Rashi's Daughters

Rashi's Daughters Book III: Rachael by Maggie Anton
I actually read the first two books in this trilogy about 2 years ago, and I loved them. So much that when I found up the final book was released two weeks ago I made a point to go out buy it. I'm glad I did because I loved this one as much as the first two.

The books are about the three daughters of Solomon ben Issac named Johevad, Miriam, and Rachel. Each book is named after one daughter and told from their point of view, but each follows chronologically after the next. Their father goes onto book a great Jewish scholar who is now know as Rashi. The book are based on fact, or as much fact as we can know considering they take place in 11th century France. What's interesting about Rashi is that he had no sons only daughters, so he taught the Talmud (Judaism's teachings on the Torah) to has daughters, which was not commonly done in those times. The children of his daughters grew up to be the next generation of Jewish scholars. What is interesting to read in epilogue is that a statistician from Stanford calculated that any Jew today with European Jewish ancestry is almost certainly descended from Rashi. I guess that means in a way I'm reading about my great-great-great-(times probably 30 or so)-grandmother and aunts.

One thing I really like is the amount of Judaism I'm able to pick up from the book. I do think I know a good amount about my religion, but there is still a lot of details I don't know. For example, I know the basic stories in the Torah and I know the story behind most holidays. But I don't know some more religious aspects, for example how the rules Judaism provides for the way husband and wife can interact (including that they aren't allowed to touch during her time of the month). And while I know certain prayers like the prayer over the Shabbat candles, I had no idea it wasn't actually written in the Torah and when Jews started saying it. All 3 of the books are filled with these types of details. Details you wouldn't know unless you're really religious (probably orthodox), and even then you may not have heard it before. All three books are filled with details like this.

An interesting aspect of the 3rd book is that it takes place during the first crusade. In school I only remember being taught about how European knights traveled to Israel to try to reclaim it for Christianity. What I didn't learn was that a the same time some of these knights decide that instead of traveling for months of even years to the Middle East, they could rid the world of heresy by starting with the Jews living in Europe itself. While the Middle Ages and Crusades weren't a great time for anyone in Europe, this was especially true from some of the Jews.

I would highly recommend these books to anyone who is Jewish and anyone who isn't Jewish. I do think the middle ages are an interesting time to read about, and the fact that Judaism is involved appeals to me as well. You'll enjoy reading these, and you'll probably learn something while doing so.

~Shoshanah

Is It Worth It?

The other day I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I just went to the slightly ghetto-ish one down the street instead of driving all the way to Fresh Market or Whole Foods. I really only needed to buy potatoes and milk, and didn't really seen the need. (Potatoes to make mashed potatoes, and milk for the boy to drink.)

I don't think its really a shopping trip unless I go down every isle so of course I wound up with a few extra items, a jar of pesto, some different cheeses, a bag of lentils, and a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips (parmesan, garlic, and herb flavor). This is pretty much why I try to avoid going grocery shopping myself. I like going with a boy because I get a 2nd opinion, and someone to veto purchases I put in the cart. (Like the fact I probably do not need to buy ice cream, cookies, and 2 kinds of Little Debbie snack cakes.) But I was by myself, so I got to make all the decisions.

Now I've never actually tried Stacy's Pita Chips before this. I remember seeing them featured on the Food Network, and thinking they sounded really good. And I see them all the time, but this was my first time actually deciding to see what they were all about.

I go to check out and the girl scans my groceries she tries to make conversation, "Wow, these chips are a waste of money." Seriously, I thought? I wasn't sure really how to respond. Clearly I didn't think they were a waste of money since I had made the decision to buy them. I'm not sure what she was expecting to happen. Maybe I should have said something like, "I had no idea they were a waste of money. I must not have been thinking when I decided to buy them, and now that you have let me know I'm wasting my money I've decided to buy them." Or instead I could have said something really mean like, "I think your whole store is a waste of money," and just left without buying anything.

Instead, I just kind of smile and laughed with her, which was probably the polite thing to do. I guess I should only buy "waste of money food" at places like Whole Foods and Fresh Market where that's what they expect you to do.

And the chips themselves? I will admit there's not a lot of chips in the bag. But they are really yummy. Definitely not a waste of money to me, and its that the only opinion that matters?

~Shoshanah

The Time Traveler's District 9

The movie titles this weekend don't quite flow together as well as last week. Someone needs to tell Hollywood that movies released on the same weekend need to have titles that mesh well together (a la G.I. Julia). Moving on...

District 9
I wasn't sure what to expect with the movies, but whatever it was I never could have imagined what happened in it. In case you haven't seen the preview, basically it takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa where this is a slum for aliens. As you might expect the race inter-species relations are so great. Based on the basic outline I was thinking it would be someone of a drama. But considering its an alien moving I was also expecting a good amount of action.

The movie was both of those and so much more. There were part when I was a little scared by what was going on and I didn't want to watch. There were some parts where I didn't want to watch more out of horror and disgust. There were exciting thrill induced chase scenes. And there were some parts that were so sad and a little bittersweet that actually cried a little. Basically, hit almost every emotion I could have imagine.

A lot of the movie is based on what happened when ending apartheid in South Africa, and having to integrate blacks and whites. For example, like blacks were "give" English names, the aliens in the movie were given English names. I have heard some people thought this was a little over the top, but I don't think it was done in an overkill scenes.

Honestly, the past way I can describe the movie is unsettling. I definitely dreamed about it the night I saw it, and its not a movie you can easily forget about.

Moving to the complete other side of the spectrum, we also saw
The Time Traveler's Wife
The movie has gotten very good reviews, and in general movie adaptions aren't nearly as good as the actual book. So going into the movie I was a little wary of what I would be seeing. Maybe partly due to my low expectations, but mostly due to the fact I've read the book I loved the movie!

I can see why people who hadn't read the book didn't really enjoy it. There wasn't a lot of character back story, and there wasn't a lot of development to their relationship. But since I knew what happens a was able to fill in a lot of the blanks. The did take out a lot of the scenes where his visits her growing up, and there were a few scenes added and details changed that weren't in the book.

Also the movie itself was almost completely chronological. Normal for a movie yes, but not so normal compared to the book. I do think if they had tried to match the back and forth order of the book viewers who hadn't read it would be even more lost than they our with the current movie. I do think considering how hard it must have been to adapt a book written the way The Time Traveler's Wife was written they did a very good.

I would say this weekend is a tough weekend to make a definite pick. I glad I was able to see both of the movies. I guess it just depends on what type of movie you're into. If you're like my boyfriend and you hate love stories, then District 9 might be the way to go. But if you're looking for something romantic that will make you cry clearly The Time Traveler's Wife would be it. I would still recommend reading the book first.

~Shoshanah

Up in the Mountains

I'm so excited to finally post in my first on of Kelly's Corner's "Show us your life." This weeks theme is shows us your favorite vacation spots. I've been pretty lucky to travel alot, but even so picking a favorite for me wasn't very hard. Was it one of my trips last year to Japan or Israel? Or maybe somewhere in Europe? On separate trips I've been to England, Italy, and France. Or maybe it was somewhere in the United States? I've been on trips to Destin (Florida), NYC, Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, The Florida Keys, and Seattle to name a few. But as crazy as it may seem it isn't any of those.

I love going camping in the mountains. Up in the Sierra Nevada's particularly. We went camping as a family as long as I can remember. When I was younger we mainly went to King's Canyon or Calaveras Big Trees, but as I got older we started going more often to Rock Creek, which is outside Mammoth.

Playing in the dirt with my best friend next to the campfire pit
Yes, there was a long drive involved, but a long drive meant there were fun places to stop on the way. Driving to Calaveras meant we got to stop at the apple stand. I huge stand that sold fresh apple juice, homemade apple doughnuts, and my favorite apple popsicles. Driving to Rock Creek meant we stopped at the Beef Jerky place, where the sold literally the world's best beef jerky (homemade of course). Their teriyaki barbecue is pretty much to die for.

With the same friend as the previous picture, July 2002
Once you actually got to the campsite what was there to do? Of course there's all the typical camping things, hiking and fishing and the like. Although what I most like about the mountains is the ability to just do nothing. I'd always bring a few books and would spend most of the day reading. I still remember reading Jurassic Park up in the mountains around 1994 or so.

My Parents, My brother and his two friends, Me and my college roommate, July 2004
Then of course there is the food. Who doesn't love s'mores? And there's the actual experience of sitting around the campfire roasting the perfect marshmallow. But besides that, food always tastes so much better in the mountains, pancakes especially. And have I mentioned how gorgeous it is? And how many stars you can see at night?

Myself while camping at Rock Creek, July 2002
If I had to pick a 2nd favorite vacation it would still be the mountains. Except instead of going camping in the summer, I'd be going skiing in the winter.

Skiing at Mammoth 1999 (Yes, this is me with the same friend as the first two pictures)
Overall, then if I could I'd spent part of every summer and every winter up in the mountain. Or at least alternate years going camping and going skiing. I know camping isn't most people's ideal vacation spot, but I love it, and I'm sure there's at least of few of you out there who do as well!

~Shosahanh

Getting to Know You

Part 1: We Meet in Math Class

When I last talked about mine and the boy's relationship story, I told you how he made a point to talk to me after class. And I made a quick replay and pretty much ran away. Lucky for me the boy tried again our next class. Again, I tried to respond quickly and run away, but before I could he asked, "Where are you off too." I tired to pretty much make something up, "I have to go check my department mail box on the 3rd floor,"

"I'll walk with you. And what are you doing after?"

"Well nothing really, I have about two hours until my next class." So we spent the rest of the day together. The following week again he came up to me after class, and this time I didn't try to run away. I stopped scared of trying something new.

Its funny looking back on this time, when we really didn't know each other. Certain conversations still feel like they happened yesterday, and yet so much has happened since then. But its the little things that stick out.

I remember telling him how I couldn't fly on a plane without a cosmo. He thought I meant the drink. I was talking about the magazine.

I remember him making a sarcastic comment about his other girlfriend. I fired back, "That's cool, I have a husband and two kids at home," and we both laughed about our jokes.

I know when I first meet someone I can be quiet, and I don't ask a lot of questions. But he put up with that, and really made a point to get to know me, push past the wall I was putting up trying to hold everyone out.

After a few weeks of just hanging out and talking between classes, he finally asked me out on an official date. Of course you're all thinking I must have said yes. But where the fun in that? Sorry to disappoint everyone, but I said no.

And I guess that's where we'll leave the cliffhanger this time.

~Shoshanah

Wearing My Little Black Apron

Truth to be told I don't actually own a little black apron. Or more like I don't own any aprons. I do however own the cookbook called The Little Black Apron, and last night decided to try a few new recipes from it.

First I decided to go with asparagus. Or as its called, Grilled Asparagus with Fresh Lemon and Olives. As I've said before, this cookbook is geared towards the single girl cooking for just herself. (Can't you tell from the name?) Which means the recipe was for about 4 spears of asparagus. Instead I just decided to cook the whole bunch I had at once. This wasn't a bad thing, it just had a few obstacles.

First the recipe says to grill the asparagus spears for 2-3 minutes on one said, and them flip them over to finish cooking on the other side. Now thing I put all of the asparagus into the pan at the exact same time this was a little difficult. I can guarantee each asparagus did not get to spend time on each of its sides. All the pieces wound up getting cooked all the way, but it might have been a tiny bit easier if I cooked a few at a time.

Also the recipe said to use the juice from a quarter of a lemon for the 4 spears. I did have way more than 4, but figured I'd be ok using the juice of half a lemon. Unexpectedly, the asparagus was far more lemon-y than I would have liked. So maybe I would have been fine using a little less lemon juice.

The recipe said the asparagus would be good hot or cold. I decided to cook them first, and then we could always eat them cold. Instead they were a bit lukewarm, when we ate them. They boy actually wound up microwaving his a bit, but I ate mine as is. Easily my favorite part of them was the chopped up olives on top.

For the main dish I went with Simple Chicken Cutlets with Shallots and White Wine. Except the boy bought chicken breasts instead. The recipe said they could be used, but just to pound them thin before hand. Except I thought that would be too much work and cooked them as is.

The way the recipe is supposed to work is to cook the chicken first, and then make the sauce. So I cooked the chicken, cut up the shallots, made the sauce and let it reduce. When the sauce was ready I put the chicken breasts into the sauce to coat them, and called the boy in for dinner.

Except the chicken breasts were not cooked all the way through. Not even close. I had a minor failure freak-out, but the boy took charge and threw the chicken breasts into the oven. The chicken breasts wound up getting cooked, but not-so-surprisingly were a little dry.

I would say this probably wasn't the best meal I've ever cooked. The asparagus wasn't bad, it just would have been better hot and with a little less lemon. The chicken breasts themselves were a little bland. But the sauce and the shallots were actually really good.
The night wasn't a complete loss because there was still dessert! While we were shopping for groceries at fresh market I also picked up a cupcake from their bakery.
One of the best parts of the cupcake? It was only $0.99! I took a picture with my hand so you could see how big it was. And it tasted amazing! And only for $0.99. It was so rich, that I couldn't even finish it all. Which means I have leftover cupcake to eat tonight!

~Shoshanah

P.S. For everyone that was wondering if they should see the movie Julie & Julia first or read the book first, it's hard to say. Especially considering I haven't read the book yet. Although, there's not a whole lot a surprises from the movie you don't get from the previews. (For example, the big climax of the movies they say at the end, "They turned her book into a blog." Umm.. really? I had no idea.) I have heard there are a few subplots from the book that didn't make it into the movie, but I don't know for sure. I do promise once I actually read the book to shed some more light here

G.I. Julia

First off, I'm kind of in love with how well these two movie names together. Second, for all of you who guess Julia & Julia you were right. We saw that Friday and G.I. Joe Sunday night. We were originally planning on seeing 500 Days of Summer instead on Sunday, but got there about 8 minutes too late. Although I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. And I think its pretty obvious, but any idea who picked what movie?

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
If you're looking for a movie with a plot, don't go see this one. But if you're looking for a movie with lots of chase scenes, lots of explosions, and lots of explosions then well you've found your choice. Did I also mentioned there's two ninjas fighting? And girl and girl fighting as well?

Yeah, I'm going to say ever boy in the theater (and every grown up boy) loved the movie. Me, not so much. I will say they did try to add a love story of two, but neither was really developed. And at least to me it didn't seem to have a lot to do with the original G.I. Joe toys and tv show. They did use a G.I. Joe catchphrase ("Knowing is half the battle") and did use the same names, but other than that. (And no, I did not know the phrase was classic, the boy confirmed that.)

So if you just want to see a whole lot of action scenes and don't care what happens between them, well this is your pick. On the other hand...

Julie & Julia
As everyone's saying Meryl Streep was pretty much amazing. But I really like Amy Adams as well. I did think all the Julia Child scenes were really interesting, and think they cut back between the two stories really well. And all the food in the movie looked absolutely AMAZING.

But I think my favorite part was all the blogging scene. Blogging myself I loved all the little blogging details. The excitement getting a new comment. Feeling like you'll let people down if you don't update (even when you real life friends tell you they will all make it through somehow). It was nice being able to relate.

Of course, once the movie was over I decided I need to find the actual Julie/Julia Project blog, and then I wanted to see if Julie Powell still had a blog. I'm still in awe about the fact that see started a blog, and it got turned into a book, and then into a movie. As you probably know, its the first blog that got turned into a movie, which makes you think. Do you have a favorite blog you think should be a movie? Now of course, I can't wait to read the book! (Which I now have, thanks to winning the giveaway at Sweet Tea Diaries!)

What's my final thought? If you want to see a movie with a bunch of explosions go see G.I. Joe. But if you want to see an actual movie with a plot, go see Julie and Julia

~Shoshanah