Hanukkah Forever

     Its official, there is a forever Hanukkah stamp. I am just putting it out there. I don't know if the Hanukkah stamp last year was a forever stamp because they ran out of the Hanukkah stamp before I could buy it, but this year it  is a forever stamp. This is awesome.  I have no clue  how much a domestic stamp costs. I only buy forever stamps for this reason. The only exception to my rule is when I buy Hanukkah stamps. I love the fact that there is a Hanukkah stamp and I always stock up in case I don't manage to buy it the next year. My only problem is that I never remember how much a stamp costs so I have to figure it out before I send my Hanukkah cards . Or at least I HAD to. Now there is a Hanukkah forever stamps so I am covered.

Kiruv Rock

     The kiruv videos that feature popular music are always fun to watch. They are often used to reel people into a life of frumkeit. This doesn't really bother me but I it does make me pause. Often the same types of people that are encouraging kiruv are also advocating folks not to listen to secular music. How do they reconcile the dichotomy? It might be better for them to make an original video with music that is in the genre of popular music but not an actual song. Whenever I watch these kiruv videos it always makes me want to listen to the real song. Sometimes the Jewish version of the song is more fun than the real one (like the maccabeats candlelight) but it does make me curious abut the real one none the less. If they made their own version of a rock song with a frum theme it would be better.
      I actually find it fun to randomly hear the real song that the kiruv song is plagiarized from. It makes me have a double take. I am usually in  a store and I can't figure out where I have heard the song before and then I realize what the song is. I don't think that this is what the kiruv set is banking on, but if they tried to be more original they might be more true to their ideals. They should stop being lazy . You don't have to piggy back on someone else's song's popularity to make someone like your song or gain interest in Judaism.  An original song can be created that would peak someone's interest, and then when they are told secular music might not be the best to listen to they won't be hypocritical.
   

AM New York

     In yesterday's AM New York three New Yorkers were highlighted for their involvement in the post hurricane sandy effort- Jessica Klein, Nick Weissman, and Noah Reisman.  Three Jewish New Yorkers
(or with very Jewish sounding names)  were highlighted. Very cool. New Yorkers of all faiths have been involved in the recovery effort, but only these three were mentioned. Is this a coincidence? If you are ethnocentric as myself you will not think this is a coincidence. You will think that this is a very cool thing that so many members of the tribe are involved in aiding those who have suffered. You will be happy that what is being said about Jewish people in AM New York is positive . You will be happy to see that a daily paper is liberal enough to mention three Jews in a positive light. Even if you think its a coincidence that these three individuals are or sound Jewish you will still be glad that Jews are being mentioned in a positive light. In general its a win-win situation. Its a pleasure to open a newspaper and see news about people doing chesed instead of evil. Hopefully this won't only happen after a hurricane.

A Word To The WIse

     This is a bit of advise that I have to those of you who are approaching thirty, single and still living with your parents. If  you have a job that you can support yourself with you should seriously think about getting an apartment of your own. Get out on your own while your parents are still young. If you don't get married and move out and your parents get older it will become harder to move out on your own.
      Moving out on one's own is so important to personal growth. One must have one's own life. This does not mean one should cut one's self off from one's family or even to move far away from one's family, it just means you are able to cut the cord . Parents do not live forever. They will not be able to take care of you forever. Hopefully you will get married sooner rather than later but if you don't you will still be able to carry one with one's life. If you are able to be independent you will know that you can be a grown up and be an adult when you do find a spouse.
   

Harei At

     On facebook there is an ad saying that there will be an end to the "shidduch crisis". I of course assumed that was because mashiach will be here soon. Silly me. It is because of the debut of the new dating website called Harei At. Not to be pessimistic but I am not sure how different this site could be than any other dating website. What makes a dating website good or bad comes down to the quality of the participants. A lot of dating websites have a lot of the same people .  This is  not bad, but without a more diverse base of participants  what would make this site different?  I wish the website Harei At good fortune, but I don't think that the grandiose campaign promises have convinced me to sign up. Or even look at their site to begin with. Oy.

Shoes

     I spied this sign at Payless Shoestore. I love the fact that Hebrew is one of the languages on the sign. And as the sign says in many languages, I love shoes. As a woman I love shoes because no matter how much or little the number on the scale is, my shoe size stays the same.

Sensitivity

     It is interesting. Some people are just so very sensitive. One can see it when you speak to them. What makes them amazing is that they are so in touch with subtleties. This sensitivity can often be a deficit. They are so self aware that it can make others uncomfortable. How sensitive is "too sensitive"?
     I suppose too sensitive is when one would rather be alone than realize that many others are unintentionally insensitive. I really feel for such individuals. I wish that I could help them, but short of  kind words and  suggesting a good therapist there is not much that I can do for them.