Mir Blogn: March 2006 Archives

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March 31, 2006

Press Conference for March 31

Some excerpts from this week's press conference, as related by the Shmooze PR-nik.

Gentleman in the back of the room: Yes, I understand that you are currently working on the Kosher Hot Dog Cart. Could you please tell us where you are, as far as permits and cleaning are concerned?
• "Yesterday, we started the process by cleaning the cart @ Hillel. One cleaner said he felt like Cinderella, scrubbing away at the 'remnants left by his older sisters, [or in this case,] three years worth of hot dog grease.' It was a very rewarding experience for these scrubbers, though. We thank them for spending so much time working on the cart when they could have been shmoozin' it up on the Diag. Great dedication. "

You, with the glasses: One, did you finish cleaning the cart? And two, what's next?
• "Yes, we finished with the cart. The next step is to obtain the proper permits from Washtenaw County, the City of Ann Arbor, and hopefully, the University. Oh, and did they mention earlier about OSHA food safety training? We got to get that too."

Freckles, on the left: Describe your feelings regarding Relay for Life.
• "We're kvelling over the support that our community—students, friends, and families—has given to the team. In the past few days alone, we've added six new Relay for Lifers to the team! We couldn't be happier. Though, a few more donations to the American Cancer Society wouldn't hurt. You can donate through the link on the side of our blog (-->)."

Portly fellow by the door: I've heard rumors of a Pesah Dessert competition. Could you indulge my readers with some more information.
• "Most certainly. Saturday, April 8 in the afternoon, at Palmer Field during Relay for Life we are having the first, hopefully annual "Erasing Stereotypes" Passover Dessert Competition. For years there has been this misconception that Passover is a holiday with horrible dessert food, with the exception of those fruit jellies shaped like orange slices that we tried to sell each year at Sunday school. Anyway, we want to turn this negative image around by inviting the Shmooze-going public to a competition where they can both enter and judge various desserts prior to the holiday. That way, if you like a dessert so much, we'll give you the recipe and you can make it for real the next week. The details, regarding a specific time, have yet to be determined. Though, we believe mid to late afternoon on April 8 @ Palmer Field in the Shmooze tent.
• "Also, if anyone is interested in entering a dessert, please, please, please, e-mail our dessert coordinator (irobi@) before the event so we can clear table space."

Hillel Beat Reporter: What can we expect from Shmooze as far as the Gala is concerned?
• "Expect big things. I feel confident that we will easily walk away with a hat trick of awards on Sunday evening. In fact, we're already busy writing our acceptance speeches.

You, the one with the gimpy leg: I heard about this week's upcoming Holocaust Vigil. Will Shmooze be participating? And what can I do for my gimpy leg?
• "On Thursday, April 6, an extended vigil will occur on the Diag to read names of victims from the Shoah. We encourage anyone who might be able to read names, including those with gimpy legs or just ten minutes of free time, to contact lorihs@umich.edu for further information. We must be going now, for the wind is up..."

Posted by rubyr at 10:58 AM | Comments (1)

March 22, 2006

No more macaroons (unless that's your thing...)

Great meeting tonight. We had a quorum. The spread this evening: delicious mandelbrot and fresh, homemade mango salsa and chips. Highlights from the meeting. Everything else, as you know, is in the notes below.

M Shvitz—New, old time. 7:30 on Thursday. Be there.
Relay for Life—We really need to begin our fundraising efforts. I say this every week, but we are now less than three weeks out. Use the e-mail feature on the website. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please shoot me an e-mail (rubyr@) ASAP. Also, eat at California Pizza Kitchen tomorrow and 30% of your meal proceeds go toward our team. So easy, and tasty.
Hillel Hot Dog Cart—We are working on getting all the necessary licenses to put it in operation. The plan is to have everything in place so, come Welcome Week, we can "hit the ground running."
"Erasing Stereotypes" Passover Dessert Competition—Along the same lines at the kugel-off, we intend to get rid of the negative stereotype surrounding passover-friendly desserts. We're moving beyond macaroons. More details to come. Mark April 8, 2006 as the tentative date on your calendars. This way, you can sample desserts during Passover spring training and put them in the lineup for the regular season, the following week.

Before the Meeting Notes:

Erick asks “Why are the people in the facebook not students? And what about the high schoolers with e-mail addresses?�? AND
Rachel wants to show Orly her finger AND
Ian is thinking about an icebreaker question AND
Rachel supports fruit (ie. mango) in her salsa AND
Shira is afraid of trying new things, especially salsas AND
Erick cannot wait until 4:59 next Friday to see if he got in to the business school AND
Weiss showed up fashionably late, though well before the meeting officially began AND
Ian cannot wait to describe the news about shvitz AND
Ian spoke with his professor about shmooze. Lupovitch loves the idea. Sign that man up AND
Everyone in the room grew up in Metro Detroit except Erick AND
Elan’s mom is Mrs. Levine, the really nice Hebrew teacher from Hillel. Shira is amazed. AND
Weiss thanks the house for the spread AND
Shira asks about the color of Mrs. Levine’s hair. Awkward. AND
David is feeling better today AND
When Ian finishes his mandelbot, the meeting will begin…
Chewing noises, clucking, crumbs, slurping, tortilla bags crinkling. Ian wipes the crumbs off of his shirt and we begin.

Biggest gripes about Facebook

Erick—High school kids? What are they going there?
Zack—If you’re going through other people’s friends, you have to view by page. With your own friends, you can just scroll down.
Ian—Apparently, there are 70 people on the shmooze e-mail list, 22 of whom are on Facebook, and 4 of whom are not on the e-mail list. It makes sense, numerically, if you think about it.
Ruby—There is some resistance, at least in the boardroom, to not allow him to look at Facebook. “If I were sitting on the couch, and someone is on Facebook next to me, a comment would definitely be made. And I don’t like that.�?
David—The inability to have cross-institutional membership in groups. No such thing as a global group. Too limiting
Daphna—You can’t delete groups. (Some voices in and says that is false.) She wants to get rid of the group, started by Erick, called “Daphna’s Soulmates.�? Sandra and Rachel are (re-)joining the group as soon as they get home.
Jon—Has no real big gripe. Actually is very pleased with the website. Questions why people fake their birthdays? “Who does that?�? Rachel says she did that one day to feel special. The following day she put an apology on her wall. “All it means is that none of my friends know my real birthday.�?
Sandra—When people “wall�? stuff that should be “messaged,�? not “walled.�? David and Sandra relate the situation to one another. “Who are we kidding?�? Anything time-sensitive or personal should be messaged, not walled. Everyone laughed at Sandra’s story. Ian read her wall aloud.
Rachel—Global groups are a problem. Global GUTS, on the other hand, is not a problem unless you don’t have Nickelodeon GAS. Her gripe is about former campers. She gives them limited profile access.
Elan—The people at you own university who are unclickable. Elitist? It almost defeats the purpose of the Facebook. Stalker problems? Police?
David, part two—Revised search mechanism got rid of Advanced Search. Sucks. He was trying to stalk, but was foiled because of new search.
Jon, part two—Loves the new trends feature. Shmooze could be Top 10 group @ Michigan if 40 more people join the group. Sign ‘em up.
Shira—Elan took her original gripe. Who doesn’t put a picture on their profile? “Who are these people?, �? she stated accusingly. David agrees, perhaps sarcasticly.

Iron Blech Recap = Ian Ranting about the Iron Blech
(The harangue is in no particular order)

Shmooze members stormed out
Pleased with top five finish
Many people agree with his points.
Rachel said that some people had to put their cholents in the oven because Hillel ran out of Crock Pots.
Fingers pointing. Hands gesturing.
Mini Soclof draft analysis? “Explosion of flavor?�?
People were eating cholent just to eat. Ian asks, who?
Accusation of Rachel being one of these people.
Logistic changes? Where are the Dixie cups?
Germ theory approach question by Rachel? Vehement disagreement by many at the meeting.
Cholent, one or two syllables.? Accent over the whole word.
Assistant spice coach absent @ the meeting. Commended though..
Daphna plugged the Shmooze club. “We took a spice approach,�? she said. Only team with a spice coach. She snuck away after she finished speaking.
Rachel: Best flavor of all. Weak consistency. True, true.
Rob Weisenfeld: Best scrapings he has ever had.
Ian has trouble saying cholent in one syllable.

Hot Dog Update

Ian met with Diane Redmond, Hillel liaison for Hot Dog Affairs, among other titles. He dropped the word “feasibility�? in his speech. Here are the step we need to take to get our kosher dogs on campus.

Go to the County Health License. Shouldn’t be tough because Hillel already has a license for the kitchen.
Every one who is involved must go through “Food Safety Training.�? Must be able to handle health and mashgiach officials. Should take 20 minutes.
City of Ann Arbor for a vendor’s license.
If we want to sell on U property, must get a license there too.
Requires about an hour of prep time to load up with dogs, buns, relish, mustard, onions, ketchup, napkins, foil, water, pop, and chips.
Must keep track of inventory.
License last for one year.

David is coming back for a fifth year to run the cart. Ruby shakes his head. Ian says, “whatever.�?
Rachel thought that Welcome Week would be a great opportunity to start the cart up. Jon concurs. A great fundraiser at the beginning of the year to raise awareness of Shmooze. Plus, no one has real commitments at the beginning of the year. Is this a feasible undertaking for the Club? Do we have enough people to work it? Sandra never wanted to be a hot dog saleswoman. But the prospect of campus celebrity status changed her mind. And what about outside the bars? We could sell one or two days a week to make it more feasible. [Rachel stands up to leave.] We’ll look into getting licenses by the end of this year so we can start easily in the fall.

Shvitz Headband Update

Yellow headbands with blue writing.
Gotfried will get the ball rolling, as the saying goes, this week.
We should have them soon.
Extras can/will be sold from the Hot Dog cart next year

Relay for Life

We really need to step up our fundraising activities. Several opportunities:

California Pizza Kitchen. Thursday, March 22. All Day. 30% of proceeds go towards RFL. Just write your team name on the back of the receipt. So easy. And delicious.
Can Drive still going on in the dorms (EQ, SQ, WQ, Mojo, Markley, Couzens, and Lloyd)
Theta Taxi service tomorrow. Contact Ruby (rubyr@) for details.
Please use the e-mail feature on the website. Honestly, it takes two minutes. No longer. So easy.
Luminaria. We need to fill these out.
Sign up for walking times and final information will occur at the next meeting.

Shvitz
New, old time: Thursdays @ 7:30

Shvitz Field Trip
To be discussed tomorrow. Big things. Big things.

Movies

�?James Journey to Jerusalem�? to be postponed for this semester.
Ann Arbor Film Festival: Oren Goldenberg’s film on Saturday @ 7
�?When Do We Eat�? to be screened @ the Birmingham Theatre on April 21. The trailer for the dysfunctional family seder flick can be seen here. Requires Quicktime.

“Erasing Stereotypes�? Passover Dessert Challenge

Building on the success of the Malka and Elimelech Kugelov Kugel-off, we are planning on undertaking a very serious issue. “Passover dessert has been plagued,�? stated Ian. He didn’t notice the pun in his words. Perhaps they’re missing the leavening, but they still have much to offer. Logistics?

Must be before Passover.
To be conducted @ Relay for Life, on Saturday afternoon. [Notice this meeting is taking place during the Michigan-Miami basketball game. Ian and Ruby will gladly provide you with reasons why they are not in attendance or watching on TV]

[Orly shows up]

Sandra wonders why the dorms have switched to miniature bananas. No one knows. Ian reminisces, with Sandra, about the panini maker @ West Quad.

Daphna would like a date to go see Les Miserables @ the Fisher Theatre. Please let her know (dheisler@)

Tobye Singer is putting on his play this week @ Hillel. Visit the website for more details.

Ian and Ruby are arguing about Opening Day @ the Fish.

Ian congratulates Shmooze for its support of the Bone Marrow Registry. Eleven shmoozniks got their fingers poked this week.

American Dreamz, with a “z�? is being screened by M Flicks this Friday @ 8 in the Natural Science Auditorium for FREE.

Posted by rubyr at 10:25 PM | Comments (2)

March 18, 2006

What's your beef?

KITCHEN STADIUM—Members of Shmooze left the O-Minyan's Iron Blech competition hungry and slightly perturbed, though satisfied with a top-five finish. Head Coach Daphna "Moshe Moto" Heisler remained cheerful following her debut performance.
  LSA Students Rob Weisenfeld and Allen Weiss placed at the competition with their wing sauce-inspired, kishka-infused culinary concoction—Number Four. Eastern Michigan student Yedida Schramm, sister of LSA senior Chaim Schramm, however took home this year's Iron Blech Iron Blech (well ... she carried it home after shabbos)—Number Two. Actually, Schramm wore her cholent-winning apron home following the competition. She couldn't be reached for comment, though she seemed quite pleased immediately after the announcement.
  "I've never made a meat cholent before," Schramm said in her victory speech.
  Team Wing Sauce, the real O-Minyan winners of the competition, was pleased with their finish. The combination of spices and cow intestines (read: kishka), according to one commentator, are the keys to a successful cholent. Other competitors used spice liberally as well. In fact, Shmooze received much praise for the "explosion of flavor" in each bite. Though critics of the Shmooze cholent, Shmooze Shtew, pointed to the insufficient amount of liquid in its base as a detriment to its success in the competition.

Event Analysis: Beefs & Reforms

[Beef:] Insufficient distribution of cholent. [Solution:] Two Crock Pots per cholent. Sarah remembers stations (wo)manned by their respective cholentier (pronounced: cho•lent•EE•ay), though Tali still did a great job.
[Beef:] Start time. [Solution:] Give a time, stick to it. If it means delaying the competition for five or ten minutes, please do it. ~ish times are always later. So, 12:30ish would imply some time following 12:30, not before.
[Beef:] Hunger. [Solution:] Eat before you arrive. Prepare a fleishig-friendly snack for later. Don't plan on being filled up by ten (if you're lucky!) small dollops of cholenty goodness and some pita with hummus.
[Beef:] Lack of a cholent presentation. [Solution:] Give each cholentier one or two minutes to speak about their cholent before the compeition begins.

Moment of humor: "Here's the problem with Orthodox people, they're not too keen on reforms!" (Anonymous, 3/18)

Posted by rubyr at 02:14 PM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2006

Taschen about upcoming events

Another great meeting. Good participation from everyone, including some first-time attendees. Several items were on the docket for the meeting. Here are some of the highlights:

Iron Blech competition this Saturday, 12:30ish, @ Hillel. Bring your friends and help Shmooze win its first cholent competition. Our practice went well last weekend, but the coach thinks we can really step it up another notch ("Bam!" Emeril-style) on Saturday. New spice coach brought on board. Details in notes below.
Shmooze is looking into running the Kosher Hot Dog Cart on the Diag. Much support from those present. Look forward to seeing your favorite shmoozniks hawking dogs (and singing opera or Yiddish folk songs) in the near future.
We need to continue our efforts in both raising money for Relay for Life and signing up participants. For those already signed up on the team, PLEASE read the notes in the second half of this post for super-easy fundraising ideas. And if you'd like to walk/raise money for the ACS event, please follow this link. Thanks.
I Shvitz Blue headbands are in the process of being made. Updates, and possibly, a finished product for the next meeting. Blue sweatbands with maize writing, or vice versa?
"James' Journey to Jerusalem," tentative date for screening will be March 28.

For the always-hilarious, and sometimes inane, shminutes from the shmeeting, please follow the link below.

Introduction/Purim Recap. Who would you liked to have dressed up as on Purim, if you had the means?

Ian—Amir Peretz because of his rocking mustache (and he can’t speak English, good)
Zack—Someone who wasn't graduating in the next six weeks. Perhaps, someone less stressed than 1/3 of those present at the meeting
Aaron—Bizarre-looking glam-rocker so he could wear some sweet eye liner.
David—Something/somebody made out of cardboard.
Daphna—Thing 1 and Thing 2 with her roommates that bailed out on her.Erick—"I would've dressed up like a matzah ball soup"
Adam—The "Shabot" from an online greeting card he received, viewable here. Awesome-O's pais-donning relative. Mostly, he wanted to be healthy, though.
Jonathon—Bowser from Mario Kart (we think for N64), replete with Kart and swirling red shells.
Naomi (first time)—Sorority girl, and she wouldn't change it for anything
Sam (first time)—Most memorable Purim costume was grapes with green covering and purple balloons. Awesome.
Rebecca (first time)—Walking drug store.
Frayda—Would loved to have been Ian
Shira—I would've dressed up as a Smurf, though not sure which one. Perhaps, Papa Smurf?
Rabbi Miller—I was a Mexican, Pinto the Yid (which translates to Pintele Yid="the little spark of Judaism). Wished he could've been a Robinson brother, maybe Avery.

Upcoming Iron Blech competition

We had practice last week. It went well.
Accused of culinary sabotage by one of the Blech coordinators. Shmooze vehemently denies these allegations.
Daphna talked about the competition with a few people. How about sweet potato. David thinks it's a love-it or leave-it vegetable. Kishka as a replacement possibility.
Rabbi Miller offered a great tip. It's top secret, so all we can say about it is that it involves . . .
Adam has assumed the title of Assistant Coach in Charge of Spices, particularly Frank's Hot Sauce
Please bring all of your friends on Saturday, even if you only know 12 people. They don't have to vote for Shmooze, but we'd definitely appreciate their support.
Sam thinks we need a marble crock pot. David, semi-respectfully, disagrees.
Daphna's bitter about last year's finish. She wants to end her tenure in first place. Let's make it happen. [Does that apostrophe look right?]

Movie Screening: "James' Journey to Jerusalem"

About an African man who travels to Israel. A film of self-discovery.
Tentative date for Tuesday, March 28.
Adam says that we should see "V for Vendetta" with über-cute Natalie Portman, even though she has "not a lot of hair"
In other Jew-tainment news, Matisyahu, the Hasidic-Reggae sensation [I think that apposition is required to follow his name in every form of print/electronic media], has been #1 on iTunes for two weeks.

Shmooze is in talks with the Kosher Hot Dog Cart leadership.

Ian went and spoke with Michael Brooks, Director of Hillel, and Perry Teicher about the possibility of Shmooze overtaking these responsibilities.
We have a few more hurdles to overcome.
Rabbi Miller suggested Potato Knishes. Ian disagrees, Potato Burekhas (sp?)
The cart needs a vehicle with a trailer hitch. Ian thinks he knows of such vehicle.
Concerns over veggie options were raised

M Shvitz

Shvitz Health Club outing tabled until Friday. Same time, same place (CCRB, fourth corral @ 4)
Headbands are in the works

Relay for Life

141 teams already signed up. Over $51,000 raised already.
So importatnt that we begin raising more money. Really! Use the e-mail tools on the site. Honestly takes two minutes. A few more if you want to personalize the solicitation e-mail.
Luminaria bags can be given for any size donation. If you want more bags, see Ruby (rubyr@)
"Give a little, walk a little" approach. What's better than 24 hours of shmoozing and helping a helping a great cause? [A rhetorical question, please don't answer. Fine. Answer if you will.]
Currently, a Can Drive going in the major dorms for Relay for Life. Bins have been scattered throughout these facilities.
Yost Skate Night, this Sunday from 6 to 8 PM. $5 (with $3 going toward your team).
The standard goal for the Relay is ~$100 per team member. We need to both get more participants AND start raising more money.
STAND against genocide in Sudan. Shira will donate ribbons and Shmooze will support the benefit.

Citigroup Lecture by Dr. Aaron David Miller, of no relation to Rabbi Jason or Bode @ 4 PM in Hale Auditorium on Wednesday, March 15. "Is Arab-Israeli Peace Possible? Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Negotiations?." Dr. Miller is a former president of Seeds of Peace and current advisor for the Woodrow Wilson Center in D.C.

The Books will be playing weird, eclectic, but great music @ UMMA on Wednesday @ 7.

Mark your calendars for April 5 to attend the annual Golden Apple Award lecture. This year's recipient, Dr. Eric Rabkin, a very distinguished English teacher. Please arrive early and leave all crossword/soduku puzzles at home.

Thursday, March 16 @ 7:30 is the Spiral Project—a film made by many University students on 35mm. Information on the posters everywhere around campus or e-mail Aaron (kaczanda@).

Daphna has entered the blogosphere. Please stop by You JUST read my mind. She appreciates all comments, though not the spammers.

Posted by rubyr at 12:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 12, 2006

Mir Meetn to Discuss If and How We'll Meatn

We will be meeting this Tuesday, March 14, 8 PM @ 1023 Church.
Among the topics to be discussed:

Planning our domination of the O-Minyan's Iron Blech competition and recapping Saturday's team practice. (As the representatives of Jewish culinary culture on campus, we need to win!)
On the subject of Jewish culinary culture, the Shmooze club is looking into the possibility of restarting the kosher hot dog cart on the Diag.
Two installments for the Shmooze film series, one new and one classic. We NEED to set a date and plan.
M-Shvitz fundraising and field trips. We will discuss different headband ideas and prices as well as outing logistics
Purim recap
Milward will be celebrating his birthday this Wednesday. Philgrom has been one of the most devout members of the Shmooze club. Flip has attended nearly every meeting and event. At this meeting, we will plan some ideas on how to celebrate Milfred's birthday. (If you don't understand this last bullet, attend the meeting or check the facebook group "The Many Wonderful Ways to Address Adam Milgrom")

Posted by irobi at 09:54 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 06, 2006

Keen on helping out

Good meeting tonight. A little low on the turnout which meant more food—Hamantashen and Seven-Layer Cake—for everyone in attendance. Here's a quick rundown of the most important (time-wise) events on the Shmooze docket.

Fundraiser for Ukrainian Jewish Community @ Cliff Keen Arena. We need (at least) 10 volunteers to spare two hours on Wednesday evening from from 6-8 PM to set/clean up Cliff Keen Arena. The University will then give the Ukrainian Commmunity Center $300. So simple. Please e-mail Ian (irobi@) if you'd like to volunteer. So easy. If you've read this far, I hope/expect you to ponder this opportunity for at least ten seconds. Thanks.
Last chance to sign up for Relay for Life and receive a free t-shirt. Participants may sign up until April, though a free shirt is not guaranteed after this Wednesday. Go here to register and get more information.
Iron Blech competition on March 18. Cholent cookoff (err... slow simmer off). I heard he carved his tasting spoon from an even bigger tasting spoon.
Purim this Monday: 7:00 @ Hillel. 9:30 @ Studio 4. $7 Donation (for an organization that send Jewish children to camp) gets you in the door. Drink specials. Costumes. Megillah!

For this week's always-hilarious minutes, please read on

Agenda for March 6, 2006

Extremely Important Pre-Meeting Notes

Erick is very disappointed with the Facebook. No one has put up any pictures from SB yet.
Daphna changed her profile picture to include a parrot.
Shira is delaying the meeting by riding her bike. It takes too long to lock/unlock.
Sandra almost made a quorum with her presence. She dropped her cake on the floor. She didn’t say “shoot.�?
Daphna lost a layer of her seven-layer cake. She said “shoot.�?
Miriam Liebman has been noticeably absent since Ian stopped having class with her.
“Where the heck is Etan?,�? said Ian.
Erick, Shira, Amira, Reuben, Gotfried, Sandra, Fallon, Rachel Jacobson, Freyda, and (Ian’s call log this evening)
Erick is going to cross the mechitzah @ Molly Spalter’s wedding ala Wedding Crashers [“Can I wedding crash?�?]
Maybe we can invite Dad’s friend Solly, the Survivor
How to make seven-layer cake for future consideration? Perhaps sheet-cake style.

How was your break?
Interesting or awkward story

Ian: Ocean City Chinese Restaurant waiter was talking on his cellphone while serving dinner. “Man, I wish David were here.�?
Sandra: First Shmooze Meeting. ASB in Texas. Slept under the stars, by herself. Wakes up @ 5:30 with ogre-face from bug bites. “No nannies in the billy room�? (sp?)
Erick: My accént gets worse when I visit home. Erick crashes the car “left and right.�? Can’t report car accident with police because Panamanian would get deported if it were to be reported. Gave Erick some money later on to fix his car.
David: Went to Telluride, CO with “his family.�? Family enjoys the kugel-off
Adam: Forgot to bring his bathing suit. So he walked around town in nothing but his boxer-briefs and a six-pack of Miller High Life in search of a better hot tub. Hopped a puddle. Boxers were bleached brown because of the chlorine.
Daphna: Gambled for the first time in the Bahamas. Went with Stephanie (sp?) to the casino! Cheered Stephanie on to make a scene. Really enjoyed pulling the lever and shouting “Big Money! Big Money!�? Won 15¢ and cashed out immediately.
Aaron: Double vacation. Long Boat Key with Bema & Ab. Met the same grandparents every year for the past seven years. Same conversation routine. The star of Del Boca Vista. Graduation talk with stock answer. Decided he will never be doctor or lawyer. Listened to grandparents’ lectures. Ab told a raunchy joke and Aaron was embarrassed. [David’s phone interrupted Aaron.] “That’ll get him laid�? and Bema questioning what that means with Ab interjecting “Laid! Lay! Fuck! Screw!�? (Laughter ensued)
Shira: Squash Kugel—“Is this a kugel?�? in Maryland. Obviously she stood up for herself.
Ruby: Airline scale discussion regarding two pieces of luggage @ 50 lbs each. “She can lop over into the aisle for all that I care…�?
Zach: Fat people should buy two seats. He is also wearing his new Jackson Hole sweatshirt.

Relay for Life

Information to be released on the blog/e-mail
Sign up before Wednesday to receive free t-shirt.

Future cooking event

Iron Blech(IRON CHEF MOSHE MOTO) on March 18, 2006

What the heck does blech mean?
Daphna is explaining heat transfer to the engineer David Gluckman. On Shabbat it is not allowed. Rabbinical understanding of heat transfer is outdated and illogical. “Enter the blech.�? Aluminum doesn’t conduct heat. David is planning on reworking the rabbinic laws based on modern understandings of heat transfer. Rationality debate between the Heislers. Adam thinks blech implies something flekmarish. We’re looking into the water blech. The s’more is an exception to the hot desserts are bad ideology.
Do we want to participate? Yes.
Regardless of entering, we must represent and skew the balloting. Ian ranted and no one listened. “We have to win. It’s an embarrassment upon the name of Shmooze if we don’t win.�?
Daphna says stay traditional: Meat, spices, beans, (barley,) and potatoes!
On a side note, Daphna hates Saran-wrap.
We will update the group with preparatory information.
Daphna will be the Iron Blech coach.
Ian will talk to Aaron Potek and get more details.
It doesn’t matter how many people we have cooking as long as all of Shmooze shows up to vote for us.

Movie event

Shmooze Classic, sponsored by Adam Soclof
James Journey to Jerusalem
Aaron will update us on the progress of this event.

Cliff Keen

Fundraising event to help Ukrainian Jewish Community
Will receive $600 for the group
We need to find 10 people @ 6 pm. No more than two hours.
Possible conflict with JAMD basketball game.
If you need directions, ask? Entrance on Hoover side of the corner.

Invisible Children

Children in Uganda @ 8 in Hale Auditorium (B- School)
FREE

World Tour this weekend

Rachel will present… [if she weren’t noticeably absent for Chemistry purposes]
Better version of cultural FestiFall
Are we prepared?
Do we want to participate?

Purim Update

Hillel @ 7
Purim Palace @ 9:30 in Studio 4 sponsored by Chabad to benefit sending Jewish children to camp (The Friendship Circle and Camp Gan Israel). Drink specials include $3 Long Island, $2 Beer, $2 Shot Kamikaze, and $4 Apple Martini. Come dressed in your Purim best. Hear the Megillah if you missed it earlier.

Adam’s Birthday is next week, March 15

Shvitz Field Trip
- The Shvitz Health Club of Detroit (formerly known as the Oakland Bath House, the original Jewish shvitz in Detroit from the '30s.)
- Field trip before the end of the semester
- It is for real. Give (313) 871-9707 to hear the message
Posted by rubyr at 11:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 05, 2006

Haman over

Meeting on Monday
Seven in the evening
Ten Twenty-three Church
- Ever wonder what the Jewish take on the traditional Japanese Haiku is?
  Attend the meeting.
- Haven't discussed your spring break enough?
  Attend the meeting.
- Missed dinner, or need to supplement that East Quad tofu patty?
  Attend the meeting.
- Red carpet postgame coverage? Fashion faux pas?
  Attend the meeting.
- Already sick of your homework?
  Attend the meeting.
- Just finished with that Orgo test?
  Attend the meeting.
- Curious about Relay for Life?
  Attend the meeting.
Posted by rubyr at 07:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Relays and Recipes Redounding

Shmoozniks, this is the last week that you can sign up for Relay for Life and still receive a free t-shirt. Also, if you have already signed up for the event, please start fundraising. Check out the easy-to-use e-mail features on the website. At the next meeting, the fundraising chair will go over some important and useful tips to help you with your canvassing endeavors.
In other Shmooze-related news, the Iron Blech competition that was originally slated for this weekend has been delayed one week. So circle next Saturday, March 11 as a reminder to loosen your belts for the cholenty goodness that will ensue. Cholent ideas will still be handled by the Culinary Advisory Committee.
We've got some more recipes.
Fruity Israeli Kugel (#6 @ the competition)
4 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground preferred)
2 teaspoons salt
12 oz. thin noodles
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1. In a pot, bring water, margarine/butter, sugar, salt, and pepper to a boil
2. Turn off heat and add noodles. Stir. Cover the pot. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Combine eggs, brown sugar, and oil in a small bowl.
4. Add egg mixture to noodles. Stir. Let stand another 10 to 15 minutes, covered.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 9" x 13" (or bundt) pan.
6. [Optional:] For fruity flavor, add dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or figs
7. Bake one to one-and-a-half hours. If top browns over early, place a sheet of foil on, and place back in the oven.
Yerushalayimi Kugel(#5 @ the competition)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 oz. thin noodles (ie. vermicelli)
4 large eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Place 1/2 cup sugar and oil in saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat, about 10 minutes, until caramelized.
3. Remove from heat. Let harden and cool for 15 minutes.
4. Pour 5 1/2 cups of water into the pan with sugar mixture and bring to a boil.
5. Add salt, pepper, and remaining sugar. When water boils, add noodles.
6. Cook until water is almost evaporated.
7. Cool slightly and stir in eggs. Mix well and pour into a greased 9" x 13" pan.
8. Bake for one hour.
Posted by rubyr at 11:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mir Blogn

Eh. . . we shmooze