The Projects I Work On

Today is a fast day in the Jewish calendar. This particular one is known as Tzom Gedaliah. Today I can not eat or drink anything at all. Because of this, I have neither the presence of mind nor the energy to really make a quality video. I decided therefore, that this is a good opportunity to tell y'all about all the different projects I'm working on.

Four Lives in Four Minutes

This video is a project that was completed for my class Sight and Sound: Documentary, which is in the NYU Undergraduate Film School.

In the class, we were split up into crews of four. Each crew works together for the whole semester. This project required that

Postponed...

I have the video made. It's pretty cool, and it's a collaborative effort between me and three others of my classmates. Unfortunately, I don't have it at the moment, but I'll get it. Please be patient and wait a day or two to get it. Thank you.

My Crazy Schedule!

So I have a nuts schedule this semester. Every day I get up at 6:15 AM, take a bunch of classes and partake in my many hobbies and extra-curricular activities, only to get to bed at 11 PM every night.

I'm taking 6 classes. One of them (Sight and Sound: Documentary) is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9AM to 6PM. You read that right. And there are projects besides. One of the classes I'm auditing. It's extremely intense.

I also started a new workout regimen, which is working very well for me. The only way that I've been able to keep myself sane is to schedule and plan every minute of every day. I always know exactly where/when I'm supposed to be. This year my iPhone has come in even more handy than it has previously.


Wish me luck on my crazy schedule!

Oh, and if you want any of the materials relating to my workout regimen (I keep very close track of my progress by way of a complex spreadsheet and graphing, and I made a different workout playlist on my iPod for every day of the week), please contact me at starfilmsentertainment@gmail.com.

The Great Carlyle Fire of 2011!

The day started out hectic enough. I made an apple pie for a massive lunch my room mates and I were planning for Saturday afternoon. We invited roughly 30 people to this lunch. It was truly epic. I did get the apple pie made in the end, but later on in the day, as the kitchen continued to be continually hectic and overly crowded, our fire alarm started going off. We contacted the front desk, but they told us it was not a problem. Go figure. I began making my video for the week, and just as I was saying that I didn't know what else to put into the video, the main fire alarm in the building went off.

As we all filed out of the building, we shared one thought. Was it our fault?

It took forever for the staff to let us back into the room, and with the impending approach of Shabbos, tensions began to rise. We found out that the alarm was actually sounded because a girl in our tower had put her hangers on a sprinkler on the 6th floor. Some rooms in the floors below her were flooded knee deep in water. Luckily, our room was saved and completely dry.

Guest starring my lifelong friend, Sholom B.!

The New Room

As you may or may not know, I have recently moved into my new dorm room located on Union Square West. I'm pretty excited about it. My three room mates and I are all good friends, and we are planning on taking full advantage of the kitchen our room comes equipped with.

Well, although I have described my room and the furnishings I'm living with to everyone in great and eloquent detail, they still badger me for pictures. I figured I could do one better. Please enjoy The New Room.

Back To Civilization

Here it is. Later than I had hoped to put it up, but here nonetheless. In this video, I made the trip from the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, where I spent a good chunk of my summer - about 6 weeks or so - back to the hustle bustle of New York City.

I hitched a ride with my brother, and my girlfriend also shared the trip. My brother and I took turns driving, and arrived in the Bronx, which is where my girlfriend and I got out and caught a 1 train heading downtown. That was the hardest part of the trip. The station in the bronx had no elevator, so lugging all of our luggage (I had one huuuge suitcase, my violin, camera [which I actually didn't end up using all summer because I just used my iPhone], messenger bag, and another small bag besides. Plus both of my tefillin [phelactories] Oy.), we slowly ascended the two long flights of stairs. Once we were on the train, utterly exhausted, we both collapsed into four empty seats, with ample room for all of our stuff. At 42nd Street, we found an elevator and switched to the NQR, taking elevators wherever possible.

At Union Square, we got out again, headed to an elevator to take us up to the main level, and then went about finding another elevator. We didn't find one because, as a woman who shared the first elevator told us, "There isn't an elevator to the street at Union Square." Well, as I found out a couple days later, that isn't entirely true, but Union Square station is sprawled out underground, and the elevator isn't anywhere near Union Square West, where we wanted to get out. It's all the way at the Easternmost entrance to the station. But it's there. Anyway...

Once we lugged all of our stuff into our rooms in our respective dorm rooms, I headed to the apartment where I resided at the beginning of the summer and proceeded to move all of my other stuff (with the help of my illustrious room mate) to my dorm.

I am now settled in and comfortable. Life is good. I may do an extra video soon about my new dorm. Keep watching!

Post postponed.

So just to let all the world know that I have not forsaken my beloved blog and its followers...

Because of Hurricane Irene (that was lame, wasn't it?), I wasn't able to get lots of footage of the city. But to be sure, I'm planning on getting all the footage I need, and making the video as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

My First Text Only Post

So the past week has been quite hectic, with many events following each other in quick succession. In spite of that, I have failed to find either the subject or the time appropriate for making a video. Instead, I decided I would give you a textual description of the goings on that have been happening around me.

First off, I'm back in the Adirondacks. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Last Monday, the day after my last post, a friend of mine got married. It was especially exciting because he was the first marriage of my high school class. Every member of the graduating class showed up. All twelve of us. The girl he married is actually also from Cleveland, and was in our kindergarten class (before the boys and girls were split up in first grade).

The next day, I left Cleveland for the Adirondacks. It was the basic trip, nothing exciting. I drove my shift, as did both of my parents. 'Nuff said.

On Thursday, my girlfriend arrived in the evening on a bus all the way from her room mate's house in Virginia! Loooong ride. It was crazy. But still, it's good to haver her. I'm just glad it went off without a hitch. Friday we went skiing/tubing. Yeah, we flipped her. Mwahahaha! She loved it (so she says).

Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath), was extremely relaxed. A long walk in the afternoon was the extent of the excitement for the entire 25 hour period.

Last night, apparently several members of the family heard coyotes howling in the night. To them, it sounded like they were screaming. I've heard them before, but last night I slept right through it.

Today it's raining. Looks like we're going into town to get some canned fun. Well, that's about all that's going on. Until next week or sooner! Keep watching for the trip back to the city, my crazy schedule and other goings on around NYU.

Water Fun Summer 2010

This is a nostalgia video. I found the footage on my hard drive and realized the purpose had been to make an exciting video for my blog. And then I never got around to it. Well! The footage is as good as it was then, so I edited it up (on my iPhone of course) and here it is! If I remember correctly, the day we took the footage was one of the last days in the Adirondacks for that year. My brother and I tubed, he went wakeboarding, and I may have went skiing, though that is not in this video.

Please enjoy our Water Fun from the Summer of 2010.

The VIC

In this video we're going to slow things down a little bit and show off the beautiful Visitor Interpretive Center (otherwise known as the VIC) located near Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks.

This video was taken while we were still up in the Adirondack Mountains, and because of all the exciting things going on, I decided to postpone its showing for a while.

The VIC has much to offer in the way of beautiful trails, relaxing scenery, and the Interpretive Center itself. The Center is a beautifully constructed building, taking its design after the famed camps of the Adirondacks, which were owned and inhabited in summertime by some of the wealthiest people in America and indeed the world at one time or another. The building has a high ceiling, reminiscent of a Grand Room one finds in many of those old houses.

The Center often has educational projects going on, with a room there that tells the history of the Adirondacks, a cinema room for educational videos about the Adirondacks, and other seasonal tables showing some pelts, skulls, feathers and other relics of some of the species that inhabit the land in the area. The VIC is open year round. If you are in the area, you aught to check it out.

This is their website, if you're interested. http://www.adirondackvic.org.

Tisha B'Av

This video is a little more serious than some of my usual posts. This one deals with a day in the Jewish calendar known as Tisha B'Av (lit. "the 9th of [the Hebrew month of] Av"). It is a fast day during which we remember the destruction of both our temples in Jerusalem. Though they happened many years apart, both were destroyed on the same day of the year.

There are a few other things that Jews customarily do to mourn the Temples. We dip an egg in ashes before eating it (The egg is a symbol of new beginnings - it's round shape denotes the end of the old and the start of something new, while the ashes signifies the actual destruction of the Temples). We don't wear leather shoes. We sit on the floor or very low chairs.

On the night of Tisha B'Av, we also read Eichah/Lamentations. Here in this video, see Rabbi Shmuli Friedman expounding on the last phrase of Eichah, "Hashiveinu Hashem eilechah v'nashuvah chadesh yameinu k'kedem," "Return us to you, O G-d, and we shall return, renew our days as of old."

Going Home

After over month spent in the peaceful solitude of the Adirondacks, it is finally time to take my leave and return home to Cleveland, OH. Because I didn't actually come home for Spring Break last semester, the last time I was home was Winter Break! That was 6 months ago! I haven't seen this place in a long time. It's going to be good to be home. But first, there is still the obstacle of actually getting there. The trip usually takes about 9 to 9 and a half hours.

For the first 4 hours, my mom drove. Then we took a break, and I ended up driving the rest of the way home. The weather was perfect, so the driving was just fine. We put on some music, and the drive flew by.

In making this video, I tried to cut it down to the bare minimum length keeping all of the main points while discriminating against the 'fluff.' And once the whole thing was finished, I decided to go in and lighten the mood a little with a now and again running commentary. Please enjoy 'Going Home.'

The Day Before The 9 Days

From August 1st to August 9th of this year (2011), we find ourselves in a period of time of the Jewish calendar called the Nine Days. This is a period of mourning for Jews, as many evil things over the centuries have occured during this time. Well, some of the things we are not supposed to do during this time are rather fun and enjoyable the rest of the time, so I decided to take advantage of the last day before going in. And, after outlining some of the things that Jews are not allowed to do during this time (some as a sign of mourning, some because they are considered dangerous, and we don't put ourselves at risk during the Nine Days), I decided to think of some things that CAN be done during the Nine days. Stay tuned!

Loon Lake Mountain

This mountain was just opened up this season. It was previously inaccessible to the public. When my father read about it in the local paper, he suggested it to my brother, who asked me if I wanted to come along. Much to his surprise, I agreed.

Well, the hike itself was 3 miles long, and quite varied in terrain. For the first 2 miles, the trail was more of a road, wide enough for two or three men to walk abreast, and fairly level. There was a slight uphill ascent. As we got further in on this section of the trail, the trail became increasingly muddy. Fairly soon after the muddy section, we crossed a bridge, and the trail became more of a standard hiking trail, just wide enough for us to hike single file.

Despite being a new trail, it was fairly well worn, as it followed a dry streambed. I imagine that in wet weather the trail flows with water yet again. For the first bit of the regular part of the trail, it was more uphill than before, but nothing I couldn't handle easily. It was not bad at all. It was only later on in the trail that the going got tough.

We soon arrived at the final ascent, which was a portion made entirely of boulders and large rocks that we had to climb over and up, in order to reach the top. This portion was quite steep, and I had to take a break a few times, although the whole section could not have been even a mile in length. Once we finally got past this portion of the trail though, we did reach flatter ground. At this point, the trail leads on a seemingly pointless meandering path, twisting this way and that through a wood made of thin, young looking trees. This meandering path was a little comical after the arduous boulder section we had just come off of.

Although the trail may have been hard for a bit, the view was worth it. The view was spectacular. Upon reaching the top, you can see about a 160 or 170 degree view right away, mostly to the southwest and and west.

BUT

There is a firetower at the top of this mountain, though it's in disrepair and looks quite decrepit, with some planks of the steps missing, broken out windows at the top and things like that. The bottom section of the stairs is not even connected to the rest of the staircase. In order to go up the firetower, it is necessary to climb up the stairs as they lean on the corner of the structure, and from there it is possible to lift yourself up onto the first landing. Upon climbing the firetower, reaching the top, you are embraced by a beautiful, unparalleled 360 degree view. From this magnificent vantage point, you can see the high peaks region of the Adirondacks, Whiteface prominently standing out among the others in the field of view. This mountain was absolutely phenomenal.

Kayaking On Three Lakes

My brother Sholom, and I went kayaking last week. The day trip took us into three different lakes, each with their own allure and beauty. The various sites seen along the way made for an interesting and constantly changing view. And, as if I could've asked for more, we had absolutely beautiful weather, with soft, cotton-candy clouds and bright sunlight that made everything I shot appear in vivid color. The day was magnificent.

From the car, we carried the two kayaks down to the waterfront at Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks. After putting in at the waterfront, we paddled off straight into the middle of the lake, which is the beautiful Lower St. Regis. Because of a Wooden Boat Show going on at the college that day, there were many boats on the water, including a Chinese Junk and an odd two masted canoe-turned-sailboat. Heading towards the seemingly impenetrable wall of cattails and marshes at the far end, we found the winding waterway that leads to the second lake of the day, known as Spitfire Lake. In here we saw many beautiful and expensive looking houses, including, in one cove, five stone houses, which stuck out among all the other wooden Adirondack style houses. The farthest of these stone houses had a multi-level boathouse, also of stone that looked like a turret stolen from a medieval castle.

Also on Spitfire we passed by a big beautiful sailboat. Upon mentioning that he liked the boat, my brother learned from its owner (who was fishing from the land), "She looks pretty good for 113, eh?" Indeed she did.

From Spitfire, we paddled onward to Upper St. Regis, again through a channel, this one a slightly narrow waterway through the land itself. Upon reaching this third lake, we took a break, and while Sholom put his feet in the water and read a book, I relaxed and soaked up some sun.

When we headed back by the same route that we had come, I surprised myself when we got back to the car by being not very tired out at all. I was sure, upon beginning the day trip that I would be exhausted by the end, but I was okay! Well, that was my kayak ride through three lakes. It was a good day.

AVA Trip To Rutgers

Ani V'Ata went on the road to Rutgers, for one last trip together in the Spring of 2011. What a crazy semester, and what a crazy year! The old members, Robert, Simona, Abbaleh, Rachel, and Dana, will all be missed. Never forgotten. Anyway, if you're seeing this, and you're a student of the Undergrad Program in the 2011-2012 school year, come out for the upcoming auditions to fill the spots that are left vacant! As one of the best A Capella groups in NYU, we do hope that we will see your face at our auditions this Fall. Please come out, with all you've got (however much talent that is!).

When I made this, all those ages ago, I did intend to put it up right away, but true to form, simply forgot. Well, anyway, here's the video in all its glory.

BeatBox

This is a video I made of myself beatboxing 3 months ago. To answer the questions that are bound to pop up, yes I am making all of those sounds with my mouth, there are no special effects involved. The poster in the background is my room-mate's, and is supposed to be ironic, reading "'God is dead' - Nietzche 1890, 'Nietzche is dead' - God 1900." Anyway, I hope you enjoy this sample of my beatboxing, and more videos are to follow very soon! Yes, this is a sign that I'm getting back into this.

I know it's been a while, but you can start checking the blog regularly again, because I'm going to be posting (hopefully) more often than I have, which is rather rare indeed. In fact, I have a video or two that I made a while back but never did post, so I'll start with those real quickly, with a bit of background on those, and then I'll start putting up new videos as I go along.

AVA at ICCA Quarterfinals 2011

So Ani V'Ata competed at the International Championship for Collegiate A Cappella Northeastern Quarterfinals for 2011 (whew, that's a mouthful)! And what an event it was! The competition was high, with the other a cappella groups performing extraordinarily well, most notably the Nor'easters from Northeastern University and the Starving Artists from Brandeis University. Also at the competition was our good friends, Tizmoret from Queens College.

When we were going into the competition, we weren't really expecting to do all that well. I mean, we knew we were/are hot stuff, but what are the odds we would do well? The order of performances for these competitions is selected randomly by picking a number out of a hat, and we came up last. We were the closing performance! While we were less than pleased with this twist of events at first, we soon realized that it played to our advantage because being last allowed us to be freshest in the minds of the judges. We sang our songs, kicking butt the way we do, and when the judges left after our performance to talk about the winners, the emcee proposed a beatbox battle. I ran on stage. Unfortunately, we do not have any footage of this epic event, but let's just say I had a lot of fun.

When the judges came back, they had everyone from every group come on the stage. First they handed out some awards. I did not get the Vocal Percussion award, but the judges didn't see the beatbox battle, so it's their own loss. As our group is standing together awaiting our impending doom, we heard the judge announce the award for best soloist, "Melanie Herrera of Ani V'Ata!" we went crazy! Someone from our group got an award of that magnitude! Then they started announcing the group winners. When the Starving Artists won third place, we hung our heads, because we were expecting that to be the best we would get. But then they announced us as the 2nd place winners who would be going on to the semifinals along with the 1st place winners! Our group went ballistic! We jumped up and down, the euphoria of the event not really hitting us yet. You can imagine, we are all still riding on a cloud at the moment. It was a great night.

Welcome To College

This is a video that I made a long time ago, waaay at the beginning of the school year. The footage was taken within the first month of school, and edited into this video shortly after. I never posted it because... Well, I have no idea why, actually. I just didn't deal with it. Anyway, enjoy!

Ani V'Ata: The Inaugural Tour (Trailer 2)

This is the second installation of trailers for the upcoming documentary about NYU's Premier Jewish A Cappella group, Ani V'Ata. The documentary highlights the inaugural tour of the group, where they sang at numerous gigs in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Expect the documentary to be available March or April time.

Ani V'Ata: The Inaugural Tour (Trailer 1)

After 14 years of a cappella goodness, the Jewish group from NYU has finally taken a big step towards becoming world stars. On their first tour ever, Bass and Beatboxer David Stern (known to his fellow singers and friends by his Jewish name, Dovid) brought along his camera and plenty of tapes.
This is a trailer for the upcoming documentary film about the group, highlighting the tour. Keep watching... There is more to come!

Jay-Z To Perform with Ani V'Ata at Winter Concert!!!

Apparently, Mr. Jay-Z, legendary rap artist, is set to perform with the Jewish A Cappella group from NYU, Ani V'Ata for their Winter Concert. The concert is being aptly named "Hanukapella: You Spin My Dreidel Right Round," as it falls on the 3rd night of the Jewish Holiday of Chanukah. The occurrence of Mr. Z's performance is especially noteworthy because the night of the concert is also his birthday. Happy Birthday Mr. Z!