NY native who moved to Israel to pursue the Zionist Dream!
email. bio. pics. linkedin. facebook. google. twitter.
favorite pre-immigration entries: anonymity - 2, personality, timing, greatness, valuing time, time obsession, god speed, self awareness, trust - 2, memes, meta blogging - 2, creativity, braveness, fortune, inspiration, metaphor in language, passover explained, nyc awesomeness, entrepreneurship final, cannes and wedding speech, bill maher, peace, summer started, community, summer planned, chocolate strawberries, jews, sweden, finland, russia, cool countries, life lessons - 2, new year, time travel, liberty, humanity - 2, good and evil, 9/11 + 6 months, 9/11 and G-d, belief in G-d - 2 - 3 - 4, israel odyssey - 2 - 3, human relations, trapeze, improv for life, girls gurls girlz, self reflection and free will.
favorite post-immigration entries: first new entry of the rest of my life, back home, a little grandness, nomenclature, cultural insights and complexities - 2 - 3 - 4, no single israeli women, they're all bitches and ass holes, redeeming relationships, independence day insanity, first trip back to ny, why i moved and the american dream, 6 months here and the 4th of july, community dialog, when you die, honesty is sexy, dangerous opinions, counting friends, nice people suck, misunderstandings, why you aren't funny, G-d and free choice, i have many fears, confidence, 9/11 israel, how we grow, jewish enough, respect, moving past love, sadness, bday sadness, no sadness, marrying my love, "just friends," parenting - 2, commitment, the journey, ny adventure, first year here, in the army - 2, 3 and out, jobs, nip/tuck, 20 month zionism, sexy zionism, no "going slow," jacob's wings, girls-to-order, fall of love, ny 2005 - 2, festivus, tv ruined, paper rings, secrets, heavy... my ass, nature sucks, holy-ing it up for 2.5 years, dying in israel, missiles falling, why i am not scared, the mists of time, i grew yesterday, on the grid, RIP anne dinnell, bordeaux, fuck you, fuck jeans, fuck advice, 3 year zionism and what is what.


Thursday, September 05, 2002



Happy New Year Message

Within 3 days of the 1919 New Year (not the Jewish one), Woodrow Wilson said, in an address to the Italian Parliament:

"The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them."

On this Jewish New Year the quote holds special significance. A long and strange year, filled with turmoil and unanswered questions, is now over.

Even as the possibility for escalated violence and war looms close, challenges give us the opportunity to look inward and ask "Am I doing all that I can? Am I living up to my potential?" It is all to easy to abandon person reflection when faced with the questions that are at once unavoidable yet unanswerable: "What can I possibly do? And how can I make a difference?"

There is always room for improvement. My wish for everyone on this New Year is continued strength to meet the year's hurdles with vigor, commitment and child-like optimism.

May you have a happy and sweet New Year, filled with friendship, inspiration and victory (even if you aren't Jewish).






Happy New Year

The Jewish New Year is always a time for friends and business to send out "Happy New Year" messages. Mine is forthcoming. In the meantime, here is an exact copy of the message I got earlier today from El Al Airlines. I guess budget cuts have forced them to purchase keyboards without spacebars!

"Toallourcustomers,
MayyouandyourfamiliesbeBlessedwitha
NewYearfullofhealth,peaceandprosperity.
ElAlIsraelAirlines"



Wednesday, September 04, 2002



Newest Obsession

I usually have CNN on all day while working. Recently, I started indulging in some MTV2 action. Every day MTV2 devotes some programming time to a voting-based online system that lets web surfers decide which videos get played. Check out MTV2.com and click on "Control Freak" in the navigation area. Please help me get them to play more Billy Joel and Genesis!



Tuesday, September 03, 2002



The Starbucks Guy

He is neither an employee, nor is he endorsed by Starbucks. Check out the dude who wants to go to ALL of the Starbucks in the world. Click here.



Monday, September 02, 2002



The Weekend

Well, all good things come to an end. I am now back in Brooklyn after a really fun weekend in Manhattan spent almost entirely alone.

The obligatory list of films I saw: (none for the first time, by the way)
Forrest Gump (I still cry when Forrest is introduced to Forrest Jr.)
Austin Powers (the first, the original, the classic)
The Sweetest Thing (unrated director's cut)
The Time Machine (you'd expect a better-produced DVD)
She's the One (ehh)
Waiting for Guffman (amazing)
Best in Show (improv genius)
Down to Earth (Chris Rock is God)
The Tao of Steve (how not to get a woman!)
The Royal Tenebaums (the DVD is awesome!)
Larry Sanders: The First Season

That list is quite different from the classics I saw last week. In the upcoming days I plan to conquer the entire first and second seasons of Mr. Show on DVD.

During the evenings I did something I never tried before in NYC - I went out alone. It was a cool ending to what was the greatest summer of my life. I checked out about a dozen different bars, clubs and pubs. Not drinking too much (didn't want to loose control without a friend around) was not an impediment to having fun. I met some strangers, did some dancing and enjoyed the experience of total anonymous abandon.

I can only hope that those things which made the summer so amazing are carried through for the rest of the year and the rest of my life.

Biggest lessons from Summer '02:
Chill out
Don't take things so seriously
Be as open as possible to new things (rarely use the word no)
Don't be afraid to be alone and you'll meet more people than you know what to do with
Don't worry about not being cool
Absinthe is a very intriguing beverage
Meeting new people is awesome but only viable once you are comfortable with yourself.



Sunday, September 01, 2002



The Journey IS The Destination

I'm making a pilgrimage to save the human race.

Who's with me?

Along the way I'm also going to save some human grace.

The future's open. Why?






A Vacation From Myself

This weekend I am not simply residing in the greatest city in the world (New York City) but I am actually residing in the greatest borough of the greatest city in the world (Manhattan). My brother and his wife's departure to Vermont for the weekend provided the perfect opportunity to pretend I have an apartment in the city. So, here I am, on their high speed connection, listening to their great sound system and enjoying the perks of being within walking distance to anything I could ever want (other than a black jack table).

More later...



home | about | xml

get updates by email

Jacob Shwirtz's Facebook profile

www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from Shwirtz. Make your own badge here.

movie writings
Pi
Brazil

Marathon Man
A Clockwork Orange
Vanilla Sky
Minority Report
Men in Black II
Andromeda Strain
Dr. Strangelove
Platoon

Time Code
On the Waterfront
Day of the Jackal
Farenheit 451
American Graffiti
Comedian
Deterrence
The China Syndrome
Three Days o.t. Condor

Late Great Planet Earth
A.t. President's Men, 2
Black and White
Catch 22
Star Trek: Nemesis
Adaptation
Gangs of New York
Y Tu Mama
Matrix Reloaded
Bruce Almighty

Kill Bill 2
Eternal Sunshine
War of the Worlds
Mission: Impossible III

blogsploitation
definitely something
moderation.pro
view from here
joho the blog
urban kvetch
rambo's blog
tweetbookz

Zabaj: the junk in Israel's trunk

Click here to play!

archives
01/06/2002 - 01/13/2002
01/13/2002 - 01/20/2002
01/20/2002 - 01/27/2002
01/27/2002 - 02/03/2002
02/03/2002 - 02/10/2002
02/10/2002 - 02/17/2002
02/17/2002 - 02/24/2002
02/24/2002 - 03/03/2002
03/03/2002 - 03/10/2002
03/10/2002 - 03/17/2002
03/17/2002 - 03/24/2002
03/24/2002 - 03/31/2002
03/31/2002 - 04/07/2002
04/07/2002 - 04/14/2002
04/14/2002 - 04/21/2002
04/21/2002 - 04/28/2002
04/28/2002 - 05/05/2002
05/05/2002 - 05/12/2002
05/19/2002 - 05/26/2002
05/26/2002 - 06/02/2002
06/02/2002 - 06/09/2002
06/09/2002 - 06/16/2002
06/16/2002 - 06/23/2002
06/23/2002 - 06/30/2002
06/30/2002 - 07/07/2002
07/07/2002 - 07/14/2002
07/14/2002 - 07/21/2002
07/21/2002 - 07/28/2002
07/28/2002 - 08/04/2002
08/04/2002 - 08/11/2002
08/11/2002 - 08/18/2002
08/18/2002 - 08/25/2002
08/25/2002 - 09/01/2002
09/01/2002 - 09/08/2002
09/08/2002 - 09/15/2002
09/15/2002 - 09/22/2002
09/22/2002 - 09/29/2002
09/29/2002 - 10/06/2002
10/06/2002 - 10/13/2002
10/13/2002 - 10/20/2002
10/20/2002 - 10/27/2002
10/27/2002 - 11/03/2002
11/03/2002 - 11/10/2002
11/10/2002 - 11/17/2002
11/17/2002 - 11/24/2002
11/24/2002 - 12/01/2002
12/01/2002 - 12/08/2002
12/08/2002 - 12/15/2002
12/15/2002 - 12/22/2002
12/22/2002 - 12/29/2002
12/29/2002 - 01/05/2003
01/12/2003 - 01/19/2003
01/19/2003 - 01/26/2003
01/26/2003 - 02/02/2003
02/02/2003 - 02/09/2003
04/06/2003 - 04/13/2003
04/13/2003 - 04/20/2003
04/20/2003 - 04/27/2003
06/01/2003 - 06/08/2003
06/15/2003 - 06/22/2003
06/22/2003 - 06/29/2003
11/23/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/21/2003 - 12/28/2003
12/28/2003 - 01/04/2004
01/04/2004 - 01/11/2004
01/18/2004 - 01/25/2004
01/25/2004 - 02/01/2004
02/22/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/07/2004 - 03/14/2004
04/11/2004 - 04/18/2004
04/18/2004 - 04/25/2004
04/25/2004 - 05/02/2004
05/02/2004 - 05/09/2004
05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004
05/30/2004 - 06/06/2004
06/06/2004 - 06/13/2004
06/13/2004 - 06/20/2004
06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004
06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004
07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004
07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004
07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004
07/25/2004 - 08/01/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004
08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004
08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004
08/22/2004 - 08/29/2004
08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004
09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004
09/19/2004 - 09/26/2004
09/26/2004 - 10/03/2004
10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004
10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004
10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004
10/31/2004 - 11/07/2004
11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004
11/14/2004 - 11/21/2004
11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004
11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004
12/12/2004 - 12/19/2004
12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004
12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005
01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005
03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/08/2005
05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005
06/12/2005 - 06/19/2005
06/19/2005 - 06/26/2005
06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005
07/03/2005 - 07/10/2005
07/10/2005 - 07/17/2005
07/17/2005 - 07/24/2005
07/24/2005 - 07/31/2005
07/31/2005 - 08/07/2005
08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005
08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005
08/21/2005 - 08/28/2005
08/28/2005 - 09/04/2005
09/11/2005 - 09/18/2005
09/18/2005 - 09/25/2005
09/25/2005 - 10/02/2005
10/02/2005 - 10/09/2005
10/09/2005 - 10/16/2005
10/23/2005 - 10/30/2005
11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005
12/04/2005 - 12/11/2005
12/18/2005 - 12/25/2005
12/25/2005 - 01/01/2006
01/08/2006 - 01/15/2006
01/15/2006 - 01/22/2006
01/22/2006 - 01/29/2006
01/29/2006 - 02/05/2006
02/05/2006 - 02/12/2006
02/12/2006 - 02/19/2006
02/19/2006 - 02/26/2006
02/26/2006 - 03/05/2006
03/05/2006 - 03/12/2006
03/12/2006 - 03/19/2006
03/19/2006 - 03/26/2006
03/26/2006 - 04/02/2006
04/02/2006 - 04/09/2006
04/23/2006 - 04/30/2006
04/30/2006 - 05/07/2006
05/07/2006 - 05/14/2006
05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006
05/21/2006 - 05/28/2006
06/04/2006 - 06/11/2006
06/11/2006 - 06/18/2006
06/18/2006 - 06/25/2006
06/25/2006 - 07/02/2006
07/16/2006 - 07/23/2006
07/23/2006 - 07/30/2006
08/06/2006 - 08/13/2006
08/13/2006 - 08/20/2006
08/27/2006 - 09/03/2006
09/03/2006 - 09/10/2006
09/24/2006 - 10/01/2006
10/01/2006 - 10/08/2006
10/08/2006 - 10/15/2006
10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006
10/22/2006 - 10/29/2006
11/05/2006 - 11/12/2006
11/12/2006 - 11/19/2006
11/19/2006 - 11/26/2006
11/26/2006 - 12/03/2006
12/03/2006 - 12/10/2006
12/10/2006 - 12/17/2006
12/17/2006 - 12/24/2006
12/24/2006 - 12/31/2006
12/31/2006 - 01/07/2007
01/14/2007 - 01/21/2007
01/21/2007 - 01/28/2007
01/28/2007 - 02/04/2007
02/04/2007 - 02/11/2007
02/11/2007 - 02/18/2007
02/18/2007 - 02/25/2007
02/25/2007 - 03/04/2007
03/04/2007 - 03/11/2007
03/11/2007 - 03/18/2007
03/25/2007 - 04/01/2007
04/15/2007 - 04/22/2007
06/24/2007 - 07/01/2007
07/08/2007 - 07/15/2007
07/15/2007 - 07/22/2007
07/29/2007 - 08/05/2007
08/05/2007 - 08/12/2007
08/12/2007 - 08/19/2007
08/19/2007 - 08/26/2007
08/26/2007 - 09/02/2007
09/02/2007 - 09/09/2007
09/09/2007 - 09/16/2007
09/16/2007 - 09/23/2007
09/23/2007 - 09/30/2007
09/30/2007 - 10/07/2007
10/07/2007 - 10/14/2007
10/14/2007 - 10/21/2007
10/21/2007 - 10/28/2007
10/28/2007 - 11/04/2007
11/04/2007 - 11/11/2007
11/11/2007 - 11/18/2007
11/18/2007 - 11/25/2007
01/20/2008 - 01/27/2008
02/03/2008 - 02/10/2008
02/17/2008 - 02/24/2008
12/21/2008 - 12/28/2008
02/08/2009 - 02/15/2009
05/24/2009 - 05/31/2009
06/14/2009 - 06/21/2009


jump up top
powered by blogger - subscriptions by feedblitz