I can't believe it. I have been blogging for 6 years . I started writing this blog on January 1, 2008. A lot has happened since then. Its been an incredible journey. Here's to the future and more writing. Happy 2014!
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Blogoversary
Sunday, January 1, 2012
happy blogoversary
its now been exactly 4 years that i have been writing this blog. i'm just as amazed as you are that i haven't run out of things to write. thanks for reading. i am looking forward to more years of writing.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
i blog therefore i am
some like tweeting, i like blogging. i like putting my 2 cents out there and seeing how others react to it. not necessarily others i actually have met in "real life". i like the supportive community blogs offer. blogs help me feel like i am not alone in the world. sometimes my blogger friends know me better than people who meet me in real life.many of my blogger friends know me without the distraction of externals. thanks for reading . thanks for commenting.
its important to have friends who know me in real life, but its also good share with others outside ones circles.
blogging reaches out to the world. it makes me feel like there is life outside those who i know in person and that they too share challenges and joys of life .
sometimes the world seems so disjointed. blogging helps the world feel more connected.
its important to have friends who know me in real life, but its also good share with others outside ones circles.
blogging reaches out to the world. it makes me feel like there is life outside those who i know in person and that they too share challenges and joys of life .
sometimes the world seems so disjointed. blogging helps the world feel more connected.
Monday, March 14, 2011
who knows me best?
i always wonder who knows me best, my good friends or those who read my blog? some of my good friends do read my blog, so i will include them as my blog readers .i think that those who read my blog probably know me best. a lot of people assume about me instead of listen to what i am actually saying. a lot of my friends suffer from narcissism and insist on interrupting me every time i speak so i know they arent listening to me when i speak they are just waiting to tell me whatever piece of nonsense they are waiting to interrupt me with.
i can tell from the comments on this blog that there are people out there who get my point of view and are listening. thanks . its good to know.
i can tell from the comments on this blog that there are people out there who get my point of view and are listening. thanks . its good to know.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
blogoversary
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
change
sometimes life involves so much change that its hard to change even when one knows its necessary. i kept seeing the new blogger templates, but i kept resisting the change because i so like holding on to what works. im trying this new template out. im not sure if i like it because the raindrops kind of look like tears and im not trying to create a mood of sadness in my blog. i tried out another template with a picture in the background but i found it distracting to read my posts. ive settled on this template for now until another day when i have the patience to fuss around with it again.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
moderation
i never thought id see the day when i would be moderating comments on my blog. i dont even get that many comments! the thing is im getting sick of deleting the japanese comment spam so i decided that it was time to moderate for awhile.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
most likely to...
my favorite section of a school yearbook is the girl most likely to... or the boy most likely to .... section. they don't usually have this section in yearbooks in frum high schools, but lets face it, we've all heard that this is a tradition in some high school yearbooks. now all of us who haven't been in high school for at least five years or more (me being in the many more group) know that people often turn out to be a lot different that they were expected to when they graduated high school. some for the worst and some for the better.
i would like to think that i would not have been the girl in my class most likely to be single in 2010, but that i am. i was in a few school plays , so when i went to a school reunion several years ago someone told me that they thought i would have been an actress. i found it really humorous because though i enjoyed acting in high school, i NEVER considered an acting career. drama queen maybe, but never an actress!
when i was seventeen there was no internet. there were no blogs. if there had been i suppose that i would have been the girl most likely to blog. i would have liked to put my thoughts out there. ive always enjoyed writing and i had a lot of opinions even back then that i would have loved to have had a medium to release them. so retroactively, i fsf , was the girl in my high school senior class most likely to blog....
Friday, January 1, 2010
happy blogoversary!!
ive made it through two years of blogging! it feels amazing. i thank everyone for reading. when i first started writing i felt shy to tell others that i was writing a blog. over time i had actually started getting comments and started telling friends about it. its hard to be completely anonymous anyway because sometimes people can figure out your identity anyway through reading your blog. i don't write anything that i wouldn't mind anyone knowing i have written. its also hard to keep blogging a complete secret because i enjoy it so much. when a post gets a good response i want to share the news with others.
it has been enjoyable to meet some of my readers this year. it makes life more interesting and the world seem a little smaller.
i thank those of you who follow this blog. i feel honored that the list has increased this year.
as usual its fun too see which posts get comments and which don't.
thank you all for reading and im looking forward to posting more this year!
Monday, December 21, 2009
20,000 hits!!!
i passed the 20,000 hit mark yesterday!! what's really cool is that it took me a year and four months to get to 10,000 hits. its taken nine more months to get to 20,000! thank you all for reading!!!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
tweetup / blogger meet up
i went to the jewish tweetup /blogger meet up at 92y tribeca last wednesday.
when i first saw the event advertised by frumsatire on facebook, i wasnt sure if i even wanted to go. it would be fun to meet other bloggers, but did i want to blow my anonymity? would it make any difference to those who would meet me if i were no longer anonymous? would they even know i am a blogger anyway?
WELL ... i decided to go anyway. i figured chances were there would be so many people there that it wouldnt matter anyway....
there were not so many in attendance, but it was definitely quality above quantity..... though not a huge turnout, it was so social i didnt get a chance to chat with everyone!
moshe and his wife who i met months ago were there , heshy fried of frumsatire, wolfishmusings and jacobdajew, elisheva and her husband therealshliach, jacobdajew, and susanne were there. i met elke reva sudin of hipstersandhassids and her husband saul . i met itamar and metroimma. i also met sshriki who frequently comments on my blog.
it was cool to see those responsible for typing some of the blogs that i have read. there really werent enough people to make it too overwhelming.
it was kind of like a book event at barnes and noble for bloggers. someone was even on her computer during the event to make all of us bloggers feel at home. after all , stepping out of the computer into real life can be a bit daunting.
when i first saw the event advertised by frumsatire on facebook, i wasnt sure if i even wanted to go. it would be fun to meet other bloggers, but did i want to blow my anonymity? would it make any difference to those who would meet me if i were no longer anonymous? would they even know i am a blogger anyway?
WELL ... i decided to go anyway. i figured chances were there would be so many people there that it wouldnt matter anyway....
there were not so many in attendance, but it was definitely quality above quantity..... though not a huge turnout, it was so social i didnt get a chance to chat with everyone!
moshe and his wife who i met months ago were there , heshy fried of frumsatire, wolfishmusings and jacobdajew, elisheva and her husband therealshliach, jacobdajew, and susanne were there. i met elke reva sudin of hipstersandhassids and her husband saul . i met itamar and metroimma. i also met sshriki who frequently comments on my blog.
it was cool to see those responsible for typing some of the blogs that i have read. there really werent enough people to make it too overwhelming.
it was kind of like a book event at barnes and noble for bloggers. someone was even on her computer during the event to make all of us bloggers feel at home. after all , stepping out of the computer into real life can be a bit daunting.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
seven things i love
ive been tagged by the jewish side of the babysitter in a meme seven things i love . at the end i will tag seven other bloggers.
- i love fall weather
- i love book readings and especially love celebrity book readings
- i love photography
- i love meeting new people
- i love blogging
- i love when i have friends who really know and understand who i am and i know and understand who they are.
- i love walking through central park in the spring and summer.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
ashton kutcher vs cnn
i was watching oprah last week and lo and behold oprah was joining twitter. twitter is a site i have not yet joined. i was probably the last person to join facebook, so you can imagine how quickly im running to join twitter ! as oprah was touring twitter, she featured ashton kutcher. apparently ashton kutcher wanted to see if he could get more followers than cnn and i think that that meant he needed more than 10 thousand followers. of course all of us celebrity stalkers know that adorable ashton married to 14 yrs older demi would win!
though ashton portrayed the studly doofus michael kelso on that 70's show he's not just some dumb himbo. he wanted to prove that the media is so nuts that a tv actor could get more followers than cnn! he also wanted to show how strong one lone voice can be on the internet.
i dont have anywhere near 10 thousand followers on my blog, but i do think that blogs have a strong voice. one never knows who can find a blog and read its message.
though ashton portrayed the studly doofus michael kelso on that 70's show he's not just some dumb himbo. he wanted to prove that the media is so nuts that a tv actor could get more followers than cnn! he also wanted to show how strong one lone voice can be on the internet.
i dont have anywhere near 10 thousand followers on my blog, but i do think that blogs have a strong voice. one never knows who can find a blog and read its message.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
j-blogosphere
i love the fact that i get very few hits on my sitemeter on shabbos and yom tov. this is a scheduled post so i cant tell you exact numbers but judging from past experience i know that i have had very few hits during the past three days. i always wondered how many non-observant people read my blog and by the sitemeter i can tell you that its not very many. if they do, they are not checking out this site much on shabbos or yom tov. then again, i do get more hits when i put up a new post, so this contributes as well. obviously im not posting on shabbos or yom tov!
Monday, March 30, 2009
10,000 hits!
my site meter has surpassed 10,000 hits! thank you for reading! its great to have reached this moment thanks to all of you!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Exclusive Blog Interview With Diana Spechler
I'm very excited to present to you dear readers this exclusive frum single female blog interview
featuring Diana Spechler author of Who By Fire .
FSF: What made you choose this topic for your book ?
DS : When I was a grad student, I wrote a short story about Bits Kellerman, a young woman who lives in Boston and whose brother, Ash , lives in Israel. At the beginning of the story, Bits hears news of a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. She calls Ash and he doesn't answer. Throughout the course of the story , the tension lies in the question of whether or not Ash is going to call his sister back. At the end of the story, he still hasn't called her. I finished the story and included it in my thesis, but it continued to haunt me. Why didn't he call his sister? It was driving me crazy. So I returned to the story and started writing from Ash's point of view. Then I returned to Bits, and then to Ash, and so in. That's how the novel was born.
FSF : Did you set out to write a book with a Jewish theme or did it just evolve?
DS : When I started writing Who By Fire , I had a lot of questions about Judaism--specifically about how I wanted to practice it. I was somewhat obsessed.The great thing about writing is that it provides an acceptable context for obsessions. By writing this novel , I was (perhaps not totally consciously) grappling with the questions that were most important to me at that time. When I finished writing the novel, I was able to unburden myself of the obsession to some extent. So I'm not sure I set out to write a book with a Jewish theme so much as I set out to write about something that mattered to me.
FSF: What kind of Jewish family did you grow up in?
DS : My family is really different from the family in Who By Fire . The Kellermans are so disconnected from one another. In my family, when someone goes to Israel, that person calls home. Period. We're all really close. Also , Judaism and Israel were big parts of my life throughout my childhood. My siblings and I went to Jewish summer camp. Jewish holidays were and continue to be big and fun and loud. My parents, like Ben and Ellie Kellerman, met in Jerusalem in the early 70's, so my perception of Israel has always been tinged with a little romance.
FSF: How has your book been received by secular Jewish readers as well as Orthodox Jewish readers?
DS : Of course, since I was writing , in part, about the conflict between secular and Orthodox Jews, I worried that I was going to offend people. The truth was, though , my novel doesn't voice just one opinion. Some of the characters are religious. Others are not. Some of the religious characters are a little sordid, others are great. Exploring my characters, all of whom are flawed. People-- Jewish , not Jewish, religious, not religious--talk about books all over the internet , and for the most part, no one seems offended by my book. The consensus seems to be that its a good read. Of course, I very much approve of that consensus.
FSF : At the end of the book in the q & a section, you say that you have a brother who is an Orthodox Jew. What does your brother think of your book?
DS : My brother loves the book and recommends it to everyone who will listen. He's a good brother.
FSF: What is the biggest lesson you feel readers should take away after reading Who By Fire?
DS: I'm not sure there's a lesson in it, but my favorite compliments I get are , "Your book made me want to go to Israel!" and " I stayed up all night reading your book."
Thank you so much Diana for this blog interview.
featuring Diana Spechler author of Who By Fire .
FSF: What made you choose this topic for your book ?
DS : When I was a grad student, I wrote a short story about Bits Kellerman, a young woman who lives in Boston and whose brother, Ash , lives in Israel. At the beginning of the story, Bits hears news of a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. She calls Ash and he doesn't answer. Throughout the course of the story , the tension lies in the question of whether or not Ash is going to call his sister back. At the end of the story, he still hasn't called her. I finished the story and included it in my thesis, but it continued to haunt me. Why didn't he call his sister? It was driving me crazy. So I returned to the story and started writing from Ash's point of view. Then I returned to Bits, and then to Ash, and so in. That's how the novel was born.
FSF : Did you set out to write a book with a Jewish theme or did it just evolve?
DS : When I started writing Who By Fire , I had a lot of questions about Judaism--specifically about how I wanted to practice it. I was somewhat obsessed.The great thing about writing is that it provides an acceptable context for obsessions. By writing this novel , I was (perhaps not totally consciously) grappling with the questions that were most important to me at that time. When I finished writing the novel, I was able to unburden myself of the obsession to some extent. So I'm not sure I set out to write a book with a Jewish theme so much as I set out to write about something that mattered to me.
FSF: What kind of Jewish family did you grow up in?
DS : My family is really different from the family in Who By Fire . The Kellermans are so disconnected from one another. In my family, when someone goes to Israel, that person calls home. Period. We're all really close. Also , Judaism and Israel were big parts of my life throughout my childhood. My siblings and I went to Jewish summer camp. Jewish holidays were and continue to be big and fun and loud. My parents, like Ben and Ellie Kellerman, met in Jerusalem in the early 70's, so my perception of Israel has always been tinged with a little romance.
FSF: How has your book been received by secular Jewish readers as well as Orthodox Jewish readers?
DS : Of course, since I was writing , in part, about the conflict between secular and Orthodox Jews, I worried that I was going to offend people. The truth was, though , my novel doesn't voice just one opinion. Some of the characters are religious. Others are not. Some of the religious characters are a little sordid, others are great. Exploring my characters, all of whom are flawed. People-- Jewish , not Jewish, religious, not religious--talk about books all over the internet , and for the most part, no one seems offended by my book. The consensus seems to be that its a good read. Of course, I very much approve of that consensus.
FSF : At the end of the book in the q & a section, you say that you have a brother who is an Orthodox Jew. What does your brother think of your book?
DS : My brother loves the book and recommends it to everyone who will listen. He's a good brother.
FSF: What is the biggest lesson you feel readers should take away after reading Who By Fire?
DS: I'm not sure there's a lesson in it, but my favorite compliments I get are , "Your book made me want to go to Israel!" and " I stayed up all night reading your book."
Thank you so much Diana for this blog interview.
and the plot thickens....
for years ive wanted to attend a free gotham writers workshop at barnes and noble but i never managed to get to one. perhaps this is because they are free. anyway, a few weeks ago i attended a book reading at barnes and noble at lincoln triangle and i saw a big ad for the upcoming gotham writer's workshop featuring the author diana spechler whose book who by fire i read a few months ago. well... need i say more? i was an attendee. meeting authors of books i really dig is on my ten most favorite things to do list.
the gotham fiction writing workshp was amazing. though it was a teaser class, alot of solid writing exercises were featured.
since diana spechler was giving a fiction writing course instead of a book reading it was even more interesting. she spoke of her style of writing fiction instead of the plot of her fictional book. very cool. she said that her writing is very heavy on character development. i would agree.
after the writers workshop diana spechler fielded questions about the class as well as signed her book. im not sure if i was the only one in attendance who had read her book but i did tell her that i had read her book and that i liked it. normally i don't mention to authors that i write a blog, but in this case.... after taking a writers workshop i was compelled.... so i did. well folks ... my next few posts will include a book review of who by fire as well as a blog interview with diana spechler. TO BE CONTINUED....
the gotham fiction writing workshp was amazing. though it was a teaser class, alot of solid writing exercises were featured.
since diana spechler was giving a fiction writing course instead of a book reading it was even more interesting. she spoke of her style of writing fiction instead of the plot of her fictional book. very cool. she said that her writing is very heavy on character development. i would agree.
after the writers workshop diana spechler fielded questions about the class as well as signed her book. im not sure if i was the only one in attendance who had read her book but i did tell her that i had read her book and that i liked it. normally i don't mention to authors that i write a blog, but in this case.... after taking a writers workshop i was compelled.... so i did. well folks ... my next few posts will include a book review of who by fire as well as a blog interview with diana spechler. TO BE CONTINUED....
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
writing
ive always enjoyed creative writing . ive also always had the penmanship of a brain surgeon . MESSY. typing on an old fashioned typewriter was a pill . it took me forever to type without looking.
im so glad computers are around now. they make writing so much easier. they make correcting typos so much easier. in this sense i am not nostalgic for the old days. i may be addicted to my computer, but my writing has increased and my typing has improved. yay technology!
im so glad computers are around now. they make writing so much easier. they make correcting typos so much easier. in this sense i am not nostalgic for the old days. i may be addicted to my computer, but my writing has increased and my typing has improved. yay technology!
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