one of the more ridiculous families to ever be on the show. There was twirling involved in the dancing at the end of the segment. Oh, and my brother did "the snake" across the stage. Oh, and Louis Anderson hit on him.

18. I was a first team all-league softball player in high school. Other members of the team now play for Team USA.

19. I have been married 5 weeks to the day. I met Evan AKA The Rabbi AKA @RavTex on the online dating website Saw You At Sinai. I am now a matchmaker on its sister site YU Connects. I once did a stand-up routine about how ridiculous I found it that I kept getting set up with Rabbis. Now here I am, a Rebbitzen.

20. I've been on at least 10 cruises. When Evan told me on our first date that his family is also into cruises, I knew then that he was the one.

21. I've been to 14 countries: Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Cayman Islands, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and of course the United States. The next time I leave the country it will God-willing be to take my parents to Israel for the first time. My dad says he can't wait to go to Israel with his son-in-law the Rabbi.

22. I used to go to events at the Balboa Bay Club (setting for the fake Newport Beach Yacht Club on the OC). One year I was part of their annual Easter Egg Hunt. One special egg was painted gold and had $100 bill inside. I saw some little blond babe pick it up and put it in her basket then followed her around until it "accidently" fell out. I got in trouble for that one.

23. I have more than 3000 unread emails in my Gmail inbox.

24. I have never smoked pot.

25. I would have been a terrific lawyer but a terrible law student. Thats why I'll never make the big bucks.

26. Have lived in 8 different apartments in 11 years. That counts dorms...but still, thats a lot of packing.

27. Counting the seconds until I never have to live in an apartment ever again. I need a lawn and I need a backyard. I don't like the idea of having to mow them. I'd just like to know that they are there.

28. I'm nervous about what my husband will write in his 25 things. Oy, I better get a chance to proofread that.

29. I love my parents immensely and know that I should tell them that more often.

30. I am a big fan of PBR. Both the beer (Pabst Blue Ribbon) and the sport (Professional Bull Riding). I can identify many of the riders by face. Thats something I'd be embarrassed about if it weren't for the fact that my husband is able to identify the BULLS by face AND also knows the name of the bull's father (their lineage is generally well documented).

31. I am extremely uncomfortable going places (parties, events, etc) where I don't know anyone. I turn into a very shy version of Susanne. For those of you that know me, its hard to picture a shy version of me. That's because I have since developed a version of myself that makes it seem as though I'm comfortable in any situation, when I'm really freaking out on the inside.

32. I've been to at least 6 concerts that I thought were mindblowing.

6) KIIS FM Wango Tango, 1999. Dodgers Stadium. Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Will Smith, 98 Degrees, Blondie, UB40, Shaggy, and Enrique Iglesias. The line up was just okay, the peeps I was with made it awesome. Including when Garza spilled her beer on the kids sitting in front of her and then spent the next 3 hours buying them snacks because she felt so bad.

5) KROQ Weenie Roast, 1999. Irvine Amphitheater. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Blink-182, Sugar Ray, Live, Kid Rock, Smash Mouth, Orgy, Pennywise, Moby, Lo Fidelity Allstars, The Living End, Freestylers, Lit. What an amazing line up. Plus, I can say I saw Metallica LIVE. Plus, Blink-182 is probably in my Top 10 favorite bands. Yup, me. Country girl loves Blink.

4) Dixie Chicks opening for Tim McGraw. Glen Helen Pavillion. First time seeing my two all-time favorites in one show.

3) George Strait Country Music Festival, 1999. Angels Stadium. George Strait, TIM MCGRAW, DIXIE CHICKS, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Jo Dee Messina.

2) Tim McGraw private show. South Street Seaport, NYC. For the release of Set The Circus Down. My first time meeting Tim in person.

1) Dixie Chicks private recording session. Time Warner Center, NYC. XM Satellite's Artist Confidential. As I told my boss when I explained that I needed to take the afternoon off. I was going to meet 3 of my idols. Read more about it here.

33. I love that something mundane like the "25 Random Things" note has finally gotten some of my funniest friends to write. Some of my least funny friends too, but hey, thats still awesome. Next step, start a damn blog. Its easy! Here's a link: www.blogger.com (I'm www.susqhb.blogspot.com). Not enough time for long verse? Try a microblog like www.Twitter.com and find me @susqhb! And enjoy!

Overheard in Shul

2009-01-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

I'll say it again...Twitter has ruined my bloglife. I write on my microblog and then don't have the patience to come back here and expand on it. That added to being busy at work means my blog suffers. My poor baby.

But something happened in shul yesterday that was hysterical. My makom kavua (usual seat) in shul is a seat that is always empty when I arrive no matter how late I am. It has a lot to do with the fact that this particular row is very tight. Not a lot of space. But it also has to do with the fact that its directly in front of a group of old timers in shul who enjoy commentating during services. The exact thing I'll be doing in shul in like 50 years. The topic they are most likely to be discussing is the "young people" in shul who are rude and only there to socialize. This week I came to shul early (during the haftorah) because we were helping sponsor the kiddush after services that was commemorating the 5th yarzeit of my friend Mikey Butler (Mikey was the MAN!). Trying to alter this group of ladies' perception of the youngsters I always make sure to smile and wish them a "Good Shabbos" when I get to shul. They love me. This week I gave them my usual "Good Shabbos" and the ladies all looked at each other and smiled. Then one of them clapped me on the back and said "Now SHE always wishes us a Good Shabbos!" And another said, "She'll make a GREAT Rebbitzen!" And I laughed and laughed, all the way through Aleinu. I will make an excellent Rebbitzen.

Tehillim for Wedding

2008-12-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Its said that on your wedding day you have a direct connection to God. I plan to take full advantage of this. But I don't want to just pray for myself. I'm here for you too. If theres anything in life that you would like an additional blessings for, please let me know. It could be to find your soulmate (shidduch), find a new job or get a raise (parnassah), pray for someone who is sick (cholim), or anything else you feel you need some extra karma on. Please either leave a comment here (if you want to keep it private, still leave a comment, everything is moderated before its published and if you want it not published, just make note for me), reply to me on Twitter (@susqhb), or message me. Try to include your Hebrew name (if you have one) and your mother's Hebrew name (if you don't know it, just include her name). Also, make note of what it is you'd like me to pray for. You don't need to know who I am. If you are somehow reading this, or a friend sent you here to submit a name, thats good enough for me. Many blessings to all! May we see Only Simchas from here on out!

LA Weather

2008-12-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

Dear God,

In 2 days I will be privy to the 10 Day forecast for December 28th. That's my wedding day. Please let the weather be beautiful so my guests can appreciate the "divine" (double entendre there, how do you like that God?) weather of Southern California. Thanks.

Your Most Benevolent Worshipper,

Susanne

Dear Person Posting Simcha on OnlySimchas,

2008-11-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the dealio. If you don't know your friend well enough to know the first AND last name of the guy they are becoming engaged to, there is no way in hell that you are the appropriate person to be announcing their simcha with the world. I say this every day. As I make everyone aware, I am a huge OnlySimchas fan! I rejoice in all the simchas posted there. There is a lot of sadness in the world, so sharing your family's joy with the world is a beautiful thing. But I just went on to see what was new and saw this. Engagement of LUCKY CHOSSON & "Chick from Brooklyn" (not her real name, no need to write it here). The Lucky Chosson part was the real name listed for the dude. Here's the story.

A) Not everyone wishes to be posted on the site. For whatever reason, its still their perogative.
B) As stated before, let a closer friend post the damn thing. If you've never met the guy, maybe waiting until a family member or someone who knows them better gets around to it.

Well, thats all I've gotta say. Live long and prosper. But whatever you do. Don't forget to post your good tidings on OnlySimchas!

40 Days til Wedding

2008-11-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

Forty days until my wedding on December 28th. The number 40 has great significance in Judaism. So I compiled some different sources speaking about why the number 40 is so important to us Jews.

Take for example from Rabbi Shraga Simmons of Aish:

"The number forty has significance throughout the Torah, and the Talmud.

For example, when a person becomes ritually impure, he must go to a ritual bath, a Mikveh. The Talmud tells us that a Mikveh must be filled with FORTY measures of water, and a person, must completely submerse himself in it. After being submersed, he leaves the Mikveh ritually pure. It is no accident, that in the story of Noah, the rain poured for FORTY days, and surrounded the world with water. And just as a person leaves a Mikveh pure, so too when the waters of the flood subsided, the world was pure.

According to the Maharal (16th century, Prague), the number FORTY has the power to raise up something's spiritual state. Just as FORTY measures of water purifies a person, and FORTY days of rain purified the world, so too Moses being on Mt. Sinai for FORTY days also had a purifying effect, in that the Jews arrived at Mt. Sinai as a nation of Egyptian slaves, but after forty days they were G-d's nation.

In the Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Jewish people that he had "led them FORTY years in the wilderness," (29:3-4) after he told them that "G-d has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day." So we see, it took the Jewish people FORTY years in the desert before they could understand the things that took place. Accordingly, the Mishna in Ethics of Our Fathers explains that "a man of forty attains understanding." (5:26) (Ethics from Sinai)."

This I found on the Torah.org site:

The number 40 occurs most conspicuously in connection with the Flood (40 days), with Moses on Mount Sinai (40 days, during which the Jews made the Golden Calf), and with the time the Jews spent in the desert (40 years, in punishment for their listening to the spies who had spent 40 days exploring the Promised Land). Thus 40 seems to be associated with punishment. Note that for violating a negative commandment the Torah specifies a punishment of 40 lashes (which the sages interpreted as 39). Perhaps the association with punishment is related to the fact that 40 is the numerical value of "yad Ha-Shem" (14+26).

This is from the Faqs.org site:

Forty days after a child is conceived, the Talmud tells us, the soul
enters the body. Forty, therefore, is a symbol of birth, rebirth and
change. It is interesting to note that it was recently found that
neural activity does begin at 40 days after conception. This also
means that abortion is permitted in more instances within the first 40
days of pregnancy than during the rest of pregnancy.

And finally, there is an idea that praying for a specific thing for 40 straight days is a great segula. I have friends that recited Shir HaShirim 40 days in a row to merit finding their bashert. There is a group, Western Wall Prayers, that will pray in your merit at the Kotel (Western Wall) for 40 straight days. They explain their mission as:

"Chazal (our Sages) have long spoken about the Segula of praying for 40 consecutive days. Whether one recites shir hashirim (King Solomon's Song of Songs), tehillim (King David's psalms) or personal heart-felt words, 40 days is a significant time period to arouse G-d's mercy.

Praying for 40 consecutive days specifically at the Kotel (Western Wall) is a famous practice of Jews in Jerusalem. Most people have heard about the popular Segula through word-of-mouth and have made the pilgrimage for marriage partners, income, children, healing and other.

According to Rav Sheinberger, author of a popular commentary on the Zohar (the definitive book of Kabbalah), the Segula was officially coined by Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Fischer, of blessed memory - one of the leading Sages of the last generation. Dayan Fischer reportedly said that if someone goes to the Western Wall for 40 consecutive days to pray for 1 thing, it was a special Segula of its own."

I get it. 40 is an important number. I have 40 days until my slate is once again wiped clean. Evan and I will start a brand new life together on this day. I must do teshuva. I must free myself of all my ill feelings towards others. I must make ammends. I have 40 days left to "pack" for this journey.

Added Links

2006-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have added links (look to the right panel for links ------->) for a couple of sites I frequent pretty often. One is Pearls before Swine, a strip I reference periodically in my blog. It's main characters are a stupid pig and an obnoxious rat. Its probably the funniest comic strip ever written and appeals particularly to people with sick senses of humor like myself. You can learn more about the strip and their characters on Wikipedia.

The other is the insider's blog for the Dixie Chicks. The author Junichi is a professor at UC San Diego and began travelling with the Dixie Chicks at the beginning of their Accidents & Accusations tour. Lots of good insider info and candid pictures of the band.

Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year. I will be ringing it in at Sharon's happening pad. Drink Wisely!

Nuns on Ice

2007-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Tamar and I went skating today at Bryant Park. We've only gone a couple times and wanna get in as much skating as possible before the rink closes next Thursday. I guess a nearby convent had the same idea. There was a whole group of nuns there today. I felt bad because I felt compelled to take pictures (unobtrusively with my camera phone, not my big honkin' camera). I felt bad because I know thats what other people do when they see like a Chasidic Jew walking around Disneyland. Oh well, I still needed proof of what I saw or I wouldn't believe it later. It was great to see them out enjoying themselves. I'm glad that there are still young women out there like myself who want to be part of the God Squad. Are you in?

Whoops, how'd that one get in there? Oh Tamar. You're such a ballerina on skates.

Professional Bull Riding

2007-01-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been known to frequent the Rodeo Bar, but then again, who hasn't been there. But I've never been to a real rodeo. I know right?! What girl owns not one but two cowboy hats and has not yet been? That was until this weekend.

I got tickets on Craigslist for the Professional Bull Riders competition at Madison Square Garden. Little did I know that I'd become sooo obsessed. Initially I just wanted an excuse to wear my hat and boots. I bought tickets for Sunday's show but found out that one of my first favorite country singers, Clay Walker, was performing during the intermission of Saturday night's show. So of course I needed to get tickets for that as well. I went with my buddy Destiny Saturday and to my relief they were not checking tickets at each level so we got out at the first level and sat in a row right next to the chutes. Awesome view. We saw all the bulls as they awaited their turn to throw the riders to the ground. We were surrounded by a group of Brazillians there to cheer on the Brazillian World Champion rider Adriano Moraes. Last year this dude made $1.36 million riding bulls! Afterwards we headed to Yogi's my favorite country bar in NY. Dest and I had a great time (as always) and lots of hot cowboys were hitting on me. But I looked hot so who can blame them.

A couple girls were so drunk they were dancing on the bar. I of course took pictures of said event to preserve its posterity.

The next day I returned with Sho D and we sat in what I thought were the same seats as the night before but turned out to be one section closer to the action. Little did we know, but we were sitting in the rider's family and VIP block of seats. After an hour or so Sho says "Dude, do you see who that is?!" So I look to see who the dude is who sat in the seat beside us. It was none other than country music LEGEND George Strait!!!
George was so cool, he was just sitting there minding his own business. George being a very traditional old school country artist in New York City, he totally went undetected. Undetected by everyone other than us that is. I had to sneak pitures of him so I'd believe myself when I shared the stories with my friends later that night. Sho and I were having cows in the row directly behind him. I stepped out of our row to get a better look at him and as I did he got up out of his seat, nodded a hello to me, and all I could mumble was a quiet howdy. I totally lost my nerve to ask for a picture. I'm sooo bummed out.

After he left Sho struck up conversation with this bull rider who was on the disabled list that was sitting in front of us. He confirmed it really was George Strait and he filled us in about life on the Pro Bull Riding tour. The rider's name was Jim but I forgot his last name. Jim was an awesome awesome dude. Hopefully he'll be back on the bulls soon!

Anyway, bull riding is awesome. These riders are true athletes and the bulls are as well. But the ultimate bravery was shown by the rodeo clowns. These are the dudes that distract the bulls when the bull really just wants to step on the rider he just bucked off. They thrown their hats at him, hit the bull on the nose, anything to piss it off and draw attention from the rider. These are crazy crazy dudes. But so brave. My hats off to you. Pro Bull Riding was one of the most awesome experiences I've had in a long time. I encourage everyone to check it out. And for those naysayers who claim how cruel this is to the animals, they need to see how respected the bulls are in this sport. The bull is King!

Law & Order

2007-01-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

I guess if I were in charge or picking a location for filming Law & Order Criminal Intent, Washington Heights would be a natural choice. Located in upper Manhattan it looks like a scuzzier place than it really is. I mean, with the Starbucks hidden around the corner from the camera's view finder it looks like any other street corner of Harlem. Only this is Washington Heights. Home of the yuppie. Sure, we still have plenty of Dominicans but like they say, "If you build it (Starbucks) they will come (yuppies)". Don't get me wrong I love my Hispanic neighbors, they are incredibly nice, its the yuppies that get on my nerves. Anyway, when I got home from work last night they were taping the popular show in front of my apartment. I saw Chris Noth's chair. Yes, seeing Mr. Big's chair was very exciting. My life is pretty dull.

I sat on my fire escape to watch the filming below (bird's eye view is always best) and could see the makeshift set across the street where their requisite "dead body" was covered in a white sheet and humorously popped up a couple times between takes to get shelter and keep warm scaring the crap out of the kids who came to watch. I guess lying on the ground in a sheet is pretty chilly.

And then directly below was where Chris and his partner were "interrogating" their "perp". Yeah, I'm down with the police show lingo.

I also took a couple videos which basically showed the action while I commentated(ex. "um, and theres Chris Noth...uh, walking down the steps. Cool"). I didn't upload those videos yet though. Trust me, you ain't missing anything. The only true excitement came when I almost dropped my phone off the fire escape and when the crane that was brought in for lighting almost crashed into the Washington Heights eruv. It being late Thursday night and a kiddush in shul Shabbos day, if Law & Order broke my eruv they would have had hell to pay. I'd be pissed. Anyway, thats my exciting Washington Heights story. Have a Good Shabbos!

Chabad Rules!

2007-01-16T09:10:00.001-08:00

That's all I have to say about that.

Mount Sinai hosting Comedy Event

2007-01-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

It may be early (I know, very un-Susannelike) but I want you to mark your calendars for an awesome event taking place at my shul, Mount Sinai Jewish Center, on Wednesday evening, February 14th. My buddy Margie saw this incredible comedian during her last trip to Eretz Yisroel and begged him to perform in our shul during his next US tour...and he agreed. David Kalimnick will be performing his hit one-man standup comedy show entitled: "The Aliyah Monolgues: Find Me a Wife". So bring your friends, bring your roommates, bring your mom, bring your rabbi, bring your Saw You At Sinai shidduch date, bring your fiance, bring your chavrusa, bring your SOY seforim sale purchases, bring your husband, hire a babysitter for your kid and come to the show. His show will be kosher (contrary to prior belief that if I'm promoting the event it must be racy), so everyone is welcome! As kosher as Bagel City challah at least. For more info visit the event posting on Bangitout. Margie also wants me to "open" for him. Not sure exactly what that means but apparently she thinks I'm funny or something. Hope to see you there!!!

My productive day off...

2007-02-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

Usually on a day off I never roll out of bed. Well yesterday was no exception. I didn't peel myself away from my yummy jersey sheets until 12:30ish. The Reifer and I made plans to do something, anything, yesterday on President's day. So we decided we'd head out to the movies even though the bulk of new releases were either atrociously disgusting, or I'd already watched them on Peekvid. As we were leaving we got a call that a friend of a friend had free passes to the Guggenheim Museum. Being generally culturephobic I was still inclined to head to the latest B comedy, but hell, the tickets were free so we headed over to Museum Mile. The Guggenheim is a visually incredible building, designed I guess by some important architect, and can be seen in this ridiculously dated picture.

When you begin to enter the foyer you realize, hey, it was that cool outside, it'll be even cooler from the inside. And sure enough, it looked sooooo awesome.

So we had a great time walking around looking at pictures of monks dressed up in KKK costumes, possibly for Purim, who knows. There were also a bunch of Picassos including normal ones that weren't painted when he was dropping acid. Although, Reifer and my favorite Picasso was this one where he drew in his own crazy way a rack of meat and it was exhibited right next to a couple other artists attempting to regularly paint the meat. It was as if Picasso was making fun of their ordinary still life paintings. But the ultimate visual stimulation was the Salvador Dali paintings. Now seriously, that dude was on crack. And Reifer being the art genius she is told us interesting stories, like about how her art professor in college was obsessed with this one Goya painting we saw and made them study it for weeks so that she knew all the secret details of the painting. According to her, the teacher believed she really was the woman in the painting. Spooky.

We left there at around 4:30 and had time to spare before all-you-can-eat sushi at Eden Wok, so we decided in the end to go see a movie after all. We decided on Music and Lyrics, the new Hugh Grant romcom which played out identical to every other movie hes been in, except for The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, cause that movie just plain sucked. This version of the fish out of water British dude meeting quirky American female was just average. The only redeeming factor was that we saw it at the Loews Lincoln Center and 90% of the movie was taped within like 5 blocks from where we sat. That was pretty nifty. In fact, when we crossed the street to head to Eden Wok (which BTW has the same cross streets as Hugh's apt in the movie) we passed the restaurant where they encountered Drew's ex in the film. That was cool.

Then Reifer and I ate sushi until we both got sick and waddled over to the subway for the trip home. I'm happy that I was so productive yesterday and injected some culture into my life. Art, film, and sushi, all in one day. I have become quite the socialite.

Raising kids in apartments

2007-03-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

In many a conversation I've remarked how sad it would be to raise my children in an apartment. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen some fricken awesome apartments during my stay in New York. Once at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser that I volunteered at I couldn't tear my eyes away from the gorgeous penthouse view of Central Park. This joint had more square footage than my parent's two-story house. Plus it came with a full kitchen staff that the bitchy lady who owned it forced the Senator to meet and greet before the shindig began. If I were rich enough to own a penthouse with slaves, ahem, servants, I would move to the fricken burbs. I loved living in the suburbs. I love hopping in the car to drive (literally) across the street to pick up a carton of milk. I loved having a heated pool in the backyard (which we never used, it was there for show). I loved having a front yard on which all the neighbors dogs would come and crap. I loved watching the gardners come once a week and clean up after the dogs. But the thing I just might have loved most of all....was toilet papering other people's houses. My high school crew and I would go out fairly often and TP (as the kids these days call it) another, less cool individual's house. Myself, not being as fit as my friends, nor being the Captain of the soccer team, usually served as getaway driver. I was good at that job. I was also the only one sober. Prior to high school, in my not as cool years, I was the victim of a toiletpapering or two. The most traumatizing was the time my own soccer team had a sleepover that I was not invited to and they came and toiletpapered my house. But that not the worst part. The worst part was the girl's mom was frugal and instead of toiletpaper had them using shredded documents. Like bank statements, bills, and letters. My mom, pissed off cause she hates cleaning stuff up, went through the piles and deciphered a name from the statements. Discovering my teammate's father's name she didn't hesitate to call him on the phone at 7 AM Sunday morning. Needless to say, the girls all trekked back in their bathrobes to clean up the mess as my mom stood over them watching to make sure they didn't miss a piece. Time passed and my dad said I was going to be late for Sunday School. I hated Sunday School to begin with so having to leave the house and face the mortification made the circumstances far, far worse. But I did it, because a Jewish education is a sad thing to waste. The moral of this story is not the lesson I should have learned in junior high that I should have carried over to high school of not toiletpapering people's house because its thoroughly emabarrassing. No no. Its to not raise my children in an apartment. Why you might ask? Tonight I witnessed what may have been the saddest thing of my life. As I exited the A train on my way to basketball, I noticed that some kids had toiletpapered........the shrubbery in front of 10 Overlook Terrace. And a couple cars parked in front. Seriously, if we really believe the children are our future (sing it Whitney), we will give them lawns, and trees, and garages, and chimneys to toiletpaper. Not shrubbery. Seriously, I feel for them. My heart goes out.

Just filled in my brackets

2007-03-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just entered my brackets for the Sweet 16. I'm guessing OSU beats Maryland by 5 in the Final. My choices are based on an exact science called the "Susanne Method". Its a blend of supporting teams I've grown up caring about through the early rounds (UCLA, USC) to advancing teams that I think will bring out hot celebs as they root for their favorites (think Matthew McConnaughey ripping off his shirt after a Texas victory) to picking who I think will be this year's George Mason longshot (I've chosen Virginia Commonwealth to make it to the third round beating both Duke and Pitt before losing to UCLA). I created a pool on Facebook that I invite you all to join. Its called Yeshiva U should be in the Sweet 16! and the tagline is: "For all of us yidden in the Heights and beyond that wish there were more Yeshiva basketball phenoms. Tamir Goodman was not enough!" Now I know what you're thinking, "but Susanne, you were a Yeshiva basketball phenom." You're right, I was. As a Lady Macabbee, I once had 5 baskets in a single game. But I did not let it all go to my head. But thats neither here nor there. I hope you all join a March Madness pool because they are quite fun. Pick names out of a hat. Use a pin the tail on the donkey blindfold. But as Nike always said, Just Do It.

Don't be this guy

2007-03-13T11:39:00.001-07:00

Don't be Charlie. Charlie logged 500 hours on Facebook in a six month period. That works out to about 4 hours per day. Sick! He claims, "Losing my job bothers me far less than losing Facebook ever could." Come on man? Facebook? The only time I had that discussion with myself was when I needed to leave work for a Dixie Chicks meet and greet and private concert. I told Destiny that if my office told me I couldn't leave then I'd have to quit. Yes, the Dixie Chicks do mean more to me than saving Jewish Souls. I am a sick, sick person.

Subway Boycott!

2007-03-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yup, I created the above image myself. I am quite Microsoft Paint savvy.

I invite you all to join me on my boycott of Subway Sandwiches. But not for the reasons you might think. Not because Quizno's is 1000 times better, and Schlotzsky's is even better than that. No, it is because Subway sandwiches did not give me the free bicycle that I totally deserved!

I'll explain: I got an IM today from my buddy Eli saying that two of her co-workers had just won bikes on the corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Ave. Subway, as part of their healthy lifestyle advertising campaign had a street team on the corner there looking for random acts of "exercise". So I jogged, no sprinted, from 36th street up to their location. I ran up to this group in bright yellow rain slickers (yup, I sprinted through the rain) and asked them what was going on. I was visibly out of breath and my pulse was going pretty good. I was informed that I didn't qualify because I approached them first as opposed to them approaching me. They were supposed to "spot" me first doing my "exercise". Meanwhile as I stood there obviously pissed they "spotted" a petite woman walk out of the HBO building and "speedwalk" into Starbucks for her caffeine fix. They gave her the fricken bike. This little woman wearing, get this, an HBO Sports shirt won the free bicycle. She looks like she participates in triathalons. I look like my favorite form of exercise is channel surfing. What the hell?! So I call on all of my readers to boycott their establishments. To hell with their fajita sub! To hell with ducks eating free at Subway (Mitch Hedberg shout out there)! To hell with Jared Fricken Fogle the dude that lost all his weight by eating a sub every day for lunch and dinner! To hell with all of it! So join my boycott! Since 90% of my readers keep strictly kosher that should be extremely easy for you (minus the Jews in Cleveland and Brooklyn with their kosher franchises). But everyone else, promise me you'll never eat at Subway again. And feel free to buy me a new bike with your tax refund this year. My favorite color is red. Thank you.

A Crying Shame...

2007-03-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so other than my roommate ST and my officemate Tamarzeepoo, very few people know about my newly discovered passion for American Idol. This is the first year that I've consistently watched the show. Its also the first year that I've owned DVR so I'm sure theres a correllation since I can now fast forwarding through the Idols I hate and pause for moments like this:

Thats right. We first saw this weeper appear around the time that Sanjaya was performing. My guess was that his voice was causing a painful aneurysm. Or she saw the chick wearing a "Fanjaya" shirt. That sight was enough to make me barf. Viewers were baffled. I thought she might have been the reincarnation of the scary blond kid from Poltergeist. But she wasn't. Defamer got the whole story.