Camel's

So I rode a Camel. In Israel.

- my life in Israel.

pictures to come, promise. for now just know that i'm safe and have just finished my first test. conquered. :)

Photography in the Microscopic

If you are looking for a time waster and want to see something cool at the same time, click here.

You might have to wait a while for the page to load, but it is well worth it in my opinion.

This Russian photographer made miniature landscapes and placed real ants into them. The ants seem to pose for him at times, but really the amazing part of these photographers is the wonderful talent displayed; not to mention the amazing amount of patience this must have taken.

In other news I'm really enjoying listening to Ingrid Michaelson right now, it's good background music to have on at all times. Easy listening.

The Summer in Snapshots

... because I'm too lazy and have too little time to actually put together a thoughtful post. But hey, photos are entertaining. But in case you don't want to scroll through all of them, here's my summer summed up so far:

1. lots of eating

2. sb is very beautiful

3. my friends and I rock

4. concerts

5. my friends and I are still awesome and we like to eat food

enjoy :)

PS: all these photos are from my fully functional - AMAZING - new phone. I love it.

Preparings

Hello, hello. My life of late has been one of preparing for things. Mostly for this place.

(That would be Israel for those of you who don't know - also the country just to the right of it. Which would be Jordan for those of you who also don't know that.)

So that is exciting, but also a lot of work. Mostly because at the same time I'm also digging through my closet and reorganizing/getting rid of/seeing what fits. Always fun to try and pack when you don't even know what fits! Luckily though my Israeli daily outfits do not have to be anything special. As my professor likes to put it, "It is not a fashion show out there in the Negev." (Ha. Bible college humor.)

Resulting from sorting through all my clothes, I've been taking full advantage of polyvore's "make an outfit." Mostly just to waste time. I don't actually recommend getting addicted to this site. But it can be useful sometimes.

In other news I just got a haircut. Not that you can tell. No, really, I only took off like a centimeter, if that. I am also prepping for volleyball season by doing some workouts - okay a lot of workouts. But it will be worth it. Other than that life is not too exciting. I've been to some concerts, seen most of my friends, ate a lot for Memorial Day, and have been getting not enough sleep; but hey it's summer.

Speaking of summer, have y'all seen The Advengers? Highly recommend that if you haven't. You don't even have to have a full knowledge of Marvel comics to watch it, because, if we're being honest, I really only knew who Ironman was before. 1 out of 6, not THAT bad???

Hope your summer is shaping up to be as wonderful as my sunny-west coast one is. Go enjoy some beaches and ice cream, just not when it's too windy outside.

Upgrade 2.0

Let's try this whole upgrading a phone thing again.... because clearly this last upgrade did not work out.

Let's just say that this morning was the last straw of a long year with this piece of **** [insert your choice words here]. And for the record, I would call it technology, but that would really just be a lie. And I am no liar. So I marched down to the "fantastic" Verizon store down the street and demanded they started treating the customer as right - like businesses are supposed to do!

Okay, exaggeration. I actually didn't. In fact, I told my dad before I went into the store that I was going to try really hard to be polite to the people there and try to put into action this whole 'love your neighbor' thing. To their credit, they were a lot better help than they have been in the past. Anyways, long story short, I now have a smart phone that is actually smart and that can actually be called a phone. 

Imagine that.

In other news, technology is a waste of time... as I sit here updating my blog.

"Recent" Happenings

Well, they are KIND OF recent. Like within the last month? It's been a crazy month people, you'll have to forgive and move on. I do beg your pardon; but it is officially summer now! Which means for the next few weeks I am all yours. Ha. That's an exaggeration. So we'll see how this goes.

Recent Happenings Include:

I went to a fashion show run entirely by a senior art student for her senior thesis. It was decent and well done. All art majors are required to put together a senior thesis. They are presented at the end of the year and include: a wide variety of projects, a professional opening, and really great food. As an art minor I am not required to do such an exhibit but my advisor seems to be dropping hints already...

I helped decorate for (2) birthdays for close friends. You can see we took our job seriously. A great night finished by Chipotle - kind of a rare treat for us Gordon kids - and music stealing from friends.

A stay in a posh hotel room. No seriously... a kitchen complete with ALL accommodations?! Beyond comfy beds? This was the most at home I've ever felt in a hotel! And the floor space was great... especially for packing up a whole wardrobe. Needless to say, the room wasn't quite so neat whilst I was in the midst of packing.

An all out effort to clean dorms in an attempt to not be fined. Apparently you're not supposed to use rubber cement for a reason. Also, photo ink is REALLY hard to get off of walls. And no, this is not my room. I (and Jenn!) are just really great friends. Right Elaine?

Walking around most of Boston, including the Freedom Trail, by kind-of-sort-of accident. All I can say is Paul Revere was really bad at picking the most direct trails in emergencies.  

Eating really, like no - REALLY - great food in and about Boston. Unfortunately my camera stopped working after this picture so there's no food pictures here - only bad cell phone quality. However, take my word, it was fantastic.

To continue on, without the aid of fun pictures, my life has been: unpacking, cleaning, friends, family, and, did you notice it? A makeover to the blog. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it as I'm usually against posting my face anywhere that obvious - and that big! - , but I'm going for a cleaner look. Feedback?

the extraordinary within the ordinary

"Human life – so ordinary, so familiar, so natural, and yet so extraordinary. Looking for mystery in things bizarre, we feel cheated when later we learn that a hoax or a simple process explains it away. All the while we miss the awesome events occurring before, or even within, our very eyes. The extraordinary within the ordinary…. We look for wonders and for the unseen reality – the hand of God – in things extraordinary, when more often his presence is to be found in the unheralded, familiar, everyday events of which life is woven." - Myers and Jeeves