"Do what YOU want"

A few months ago, I started lobbying my parents for a radical haircut - I wanted to shave part of my head. Their reaction, of course, was "No way!" I let the idea go at the time, and moved on.

Time passed. I went to sleep-away camp in Georgia, where my friend had the EXACT haircut that my parents had refused to let me get. Seeing her hair made me want my hair like that again, and I started bugging my parents about it when I got home.

My parents brushed off the idea the second time I presented it, but I kept trying. I showed them pictures of others with the haircut I wanted and mentioned it casually in conversation, until they finally realized how much I wanted it.

We sat down to talk and they presented the possible consequences to me - judgment by peers, judgment by adults and authority figures, frustration if I tried to grow it out, and so on. I shared with them my point of view on why I wanted to do it and how I would face the possible outcomes. I let them know that even though I knew what they said had merit, I wanted to do it anyway.

The next day, I went with my dad and sister to have my hair cut. At first, my dad said we would have to compromise on the length - I wanted it short, he and my mom didn't. But right before the stylist started cutting, he told me, "Do what YOU want." And that's just what I did.

Later in the day, we spoke about why he let me get my hair cut shorter than he and my mom wanted. My dad, who now sports a graying ponytail, told me about when he was about my age, and he wanted to grow out his hair. His mom dragged him screaming to get his hair cut, and he realized that by not letting me have my hair cut the way I wanted, he was doing what his mother had done and what he had told himself he would never do to his child. He had become the person he had vowed never to be, and when he realized that he changed his stance.

So thank you, Dad, for letting me express myself. I am "letting my freak flag fly, and I feel like I owe it to someone," as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young say in their song "Almost Cut My Hair," which influenced my dad in his day.

I hope I grow to be like my dad, and that if I ever deny my child's right of self-expression, I correct myself. I am lucky to have a dad who lets me be the person I want to be.

August already? Where has the year gone?

We're officially eight months in to the year of 2011. After briefly coming out of my summer coma, I realized this. Then, i thought, where has the year gone? Next thing you know, I'll be starting my last year of high school, leaving for vacation during the winter, and celebrating the new year. I look back on the past seven months, and a lot has happened. In my life particularly, most likely the same for others too; we got older, we learned new things, had new experiences, and ultimately lived our lives.

I live by a couple of random quotes, they help me get through the day, give me inspiration and such for a better life. One, which everyone has without a doubt heard is "Make everyday worth it," or something of that degree. Every time i find myself doing nothing fun, not enjoying myself and basically doing nothing i think of the quote and I immediately do something to be proud of. Whether it's writing a short story for fun, or changing around the furniture in my bedroom, i do it.

Additionally, I write a summary of the days events in a diary on my bedside table. Some may believe this is a bit nerdy, or useless or just plain dumb thing to do, but I enjoy looking back on what exactly made my day worth it, tying back into the quote. Someday are filled with events, like going to the mall, the pool or having lunch with friend, and some just simply say "finished book, watched a movie, and loved it! so good!" It may seem simple, but it's life. I understand that not everyday is as exciting as others. But what's stopping you from having a good day?

I'm no expert on philosophy or psychology, but i believe in that simple quote, and when i look back at this year I don't regret a single day.

Summer at AMHSI

A big part of summer for people in high school is experiencing new things, whether it be at camp, at a summer learning program, or traveling with a teen tour or family. I had a totally unique travel experience that was both life changing and possibly the best time of my life. I went to the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI), a program for Jewish Americans, and my time was spent not only learning and traveling, but literally living the life of an average student in Hod Hasharon, Israel.

For me, like for a lot of Jewish Americans, Israel is a second home… it’s where we came from originally as a people, it’s where we turn when we pray, it’s where our 4000 year history is, and it’s a place that is always on our minds. Obviously we have a strong connection, but my experience in Israel gave me the chance to feel that connection and to understand why we have it. Whether hiking in a canyon in the Golan Heights, spending a weekend in a tent in the desert, climbing Masada for the sunrise, or experiencing a concert of Israel’s most famous singers on Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut), I saw and felt the connection firsthand. I not only developed a spiritual connection to the land, but also one with the 46 other teenagers on my trip. Living, learning, and traveling made us like a family. Not only a spiritual connection, but a historical connection also played a big role in my trip. I saw where and how my ancestors lived, which was really powerful for me.

The lesson I learned from AMHSI was to never forget the past, and to use it as a tool to build the future. After my experiences, I won’t ever forget the Jewish past and will use those experiences to define our future. Because of my experiences, I would totally encourage other teenagers to look into their pasts, to learn where they came from, and to let that be a part of building their personal futures. It helped me better understand myself, and I’m sure it would impact anyone in the same way. Your history and heritage is there for you to discover and love, it’s your job to find it!

Typical Dolphins

Well, after what seemed like a century without football has finally come to an end. No more watching reruns on ESPN of last year’s highlights because there was no new football stuff to talk about. The NFL lockout ended recently and the season was salvaged. Only a week until the preseason kicks off and a little over a month until the real football begins.

Because of the lockout, teams were not allowed to perform any transactions that usually occur during the summer months: trades, signings, etc. Since the lockout ended, however, there has been a flurry of deals in the last two weeks.

The Miami Dolphins, coming off yet another disappointing season—finishing a dismal 7-9— are looking to become a contender this year and will need all the help they can muster in order to stay afloat in the tough AFC East Division which includes high-powered teams like the New England Patriots and New York Jets. In recent years, quarterback Chad Henne has openly failed at leading the Dolphins to anything worth talking about. After last year’s late season collapse, there was speculation that Henne would be out of the starting job come September. Several quarterbacks that would have proved to be upgrades to Henne were on the free agent market, including names like Donovan McNabb, Vince Young, and Kyle Orton. Yet, the Dolphins’ front office pulled a typical Miami move and went out and got someone who has yet to prove himself backup much less a starter: Matt Moore. Moore, who played for the Carolina Panthers last season, threw for only 857 yards and had twice the amount of interceptions(10) as he did touchdowns(5) and completed only 55 percent of his passes. A HUGE upgrade from Henne, who threw for 15 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and 3301 yards and completed 61 percent of his passes. More like a downgrade if you ask me. The Dolphins had simultaneously been in trade talks with the Denver Broncos for quarterback Kyle Orton ( 20 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 3653 yards), but decided to get Moore.

I don’t understand the logic behind signing a guy(Moore) who is worse than the current guy (Henne) who just led your team to a 7-9 season. Ever since Dan Marino retired, the Dolphins haven’t had a stable quarterback who turned out to be successful. Thoughts of recent past quarterbacks come to mind: A.J. Feeley, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, the list goes on and on. What do all those guys have in common? Well, before coming to the Dolphins, none of them had really been successful anywhere else. A lot of them actually rode the bench as backups on different respective teams. After years and years of making the same mistake, the Dolphins just don’t seem to understand what’s going on.

As a Dolphins fan, I hope that either Moore or Henne will break out this year and Miami will win their playoff game since 2000. I really do. But I can’t look past the fact that we haven’t really improved at the most important position in the game of football; and that’s what gets me nervous.

Until the Dolphins do become a successful team, the same three words continue to ring in my head: typical, typical Dolphins.

Back to school shopping sales!

There are so many sales these days but the best is at outlet malls. Everything is always half off or on clearance there already so the deals are amazing. I recommend going to an outlet mall since most of the prices are all half off or close to nothing.

Summer Days

Back in January, I planned out an elaborate list of activities to do over summer break. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my friends, while also going to different places. I figured we would be out almost every night having fun at new places without a worry in the world. I planned my summer as if there would be no flaws and everybody’s schedules would mesh well together.

In actuality, my daydreams were a little far fetched and honestly needed a lot of money and extensive planning. My summer actually contained a lot of unplanned nights full of wild adventures and laughing till crying. My friends and I would spend the day on my front porch hanging out, “solving” life’s daily problems and walking to the local 7 Eleven. Other times, my friends and I would hit the beach and simply get a pizza and dine in the back of his Chevrolet pick-up truck.

I think what I didn’t take into consideration was the fact that you can’t really plan life. Things have to fall into place and you just have to make the best of each situation. I think I will look back to this summer and realize that the simplest things in life were probably the most meaningful. Listening to my friends, learning from our experiences, and enduring rough patches together, will probably mean more to me in the future than any expensive night out.

Gathering Moss

Randy Moss, the legendary NFL receiver who recently announced his retirement, has been one of the most mocked and disdained players in the league for about the last year or so; the mighty falling inspires joy in most sports fans, and Moss always had an air of entitlement about him that made as many people hate him as love him. He could get away with being cocky when he was young, but when the skills faded and he took off the Patriots jersey you were left with a wretched scene; an old Moss, lost on a doomed Vikings franchise, taking passes from an equally decrepit Brett Favre on Monday Night. He produced even less in Tennessee. Scorn rained down on his shoulders.

Moss was always compelling, always a star, but never really a hero. Like most prodigies, he knew he was head and shoulders above the competition and let others know too. That made his failures (his disastrous year in Oakland, for instance) delicious to his legions of haters, who saw him as a cocky (he was), overpaid (a good portion of the time, he was), jerk. Remember him mooning the crowd in Green Bay? Moreover, remember how little effort he used to put into some of his routes? He was never a consummate worker, like Jerry Rice or his rival Marvin Harrison. He gave up on blocks, hated going inside where linebackers roamed, and was often sullen. In press conferences, he glared at reporters, delivering clichés and generally making himself difficult to love. He regularly made news for his off-the-field issues and gaffes – his being caught with marijuana, the allegations of dating violence – but he never seemed to be a violent criminal like Ray Lewis, or a sociopath like Michael Vick. Just an unpleasant kind of guy; a jerk.

The reason he got away with it all is because Randy Moss was undoubtedly the most athletically gifted receiver ever to step on an NFL playing field; a man so preternaturally talented that (like all athletic prodigies) he made the ridiculous look simple. In his prime, no cornerback faced him one on one. No one. He was 6'4 and could outjump almost any defensive back in the league; he ran like a deer (his 40 time was faster than DeSean Jackson's) and he had a knack for timing his jumps so that he nabbed the ball at its apex, long before it was within anyone else's reach. He had many highlight catches, but rarely any that were visually exciting. Most of the time it was the same formula; the QB hauls it deep, Moss rises up above the secondary and plucks it like an apple from a tree. He dashed defensive strategy into the dust because the only way to really stop him was to be as big as him, as fast as him, to jump as high as him, and no one could do it. He was unstoppable on fade routes at the goal line, and like his deep catches they too followed a formula; Brady launches it to the corner, Randy floats up and grabs it, easy. You rarely saw Moss look like he was working too hard. He was so talented that he tended to have a seismic impact on the offenses he played for; so much work had to be put into subduing Moss that defensive coordinators were forced to leave safeties deep and think carefully before they blitzed. There's a reason he played for arguably the two top offenses in NFL history; both depended on him to limit defenses.

From his great talent stemmed his arrogance. Moss could dominate without having to work as hard as everyone else. He saw no reason to work too hard going over the middle, tended to quit on routes, blocked halfheartedly, and radiated condescension. No one really rooted for Randy Moss. What made him so compelling was his dominance. Watching Moss play was like watching a bullfight sometimes; the outcome of the event was known, but the pleasure was in watching it unfold. Even at the end of his career, when the magic was mostly gone, he could still conjure up memories of the old Moss every once in a while. Remember his one-handed grab over Darrelle Revis a year ago, in what turned out to be the last season of his career? Revis, the top cornerback in the game and in the prime of his career? It was vintage Moss; just reached out and snagged the ball, like a kid in a schoolyard, like Revis wasn't even there.

Ultimately his prodigious talent proved to be his undoing; unlike more fundamentally sound receivers like Rice, Cris Carter, and Terrell Owens, Moss depended wholly on his physical gifts. When those gifts eroded, he had nothing left to stand on, and was unable to play late into his thirties. Moss was proved human after all. And without the production, he had no shield against criticisms of his arrogance, his seeming disinterest in football. It's safe to say not too many people really felt bad for him, sitting there in Tennessee like a mortal, but Moss' downfall did seem a little tragic, like a god cast down from heaven. Like the tragic heroes, his greatest strengths were also his greatest flaws.

Moss leaves behind him a stunning body of work. Football fans still quote the numbers he put up in awe; 23 touchdown catches in one season, 1,313 yards in his rookie season, his freakish 111 catch, 1,632 yard 2003 output. It seems unlikely that the ignominious end to his career or the general sense of dislike that followed him will survive the years. He benefits from a paradox of sports; that on-the-field greatness can make up for anything off it. He's without question one of the top five receivers in the history of the NFL, and you could make a solid case for his being as high as second, behind Rice. He's headed for the Hall of Fame. History will be kind to Moss, leaving only the memory of him as a young phenom, levitating impossibly high to pull in a fifty-yard bomb over a crowd of defenders. Moss is lucky that the unsatisfied, cocky man up in the air will be largely forgotten.