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Hiking in israel is really nice. it reminds me of the playa …without the noise, lights, music, and extra curriculars. our company hiked through this canyon and enjoyed a wedding like dinner outside under the full room and a running river (which is quite rare in israel).
I just returned from my second trip to the Israel, and I liked it even more than the first time. I think I could live there.
Overall, Tel Aviv and all of Israel that I’ve seen is uber hip and trendy. People are thin, good looking and dress well. The mix of Jewish, Arab, and immigrants yields a lot of olive skin and dark thick hair. Bald is pretty popular as well. As it turns out, I love Israeli style – it’s the grown up raver style that I can never find in the US. Wide legged pants with low waists, multi functional utilitarian shirts that can be worn 4 ways, and lots of somewhat confusing but interesting details on shirts that show your belly. Even older women in Israel dress like this- that’s what they have. I love shopping in Israel. It’s a little slice of Europe with middle eastern flare (and prices that are much more palatable). The restaurants are all really nice and stylish too. Every restaurant in Tel Aviv and Herzliya seem to fall within the top 5% of cool places in New York or SF. Since the weather is temperate, they have huge windows and high ceilings with exposed pipes and ambient lighting. People of all ages fill the tables every night and day chatting over leisurely meals and espressos. Hip music with beats play in the backround mingling with laughter and smoke. That’s the only downside – smoke. Living in San Francisco for the past 10 years, I forgot what smoky rooms were like. Dinner is a long event in Israel and us Americans sit a little bewildered at the end of our mint tea wondering why the check never shows up. You have to ask for it as they don’t want to rush you.
Weekends in Isreal start on Thursday evening and the Sabbath starts Friday sundown which means all the stores shut down Friday evening through Saturday. That means you have to run all your errands Friday morning which seems aggressive, especially when Friday nights are dedicated to eating with family.
On Thursday night (aka America Friday), we hit Kuman, a dancing bar in Herzliya. The European-ess of Israel showed loud and clear in the cheesy bar. Just when you thought the music could get no cheesier, an electro version of “I Need a Hero” from Footloose came on. The music changed from Reggae to Techno to local favorites in an unpredictable and pattern-less order. No matter what song came on the crowd danced and cheered like it was their favorite. They never skipped a beat. Large groups of women danced together and all the men danced too. The bar was split equally between men and women. I can’t remember the last time I saw a roughly equal crowd of men and women out at a bar, let alone respectfully co-habituating without hitting on each other. The it was Thursday night, and everyone was clearly out to have a good time, there was no meat market aspect. People tend to marry young (by SF standards) and don’t wear wedding rings but ‘hitting’ on people is a much tamer sport. The buff barmen kept the drinks flowing and occasionally released paper towels from the ceiling. Yes, paper towels. Like Ibiza where bubbles or confetti fall from the ceiling, paper towels fall from the ceiling at Kuman. Everyone loved it and the barman cheerfully worked the clean up into their dancing and pouring drinks routine.
We had a great time. People wanted to talk to us (because we speak English) and Israeli conversation get pretty personal by American standards quite quickly. I get frustrated with the surface conversation here so I enjoy actually getting to know people (even if I’ll never see them again). They ask how old you are, if you’re Jewish, what you do for work, and on and on. At first it took me off guard then I understood; people were genuinely interested. What a concept.
Besides cool bars, there are thriving rave-like parties all over Tel Aviv on Friday night. I haven’t had the chance to go yet since I like to go sight seeing on Friday but next time I’ll make a point to go.
My sightseeing this trip was fabulous. I went with my co-worker Ruti 
and her darling daughter Karyn 
and husband Arud. They took me to the Dead Sea, the Dessert, and Masada. The Dead Sea is gorgeous – the salty shores and bright blue waters look like an icy sea – with Jordan visible on the other side. 
We dipped our hands in the water and Karyn through salty rocks into the sea. I made the mistake of tasting the water (to see just how salty it was). I can still taste the bitterness.
The dessert was stunning with wadi’s or canyons all over. Ruti and I went for a hike through a Wadi with climbing ropes and metal ladders built in. 
The last crevasse revealed the vast horizon of the dessert and dead sea. Karyn and Arud appeared below cooking thick strong coffee on a portable stove. 
We drank coffee and cookies just before the rains came and jumped back in the car.
Masada was amazing (though wet). Masada is a huge rocky natural fort that protected the Jews through out the years. The intro film taught me there was a massive suicide when 100’s of people were stuck in the fort with inevitable loss to the approaching romans. Rather than fall to Romans, the soldiers drew names to kill the women and children and all the soldiers, bar 10. One name was drawn from the 10 to kill the 9 others and lastly kill himself. Another spectacular tragedy in Jewish history. 
The rain brought floods and waterfalls to the dessert with brown rainwater and drudge water rushing to the Dead Sea – the lowest point in the world. Everyone stopped to see the phenomena, which Ruti and her family had never witnessed. Apparently I bring rain because this it the second time it flooded in Israel while I was there. I brought a bit of snow to London too. 
Back in Herzliya, the little silicon valley outside of Tel Aviv, I worked far too many hours and missed the opportunity to enjoy my beachfront balcony which was filled with rain water and wind nearly the whole trip.
Next time there will be sun, I hope!
I found many things surprising in Israel and many surprising things.
Firstly, the country is tiny- about the size of Vancouver Island. Jerusalem is less than an hours drive from Tel Aviv. The Gaza strip and all the bordering are really close. The ‘mountains’ separating the west bank from Tel Aviv are just near the airport.
Workwise, Israel is fabulous. High tech is thriving and Herzliya is the ‘silicon valley’ of Tel Aviv. The office building are a short walk from a ritzy neighborhood on the beach located 10 minutes from Tel Aviv. Our hotel was on the beach and I went running every morning in the warm fresh middle eastern sun. 
I normally hate running, but it was so nice outside that I actually enjoyed it. The Mercado Software office in Herzlia is great. Everyone is really nice and funny and their personalities shine through in the work environment. People’s personal interests, style, and family life are relevant to work life. Co-workers become friends. I can see now how our office in Pleasanton replicates the Israelie ways. This is the first job I’ve had in years where I am so excited to go to work and want to spend time non-work time with my co-workers. Work is much more fun with cool co-workers and a laid back environment. Here we are on our company trip. 
But I digress, back to Israel, Jerusalem actually. The weekend in Israel is Friday and Saturday, which is thoroughly confusing, so on Friday, Corey and I headed out for a day in Jerusalem. Our guide, Ron, proved to be quite a character. An opinionated and experienced tour guide, Ron is a proud and patriotic Israeli. Here is Ron at lunch. 
As Ron began to tell stories and educate us, I realized that my entire education on Israel was based on NPR reports from the Gaza strip and my discussions with Israeli travelers abroad. I will try to re-tell my experiences and understandings from the day….but I do not claim to understand the politics or history of Israel in any profound way.
We veered off route 1 – the main highway and took the ‘dangerous road’ that enters Jerusalem to the north. We began to see Mosque-like towers, tall walls, and army trucks guarding barricades. 
Ron explained that the beautifully sculpted rocky terraces with olive trees, figs, sheep, and Shepards were Arabs contained in Arab settlements. They have underground roads to the West Bank and special taxis. The barricades and army separate these settlements from neighboring Israeli settlements. The ‘walls’ which are being constructed in various heights seem to serve many subjective purposes – protecting cars from rocks being thrown from the villages, keeping the Palestines in their community, and protecting the Israeli settlements from any Arab trouble. Before Friday, I had no idea these settlements existed. 
We learned about the refugees living in zone a, b. and c. Somehow I missed that in NPR. The non-Jewish refugees apparently want to leave the zones and live in Israel but there are so many refugees that their release would offset the Jewish majority and render the only Jewish state in the world non-Jewish.
We soon arrived at the Mount of Olives and the gravity and significance of Jerusalem began to sink in. Its history and significance to the world and multiple religions is palpable. From the Mount of Olives, Ron pointed out highlights of the sand colored landscape. Buildings raised from the warm haze relief like whales in a hidden undersea poster from the mall. 
The tourists wandered around in their big tour buses and an old man and his donkey stood close by for photos. We drive down tiny windy stone walled streets, beeping at the tourists sharing the road. We entered a beautiful courtyard with 20-1000 year old olive tree’s where Jesus allegedly preached to crowds. 
Inside the catholic church of agony was the ‘stone of agony’ where Jesus was meant to sit and ponder Jerusalem in the hills below. We were surprised to find a real rock at the alter. Devout Catholics joined the priests in Latin song and prayer and I could see in their eyes the tears of dreams come true. 
The next church was Greek Orthodox and Armenian and it was filled with heavy incense and lanterns hanging from the ceilings. Religious icons of silver and gold lined the walls and it felt like the basement of an elder rat pack. 
Via Dolorosa was next, and my Sunday school memories came back to me imagining Jesus walking the tiny streets with a cross mounted on his back.
The next church was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – the Christian mecca with the Stations of the Cross inside. There was a big stone of preparation that was apparently used to prepare Jesus for the crucifixion. Worshippers knelt with their foreheads pressed to the stones and I put my mum’s Jerusalem cross there to bless it. The other stations included the grave that Jesus allegedly vacated.
The old city of city of Jerusalem followed. The streets of the ‘kazbar’ were tiny, aromatic and enchanting. Orthodox Jews, tourists, and residents wandered around the Synagogue filled streets. We met a young girl who lectured us about respecting the Sabbath. Apartments with fruit tree filled shared courtyards reminded me of old Chinese villages and Latin courtyards. I remember a house my family looked at when we moved in 1984 in Maryland. It had a central atrium with a pond and trees and I remembered how much I liked it. I need an atrium in my house. 
Next on the agenda was the wailing wall – the most holy place for Jews. The women and men are separated and I watched the women read and sway back and forth. There were little notes of hope and prayer wedged into the ancient stone walls. Observing the Sabbath we were not supposed to leave notes. 
The day ended with a wander through the colorful market of spices, rich smells, and modern goods. 
We ended the day with a fabulous meal and a peace and wonder that comes from visiting the holiest place on earth. I have a lot to learn about religion and about Israel. I wish I had taken comparative religion in college and paid more attention to history. Israel is a fascinating and complex land. 
I went to the BlogHer Launch party last night at Thirsty Bear. BlogHer is a Network of female BlogHers with a mission “to create opportunities for women bloggers to pursue exposure, education, and community.” Every day the contributing editors spotlight blogs on over 20 topics. A live and intelligent all female aggregator of blogs.
I was really impressed with all the fantastic BlogHers I met. The mommy bloggers were really interesting and inspiring. They all had great things to say about the BlogHer conference last year; more than one women claimed it ‘changed her life’ and ‘not be embarrassed by the seemingly dirty little self-serving secret of a blog’. As a relatively new blogger, i contemplate similar issues and questions. does anyone want to read this? does anyone care? am i writing to see my words immortalized on the web?
it has been really interesting to see what blog entries people like, comment on, and talk to me about. it’s surprisingly- some things that i put a lot of thought and time into are ignored and the things i write quickly (and probably most passionately) are the entries people relate to.
at any rate, kudos to BlogHer and the lovely founders Elisa, Jory, and Lisa. i look forward to the 2006 conference and getting to know the BlogHers better.
Julia and I have been diligently working on Geek Rules. If you haven’t seen or hear it yet….you should check it out. Geek Rules is a weekly PodCast focused on rounding out the lives of geeks through dating, lifestyle, and geek culture. We have a corresponding Geek Rules Blog with the highlights from the PodCast.
Why are we doing this?
1- Julia and I are geeks.
2- We like to date geeks.
3- SF is full of geeks of every caliber. I date the ‘well rounded’ geeks, those who do more than code and play D &D. There is a huge population of geeks who are…well…slightly too geeky to date. They need a few tips and a bit of advice (sisterly or girlfriend advice) and many have no one to turn for that advice. Geek Rules to the rescue! We are hear to offer that advice which we hope will push at least so of the uber-geek population into the well rounded datable geek category. I know this is self serving …but hey, so is volunteer work.
So that’s the why. Now the HOW?
We borrowed a really nice microphone and big mixer board from Jason, our virginal geek of the week. He used to produce music so her was REALLY helpful.
Julia and I spend some time brainstorming and writing up notes for the segment, line up some people to interview on the personals part then record in the Cole valley ’studio’ (pun intended).
Julia is the master tech – working her magic with garageband to record and edit.
I’m doing the ‘business’ side…booking talent….doing marketing…..developing content.
and we are both having a lot of fun. We are thinking of going to video….but that opens another can of worms and challenges. perhaps we should perfect this one before we move to video.
one thing is for sure, media is quickly changing to the hands of the people (at least in the tech world) with blogs, podcast, and videocasts. It’s really exciting to be a part of this movement.
another friend who is doing videocasting with a similar geek slant is Eddie and geekentertainment.tv
Our goal with Geekrules.com is to get 1,000 subscribers by march 30th (my birthday and 3 months after our launch). Check it out and let me know what you think!
I spent Thanksgiving week in my hometown, Smallsbury, MD, and my dad’s town, Vienna, MD. Week? Yes, week. Working in the digital age, I can theoretically work from anywhere, so I decided to exercise that right. My dad has dial up and a slow like molasses PC….my mum has nothing. Luckily I have back up dial up on my lap top so I was able to dial in and use the 56K connection with my laptop. Dial up is pretty unbearable when you live in silicon valley and use high speed wireless everywhere. Anyway, I had to WebEx to run some demo’s during the vacation…which require DSL so I went to my dad’s girlfriend, Theresa’s, house to use her DSL. They fussed about in the house, cleaning and fixing things while is sat on the headset and computer detailing the value proposition and functionality of the web based CRM – ERP software I sell. Dad and Theresa gave me funny looks when they overheard my smidgens of tech talk and whispered pointing to my ear to see if I was still on the call.
When I hung up from the first demo, my dad was happy – OK your done…let’s go do something fun. Well…not exactly done…then I had to do all the legwork following the demo. He kept saying “I can’t believe how you spend so much time on the computer”. Well, Dad, I am not retired, and I actually make a living working with ‘the computer’ and the internet.
Sometimes we get all wrapped up in our microcosm of life, for me, the urban tech life of SF and for him, the tiny historical waterfront town of Vienna. We forget life exists outside of the bubble and it refreshing and humbling to leave the comfort zone for a few days. 10 days may be 7 or 8 too many…but at least I appreciate ‘my life’ that much more when I return to it.
Silvertie web launch! After many months of work and development my start up’s application – Gliffy is getting closer and closer to launch. We have launched the Silvertie.com website and it seems like just yesterday we choose the name Silvertie for our endeavor (after much brainstorming and discussion of course).
Thanks to Lyla , our creative director, and Henry, our fabulous friend and web designer, and Chris, our president for creating silvertie.com. http://silvertie.com/
Check it out and sign up for the newsletter. We are getting closer and closer to launching Gliffy and you will LOVE IT!
There are so many difficulties with a start up, what to make, how to make it, how to fund it, where to work. And all the unknowns…will this be worth it? What the hell are we doing? And back to re-assessing all the original decisions. It can feel like learning to walk everyday and then figuring out that there is a better way to walk. I guess that more like crawling- walking-running. When you’re running you get to go beyond start up a bit and run for the finish line of success.
But one thing I had not fully considered in my four person start up was personalities. We are all friends and some of us have worked together in the past in one capacity or another but everyday in someone’s living room is a bit different. It’s like a relationship – little things build up and must be dealt with swiftly and effectively. One must considered how ’someone feels’ because so much of a start up is personal. At least your first one…with four other virgins.
Of course it fun too. Fun but challenging. With a dash of faith and some thick skin. I think that is my problem – thin skin. I need to grow thicker skin so I don’t take things personally.
I will add that to the self improvement list.
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