Israel part 4

Camel rides in the Negev desert. "Yeah your culture and history and religion are all really beautiful, but what really excited me was the camel ride!"


We slept in a Bedouin tent one night. It was freezing cold and really uncomfortable. Here is a Bedouin man telling us how hard it is nowadays to have two wives because they will both want a Mercedes and who can afford two Mercedes?


Chloe's book jacket pose. She is the author of such books as "Your Path to Longevity Through Nature Stewardship" and "Character Building through Muscle Building". In her spare time, she enjoys grooming the JNF forests and lives in the pacific northwest with her two dogs and three cats.


Chloe loves nature. Here she is looking out for nature.

Our new friend, Lane, loves nature too.


Ah, I really love nature!


No wait, nature is really boring.

Israel part 3

Blasphemous kippas (yarmulkes)


The Western Wall in Jerusalem.


People leave notes in the wall because they believe it's the closest one can get to God on earth. When they leave, they walk backwards to avoid turning their back on the holiest site in Israel.


An oasis in the desert.


A mud bath after swimming in the Dead Sea is supposed to be great for your skin. It was freezing there, but it was our only chance to do it. The Israelis politely declined.

Israel part 2

On the beach. I guess the St. John the Baptist pose isn't really appropriate here.



This is Oleg. He was one of the armed soldiers that came with us everywhere. He is Russian born and said in a dry tone, " I want to understand your joke so that I can laugh properly."


Our other guard, Yoav, waits outside a candle shop in Tzfat.


Chloe's book jacket pose.


My book jacket pose.

Chloe is making her Aunty Nancy face.

" I love hiking everyday! "


" Ok, I'm really sick of hiking now. "


" Ah, I love love Israel. "


"I hate everyone and everything in this country."



Bicycle tours! Note: Oleg is riding a tandem bike with a gun.

Israel!

Chloe and I just got back from ten days in Israel! It was a free trip through the Taglit-Birthright Israel people. They'll send you to go learn about your heritage and also encourage you to hook up with a nice Jewish boy, make Aliyah (move to Israel) and have babies that can one day serve in the Israeli army. It was tons of fun and beautiful in addition to being cold, exhausting, and one-sided.


Here are photos of the 12 hour flight there:










Ok, put the camera away.



I SAID PUT THE CAMERA AWAY!

I'm getting my period soon...

...because a Grace Paley poem made me cry.




You can find it on itunes on the Writers Almanac podcast (Dec. 26th, 2007). It's at the 3:50 mark and it's free.

Christmas

We ate, slept, and played lots of Rock Band:

Oooh...pretty

Here are some artists I like:



Maureen Gallace





Mitch Epstein





Portia Munson

Ahh Youtube

Here are two good ones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRFPf0dgfSg


http://youtube.com/watch?v=5MV7Sym8bIQ

New Signs

Maybe my best sign ever-- the box of compliments (a brand of cookie, if you didn't know)



Who doesn't love a pun?




Kent did this one. I thought it was funny.

Holiday Bus

Hey! Did you ever happen to ride the CTA Holiday Bus?



Oh, I see you did.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It was my birthday on Friday! I'm 25. My mom made me a pink pony cake. Thanks mom!

The Times They Aren't A Changing

Here's an interesting website that finds old news articles that are almost exactly the same as the ones making headlines today. Spooky and a little sad:


http://www.unchangingtimes.com/times/

Halloween with Heather

I spent Halloween in Los Angeles visiting my pal Heather. On the first night I couldn't pull off my Prince costume. No one understood that I was supposed to be the creator of Purple Rain and When Doves Cry. I just looked like "fancy velvet lady" so I abandoned that costume and ended up being "Little Orphan Annie as an Old Lady Mall Walker." It wasn't my best work. Heather on the other hand, went as a sexy day laborer. She was sick of all the sexy cop, sexy nurse, sexy pirate costumes out there. I think she pulled it off pretty well.











The second night, we went as Glamour Shots, the hideous soft focus mall photos. We put on our most 80's style glamorous outfits and held cheese cloth stretched in embroidery hoops in front of our faces to create that soft focus/diffuse filter effect. Our costumes were also simultaneously the song, "Black Velvet". I was in addition to Glamour Shots and Black Velvet, my 8th grade performing arts teacher who loved big turquoise jewelery and interpretive dance.


Enjoy the photos:











For even more pictures go here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10057&id=563357662&l=5505e