Get back to work!

This seems to happen to me very often:

I'm on the computer working on something when this little voice in my head says "Wow, this is fun! You really should get back to work..."

So in my mind I have a little self-discipline and decide, "yeah, time to get back to work."

And then I look at what I'm doing and hey, this is what I'm supposed to be doing! I'm designing the cover/reading an interview for Teen Talk/testing a craft/brainstorming article ideas/blogging... I am working!

Leah :-)

Share YALDAH!

Hi, everyone!

I don't have much time for a long post, 'cause I'm going out of town on Tuesday, but I just wanted to say hi!

Did you see the new "10Friends" promotion on YALDAH's website? Share YALDAH with 10 of your friends who don't-yet-subscribe and add an issue onto your own subscription! Go to http://www.yaldahmagazine.com/10friends.html!

Well, I'm currently listening to "Tiskabel" by Yerachmiel Begun and the Miami Boys Choir, on the album "One by One" which came out ages and ages ago. The way I'm listening to it on the computer is that my brother converted it from tape to CD form so we can use it nowadays...

So, I've gotta go but I'll talk to you soon!

Nechama

More Shabbaton Pics

Here are more Shabbaton pictures from Friday, after Shabbos and Sunday.

Writing workshop with YALDAH fiction editor

Creating frames

Group photo

Right before Shabbos

At the Sharon lake

Making Challah

Making Challah

Shabbaton!!

Hi everybody!

We're having a great time at the YALDAH Staff and Editorial Board Shabbaton... here are some picures!

Staff picture!

A few girls at the Boston Public Library

at the Boston Public Gardens

Eating dinner!

at the Library... (the first-ever library in America!)

in the courtyard at the library...

walking in Boston

by the swan boats

it's mother duck and her ducklings!

eating dinner on Wednesday night... (sorry it's out of order!)

anyway, sorry it's underlined... that's what happens when blogs do things by themselves!

So... we're off to daven Mincha now - we'll update you again another day, and until then...

Good night!

-Chaya Bockian, Sima Kasten, Ilana Katzin, Tali Gross, Rochel Larson, Shterny Fogelman, Chavie Resnick, Penina Harrison, Leah Saltzman, Sara Rivka Gelber, Leah Larson and Nechama Saltzman

P.S. we're currently listening to Shterny F. play piano and she's really good :)

Shabbaton!!!

I'm here! Finally! Hooray, hooray!
The bus ride to Boston was okay, except that something smelled like watermelon lip gloss the entire time there and I couldn't figure out what it was. I almost went crazy!
Then, like Nechama said, Leah and I missed our train by one minute (one MINUTE!) so we had to wait like an hour for a new one. But it was cool. I've never been in like a big train station before.

A few reflections on the States through the eyes of a Montrealer:
Actually, before I start I just wanted to mention that I started writing these on the bus so I'd look busy and important and no one would come ask to sit next to me. Then I just kept it up because it was interesting.
So. Here goes.
- At least three people will ask you for money and/or offer you flowers if you are in a public place here for half an hour. I've kind of made it a policy to give them food instead because I don't really know where the money's going.
- It's so funny how you don't really look at the people you travel with. Well, I don't, anyhow. The woman who sat behind me on the bus is sitting across from me on the train and I didn't notice for fifteen minutes.
- You can't help listening to people talking sometimes.
- Find weird Dunkin Donuts lid. (This one needs a little explanation: Basically, my father likes weird coffee cup lids and I saw this woman on the train with a kinda slanty one on her cup.)
- Note: Find out why people keep their pencils in their mouths even when they have gotten one hand free.

That's it so far.

Penina

YALDAH Shabbaton-itis

Hi everybody out there!

This is Chaya Bockian, Leah Saltzman, and Nechama Saltzman speaking.

We're leaving to the airport to go to the YALDAH Shabbaton in 5 1/2 hours so we should probably go to bed but we are way too excited!! (Besides that we'd be up now anyway.)

So, we'll give you an update on what's happening with this amazing Shabbaton: Penina Harrison arrived tonight. Leah Larson went to meet her at the train station and they missed their train back to Sharon, so they had to wait a couple more hours 'til they went back! But all's well that ends well, and Leah and Penina are both in Sharon, sleeping we'd hope (but probably not).

Aside from that... Ilana Katzin is also here but she's not with us at the computer (she's doing the normal thing that people do at this time of night.) Leah and Nechama's awesome and generous sister, Miriam, is bringing us to the airport... we're leaving at 5:45 am!!

Oh, we have to keep up with Nechama's tradition, right? Ok, so we're currently listening to "V'hoo Kechoson" by Shimon Craimer. Can you guess what the CD is called? "Craimer." Actually, Shimon Craimer is a Chazan and he's the friend of someone in our community. He's also British - that's cool, right? Anyho... it's a gorgeous song because Shimon has an amazing, clear, voice and he has a big range.

So now we're going to go to sleep because Leah said we should get some sleep before we wake up in less than 5 hours.

Layla Tov! (Good night!)

YALDAH Media, Inc!!

Hi, everyone!

I really wanted to post because I'm sooo excited these days about YALDAH!

Have you seen our new website, www.yaldahmedia.com?

Have you heard about our new phone number, 1-888-4-YALDAH?

Have you preordered the new YALDAH books?!

So, let me keep up with my tradition -

right now, I'm listening to a gorgeous song by Yossi Green & Mordechai Ben David. I mean, Yossi Green wrote it, and Mordechai ben David (aka MBD) sang it. It's gorgeous - wanna know the words?

"B'sha'ah sheMelech HaMoshiach bo, omeid al gag Bais Hamikdash, v'hu mahmiah l'Yisroel, v'omer - 'anovim, anovim, higiah z'man geulaschem, v'im ain atem ma'aminim, r'eu b'ori shezoreiach!'" In other words "in the time that Moshiach, the king, will come, he'll be standing on the roof of the Bais Hamikdosh, and telling the Jewish people - 'humble ones, the time of your redemption has come. If you don't believe it, behold my shining light!'"

Isn't that amazing? I love it. It's basically about the time when Moshiach (the Messiah) will come and the Jews will be gathered in from exile to our Land, Eretz Yisroel... it's on Yossi Green's album, The 8th Note. It's song #2.

Anyway, enough of my music obsessions.

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the Staff & EB Shabbaton, and I am sooo excited! Anyway, gotta go babysit my neighbor's adorable kids...

Have a great day!

Hallo again!

Hi again, everybody!

First of all - somebody commented on Penina's post and asked how anyone besides Leah can post. So - basically, Leah has set it up now that the staff members can also post to keep the blog more interesting. (You weren't actually bored before, were you? Just kidding...)

The summer issue has been published!! I heard a rumor that the Editorial Board worked really hard on this amazing issue, so enjoy it! (Forgive me - am I allowed to start a rumor?!)

Anyway, aside from that, school's over! I'm halfway through high school and it is sooo exciting! So now I have lots and lots of time to work on YALDAH. In fact, today was the writers' deadline for the fall issue.

I'll give you a little BTS if you're interested -

You see, the way it works, is that there's a deadline a lot of months before the issue comes out (about now for the fall issue) for writers, fun pages, recipe, craft, etc. Then in a couple of weeks is photographers' and illustrators'. Then a bit after that is fashion page deadline, because we want to bring you the most recent fashion. Then, the issue goes for editing, to the printer... and eventually to your mailbox!

Ok, that's all for my behind the scenes at the moment.

You know the Mishna (verse) in Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers - part of the Oral Torah) that says "Hayom Katzeir V'hamlacha Merubah" - "The day is short and the work is a lot"? So, that's the song that just came on on my computer. Hey, good idea! Are you interested in music? Sorry, being the Music Notes writer, I can't keep quiet about it - so I'll tell you what I'm listening to. So, as I was saying, my music is on random and that's the song that came on. The singer is Shea Rubenstein and the album is called "Ohavti". You should definitely get it! (www.mostlymusic.com)

Well - so I'm going to listen to the message in this song, which is called "Tick Tock" (you get why, right? Time is ticking!) and get off the computer and go to bed, 'cause it's a tiny bit late... (remember that I'm in the central time zone!)

I forgot to mention earlier, but feel free to contact me at nechama@yaldahmagazine.com... with questions, feedback, to talk, ideas for articles or Music Notes... anything - I'm open!

Have an amazing summer... :)