Ten rules of rowing that apply to life

Well, todays 2:30 wakeup for my regatta ended the fall rowing season. The following was a little note that I made for my girls:

Ten rules of rowing that apply to life
 1) always row harder to get better results
2) if you don't work together then you won't go anywhere
3) practice makes better
4) rowing against the current will make you stronger in the long run
5) no matter how many races you win or lose, there will always be food at the regattas ;)
6) rowing through the rain won't always be fun, but it will always be an experience to remember. Make the best out of it.
7) there is never any harm in giving it your all!
8) always be prepared for the weather
9) when  the water gets rough or the wind picks up, raise your oar and push into it. The conditions will get better (even if it's not until next practice)
10) make every practice something to be proud of

<3 Your coxswain.

since forever and a day

wow, it's been forever! After coming home from Israel I spent the end of my summer going all over the place, visiting various family members and friends and mostly doing school work. and then came the start of the school year.

whaddya know, more school work!

And what with the high holidays (yes, my Rosh Hashanah-new year- was wonderful, and yeah the Yom Kippur fast was much easier than usual, and yes there were so many less mosquitoes in our sukkah this year. I know, can you believe Hanukkah is falling on thanksgiving?!?) my life has been just a tad bit hectic of late.

oh hey, and I can drive! Well, I'm not sure that I'd call whatever I'm doing driving... its mostly just freaking out about how fast i'm going in first gear as I stall around a parking lot. But you know, same thing.

So yes, I'd say I've been pretty busy and boy, am I missing those bright and sunny summer days!

 

 

hope to write more soon,

love, Ari

i'm baaack!

Why hello again, my lovely readers! After five weeks of sweating like I have never sweat before, I have returned home to the land of summer humidity and thunderstorms. And yes, I did have an amazing time in Israel. Who would've thought that you can make such close friends with a group of 115 strangers in such a short amount of time? (Heck, I didn't even think I'd remember everyone's names by the end of the trip.) But I did. And all those awkward interactions and attempts at making small talk during the first week most definitely paid off because I do believe that this summer has been one of the best in my life.
  So. An edited version of my mom's post.

 

The Top Five Experiences to have in Israel with my peers

(in no particular order)

 

Five: Visiting the first ever Kibbutz, doing some trust building and bonding activities with the group of friends who I was paired with during the whole five weeks, and receiving the shirts of our movement after a special ceremony.

 

 

 

Four: Building a raft with a group of friends, sailing it across the Kinneret, getting caught by the wind and being towed to shore by a rescue boat, and playing Frisbee with a watermelon with the people rescuing us.

 

[photo taken by a staff person]

 

Three: Climbing Masada 3 hours before dawn while jet-lagged to see the sunrise over the Dead Sea. (And then climbing back down in what turned out to be approximately 124 degree weather.)

 

 

 

Two: Shopping in the Shuk and eating fresh fruits and veggies and other yummy things (and buying 'Israeli clothing' at a good price after haggling)

 

 

One:Spending time on kibbutzim, hikes, and at youth hostels chilling with and getting to know the group of new friends who became my family in just five weeks.

 

 

 

Overall, its been a wonderful summer... but I'm also happy to be home.

 

xoxo,

Ari

 

 

Things Are Happenin' in Israel!!

This is Ari’s Mom pinch-hitting as guest blogger while Ari is travelling in Israel.  I have thought of a few themes that may be of interest to her readers and to Ari and decided that shelikes prioritizing things and ideas.  I am therefore submitting the following : 

The Top Five Experiences to have in Israel with your peers

(let’s see if Ari modifies this significantly)

Five :  Running into a friend from Israel at a Kibbutz (socialist living community in Israel) that you are visiting

Four : Witnessing the power that the Kotel (Western Wall) has on your friends who have never been to Israel before.

Three : Climbing Masada 3 hours before dawn while jet-lagged to see the sunrise over the Dead Sea.

Desert View Hours South of Masada

Two : Shopping in a bustling Shuk (Middle Eastern Open Market) in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and smelling exotic spices spread before you in colorful piles.

 

One : Building and then sailing, a raft with new and old friends who have spent 3 intimate weeks together and then sailing it across a large lake!

five things (youtube music rendition)

I always have those few songs that are on my playlist (or more commonly just always stuck in my head). Here are the top five from this week that I just can't get out of my head!

1. Skylar Grey Medley
         (video from lollapalooza)

 

 

 

2. Carly Rose Sonenclar Feeling Good (X Factor)

 

 

 



3. Stay by Sara Bareilles

 

 

4. Somebody to Love (Justin Bieber) Cover by Kenyon College Owl Creeks

 

 

5. Ne Me Quitte Pas by Regina Spektor (love this video!)

 

 

Happy Summer listening!

 

xoxo,

Ari

p.s. This may be my last blog post for much of the summer as I'm leaving on a five week trip to the other side of the world in a week and a half! I will be inviting some people to guest blog while I'm away, so I'm leaving you in very good hands! If I'm not on before I leave I hope everyone has an excellent summer!

 



a silly reflection

Hola! So, i spent last week studying for my chemistry final and vegging out one school was over, and the last few days, I spent with Emily and her family on a vacation to Vermont (so beautiful!). Anyhow, I haven't really had time to write a real blog post, so instead I'm posting a silly reflection. (Well really, its an excuse to put more pics of leo dicap on my blog, hee hee.)

No, i am not a One Direction fan girl. Yes, their music is catchy, yes they're all attractive, and yes their personalities are great (what? no, i haven't spent hours laughing at their videos on youtube... i would never...). However, I am a Leo Dicap fangirl. i mean look at him.

[source]
 



Well, to be fair, one of my besties from school is  more of the fan girl. I'm just another one of the many admirers.... So what does this have to do with One Direction? Well a certain one of them looks quite a bit like a certain charming actor.

 

 

 

hmmm... land of the beautiful!

 

xoxo,

Ari

p.s. apologies because none of the images are mine unfortunately, i have never been close enough to either of these guys to have taken their pictures  and i did forget to post links to their sources... thank goodness i can find these on google!

5 things (food edition)

1. Peaches


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2. Water

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3. Banana-chocolate protein shakes
   (well... it's really a milkshake, but protein shake sounds so much better)

 



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4. Lime flavored tortilla chips

 



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5. Fresh strawberries

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What are your favorite summer foods?

xoxo,

 

Ari <3

my number one, this week

So it is finally that time of year when I get to pull out the gorgeous floral dresses that make my wardrobe so light and airy. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite parts of May ever!

 

 

this week has seen me especially loving this gorgeous dress that reminds me of sweet peas and roses.

 

There is something so fantastic about an interesting back and such a subtle hi-low style. in a really light fabric... love it!

[dress by 'mine...']

 

Whats your warm weather staple dress?

 

xoxo,

Ari

my spring-summer closet

So there comes a time in every season during which the closet that I had organized so beautifully by color or by type of clothe, becomes heaps of what I have shoved carelessly into or on top of a pile and what I have folded on top of or into a pile. It is a couple of weeks after this happens that I do something about it.

This weekend was closet cleaning time. (which despite how sarcastic and dreary I make it sound, I really do enjoy...)

(please excuse the flash in this photo-- the lighting was terrible!)

I generally begin by taking everything out and piling it on my (too small for this task) bed. 

My second step is finding music for the job. This time, I was so motivated that I created a cleaning mix (everything from Ingrid Michaelson and Kate Nash--two of my faves-- to Rihanna and Eminem--two of the pop worlds' faves).

After selecting music to set the mood, I began with everything hanging. 

I started the hanging section (oh boy, that does not sound very good... anyhow:) with these great little hooks 

that fit over the top of my door. On it, I hung in-season bags and scarves, my few maxi-dresses, and of course my bathrobe dressing gown- it sounds a lot nicer).

...and of course organizing different types of hanger clothes on different types of hangers!

                                           cute shirts                                       skirts                                  dresses                                   button downs

Then, I needed only to pile the rest of my clothes, stick them in the closet, and viola! Mission Accomplished.

so am i the only one who enjoys organizing her closet?

the rules of writing *well:

 

I found it on pinterest... and it made my day.

enjoy!

xoxo,

Ari

out of sorts: my reaction to today

wake up in a trance. splash cold water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror, trying to wake up. do my makeup and hair, then get dressed. thats the easy part: i have the same uniform everyday. get all of my stuff together (today I have all 7 of my classes). grab a bagel for the car, and off to school. the time is exactly half past too-early-o'clock.

 school, school, school. talk, listen, take notes. yawn. listen, write, discuss holocaust. in English, note that the book NIGHT shows how terrible people can be and also how much the human body can physically and mentally endure. then math, numbers, on a screen, laughing with friends. yawn. bell rings. walk to locker, head to enrichment. Bell Rings. begin learning sign language.

BAM

the first bomb has gone off but I dont know it. i dont know whats happened.

BAM, the second.

 

continue learning sign language. i am confused, moving my hands, not sure what I am even saying. the bell rings. i gather my things and walk to the bus. i had left my lunch box there the week before. i thank my bus driver and sit down, waiting for us to leave. hour and a half bus ride. i fall asleep. my mother picks us up from the bus. she is strangely quiet. the others leave. its five fifteen. we drive home.

 

My mom tells me the news. 

 

two bombs had gone at finish line of the Boston Marathon

while I was in school.

 

I am immediately on Facebook, trying to think of something to say.

What is the right thing to say in these times of tragedy?

Haven't we had enough?

I go online to try to figure out what exactly happened. Fascinated, saddened, shocked, and terrified by such horrors, I need to know.

I find this article and this article.

 

and for some reason, i feel a bit of closure. We will make it through. No, this is not okay; no, we have not yet solved who did this or why...but we can survive. We have survived tragedies such as these and tragedies much worse than these before.

I am praying for those affected by today's events, and for their sakes, let everyone band together and remain strong.

May everyone go to sleep in safety tonight, holding their loved ones in their hearts just a little more closely.

pinterest, my (not so) secret love

The secret is out. All those late nights on weekends? No, I am not out partying with all of my friends, or writing a novel, or doing something productive, or even just watching a movie (although I do sometimes do that too).

No, I am on Pinterest.

and that basically sums it up. I am in love.

Who else sometimes has that problem where you cant get off?

i am sooo tir- zzzzz

aaand I am back from fresh air, lovely high temperatures, blue skies, tanning, and (of course) venomous creatures... and OH BOY, am I tired.

School restarted with a bang. And by bang, I don't mean fireworks and a welcome back party. I mean something more along the lines of:

 

Oh, you just took an overnight flight from Arizona (which has a billion hour time difference)?

How about having a half a day of 'free time' (or homework time, as the case generally is), not being able to fall asleep (because your internal clock wants to be back in Arizona), and waking up at three in the morning to take the bus in to school?

 

Well maybe I exaggerated a little. But, in my defence, I still haven't caught up on sleep. (Which could also be the result of taking all week to write an essay, then, on the day before its due, deciding that what I had written sucked and it would be in my best interest to stay up until midnight re-writing.)

 

Some days, I wish I still home schooled.

 

But enough complaining! This week has absolutely sped by and the temperature in my dreary little state has risen so that I was able to bring out my sandals and put away those winter coats. Hallelujah! Spring has sprung!

 

P.S. Lizzie Bennet Diaries = best invention ever!!!! (actually Pride and Prejudice was the best... but these are pretty damn awesome too!) you are welcome: i just got you hooked.

5 Things

5 things keeping me happy this week:

1. This beautiful Red Dress (and almost vintage looking photograph)

 

[Dress: Petticoat Alley, and apologies for the less than perfect quality picture. this post was very last minute.]

2. Painting my toe nails for sandal wear

 

3.How I Met Your Mother

[Source]

4. ARIZONA!

[Source]

5. Spring Recess!!!



[Source]
 

So far the weekend and the first day of this week has included sleeping, painting my nails for, and packing for my trip to Arizona, and of course... more sleeping. Oh how I love spring break!

What were your top fives of the week? What are you looking forward to in the coming week?

xoxo,

Ari <3

a blast from the past

Well, this week I haven't really had time to write a post, but I wanted to put something up... So, I'm taking my top ten list from my old blog and sharing it with you. I cant wait for spring!! (To see the original post, click here.)

Top Tens of spring

As spring comes to a close, I figured, everybody else always posts lists of some of their favorite things, so why not me? Therefore, dear readers, you are about to learn some of my favorite things about spring.

Top Ten Favorites of Spring

(not in any particular order)

1) The first flowers of the year

2) The smell after a rainstorm

(Unfortunately, people--me included-- don't usually take pictures of others playing in the mud, hence: I have no picture for number 3)

3) Putting one's feet in a nice slick mud puddle or in the dirt of a freshly hoed garden bed or the fresh mowed lawn

4) Having to wash ones feet before bed, due to how dirty one got them while playing outside

5) Actually, just playing outside

6) Lilacs.

7) Changing one's wardrobe from long to short sleeves,

8) Hearing children's laughter, wafting around the neighborhood...laaaaate into the evening,

9) Lying in the grass (or on the sidewalk) watching the birds (especially chimney swifts-not pictured, those are geese!),

10) Smelling the fresh earth and looking forward to summer!

What do you like about Spring? What are you looking forward to in the Summer?

happy march

Why, hello again!
 
 Happy March! It's beginning to be my favorite time of the year when everything smells fresh and flowers start to poke out of the ground and the temperature is always in the mid to upper sixties. Well, in a perfect world it would be. Anyhow, as spring comes around (bringing with it my koff, koff *less* favorite holiday, Passover) I am inexplicably unable to sit still. I want to do stuff to go places, to play tennis... Which is hard when I have homework.
 
Anyhow, that was all a 'well-you-see-what-had-happened-was' excuse for my infrequent posting. A true excuse  but an excuse... so to make up for it: i am sending pictures of my
 5 things this week.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

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It's really all my friend from schools fault. She is a true fan girl and thus, I am too. We obviously have far too much time on our hands.

2. Fresh Flowers

[source] 

 

 Fresh flowers are self explanatory... and i want some.

3. Cute Dresses

[source]

 Springtime makes me crave pastels, chiffon, billows, ruffles, and cute belts.

4. Tennis

[source]

 Although I've never actually played (I tried one time and my instructor never showed up...so then I stopped), I have a racket and pink tennis balls. I stared getting spring fever and need to go do something. Why not try tennis?

5. Being 'artsy'

I made this during the winter, but lately, like exercise, I've been craving being artsy and putting my creativity to use. It hasn't quite happened yet... but it will. eventually.


 What are your 5 things? What are you craving?

life lessons from my history teacher

Today, history class was about something bigger than just history. Today, my teacher was doing straight up life lessons. It began with a teaching about romanticism in art and then became a lesson on being Romantic. Here are 10 things that I learned:

1. Love is not listening to logic
2. love is being willing to die for someone else even when that doesn't make sense
3. everything else is lust or a crush or going to turn into something more
4. Roses are absolutely cliched... but if that's what she likes, then that's what you get her
5. Its about the individual (that one might have been about the artwork... it's unclear)
6. make sure she/he knows that you love them
7. love is supposed to make you stupid.
8. you need to really know each other... and don't worry, you won't run out of convos to have
9. most 10th grade boys don't get their girlfriends flowers. you are a sweetheart if you do
10. She is always right. the woman is 'the man of the houe'. always

He told us this and many more life lessons much more profoundly and beautifully than I ever could. If you chose to soak up the right things, high school becomes much more meaningful.

 

xoxo,

Ari <3

happy, happy, and a few pep talks

Well... first, I must wish you a happy (belated) valentines day: that wonderful time of the year when one is either extremely happy and hopelessly romantic or sad and depressed, wondering why they are still currently single... or perhaps they are both (aren't we all hopeless romantics at heart?)

 

[source]

[INSERT PEP TALK]
 If you are of the sad and depressed variety (which far too many people are), don't worry. The ONE will come along and sweep you off your feet, but sometimes, we must be patient with love. Sometimes prince charming gets lost on his way and (because most boys have that macho factor) refuses to ask for directions. But he'll get there eventually. My favorite quote is: "Stop waiting for prince charming. Get up and find him.The poor idiot may be stuck in a tree or something." So go out there and be your beautiful self, and dont forget to look in every tree... because love is out there waiting to fall (perhaps literally)  just for you!
[END PEP TALK]

Sorry, but we all need the prince charming talk at some point in our lives and i happen to be a true believer in your happiness (and in love). thus. the pep talk.

[source]

In addition to wishing you a happy belated valentines day, i must also wish all you Americans a very happy presidents day and as i learned here a happy family day. and now, another one of my very favorite (presidential) pep talks. From Kid president to you:

 

 

so lets dance.

xoxo,

Ari