Things You Cannot Say Out Loud

The streets of downtown East Lansing were quieter this year as a result of a shorter welcome week compared to previous years. Most apartment complexes and dorms scheduled later move-in dates — for reasons I decided to be lazy and not research — and as a result, the only chaotic behavior I’ve noticed since 8/20 when I moved in were the crowds that filled Grand River during book-rush.

Maybe it’s just because I’m entering my third year, or maybe I’ve just become lame . . . but this year’s welcome simply seemed weak and unexciting. I spent more time inside getting excited about having HBO and a nice set of cookware than party-hopping.

Beside the lack of rumor-worthy parties, I made other worthy observations throughout my first day of classes. Professors are getting festive with syllabi this year . . . so far one had crazy graphics and another had comic sans as the font — note: I hate comic sans. Also, one positive of being in the professional writing program? Cheaper books. So far 4 classes have totaled under $300. Luck? Not quite, but we can pretend.

Even though I’ve never been a crazy party-goer (or at least not compared to the rest of the MSU undergraduate student body), the festivities (or lack thereof) were upsetting, and the over-enthusiasm of the professors from syllabi to course intros is a mix between thrilling and frightening. Whichever way you think of it . . . this promises to be an interesting semester . . . and to all of the campus party people, remember, there’s always Halloween (ie: welcome week with costumes).

Summer can get boring without good music and film so I decided to clue readers in on my top-5 summer songs and movies . . . some are classics, others are new releases . . .

Music

1. Ballerina - Leona Naess

2. Paper Planes - M.I.A

3. Don’t Forget to Breathe - Beulah

4. Sky Blue Sky - Wilco

5. Grace Kelly - Mika

Movies

1. The Dark Knight

2. Sex and the City

3. When Harry Met Sally

4. The Truth About Cats and Dogs

5. Dick

New York is home to several fabulous Museums that boast plenty of interesting exhibits, but the museum that I found most interesting was the Museum of Sex, or, more affectionately, MoSex.

We live in a society that fosters three types of people: prudes, sexually educated, tramps. I like to think that I’m the middle person. I have been watching Talk Sex with Sue (Sue J taped her last episode of her 18-year-old show in June 2008) since I was 13, and I think sex is one of the most interesting and fun topics to learn and talk about. Too many people are taught to be embarrassed by something as fulfilling as an orgasm or a vibrator, so we can all be thankful for MoSex and it’s fun, quirky way of teaching NY and its visitors about all things sexual.

Don’t be confused. It’s not some dimly-lit brothel, MoSex is a retro building that fosters exhibits on things like, Sex and Animals, Sex and the Moving Image, and a gallery that features a variety of things from the first forms of birth control, to fetishes and sex machines. Most terrifying of all was the BDSM exhibit. Most interesting? Probably the exhibit on sex machines. They were terrifyingly interesting . . . in fact I never knew of their existence.

My only disappointment was the gift shop. While I wasn’t exactly expecting some Lover Lanes quality selections of gags and giggles but it was fairly dry for such an exciting museum.

The perks beyond the exhibits are just the cool tickets and affordable admission. I highly recommend going to this museum if only to open your eyes to the smutless side of sex.

If you swap the fashion for the menus, and the couture for prix fix, you have Restaurant Week. Twice a year, in winter and summer, a huge selection of Manhattan’s finest restaurants offer specially discounted prix fix menus for lunch and/or dinner. I had never before heard of Restaurant Week, and so I googled it and found a list of 17 pages worth of restaurants from www.nycvisit.com. This really was like fashion week for foodies. The extensive list consisted of several varieties of cuisine, restaurants in every nook and cranny on the city’s grid, and normal price ranges that well exceeded $100/person. Thankfully, for $35/person/dinner and $24.07/person/lunch, aspiring Manhattanites could dine like celebrities and socialites.

Many of the prix fix menu served the same fare, most lacking vegetarian options, so after perusing hundreds of hot listings, I decided to make reservations at Beacon on the Upper East Side.

Thanks to a wonderful Web source called OpenTable, I made reservations online in a matter of moments without having to deal with a snooty receptionist (note: Beacon actually had really great customer service — I had to call and tweak my reservation, something I recommend not doing on OpenTable, but by calling the restaurant directly). Additionally, they send you a confirmation so that in case you have any issues, all you have to do is look at the confirmation e-mail to get the restaurant info.

A friend who was staying with me for the weekend accompanied me to Beacon on 7/25/08. We arrived early for our 6:30 reservation and were seated promptly upon entry. The server and his assistant were incredibly friendly and eager to serve our every need. He was even so kind to match a cocktail to my personality! I ordered a pomeberry caipiroska. It was absolutely delicious and wasn’t overwhelmingly filled with pomegranate taste. It was garnished with fresh fruit and iced to perfection. Each course of our meal was timed perfectly. We started we a delicious chilled vegetable soup. It was a very fresh puree, a perfect started for our main course, vegetable risotto. I was hesitant about the risotto (the most common meatless option on prix fix menus), because every risotto I tried in the city reminded me of my nightmarish experiences with the San Francisco treat Rice-a-Roni. This risotto, however, was absolutely delicious. It was savory — very rich and creamy in flavor. I would wait on-line (note: in NY, natives say waiting on-line as opposed to in-line) to taste this dish just once more. The risotto was garnished with a tomato/red pepper/basily bisque — the garnish alone was enough to cause patrons to appear savage-like (ie: it seemed as though neighboring diners were ready to lick their plates). To finish off this delicious leisurely dinner, I chose a wickedly dark chocolate cake, served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and topped with a gloriously fragrant mint leaf. I am a mint fiend, so I was really happy that it’s flavor had a moderate influence on the cake’s taste.

My overall experience at Beacon was wonderful, definitely delicious. And $65 for a cocktail and three-course meal doesn’t really sound that unreasonable.

Aside from Beacon, we also dined at Tom Colicchio’s restaurant, Craft Bar, for brunch. While my eggs were OK, I must say, Colicchio’s staff is really hit or miss. The waiter was incredible (he prepared a delicious fruit plate for me instead of sausage/bacon — they didn’t have fruit listed on the menu and so he had it specially done by the chef) but the hostess and assistant servers were bloody awful. We waited over an hour to have our drink order taken. The eggs were so-so, but the homemade jam was scrumptious. So, while my Zayde Sam makes better eggs, it was a fun experience that didn’t break the bank.

For info on other restaurants in NYC, check out my Yelp! page.

Israel’s opinion of Iran was clear Dec. 4, when Israeli officials disagreed with the U.S. and said that they believe Iran is still in the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In an article by the New York Times, Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defense Minister, said that although he believes that Iran may have briefly halted its production of weaponry, it resumed the pursuit shortly after. As a result, Barak made it clear that Israel will not rest its observation of Iran simply because of one report.

As a follow up to Israel’s rejection of the American assessment of Iran, The New York Times reporter that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, traveled to Israel to hear its less optimistic take on the Iranian nuclear weaponry issue.

According to the New York Times, in contrast with the U.S. opinion that Iran stopped pursuing nuclear weapons as a result of international pressure, Israel believes that still under this pressure, Iran continued to pursue nuclear weapons, despite a 2 year pause in that pursuit from 2003 to 2005.

Israel’s position on the issue is clear and is no-doubt influenced by the rocky relationship that has existed between the 2 countries for years. It is unlikely that Israel will ever rest its investigation of Iran’s nuclear weapon pursuit as Iranian government officials have made their views on Israel’s existence quite clear.

Although the adult entertainment industry continues to garner success, difficulties have been posed by the availability of free and inexpensive pornography causing major companies to expand themselves further in media.

Well known adult entertainment company, Penthouse, recently told the New York Times that they purchased a collection of social networking sites operated by an umbrella company called Various Inc.

Marc H. Bell, chief executive of Penthouse media, told the New York Times that $500 million was invested for this project as Various Inc. is a promising venture with a paying consumer base of 1.2 million people. The combined revenue of this sale is estimated, according to Bell, at $340 million as of 2007.

In addition to the expansion of their online market with Various Inc., whose most popular Web site is www.adultfriendfinder.com, Penthouse also struck a deal with New Frontier Media Dec. 11 in order to launch PenthouseTV Video-On-Demand.

According to an article from CNN, the launch of PenthouseTV’s VOD program is expected in February 2008, and will be available in nearly 9 million homes, whereas PenthouseHD VOD service is expected to serve over 2 million U.S. homes.

Penthouse’s expansion proves that adult entertainment is still in-demand and that instead of being washed out of public eye, its availability is growing as are the options of platforms to view the material in.

‘Tis the season of giving and receiving and in such spirit I’ve compiled a top 10 list of 10 gifts under $30 perfect for any recipient!

1. Stores like Urban Outfitters sell tiny little novelty gifts that are great as stocking stuffers or just as tiny trinkets to show you care. My favorite are the little USB gadgets or novelty ornaments. They also many cute little key fobs that are cute and work for both women and men.

2. A picture says 1,000 words, right? Well, if you’re like most college students with plenty of facebook albums full of pictures, you probably know that facebook is linked with a Web site that can take those prints directly from your albums and publish them into prints or other cool gifts like mugs or photobooks! Most items are less than $20 (not including shipping). What says happy holidays better than a personalized mug with a picture of you and your best friend or boyfriend? Not a member of facebook? No worries, other popular stores like Target, CostCo and CVS sport similar features on their web pages.

3. Shopping for a boyfriend? Although I will never promote sex, why not be cute and get him something special that’s really for you at the same time. A picture may speak 1,000 words but a nice camisole set or slip speaks about 1 million. If lingerie is not your scene, perhaps buy a cute picture frame with a picture of the both of you (or even just you) in the frame? Stores like Bed Bath and Beyond and Anthropologie have lots of nice options for displaying photos.

4. Having lots of close friends may be a problem when it comes to gift shopping. Try buying something that already comes in bulk. For example, if you have friends who are caffeine enthusiasts, buy a set of espresso cups (available at house supplies stores like Bed Bath and Beyond) and then buy each friend a gift card to a coffee shop that has enough money on it for one specialty coffee drink. This way, you spend no more than $7-10 per friend while still giving a cute and personalized gift.

5. Unsure of what to get your parents? If you have parents like mine, they will complain that you’re spending your money (which in turn may really be theirs) on them. Instead of spending money, maybe just write them a thank-you note for all they’ve done for you this year. If you want to get them a gift, opt for one of those corny, “MSU Mom” or “MSU Dad” shirts. They’re always a hit.

6. Bed Bath and Beyond truly is a great outlet for buying gifts. If you have friends who are gourmet enthusiasts or simply enjoy a good meal, Bed Bath and Beyond has a great deal of gift sets and other really interesting gadgets that have gift potential for anyone who is comfortable in the kitchen.

7. Any movie buff friends? Purchase a gift certificate to a movie theater and a movie from Barnes and Noble’s DVD section. Most of their movies (perhaps opt for a holiday movie or this friend’s favorite) are reasonably priced and if you’re a member you automatically save 10 percent! Pair the G.C. with the movie and perhaps a package of microwavable popcorn (100 cal. pack mini bags) for a cute gift set.

8. If you have friends who are enjoy bath and body products, venture to Bath and Body Works for one of their popular gift baskets or make one of your own! These stores generally have great deals on individual store-brand products, try combining the same scent of soap, moisturizer, and room spray. Or mix and match based on your friend’s personality. Feeling seasonal? Opt for something with cinnamon or peppermint!

9. Holiday season means final exam season for college students. Comfort food is most comforting at this time of year but no student wants to pack on the extra pounds this close to the end of the semester. Create a care package full of healthful comfort foods for a good friend to help them cope with that last-minute cram session. Try pairing Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese, sherbert or frozen yogurt, or perhaps Snackwell cookies. Remember though, just because it’s not awful for you doesn’t mean you should consume it in excess. You could even take a re-sealable jar and fill it with layers of ingredients for a healthy cookie recipe and close it with a piece of colorful ribbon and attach the recipe and a cookie cutter (an idea like this was featured in the January issue of Cosmo).

10. The most cost effective gift known to a college student is the mix CD. Chances are you already have a fairly extensive library on iTunes, so take this music and make personalized mix CDs for each of your friends. Some bands/people to consider are A Fine Frenzy, Sara Bareilles, Lisa Loeb, Wilco, Beula, Colbie Caillat, and Ingrid Michaelson.

Remember, a good gift shouldn’t cost a fortune. Make sure to add as many personal touches to store-bought gifts as possible so people know the thought that went into it. When all else fails, a nice greeting card can take the place of a big gift any day!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

It has taken 19 years of being a practicing Jew for me to feel like a minority. Before this year, I knew I was different from my peers, but it never really hurt me. Beyond which, I grew up in Oakland County, Michigan, an area that has a fairly high concentration of Jewish people and where Jewish holidays were not only acknowledged, but were given as much public spotlight as Christian holidays. As I would hope most of my readers are aware, two nights ago marked the first night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is definitely not the holiest holiday on the Jewish calendar, however, it still merits celebration. As a citizen of the residence halls, I assumed some sort of recognition for my holiday would be available. Not so. On the first night of Hanukkah, I entered the cafeteria to see a large, forest green, Christmas tree. Those who work in the cafeteria were audacious enough to call it a “holiday” tree. Correct me if I’m wrong, but does Kwanzaa have a tree? Hanukkah certainly does not. So then if no other holiday during this season has a tree, how can it possibly be covering all three holidays? Plain and simple, it’s a Christmas tree. More offensively, on the second night of Hanukkah (Wednesday), a holiday feast was served for dinner. Again, they are bold enough to call it a holiday feast…since when did the colors green and red symbolize the holiday season? My colors are blue and white. The food they served, the decorations they displayed–each and every effort to disassociate their celebration from being unique to Christmas only further cemented the fact that that was exactly what was happening. Outside of my respective dorm, I cannot escape the fact that I am not the majority–everywhere I look there are Christmas decorations and on most radio stations Christmas songs are being favored. Even at Meijer, an employee had the balls to tell me, “Well, we have a box in front of the Christmas cards for the Jews.” In this “box for the Jews”, which was placed in front of four or five isles of Christmas decorations, were a few (mostly broken) light-up dreidels and two stuffed animals. How cute. Because Hanukkah is simply a holiday where a bunch of Jews gather and play with spinning tops while cuddling with a stuffed animal? Not bloody likely.

Given that only one person in the cafeteria understood me, I thought at least my friends would. Instead, however, they accused me of being overly sensitive. I found this more offensive than the university’s openly Christian stance. A good friend of mine essentially told me I had to get used to living in a Christian world. Another friend told me that if I was uncomfortable, I should have eaten dinner in the complex’s other dining hall that was left undecorated. Does this mean, that A) as a Jew I’m not entitled to a nicely decorating cafeteria during MY holiday, and that Hanukkah is plain-Jane? and that B) I have to leave my own respective comfort zone to be accepted/truly comfortable as a Jew? Both things are, pardon my English, bullshit.

I of all people understand that winter is a gloomy season and that the goal is to make it as happy as possible. I would never want to take the joy away from people, but it saddens me greatly that so many people on this campus are religiously ignorant. My Christian friends have never had the opportunity (for lack of a better word) to feel like a minority so how dare they tell me I have to leave my own dorm… Beyond which, while accusing me of trying to take away their joy, they haven’t even afforded me the opportunity to have my own joy.

I am committed to ensuring that the residence halls and the university as a whole learns its lesson. I propose that they practice an “all or nothing” philosophy so as not to further encounter these types of offenses with other religions or holidays. I am proud to be a Jew and enjoy the Hanukkah festivities, but my celebration shouldn’t be exiled to my dorm room while the majority has the campus.

Lately, it seems as though I’ve been an emotional wreck. Some would attribute these uncontrollable emotions to recent unmanageable stress; however, I would claim otherwise. I feel as though I need a mantra. On Seinfeld, George’s father chanted many a mantra to get him through otherwise awful moments and I feel as though one’s own “serenity now!” or “hoochie mama” mantra may really help me. When I’m as upset as I am now, I find myself sitting in bed and listening to Lisa Loeb songs (on repeat) on iTunes and hoping for an answer in her man-eating lyrics. I found the answer…”I’m only human, living, dying. Just like any fool who has ever lived…;” I think mantras are the answer to anyone’s problems. If you make yourself believe something than maybe you can make everything be okay through that belief…maybe.

Contrary to the beautiful weather that has been gracing East Lansing as of late, summer is o-v-e-r. My summer was filled with many great experiences but there were certain things that really solidified my awesome summer:

1. New York City: I spent a month of my summer working as an intern for Newmarket Press in the heart of Manhattan (Newmarket Press is a small independent trade publishing firm). Being away from Michigan for a month was exactly what I needed (at the time I just finished a summer course at OCC and was on the verge of breaking up with my then boyfriend). My apartment was in the highly desired Beekman area of Manhattan and was only a 10 minute walk to work (my job was in the Diamond District). There was nothing I loved more than starting off my mornings with a run to Mangia (which has been referenced on Sex and the City) to pick up an iced coffee, conversing with my dry-cleaner (I mastered the stop-and-chat), and doing my stop-and-gaze before entering the building on 48th between Madison and 5th that was home to Newmarket Press. On the way to work I often encountered United Nations consulates, the Orthodox Jewish men who essentially rule the diamond district, and a variety of busy-body Manhattanites dressed in high-fashion business attire. Even though my internship consisted of lots of leg work, it was an incredible experience that made my pursuit of a career in publishing feel a little more legit. I’d say overall there were three parts of my month in the city that I’ll never forget. Firstly, I was able to attend the NYC premiere of The Simpson’s Movie. The movie was hilarious (and coming from someone who didn’t follow the show religiously by any means, that’s a pretty great review) and the premiere was intimate. I’d estimate that only about 70 people attended. After the screening at the DGA (Director’s Guild of America) Theater, I was able to go to the party hosted by the creators at Remi (145 West 53rd Street). Again, although I was never a real follower of the show, it was neat to meet the voices behind the cartoons. One of the best parts of that night was meeting James Lipton from Inside the Actor’s Studio. A similar but arguably superior experience was being able to see a screening for the movie Superbad and then being told that our company may make the movie book. My cousin and two other co-workers and I put together a proposal that may be used for the book! Lastly, on my last day in the city, I went to lunch with a friend of mine who lives in Greenwich Village and when we were walking back from lunch (at Bread and Olive, an incredible take-out style Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant off of 47th and 5th) we ran into the actress Blake Lively from the upcoming show on the CW called Gossip Girl. The show was filming outside my office and Lively was on her lunch break. It’s exciting to think that I’ll recognize the buildings when the show finally airs. The office was really special in that Newmarket is only made up of like 12 employees, all of whom are extremely unique. My boss, head of publicity, Harry Burton, was a true gem. I like to complain but he’d turn ever complaint into something positive and for that, I was truly grateful.

2. Israel: Although I originally would have disagreed, I now stand firmly by the statement that every Jewish person should go to Israel at least once. Hell, even if you’re not Jewish, Israel is an incredible country and a holy land for many religions. I began the excursion as part of a trip called Birthright. Every Jewish person between 18 and 26 years of age is gifted a free* trip to Israel as part of the Taglit Birthright program. The small part not covered by the gift is the individual’s airfare from their state to which ever major airport the trip leaves from. For me, for example, I was responsible for the plane ticket to Newark from Detroit (~$150). Beyond the plane ticket, each Birthright participant is responsible for their spending money for gifts, one meal per day, and tips for the tour guide and bus driver. The trip lasted for 10 days and guided participants all over the country from Tel Aviv to Haifa. I could go on for hours discussing the mouth-watering Middle Eastern food, the gorgeous beaches, the historical/religious sights, and random Israeli celebrity encounters. In Tel Aviv I was able to meet up with my Israeli friends Tali and Liraz, who reside in the suburbs of the bustling city. Tel Aviv is much like New York in that it really never sleeps. Full of shops and clubs, it’s quite a hip-hop-happening place. Jerusalem was another great place to see because it holds so much more than religious history. The Kotel, or rather, the Western Wall provoked a great wealth of emotion. When visiting the wall, it’s a custom to write a prayer on a piece of paper and stuff it in the open space between the stones. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t know what to write because I don’t consider myself religious, however, the second my pen hit the paper, my paper was filled. Beyond the Kotel, Jerusalem also hosts a hip area called Ben Yehuda Street. Ben Yehuda is filled with clubs, cafes, and shops and becomes especially full at night. During the day, down the street from the cafes, is an outdoor market (referred to as the shuk (Hebrew for market)) filled with a wide array of spices, breads, liquors, and fabrics for sale at really reasonable prices. Despite my love for hip cities, I fell deeply in love with Northern Israel, most specifically Haifa. Haifa is home to the Bahai Gardens, an amazingly well maintain Botanical Garden. After the 10-day trip, my brother and I took the train from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv and stayed there for two days with our cousin Meni. Meni was a dedicated host and made it his mission to educate us in all things Israeli. We walked with him up and down the streets of Tel Aviv, even at one point taking a four-mile walk to the pier, where we lounged around at the beach cafes. On the way back from our trek, we saw a famous Israeli comic named Adi Ashkenazi. A few weeks later my brother saw the Israeli singer Shlomo Artzi at the same spot. While in Tel Aviv we dined at many European-style cafes for lunch while eating really heavy Israeli breakfasts. An Israeli breakfast differs greatly from an American one. Most Middle Eastern meals contain lots of fresh produce and breads with hummus and za’atar (an incredibly delicious/healthy spice) as well as lots of fresh yogurts and cheeses (after all, Israel is the land of milk and honey). When not at work, Meni drove us all around Israel to see the beaches of Hertzeliya, Natanya, Haifa, Akko, and Naharia. We ended our journey of Israel in Haifa, where we visited for two days with Meni’s parents and older brother. Meni’s older brother Moshe was a true treat to hang around because even at 35, he still knows how to have a good time. The cherry on the sundae was Moshe and Meni’s mother, Ettie. She was such a sweet lady but simply would not accept the fact that my brother Aaron and I do not eat meat. After the long car trip from Tel Aviv, we stopped on the way for dinner in Haifa. When we arrived at Ettie’s condo, she had this huge array of vegetables, yogurts, and hummus waiting for us. Having just had a huge snack, we weren’t hungry but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. One of the dishes she forced upon us was Okra but there were chunks of meat swimming along side the veggie. As my brother and I forked around the meat, avoiding ingestion, Ettie simply flashed us a few sheepish smirks. Rich in both flavor and culture, traveling to Israel was the best trip I’ve ever taken.

Now that my well-traveled summer is over, it’s time to crack the books and become more involved in all things MSU so that I can disperse some of the knowledge and culture I gained..

For your enjoyment, here are some pictures of both my experiences in NYC and Israel…

Midtown Manhattan

My brother and me on top of Mount Masada

The Western Wall

My personal favorite, the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa.