Hello, I must be going!

I cannot stay, I came to say "I must be going".

I'm glad I came but just the same I must be going...

...I'll do anything you say, in fact I'll even stay!

But I must beeeee goiiiiiiiiiinnnngg

~Julius "Groucho" Marx

Today I will be visiting a friends house dressed up as Groucho Marx, for an early Halloween get-together. I took some pictures of myself on Tuesday when I dressed up for a Halloween-themed Toastmasters meeting (I led the meeting that day).

Go ahead. Laugh it up. I'm a 19-year-old girl dressing up as a guy from the first half of the 20th century. Well I'm going to win a few prizes with this outfit in the weekend to come. Just watch me.

Make Your Days Count...Plus 8 Honest Answers for Rainy

Ian Fleming - I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.

This quote is a very appropriate one, because it's almost exactly what I've been trying to do with my days. I've been putting things off, hoping that my days would last, and procrastinating like heck. So after seeing that my online friends were continuing to post stuff and I wasn't, I decided to bring the balance back.

First of all, I apologize for disappearing without warning. Next time I have to spend a period away from my blog, I'll leave a short post explaining my temporary leave of absence.

Secondly, I'd like to tell you what I've been up to in these past 10 days:

1. Celebrated my mom's birthday on the 3rd by spending a day at our favorite beach and showering her with love and presents (a puppy calendar, a Michaels gift-card, a pass for 6 Yoga sessions at our local country club, and "The Power", which is a sequel to the best-selling "The Secret".)
   
   
2. My brother Adam has been practicing Torah-chants for his Bar-Mitzvah in 2 months, and he sounds really good. He sings in Hebrew as if he was singing in English. I'm very proud of how hard he works at what he does, and how well he's grown up. He's turning 13 and it's making me feel old. Next subject.
   
   
3. I gave my 6th Toastmaster speech on Oct. 5th, and you can watch the video of it right here. The topic I chose was "Games and What They Teach Us", and my objective was to practice using vocal variety.
   
   
   
   

   It was a challenge because at one point I forgot what I was going to say next, and my whole train of thought got derailed right in mid-sentence, but then I saved myself by "phumphing" through and closing strong. My evaluation was really kind, and it gave me renewed confidence and positive energy to work with.

   
   
   
4. Because of all the research I did for my speech, I've discovered all sorts of awesome videos on the internet, like the "Extra Credits" series on EscapistMagazine.com and the "Nostalgia Critic" videos on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com. These guys are really good at what they do and talk about. Trust Me.
   
   
5. Finally, I've discovered the online version of the game Cashflow (referred to in my speech, please watch), and I've gotten hooked playing it, a contributing factor to my absence from the blog-o-sphere. I'm learning to be financially successful and I'm able to play with people from all over the world. Recently I played with someone in Canada, New Mexico, Washington DC, and Qatar. How cool is that? The game is free to play, and all one has to do is create an account using their email address and a password. The website is www.richdad.com. Check it out!

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Now that I'm more-or-less caught up, I can turn my attention to answering some questions my good online friend "Rainy" Rani asked me. Her queries are in blue, my replies are in purple.

1. I can hear random people having a very weird, very loud conversation outside my open window right now. So tell me, what was your weirdest conversation about?
   My weirdest conversation has to be one I had with my brother recently, which mostly consisted of us spouting lines from a kids' variety-show of the '90s called "The Amanda Show". The lines were from a recurring skit with Mr. Oldman. Look it up on YouTube. Does that count as a conversation though?


2. If I suddenly became a transfiguration master, what animal or thing would you like me to turn you into? (I don’t know, like a silly band, for example.)
   If you had the power, I would ask you to turn me into a parrot, because they are funny, intelligent, colorful, and they live in the rain-forest.


3. What are you going to be wearing for Halloween? If you’re not going to wear a costume, or if it’s a surprise, tell me about your favorite past Halloween costume(s).
   I'm actually not sure what I'm going to dress as this year. But I have lots of happy memories of the characters I've dressed up as from past Halloweens: the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 (with Bettina as Thing 2), a little mermaid (not Ariel though), a hula girl, a Siamese twin (with Bettina by my side), and even a Blues Brother (another team costume with Bettina).
   
   But my favorite Halloween costume by far has to be the time I dressed as a mime. I would sneak up behind people and imitate them behind their back, and when they turned around I was off following someone else. I gave myself permission to act on my impulses. To do anything I could imagine. To pull on an invisible rope. To shake a strangers' hand without fear. To dance wildly to music only I heard. What a year that was. I like to come up with a new costume idea each year, but as a last resort, maybe I could be a mime again this Halloween. That would be fun.
   
   For pictures, check out my mom's blog-post here: Costumes From Halloweens Past. You'll have to scroll down a bit for pictures of me and my sister though.


4. Can you roll your tongue?
   Yes. I can flip it upside-down too.


5. What would you get a tattoo of? Even if you’re against tattoos or never plan on getting one pick something anyways. Something that you like or something that describes you.
   If I were to get a tattoo (which in real life I wouldn't, just because it's permanent), I would get a Yin/Yang symbol on my chest, a small one that would look like as if it were a necklace (until closer inspection), or an inspirational quote like "Carpe diem" or something wrapping around my arm like a bracelet. Nothing really obvious, something that might look like jewelry to the untrained eye.


6. What was the last song you listened to (or last song you can remember you listening to)?
   That's a tough one, because I listen to music all day. Different genres, different artists, different albums, I love it all.
   I would like to make note of the fact that John Lennon, had he not been assassinated, would have been 70 years old today. There are many tribute videos on YouTube that one can see about it. My favorite John Lennon songs would have to be "Imagine" and "Give Peace A Chance". I've always admired how much John inspired people to "Make Love, Not War". He's my dad's hero.


7. What’s your favorite number?
   Mine is seven, because it's the day I was born. The seventh day of the 9th month.


8. What was something insane you did/said/believed in when you were a wee little you?
   Oh I remember lots of stories, and my parents know a lot more. One time, my family was at the theater, and we were watching the movie "Air-Bud" (You know, the one that started it all? With the golden retriever who played basketball? Before all these silly Disney talking-puppy movies came about?). It was the last part in the movie, where the cops take the mean clown (who was Buddy's abusive previous owner) away somewhere, and out loud in front of the whole theater my 6-year-old self says, "They're taking that clown to the dungeon!" Don't kids say the darndest things?
   
   I also used to think that time worked the same way it does in the movies. I believed that at any moment I would find myself all grown-up, just like in the movie Bambi. First you see a little fawn mourning for his mom, then in the next scene you see him with these huge antlers! What's up with that?
   

If you've read this far, then you certainly are a friend in my book.

As a treat, here is a cute picture I found on the internet.