Chile-bound

It's been months since I've posted anything. Not for lack of things to say, just been running too fast to stop and write about it. Since the last time I wrote, a few things I've been up to include: backpacking in Yosemite, hearing Dennis Ross speak at the Commonwealth Club (something I meant to write about), trip to Atlanta, a couple sonoma wine-country outtings, a night in Point Reyes, a night up the north Coast, trip to Vegas, private-Santana concert put on by Cisco Systems (I got to go thanks to Jee) and now I'm gearing up for a 3-week adventure in Chile with my guy :)

We leave in a couple days, and I can't wait!

Yom Kippur

Starts at sundown tonight and goes through sundown tomorrow. I'll be drinking lots of water today, and conciously staying away from salty food in preparation for the fast.

Here's a good post on Yom Kippur that I came across.

To anyone observing the holiday, have an easy fast and may you be sealed in the book of life--gmar chatima tova (actually, that's for everyone :)

Even so...I don't think I could do it

Andrew Sullivan suggests that maybe the best way to punish Bush is to re-elect Bush. Interesting concept.

"For the first time in his entire life, Bush may actually be forced to take responsibility for his own actions if he is re-elected and becomes the LBJ of the Iraq war. I wonder why Bush-haters haven't thought of this: that the way to punish Bush is to force him to live through the consequences of his own policies. Why, after all, should Kerry take the fall? If he gets elected, can you imagine what Fox News and NRO are going to do to him the minute he brushes his teeth in January? He'll be destroyed by the chaos in Iraq, whatever he does. The right will give him no lee-way at all."

At Yom Kippur, Green Opts to Miss at Least One Game

This is pretty cool. It's not that often that young people are willing to make their religion/roots a priority (without being labeled 'fanatics').

"WHEN Shawn Green made his decision three years ago, it was only half as difficult as the one he has to make now. In 2001, Green opted not to play in the Los Angeles Dodgers' game on Yom Kippur. This year, however, the Dodgers play two games on Yom Kippur, tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon.

The games in San Francisco will be critical because the Dodgers have to win to keep the Giants from supplanting them in first place in the National League West. The Dodgers have held first place since July 7, but their lead is down to a half-game after they lost and San Francisco won last night.

'It's something I feel is an important thing to do," Green said at the time, "partly as a representative of the Jewish community and as far as my being a role model in sports for Jewish kids, to basically say that baseball, or anything, isn't bigger than your religion and your roots.'"

Is this really news?

"As Consumer Reports points out, if you follow the Atkins allowance of 40 "net carbs" a day but fail to pay attention to calories, you could easily land on a fat farm or seriously malnourished.

Staying within the prescribed carb limit, the consumer organization showed that in the course of one day you could consume a 12-ounce Michelob Ultra beer, two 1-ounce bags of Atkins Crunchers chips, one cup of Atkins Endulge vanilla ice cream, two Carborite chocolate chip cookies, one-eighth of an Entenmann's Carb-Counting cake and 10 pieces of Russell Stover Low Carb Pecan Delight chocolates - for a grand total of 1,440 calories. And you would still not have eaten any foods that supplied your body with the nutrients required for good health."

Why Hawks Should Vote for Kerry

Interesting article pointing out why a political Hawk or a right leaning centrist might want to vote for Kerry.

Cult of Death

Excellent David Brook's Op-Ed piece in last Tuesday's NY Times.

"It wasn't a tragedy. It was a carefully planned mass murder operation. And it wasn't Russian authorities who stuffed basketball nets with explosives and shot children in the back as they tried to run away.

Whatever horrors the Russians have perpetrated upon the Chechens, whatever their ineptitude in responding to the attack, the essential nature of this act was in the act itself. It was the fact that a team of human beings could go into a school, live with hundreds of children for a few days, look them in the eyes and hear their cries, and then blow them up."

Israel's first Olympic Gold Metal

on a more positive note, last week Gal Friedman won Israel's first Olympic gold metal. I really wish I could've been watching when the Israeli flag was raised, and the Hatikva (Israel national anthem) played before the whole world. Unfortunately I missed this momentous event, as I was off rafting the Grand Canyon (more on that & pictures later).

From the NY Times:
"Fridman won the gold medal in windsurfing Wednesday afternoon, a victory that sent waves of emotion through his country - joy and pride and great relief. While crowds reveled back in Israel, the Israelis here descended on the little stadium overlooking the sea, the one built just for medal ceremonies.

Few could have envisioned one like this.

Until now, Israel's famous Olympic memory was one of tragedy, the 11 athletes and coaches killed at the 1972 Games in Munich after Palestinian terrorists stormed the Olympic Village and kidnapped them

...
In Athens, as the sun set over the little stadium, Fridman entered for his ceremony, wearing a flag over his shoulders. The crowd of Israelis erupted. They had come from every corner of the Olympics to join in the revelry. The tickets needed to enter became the hottest commodity in Athens as his countrymen scrambled to be here.

Inside, the gathering was a mix of Greeks waving flags and chanting, "Hellas! Hellas!" as well as a big group of French partying over a medal in another race and Israelis wrapped in the Star of David. For a while, they spawned their own miniwave, urging each other on.

But once Fridman stepped to the top podium, Israeli pride overwhelmed everything else.

"With everything that Israel is going through, politically and economically, this is a big morale boost," said Ze'ev Feig, 31, of Tel Aviv. "Just look at people's eyes."

Many of those eyes, particularly the older people's, were filled with tears as the Israeli flag was raised and the anthem played for the first time since the country entered an Olympics in 1952.

Fridman sang along, never stopped smiling and took it all in. Afterward, the crowd came down from the seats, dozens piling onto the podium and around it, chanting and crying and taking pictures. For people from a country that lives with terrorism day to day, a country that lives with the memory of Munich, this was a moment they cherished."

16 People Murdered, over 90 Injured

After several quiet months in Israel, a double bus bombing happened in Beersheba (southern Israel) today...where coincidentally there is no security wall.

courtesy of NY Times

last night

dinner with jee and jane last night. we ate at jee's. it was so nice to have some quality time with them. had been too long since we'd just hung out, and caught up. without lots of people around, not in a bar, just chilling out and chatting.

jee made yummy crab ravioli, and baked chocolate chip cookies for desert. what a treat. made me want to have peope over my place for dinner sometime soon. has been forever. we watched ashley's amazing race video--the perfect finale to the evening. it was hilarious!

Sex and the City

Had dinner with my friend and roommate Eve tonight, at Puerte Allegre. When the bill came, the host suddenly appeared and took it away. We both kind of assumed they'd brought us the wrong bill, and a new one would soon arrive. But no. Instead, a few minutes later, the host arrives with a receipt, explaining that our meal had been paid for. Apparently a tall man who had driven up in a limo, said, "this is to pay for Hillary and Eve's dinner" and then handed the host a credit card.

So to whomever paid for our dinner: Thanks! As Eve said, it was a very "sex and the city" kind of moment.

Had we known, we would've ordered another pitcher of margaritas! :)