Lightnin' Striking?

B"H

Nothing like listening to the words of a songs to destroy your illusions. I think the first time this happened to me was with the Police song "Every Breath you Take". I started listening to the words and realized the guy singing the song was a control freak, a stalker, a really scary guy.

I was away from home most of the past week and I took my laptop with me. I set up the laptop in the room I was staying in but I couldn't get on the internet. So I played a lot of freecell, solitaire and minesweeper. And I listened to the one music cd I had -- it had about 15 songs and in the course of my few days there, I heard that cd probably 10 or more times.

One of the songs that I got the opportunity to hear over and over and over again was Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Striking". And, while it was playing, I began singing with it. Now, mind you, it's not that I didn't know the words before, it's just that the subtleties of their meaning escaped me as a naive child.

I don't know how many of you know the words, but it starts with "Listen to me, Baby, you gotta understand/ You're old enough to know the makings of a man/ Listen to me, Baby, it's hard to settle down/ Am I asking too much for you to stick around?" -- so far, it sounds relatively innocuous. But it continues. "Every boy wants a girl/ He can trust to the very end/ Baby, that's you, won't you stay/ but 'til then/ If she's put together fine/ and she's reading my mind/ I can't stop/ I can't stop myself...."

So I listened over and over to the words and I realized (despite comments I have seen about how this is a nice little love song) that, far from being a love song, is an apologia -- an excuse, an explanation of how and why he is cheating on his "lady love" -- yes, one day, he vows, he will be faithful to her (after they get married -- SOMEday....) and, you feel that underneath it all he totally expects her to be "pure" when they do get married one day. It's the double standard, the whole "there are 'girls' you s**** and 'girls' you marry and they aren't the same" hypocrisy, the "men are expected to be experienced but women are expected to be pure" thing. (Mind you, I feel that sex is only appropriate within the confines of marriage, so I think both parties should be "pure")

I hope that some day I can forget (or forgive) the meaning of the words. I hope that some day I won't always think of the machismo or overbearingly "full of c***" words of this song. But for now, when I listen, all I can hear is a man making excuses for his infidelity.

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Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):

Jewish Wedding Customs
Going to a Wedding Single
Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
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Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
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One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
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Why Should anyone hire Me?
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My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
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Super Bowl giveth and Super Bowl taketh away.....

B"H I'll admit it -- I'm a Giants fan. If I can survive a few years of the Mets crashing and burning, I can certainly survive one year of the Giants doing the same. Because I'm a Giants fan, I was rooting for "our Quarterback"'s brother -- Payton Manning and the Indianapolis (nee Baltimore) Colts. A lot of people, however, were rooting for New Orleans because of the whole Hurricane Katrina fiasco/disaster. New Orleans, I agree, needed something big. But for New Orleans, just making it to the Super Bowl was excitement worthy, celebration worthy, Mardi Gras-type party worthy. But by winning, they gave the city, which has no baseball team (I'm having difficulty thinking of a major sports team in New Orleans besides the Saints), a needed "shot in the arm". And, though I was rooting for Indy, I'm not horribly upset that New Orleans won (it's not as the Indy is one of my favorite teams or New Orleans is a team I hate -- I was only rooting for Eli's brother -- and, truth be told, in this regard, New Orleans isn't so bad since "Dad" Archie was the quarterback of the Saints "back in the day" as they say). But, to pull this blog entry back to the title, one of the players, Pierre Garcon, is from Haiti. Haiti, which recently experienced an earthquake that it is still in the throes of, also needs to have something to "hang its hat on" from an inspirational perspective. So, while it's very nice for New Orleans (and I love that they are "back"), it would be nice to see this sort of niceness for Haiti, too. Story about Pierre Garcon and his organization that is helping Haiti Check out my other blogs: Israel and it's Place in the World Jewish Singles Strong Jewish Women Check out more of my articles: Jewish Wedding Customs Going to a Wedding Single Strong Biblical Women Strong Biblical Women 2 Strong Biblical Women Part 3 Ruth and Naomi Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses) Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam Why Be Vegetarian Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1 Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2 Rosh Hashana Quick Vegan Cooking Creating new recipes from old Hanuka About the Jewish Calendar Witches and Morality Presidential Trivia Quiz Christmas and the Jewish Single Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions Presidents1: George Washington Passover: Holiday of Freedom John and John Quincy Adams Television Trivia Quiz Jewish Perspective of G-d Purim, Esther et al Being an internet small business owner Why I'm a Red Sox fan Pythagorean Theorem My Blogs Top 10 Presidents Bottom 10 Presidents How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness? Math Tips 2 Searching for a Fashion Partner Math Hints 3 One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz) Presidential Tidbits Why Should anyone hire Me? Eat a Healthy Breakfast My experience on Jeopardy Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? My Vocational Experiences Check out my Stress Release Mix list

Carnie Wilson Unstapled

B"H

I've been watching the new show on GSN "Carnie Wilson Unstapled". It's sort of like watching a train wreck. But I'm finding it fascinating.

It reminds me that everyone has a set of problems that other people who find easy to solve (and, perhaps, she would find my issues easy to deal with.... or not????)

I've been dealing with weight issues since High School. Before he passed away, one of my HS teachers was in the local nursing home and I went to visit him -- our visit ended when he needed to go to lunch and I walked him to the cafeteria. As he turned to walk in, he turned to me and said, "you were chubby in HS".

So I have been fighting this fight for a long time. But each step of the way, I've had small successes. I first went high fiber, then vegetarian, then low fat, then vegan -- recently, I went on a diet that my alternative medical practitioner put me on and started treating my adrenals with nutrient supplements.

Along to way, I discovered a few things -- firstly, I discovered that I love sweets and if I try to cut them out of my diet, I will have crazy cravings. So I discovered stevia, a natural no-calorie sweetener. I have used it to make cakes, cookies, biscotti, puddings (mostly tapioca), iced herbal teas, even vegan "gello" using herbal tea and agar. I've also made Popsicles, sweet and sour dishes, pancakes (and a strawberry "syrup" to go with them), cereal (hot and cold), even chocolate. I also use whole grain flours (including sprouted grain wheat -- I'm still not allowed regular wheat or rye, but I'm finally allowed spelt and oats! -- so this Pesah -- Passover -- I can have spelt matza.....)....

Secondly, I discovered that it's easier to lose weight if I exercise (I love walking and I keep track with a pedometer -- I aim for 12,000 steps a day, which I often get -- I usually average my steps for Sunday through Thursday (I can't wear the pedometer on Shabbat -- the Sabbath -- so Friday and Saturday, I don't have accurate readings for my steps, so I don't count them in the average, though I do record them). In my little log book I record my morning blood sugar (Sunday through Friday) and my morning weight and fat percentage, water percentage and bone percentage (per my scale -- also Sunday through Friday). This past week, I averaged over 14,000 steps for the five days and mos of the time recently, I've been keeping my blood sugar under 110.

I discovered that if I walk when I'm talking on the phone or when I'm watching Jeopardy (often twice a day on weekdays) and Millionaire, that helps me reach my step goal (also walking around town, or around the block, or going to the gym).

In the past XX years (my weight loss odyssey):

I lost about 30 pounds from my heaviest point in my 20s until my sister's wedding in my early 30s (and anther 10 pounds before my brother's wedding about 6 months later).

I lost another 30 or 40 pounds by the time I was re-diagnosed with diabetes about 8 years ago.

I lost another 30-35 pounds in the past almost 2 years.

I'd like to lost another 10 pounds, but I won't make myself crazy doing that -- just keeping from gaining weight right now will be enough.

This is one of the issues Carnie is dealing with. The other issue is that she spends as much money as she makes (considering she's making the Newlywed Game and has a few other enterprises, this is a considerable accomplishment.

I've spent the majority of my life not getting a regular paycheck. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that I'm a graphic artist, a writer and a tutor, I've been a programmer, a technical writer, a teacher (computers, wood shop and Hebrew school), I worked several summers for the state of NJ employment office, administrative assistant for several concerns (including office manager for a psychology group), and a zillion other jobs... but I've never been able to support myself, and except for 2 years, I never made a salary that anyone would consider reasonable, never even near the median income in this country.

So I look at Carnie's spending -- and I think to myself how much easier things would be for her if she bought things that weren't quite so overpriced. It's sort of like Carrie Bradshaw, Sara Jessica Parker's role on Sex and the City. Carrie was a shoe buff -- there was one episode where she mentions having 100 or so pairs of shoes. That part didn't faze me, since I probably have close to that many. But I spend an average of less than $10 a pair of shoes. Carrie said she averaged $300 a pair. Miranda, her friend, said, "do you realize how much that is?" so Carrie said, "$3,000?" and Miranda said, "No, $30,000!!!". If I do have 100 pairs of shoes, they probably total less than $1,000 and I've been collecting them over the course of several years. That's what Carnie spent on one diaper bag.

So, if Carnie ever does read this -- Carnie -- call me, I could help you with your issues (and maybe you could help with mine??? With your name, maybe more people would buy my designs -- the ones I sell on Cafe Press and Zazzle)

And if you get a chance, you may want to check out my chocolate recipe -- for each two squares (rectangles???) of 99% cocoa baker's chocolate (I melt in a double boiler) I add 1/8 cup each of cacao nibs and mixed chopped nuts and enough stevia to equal 1 cup of sugar (2 teaspoons of the one I use) and 1 teaspoon erythritol (another natural no-calorie sweetener) -- I mix well and drop it by 1/2 tablespoons on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and put it in the refrigerator until it sets and I keep them in a container in the refrigerator.

Compugraph Designs web site

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):

Jewish Wedding Customs
Going to a Wedding Single
Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
My Blogs
Top 10 Presidents
Bottom 10 Presidents
How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness?
Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
Math Hints 3
One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
Presidential Tidbits
Why Should anyone hire Me?
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
My Vocational Experiences
Check out my Stress Release Mix list

Let's PREVENT 9/11 in Addition to the Memorials

B"H

With another 9/11 anniversary approaching, I find myself thinking of just how far we’ve come, and not in a good way. I remember how, right after the attacks, people were so upset about what had happened, so resolved to prevent its recurrence. I remember how much people wanted the perpetrators punished, the organizations that backed them up and sent them destroyed, the leaders of those organizations made to pay.

But 9/11 seems to have gone the way of the Holocaust; people get brownie points and have photo-ops by attending and speaking at memorial services but no one is doing anything to prevent either from recurring, far from it. The recent release of the Lockerbie bomber and Qadaffi's visit to the Nations-United-Against-Israel-and-the-US (aka the UN) show just how uninterested people are in standing up to and fighting terrorism.

The only way to fight terrorism and terrorist acts is to fight. We can’t back off. We can’t allow any of the terrorist demands to be met. We can’t even appear wishy-washy. We need to stand up to the haters of freedom.

I’ve been reading Cokie Roberts’ book “Founding Mothers”, about the women who helped this country gain our freedom from British tyranny. I wonder what they would think, after being there for so many sacrifices by boys and men and girls and women to win our independence. I wonder what they would think about the world’s tacit capitulation to terror forces, forces we could easily defeat, forces that have proven they have only the “best interests” of a small group of despotic leaders at “heart”. I wonder if the spirits of these “Founding Mothers” are looking down on us from heaven and crying over the squandering of our liberties and the Western world’s autonomy and free-will.

The picture in Europe is bleak. Just about every country in Europe has regions where the Muslim minorities have taken over, suppressing the rights of women, violently suffocating the free will of Muslims and non-Muslims alike, not only in these districts but in their entire countries. People are losing their rights to a free press and free speech as Islamist extremists, who have taken over by spreading fear and panic, riot and murder at the slightest “insult”.

This picture will become even gloomier if we don’t prevent this from happening here in the US. We need to defend our freedom. We need to defend our way of life. We need to defend the free world, the Western world, the world of George Washington and Patrick Henry, of John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin, of Samuel and John Adams, and Eliza Pinckney, Deborah Franklin and Abigail Adams. We need to, as Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, “resolve that these dead [those of the World Trade Center attacks, Lockerby and other terrorist attacks] shall not have died in vain…. That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” We need to preserve our legacy to our children; we need to give them a world where their differences are celebrated, not suppressed. And we need to protect our bequest from our founding fathers and mothers. We need to maintain our oasis of freedom, the place where oppressed people can escape their subjugation; the country of liberty, the country of choice, the country of openness and opportunity.

As our forefathers and mothers learned, this freedom doesn’t come cheaply. And it isn’t defended by weakness and appeasement.

If we don’t prevent it, 9/11 could happen again. Memorial services don’t prevent attacks or genocidal holocausts. Memorial services don’t fight our fights or defend our children. We need to make these memorial services more meaningful by doing battle with our enemies, the perpetrators of these atrocities, and preventing the need for further memorial services. We need to be strong and remember that our children are worth fighting for. And we need to press our leaders to strike at the adversaries of freedom and liberty.

Compugraph Designs web site

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):

NEW!! Jewish Wedding Customs
Going to a Wedding Single

Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
My Blogs
Top 10 Presidents
Bottom 10 Presidents
How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness?
Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
Math Hints 3
One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
Presidential Tidbits
Why Should anyone hire Me?
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
My Vocational Experiences
Check out my Stress Release Mix list

The Walking Wounded (like our pride)

B"H

I realize that the Mets' newest addition to the "Walking Wounded" yesterday could be the most devastating of all (though I still point to the stat from last year that the differential between how the Mets did with Jose Reyes vs without Jose Reyes was the biggest differential of any lead-off hitter in the majors). David Wright has been the stalwart of the team, the man who kept on keeping on when others went into huge slumps. And now he's down....

I'm seeing flashbacks from last year. Ryan Church (who was traded to acquire Jeff Francoeur, who I think is a wonderful addition to the team, though I miss Church) was "going gangbusters" until he was hit and got a concussion. Because of the needs of the team, he was rushed back to the line-up and was never the same all season. (I just heard the announcers mention this very thing and that he spoke to Jerry Manuel about this very subject)

In any case, I have to say I'm not a huge "blame the manager" person. I don't automatically jump to say it's the manager's fault when a team isn't doing well. Sometimes it's just that the team doesn't have good players.

But, IMHO, that just isn't the case. Omar Minaya, despite the controversy surrounding him for his unfortunate comment, seems to be getting help when it's needed. Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan, Omar Santos, Francoeur of course, Daniel Murphy, Alex Cora, and Fernando Tatis, just to name a few, have stepped up to the plate, so to speak. The acquisition over the winter of "K-Rod" Francisco (Frankie) Rodriguez has helped to shore up the bullpen (though I still thought it would have been nice to let certain pitchers attempt complete games, though they're the exception these days where they were the norm in the past).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, yes, I liked Willie Randolph (I even liked him when he was a player on the Yankees, and that's going some). Yes, I was sorry that things weren't working out with him. I reluctantly did think changing the manager last year might help the team. But, and this is a big but, I really don't think Jerry Manuel was the person (or is the person) to take that spot. I was never terribly impressed with him as a manager (I did think he was a good -- ok, descent? -- bench coach) and this season I'm even less impressed with him than I was before.

So perhaps it would be nice to see what a different manager with a different style might do. I'm tired of apologizing for the Mets. I'm tired of seeing a good team lose consistently. I still root for my team. But I'm getting frustrated.

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):

NEW!! Jewish Wedding Customs
Going to a Wedding Single

Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
My Blogs
Top 10 Presidents
Bottom 10 Presidents
How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness?
Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
Math Hints 3
One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
Presidential Tidbits
Why Should anyone hire Me?
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
My Vocational Experiences
Check out my Stress Release Mix list

It's not easy being Mets

B"H

I'm not saying that I won't watch the Mets play anymore this season, but I've more or less given up on them for this season. Granted, I'm enormously frustrated -- just a few short weeks ago they were mixing it up with the "big boys" in first or second place, less than 2 or 3 games out of first place or in first place. Now, the only thing keeping them from the cellar of the NL East is the pathetic (and thanks for them) Washington Nationals (nee Montreal Expos).

I realize it's hard to totally remake a team after losing three key players (Jose Reyes and the two "Carlos"es -- Beltran and Delgado), but it's also hard to keep on hoping only to see my hopes dashed against the craggy rocks of defeat again and again.

At this point, I'm glad I root for other teams besides the Mets. My LA Angels, Boston Red Sox (Why I'm a Red Sox fan) and St. Louis Cardinals (who I mostly like for two reasons -- My Dad's been a fan since his childhood years and they have a vegetarian manager) are all in first place and have been in the "thick of things" for most, if not all of the season so far (KI"H).

I'm still a Mets fan and I'll still hope for a turnaround, but, from my perspective, I'm hoping one of my other teams will get to the "big game".

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):

NEW!! Jewish Wedding Customs
Going to a Wedding Single

Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
My Blogs
Top 10 Presidents
Bottom 10 Presidents
How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness?
Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
Math Hints 3
One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
Presidential Tidbits
Why Should anyone hire Me?
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
My Vocational Experiences
Check out my Stress Release Mix list

I Lost on Jeopardy, Part V

B"H

(One paragraph from the last entry:)

The week before we left, I did some research on vegan restaurants in the area. I found one that was perfect for me – since, besides being a vegan, I can’t eat grains or sugars or soy it was hard even with vegan restaurants – it was a raw food restaurant, called "Leaf Cuisine", that had a number of soy free dishes. I called them and found out that I could get food delivered from them if I contacted a food delivery place they deal with. I ordered a lasagna type dish called "rawsagna", a kale salad, a wrap type sandwich (make with greens on the outside instead of bread) and carrot juice (the carrot juice was a mistake – it got all over the bag, but it was delicious). There were some more arrangements I had to make (since I wanted the food to be there when I got there) but this all worked out rather well and the food was delicious. But my Mom didn’t want anything from a place that said it was raw food (turned out she liked the food too, but neither of us knew what would happen). So the Sunday before we were leaving (we left Monday afternoon), I spent about 8 or so hours on the phone trying to find an appropriate kosher restaurant (that also had food I could eat). I found one called "La Gondola" on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills and I ordered some stuff for my Mom for Monday night (when we got there). The food was there when we got to the hotel.

But I’m jumping the gun. Monday, my friend Tasha took us to the airport (she had also had taken me to buy three new outfits for the show – all were sleeveless tops with a long sleeve stretch top underneath and leggings "down below" – one was actually appropriate for me to wear to my nephew’s Bar Mitzva – without the leggings). The first leg of our trip was down to North Carolina. It was a very short flight (possibly even shorter than going to Chicago). We didn’t have a long layover, so the long flight came next. That flight took us to Los Angeles (LAX).

After getting our bags (mostly carry-on – there was an extra charge for a checked bag so we managed to work it out with only one check-on bag), we went looking for the shuttle to take us to the hotel. Someone (one of the drivers of the other shuttles) told us we would have to call the hotel, which we did. The shuttle was only a couple minutes away. So we got on the shuttle (the driver helped with the bags without our asking him) and were driven to the hotel.

The woman at the desk was the one I had spoken to about the food, and she remembered me and gave us our food, checked us in, and gave us a room with two beds (we were told we might have to stay in a room with one big bed). The room was ok – the TV didn’t have many channels (and CBS didn’t come in clearly). It also was in a cabinet that made it hard to see. But the bed was big and comfy and I was SO tired (and I had to be up early the next morning) that I just ate and went to sleep.

I had asked for a wake up call at 5:45. I’m a real night owl and usually the only reason I’m up at 5:45 in the morning is if I haven’t gotten to sleep yet (this happens rarely, but it happens on occasion, way more often than how often I’m up at 5:45). But I had so much on my mind that I got up at 5:30. So I got dressed and went downstairs and told them not to call (I think that I got up that early because I didn’t want to wake my Mom). I then got a bowl for my breakfast (I had brought some cereal – sprouted grain cereal – and almond milk and almonds and chopped walnuts and pecans and some pumpkin pie spice and stevia – a natural sweetener ok for diabetics).

After getting dressed (and telling my Mom what to do about getting to the studio, which she never did, BTW), I went down to the lobby to wait for the shuttle to the studio. The shuttle left at about 7:15, I was told, to get us to the studio before 8 am. So I wanted to make sure I got there in time (I was nervous about being in Los Angeles – I had never been to California before and I didn’t know my way around and I was a bit freaked out by being alone in LA). But the van didn’t leave until 7:30. I had introduced myself to a few of the other contestants at that point. I had always wondered how it would be competing against people that you get to know a bit before the taping, but that wasn’t a problem.

We got to the studio and didn’t know where to go, so we waited. Someone eventually came and got us. As I was walking toward the door, Robert was standing there. He called out to me, "you must be Debbie" and I looked down at my leggings and flip-flops and said, "the leggings and flip-flops are a dead giveaway, right?" and he nodded.

We were brought in to a big building and then into a room. The room had a big table, a couch, some food, two bathroom doors, and an area off on our right to have make-up put on. Robert and Maggie (who I had met in NY at the original audition) briefed us (well, briefed may not be the best word – it wasn’t brief). Maggie is full of energy and lots of fun. She’s the kind of person who I wish I could be friends with, but being that this was my only trip to Jeopardy, I doubt I will ever see her again. Robert is more low key, but also very nice and he was just a phone call away every time I had a question (well, a voice mail message away?). For example, when Tasha and I went shopping for Jeopardy clothes, I called Robert several times, "is it ok for me to wear leggings?" or "is this or that color ok?" or the immortal "can I wear nice flip-flops?" This, of course, is why he knew who I was when he saw me in leggings and flip-flops.

During the briefing, we filled out some forms, picked something to have Alex talk to us about (this is one thing I keep second-guessing myself about), heard rules, got advice for doing our best (advice which went totally out of my head the second I got in front of the camera – I just went into "automatic pilot" and played as though I were in my living room), and had make-up put on. We were then taken out to the studio and given the opportunity to stand at the podiums and try out the buzzers. We had mock games at the audition, but that was already over a year earlier and, if I recall correctly, it was a bit easier in the studio than in NY. Oh, BTW, if you are a Jeopardy watcher, you will notice that the players repeatedly hit their buzzers (like we’re punching out a Morse Code signal). This is because we’re told to do that.

The first mock game we did, I had the buzzer nailed. I knew the answers to the questions (or the questions to the answers????) and focused in on the lights (you can’t buzz your buzzer until the lights go on). I felt good and for the first time thought I might actually be able to win. I’ve always said that most (if not all) of the people who are on Jeopardy know at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the material (I kind of "prove" that by counting the number of clues I know and 20 out of 30 is good, under 17 is bad, over 20 is great – I only got 30 out of 30 twice – and once was a teen tournament, though those can be harder because of the pop culture questions). Sometimes even if you know the "answer" it can totally fly out of your head (this is true at home as well as in the studio – strangely enough, I think it happens more when I’m at home!)

After the second rehearsals, we went back into the room and we were told that this was it; the shows would be starting. I went to use the "ladies’ room" and when I came out, I was told I’d be on the first show! (5 Shows are taped per day, so two week’s worth of programs would be taped in the two days I needed to be in Los Angeles).

We were brought out to the studio – Jack, the champion, in the champion’s spot, Pat on the first lectern and shrimpy 5'4" me in the middle. They have to have people’s heads at about the same height, so they have platforms for shorter people to stand on – I got 1-1/2 platforms. Pat, the guy on my left, had to put a sweater over his shirt because the shirt was a problem with strobing (I was a TV/Radio major in my college days and I knew all about strobing colors). Alex Trebek came out and we were on our way.

I was rather surprised at how calm I was. I was frustrated at being buzzed out a lot (as in the guys beat me to the buzzer), but I apparently did myself proud. It was a great experience (Robert and Maggie were wonderful, Alex is a doll, really. I’ve had a major crush on him since my teens and he didn’t disappoint). One thing I have to say about Jeopardy, they are really hyper concerned with everything being fair and accepting alternative answers that are correct but weren’t what they expected. At one point during the game, Pat buzzed in with an answer that was ruled wrong; I buzzed in and blurted out the correct answer, though Alex never called on me (and my time apparently expired before I blurted out the answer). The reason Alex never called on me was that they were signaling him that there was an issue they needed to check out. Pat’s answer, though eventually ruled incorrect, was thought to have been a possible alternative version of the correct answer. So they stopped the "action", turned us around (so we didn’t have a chance to look at the board) and Maggie and Robert came over and started talking to us, first telling us what was going on, then relaxing us with friendly chatter). Eventually, the ruling was made and they then told me I should ring in again, Alex would call on me, and I should re-give the correct answer so they could splice that version. It worked so well that when the program was on you couldn’t tell.

Because we were told about things like what I just described (we were told during the briefing that things like that happened with some regularity and we shouldn’t get thrown by it, which, thanks to Maggie and Robert I didn’t get thrown), when I was called incorrect in one place on something that I was pretty certain was correct, I expected they’d get back to me on it. But they never did. (More on this later…)

After the taping of our show ended (I came in third, so I would get $1,000, not the $6,300 on my lectern at the end of the game, Pat came in second, so he would get $2,000), Pat and I were told we could stick around for the taping of the next show or go back to the hotel. Pat decided he’d like to stay for the next show and I didn’t want to go back to the hotel alone, so I stayed too. After the next show, Jack (who had won our game but lost the next, so he won two days all told) and another man (who’s name I can’t recall – oy! – I feel bad because he was really nice and I introduced him to my Mom in the hotel later on – he was a tall handsome African-American man who I think was in his late 30s to late 40s – I’m a terrible judge of age, though) lost to Samantha, a local who wasn’t staying at the hotel. So the four of us went back to the hotel (we split the cab 4 ways and it came out to, with tip, about $4 a person).

Because I now had a lot of time and nowhere to go, I called my cousin who lives just outside Los Angeles (we had spoken on Monday night about her taking us out Tuesday night) and she told me when she’d be there (and I told her the address of the restaurant we wanted to go to – it was the same kosher restaurant that sent food for my Mom when we got there – it was the only kosher restaurant I had called that had food on the menu that I’d be able to eat with my restricted vegan diet rather than them saying they’d make something for me). My Mom and I hung out for a while until she got there. It was a lot of fun going out with my cousin (who I think I’d only seen once in 20 or so years) – she also took us grocery shopping.

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out my squidoo lenses (articles):
Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Strong Biblical Women Part 3
Ruth and Naomi
Strong Biblical Women 5: Tamar -- Mother of Kings
Strong Biblical Women 6: Yocheved -- Mother of Moshe (Moses)
Strong Biblical Women 7: Miriam
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Presidential Trivia Quiz
Christmas and the Jewish Single
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington
Passover: Holiday of Freedom
John and John Quincy Adams
Television Trivia Quiz
Jewish Perspective of G-d
Purim, Esther et al
Being an internet small business owner
Why I'm a Red Sox fan
Pythagorean Theorem
My Blogs
Top 10 Presidents
Bottom 10 Presidents
How Can We Appeal to G-d for Forgiveness?
Math Tips 2
Searching for a Fashion Partner
Math Hints 3
One Actor, Two Shows (TV Quiz)
Presidential Tidbits
Why Should anyone hire Me?
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
My experience on Jeopardy
Project:Runway and how it got me excited about designing again
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
My Vocational Experiences
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