The Winning Circle

What time is it?

Game time!

What time is it?

Game time!

Family time at parents house means game time: Scrabble, Taboo, Apples to Apples, Scene It, Pictionary.

You name it, we have it and play it. Today's choice was Scene It.

 

Here is how you play: The first one to the end wins. Get it? Good. There were two teams in today's game extravaganza. One consisted of mom, dad and girlfriend, Brit. The other team, the better team, were the siblings, Eric, Ari and me. The first round of this game was uneventful--they won. 

However, the second round was a-mazing! Yes, my team won. But let me tell you how. Both teams were neck in neck and both teams were one question away from winning. My team was up and we landed on an "all play" meaning members from both teams can guess. 

The objective for the final question was to guess the name of the movie from random pictures that were being displayed of that movie. The first photograph was a picture of an LSAT book next to a test with the number 139 circled. Do you know what it is yet? (I did!)

The next photograph was a picture of a welcome sign to Harvard Law, followed by a manicure and pedicure sign and lastly, a picture of a Chihuahua.

Now do you know? The answer was (drum-roll please)...

Legally Blonde!

Who knew that this movie would save my team from losing? Maybe not as exciting to those of you who despise "chick flicks" or "girlie" movies or even Reese, but to me, this movie was my all-time favorite back in the day.

What is your favorite game to play? Do you have a competitive streak? Tell me your stories!

From Oprah's Lips to Our Actions

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”


Get out your journals, diaries, notepads, anything to write on and a pen! It is time to create the infamous new year resolution list. 


What's is going to be for 2011? Weight loss? A relationship? Better grades? More money?


Yes, those are all wonderful things. We would all love to be 15 pounds lighter, in love and rich. But instead of creating a list that caters just to personal needs, let's expand and better our family, friends and community. For every one listed item that is personal, write two that cater to someone else.


Need help? Request ideas (or offer some) in the comments area. 


Ready?...


...GO!


 

Be Mine, Sweetheart, Love...In December?

Is Valentine's Day tomorrow?

November might be one of my favorite months (aside from June, my birthday month). It's special to me because it means Thanksgiving is around the corner and that is my favorite holiday. It's time for family, friends and loved ones to get together and just be thankful. But my Thanksgiving traditions and stories are for another time. After turkey day comes Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa. Another fun time filled with good food, gift exchanges and more family time.

That brings us to now. All the holidays are over and the new year is three days away. Yet, when I walk into my grocery store, Michaels ( a craft store), or even Target, I am blinded with hearts, red decor and other Valentine's Day memorabilia.

No pressure or anything! I see the cards, the candy and the red teddy bears lining the shelves of every store I walk into. It's borderline absurd. On the plus side, I am in a relationship so it isn't too bad. But now I know it is time to book a reservation, find a gift, lose weight, get my hair done, treat myself to a manicure and pedicure and buy a new outfit. Did I miss anything? Oh wait, and make more money.

The funny thing is, I already have my gift idea lined out. I'll share with you all after Valentine's Day. But for now, we can openly discuss gift ideas and great restaurants you have.

Want to know what I am giving my girlfriend? Email me: sgrossman.blogger@gmail.com
Talk to you soon!

Angels on Your Pillow

Good evening readers!


I am finally home after a very long yet very needed day with my parents and family. The conversations were lively, the banter funny and I did indeed win some games! So for that, I thank you to those who did wish me good luck. 


Tonight is a short post. I am very tired and helped both my mom and grandmother create their own blogs. My mom is a therapist and wants to reach out to as many people as she can to cause changes and make differences in this world. My grandmother is doing something similar. She graduated from college with an MS degree in Mental Health Counseling. I am helping her get on track, per her request, with creating a blog and eventually work one on one or in a group setting to help people clarify what their dreams are and how to achieve fulfillment in life. 


I know! Pretty extraordinary human beings AND I am related to them! 


Now I am off to watch Law and Order: SVU and fall asleep. 









Sleep tight!

Eat, Play, Love

Before you begin to think this post is going to be sentimental, I should warn you that this is normal for me.
I moved out of my parents house just over a year ago. We only live 20 miles away, but in Los Angeles traffic that means 45 minutes. It's perfect. I'm far enough way to live my life and be independent, yet close enough to home to have a weekly dinner. Plus, you can't get better parents than mine.

I have grown up in a family where I was given an abundant amount of love and unconditional support. Whether it was my changing of schools, coming out and dating a girl or my half a dozen major switches my family didn't hesitate to lend a shoulder or an ear.

Getting back on track, my parents called me a week ago. This was the conversations:

Dad: "Hey sweetie, what are you doing next week?"
Me: "I don't know. Work? Friends? Why?"
Dad: "Your mother and I want to take you out, just the three of us."
Me: "Am I in trouble?"

Yes it was funny, but the real reason for the call was to invite me out to lunch so they could acknowledge all my hard work. Yes, this is a normal conversation between my parents and me.

Today is that day. They took me out to this beautiful restaurant, Saddle Peak Lodge, where we sat for over an hour and shared. I'll spare you the details. I'll tell you more if you request it in your comments or an email to me.

Now my mom is making a home cooked meal: grilled white fish, roasted artichokes and a fresh salad with figs. Meanwhile, I am sitting in the living room watching Eat, Pray, Love with my grandma and dad. My brothers are in their rooms playing video games and watching SNL episodes.



I always love visiting home. Dinner is about ready so it's time to go. But later, it will be time for Taboo and Pictionary! Wish me luck!

------> Check them out! Totally worth it!

Judaism, Philosophy, Communications and Journalism

My majors!

Since coming home I have changed my mind several times. However, I have chosen a journalism major and I have yet to change my mind since last year. I struggled to find my way to this point and my journey was anything but easy.

In second grade, I was diagnosed with a learning disorder, a form of dyslexia is what the doctors said. I process information slower than others and it becomes mashed up in my head. For example, with standardized tests I will read my options, A, B, C and D. When I process my options, my brain says C, A, D and B. As you can see and probably have already assumed, testing was never and will never be my strong suit. It is so unfortunate for people like me to take tests such as the SAT, ACT, ERB, CAHSEE, etc and be graded as that result.

That's one part of the story. The second, and perhaps most difficult aspect I had to struggle with was my writing style and technique. All my life I have been told that I had great ideas and thoughts but that I was very unorganized in my writing. I slowly began to give up my love for storytelling because I had made meaning out of being a bad organizer. I made it mean that I couldn't be fixed or changed and so there is no point in trying. Plus the endless hours of staying up late in middle school with my mom correcting essays didn't help. No one ever encouraged me to learn to write properly until Dr. Richard Follett, my English professor.

I took his English 28 course which re-teaches students the basics of a proper writing format. I remember my first assignment. I had finished typing up my final draft and my first thought was to email it to my mom to look over and edit. For the first time in my life I stood up against my scared self and didn't do it. I turned it right into Dr. Follett. The next week I received an A on the assignment. In fact, the lowest grade I received in his class was an A-.

The momentum didn't stop there. The following semester I enrolled in a Journalism 100 and a Journalism 101 course to fulfill the requirements for my undergraduate units for communications major. Those classes opened up a whole new world to me. It was better than Jasmine's carpet ride. I was able to write and rewrite stories, grasp history in a media perspective and even was published, twice. My professors saw something in me that Dr. Follett saw in me the semester before. I was being seen as more than a student. They saw me as a writer. I went on to finish the semester earning a first place award for one of my published articles. I was honored, and I still am.

By the end of February 2009 (only one month into that semester) I was a journalism major.

Fast forward to August 2009.

I had one more week left of my summer break when I received an email from the Editor-in-Chief to be at my school's newspaper. He had contacted to me to ask if I wanted to be the future Feature's Editor. I was hesitant and nervous. My palms had already begin to sweat, my stomach was in knots and my head was pounding. What if I failed? What if my pages were blank by the time we go to print? What if I can't find a good story? Will I be any good? Despite it all, I said yes.

The semester flew by and I did it. At our end of the semester banquet I received two first place awards, two second place awards and an honorable mention for my writing and page designs.

So what's next? I ran for Editor-in-Chief for the spring semester and lost. I was up against a reporter and the current EIC. The reporter won. I was saddened and hurt. I felt as though I had worked hard and that my efforts went unnoticed. It turns out that my outside life was too busy and the panel thought I was better suited to be Managing Editor.

Not bad, eh? So you are reading the current Managing Editor's blog! I am excited. We have a great team in tow and it's going to be an interesting and exciting adventure.

And just so you all know-- my life doesn't revolve around the newsroom, although that sounds amazing! I nanny part time, I am in a committed full-time relationship and always make room my friends and family.

Good night!

Home At Last

Get ready everybody-- this is going to be a long-ish blog.

It's crazy to think that I am coming up on being home (in California) for two years now. I landed at LAX on December 26, 2008. I remember feeling so happy to be in a familiar place and yet, at the same time, I began to have that uh-oh feeling in my tummy. Who am I going to be friends with? What friends from high school are still in town? Did I make the right choice?

The day after I landed I registered for classes at a local community college where my best friend, Anna, from high school was going. Thank goodness! I had at least one person in my life where I knew I wouldn't have to be alone. Now, before you start to think that of me as that girl who is clingy or needy, let me explain...

I have always been a social butterfly. In fact, I was the person in school who had friends in every clique and got along great with everyone. I was loud and fun, perky and silly, and grounded and friendly. But something changed when Year Course ended. I had been waiting my whole life for that year to come and it was over so fast. I lived in a beautiful country where I was making a difference and having the time of my life with my best friends. Subconsciously, I made a choice that no other experience in college would compare. Thus, my attitude and confidence changed.

Anyways, like I was saying, thank goodness for Anna. She began to bring me back to life. We went out and danced, had regular sushi dates and put back the pieces of our friendship since I had been gone. So many things had changed over the year and half we were apart, but we got right back on track immediately.

Now, one of our hot spots for a night out was at the Canyon Club. It's a rather large venue located in Agoura Hills that caters to every age group: Bar Mitzavah parties, 80s night and a cover band for every type of music. Hopefully you can guess that Anna and I hit up the 80s night every Thursday. It's a 21 and up event but we had connections.  Remember I told you I had two friends that kept me strong when I was at McDaniel? Well, one of them worked there. She also is one of my best friends from high school.  

This charade went on for nearly three months;  dancing on the stage, a Sex on the Beach in our hands and endless flirting. Spring Break came so fast. A good friend of mine came into town to visit for break.  During the week it was Talya, Brit and me spending our time shopping, dancing and eating at yummy restaurants.

Well, one day it was just Talya and me. Brit had a busy day and wasn't able to join us. The second Talya was in my car and we began to drive, the first thing she said to me was, "Syd? Are you and Brit hooking up?"

I KNOW! What a shock! I didn't know what to say. We weren't hooking up and I had only ever been with guys before, but for some reason, I started to blush. Turns out that I had been crushing on her for a while.

Come April 4, 2009 I had my first kiss with Brit. It was such an incredible night. It was everything I had wanted. I had never felt so comfortable with someone before. It felt right. A week later she asked me to be her girlfriend. We have been dating ever since.

*SIDE NOTE: Prior to the two of us hooking up, Brit had made a bet with some friends. The bet was that Brit had to go two months without drinking or touching a girl (holding hands is okay-- but that's it! Literally!). Clearly this was silly. What good would that do her? So we all called her two months of good behavior, 60 Days of Bullshit. Anyway, long story short, Brit broke her 60 day mark one week early with me!

More to come later about the scholastic part of my life. For now you are all caught up with my love life, which is relatively important considering that is where half of my venting will come from.

Merry Christmas! By the way, I am Jewish but I love this time of year and the merriment of it all. Today it's Chinese food and movies with my friends!





Ta ta for now!

4-Month Pit Stop

Let's see...

Right, we left off with a brief, yet memorable overview of my year abroad.

June 3, 2008 was a sad day. I boarded the El Al flight that took me home. Yes, I was happy to see my parents and have my big bed back yet, for the first time in my life I had been on my own and survived. Granted there were supervisors in every city I lived in to check in with all of us Young Judaean's,  I still had to learn to create a home and a family every time I moved.

I was only home for a brief period of time. In August I packed my bags yet again and flew out to Maryland with my mom and dad. They were going to move me into my new dorm at McDaniel College. I had been accepted there prior to Year Course and thought it was going to be my new home. The moment we landed in Baltimore I knew I had made a mistake-- a big mistake costing more than $25 thousand. Well, after the silent treatment, a water works show and some yelling matches I thought I knew that I was going to make myself suffer one semester and leave.

Turns out that I can't hold a grudge for too long. I did leave after that fall semester, but I took away some valuable friendships I cherish to this day. In fact, although I knew McDaniel wasn't right for me, saying good bye to my friends was more painful than I had imagined. (And a side note to boost my self-confidence, I left McDaniel with a 3.8 GPA!)

What's more? The people who really kept me strong (aside from my dad) were two of my best friends...

That will be important later, so don't forget!

  -----> For those of you who want to check out the type of college McDaniel is! It caters really well to each individual student. Just wasn't where I wanted my home to be.

The Beginning

What is this blog about and why is it important? Who is going to want to read this and who will it affect?

What's Next? has been created for several reasons. On a selfish note, it's so I can maintain my sanity. By writing, I can freely express myself without any interruptions. On a sharing note, I hope my struggles, obstacles and discoveries can serve as an inspiration to any and every one.

To start, perhaps an introduction and a little background on who I am would be preferable. I am 21 years old and a student earning a degree in journalism. I have been a reporter and an editor on my school's paper and will be next semesters Managing Editor. I love writing. It's a way to be fully self-expressed and unstoppable without judgement.

I won't start at the beginning of my life. Not only would that not be interesting to you, I can't possibly remember it all. Instead, I'll start in August of 2007. I am packing up my clothes, toiletries, a journal and my camera. I am getting ready to start my first year of college...in Israel.

Young Judaea Year Course was the name of the program. I have been a Young Judaean since I was nine and since my dad had participated in all YJ events, I knew that Year Course was a must. That year was probably one of the best years I have ever experienced. The year was broken into trimesters; three months in Akko, three in Holon and three in Jerusalem.

There were 18 of us in all in Akko. We were a part of a Navy boarding school where we became basic licensed sailors. We had classes in knot tying, Hebrew, ninjutsu and ships. It wan an intensive crash course and it was incredible.

In Holon, I volunteered at a magnet arts school where I taught children in 2nd to 7th grade. It forced me to pick up Hebrew quickly in order to better communicate with the children. My primary job was to improve the students vocabulary and spelling. Thus, "ish ta'a'luey" or Hangman, became the game of choice where I would pick song lyrics the students knew that contained that weeks vocabulary words.

Jerusalem was my final destination. There, I studied-- 22 units to be exact where I also received a 3.9 GPA on my completion certificate. I took courses about the Holocaust, minorities in Israel, Hebrew, Art and Judaism and Kabbalah.

Granted the experience was educational and rewarding, there was a fun aspect. I was 18, meaning that I was the legal age to drink and the night life in Tel Aviv never died down. I drank regularly, danced with friends and had dozens of hook-ups (and that does not mean sex). It was great. Being in Israel was the epitome of what I thought college should be like: dating tons of guys, partying and being with friends. Well, that isn't necessarily wrong but it is'nt the truth.

Anyways, that's where we will start on you having a better idea of where I am coming from and me becoming closer to figuring out What's Next?