heylo,
so today we woke up and went to the old city in jersusalem today as well as the western wall, or 'cotel'. since tonight is shabbat, we are going back to the cotel after dinner. apparently this is very special. i won't be able to take photos, but i'll write a post about it later on. we get to walk back to the hotel after the kaballah shabbat service at the wall since we'll no longer be able to drive. then i'm going swimmin!
oh! and this is my israeli number just in case you want to call me:
011972504036839
love,
sally
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
israel really real
so, i'll be brief since my computer is about to die and i haven't gotten a charger adapter yet. after leaving LA at 12:45 PM yesterday, i traveled to atlanta with the brithright group i'm staffing (fucking 40 18-24 year olds) and then finally a 13 hour flight to tel aviv. we landed, met the owner of our birthright program and are now in our hotel in jerusalem. tomorrow we will go to the kotel (wailing wall) for shabbat, which will apparently be very special since people are literally just sitting on the ground reading prayer books.
i think it finally hit me as i was in the plane on the way over here how much i'm going to miss my family and friends and the weight of the fact that i will be here for a long time started to feel heavy. i also realized that when one is in the air, time is irrelevant and can't be stationary. but that's just me being weird. more on that later.
love,
sally
i think it finally hit me as i was in the plane on the way over here how much i'm going to miss my family and friends and the weight of the fact that i will be here for a long time started to feel heavy. i also realized that when one is in the air, time is irrelevant and can't be stationary. but that's just me being weird. more on that later.
love,
sally
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
hurculean love affair
sooooooo,
just got back from my last night on the town in LA. after naptime (well, colin's naptime), we FINALLY got our shit together and booked it to amoeba records on sunset near hollywood. i suppose 'booked it' isn't really accurate, as it took us fucking forever to get there due to horrendous traffic. anyway, eventually we got there and this place is HUGE. it's basically a very well categorized warehouse with every CD/record in existence.
well, that's obviously not true. but it's close. so cols and tony got some shtuff and then we headed over to my good high school friend jeff's place in silverlake, where he lives with his girlfriend. they very kindly invited us for a barbeque. it was wonderful to see him and talk to him about what he's been up to for the past little while. i haven't seen him in a few years, although i keep up with him online, etc. it was genuinely refreshing to see how well he's doing and how absolutely happy he is with his life. i felt a tinge of envy at his beautifully simple basement apartment. he and his girlfriend are involved in an art collective, planning on guerrilla art shows and exciting things like that. i feel like a fraud around amazing photographers like jeff and his girlfriend. photographers that were passionate enough to educate themselves for four years and pursue the art and technique and mechanics and history of this craft that i basically just bought and have been teaching myself haphazardly for the past year and a half. it was a very sweet and inspiring experience and lovely to see what a wonderful person he has become.
after the barbeque cols and i went to the smell, a legendary little DIY place made known by residents such as health. the show was so-so, mostly just noise. i didn't really expect much else, but i'm glad we saw it at least. afterwards, we spoke to clayton who had just left a taping of 'inside the actor's studio' with christian slater. he said it was ridiculously long and boring but james lipton was "heavenly". we went to meet him for a drink at short stop right under his apartment in echo park and ended up playing improv games about genitalia with total strangers. pretty funny actually. now i'm back at home and i can't believe i'm leaving tomorrow for israel. it seems like a story i'm just telling people. they are very impressed, but for some reason it hasn't actually impressed me yet. maybe it will eventually after it's all over with. i'll just dive right in.
i need to stop being so scared of things. taking photos, adventures, other people. fuck em. that's the motto i taught my gammy when she complained that she can't see. i said, "gammy, whenever you start to think that they can do something you can't, just say 'fuck em'". so that's what i'll do. maybe in the process of teaching these kids about seeing the world and the ability to express that view creatively, i'll open my own eyes to a different way to create my own world and art. who knows.
love,
sally
p.s. don is also tom waits and REM's lawyer. oh mannnnnnnnnn that is cool.
just got back from my last night on the town in LA. after naptime (well, colin's naptime), we FINALLY got our shit together and booked it to amoeba records on sunset near hollywood. i suppose 'booked it' isn't really accurate, as it took us fucking forever to get there due to horrendous traffic. anyway, eventually we got there and this place is HUGE. it's basically a very well categorized warehouse with every CD/record in existence.
well, that's obviously not true. but it's close. so cols and tony got some shtuff and then we headed over to my good high school friend jeff's place in silverlake, where he lives with his girlfriend. they very kindly invited us for a barbeque. it was wonderful to see him and talk to him about what he's been up to for the past little while. i haven't seen him in a few years, although i keep up with him online, etc. it was genuinely refreshing to see how well he's doing and how absolutely happy he is with his life. i felt a tinge of envy at his beautifully simple basement apartment. he and his girlfriend are involved in an art collective, planning on guerrilla art shows and exciting things like that. i feel like a fraud around amazing photographers like jeff and his girlfriend. photographers that were passionate enough to educate themselves for four years and pursue the art and technique and mechanics and history of this craft that i basically just bought and have been teaching myself haphazardly for the past year and a half. it was a very sweet and inspiring experience and lovely to see what a wonderful person he has become.
after the barbeque cols and i went to the smell, a legendary little DIY place made known by residents such as health. the show was so-so, mostly just noise. i didn't really expect much else, but i'm glad we saw it at least. afterwards, we spoke to clayton who had just left a taping of 'inside the actor's studio' with christian slater. he said it was ridiculously long and boring but james lipton was "heavenly". we went to meet him for a drink at short stop right under his apartment in echo park and ended up playing improv games about genitalia with total strangers. pretty funny actually. now i'm back at home and i can't believe i'm leaving tomorrow for israel. it seems like a story i'm just telling people. they are very impressed, but for some reason it hasn't actually impressed me yet. maybe it will eventually after it's all over with. i'll just dive right in.
i need to stop being so scared of things. taking photos, adventures, other people. fuck em. that's the motto i taught my gammy when she complained that she can't see. i said, "gammy, whenever you start to think that they can do something you can't, just say 'fuck em'". so that's what i'll do. maybe in the process of teaching these kids about seeing the world and the ability to express that view creatively, i'll open my own eyes to a different way to create my own world and art. who knows.
love,
sally
p.s. don is also tom waits and REM's lawyer. oh mannnnnnnnnn that is cool.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
and when we meet on a cloud...
my schedule thus far as projected by ISC (israel service corps) directors:
Orientation
Orientation will take place for the first two weeks of the program. Refer to table for the list of events. Activities are focused around exploring your host community (Ramla), team building, and adjusting to the Israeli lifestyle.
Date
Description
August 25
Group Meeting in Ramla
Opening Session w/ Momo (President of Oranim Educational Initiatives)
August 26 Program Meeting (Talk with Directors)
August 27/28 Trip to the North
August 29 Shabbat Dinner
August 30 Beach Day (Optional)
August 31 Ramla Orientation Day
September 1 Ulpan Meeting, Personal Meetings with Naama
September 2 Meeting with MASA representatives
September 3 Volunteering Commences (Day 1)
September 5 Host Families (First visit)
September 7 Tour of Ramla
_______________________________________________
Schedule of Events & Activities
Please refer to table for list of trip dates, activities, and important dates (including holidays). In addition, Community Involvement participants will have bi-weekly social activities which will be coordinated throughout the session. More detailed descriptions of all activities will follow during the program.
Date
Description
September 18/19 Trip: Overnight Schlichot
September 28 Activity
September 29 Eve of Rosh Hashannah
September 30 Rosh Hashannah
October 1 Rosh Hashannah
October 2 Gedalia Fast
October 8 Eve of Yom Kippur
October 9 Yom Kippur
October 13 Eve of Sukkot
October 15/16 Trip
October 20 Sukkot - Hosha’ana Raba
October 21 Simchat Ha’Torah
October 30 Trip
October 31- November 1 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-1)
November 2 Israel Democracy Seminar (Rabin Memorial)
November 14/15 Security Issues in Israel Shabbaton
November 20 Idan Reichel Concert
November 20-22 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-2)
November 27 Trip
December 5-6 Israeli Political System Shabbaton
December 18 Israeli Literature with Israeli Authors
December 18-20 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-3)
December 22-29 Channukah
December 23-24 Trip
January 6 Israeli Press Dilemmas and Responsibilities
January 14-15 ISC Closure Trip
January 18 Closing Ceremony
January 19 Program Ends
___________________________________
if all goes according to schedule, i'll be back on my 24th birthday, jan. 20.
HOLY SHIT... i'm going to be a busy girl. i spoke to naama (one of the ISC directors) the other night and she was asking me what age group i liked to work with, if i minded 'at risk' youth, the elderly, etc. she knew that i played music and worked in photography, so those will be useful skills that i can develop and teach. we'll see, but i got really excited after that conversation. i think it's going to be a very interesting next few months.
love,
sally
Orientation
Orientation will take place for the first two weeks of the program. Refer to table for the list of events. Activities are focused around exploring your host community (Ramla), team building, and adjusting to the Israeli lifestyle.
Date
Description
August 25
Group Meeting in Ramla
Opening Session w/ Momo (President of Oranim Educational Initiatives)
August 26 Program Meeting (Talk with Directors)
August 27/28 Trip to the North
August 29 Shabbat Dinner
August 30 Beach Day (Optional)
August 31 Ramla Orientation Day
September 1 Ulpan Meeting, Personal Meetings with Naama
September 2 Meeting with MASA representatives
September 3 Volunteering Commences (Day 1)
September 5 Host Families (First visit)
September 7 Tour of Ramla
_______________________________________________
Schedule of Events & Activities
Please refer to table for list of trip dates, activities, and important dates (including holidays). In addition, Community Involvement participants will have bi-weekly social activities which will be coordinated throughout the session. More detailed descriptions of all activities will follow during the program.
Date
Description
September 18/19 Trip: Overnight Schlichot
September 28 Activity
September 29 Eve of Rosh Hashannah
September 30 Rosh Hashannah
October 1 Rosh Hashannah
October 2 Gedalia Fast
October 8 Eve of Yom Kippur
October 9 Yom Kippur
October 13 Eve of Sukkot
October 15/16 Trip
October 20 Sukkot - Hosha’ana Raba
October 21 Simchat Ha’Torah
October 30 Trip
October 31- November 1 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-1)
November 2 Israel Democracy Seminar (Rabin Memorial)
November 14/15 Security Issues in Israel Shabbaton
November 20 Idan Reichel Concert
November 20-22 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-2)
November 27 Trip
December 5-6 Israeli Political System Shabbaton
December 18 Israeli Literature with Israeli Authors
December 18-20 Building Future Leaders (BFL week-3)
December 22-29 Channukah
December 23-24 Trip
January 6 Israeli Press Dilemmas and Responsibilities
January 14-15 ISC Closure Trip
January 18 Closing Ceremony
January 19 Program Ends
___________________________________
if all goes according to schedule, i'll be back on my 24th birthday, jan. 20.
HOLY SHIT... i'm going to be a busy girl. i spoke to naama (one of the ISC directors) the other night and she was asking me what age group i liked to work with, if i minded 'at risk' youth, the elderly, etc. she knew that i played music and worked in photography, so those will be useful skills that i can develop and teach. we'll see, but i got really excited after that conversation. i think it's going to be a very interesting next few months.
love,
sally
I am so fucking sore
and that means i've done a lot. great job.
let's see, this morning i snoozed too long, then woke up and had a cup of cold coffee with honey and some leftover dried edamame/goji berries from the hike yesterday. got showered and colin and i drove over to don passman's office in beverly hills. don is my dad's best friend from college and a very successful entertainment lawyer (represents/ed janet jackson, tina turner, heart, pink, etc.). they were in a band called eudipus and the mothers in austin while they were at UT austin for law school. apparently, they were on a compilation called 'texas punk bands of the 60's'. pretty crazy. he still has recordings of them on acetate. i really hope he'll convert them eventually, because i told him i'd die to hear it. so we went to his office and chatted for a while before we said goodbye and left. he's a really sweet guy so i'm glad i got to see him even though i was mildly nervous the whole time. i guess i wanted to impress him. ANYWAY, we left and had indian buffet which was really good, but kind of spicy. then instead of going to ameoba records and guitar center, cols took us to venice beach because he's never been. it's pretty much a stretch of crap, but we went anyway and ran across the scalding sand to see the water one last time before our trip ends. on the way home, we grabbed a star map, only to find out that the only star living on the street that we're staying on is totally unfamiliar to me. and i know my stars, sadly. or not. so, we're back home now. just resting/doing laundry before we go out, hopefully to do amoeba/guitar center. oh, and my good friend jeff from high school is having a barbeque at his place in silverlake. so i'm really excited about that. then upright citizens brigade or the smell. or both if i can fit them. i'm usually pretty good at that. maybe that's why i'm a nutcase.
love,
sally
let's see, this morning i snoozed too long, then woke up and had a cup of cold coffee with honey and some leftover dried edamame/goji berries from the hike yesterday. got showered and colin and i drove over to don passman's office in beverly hills. don is my dad's best friend from college and a very successful entertainment lawyer (represents/ed janet jackson, tina turner, heart, pink, etc.). they were in a band called eudipus and the mothers in austin while they were at UT austin for law school. apparently, they were on a compilation called 'texas punk bands of the 60's'. pretty crazy. he still has recordings of them on acetate. i really hope he'll convert them eventually, because i told him i'd die to hear it. so we went to his office and chatted for a while before we said goodbye and left. he's a really sweet guy so i'm glad i got to see him even though i was mildly nervous the whole time. i guess i wanted to impress him. ANYWAY, we left and had indian buffet which was really good, but kind of spicy. then instead of going to ameoba records and guitar center, cols took us to venice beach because he's never been. it's pretty much a stretch of crap, but we went anyway and ran across the scalding sand to see the water one last time before our trip ends. on the way home, we grabbed a star map, only to find out that the only star living on the street that we're staying on is totally unfamiliar to me. and i know my stars, sadly. or not. so, we're back home now. just resting/doing laundry before we go out, hopefully to do amoeba/guitar center. oh, and my good friend jeff from high school is having a barbeque at his place in silverlake. so i'm really excited about that. then upright citizens brigade or the smell. or both if i can fit them. i'm usually pretty good at that. maybe that's why i'm a nutcase.
love,
sally
The past is bigger than you.
So where we left off, I was getting ready to go out for the evening my first night in LA:
met clayton at akbar (gay bar in echo park)
chicken and waffles (fucking amazing. first time ever for me)
went up to clayton's place, then roof (beautiful view of city)
went to shithole bar (no bathroom?)
hiked up the steepest fucking hill ever
home sleep
sunday:
noahs bagels in pacific palisades
went to malibu and chilled with the waves
clayton stopped by randomly (didn't even know he was there)
naptime
italian restaurant in los felices (too full to move)
drawing room to meet c.j. and skip (karaoke night)
i sang bonnie raitt (surprise, surprise)
RSVP party at LAX in hollywood where i spent 33 dollars on 3 drinks and danced alone
home sleep
today:
woke up too late
drove to market in bel air for water/granola bars/edamame/goji berries
runyon canyon to hike (really amazing views of LA, got photos, will post)
i died on the way back to the car because i am out of shape
found the car and i came back to life
in and out burger (holler.)
home/hot tub in clothes
chill time (post photos of goombye party)
dinner at the dresden (amazing place, photos too)
drove to cha cha cha to meet skip, only to find out he was at cha cha
cha cha with skip in silverlake (seriously considering moving here)
fucking love the cha cha (photos later)
clayton, ayana, dana meet us
foosball
goodnight sweetheart and jumping skeleton poses
drive home
blog.
goodnight. whew. more tomorrow:
the plan:
meet don passman at his office at 11AM
drinks at beverly hills hotel
drop one hour photos off
amoeba
guitar center to change my strings
laundry
venice beach
museum
upright citizens brigade
the smell
yikes. we'll see.
love,
sally
p.s. thanks to skip for reminding me that i need to blog everyday to remember what i do. because no matter how well i convince myself i'll remember, i never do. and i need to remember these next few months. well.
met clayton at akbar (gay bar in echo park)
chicken and waffles (fucking amazing. first time ever for me)
went up to clayton's place, then roof (beautiful view of city)
went to shithole bar (no bathroom?)
hiked up the steepest fucking hill ever
home sleep
sunday:
noahs bagels in pacific palisades
went to malibu and chilled with the waves
clayton stopped by randomly (didn't even know he was there)
naptime
italian restaurant in los felices (too full to move)
drawing room to meet c.j. and skip (karaoke night)
i sang bonnie raitt (surprise, surprise)
RSVP party at LAX in hollywood where i spent 33 dollars on 3 drinks and danced alone
home sleep
today:
woke up too late
drove to market in bel air for water/granola bars/edamame/goji berries
runyon canyon to hike (really amazing views of LA, got photos, will post)
i died on the way back to the car because i am out of shape
found the car and i came back to life
in and out burger (holler.)
home/hot tub in clothes
chill time (post photos of goombye party)
dinner at the dresden (amazing place, photos too)
drove to cha cha cha to meet skip, only to find out he was at cha cha
cha cha with skip in silverlake (seriously considering moving here)
fucking love the cha cha (photos later)
clayton, ayana, dana meet us
foosball
goodnight sweetheart and jumping skeleton poses
drive home
blog.
goodnight. whew. more tomorrow:
the plan:
meet don passman at his office at 11AM
drinks at beverly hills hotel
drop one hour photos off
amoeba
guitar center to change my strings
laundry
venice beach
museum
upright citizens brigade
the smell
yikes. we'll see.
love,
sally
p.s. thanks to skip for reminding me that i need to blog everyday to remember what i do. because no matter how well i convince myself i'll remember, i never do. and i need to remember these next few months. well.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Viva Los Angeles
Well, this is where I begin my travels. My goodbye party went amazingly well and I got to say goodbye to many wonderful people who were kind enough to hang out or DJ or plan the thing. I'm ever grateful and flattered. Said goodbye to most family the night before at dinner, where my mom thought it would be a great idea to give me a box of condoms. Wrapped in a black plastic bag like a surprise, mind you, but I had figured it out by the end of the night anyway. Precious.
So I finally packed up my shit after spending the entire last week editing photos for work and hanging out with everyone. I'm pretty impressed with how much shit I was able to cram into not very much luggage:
1 big roll-y bag
1 big backpack
1 small backpack that attaches to big backpack
1 guitar case
1 camera bag
Somehow I got all of this on the plane this morning after being so stressed out I thought my head was going to explode. My mom and brother dropped me off with not much time to spare and the bag checker man was about 80 years old and kept insisting that my big suitcase was overweight, which it absolutely was. 75 pounds to be exact. So he, my brother, and I took everything upstairs to the counter, where the woman there was practically stoned. I admit, I was pretty anxious as it was, so the combination of me not having very much time, and her not being very... efficient, resulted in smoke coming out of my ears. And that doesn't happen very often. Not to mention, this was the last time I'd be home in almost 6 months. But luckily, VERY luckily, we got our shit together after an emotional goodbye with my bro and I boarded the plane to LA, via Austin.
So, after arriving at LAX and meeting Colin, we grabbed our rental CONVERTIBLE (!!!) and drove to his friend's house in Bellaire where we are staying. It's a beautiful neighborhood in the hills and his friend Tony is very nice. We just drove around a bit and walked to eat, then walked down the Promenade and down to the beach. That was pretty cool. The weather here is gorgeous.
Now we're back at Tony's and we took a dip in the hot tub. I feel much more at ease than I did this morning, but it's still very unreal. I think each day, I'll encounter new challenges and apprehensions coupled with excitement that I'm doing something new and exotic and fun. And each day, I'll cope with those feelings so that I can make this experience meaningful and significant for my life. As my Gammy's boyfriend Ira says, "If you don't adjust, you don't exist". Plus, he gave me these sweet binoculars that have been around the world.
I'm gonna go take a quick nap before we go out tonight. I'll write more later.
Love,
Sally
So I finally packed up my shit after spending the entire last week editing photos for work and hanging out with everyone. I'm pretty impressed with how much shit I was able to cram into not very much luggage:
1 big roll-y bag
1 big backpack
1 small backpack that attaches to big backpack
1 guitar case
1 camera bag
Somehow I got all of this on the plane this morning after being so stressed out I thought my head was going to explode. My mom and brother dropped me off with not much time to spare and the bag checker man was about 80 years old and kept insisting that my big suitcase was overweight, which it absolutely was. 75 pounds to be exact. So he, my brother, and I took everything upstairs to the counter, where the woman there was practically stoned. I admit, I was pretty anxious as it was, so the combination of me not having very much time, and her not being very... efficient, resulted in smoke coming out of my ears. And that doesn't happen very often. Not to mention, this was the last time I'd be home in almost 6 months. But luckily, VERY luckily, we got our shit together after an emotional goodbye with my bro and I boarded the plane to LA, via Austin.
So, after arriving at LAX and meeting Colin, we grabbed our rental CONVERTIBLE (!!!) and drove to his friend's house in Bellaire where we are staying. It's a beautiful neighborhood in the hills and his friend Tony is very nice. We just drove around a bit and walked to eat, then walked down the Promenade and down to the beach. That was pretty cool. The weather here is gorgeous.
Now we're back at Tony's and we took a dip in the hot tub. I feel much more at ease than I did this morning, but it's still very unreal. I think each day, I'll encounter new challenges and apprehensions coupled with excitement that I'm doing something new and exotic and fun. And each day, I'll cope with those feelings so that I can make this experience meaningful and significant for my life. As my Gammy's boyfriend Ira says, "If you don't adjust, you don't exist". Plus, he gave me these sweet binoculars that have been around the world.
I'm gonna go take a quick nap before we go out tonight. I'll write more later.
Love,
Sally
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