The Good Girl Gone Blog

String Theory

"...and when she was good she was very very good.
And when she was bad, she was horrid!"

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lying by Omission

Alternatively titled: My parents know me too well

Last night, after completing a 25 hour fast for Yom Kippur, I enjoyed a delicious dinner of bagels, kuggel and carrot cake. (I will definitely be sharing the carrot cake recipe soon because it was amazing!) Afterward, my mom loaded up a to-go plate with a slice of carrot cake and a chunk of kuggel for me to bring to my friend.

I kissed my mom goodbye and drove over to his house, where he graciously accepted my mom's food.  We then caught up and settled in to watch a movie. Because I was going to be home late, I made sure to text my dad to tell him I was going to be out for a while, and that I'd be home after we finished the movie.

He never got the text, so when my stepmom called at around midnight, I felt terrible.

"Sorry, I texted dad. I was at a friend's house watching a movie, I'll be home soon."

When I got home, my stepmom (and the dogs) were waiting for me in the kitchen. After I apologized again, my stepmom looked at me and smiled.

"How was David's?" she asked

I gave her a confused look. I hadn't told her where I'd been.

"We knew you were at a boy's house because you didn't specify where you were going. 'At a friend's house' means with a boy."

I thought that was just too funny, because she was absolutely right. I had (whether consciously or subconsciously) kept the details private. Cause you know, even if we are just friends, I still don't completely believe in platonic relationships.

Oh, and I made sure to tell my stepmom (at least 3 times) that it had been a completely innocent visit and that we truly did just watch a movie.

Sunday Confessional: I have issues with double letters

AABBCCSSUUFFLLAANN

I wouldn't say I'm a bad speller. I'd be lying if I told you I didn't rely on spell check, but still, I'm not terrible. There is one thing that throws me off every time though: the double letter. It's words like "recommend" or "occasionally" that constantly throw me off.

In fact, I once got a 50 point bonus for the word "burried," because no one caught my misspelling. It was only after we'd each played a few turns that my opponent noticed my mistake. By that point, the game was already too far along to remove my word. Hey, at least I won- although it felt like an undeserved victory.

I've gotten to the point where I always spell the word "committee" correctly, only because I remember that every letter that could possibly be double is, well, doubled!

Anyone else have spelling issues? Come on, we're all friends here! What's your spelling drama?

We got Sadie!

Sadie and Mommy via Steve

It's a Rosh Hashanah miracle- my wish has been granted and Sadie is safely at home in Baltimore with my mom and stepdad. I'm making the trek down to Baltimore this weekend to puppy sit and couldn't be more excited.

I can't seem to get that song "We got Annie" from the musical Annie out of my head. All I hear is Grace, Daddy Warbucks' secretary, singing" "We got Sadie!"

Oh, just listen to the darn song, and then picture me as the scarily happy lady dancing around in the yellow dress:

(And now it's stuck in your head too. Sorry...)

We got Sadie! Oh, it's possible we might change her name. I'll be sure to take tons of pictures when I go home this weekend :) Yay, Sadie has a home.

Maturity

The other day, I had a talk with my dad on the drive home from the airport. I told him all about school, my internship, and the fact that I'd had another run in with that boy. You all know who I'm talking about...

(I actually didn't tell you guys that I've run into him a few times since school started. Our first interaction was completely awkward- we passed each other on the street and didn't speak. The second time we saw each other, I called him over and we had a talk. I cried in public, but felt about 100 times better because it was the first time in over 3 months that we'd spoken in person. That was the particular instance I was talking about with my dad.)

And that's when he asked me something very important:

"Alana, you're not going to hold a grudge, are you? It's not worth it."

Although I claimed I wasn't going to hold a grudge, I had to think about it  before I came to a decision. I know that as a Jew, and as a good person, I'm not supposed to hold a grudge, but that doesn't mean it's easy. This boy really hurt me, yet although I wasn't happy with his behavior, I know he's still a good person. If I didn't think that, we never would have been  friends to begin with.

So, Dad, you'll be happy to know, I made the decision to stop holding that nagging grudge. And you know what- I feel so much better. When I saw that boy yesterday, I smiled, gave him a big hug and told him I missed him and that I wanted to try to make this friend thing work. He looked shocked, but admitted he missed me too.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Clearly everything isn't going to go back to normal just yet, but it's a start. I guess all I needed was a little time and some advice from someone who loves me.

Like I told Rachel L, yesterday I did a "grown up" thing. I feel mature.

Photo of my Dad via Michal

My Rosh Hashanah Wish

via Michal

Every year, I help my mom lead preschool services for the high holidays. We sing songs, tell stories and use puppets to keep the children entertained. At one point in the service, my mom asks the children what they wish for for the new year.

This year, she asked me too. At the time, I didn't know what to say that would both make sense to a crowd of preschoolers and wouldn't sound stupid to their parents.

Well mom, I've done some thinking. I have a Rosh Hashanah Wish:

Losing Sabi this summer was extremely hard on all of us. Every time I step into my mom's house, I feel like someone is missing. I miss Sabi coming to the door to greet me; I miss his short, stubby tail; I even miss walking him. I know that a new dog will never be able to replace Sabi, but I do think a new dog will help fill that palpable absence that we all feel at home.

Today, my mom and I went to the Maryland SPCA, a place whose floors are full of urine and whose walls can't contain the barks of lonely dogs.  I must admit, seeing homeless dogs is absolutely devastating. A part of me wanted to take home as many as I could, to scoop them up in my arms and shower them all with treats, tennis balls and...dog shampoo.

As we walked down the different rows, I fell in love...multiple times. First it was Swagmore, a scrappy Black Lab mix. He loved that I payed attention to him, and barked his head off when I walked away. How could I resist his playful paws and wagging tail?

And then we met Sadie, who is absolutely perfect. Just over 30 pounds and full of spunk, she's an absolute darling. We took her out for a walk and played a few rounds of catch. She jumped in my lap a few times. She kissed my face. She even knew how to sit on command, but only did it when she felt like it. I'm pretty sure that Sadie = me in dog form.

It broke my heart that we couldn't take her home today. Even though she completely won over my mom, I'm afraid we won't be able to adopt her. Unfortunately, the SPCA will only hold an animal for you for 3 days, and my mom can't adopt a dog for another week because she's going out of town this weekend.

I want to bring Sadie home. I want her to fill the void. I want her to make my mom smile. I want to take her on a walk around the neighborhood when I come home for Thanksgiving. I want to tie a big pink bow around her neck and laugh because my stepdad won't be able to use the excuse "he's a boy!" and try to take it off. I want to snuggle with her on the couch. I want to hear the pitter patter of her feet on the kitchen floor.

So here's my Rosh Hashanah wish, albeit a selfish one: I want Sadie to find a wonderful home...and I want that home to be with us.

Kids: Adorable or Disgusting

My little cousins never cease to crack me up. On Friday night, after a delicious dinner, two of my cousins (who shall remain nameless) came running out of the bathroom completely naked with a huge announcement:

"______ pooped a lower-case e!"

Though I didn't actually see my cousin's err... masterpiece, I thought it was pretty funny, albeit disgusting. But hey, that's my family for ya!

10 minutes later, as I was about to leave, the "pooper" came up to me and gave me a big hug, and admitted:

"I didn't wash my hands or wipe my butt!"

Yeah, I've gotten used to it by now.

Sunday Confessional: The holidays aren't the same without my sisters

Michal and Sophie in Israel

Truth be told, I can't actually say the holidays aren't the same without my sisters, because I'm writing this post on Thursday, and Rosh Hashanah begins tomorrow. Still, I know how different the Passover seder felt without my older sister, Michal, who got married a few years ago and moved to Israel with her husband. I definitely missed filling up Michal's Passover wine cup with fake butterflies (which she hates) and talking about the bitter herbs ("erb" not "herb" duhhhhh!).

Beautiful prickles

This year, my little sister Sophie is in Israel as well, participating in the same program I participated in just three years ago. Though my sisters  will definitely be missed, I can speak on behalf of myself, and probably the rest of my family when I say that we're all so glad they're together. It makes me so happy to hear that they've been hanging out. Because they are 6 years apart, I don't think they had that much in common growing up, but now, reunited in Israel, they seem to get along extremely well...I can hear it in Sophie's voice and read it in Michal's emails.

I think Soph looks absolutely gorgeous and so happy in this photo

Most recently, they spent an afternoon taking photos together. While Michal is a professional photographer, Sophie is still learning, albeit extremely talented. I loved hearing about the excursion from both of my sisters, and seeing their photos. (Oh wow, just writing this post is making me miss them and wish we were all together.)

I'm so excited to be going back to Israel for the first time in three years this December, reuniting with my sisters in my favorite place on earth. I'm already planning the outings I want to take, the people I want to hug and the food I'm going to eat!

All photos via my sister, Michal

My Pink Moped

My dad sent me this photo a while ago- it's of a shop in Fell's Point. I particularly like it because not only is the moped pink, but the dress behind it is as well.

Oh, and a pre-Sunday confessional: If I ever got a pink moped, I'd name it Claire. I never claimed to be normal.

I think I attract the crazies

Yesterday, I was sitting on a bench outside of a BU building, minding my own business and enjoying the warm evening air. As I reached into my purse to grab my cellphone, a strange looking girl sat down beside me. With a strange piece of black fabric wrapped in her hair, pasty makeup and an unflattering pair of white jeans,  I could tell she wasn't a BU student.

And that's when she started talking to me:

"Are you a fan of Ted Kennedy?"

Initially, I thought she was talking on the phone. When I finally realized she was addressing me, I admitted that I didn't actually know that much about Ted Kennedy, other than the fact that he had recently passed away and that he was extremely loved in Massachusetts.

That's when she decided to whip out the Ted Kennedy ornaments she'd made and was selling for $1. Unable to say no, I let her hand me a variety of paper ornaments. It wasn't like I wanted one, but I just had to buy it. I was so uncomfortable.

She then proceeded to show me her Paul Newman ornaments, as well as some cute paper polar bears she'd made. It was beyond strange.

Anyway, I'm now the proud owner of a Ted Kennedy ornament. What the heck am I supposed to do with a Ted Kennedy ornament?