I was wondering if any of my lovely readers are going and who I'll get to meet this year. Will I be seeing you in San Francisco?

Leave Comment

This is my public restroom manifesto.

1. All stalls shall have proper lighting.

Do all the mood lighting you want in the sink area. Candle light, funky chandeliers, or brutal gym lights. Really, I could care less about the sink lighting. But the stalls. I want a bright light and no shadows. See, I'm not a squatter and I'm not a toilet seat cover user or a toilet paper ad-hoc coverer, but I am a cleaner. I will take some toilet paper and clean a toilet seat that has some water from the previous flush on it.

I want to see the water that needs to be cleaned up.  I don't want a cursory look in the dim light to be turned into cursing in the dim light because I'm now wet where I shouldn't be wet. Ahem. Lighting.

2. All stalls shall have room for the door to open and an adult to step in.

Call me crazy, but I do not want to have to straddle a toilet in order to get into the stall enough to close the door. No straddling, no squeezing, no square dancing moves. I want to step in, close the stall door behind me and not have to brush up against anything. And if this is an airport bathroom, which might need a manifesto all it's own, I must be able to get my luggage into the stall with me and still not crawl all over the toilet.  

3. All locks shall lock and unlock.

I am done with the days of stretching an arm or leg out to keep a stall door closed. I am done with days of creatively hanging my purse and somehow jamming the stall door shut. And after a late night in Jerusalem, I am also done with "take your cell phone with you in case you get locked in" warnings.

A lock that closes the stall door and then easily opens, but only under my power, is all I'm asking for here. The best bet here seems to be the big sliding locks, not dinky things that need to perfectly line up. I'm also done with lifting a door with my foot to properly align the lock with the lock-hole. (that's technical jargon.) 

4. No body parts shall be touched by the toilet paper dispenser.

I have an aversion to anything other than the toilet seat touching my body when I'm on the toilet. I don't want the cabinet to touch me, I don't want the toilet paper dispenser to touch me and I sure as hell don't want the feminine hygiene trash can to touch me. Here is a little hint to the men that attach toilet paper dispenser to stall walls. 

SIT DOWN ON THE TOILET AND THEN POSITION THE TOILET PAPER DISPENSER.

I refuse to believe that if you were sitting on the toilet when you drilled those holes that you would put it where you leg naturally goes. Or so close to the ground that I have to lean over. Or so close to the door that I can barely reach it. (Which is the opposite of point four, but I'm talking LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION here.)

5. All stalls shall have ample hooks for purses and bags.

It's a bathroom. You know that right? You know what goes on in a stall on a normal day, right? Yeah. I don't want to put my purse on that floor and then take it home, where forgetting your bathroom earlier in the day, I drop my germy purse onto my kitchen counter. No. NO NO NO NO.

Give me some sturdy hooks, maybe two or three, to properly hang my belongings. Especially in a city where there is a thing called winter and sometimes I have a purse, a winter coat and a messenger bag to juggle. Give me peace of mind and let me hang my stuff up. 

6. All stalls shall have toilet paper and bathrooms shall have an emergency supply available.

I'd like to say this is a no-brainer. I'd like to say these are all no-brainers, but if they were, there would be no need for this manifesto. I have to give props to two bathrooms for the availability of emergency toilet paper. The first are the bathrooms at HUC in Jerusalem. Each had a 48 pack under the sink. The second is the Northwestern School of Law bathroom. They had a special shelf FULL of toilet paper. Learn from these universities, restrooms of the world. Ample toilet paper and back-up supplies available make for happy customers. 

7. All toilets shall flush.

I'm a homeowner and before that I worked in college housing. I am not shy about taking a toilet apart to make it flush, but I don't want to do that in a public restroom. However, I also will do everything in my power to leave the next user an empty toilet, so I will take lids off toilets, push buttons and pull strings.

Or you, owner of a public restroom, could just keep the toilet in working order. Water in, water and waste out.  

8. All floors shall be dry.

Remember what I said about setting my purse on the floor? I also don't want the hem of my pants or skirt to get wet in unidentified "God, please let this be water" on the floor. I don't want to walk in wearing my cute summer sandles or ugly crocs and get my fresh pedicure wet in what I hope is water. I also don't like walking out and leaving wet footprints behind me, leaving a trail of people wondering what I stepped in and if I realize that I'm tracking "Oh god, please let it just be water" across the restaurant. 

9. All bathrooms shall have at least one toilet that doesn't feel like it belongs in a kindergarten bathroom. 

I'm tall, but I accept that short people exist. I love some very nice short people. Everyone doesn't need a toilet that comes up to my knee, some people need toilets that come up to my shin. I don't. I want the option of a toilet that is at chair height. I don't want to need a bar above my head to pull myself up and off the toilet, rather a toilet at the appropriate height would serve me fine. 

10. Toilets shall not have those plastic slipcovers on them.

The automatic plastic slip-covers at O'Hare creep me out. CREEP ME OUT. Do I know if you waved your hand and made the thingy move? Do you know if I did? Do I know that the plastic things aren't recycled?

No, no, no, and no. (Actually, I'm pretty trusting that the industry really is one use only... but still.) I can clean off a toilet seat that is reused time and again, I can only wave my hand and hope a clean plastic sheet rolls out for me. 

11. Automatically flushing toilets shall only flush when really appropriate. 

Some toilets flush with such gusto that they cover the toilet seat with water. Thus the need for proper lighting to clean it off with. But what happens then the auto-toilet flushes, you clean it and before you can sit on the toilet it flushes again, covering the toilet seat with water, which you clean.... Finally, you get the timing right and sit before it flushes.

But then the automatically flushing toilet flushing while you are mid-business and you get the distinct feeling that some business just got flushed with gusto up onto you.

Ugh... I hate that feeling. So, automatically flushing toilets of the world, don't flush when I'm sitting on you or just after I've gotten the toilet seat clean enough to sit. How about you get tied to the stall door somehow, eh? 

*This manifesto is written by an American for primarily a Western audience. If I am somewhere that toilets don't flush or toilet paper isn't used, I'll make do.

**This was inspired by the new LA Bathroom Blog. 

***What did I miss? What is on your bathroom manifesto? 

P.S. If I need to tip someone in the bathroom, warn me, cause I feel like an asshole when I go to a bathroom and can't tip the woman giving me toilet paper or eyeshadow. 

Leave Comment

Shabbat he got.

We started around 3PM on Friday afternoon, when he raced around the shuk buying avocados, tomatoes, soda, olives, tahini, challah, and untold bags of fresh produce. I kept trying to take a bag or two from him, but it wasn't until we picked up 8 liters of drinks that he finally let me help. We had etrog from the etrog man, tasted olives while we waited for tahini and snapped a photo of the other ROI. 

+++ 

We went back to his house that was overflowing with guests and immediately got online for the hours remaining before shabbat. Doing work, making calls, sending text messages. Around 6:45 or so, Dave pulled six candles out of the cabinet (two for each female guest to light to welcome shabbat) and by 7:30 we'd lit the candles, put on Kotel appropriate clothes, emptied our pockets and we were out the door.

First stop was the Kotel for kabbalat shabbat, which I've written a bit about. That was the night I put a note in the wall for a guy I know from twitter, Schmult. He's a reader of my work blog and recovering from some serious cancer. Every little bit helps, no?  

At the Kotel, we picked up two more travelers and started the race to Reb Chayim's house at the end of Emek Rafayim. The end. Lucky for us, I remembered how to get to Emek from when I drug Dubi to the wall last summer in the middle of the night. Lucky might not be the right word, because the easiest way to get there is to go from the Kotel to Zion Gate (Serious. Up. Hill. Climb.) then go down a switchback trail, walk past Sultan's Pools, walk UP to the Cinema and scottish church, walk UP to the gas station that is one of my major landmarks and then walk down the street. To the end. The very end.

It was a long walk.

A very long walk.

And, hey, I was observing shabbat so there was no flagging a cab or stopping to buy a bottle of water. Instead I tried to convince the South African I was walking with that Barack Obama isn't Muslim. 

+++ 

Finally we got to our dinner at Crazy Reb Chayim's apartment. From what I understand, Reb used to host dinners of 150 people in the old city, but someone convinced him that while 150 was nice, 20 was better. Reb Chayim was a shtreimel wearing rebbe and he kindly split us up by gender (men down one side of the table, women on the other) and we got down to the business of shabbat dinner.

And by get down to business, I mean we didn't eat for at least another hour. We did a round of introductions. Who are you, where are you from, and answering random trivia from Reb Chayim. Mine was the location of the best burger in Chicago. There were young men at the table who are currently studying with him, a couple that knew him, a former student from Minnesota, lots of folks from Jersey playing Jewish geography and his three young daughters running around making merry.

We made kiddush, we said the opening prayers, we lined up to wash our hands and then we finally got to eat the plates of hummus and Israeli salads in front of us. After we'd had our fill, the appetizers came out. Erm, okay, we can keep eating. After the appetizers (which, honestly, we all thought was dinner) Reb told us it was time for a round of La Chaim's. Each person would make a toast "to life" and everyone would take  a sip of schnapps or wine or another drink after each one. 20 toasts later, I said, "When it comes to a time in your life that you need healing, I hope you are blessed with the most gifted healer you can find."

To life.

Turns out Reb Chayim is a healer. Who knew? 

+++

After the round of toasts, Reb Chayim tells us we've come to the time in the night when we can ask him anything we want. The only exception is questions of halacha or Jewish law. He would give us opinions and not answers. 

Nobody was really asking him much, so I got up from the floor where I'd been looking at his wedding album with his 4 year old daughter. "Okay, I want to know how you met your wife."

We were treated to a 45 minute tale of crossing paths, serendipity, synchronicities, "they say you'll know," and visions.  He and his wife had an amazing tale and if you ever meet him, you should ask. After hearing the story, I realized that his wife only looked meek and my respect for her quintupled. 

+++

Completely full, the Reb told us it was time for the meal. He and some of his students started pulling out the pasta, the cholent, the chicken, the fish. Are you kidding me? We've already had two dinners? We protest in the way you protest at a Jewish meal and we all filled our plates again.

Other people asked questions, but I was still mulling over the story of how he met his wife. What she knew upon meeting him. What he saw upon meeting her. And how in the end everyone was right.

The one question I remember was one of the women in our group asking if she could try on his shtreimel. He said yes! And we passed it around the table. Each of the women wearing it for only a few moments and taking mental photographs of each other, but his students each wore it for 30 or 45 minutes.  

+++

Eventually dessert came out and we all ate again. At some point in the dinner, Reb Chayim offered us each a blessing. Mine was that I win all of my arguments this year. Not a bad blessing to receive. We said the prayers after the meal and got up to say goodbye.

As CK and I left, we finally saw a clock. We left dinner at 3:00 AM. Reb Chayim walked us all the way to the intersection and wished us well. I don't doubt that Reb has some incredible intuition, the man is tuned in to everyone's energy, no doubt. 

CK and I walked an easier way back across Jerusalem and collapsed around 4:00AM. We decided to miss going to a mutual friends kallah shabbat (shabbat before her wedding) because there was no chance we'd be waking up in time.

+++ 

The next day, CK made me the most amazing shabbat meal. A salad full of avocados, tomatoes, corn, and I don't know what else. We had tahini, sweet challah, sweet cold white wine from Gila, and sat on the balcony with our meals and our books.

When it got to hot, we both went inside and spent the rest of the day reading and napping. I kept my cell phone off, I kept my blackberry off, I kept my computer off. I napped and read and napped and read and ate and napped and read. It was a lot like my weekends in Colorado when I didn't have a computer at home or a blackberry.

+++

It was an amazing 25 hours or so. We topped it off with Havdalah and then turned the water heater on, got cleaned up and went out for the night. Will I start keeping shabbat now? I'm not sure, I haven't since I've been back. But do I see it is less intimidating that it seems? Yes.

Am I happy I did it? Yes, absolutely. It was meaningful, my host was generous with time and food, and the Reb was kind in a way I didn't expect shtreimel wearing men to be to a tattooed Jew. 

Who knows what happens now. I've friended the Reb on Facebook and I'll be back to Israel. But what will guarding shabbat mean to me in the future? Only time and space will tell. 

Leave Comment

At work this week I went to a blogger meet-up with Neville Hobson while he was here for the New Media Academic Summit. I went to have cocktails at the home of Dan and Ruth Edelman, where Jesse Jackson spoke for a 15 minutes about the need to elevate the parent-teacher relationship to improve education. I was surprised how many spoke up and thanked Rev. Jackson for the profound influence he had in their lives and in how they chose career paths. At the New Media Academic Summit, I got to pretend I was somebody and hold an Olympic Torch.  

For week's I've been sitting on the not-too-secret, but not-my-news-to-tell news that Amy Guth was getting married. Now I can finally say CONGRATULATIONS!!! She spilled it on Twitter this morning that it was a Vegas Wedding with a former-Elvis officiating. I was so happy to see the news, because I'd been refreshing my interwebs since the sun went down last night waiting for the official news. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

On Thursday night, I went dancing for the first time in ages. Dancing at the Hangge Uppe near Rush 'n' Division for hours with Edelman Colleagues. Combined with the laughing from Monday or Tuesday night that I woke up sore from, it was a much needed night of dance. For the first time in a long time, I danced without thinking about how I looked, what size I am, or how single I am. It was insane amounts of fun. So much fun that my feet (and ankles) ached for a full day afterwards. 

The week was spent immersed in Social Media. The first half I was faculty at Edelman's Summer School, teaching my specialty of search and analysis with desktop tools. The second half I was taking notes, because I'm the person writing the Edelman White Paper after the NMAS. Yikes.

I have to say that my decision about a month ago to stop talking about how overwhelmed I was feeling helped.  I let myself slow-down and enjoy my vacation. Be in the moment more often than not. But now that I'm finally at the end of a crazy six weeks, I feel like I'm in a bit of a free-fall. What now?

Shai Agassi talked about jumping off the Empire State Building and hitting balconies. His balcony is the price of oil. My balconies... I guess we'll find out, but I think they have something to do with moving across the world for a year which I'm still considering fairly seriously.  

Leave Comment

I've stepped up my "toying with the idea" of moving to Israel to "doing some research" about moving to Israel. Not making Aliyah, but going for a year or two. I don't know how, when or if this will really happen, but I'm taking it a bit more seriously than in the past. I don't think Israel will cure all that ails me (being single), but I think the endless sunshine and endless cups of coffee would be good for me.

Other than that, I still have a half-emptied backpack in the middle of my kitchen floor and a melon that is going to get over-ripe before I can eat it. Okay, back to work. 

Leave Comment

He's a wonderful person and a great singer. He's also getting ready to release his first English language CD, so you should get to know him before the CD drops. Here's an interview that my friend Leah Stern did with him for Israel 21C.

Leave Comment

What's the story?

This was on the very last day of ROI120 and one person from each track was asked to make a brief presentation about what the group accomplished during the conference. My track was Jewish Content and Technology, although really it could have just been called GEEKS! and that would have covered us. (Yes, even you, Eileen.) 

We were given a series of questions to answer, but I'd already decided what I was going to do before I was given instructions. As I told Everybody, the diversity in our group was in the skills we could offer other ROIniks. First I had everyone in the group stand, then as I called different skills from the list, people with those skills stood up. Blogging. User interface. Pragmatic programming.  Media strategy. Networking and introductions. Brainstorming. Training. 

I went through a list of about 20 different skills and towards the end, people from other groups stood up if they had those skills as well. I thought that was pretty darn cool. I heard rumors that people liked our presentation and being able to see all the skills we bring to the table as Jeeks. (Jew + Geeks)

Who were the geeks I spent the week with at ROI120?

Andre Oboler from www.zionismontheweb.org, which he created to try and beat-up anti-semitism with search engine optimization. He's got some cool stuff coming up, so watch that space.

Aryeh Goldsmith is the uber-programmer of the Jewish world and he brings us www.JewishInnovation.org. (Aryeh pretty much didn't sit down during the skills presentation, so seriously, you can call him.)

Daniel Ratner was in the track with me last year and was representing Canada with First Floor Pictures and Young Judea.

Eileen Levinson is a graphic designer with some cool Jewish content coming down the pipes, promise. 

Hannah Janal has lived everywhere and is currently in Tel Aviv working with my new friend Ivri Lider on his English Album release. 

Meeting Harry Rubenstein was like meeting a long-lost relative. Both of us are old-timers in the world of Jewish Blogging. His big project is Jerusalemite (think Gapersblock + Yelp for Jerusalem.) My only regret is that his wife from the kick-ass Designist Dream wasn't also at ROI.

Jacob Shwirtz is one of my regular IM buddies since last year. We're two peas in a geeky pod, us two. His day job is doing amazing work for MTV and VH1 like Next Or Not.

JT Waldman is doing insanely cool stuff with JPS and on his own. Come on the Megillat Esther as a Graphic Novel! How cool is that? And he's also an amazing networker. I hope he put me in his pocket. 

Leah Stern, she pronounces it Lay-uh to my Lee-uh, is an uber reporter working on a new tv channel all her own called Falafel.tv. Don't underestimate her b/c of her stature, the woman's has reported from front lines, Ethiopa and is more capable of talking me into aliyah than anyone else.

Micah Bergdale had interview after interview since he's one of the folks doing outreach to the Jewish Community on behalf of some guy... oh, yeah, Barack Obama. And when you've got someone from Jews for Obama in Tel Aviv, you sit down with him for an interview.

Present in listening and learning mode was Michael Geller from the AJC. Michael and I are going to be friends for the next 120 years, I promise. He made me laugh and also let me cry when we were leaving Tel Aviv.

Representing from Mexico was Moises "Moi" Kirsch with Jinuj.net and the MoiBlog. Moi is an amazing guy that currently works at HP.

I'm certainly too old to participate, but hope that I can find an excuse to spend two weeks with Nir Kouris next summer at eCamp Israel. (What do you say Nir? Can I come?) It is an international digital summer camp to highlight the tech success story that is Israel.

Ori Neidich was one of the other folks who answered the "who are you, what do you do" email before ROI. We ran around adding each other on Facebook and Twitter, met each other the week before at MashBash, but it wasn't until ROI started that I realized I'd been following him on Flickr for a year. Looking a little more at the geeky shit we both do, I'm amazed it took us this long to meet. 

Last year, I introduced Tomer Altman to Yahoo! Pipes and this year Tomer introduces all of us to the Jewish New Media Network.

Last but not least is William Levin, creator of ShaBot 6000 and probably my longest standing jBlogosphere crush. ShaBot was an important, irreverent source of learning for me during my conversion. William is awesome in person and ready to make a flash video for your organization.

Finally, finally, is JIMMY from Mexico City who didn't put his url on our list of participant URLs, but JIMMY was a great moderator and funny, funny man.  

Leave Comment

Leave Comment

A lot.

Yes, I'm tired and I cry when I'm tired. More than that, when I come to the HUC campus, I know that on these grounds nobody questions the validity of my conversion or my Jewishness. It is a knot of tension that I carry between my shoulders and spine as I walk around Israel. It's not top of mind anymore, not like on my first trip, but I know it is there because when I cross the threshold to this campus, I cry.

I don't cry at the Kotel. It doesn't pack an emotional punch for me, although I really enjoy going there and go often when I'm in Israel. This weekend, we took two midnight trips to the Kotel. I leave notes in the cracks of the wall. I lean my forhead on the cool stone. I say the Sh'ma and wonder what prayers I "should" be saying.

I enjoy the symphony of noise in the plaza at the kotel as Jews greet shabbat on Friday evening. I appreciate the peaceful silence at two in the morning. I love the cool stone on my face and hands. I stare at the notes, overflowing from the wall and on the plaza ground, imagining what petitions people have made and what thanksgiving has been offered.

But I don't cry. I was not overwhelmed by emotion. I didn't get that punched in the gut feeling that I get during the amidah on some shabbats at home. Within the walls of the Hebrew Union College, I cry. I realize that I've been holding my breath, waiting to be called out to defend my Jewish status.

The rabbis who supervised my conversion, and those who supervise similar conversions around North America, all pass through the space I was in this morning. The converts they welcome to the Jewish people have strings that tie them back to that room and this campus. On this block in Jerusalem, I know that nobody official will doubt me. This is where I feel most at home in all of Jerusalem.

Leave Comment

After having dinner with Ari on Tuesday night and meeting his CEO and CTO on Wednesday night at Mashable (did we talk about MashBash yet?), I was invited up to Sightix HQ on Thursday afternoon to learn more about what they do and talk about how a super user of search engines searches. Then we sat around and chatted about digital skills that are up and coming, what to keep an eye on and then they promised me an invite to Sightix once it is working on something in english. The whole team was welcoming and fun to spend the afternoon with. 

Then I got a call from Shalvi asking if I wanted to meet early before the meet-up for dinner. We picked a corner (cause I'm classy like that, always getting picked up and dropped off on street corners in Israel) and a time, then I found a cafe where I could tell you all about toothpicks.

We had dinner and I heard about life on his kibbutz, talked about plans for the future and daydreamed about life in Israel. After having some way awesome burgers, we picked up some wine at the AM/PM and then walked down to the beach to meet BLOGGERS!

First to arrive was Idan, then Ahuva and Talia came in short order. Ori came with an Argentinian friend who loved my tatoo. Last, but not least, was Gila . Yay! A few people had to cancel at the last minute, but it was a wonderful evening. First the sun set over the sea, then we popped open some red wine, played Jewish Geography (physical and who do you know) and actually got a little chilly in the evening wind.

I took a slow leave this morning and got to Jerusalem around 1:15 or so, just in time for Ronnie to pick me up for lunch. We went to the Germany Colony for lunch, chatted about our trips, and I had possibly the best salad ever. It was so chock full of amazing things, I can't even begin to tell you. 

Then we drove around and around Jerusalem, trying to figure out a way for him to drop me off near Dave's house in the shuk. Obviously we found a place, because I'm writing this from Beit Jewlicious . Shabbat is coming soon and I'm avoiding the desire to IM Dave. He's sitting five feet away from me, but for most of the year we just IM. 

Shabbat shalom, y'all. We're heading to the Old City, then a big o' dinner somewhere, and then tomorrow we're going to a mutual friend's Shabbat Kallah. (She's getting married!)

Leave Comment

At the end of every meal in a restaurant or private home, for that matter, someone brings you toothpicks. Usually with the check, but sometimes before, and about half the time I've also been brought a wet nap.

On one hand this is totally practical. Especially given the herbilicious meal I had yesterday for lunch, having a toothpick to get the basil out of my teeth was appreciated. After late night hamburgers last night, it was nice to be able to get the salt and grease off my fingers with the wet nap.

On the other hand... I don't pick my teeth in public and it freaks me out a little. Okay, freak is too strong a word, but it's slightly out of tune for me. Despite the fact that it keeps happening, I'm also surprised every time it happens. Oh, look, toothpicks. More toothpicks. Wet naps. Toothpicks.

Then I started thinking about all the little restaurant things that I've learned in different countries that have nudged me back. Ordering at the bar in London, then going to your table and listening for your number to be called, then going back to pick up your food in the kitchen. In Argentina, learning how to use one square of wax paper as the only napkin. In Japan... well, in Japan it was all so different that it didn't bother me to sit on the floor and cook my own food.

So here, in Israel, it's the toothpicks and the public use of toothpicks. But, eh, that's how it is, so somebody pass me a toothpick, okay? B'seder. 

Leave Comment

I got out of Chicago an hour or two before some incredible storms hit. If my travel agent had booked me a flight one later than the one I had, I don't know that I would be in Tel Aviv yet. I had a four hour layover in Newark, where, typical Leah style, I fretted about my luggage and checking into El Al. Once the line opened, they took my passport away twice, but at least I wasn't searched in a room with a huge metal door like in Zurich last year. So its improving.

The flight left more or less on time and I watched one lame movie, then slept for the remaining 7 hours. Out cold, except I woke up occasionally to nudge the young teenage boy next to me. Occasionally he got a little too close for comfort, so I'd nudge him towards his brother on the other side. Please, no cuddling the Leah.

Got in to Tel Aviv, made it through passport control without a problem. Got my luggage, super. Shared a taxi with two women from Atlanta who are "just here to play!" I found the house of my hosts, no problem, but had missed them. They left me a note inside the lobby, but it didn't occur to me that the lobby door might be open. I walked up to a cafe, got on twitter, and Talia (aka @TalTalk) offered to come get me for the night. Hooray for Twitter! Talia and I chatted on the way to her house, but once we got there, I passed out.

In the morning, I reconnected with my hosts (introduced to me via colleague and friend Danielle) and Talia generously brought me back to Tel Aviv. That afternoon I closed my eyes for a minute, aka passed out, and then later went for a walk and coffee. I came back and met more family, ate a light dinner, and slept some more.

Yesterday's plan forever had been to go to Tzfat for a couple days. But with Shavuot, the MashBash and  my extreme sleeping, I didn't have time to properly go to Tzfat. Alls well that ends well, because the day I had in Tel Aviv was magic. One of my hosts, Nira, told me a route around Tel Aviv to walk and then finished drawing a map that I started based on her directions. 

I put sunscreen on my face, but not on my arms (foolish Leah will never learn), and set out. I wandered though Dizengoff Center, Carmel Market, B'zalel Market, down Allenby to the beach, and paused to take a phone call from Wolf PR. Ishai at Wolf suggested a friend of his that would be at the MashBash for me to talk to and apologized that I might not be able to come to the office.

I continued on my way and twittered my locations. Eventually I settled at the same cafe as the afternoon before, then got a tweet asking if I would be available at 4:30 for coffee. Hooray! Twitter strikes again. This time it was Ivri Lider, a very well-known Israeli singer, who was turned onto twitter a couple months ago. He had some cancellations, saw my open invitation for anyone to join me and decided to join me. He's lovely. So nice and definitely sees the value of social media for artists of any type.

Then I got a call from Ari, the friend of Ishai's at Wolf PR, to chat about his start-up Sightix . We decided to just get dinner a bit later, so that's how I wound up having sushi on the Port getting to geek out and talk about search skills and social networks. Sightix is exhibiting tonight at MashBash, so we won't have a chance to talk. I'm thrilled I got to learn more last night and am itching for an invite to try the service in the fall.

This morning, I'm on a patio on Ben Yehuda. Tonight is MashBash, where I'll get to meet lots of Israeli Web 2.0 folks. Tomorrow night I'm getting together with local blogger and twitterati that I haven't met in person. Although after tonight, many of us will have met in person. 

Leave Comment

What's on my agenda?

Shavuot in Tel Aviv with friends of a friend. Then up to Safed for a night. Back to Tel Aviv for the big Mashable Party. A day at Wolf PR, our Edelman Affiliate in Tel Aviv, talking about Edelman Digital and possibly meeting with the media. That night I'll be meeting friends on the beach, most of them in person for the first time. 

The next morning, I'll hop onto the bus and go up to Jerusalem where I'll have lunch with Ronnie. Yes, Chicago Ronnie. We can't find time to see each other in Chicago, so we're seeing each other in Jerusalem. Which is fair enough. That shabbat I'll be crashing with CK from Jewlicious and having my first traditional shabbat ever. So, um, you won't be hearing from me that day.

Then Sunday I'll drag my suitcase across Jerusalem to the hotel that I'll call home for a week of ROI120. When that wraps up, I'll meet blog reader Rachel for dinner and then come back to Chicago.

It sounds like a lot, but it is mostly unstructured time. Can you believe it? Unstructured. Hell. I could change my mind and go to Sederot instead of Safed, cause I don't have my ticket or hotel yet. I hope to write a lot. So much so, that I don't even have any books in my bag yet.

Watch my twitter, watch my flickr, watch my blog. I'll be online occasionally, but mostly I'll be present and accounted for in Israel. 

Leave Comment

When I studied Chemistry, each year was like walking up a spiral staircase. When you are first taught about atoms, you are taught that electrons travel in an orbit. The bigger the atom, the more orbits of electrons.  Then as you continue in Chemistry, you learn that the electrons don't travel in orbits like planets, but exist in probability clouds. The more electrons, the more probability clouds in various shapes. 

When you begin to learn how atoms fit together, you start with some oxygen and some hydrogen. Eventually you go on to Organic Chemistry (how to carbon based molecules work) and Inorganic Chemistry (how does everything else fit together.) Then you go on to Physical Chemistry.

Each course builds on the previous course and often you relearn the concept. It isn't an elevator of learning, but a spiral staircase of learning.

This is how I think people need to learn about social media.

First you learn about one type of online community, maybe blogs. Then as you learn another online community, you don't throw out everything you learned about blogging, but you build on it. I might teach you RSS five times. First time we talk, you'll learn about subscribing to the NY Times and Blogs. The next time about using RSS with search engines. Finally you'll be so fed up with the amount of information coming in, that you'll be ready for Yahoo! Pipes.

But you can't start with Yahoo! Pipes, just like you can't start with Physical Chemistry.

You need the first spiral, then the second.  Keep building your online knowledge and don't be afraid to relearn. Also don't think you have to learn it all at once. 

Hmm... the beginning of something... thoughts? 

Leave Comment

Leave Comment

I'm not knocking Chabad here, but the goal was to provide an alternative within our congregation. So once a month for the last two years, we've gotten together and talked about many different mitzvot including Kaddish, Passover rituals, Shabbat, relationship to Israel, general Prayer, keeping kosher and this Wednesday we'll be talking about fast days.

After two years and being a participant in ROI120 , I was eligible for a CLI/ROI grant which I got. I now have a check in my hands that will help pay for logo design (I'm lookin' at you Mamma's Boy), web stuff (I'm lookin' at you, Abitbol) and writing the curriculum.

I'm looking at you gentle readers. 

Why do I need an army of collaborators?  Because my goal is to turn this into a national program. To provide the info so that people can gather in coffee shops across the country and talk mitzvot with or without a rabbi.

What do I need from you?

I figure that most liberal Jews have one mitzva they are particularly enamored with be it going to mikvah (cough, Jendais, cough), lighting shabbat candles, keeping kosher for passover, saying the shema (cough, Mark, cough) or some other beautiful mitzva in our tradition. Instead of having one person write the entire thing, I want a bunch of people to contribute.

What would you do?

1. Pick a mitzva to research and write the one sheeter for (front and back of one page)

2. Find the place in the Torah or Talmud where the mitzvah originates.

3. If there is a mishna or story about the mitzva, add that too.

4. Gather some ways this mitzva is observed from very traditionally to loosely.

5. Find some liberal commentary on the mitzva.

6. Create 4-5 questions that could be used to lead a discussion on the mitzva.

If you want to get involved leave a comment or send me an email. Did I mention that I can pay you a small something for this? I think I have a budget for $20 a mitzva. I know it is just a token, but if you pick a mitzva you already know and love, this could be a short cool project for you.

What do you say? Want to be a part of Itza Mitzva? 

Leave Comment

With that in mind, I'm going to stop reeling from the six weeks I am in the middle of that have or will include visit to Toronto office, mesh conference, Pilcrow Lit Fest, cousin's wedding, visit to Atlanta Office, two weeks in Israel, ROI120 conference, Edelman Summer School (as professor, not student),  Edelman's Academic New Media Summit followed closely by the fourth of July and a week-long tour of northern California including visits to the Sacramento, San Mateo and San Francisco offices and BlogHer.

I won't keep going through that itinerary. I won't. That's the last time... until I get to dinner with a friend tonight and start going over the list again.

Instead I will enjoy my hysterical night of bowling last night for Cathy's birthday. A bit of a surprise that I showed up to her and me, because when I was invited that afternoon I said, "I'm freaking out about everything going on, I don't think I can handle it." Then I realized that I was being an ass, put a bracelet on and got on the train. When we finished a night of bowling (high score for me was 127), I hopped in a cab and went to the Gapersblock party at the Hideout for 20 minutes.

I slept in this morning and had bizarre dreams about my washing machine being stolen, a mysterious staircase and my friendly next door neighbor Dave from Blogography. Erm, my friendly dream neighbor. He discovered the missing washing machine with me and confirmed I now had a mysterious staircase and a very watchful cat on the stairs.

This afternoon will be spent doing laundry, a mud mask and deciding if I'm gonna go to Israel like a college student using just a carry-on and my hosteling backpack. Lugging the big suitcase doesn't sound appealing this year and I know that I can have laundry done when I check in to my hotel for ROI.

Decisions, decisions.

Oh. And slowing down. 

Leave Comment

2. Mesh and Pilcrow were amazing, but left me restless. I think I just need a vacation. See point 1.

3. I have not gotten my shit together to get my condo on the market. I very much want to sell it, but need to paint a closet. This is holding me back. Too much travel to schedule an appointment.

4. I want to be in love. 

5. I don't want to record my weight this week.

6. I opened up a word document last night to work on my novel. I closed it without adding a word. Maybe I'm not going to write a novel. 

7. Bullet 4 is so loaded, it needs to just be six words.  

Leave Comment

I start a new job in mid July. I will in a busy university setting, where (at least for the first year) I will have meetings, committee work, student projects, and my own work to juggle, etc. So I would like to be able to check email from my phone, access the internet, create electronic to do lists and reminders, jot down notes on my novel... If the phone could have a decent camera that would nice too, but that might be asking too much. The phone has to be dependable as I won't have a landline. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks so much.

So, kind readers, please give Amy some advice, please. 

(I'll start by saying I love the Curve and had a love affair with the Pearl.) 

Leave Comment

In the meantime, here is a video that Phil made on Saturday and had posted to YouTube before we left the fundraiser.

Leave Comment

I have so much to say about spending a week with Canadian Digerati and American Literati, but it all has to wait. I've go to get on the road and go to a wedding.

P.S. Mazel Tov to Ryan and Sara on the birth of their son John Edison this morning! 

Leave Comment

Some thoughts while I stand on my feet.

1. Canadians are really nice. We have quite the back-channel going between Twitter and two major live blogs. When a presentation started going south, people just started chatting about other things, but there was no revolt. I really appreciate the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" attitude that I'm feeling here.

2. Canadians are really nice. I started a separate twitter account for this trip, @LeahAtMesh, to let my regular followers opt-out of my mesh coverage (remembering how I felt during SXSWi). But the greatest thing has been by having an event specific account, I've actually met and been focused on the people here. I'm not watching Chicago stuff or other stuff (well, I'm paying attention to Pilcrow and news about my Aunt), I'm here. People might complain that if you are on twitter you aren't present, but by following only people here with me, it has really enriched the experience.

3. Canadians are really nice. Last night I was chatting with a couple guys, one of whom is working on ScribbleLive . Then I was introduced to a TechCrunch writer who asked if I knew anyone local he could talk to with a start-up. I said, "That tall guy has a cool live-blogging thing going on." Cough, cough. How did I find out? The Scribble guys said thank you. I like that. Go Scribble!

More things about how nice canadians are coming soon....

Leave Comment

Okay.. through twitter I found out about coveritlive.com from Dave Fleet . Let's see if this works.

Leave Comment

that Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbelestier would come to Pilcrow just to sit on our Young Adult Panel on Saturday.

Leave Comment

But it is now just days away, DAYS!

I gotta tell you, out loud and in public, how proud I am of Amy. She has taken the bull by the horns, she's masterminded, she's done the heavy lifting, she's done the light lifting, she's done the introductions, the invitations, the schlepping, the wheeling, the dealing, the borrowing... I don't even know what all, but she has.

While I'm on staff, I'm on staff with one primary role--social media stuff and brainstorm. All the other jobs that need to get done to put on a literary festival, all on her plate. She has worn 5 bajillion hats and done so fashionably.

This is going to be an amazing experience because Amy didn't stop at saying, "I wonder what it would be like to do a lit fest in Chicago..." but because she then made it happen.

Congratulations in advance Amy Guth and say thank you for inviting me to play a part in this, dare I say, historical first festival .  

Leave Comment