Winter. It's official.

I actually watched a person chipping ice from his facial hair today. I'm NOT KIDDING. He's a cyclist- die hard apparently, and has ICE hanging off of his BEARD and MUSTACHE!

Which made me think, if that happens for men, maybe just maybe women can do that too with un wanted hair. We're tough, we can handle it. Just stand outside in below 0 freezing weather, spritz some water on your legs, or armpits, or arms or bikini line, wait until it freezes and then hack away! Painless. Ok, not painless. But cheap!

100 truths

1. last beverage→Diet Coke
2. last phone call→ Stacy
3. last instant message→ Koop
4. last song u listened to→ Womanizer cover by Lily Allen
5. last time you cried→ this morning
6. last text message→ Stacy

SIX HAVE YOU EVER:
1. dated someone twice→ like, 2 dates? yeah. But years apart? Actually....yeah.
2. been cheated on? no- at least I hope not
3. kissed someone & regretted it?→ Yes
4. lost someone special?→ Yes
5. been depressed?→ Yes
6. been drunk and threw up? only a couple of times

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
1. Green
2. Purple
3. Pink

THIS MONTH HAVE YOU:
1. Made a new friend → Yes
2. Fallen out of love → No
3. Laughed until you cried → Yes
4. Met someone who changed your life → Yes
5. Found out who your true friends were → No
6. found out someone was talking about you→ Yes
7. Have you kissed anyone on your friend's list→ What? on FB? Yeah, my ex.
8. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life → most of them
9. How many kids do you want to have→ 3 or 4
10. Do you have any pets → none for the first time in my life
11. Do you want to change your name → Sometimes.
12. What did you do for your last birthday→ Nothing really. But Scott took me to the symphony at Disney Concert Hall in LA for my birthday.
13. What time did you wake up today → 9:17, I actually slept in!
14. What were you doing at midnight last night →Watching an awful Ben Still movie- big surprise there
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → NYC and Israel at the end of the month!
16. Last time you saw your father→Last night at Shul
17. Whats one thing you wish you could change → My job situation.
19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Is that a real question?
23. What's getting on your nerves right now → nothing
24. Most visited webpage → gmail

001. Whats your real name → Jessica Manya
002. Nicknames→ Jessi, JD, Jess
003. Status → in a relationship
004. Zodiac sign → Virgo
005. Male or female → Female
006. Elementary --> Horace Mann
007. Middle School → Ramsey Junior
008. High school → St. Paul Central
010. Hair color --> brown
011. Long or short → sort of long
015. Are you health freak → NO- but I prefer healthy food
016. Height → 5' 7"
018: what do you like about yourself → i think im pretty fun to be around
019: piercings→ Ears, belly button and nose
020. Tattoos → one
021. Righty or lefty → Lefty baby!

FIRSTS :
022. First surgery → wisdom teeth, does that count?
023. First piercing → ears
026. First sport you joined → soccer
027. First pet → Hiawatha, I hated that cat
028. First vacation→ Ohio to see my grandparents
029. First concert → Lilith Fair
030. First crush → Jake

CURRENTLY :
049. Eating → home made sugar cookie
050. Drinking → Diet Coke
052. I'm about to → post this
053. Listening to → some shitty JTT movie on the CW. Saturday TV ALWAYS sucks.
055. Waiting → nothing


YOUR FUTURE :
058. Want kids? Yes
059. Want to get married? yea, I guess.
060. Careers in mind? Producer

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes
069. Hugs or kisses → hugs
070. Shorter or taller → Taller
071. Older or Younger→ older
072. Romantic or spontaneous → spontaneous
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → arms
074. Sensitive or loud →a mixture would be best
075. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship
077. Trouble maker or hesitant →that's a gooooood question....

HAVE YOU EVER :
078. Kissed a stranger → Yes
079. Drank hard liquor → Yes
080. Lost glasses/contacts → don't have any to lose
081. Ran away from home → yes
084. Broken someone's heart → Shit I hope not
085. Been arrested → no
086. Turned someone down → Yeah
087. Cried when someone died → yes
088. Liked a guy/girl friend → Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Yes
090. Miracles → Not really.
091. Love at first sight → Oh no.....
092. Heaven → Yes
093. Santa Claus → I'm a Jew. So no.
095. Kiss on the first date → yes, it helps figure out if there is chemistry
096. Angels → nnno.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? HAHA yeah totally, but this person is one of those "unattainables", you know....a person who doesn't really exist because he/she is a character in a movie and the guy/girl playing him/her isn't really like that character.
098. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? No
099. Do you believe in God? try to
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Yeah

Dear Hannukah Harry

Here is my list of what I want for Hannukah:

1. My own Country. Fine my own city will do...
2. All of my best friends living in my city.
3. One day a year with no budget what-so-ever. I don't want to get spoiled, so one day will do....
4. A private airplane that runs on solar energy.
5. Cheese Popcorn.
6. For it to snow outside, but not be 10 degrees. I'd prefer it to be about 60. Thanks.
   
7. A teleporter. Beam me up Harry!
8. Fast food "restaurants" that are vegan.
9. For Hebrew to come more naturally to me.
10. A new job!
11. A garden
    
12. 

This speaks volumes....

I've loved Sara Bareilles for a long time. She has a beautiful voice and a stellar talent to play the piano. But, I loved her even more when I heard her song called "City". The lyrics really hit home to me. It's about the city of Los Angeles and what she describes here is just what I experienced. It's such a lonely city, with lost souls trying to fill the void in any way possible- I'm convinced that why there is so much drug abuse and exploitative pornography (I am not categorizing all porn together, some of it isn't bad- some porn actors are treated well).

Sara Barreilles is from Eureka California, which from what I hear is so far from what LA is; It's a beautiful little town closer to Oregon than even San Francisco, where there are only a few things to do like go to the movies and visit the Redwoods. I'm sure when she went to UCLA for music, she had the same culture shock that I did.

I'm not posting the song too because I want the lyrics to be read. I want them to be understood before it's just "another great song" because these are great lyrics. Enjoy:

There's a harvest each Saturday night
At the bars filled with perfume and hitching a ride
A place you can stand for one night and get gone
It's clear this conversation ain't' doing a thing
Cause these boys only listen to me when i sing
And i don't feel like singing tonight
All the same songs

Here in these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
Nothing here to hold on to
Could i hold you?

The situation's always the same
You got your wolves in their clothes whispering Hollywood's name
Stealing gold from the silver they see
But it's not me

Here in these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
There's nothing here to hold on to
Could i hold you?

Calling out somebody save me i feel like I'm fading away
Am i gone?
Calling out somebody save me i feel like I'm fading

In these deep city lights
Girl could get lost tonight
I'm finding every reason to be gone
There's nothing here to hold on to
Could i hold on to you?

a movie I'll be seeing....

How? I don't know! but I found this and it looks hilarious. Not to mention it stars the ever talented and gorgeous Adam Pascal of Rent!

The film is called "Goyband", it's a romantic comedy about an ex-boybander named Bobby Starr (priceless) who is booked to headline the grand opening of the first ever kosher casino. He gets this gig because the casino owners daughter, Rebekkah has a crush on him and coning her father to hire him is that last great bit of rebellion before she's married off to her "beshert" in an arranged marriage.

This is one you should keep your ears open for, filming has been completed so it should be out in theatres soon. http://www.goyband.com/filmfestivals/

Black Friday my ass

I prefer black Wednesday.

The Wednesday before thanksgiving was my AMAZING shopping days. I bought a little black party dress that is SO BEAUTIFUL from $420 to $70.

then I go a Diane Von Furstenberg Trench coat from $500 to $43!!! I don't have a picture but it's green giraffe print- in pure DVF style....

Deals are my best friends.

Sigma Potluck

Last night my sorority sisters and I had a little gathering; a pre-thanksgiving gathering if you will. It was a potluck and we each brought something. I brought home made sweet potato fries and a Crisp apple salad. There was, in true Jewish fashion, sweet kugel but of course Becky forgot the sugar. A 7 layer dip and then the piece de resistance.....Buffalo Chicken Dip. and because it was so mind numbingly delicious I find it only fair to share it with you.

Ingredients: 2 (10 ounce) cans of chunk chicken, drained 2 (8 ouce) pkgs cold cream cheese, cubed 1 cup prepared ranch salad dressing 3/4c pepper sauce (Franks Red Hot) 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut for dipping 1 (8 ounce) box of chicken-flavored crackers Directions: heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in shredded cheese and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cook on low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers Servings 20 Comments: "This tangy, creamy dip tastes just like buffalo chicken wings. It's best served hot with crackers and celery sticks. Everyone loves the results! Prep time: approx 5 mins. Cook time: approx 40 mins. Ready in 45 mins. Makes 5 cups = 20 servings

This dip will be THEE toast of the Thanksgiving day meal. I promise. It's not too hot because there is enough cream cheese in it to cut the bite- It's phenomenal!

Piercing Pain

It just took me over an hour to put my nose stud back in. Now on thanksgiving my nose is going to be PURPLE! FUUUUUCK!!!!!!

Funny of the Day

Courtesy of miss Margi Hazlett

A professor once told me the only word in the English language where the "s" makes a "shhh" sound with out the "h" is sugar. I turned to him and said, "Are you sure?"

"What the Hell?!" thursday

It's great when you love your job

I have two jobs. One is like getting acupuncture on my eyeballs and the other is like floating in a cloud over Tel Aviv with a beautiful warm breeze blowing through my hair, a mimosa in my hand and a private Balkan Beat Box concert just for me.

My amazing job is part time, I'm the adviser for a youth group. I see my kids once a week at the board meeting and then a few other times when they have events. I'm telling you, there is nothing like having teenagers in your life (maximum twice a week) to make you feel better.

I learned a new word. Legit is the new cool word.


But it's funny, I'm not starstruck by the life that I led back in LA (anymore) but these kids ARE. Even the boy. It's hilarious. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal when the ask! haha I'll make it sound as fun and glamorous as they want it to be. So here's what happened last night that made me want to write this. I bring my laptop to Temple on wednesdays, and I have it in my fabulous laptop sleeve in a khaki tote. This khaki tote says "WilliamRast" on it, as I got it as swag when I went to Justin Timberlakes pre-Grammy party the first year I was in LA. One of the girls noticed it and asked about it. So I told them. THEY WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT IT! So I had to show them my pictures from that event. I'll add a picture later, I can't find one right now. But the long and short of it is that I had many picture of Justin, Fergie, the rest of the Black eyed Peas, Danity Kane, Nelly Furtado and Timbaland. They went crazy!

Well, this friday is we're having a "lock in" at the Temple for the SPORTY board girls and the Freshman girls. I'm sure there'll be some stories from that!

Peace and Love
J

My dad sent me this....

Despite my jokes about his "dad" jokes, the old man really does have a sense of humor.

If you don't understand- our prayers sound exactly like how you're reading it, but of course there are not English words.

ENJOY- Obama-rama is not over!

Sister Act

WHOOPI GOLDBERG IS PRODUCING "SISTER ACT" FOR THE STAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am in love with that idea. So much music and dancing and NUNS! OMG. Genius.

totally Bril

Israeli in the White House

Illinois Senator Rahm Emmanuel has been named the new White House Chief of Staff. Rahm is the brother of now famous Ari Emmanuel, who is the head of Endeavor Talent Agency and the inspiration to the character of Ari in "Entourage"

Here are some fun facts about our newly appointed Chief of Staff
**source: Defamer website**

1. Their father is an Israel-born pediatrician, their mother a former X-ray technician, a onetime rock club owner, and a civil rights activist. She would take her sons along on the demonstrations if they were peaceful.
2. They grew up poor, leaving one apartment because it was rat-infested, and another because neighbors complained that the three Emanuel boys were too rambunctious.
3. He lost half of his right middle finger after a meat-slicer accident while working at Arby's as a teenager. It happened on prom night, and led to a bone and blood infection that nearly took his life. His fever went as high as 106.

4. Rahm is the inspiration for Bradley Whitford's character Josh Lyman on The West Wing.
5. He was encouraged to take ballet lessons as a boy, and he excelled at it so much, he eventually won a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet. He turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College.
6. He worked on Paul Simon's 1984 Senate bid.
7. He volunteered in Israel during the Gulf War, and was assigned to rust-proof breaks at an army base.
8. The same year, he convinced Bill Clinton to put off campaigning in New Hampshire to raise funds instead. It was a strategy credited with winning Clinton the election.
9. He acted as a senior advisor in the Clinton regime from 1993 to 1998, but was demoted one year after Clinton took office. After the '96 election, he planned on quitting, but Clinton gave him George Stephanopoulos's post as senior advisor for policy and strategy.
10. During his 1992 run for Congress, Edward Moskal, president of the Polish American Congress, called him a "millionaire carpetbagger who knows nothing [about] our heritage." He also falsely claimed that Rahm was a dual Israeli citizen and fought in their army.
11. He was named DCCC chairman in 2005, and butted heads with DNC chair Howard Dean over Dean's "50-state" strategy—in one heated exchange, Rahm even lobbed an F-bomb and stormed out of the room.
12. Torn over who to support in a Presidential bid between longtime friend Hillary and home-state senator Barack, Rahm said, "I'm hiding under the desk. I'm very far under the desk, and I'm bringing my paper and my phone."
13. He practices Orthodox Judaism with his wife, Amy Rule, and their three children, Zacharias, Ilana, and Leah.
14. He's a triathlete.
15. His name means "high" in Hebrew.
16. He doesn't recommend that colleagues appear on The Colbert Report, though he himself has appeared numerous times on The Daily Show.
17. His date of birth is November 29th, 1959.
18. He has photos of sunsets in his office and David Gray on his iPod.
19. He's quick with a zinger. Example: On the Clinton Days: “Back then, stimulus and package had a whole different meaning.” ”I’ve spent more alone time with Bill than Hillary.” On Fred Thompson: “He had an interesting take on No Child Left Behind. He married one.”
20. His nickname is Rahmbo. Even his mother uses it.

President Obama

I read this on a comment page somewhere and I love it.

ROSA SAT SO MARTIN COULD WALK
MARTIN WALKED SO OBAMA COULD RUN
OBAMA RAN SO OUR CHILDREN CAN FLY!

It was a great day for all americans. No matter age, gender, skin color or religious affiliation. When we help to strengthen our weakest link we all become better. History is now just that, HISTORY.

Now, let's start working on our homosexual brothers and sisters. EQUALITY FOR ALL!

I want to build my own city. My mom thinks I'm crazy...

The United Arab Emirates are creating a new sustainable city in the middle of the desert. So why can't I?

Sure, they have an exorbitant amount of black gold and I don't. Sure, they have Kings and Queens supporting them and I don't. But one thing that I've got that they don't...CHUTZPAH.

And a recent life with homes around the world, best friends around the world and love around the world. As far as I can see, they don't have much LOVE flowing, just "respect" (in an arab accent).

Here is my business model:

• I will work with the Israeli government to get a good chunk of land at a good price. (I figure Kibbutz is the only real way of making my own city)
• This Kibbutz will be (like a lot of Israeli society) geared towards creativity and how you can make a living doing what you love, not what your parents wanted you to do. But of course, there are people who want to be doctors and lawyers, and more power to 'em. They will be supported too.
• It will be called Kibbutz Ahavat Chai (Kibbutz love life).
• There will be no cars allowed on the Kibbutz premises. Just Bikes.
• Recycling will be a coarse in school.
• The first settlers will be my best friends and fave people. Whitney, Stephanie, Eva, Jenny and her husband, Stacy and Dan, Will (he'll be our lawyer) Hannah (our doctor), Lauren (and her brother is more than welcome too), Dima, Felicia, Becca, Mike Neiman and his girl, Mike Fineman and his girl, Mike Blecker (our pharmacist), Ezra (our president), Rose, Ariel, Lisa, Josh Staman (our in house comedian), Yaniv (our most beloved artist) Sharon Esther (our make-up artist) Dov and his wife can come too, we'll need good music.
• Instead of the traditional Kibbutz TOTAL communal living, we'll have a once a month Kibbutz wide Shabbat dinner.
• All of our homes and community buildings will be built sustainably- Denim installation, Solar power on every building, wind turbines at the edge of the limits.
• Our JCC will have fitness classes like Spinning, Zumba, water aerobics, kick boxing, Krav Maga (I love it!)

Am I crazy? Or can we do it?

Music for those who cannot watch the Hills, or listen to Thecurrent.org ---this is my gift to you. (but really it's for Whitney)

Land of the Mormons

Scott and I are almost half way to our destination of Minneapolis. We're in Salt Lake city hanging out with his sisters family.

This morning we went on a hike. It was really nice, even when it started to snow! I like the snow. That's why I hated LA.

The pictures we took are too large to upload, but you can visit http://againstthegrainblog.wordpress.com/ to see one.

Salt Lake is very pretty, mountains everywhere! I like it. But I can't wait to get to MN and sleep on my own bed!! This has been a really tough couple of months for us.

This isn't good for my health

I just broke my g-d damned baby toe on a moving box that was in my way! It didn't even move slightly when it saw me coming!



Guess most of the driving will be done by the one and only Scott! HA!

Web MD

Sometimes, much like right now, I get so thirsty. I drink water and I drink water and I drink water and it's like I'm immune to the stuff! I'm always thirsty.

Does anyone know if this means I'm dying?

Some Sugar

A friend, Ben Stein, produced this clip. I think it's genius. And I think you will too :)

it's been a while

I've been busy and bored all at the same time.

Last week was my birthday. I was home in the twin cities looking for apartments (and celebrating my birthday with my parents). It was really refreshing, which is exactly what I am hoping will happen when we move there. Oh. yes. We're moving to Minneapolis. October 8th.

This is the mess that is my room right now.
Moving boxes and bubble wrap.

So, I got back to LA and now Scott and I are trying in vain to get in all those things that we like about LA before we leave.
Saturday night- we went to California Plaza in downtown LA for a free concert. It was really amazing. The concert was !Viva! Yiddishkayt. In California there are, were, some Mexican Jews who speak Ladino; part Spanish, part Yiddish. It's an amazing language and since Jews are, were, all over the world, they became part of the culture that they lived amongst, so from that came Yiddishkayt music. A mixture of spanish music with traditional Jewish/Yiddish music. So, this concert was that. It was a mix of amazing talent. Many members of Ozomatli were there performing with Michael Alpert, the Klezmatics and with very specials guests, a 13 piece band out of the streets of Huntington Beach.


Then on Monday night we went to GrandSLAM of The Moth. This is my favorite thing to do in LA by FAR. Every month they have a get together and each night is a theme. Then random people get up and tell a TRUE story having to do with that theme. For instance, one month the theme was "weddings", and one woman told an amazing story about how she left her small town in Texas to become an actress in London, she only had $10 to her name, after she bought her plane ticket, and with that she went to one acting class. She met and became best friends (for that hour) with a girl who invited her back to her place, after telling her she can crash there, since she didn't have a place to live. Turns out that girl is the daughter of a BIG director. though him, she got a small extra role on a movie, and met a man who later became her Italian husband. Well, she is a MUCH better story teller than I, because she won that month. Now, every winner from the months all come together for the the GrandSLAM. It was really awesome. Molly Ringwald was one of the judges. A couple of the storytellers happened to be comedy writers for shows like Craig Ferguson and Crossballs. Needless to day, many of the months winners, had practice....but who cares! That makes for really amazing stories!

Dima, my friend from Birthright (our "medic") is now living in LA (working) so yesterday we spent the day together. It was great. I really love that kid. We ended up at Aroma, on sunset in the evening. this is an all Israeli place; food, waiters, .....service (hahaha). So we're sitting outside in the "drink only" chairs around the fire pit and there was THE MOST SCARY THING EVERY that happened out in the street. Everybody screamed and I swear, with all the Israelis around me I thought there was a suicide bombing. It sounded like a bomb, even Dima said so. A crazy mother fucking drunk driver hit a car, bounced off it, then over compensated and swerved into ANOTHER car, then he had the chutzpa to drive off!! There was debris everywhere and smoke too. We had to stay longer than we wanted because I was too scared that he would come back and I would become one of his victims. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, just cars. but.....OY. It was scary.

BBBgasm

Beginning of the night- in the E! parking garage, walkin' to the El Rey

Yaniv, Gal and I











Deleon- the opening act.

Washboard back drop! :)

This is what happens when Yaniv is trying to take a picture of the band, but I knock his hand from flayling and dancing too much
I SERIOUSLY WISH HE WASN'T MARRIED!

BEST.NIGHT.EVER.

Last night was BALKAN BEAT BOX!!!!

It was an incredible concert.

I went to E! to meet up with Yaniv, then we walked over to the El Rey, to meet up with Gal and Sharon. We got there and the only problem of the night occurred. The "bouncers" are working there on a really wonderful program, they're mentally challenged adults checking IDs if you want a "drink band". Well, I left mine at home (for some crazy stupid reason) and these guys are TOUGH! So, needless to say, I didn't get a drink band and I looked like the only 19 year old in the place, but it's fine with me. Yaniv got me a drink, and I was undercover sista' while I drank that, but that was one concert I WAS NOT GETTING KICKED OUT OF for "underage" drinking.

So, then the opening band came on. They're called Deleon, out of New York. They're really great for an opening band. I say that with all the respect, they're just not as polished yet as BBB, but still, they're good, so it's a good sign.


Anyway, so between sets, Yaniv made an observation that not many people at the concert were Israeli, and that it seemed odd, only because every other concert of theirs has mostly been filled with Israelis (but not they're getting bigger so I understand why there are "others" there) So I asked the two girls next to me how they heard about BBB, I asked "are you Israeli?"
"No" they said "we're Serbian". "SHUT UP, SO AM I!!" I screamed. We were all instant best friends. They invited me to Serb Fest in San Diego and told me about all the dance groups in LA that I should join. Well, it was just so nice.

Here are some visual candies for you. More to come (from a real camera haha)

Mr. Tamir Muskat (the future Mr. ME)
Jeramiah Lockwood (L) and Ori Kaplan (R)

The amazingly talented Tomer Yosef

The Grass is Always Greener on Your Roof

I am...slowly... reaching the age where my friends have steady jobs in the careers in which they've received degrees, and therefore, buying homes. Now, I know that the economy this past year hasn't been well...stellar, but none-the-less we're not renting anymore. I have been trying to hint to my friends' parents that are re-modeling or building or just moving that there are some great new options that will reduce their heating bill (Midwest) and air conditioning bill (far west) but they're just too old to grasp the idea of change. So, I'm forced to look to MY friends, who, in all honesty, are my best bet in getting this message across.

Green Roofs are the wave of the housing future! Don't you laugh at me, but a green roof is when you lay grass on your roof. Think about it, when you go to lay on your lawn on a hot summer day, it's always cool, right? RIGHT. And it has a thick layer of insulation- dirt, right? RIGHT. So why is it so far fetched to put grass on your roof at home? IT'S NOT. Here are the reasons why :

**Pink Panther insulation wasn't around for the Vikings of Newfoundland, so they used Grass to keep in the the kind of air they wanted, depending on the season.

**If you have a way to get up to the roof, it can be another garden! Grow veggies on your roof and you don't have to run to the grocery store for that Onion he forgot to buy on the way home from work.

**In areas of the world where it rains a lot, it is your natural gutter. It absorbs the water and therefore you don't have run-off.

**You're giving back to the environment! Mother Earth gives you so much, how long has it been since you've given her a mothers day gift? you're doing good by filtering pollutants and CO2 out of the air.

Besides from all of the above, it's actually really cool aesthetically speaking. I was recently on vacation in Door County Wisconsin. There is a Swedish restaurant nearby in Sister Bay and it has a green roof, it even has goats grazing on it! You don't have to do that, but it's cool, huh?

These roofs can be colorful too. You don't dye them with food or hair coloring, you plant flowers! If you intersperse different kinds that bloom at different times of the year, I guarantee your house will be the house that all the neighbors envy.

Photos:

1. School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University; Singapore


2. The great city of Chicago


3. Hundertwasser's Waldspirale, Austria


4. The city of Baltimore


5. Al Johnson's Restaurant, Sister Bay, Wisconsin

Greenie in a Bottle

“Greenie 101”

It’s a funny thing, being a “tree hugger”, but nowadays that term isn’t such a stigma. We live in a world where the consequences for the way we’ve been treating it, is not a far and distant future. If you read the news, watch TV or heaven forbid know someone who has directly been affected by the past two years of weather related catastrophes, you are all too aware of just how badly mother nature can treat us. Some people (really smart people) are attributing these crazy storms, in and outside of the United States, to the way we’ve been slapping HER (mother nature) in the face.

It’s a known fact that global warming increases the intensity of storms that would’ve hit anyway. Now, it’s not our fault that hot and cold winds hit each other to form a tornado, and it’s not our fault that under sea earthquakes erupt causing a tsunami, but experts say that because we don’t recycle and because we don’t watch how many carbon emissions we release when we drive our Hummers we DO cause these perfectly natural occurrences to be more severe and harmful to ourselves. Which begs the question, “ When will we change?”

Homo Sapien: “Modern Human” (Latin) “Knowing Human” or “Wise Human”. We are, by nature, Thinkers, Creators, Philosophers, Teachers, Learners. So why have we become so stagnant? Since the beginning of time the Homo Sapien has evolved (no matter what anybody else says) to be able to sustainably live in his/her environment. In the past 100 years due to war, the changing economy and the simple act of just being lazy we’ve found ways to live in our environment sustainably for only about a century. The problem is, that we’re coming up on the end of that 100 years and we have no idea how to live any other way. We are a malleable people, we can change our ways, even if it’s just slightly. There are so many consuming Homo Sapiens in this world that if we all changed our ways just a little, it will make a huge change.
That’s what I’m aiming to do.

I want to help educate people on ways that you can change, without changing who you are. In each column I will highlight different parts of being eco friendly, help you become more acquainted with terms like “sustainable” and give you tips on how to implement becoming a “Greenie”.

Sus-stain-able [suh-steyn]
1. To support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
2. To supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
3. To provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.

Environmental sustainability:
Environmental sustainability is the process of making sure current processes of interaction with the environment are pursued with the idea of keeping the environment as pristine as naturally possible.


TIP TIME

When you leave for vacation, unplug all of your outlets.

Phantom energy is when electronic devices that are even turned “off” pull energy from the socket and those devices are called “vampire” devices because they suck the juice out of the wall at night when you aren’t even using them! This can waste energy and money. (You save enough money that it’s like getting a free mani/pedi each month!)

A simple way to remedy this is to put items in your house on power strips, that way you can just unplug the one (or one per corner of the house) before you leave for that fabulous vacation.

I KNOW, but what about your Tivo and clocks? Those can be left plugged in. My boyfriend has his Tivo plugged into the wall, but the rest of them to the power strip, so that all of his favorite shows will still be recorded.

Here’s a list of household electronics that will make that difference in the environment and your energy bill if you unplug them.

Television
Radio
Microwave
Ipod charger
Phone charger
Any and all lamps
Computer
Printer

I hope I left you with some insight and helpful tips. Go Green and Prosper!

Weekly article to come

I like bottles, ok? geez.

Greenie in a bottle is going to be a short weekly blog about the environment and how you can make a few easy changes in your life that will leave you feel more fulfilled and happier...and then Mother nature won't be such a bitch to you anymore.

Remember, a revolution starts with one voice. Be that voice in your community, neighborhood and work.

Please enjoy responsibly.

Like watching the animals in a Zoo

At work I sit on a wall of windows facing the balcony/palm trees. Not such a bad deal!

The best part, is that these windows are interrogation room windows....I can see them, but they can't see me!

There's this PA that sits not far from me...he just insipired me to write this. He went outside to make a call- on his Iphone no less- sat RIGHT outside of my window and started figiting with himself. His shirt didn't cover his ass-crack, his hair wasn't placed correctly on his forehead, and that pimple on his chin was really big!

Well, need-less to say in a company like E!/Style/G4 there are plenty of "animals" that go outside and well...look at themselves. It's just SUCH a great way for me to spend my day....watching them make fools of themselves.

Here's a taste of some of them at our company parties.

E! News Special- New Kids on the Block: Together Again

E! News Special: New Kids on the Block: Together Again

Produced by ME!

Airs: On E! August 30th-- Please check your local listings for the correct time based on time zone.

We have and exclusive NEW interview with all of the guys together. This is one of the first after not being able to stand in the same room together for 15 years!

The guys asked us personally to air their new video for "Summertime"- so watch for it!

Until then, take a stroll down memory lane and dust off the dance moves (I know you memorized the routines! Don't try to hide it :) )...

YOUNIVERSE

I recently found this pretty fucking cool website. I don't know about you, but I love these things...

...It's a "photo dna" test, where they have photo associations like "art is..." and you have to click the photo that most resembles your idea of art and when it's all done it analyzes you and mine was really trippy to read, good trippy not nyquil dream trippy.

http://youniverse.com/

DO IT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF IT!

I'll sing you a song

Mid-Westward bound

I might be moving to Minneapolis. By October.

Was I right?

Did I do the right thing? I was offered the position at Hillel on Friday. I didn't take it because she wouldn't budge on my terms.

Once I asked for her to negotiate with me (on my terms) she began to treat me like her college students. She used the words "disappointed" and "waste of time". Well, to be quite frank, I'm a bit disappointed that she, nay, Hillel, doesn't value the time of her employees. What she wouldn't budge on is a joke, embarrassing and insulting to anyone with a college degree and as much promise and vision I had for that position.

When I hung up, I felt awful for even suggesting a negotiation. I was later calmed down by Scott and told that "the hiring process is like dating, "they" are learning about you and if you'll be right for the job, and "you" are learning about them and if the job is right for you". He's right. I have nothing to feel awful about, I didn't waste her time, She just doesn't want that position to do well, apparently. Since she's only willing to spend that much on the position.

It's a life lesson. I hope the program does well, I want nothing but the best for Hillel. but I do hope that she realizes that people are worth more, they don't deserve to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel just to live.

happy

she's back.

M-I-S-S-I-N-G

Someone very close to me but very far from me has vanished. All signs of her online have disappeared into the ether.

I want to know that she's ok.

She'd better be ok.

Need I say more?

This one is ripped off from Whit. But I can't help it, I love it so much

ican'tbelieveitthey'rehere!

My ultimate favorite band EVER is coming back to LA. They were to have a concert a few months back but it got canceled because they were denied entry into the U.S.

THEY'RE BACK!!!

It's going to be a fucking party!
http://www.jdubrecords.org/


IF YOU'RE IN THE LA AREA BUY TICKETS HERE

Urine-town

I was walking behind this cute little old lady today.



Then it hit me. It hit me like a smack in the face, I shuttered and shook my head in disgust trying to fight my body from inhaling.



It was as if urine has fermented and had an awful rubbing alcohol-y stench.



Upon closer inspection, little-yes, but cute-no. the brown bits at the top of her pants, weren't her midriff showing, her hat wasn't only tiny, but that of an "american girl" dolls, her purse from a dumpster.



The smell was her. That smell that had physically assaulted me moments earlier was....her.



I have got to get out of L.A.

Frisco kid?

Yesterday, if in 5 months I'm working and living in San Francisco, will be known as "d-day". D'day I casually mentioned to Scott that we should visit SF for a weekend so he can check out Presidio to make sure he likes it there. Then when we got home, we looked online at what we could get in what neighborhoods for $1500/m. And it is snowballing. I'm looking at job postings in SF, we're both emailing friends that live up there to get more "insider" info about this beautifully foreign city. AND ALL OF THIS ONE WEEK AFTER I APPLIED FOR A JOB IN MINNEAPOLIS.

It bums me out a little. I was secretly really happy with the idea of moving back home, to a place where life is just easier. Granted, it would be colder and significantly more boring. But at what point will I sacrifice having truly meaningful friendships with people to stay in a place like Los Angeles, or as I like to call it Los Diablos. Ain't no angels in this city.

I must admit, that before even having Minneapolis in my head as a place I'd like to move, SF was up there on my list. I want 4 seasons, I like that they have a great public trans and that you can meet people with brains that aren't just to fill the gap.

Only time and a short weekend trip to Frisco can tell.

Peace and love,

Back in the swing of things

So, I'm back from Israel. It was seriously amazing. My co-staffer was a girl named Lauren who is really great. We hit it off right away and I know we'll be friends for a long while.

On our first day we went to Jerusalem straight away to go visit Yad V'Shem, the holocaust museum. It was pretty heavy for just getting off a 14 hour plane ride, but it helped to create a foundation for them about why they're here, why the state of Israel exists. We went to Masada, then Ein Gedi, then the dead sea.



Then we went to Tel Aviv, and the north. We stayed on a Christian Kibbutz, the only one in the world, so they claim. It was nice, we got to stay put for 4 days, we were there for Shabbat, plus we got an extra holiday, Shavuot. On sunday we went to Sfat, it was really calming. I bought some nice things there. We met an artist there, and then I bought one of his pieces. It's really the best when you meet the guy who made the art. I love that.

In the short 10 days, we really did become a family. We learned together, traveled together, cried together and laughed together. It was really fun and I'm so thankful to have gone. Taglit-birthright is AMAZING! I hope to staff another trip soon.