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."
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.'
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
