Sweet Home Austin

I could be feeling stressed right now for the fact that I just got home three hours ago to find that my car battery is dead because I left my lights on for the two weeks I was gone for the holiday, or even because I found my mom's cell phone in my pocket that I managed to take home from Chicago and now have to go mail her. I could even be killing myself over the fact that my laptop almost got stolen at the airport. But instead I am cooking myself some pasta, writing a blog entry, and feeling content to be back to where I now call home: Austin, TX.

It is strange to call such a new place home, yet when I returned back from Chicago, a sense of comfort was restored in me. I think this feeling comes from a connection I have found here with my true sense of self. I physically and mentally embarked on a journey away from my past, away from my family, and have discovered so much. And going back to be with them, I learn so much more.

I love my family dearly, and had a chance to learn more about them this holiday as we ventured over to a distant cousins house for Christmas this year. I found out that my great Uncle served in World War Two as head of a P.O.W camp when he was only eighteen years old. I also found out that my Mom's father had graduated college when he was only 18. My great grandfather was the head of a large grain elevator operation in a small town of Okabena, Minnesota, and my grandma was kicked out of her school because she refused to wear stockings when it was a hot day. What an interesting family tree, and we haven't even gotten to the Jewish side of the family yet.

My mom's mother was Protestant Christian and my mom's father was Jewish. At that time, it was unheard of to have interfaith marriages, but they went against odds and pursued their love for one another. Thanks to their strong will, I am alive today!! So you see, I come from a very dynamic family, and an even more dynamic city. Which brings me to my next topic: The phenomenon of Chicago in the winter! But I'll save that for my next entry because I don't want to keep you here too long.

Happy 2009 everyone!

Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel

Happy Channukah everyone!

Here's a video I'm going to share with all of you that was done by my friend Danny who I met on my trip to Israel. It's a short funny clip about a game that we play to celebrate the holiday Channukah, the festival of lights for Jews, which comes around about the same time as Christmas. The game is called Dreidel. Watch...and Learn!

Click this link to watch the short video on how to play Dreidel:
http://palestra.net/videos/play/19770

In the world of social media

As many of you may or may not know, my job is in online social media... a place where we take our real live interaction as human beings into cyber realms, where we find places such as the blogosphere!

As one who studies the blogosphere for my work, I have come to find the six labels that we place you under as a visitor of cyperspace. (These labels come from Charlene Li's book Groundswell)We have creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and inactives. Intersting how this is only to approach the world of online social media, or what we might call the 'groundswell', but what about in real life? Can you place yourself into one of these categories?

Do you consider yourself a creator? One who puts ideas out there for others to hear? Spark ideas into realities as your share your knowledge and bring it to fruition? Have you ever brought someting to life? Then yes, you are a creator.

Are you a critic? Do you take everything that comes to you in life and analyze it. Look at its up sides and downsides, and make an overall judgment on it? Or to move on to our next category...

Are you a collector? Do you like to gain as much of something as possible? Do you like to categorize things into your life or break them down into portions? Do you like to pile things up in one place?

Joiners are those of us who like to network. We like to be social. We don't necessarily care very much about going into great detail, but we like to talk to others. We like to be a part of a community, at the greatest or slightest degree.

There are spectators and inactives. Spectators merely watch what is going on, but rarely participate in the action.

And inactives, well you know the kind. Just going from point A to point B oblivious to what is going on around them.

I haven't really told you how these different labels actually work in the realm of online social media. But I think it's more interesting to all of you to apply it to real life. Think about how you interact with the world around you. And to what degree?

The picture in this post is one that I took at O'hare airport on the moving walkway coming on my way back to Austin from Chicago. Thought it was pretty cool.

"Strange Overtones"

Hey Everyone ~ I haven't written in a while. To tide you over until my next detailed post, I am presenting you with this album preview entitled "Everything That Happens will Happen Today" which has been provided by the musicians - David Byrne and Brian Eno. The song I fell in love is called Strange Overtones. Enjoy!

Not Just Another Blog post on Obama

So I was talking to my brother last night about how optimistic we were for 2009 and how we are looking forward to the good that Obama would do for this country. I noted that although he was criticized for not having a lot of experience that this fact could actually be a really good thing. He will have to take advice from others where he lacks the experience, and this is important for a good leader. Someone who listens and doesn't make hasty decisions without the consent of his board.

But my brother noted an even better point. Did anyone know that Obama taught the constitution for ten years at University of Chicago?? I thought that was interesting tidbit. Wouldn't it be a novel idea for a President to actually uphold the teachings of the foundation of which this countries government is laid upon?

OBAMA 08!

Unhappy Trails and Halloween Tales

Sixth Street is definitely what it is hyped up to be here in Austin. It's much like a parade, where people just walk the strip in their decked out costumes. I dragged my friend Matt downtown, after he had worked like two hundred hours the past two weeks. After driving through traffic for thirty minutes, and finally finding a place to park, I realized I left my ID at home! So I snapped a few shots, we ate a gyros with potatoes? (the potatoes were part of the keeping Austin weird theme) and then headed back home. Halloween this year definitely made me more homesick than ever, but I'm glad I'll be going to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

The next morning was a run at 7:30AM. We were running the Greenbelt on this particular morning, I was told it was a little rocky. Rocky was not the word to describe this run. It was more of a hiking path, and I'm not one to enjoy jogging through such constraints. Sure enough, I fell, Twice, the second time really leaving a bruise and large scrape on my leg. I really want to go to Yoga today so I can thank my body for its natural healing abilities. That's what we do in Yoga. Twist our bodies in new angles every day, and then reflect on why we are grateful for the day. Who wouldn't enjoy that?


But the highlight of Halloween weekend was pancakes at Magnolias with my roommates. It was the thirty-forty minute wait that made those gingerbread pancakes taste that much better! I will be adding this to my google map of great places to go in Austin. When I finally finish my map, I will be posting it here. So stay tuned!

The Machine is using Us

Have you ever thought about how your interaction with the computer is affecting your life? How is it redefining all our values as human beings? Our relationships? How we communicate? Think about how many couples you know who met via myspace or online dating services. The number keeps increasing. And how many of your friends don't have facebook, myspace, or are linked to some online social community? The numbers are decreasing. This paradigm shift in the way we communicate with others means that we are going to have to re-evaluate many other definitions on what it means to be human. Take a look at this video created by cultural antrhopologist Michael Wesch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

What do you think?