SBL2.0: Outdoor Shakespeare and an Off-Message Top

Growing up, one of my all time favorite musicals was Kiss Me, Kate. This was partly because my babysitter was in a production of it at his high school so we watched it every Saturday night, but also because Cole Porter is a musical genius and I love almost everything he touches.

I am being Shakespearean.

Then, in high school, 10 Things I Hate About You came out. If you don't know, the connection between Kiss Me, Kate and 10 Things I Hate About You is that they are both based on The Taming of the Shrew. I am also pretty sure I have read the play before, but after watching it, I am less sure about that fact...

Because man, is The Taming of the Shrew disturbing. Apart from the overt misogyny, which is really nothing new in Shakespeare, you basically are watching a father sell his daughter into a terrible marriage, and then watching the man who bought her abuse her until she behaves "properly." And this we call a comedy?

I am sorry to say, this is the first time I remember not liking a Shakespeare in the Park production. It's partly that the play is so disturbing, but I found the decision to make it a trailer trash version to also be difficult, as it felt like there were uncomfortable comments on class being made as well. (I.e., only poor people would treat their wives this way. Which is clearly untrue.) Something about it also felt amateur-ish to me, but that might have been partly because it was only the second day of the show so they were still ironing out the kinks. I don't know, the New York Times loved it but a lot of the comments on the review agreed with my group, so do with that what you will.

The experience was still fun, as Shakespeare in the Park always is, and it certainly generated more conversation and food for thought than usual. When going to Shakespeare in the Park, it is important to cover up, as the theater is right next to a lake and so the mosquitos can get bad. I decided to wear a lightweight tunic, though, because it was hot, and then realized when I looked at the pictures that I basically look pregnant. (I'm not, just to be clear.) Oops. Will I wear it again? Probably, because the flowers are so pretty. Will I get offered a seat on the bus? Not impossible. Sometimes that's how things go.

The whole gang, before the play started and we all became extremely disturbed:

If you want to see Taming of the Shrew, you have one more week, so go get in line now! Otherwise, Troilus and Cressida is coming next month.

What I'm wearing: random tunic via Macy's (similar here), LOFT jeans, Downeast Basics cami, Bare Traps sandals (similar here)

Love is Love is Love

I've been thinking about blogging, but somehow finding myself unable to do so in light of what's been happening in America lately, and especially in Orlando. I believe that there's something to be said for trying to live life as "normally" as possible, but right now it feels wrong to do so when so many people's normal is gone forever. So I hope you'll all indulge me a different sort of blog post for today.

 Last night I went to Museum Mile, a wonderful outdoor festival on 5th Avenue, with my friend Marci. I'll write more about it another time, but the main thing that struck me was all of the street art. One of the things they do is close off the street and put out buckets of chalk and people of all ages leave messages on the street. A lot of them are pictures, or people writing their names, but there were so many messages of love and strength, and I found I couldn't stop taking pictures of them. So I'm including some of them below, along with a few thoughts and also things that you can do if you want to try to make the world even a little bit better and stronger.

 First, I'm sad that this needs to be said, but since it does: to my LGBTQ+ friends and readers-- I, and so many people, love you very much. I will not pretend to have any idea what you must feel like right now, especially because you are all distinct people who are feeling distinct things, but know that if you want to unload any of those things, I (and, I'm sure, many others) are here for whenever and whatever you need. All I want for you is to be safe and happy, and to find love in whatever form with whoever you wish. It's so hard to find love in this world. If you have found it, know that I feel nothing but joy for you. If you have not, I wish very much that you will, if that is what you want. And if there is anything that I can do to help make our communities safer and more friendly for you, tell me and I will do my best to do it.

Second, I'm sad this needs to be said as well, but to all of my Muslim friends and readers-- I, and so many other people, love you very much. I know that you, and your faith, had nothing to do with what happened on Saturday night, and I promise that I will never hold you responsible for it. America is as much your country as it is mine, and even though the voices of hate and suspicion are loud right now, they do not reflect our country's values,  or what we believe. If there is anything I can do to help make you feel safe, again, please tell me and I will do everything I can.

And now, because words are important, but they are not enough, a few idea of things to do if, like me, you have both been feeling helpless and also like you desperately want to do something:

1. Donate blood! There's a major blood shortage right now in general, and in the face of the many injured parties in the Orlando shooting, there's even more need. However, men are prohibited from donating blood if they have had sex with men in the last year, stopping many from being able to donate to help their community. (A conversation for another time.) You can find a blood drive near you here.

2. Make your voice heard for gun control. I'm a native New Yorker and I was not raised around guns. I understand that they are culturally important in other parts of the country. That being said, can we all get on board with the idea that people should not be able to buy assault weapons? There's been a dramatic increase in the number of mass shootings and gun deaths since the assault weapon ban expired in 2005, which is surely not a coincidence. Get involved with gun safety efforts here, and write to your elected officials with the instructions listed here.

3. Donate money to help the victims of the Orlando shooting, and to supporting LGBTQ+ people who have been abused, thrown out of their families, or need help with medical treatment. I found a great list here. The Southern Poverty Law Center is also one of my favorite organizations working on creating a world with less hate. You can see more about them here.

4. Speak out against the racism and xenophobia that the Muslim community is currently experiencing. We often don't think of petitions as doing anything, but the reaction to the first round of signatures received on this one was really positive. More ideas about concrete actions here and here.

5. Love each other. Do random acts of kindness. Smile at someone you don't know. Speak up, make your voice heard, advocate for justice. Vote! Find small ways to make the world better. Believe that the future doesn't have to look like the present.

Hopefully we'll be back to our usual frivolity soon. For now, love is love is love. Love to all of you.

Introducing... SBL2.0!

I learned a lesson from the last blog post. If you say "Big News!" in the title, you will get a lot of traffic. Hyperbole= good, apparently. Lesson learned.

So... big news! It's Bucket List time! My fall/ winter bucket list, similar to my winter blogging, was not super successful. But now it's summer and so it's time for fun. We are calling this SBL2.0, which is not to be confused with the Society for Biblical Literature, which has the same acronym. If you look, you will see some favorites from last summer, as well as a host of new activities.

I kicked off this year's list with Shaina (and Noam!) by waiting in line for Shakespeare in the Park tickets, to see Taming of the Shrew. I'll write more about the show when I show you my outfit from that, but in the meantime, this is one of my favorite quintessentially New York experiences. We went the second day, which meant that we got there at 10 and still were very close to the front. When it comes to Shakespeare in the Park, the earlier in the run you go, the later you can get in line. Important lessons from Real New Yorkers.

We didn't plan so well so ended up chairless and towel-less. However, I had been smart enough to wear one of my favorite dresses, which looks like a dress but feels like a nightgown. Pajamas on the inside, proper outside clothing on the outside is the best.

The Line.

 It turned out fine in the end, when we improvised with one of Noam's baby blankets. Thanks Noam! He had a great time waiting, which he mostly spent playing with a package of wipes. Babies are weird. But he was a good sport, even though he didn't get tickets. (They used to give babies tickets, but now you have to be at least five. Bummer.)

As the line started moving, we were serenaded by this doo-wop group, which was actually really good. I would have even given them money if I hadn't forgotten my wallet at home. Oops! Good thing tickets were free.

I'm feeling good about this bucket list. It's only June 9th and I've already done 3 things, with two more (so far) scheduled for the next 10 days. Want to know which ones? Come back and keep reading! And let me know-- what's on your summer bucket list???

What I'm wearing: Downeast Basics dress (similar here), Downeast Basics camisole, b.o.c. sandals (similar here)

Big News!!

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend, wet as it was here in New York.

Work started last week for the summer, so I am teaching and happy as a clam. (I'm not sure what makes clams happy, but okay.) Unfortunately, this has meant that I have lost all motivation to work on my prospectus, which now just sits open on my computer staring at me forlornly as I desperately do anything else and try to pretend I don't see it.

Right after I got back from Israel, NY had a crazy heat wave. Not quite the 106 degrees I had there, but here we have humidity, which is basically the devil. These pics were taken the day I got back, before it got bad, so you can see both my sunburn and the fact that I did not sweat through my clothing at all! Good for me. Shaina and I went for a walk, so we snapped some pics in front of this garden on Riverside Drive. As you can see, this is not the most interesting thing I've ever worn, but I liked the contrast of the different patterns and blues with the dress and shoes.

And look at my cute new bag! Purchased after much dithering at DSW. So far it is giving me much joy. Hurrah for a brightly patterned purse.

As the title says, I have big news! Yesterday, I signed up for a half marathon. Eek! It's the Staten Island half, on October 9th. The end is at home plate in the stadium where the Staten Island Yankees play, which sounded fun to me. Now, you might have followed my various sisterly forays into 5ks (which I apparently have not blogged about) and 10ks, but this a whole other beast. The 10k has been a distance I can run most days now, so I decided it was time for a new challenge, but I'm sort of scared because running 13.1 miles is, objectively speaking, totally bonkers.

The plan as of right now, in order to keep me blogging and training, is to write periodically about the process. I imagine those posts will also include some of my thoughts about body image, my various iterations of getting my body healthier, and also what it means to think about modesty when you don't always feel amazing about your body. But don't worry, the cute outfits will keep coming too.

I'm hoping you all will cheer for me along the way. Also, I'm writing about this so you can keep me accountable. Plus, if you live nearby and want to help me train, I'm always looking for running buddies! Also looking for your favorite songs to get you amped up and ready to go. Please leave suggestions in the comments!

Current countdown: 4 months and 3 days to go. (Yes, that is a long time. Yes, I know I don't need to train yet. But I've always been an overachiever, so why should this be different?)

What I'm wearing: Charter Club dress via Macys (similar here), Kosher Casual shell, Toms shoes (similar here), Fossil bag via DSW

The International Edition: 6 Hours in Tel Aviv

Ok, so, when I brought the blog back, the goal was to blog twice a week. Clearly that's not going very well so far. So, we'll aim for once a week while I get back into the swing of things. Better a little than never, right?

When I was in Israel (admittedly, already a long time ago), I forgot to make plans in advance. Oops. It's because I was so excited to hang out with Gila, I didn't think about anything else. Also, it was so hot that it was sometimes difficult for me to motivate myself to go outside. (That's why there aren't more blog pictures from this trip. Tooooo much sweat.) But one morning, two days before I left, I realized I had nothing to do and Gila had to work all day. So... time for a spontaneous trip to Tel Aviv!

Everything is better on the beach.

Literally, when we left the house (for Tuesday coffee and AMAZING PANCAKES), I didn't know I was going. But then I decided to get on the train. I'm so impulsive guys!

Tel Aviv is hopping, but also pretty strange (is it a city? super fancy? full of slums? high rises? low rises? Yes to all of the above!) I don't know my way around there at all, unlike in Jerusalem, so I got lost more than once, but I persevered.

This is why I don't pose for pictures.

 Luckily, my friend Shayna has been living there for the past two years on a post doc, so she gave me excellent advice about where to go, and also met me for delicious frozen lemonade and a walk to the beach. My favorite place was the Carmel Shuk (see pics below!) mostly because it was so bustling and crazy. It's what the Shuk in Jerusalem used to be like, before it got super fancy and filled with expensive restaurants. I walked back and forth probably five times, just taking in the sites and occasionally dodging the vendors who tried to shove things in my mouth to get me to eat them.

I decided to finish off the day at the beach, which was beautiful. As you can see, I was not at all dressed for it, but really, as long as you can take off your sandals, you can always make it work. I might have been the only woman not in a bikini. I'm an individual through and through, even internationally. And I was extremely proud because I asked someone to take my picture in Hebrew and she didn't answer in English.

I started work this week. It's actually the best (I heart teaching), but there is a part of me that misses vacation. And Gila. And pancakes. Oh well.

Coming soon: the unveiling of the new Summer Bucket List (aka SBL2.0). Get psyched!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (with pockets!), Jones New York top via TJ Maxx (similar here), Bare Traps sandals (similar here)