a few things to say on the subject of towels

funemployment

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:33:00 +0000

I'm back!

Tonight marks my first night before my first day of self-imposed unemployment... or should I say funemployment?

Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to glamorize the lack of a paycheck or stability. So many people I know have had a shitty ass time during this recession and being unemployed when you want to be employed is really awful. But, I have worked my ass off for the last two and half years to get to the point where I can *almost* afford to take four months off and mess around, travel around, and generally enjoy life before I head back to graduate school for four years and commit the rest of my adult life to paying back student loans.

And thus, with the *almost* comfort of a modest savings, I have said goodbye to my 9-5er, packed up my apartment, and bought some plane tickets. First stop - Peru. Next stop - Argentina. Then, back to D.C. for a stint before heading to Chicago. On to Austin to look for an apartment (that's right y'all, I am moving to Tejas...yeehaw!). Popping down to Kentucky for some rock climbing and camping, New York City for some bumming around and fine dining, Denver for some hiking and fresh mountain air, back to the D.C. area. Lastly, a stop-off in Minneapolis before I finally make my move to Austin.

It's going to be a busy summer. But without eight hours of work each day, I think funemployment will mark a new chapter for my blog. I promise to generally only post things that might prove useful, informational, or curious to my readers and to only self-indulge on days when I am really, really bored and feeling really, really useless.

But first, I embark on my first day of funemployment. It is going to be an exciting one indeed. Tomorrow I pack up all my belongings into a little storage container and begin a four month epic adventure rooted in the kindness and couches of friends and boyfriend.

blog fail

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:38:00 +0000

In my last post I set a goal of reaching 10,000 hits to my blog by June 1st. And here I slouch, eight days post-deadline and 253 hits shy of my goal. I've got no one to blame but myself. I have really been slacking in the blogging department.

Know what, I take that back. I think I will blame the LSATs for my lameness. The LSATS have held my life hostage over the last six months. There was no room in my brain for creativity because it was all filled with trying to decipher in what order Moshe, Nimba, Oswald, Pierre, Quentin, and Singh would be having their music lessons and forget useless but nevertheless interesting facts about the nesting habits of leatherback turtles and the pros and cons of British common law.

But, now I can no longer blame the LSAT because it is OVER. Huzzah! So now I can be cool again, and so can A few things to say on the subject of towels.

I have lots of fun travel plans coming up that I think will make for some good and informative posts (think wild ponies on Assateague, quaint B&Bs in the Shenandoah, and a much awaited repeat Waffle Window visit). So, stay tuned, or fire up your RSS feed or whatever.

454

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:28:00 +0000

I just have 454 more hits to go before my blog has had 10,000 hits. My goal is to get 10,000 hits by June 1st. Help a sister out and share my blog with everyone you know. I'll be posting soon about my newest hobby -- bread baking. Ohhh yeah. Exciting stuff.

Also, on a completely different note: please read my guest blog post about Interim Disability Assistance on the Save our Safety Net website.

And, while you are at it, come out to the City Council Building tomorrow morning (that's Wednesday May 19th at 8:30 am) for an action to end all actions. We only have 8 days before the District City Council finalizes the 2011 budget, and a whole lot of social services are still on the line. We need bodies tomorrow. We need your body. We want your body. Venga!

You can read more about our awesome action to come here.

take two minutes

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Two minutes of your time now could mean millions of dollars in adult job training saved.

Two minutes of your time now could mean thousands of children cared for with money from childcare vouchers, allowing for their parents to work and support our flopping economy.

Two minutes of your time could mean that DC's safety net does not become any more tattered than it already is.

Now, I know you are thinking: "Wow, in just two minutes I can help low-income DC residents and contribute to making the DC community a healthier one? Oh, please tell me how!"

I'll tell you how, in just three easy steps:

Go to Chairman Vincent Gray's Facebook Page.
"Like" him. (You can always "dislike" him later, but you need to "like" him to complete step three.)
Post on his wall. Use your own words. Tell him that you want to see our Safety Net saved, and that you want him to be the one to do it. Tell him that now is the time to raise taxes on the top 5% of income earners in DC (those who make over $200,000) and that his electorate is relying on him.

Time is running out. With the DC budget set to be finalized in less than two weeks, Chairman Gray needs to see right now how many people in the DC community are looking to him to make the right decision and be a leader. Use your voice to make a difference.

If you want to know more about our safety net and SOS-DC's progressive tax proposal, visit: http://www.saveoursafetynet.com/

You can also leave a comment here with your questions and I will answer them.

SOS! SOS! SOS!

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:52:00 +0000

DC residents, time to take action!

Did you know that Save our Safety Net is just 1 City Council Member pledge away from securing a majority vote for a progressive tax reform that would raise taxes for just 5% of DC's highest income earners, and in doing so protect vital social services such as childcare subsidies and adult literacy training?

DCist knows!

We need Chairman Vince Gray (also, a Mayoral Candidate) to pledge his vote NOW to protect the safety net that D.C. residents depend on.

Unfortunately, Chairman Gray thinks now, being an election year in which he has a lot at stake, is a bad time to raise taxes. I think that now is EXACTLY the time to raise taxes if raising taxes means protecting a majority of the DC electorate -- a majority that has fallen on tough times in this global recession and depends on social services to get by.

Put your community before your Mayoral ambitions, Gray...

Please take just one minute to let Chairman Gray know that you want our social services protected and you want him to make sure that happens!

Then, tell your friends to shoot Chairman Gray an email too. One minute of action could mean a world of difference.

Take a moment to participate in SOS-DC's Operation Sway Gray!

people are awesome

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:53:00 +0000

I don't think that I have ever posted two blog posts in one day, but today is a good day and deserves a second blog post.

Earlier today I sent out a few emails to friends and posted a blog asking people to donate to Jews United for Justice, a very local, very specific organization, hoping that one or two people would be inspired to donate, and within three hours six people had donated a combined total of $120, putting me $1 over my fundraising goal of $500.

I am blown away by the generosity of my friends and family, both close and distant. The willingness of you all to give, whether or not the cause directly impacts you, restores my faith in the goodness of people.

I'm not exaggerating - after the Washington Post comment that got my blood boiling yesterday, I was in need of proof that people are awesome, and the people below have done that for me:

Gina, Dad, Viv, Ron, Emily, Norman, Taylor, Mark, Noah, Liza, Tighe, Annie, Joanna, Stacy, Naomi, Becca, Erin, Greg, Rachel

Thanks, you all, you make me happy and proud.

Just because I have met my goal of raising $500 for Jews United for Justice and the Jeremiah Fellowship doesn't mean I'm done. I'm aiming for $600 now...help me make it happen and you too will get a blog shout out and a fabulous hand-written snail mail thank you note.

got change?

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Mentally check each of the following that applies to you:

I hate potholes and get excited when a really nasty one is fixed.
I love those pupusas from that little Salvadoran hole-in-the wall.
I believe that DC residents, some of the poorest folks in the United States, should have the right to vote for a voting member of Congress.

If any of the statements above are true for you, then read on. And if none of the above statements are true, use your imagination to find a related statement that is true (I know you can!), and then read on.

Those potholes that you hate, that miraculously disappear on occasion, well, often they are repaired by day laborers who wait for hours in the parking lots of Home Depots across the country no matter the 100 degree heat wave or the white out snow storm, hoping to find a few hours of work, at constant risk of wage theft and exploitation by employers.

That Salvadoran hole-in-the-wall that sells those pupusas you love may dissappear if gentrification has its way, pushing out close-knit communities of immigrants with thriving small businesses and bringing in Targets and Starbucks.

Those voting rights for DC residents, rights that will give the population of voiceless low-income DCities a chance to rise up from the bottom, aren't going to create themselves.

Enough of the wahhh, wahhh.

Hope is not lost and Jews United for Justice is one of many organizations and individuals working to ensure that those day laborers that fix our roads are treated fairly and have access to a worker's center (Day Laborer Justice Campaign), that those small business like the Salvadoran pupuseria are protected when gentrification comes a-knocking (Fair Purple Line Campaign), and that DC residents will one day have a voice in the national government (DC Voting Rights Campaign).

Now comes the moment where I ask you to put your hand in your pocket, or your purse, or your drawer, scrounge around and see if you can come up with $5, $18, $25, $50 to Donate to Jews United for Justice so that JUFJ can continue to work for the good of the greater DC community and so that the Jeremiah Fellowship, a social justice training program of sorts that I have been a part of the for the last year, can continue next year and train a whole new group of young folks to be social justice leaders.

While JUFJ's motto is "Think Jewishly, Act Locally," no matter your religion or place of residency, the same problems that plague DC plague your community to be sure -- and a healthy national community can make for a healthy local community.

I am just $74 away from meeting my fundraising goal of $500 and every dollar counts...

Donate now and put a smile on my face!

(And you will get a fabulous hand-written, sent through snail-mail, thank you note. Everyone loves snail-mail)

can you hear how stupid you sound?

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:58:00 +0000

When it comes to other people's opinions on political, social justice, religious and other contentious issues, I generally subscribe to the "to each their own" philosophy. That is, unless I see direct harm to myself or others coming from an opinion that differs from my own, I let others say what they want, and I believe and do what I want. I am going to accomplish more by acting than by debating.

But, today is special. Today a complete stranger got my blood boiling to a point that I had no choice but to deliver them a cold, hard slap in the face. However, since this person came to my attention via an online comment on a Washington Post Letter-to-the Editor, I have no other respite but to electronically call them out on how ignorant and cold-hearted they sound. This post is going to sound annoyingly idealistic and not going to make a modicum of difference in convincing this person of anything, but it just makes me feel better to channel this anger into something meaningful, so here goes.

Recently I wrote about the Save our Safety Net Campaign, a campaign that is working to prevent more cuts to safety net services in DC by advocating for a more progressive tax structure. Today, the Washington Post printed a Letter to the Editor from an SOS supporter which you should check out.

Have you read the letter? Now, take a moment to read this comment posted by my enemy of the hour:

"As do all tax-borrow-and-spend socialists, Ms. Mikolaitis assumes rich folk won't simply move to Virginia if D.C. tries to steal too much of their money for transfer payments to the hapless, promiscous, irresponsible and often immoral losers she's apparently worried about.

Well, I'm a D.C. resident and taxpayer who actually wants to shrink our safety net considerably. Then and only then, it seems to me, might our city's disproportionately high population of poor dopes wise up enough to leave town in search of a better welfare deal elsewhere.

Because, like stray cats, if you keep feeding them they'll never leave. So we've got to drive these lifelong burdens to society out of town by any means necessary, and the sooner the better.

Lower my taxes and shred the safety net today!"

Here is my open-ended response to him/her:

Dear ignorant reader of the Washington Post,

I take it that you have met all of the DC residents to whom safety net services are vital. So you know all of the parents who used to work 70 hours a week to feed and shelter their children, who no longer can receive childcare vouchers and now are forced to cut back their work hours, and are subsequently struggling to keep their children's bellies full let alone a roof over their heads or the prospect of providing a higher education? And you know all war veterans who have found themselves suffering from PTSD and rely on shelters to keep them safe and off the streets? And you know all of the legal immigrants who have worked their asses off in minimum-wage construction jobs for 10 years in order to send money back home to their families in hopes of being reunited in America where opportunities are supposed to be available to all who work hard, only to find that they can't receive the English literacy training needed to naturalize because the funding for adult education programs has vanished?

If you have met all of these people, then I wonder when your heart became cold. If you haven't met all of these people, which I think is the safer bet since I doubt you spend much time volunteering in shelters, feeding the cats, if you will, then where in hell do you get off calling them "hapless, promiscuous, irresponsible and often immoral losers" (by the way, you spelled promiscuous wrong)?

Furthermore, where do you propose we send these "lifelong burdens" to? Another city? Another country? Problems don't disappear if you close your eyes - they just get louder. I hate to break it to you buddy, and you will have to excuse my use of cliche, but today's pauper is tomorrow's prince, and today's king may be tomorrow's beggar. You never know where you will be tomorrow let alone in 10 years, so I hope for your sake that you never find yourself unemployed and in need of help, because someone who shows no compassion is not likely to be shown compassion.

Lastly, please feel free to move to Virginia to protect your precious money. I'd feel better knowing that a person who would only kick me while I'm down is not living anywhere near me.

Good luck with life, buddy.

If you are interested in learning more about Save our Safety Net, or want to get involved with the campaign, visit http://www.saveoursafetynet.com/ and read up!

ode to my chacos

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:05:00 +0000

It is not often that I am so strongly attached to a material possession that I feel compelled to commemorate its loss in my blog. In fact, before today, it had only happened one other time when my not-so sturdy Italian made, Spanish-purchased pawn shop bike was stolen only days before I was planning to re-pawn it for the cash I desperately needed to begin a backpacking excursion.

Today, I take a moment to remember my old, trusty Chacos.

I recently discovered that my Chacos, sandals that have led me in my adventures from Puerto Rico, to Spain, to Morocco and a whole load of other places in between, are so coated with the dusts and grit of my travels that they no longer adjust to fit my feet, and, alas, the sole of one of them is ripped right through.

Here they are, enjoying a sunset on the roof of my friend Aubree's apartment in Sevilla:

I would like to take a moment to share with you, my loyal readers and crunchy shoe lovers across the world, a truly heart-warming story of my lost sandals and the amazing company that is Chaco.

~~~~~~~~

About four or five years back, my friend Liza and I were midway through a post-study abroad backpacking trip. We found ourselves in Interlaken, Switzerland, a gorgeous small town in the Bernese Highlands and a magnet for outdoor adventure enthusiasts (the town is centered around a large grassy field where paragliders land). Liza and I, not being particularly keen on skydiving or sledging, decided, on a whim, to go whitewater rafting on the Aare river. Because the decision was on a whim (fueled by the very attractive man behind the counter at the adventure shop), we did not have swim suits and simply donned wetsuits over our underwear. I share this fact because it becomes incredibly important by the end of this story.

We had a stupendous trip down the Aare led by two, also very attractive, rafting guides (I have determined that all men in Interlaken are attractive) who, in what I perceived to be a flirtatious way but may have been an attempt to lighten the load of the boat, threw me over the side of the raft. At the end of the river, we all engaged in celebratory beers and snacks and then the time came to change out of our wetsuits. Because I was not wearing a swimsuit under my wetsuit and was unsure what state of opaqueness my underwear would be in, I attempted to find a secluded spot to change out of my suit. That spot ended up being in a thick puddle of mud. I balanced atop my Chacos as I ungracefully shimmied my way out of the wet suit. Once my clothes had been donned, I went to put my Chacos back on. To my utter dismay, one of the Chacos was completely missing. No amount of digging in the mud turned up my precious sandal.

The beautiful rafting guides attempted to make me feel better by feeding Liza and I each three or four more beers and suggesting that when we got back to town we could go through all of the wetsuits -- it was surely stuck among them. I figured, if I had lost one of my favorite shoes, no better way than to cope with it than to get drunk at 4pm with very attractive Swiss men. And get drunk we did.

When we arrived back to town, a thorough search proved fruitless. It was determined that my shoe had been sacrificed to the Aare. Drunk and mildly concerned about the 1.5 pairs of shoes I had left to get through the rest of Europe, Liza and I wandered through town trying to find our hostel but managing to get lost (and in a town as small as Interlaken, this is downright ridiculous), I with one shoeless foot. I'm sure we were laughed at by more than one person that day.

Because I was unable to part with my one remaining Chaco, it made the rest of the journey with me through Europe and back to the United States. One day, back home, I decided to call Chaco and see what my options were. Chacos are expensive and I, being very broke, could not afford to purchase a whole new pair. This is how the conversation went:

Me: Hello, Chaco. So I have lost one of my Chacos, but I have a really good story. You see, I was white water rafting in Switzerland...[story above ensues]

Chaco Gods: No Problem. We can build you a new one for $30 and ship it right to you.

Me: You can't see it, but I am bowing down to you.

~~~~~~~~

Readers, I hope you have enjoyed this story and that a little piece of my Chaco now lives on in each of you.

Since the demise of my first Chacos, I have purchased a new pair, but my old ones will forever remain in my heart and in my stories.

Many of my friends are probably rolling their eyes right now. They all think that Chacos are ugly as shit. However, I ask: Can you hike through a river in your little black ballet flats and come out with unscathed and dry feet within minutes? Can you ride your bicycle in heels with the cool feeling of wind on your toes? Can you spend a whole day wandering through a city in flip flops, and hit up the most stylish clubs at night without ever going home to change your footwear. Didn't think so.

DC council members, be our safety net heroes

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:03:00 +0000

You may recall me imploring DC residents to sign a petition to Mayor Fenty asking him to protect vital social services as he prepared his 2011 budget. Lots of people got back to me saying they signed, you all are my favorites. Thanks so much.

Yesterday Mayor Fenty presented his budget to the City Council (Save our Safety Net was there to let Fenty know that concerned DC residents have their game faces on).

While it is still unclear what social services are at risk (we hope to know more next week and I will report on it right away), Fenty proposed cutting 385 government jobs, among other things. On April 12th, the City Council will be fielding questions to Mayor Fenty about his budget and we want to make sure that they have DC safety net services in mind when that happens.

Please take just one minute to send a letter to your City Council member asking him/her to hold Mayor Fenty accountable on April 12th! Click here, enter your zip code, and send your letter now!

Just one minute of your time could mean $50 million dollars of protected social services in 2011.

DC-ites - have you signed the petition?

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:00:00 +0000

I broke my rule of never capitalizing blog post titles here - so you know what I am about to say is big and important (and maybe I also couldn't bring myself to lower-case an already abbreviated proper noun).

D.C. people, this post is for you.

I am about to ask you to sign a petition. Below is what you need to know about the petition.

WHO ['s petition]: Save Our Safety Net -- a campaign in Washington, D.C. with the basic purpose of ensuring that DC's safety net is not cut -- a very real threat on the table as Mayor Fenty tries to find a way with the 2011 DC budget to make up for a $500 million deficit.

WHAT[will be cut if Fenty writes his budget as planned]: Disability services, mental health services, adult literacy training, childcare vouchers, affordable housing, job training, domestic violence services, homeless services...the list goes on.

WHEN [will these cuts happen]: Very soon. Fenty will release his budget proposal to the City Council on April 1st. If the City Council does not do something to stop Fenty, $50 million or more in social services could be cut starting as soon as June -- this is on top of $100 million in social services that have already been cut.

WHERE [will these social services be missed if they lose funding]: Everywhere. While you may not use food stamps or need subsidized housing, your neighbors or coworkers might. A heathy community is community where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. Without vital social services like job training and assistance for the disabled, our community will not be a healthy one.

HOW [is Save our Safety Net proposing the City Council save the safety net]: In Washington, DC, the highest tax bracket is $40,000 and above. That means those who make $40,000 and those who make $2 million are being taxed the same. SOS is proposing that the City Council create a 4th tax bracket for those who make $200,000 or more. By just taxing those people a minimal amount more (probably less than 1%), about $50 million can be generated -- that money could go a long way in ensuring our safety net programs stay intact.

WHY[should I care]: There are lots of reasons to care...You believe in good karma. You believe in helping others. You believe in fair opportunities for everyone. You want to live in a healthy community of people who watch out for each other. You or someone you care about relies on some of the safety net programs at risk of being lost. You want to make me happy.

So, please visit Save our Safety Net's website. Watch the video. Sign the petition to ask Mayor Fenty to save our safety net.

**If you blog, Facebook, Tweet etc... I would love for you to share this blog post, or the SOS site, with your networks...let's get the word out!

march for immigration reform in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:48:00 +0000

This past weekend was a busy one here in our Nation's Capital.

After Saturday's anti war protest, on Sunday PETA turned up outside the Verizon Center to protest the circus and scare little children who love elephants.

Amid the fruitless "kill the bill" chants of teabaggers, the House finally passed the much awaited health care reform bill.

And, tens of thousands of people turned out on the National Mall to rally around a call for comprehensive immigration reform. Here are my pictures from the March for Immigration Reform (aka March for America):

eat, drink, support CARECEN

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:48:00 +0000

In 2007, the cost for immigrants to take the U.S. Naturalization Exam increased by nearly 70% -- from $400 to $675 -- a prohibitively expensive increase for most immigrants.

Here is your opportunity to help those who can not afford to to become U.S. citizens.

This Wednesday, March 24, 2001 -- join the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Young Leaders at Mr. Henry's on Capitol Hill for a fundraiser to benefit the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) -- all proceeds will go to helping subsidize eligible CARECEN students in their application for U.S. citizenship.

For just a $12 donation ($15 at the door), you will get an evening of fun, complete with free food, drink specials, and trivia (do you think you can pass the naturalization exam? come to Mr. Henry's and see) all while helping raise money to subsidize CARECEN students' naturalization fees.

RSVP now!

To learn more about what CARECEN does, as well as how the HIAS young leaders work with CARECEN students to help them prepare for their naturalization exams, watch this awesome video prepared by Liza Lieberman, HIAS organizer extraordinaire, and Zia Hassan, master of the nexus between technology and art.

*Note: Yes, I do have a cameo appearance in this video. Yes, my dear friend Liza did corner me with a video camera, while at a party, and made me talk about CARECEN. Yes, I do sound pretty stupid. But, the rest of the video is great and everyone else sounds professional.

Local DC Immigrants Seeking US Citizenship from Zia Hassan on Vimeo.

Other resources:

CARECEN

HIAS

puñuendos

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:14:00 +0000

One rather drunken, very late night a few years back, my friend Joanna and I, in a fit of intense laughter, coined a word.

Such wordsmiths are we -- we invented a word and submitted it to Urbandictionary.com - which of course, accepted it because it is really a pretty awesome word.

The word: Puñuendo

The definition: "A turn of phrase that at once is classified as both a pun and an innuendo."

The problem: The morning after we came up with puñuendo (the ñ is entirely necessary) neither of us could remember what turn of phrase had inspired the creation. Try was we did, neither Joanna nor I could come up with an acceptable puñuendo example (you will notice the example on the UrbanDictionary site is really dirty and not very good).

However, over the years, two of our friends, being witty and creative, have come up with mind-blowing puñuendos, and I think they are worth sharing here. My hope is that this will inspire others to create their own puñuendos and share the love.

Becca's puñuendo:
Question: What did one religion say to the other religion?
Answer: Let's have sects.

Erica's puñuendo:
In reference to a photo in my last blog post that depicted a person frosted onto a cookie (also created by Erica) -- "Damn, who is that good-looking girl on the right? Break me off a piece of that. Pun intended! badoom-shaaaa."

the cake of my life

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:48:00 +0000

Lately people have been like, "Tovah, why don't you blog anymore? Reading your blog was the highlight of my day and now the hours pass slower than molasses." And I have been like "I never realized that my blog meant so much to you. Sorry I haven't been there for you in your time of need - I have been quite busy. But I will try harder going forward."

Have people really been saying that? Not important.

What IS important is that the cake in the photo above is the cake of my life - perhaps the greatest thing I will ever accomplish, and I am incredibly proud of it, so I wanted to share it with anybody who still is interested in what I have to say even though I have not been traveling and my life is kind of boring.

The cake, for my dear friend who is jetting to Albania to wear cargo pants (per my demands) and serve in the Peace Corps. I am going to miss her greatly, as she was my go-to person for many things. Anyway, I wanted to send her off in style, with a customized, geographically nearly-accurate, Albania and "Friends"cake - something I wasn't sure I could actually pull off - but I did. Yippee!

The cookies are courtesy of Erica, a piped-frosting whizz.

The cake recipe comes from here - since people actually did ask me where the recipe was from. This recipe is literally easier than stealing candy from a baby...embarrassingly easy.

The frosting job? Well, that was done with magic and I am really not at liberty to divulge what kind.

cabin fever cure

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:39:00 +0000

I won't bore you with the gory details of Day 5 of Snowpacolypse II (or is it III?).

No, instead I want to make a recommendation to all of my Washingtonian friends who are snowed in for the fifth day in a row and don't have to work. Since I work from home anyway, I am working like normal and am not enjoying the benefits of government mandated snow days. But if I did, I would have a million creative ways to cure my cabin fever, and I am going to be generous and share one with you.

Ready for this?

If you have access to various colors of Jell-O, try building a beautiful, shimmering multi-colored Jell-O castle. I have always wanted to do this, ever since my college roommate Gina and I came up with the idea, and I have yet to try it. So, live my dream, build a Jello-O castle and take notes on what works and what doesn't, then email those notes to me.

Now, go on and get building. Hell, you may need to seek shelter in the thing when the world comes to an end in a blustery, snowy BAM! Jell-O is snow impermeable.

gearheads, listen up

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:59:00 +0000

Dear gearheads and bargain-hunters who like the outdoors,

If you have not yet checked out Steep and Cheap - do it now. You will not be disappointed. Nor will your credit card company.

Steep and Cheap, a website run by backcountry.com, offers up "one killer item at a time until it's gone." Every thirty minutes or so a new item is on sale, everything from ski racks to jackets to hiking poles to tents, and no item is offered for less than 50% off, with some items marked down up to 80%. I got a sweet Arc'teryx fleece, in the color of wasabi, no doubt, marked down to $84 from $218. What's more, if you are the easily excitable and prone to buy multiple things in a week (of course you need that bivy sack and that mess kit to go with your new thermal underwear), they will hold off on shipping for up to a week so you only have to pay one shipping charge.

In my opinion, this kind of deal deserves an expletive. Steep and Cheap is fucking awesome.

If you find yourself addicted to Steep and Cheap, keeping the browser open all day, then I should also let you know that there is a Steep and Cheap iPhone app.

I hope you enjoy Steep and Cheap as much as I do.

Sincerely,
Tovah

time out

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:44:00 +0000

My neck and shoulders haven't been so painfully tight since the marathon paper writing sessions of my college days.

Since I spend approximately 8 hours a day in front of a computer, and as of late, have been spending about 4 hours a night hunched over a book, studying, I wouldn't be surprised if you could see the lumps in my muscles through my shirt. I can definitely feel the tension in my head, and that isn't fun at all.

As I was asking around about good places to get massages in DC, I accidentally asked my coworker, Liz, who lives in Austin. She said she couldn't recommend good places in DC, but could recommend this:

http://www.dejal.com/

(That is what the logo looks like on my desktop. So Zen.)

Time Out, a glorious little piece of freeware that, when downloaded, can be customized to provide you with reminders to take a breather from your computer, stretch, and remember the real world around you.

In light of my last post on the confusion my brain sometimes encounters between what is possible in the cyberworld versus the real world, this micro-break reminder seems even more delicious.

It takes about
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sorry was taking a computer mandated stretch
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30 seconds to download Time Out. Once you have it on your computer, you can customize it to give you both micro-breaks and longer breaks throughout the day for lengths of time and at intervals of time of your choosing. When the time comes for a Time Out, your computer screen will fade to a color of your choosing -- I picked a nice mint green for the long break and a pleasant opaque violet for micro-breaks. There is, of course, an option to skip the break if you are too goddamn busy to take care of yourself.

Liz, I tip my hat to you. Thanks for the suggestion. I, for one, am going to be doing a lot more stretching now.

Sorry, PC users, Time Out only works on Mac OS. Sucks to be you.

edit --> undo

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:28:00 +0000

So, I was just making a sandwich. A pretty big sandwich. Hell, an overstuffed sandwich. Don't judge, you know you want one right now.

I generally feel that sandwiches taste better when cut in half and thus I proceeded to take a bread knife and cut the sandwich in half. As I I was cutting, I realized that I had made a grave, grave error. As I don't like condiments (fact: one of my college entrance essays was about my intense fear of mustard), there was nothing holding all of the sandwich innards together. As the knife sliced, the sandwich started falling apart.

My instinct in that moment? I wanted to undo the situation. Like go up to the "Edit" menu and click on "Undo." Alas, I was cutting the sandwich in real life, and real life doesn't have an "edit --> undo" option. So, now I am eating my sandwich with a fork.

I am a bit worried about this incident as it has happened to me before that I mentally reached to "edit --> undo" a situation not on my computer. It's possible I need to take a break from my computer and get in touch with reality.

Editor's note: If you enjoy sandwiches, especially sandwiches sliced in half, and you also appreciate the real-life but useless application of technology, then you should check out Scanwiches. You won't regret it. You will want a sandwich.

Author's note: It just occurred to me that there really should be a word for when a person tries to do something in reality that they can actually only do on a computer. Like "edit --> undo" is pretty much the computer equivalent of traveling back in time...not very realistic. Anyone out there know a word for this kind of confusion? If you do, holler at me and I will make you a cohesive sandwich cut, or uncut as you like it.

how bad lighting drove me to drink

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:21:00 +0000

So I find myself at Tryst, a very popular coffee shop among those looking for hip and technologically savvy people with whom to flirt (seriously - they have a missed connections section on their website), as well as those looking for free wifi, like myself. I have 100 logic problems to do and my veins are pumping with caffeine. However, the lighting here is so bad on my poor troubled eyes, that I can't study, as proven by the following argument:

It is necessary that Tovah have a decent level of light to study. Tovah is at Tryst. Tryst does not have a decent level of light. Therefore, it follows that Tovah can not study at Tryst.

As far as I can tell, my argument is logically sound. If it isn't, please correct me because the LSAT is only a month away.

It seems that I have two options, then. Either leave Tryst in search of somewhere brighter in which to study. Or, have a beer because it is happy hour. It is way too cold out to go in search of a brighter coffee shop, so I am having a beer. And, because I have not blogged in ages, I decided to take this opportunity to do so. Plus, the computer screen is nice and sunny.

help thehomeless walkathon - success!

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Bright and early Saturday morning thousands of people gathered together on the National Mall for the 22nd annual Help the Homeless Walkathon. To the smooth rhythms of "Baby Love" and other Motown gems, we drank coffee and cocoa, scarfed donuts and geared up to walk a pleasant 5k at a nice clip around the Mall.

Pre-walk elementary school hip-hop show...these kids can dance better than I could in my wildest dreams.

As a fundraiser, the walk was a huge success. Calvary Women's Services, the shelter for which I was fundraising, received $30,000 in donations and another $40,000 from corporate sponsors - a hefty and exciting sum.

This blog post is to thank all of my friends and family who helped make the walk such an awesome success, either in donating to my fundraising campaign or in joining me in the walk around the mall. You all are the icing to my cake, and I am grateful to have you in my life.

The honor roll:

Walkers: THANK YOU, Dan, Liz, Josh, James, Liza and Veronica! What a geat group with which to spend Saturday morning walking and walking with. Same time, same place next year?

Donors: THANK YOU, Dalia and Brian, Norm, Taylor, Noah, Gretchen, Kelly, Susan, Maki, Erika, Dad and Viv, Wendy and Howie, Pam and Ron! Your generous contributions are much appreciated by myself and the women of Calvary!

Veronica, Liza, Me, James, Josh, Dan, Liz - Yay team!

help-the-homeless walkathon

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Last week I was walking in downtown D.C. right around sundown. The wind was biting and it was damn cold. I was stopped by a man flanked by two kids under the age of six eating ice cream. The man was asking for money for him and his children. I considered smiling and walking on, but as I often find myself doing, I stopped to talk to him.

His story: He and his children were homeless, his wife had been recently deported, there was not a single bed available in a family-safe shelter in the D.C. area and he didn't qualify for government assistance. I did not follow exactly why he didn't qualify for government assistance, but for a father to resort to begging on the street for a dollar to put a roof over his children's heads, his need must be far greater than mine.

As I was handing him a few dollars, another woman walked up and handed him a $5 bill. He then handed both of us small scraps of paper printed with all sorts of government phone numbers which he urged us to call and demand more affordable housing for low-income and homeless people.

I was skeptical of the man's statement that there was not a bed available in the city for him and his children to occupy, until today. Today I was forwarded an email from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless that cites a census taken by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness:

"As of last night, there was not ONE available shelter bed left in the system..."

So, what can we do to help? If you live in D.C., join me on Saturday November 21st as I participate in the Help-The-Homeless Walkathon.

I will be walking on the Calvary Women's Service team, a shelter I have been working with for a year and truly believe in - join the team!

If you are not in DC but still want to help, consider supporting me as I walk - you can make a donation towards my goal of $400 here - all money raised by me will go directly to Calvary while Fannie Mae pays the costs of the event. If Calvary gets 550 walkers to come out, Fannie Mae will give them $10,000 ... that is an incredible amount of money.

Hope to see you all out on the Mall on Saturday November 21st to support the well-being of our community!

(If you do sign-up for the Calvary Women's Services team, let me know so I can let them know...We will be meeting at 8:30am on the National Mall near the carousel - I am told there will be coffee and donuts for all.)

my artsy friends are still artsy

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

You may remember a few months back I featured my lifelong partner-in-crime Becca Schall's "Life of Prude: Dance Off!" on my blog.

Fresh off the chopping block - the third episode in the "Life of Prudie" web-series is ready for you.

Watch the story of how Prudie's friend Helen who doesn't speak falls in love with Prudie's brother Milton who doesn't touch people.

Life of Prudie: Bracelet Servant (Episode 3) from Becca Schall on Vimeo.

If you haven't seen the first or second episode in the series, check them out. The first - "Why am I still Single?" is my favorite.

Show Becca some love by leaving a comment on her site. Or you can leave it here, I love comments too.

trader joe's maple leaf cookies - they're back!

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Continuing on my quest to be the interweb's foremost promoter of Trader Joe's Maple Leaf Cookies, it is my duty to inform you that they're back on shelves.

Just in time for you to fatten up before winter sets in, Trader Joe's Maple Leaf Cookies, in all of their caloric, creamy, delicious glory, are yours for the taking - they will most certainly change your life for the better.

Also, for you veggie nerds - these perfect cookies are vegan.

Huzzah!

(Thanks to my thoughtful cousins Aliza and Dalia for providing me with my first box of the season!)

computers are sweet

noreply@blogger.com (tovpent) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I was regularly using computers starting in third grade (yeah Kid Pix!), I still find out new, computer-related things once in a while.

Here are two tips I have recently learned that I hope you will find incredibly, mindblowingly sweet:

1. Large amounts of music can be sent for free via Skype both quickly and efficiently. (Thanks, Sarah V!)

(On a side note: Support your favorite musicians by going to their shows and buying their albums - obviously. Just went to a really great Avett Brothers concert at the Rams Head Live! in Baltimore. Had never been to Rams Head and found it to be a noteworthy venue with essentially no blind spots, some 5 bars, and lots of beflanneled people. Check out the Avett Brothers' newest album for free here. My personal faves are "And It Spread" and "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise." They are a bluegrass/folk rock group from North Carolina and their shows feature banjos, a cello, and an upright base, among other instruments. And - they are really, really good looking.)

2. Using iChat, Mac users can, with permission, take remote access of other Mac users' computers. This is a great feature to take advantage of when you are having computer problems and you happen to have a little brother who you think knows everything about computers. (Thanks, Noah!)

To use this feature --> Sign into iChat --> Open an IM window with the person you want to share with --> Under the "Buddies" menu select "Share my screen with X" --> All the other person has to do is accept your invitation and they have full Big-Brother access to your entire computer. You can also request to have access to their screen. Kind of scary but also totally awesome.

Note: Mac Tech Support will NOT "just take remote access" when you ask them to -- apparently there are liability issues -- so don't bother asking.