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It's hard to believe it's been 7 years since the events of September 11.  That day truly changed the way I look at the world.

I'm sure for some people it feels like ancient history, but to me, it's still fresh in my memory.  It still stuns me that 9/11 happened two weeks into my freshman year of High School.  So much has changed in my life since then.  But I don't really want to recount my experiences from that day -- instead, I'd like to share what today means to me.

To me, 9/11 is a day to remember the innocence of those who lost their lives in that devastating attack and the heroism of those who gave their lives in service to their community and country.  They were our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and loved ones, and their memory and the memory of that day should never be forgotten.

Moreover, 9/11 is a day to remember and honor other heroes in our lives.  There were those who fought and survived the attacks.  There were also our families and friends and neighbors who comforted each other through the trauma that we experienced.  It was difficult, but heroic, for each of us to move on from that day, but I'm proud of the way we came together to love and support one another, and I've never been prouder to be an American.

I'd like to send a message to the men and women in military: thank you for your service.  You brave men and women make our lives possible, and every day you show us the kind of courage and selflessness that the rest of us aspire to.  You deserve all the support and respect we can muster.  Today, as last year, my thoughts are with you.  You are all true American heroes.

We must all remember the lessons of 9/11.  From them, and the memories and presence of our personal heroes, we can find strength and goodness in the world.

Finally, to those whose lives were taken 7 years ago today: rest in peace.

Labels: family, friends, Opinion, Personal

Hey, everyone. Long time no blog, eh? Sorry it's been so long -- I've been very busy :).

In May, I had my graduation, which was an amazing experience. I actually wasn't expecting to be as affected as I was, but it ended up being really meaningful. My grandparents flew in from Israel, and it was really wonderful to see them, especially with my grandmother's recent recovery from cancer and the difficulty of such a distance to travel. I was so happy that they were able to be there to share in the excitement of my graduation. In addition, my parents and sister came up to Berkeley to celebrate, which was also very meaningful. We had a beautiful drive down the coast, back to Laguna, and shared lots of fun memories along the way. A highlight for me: I actually managed to (mostly) keep up with my Dad and Grandpa at chess!

Speaking of chess and graduations, I have to say a big thanks to Lucyann and Jerry, as well as to my parents, for the beautiful chess set they got me for my graduation. It's beautiful, and I know I'm going to enjoy using it for a very long time.

Not long after finishing my graduation, I made the long trek up to Washington state once again to start working full-time for Microsoft! So far, I've had a great time, and I feel only excitement for what's to come. Easily the strangest part of being a full-time employee of any company for the first time in my life -- I have a 401k. Talk about a slice of reality! I'm not really sure what that means to me, but it really hit me that "this is the real world" when cash first started being poured into that account. Nothing wrong or bad about it (quite the contrary), but it's definitely a different feeling.

I should also mention that a recent project of my sister's, Free Style, came to fruition this month with its presentation at the Ford Amphitheater in L.A. She spent innumerable hours working with high school students in depressed areas, teaching lyric writing and pouring her heart and soul into making a difference. I wasn't able to be there for the presentation, but I heard (and was not surprised) that it went magnificently, and that it was clear that her work really had an impact on these kids' lives. I just wanted to say how much I admire my sister for what she's been doing, and I'm so happy that she's been able to find so much meaning in her work.

Anyway, sorry again it's been so long since I posted. Hopefully I'll get to it again soon :)

Labels: Berkeley, career, family, Home, Microsoft, Personal, school, summer

Well, this sucks: someone broke into my car overnight. I'm pretty sure they were after my laundry money... well, that and my gps and mp3 player, but still! My fantasy is that there's some guy/gal out there who desperately needed quarters because his clothes were just so darned dirty, leading him/her to a life of crime, breaking windows on giant trucks for access to their small change. It could happen, right?

Anyway, the damage wasn't too bad. They shattered my passenger-side window and took my coins, mp3 player, and gps device. The total damage doesn't even really exceed my insurance deductible. Oh well. It's annoying, but not that huge of a deal (just expensive). It's funny, I feel like I should feel terrified and violated, but honestly I'm just annoyed and laid-back over the whole thing. I don't think that would've been the case 3 years ago, but today, it's just another bump in the road for me. Nothing to stress TOO much over.

It does make me look forward to getting out of Berkeley, though. Not that Berkeley's some horrible place, but I've always been concerned for safety reasons here, and I really miss my quiet, suburban lifestyle ;)

P.S. I'll be coming home for the weekend for Passover! (Hopefully my truck will be repaired in time to drive it down) Woohoo!

Labels: Berkeley, Home, Truck

You know, it's strange... The notion of graduation still feels very foreign and far-off to me. The bizarre part is that... technically, I graduated last semester. For some reason, I'm struggling to reconcile the fact that I've graduated with my perception that I'm just a "naive, young, new college student". And yet, here I am, picking up my cap and gown, and getting ready for a commencement ceremony in May.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm extremely proud of what I've accomplished here and excited about what's to come, I just think it hasn't hit me that I'm going to be putting school behind me (at least for a while) soon. Sure, I'm sticking around for one more semester, but this commencement really, truly marks the end of my undergraduate experience, and underscores the imminence of the "real world". Cool, but scary ;)

I don't really have anything prophetic to say; I just thought I'd share. Fun times are ahead, and I can look back on lots of good times. But the "looking back" part is what's so new and strange!

Labels: Berkeley, career, Master's, Personal, school

It's been a while since my last post. I think, in part, I've been avoiding posting because of the meaning that Mr. Wittry's passing had to me. But, alas, life goes on, and I know Dave would have been excited to hear the latest from me in spite of any other news. He was always interested in hearing about what was going on in other peoples' lives, even when he had his own things to be concerned about.

For me, things are generally going well. I've been struggling with some back problems which has kept me out of the gym for... too long, but I've otherwise been doing great.

My spring break was wonderful. I spent a week at home, enjoying the sun and visiting with friends. I got a chance to spend a little time with Peter and Frank (who had just returned from a road trip that sounded like a lot of fun), watched a few movies (Horton Hears a Who with my sister, Bank Job with Peter, and Vantage Point with Frank), all of which were at least mildly entertaining and at best a lot of fun ;). I enjoyed seeing my parents and sister (it had been nearly 2 months... far too long), and played a bunch of chess with my dad. And, get this: I won! :) Sorry, dad! It's the first time I've ever come out ahead overall with my dad when it comes to chess. Granted, he let me be white most of the time, and I've still got plenty to learn, but it was a first for me ;) I'll take the victories I can get (and promptly rub them in my dad's face!). The other main thing I did over the break was attend Mr. Wittry's memorial at Troy High, which was a wonderful tribute and very moving. I'm so glad people were able to come together in Southern California to share memories of him, and I thought the "Wit-tree" that was planted in his honor was a very nice gesture. He won't be forgotten.

School's been going well, and I've been making good progress on my new degree. It's hard to believe I'm already nearing the half-way mark. And it's even weirder that I'll be attending my commencement for my B.A. in just over a month. I'm excited that my family will be able to be here (health permitting), and am looking forward to it, but there's a surreal quality to the notion that I'm essentially done with school. Soon I'll be headed back up to Microsoft to start working full-time. Crazy, huh?

Sadly, I was recently informed that Jon, my roommate, will be seeking housing elsewhere for next semester. He's been a great roommate, and it'll be strange not having him and his girlfriend, Kim around. I know we'll still see plenty of each other, though, as long as we've got TV shows to obsessively watch ;)

Which reminds me: LOST is awesome. Don't tell me what happens! Over the last month or two, we've been working our way through all three seasons of LOST, and we're just about to finish the third. When I had heard about it before, it didn't sound very interesting to me. But now I'm hooked. What am I to do? I'm totally, completely, and utterly addicted to it. This is what happens when the writers go on strike: I get addicted to shows on DVD.

In the meantime, I'm looking for housing for next semester. It's a little complicated, since I'll only be around from August through December, so I'm primarily looking for a studio apartment that I could rent just for that time span. Wish me luck!

Anyway, sorry for the information overload. That's what happens when I go 2 months without an update. Hopefully, I'll be more inclined to keep y'all updated more often now that I've started back up. There will be fun things happening in the coming months. I'm looking forward to it!

Labels: Berkeley, career, family, friends, Home, Microsoft, Personal, school, summer, vacation