open pasture

+/-

moocowinthecity 2011-01-18 No Comments

I once again have a cold, I’m run down, but I’m doing amazing.

In brief:
– I have a cold.
+/- I finish my advanced Hebrew course this Thursday.
+ At the end of this course my Hebrew will be two levels away from the advanced/academic level.
+ I’ll be able to blog and correspond regularly after I finish the course (especially as I prepare to finish out my army service).
+ I received my retroactive payment from the Ministry of Absorption, so I finally have a surplus in my bank account and after two and a half years I’m not in the red.
– I won’t get my food stamps until next month, because the army is making changes in how they deliver their food stamps…awesome for them, sucks to be a lone soldier until then.
-Yes…there are soldiers who are on food stamps because the army doesn’t meet their basic needs.
+ I’m preparing to finish out my army service.
– The head of my branch is ready to kill me because I’m not signing on more time in the army and he doesn’t know what he’s going to do because there’s no one to take over for half the things I do in the branch.
+ We’ll be getting our language course T-Shirts on Wednesday.
– I still haven’t gotten my sweatshirt from my NCO course…
+ My week long guarding stint has been postponed because I have to speak in front of the Major General.
– My week long guarding stint has been postponed and not canceled.
+ I send out my application to the M.A. program I want most on the 23rd…wish me luck!!!

+/-

moocowinthecity 2011-01-18 No Comments

I once again have a cold, I’m run down, but I’m doing amazing.

In brief:
– I have a cold.
+/- I finish my advanced Hebrew course this Thursday.
+ At the end of this course my Hebrew will be two levels away from the advanced/academic level.
+ I’ll be able to blog and correspond regularly after I finish the course (especially as I prepare to finish out my army service).
+ I received my retroactive payment from the Ministry of Absorption, so I finally have a surplus in my bank account and after two and a half years I’m not in the red.
– I won’t get my food stamps until next month, because the army is making changes in how they deliver their food stamps…awesome for them, sucks to be a lone soldier until then.
-Yes…there are soldiers who are on food stamps because the army doesn’t meet their basic needs.
+ I’m preparing to finish out my army service.
– The head of my branch is ready to kill me because I’m not signing on more time in the army and he doesn’t know what he’s going to do because there’s no one to take over for half the things I do in the branch.
+ We’ll be getting our language course T-Shirts on Wednesday.
– I still haven’t gotten my sweatshirt from my NCO course…
+ My week long guarding stint has been postponed because I have to speak in front of the Major General.
– My week long guarding stint has been postponed and not canceled.
+ I send out my application to the M.A. program I want most on the 23rd…wish me luck!!!

An Important Announcement

moocowinthecity 2011-01-12 No Comments

“Do not say, ‘I will study when I have time’; for you may never have the time.”
– Rabbi Hillel

After what has amounted to weeks of introspection, thoughtful conversations with friends and family, email exchanges with advisers and discussions with commanders throughout the Ground Forces, I have taken the multitude of advice I have received and come to a decision.

For many reasons – which I will elaborate on at a later date and time – I have decided to turn down the offer of a contract with the IDF and the future opportunity to attend the Officers Training School. Instead, I have opted to pursue my professional education and to continue forward with my career.

To that end, I’ve decided to return to the United States and to pursue my M.A./Ph.D. there.

I will be retiring from active duty on June 19, 2011. It is my plan to be on Long Island on July 1, 2011 in order to have enough time to study for the GREs. It is my goal to resume my academic studies in August of 2012.

For those of you who have asked me if this is a ‘permanent move’, the answer is that I don’t speak in terms of permanence. I speak in terms of right now. What I do know is that at the end of the day, I want to live in Jerusalem. What I also know is that the only way I will be able to accomplish both my personal and professional goals at the same time is if I return to the United States.

If you’re interested, the schools and programs that I’m applying to are:

A) Hofstra University – M.A. in Forensic Linguistics
B) University of Oregon – Ph.D. in Descriptive Linguistics & Fieldwork
C) SUNY Stony Brook – Ph.D. in Linguistics
D) University of Rochester – Ph.D. in Linguistics
E) The University of Chicago – Ph.D. in Linguistics
F) Indiana University Bloomington – Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics
G) University of Texas at Austin – Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies

I’ll be posting more information in the coming days.

– M

An Important Announcement

moocowinthecity 2011-01-12 No Comments

“Do not say, ‘I will study when I have time’; for you may never have the time.”
– Rabbi Hillel

After what has amounted to weeks of introspection, thoughtful conversations with friends and family, email exchanges with advisers and discussions with commanders throughout the Ground Forces, I have taken the multitude of advice I have received and come to a decision.

For many reasons – which I will elaborate on at a later date and time – I have decided to turn down the offer of a contract with the IDF and the future opportunity to attend the Officers Training School. Instead, I have opted to pursue my professional education and to continue forward with my career.

To that end, I’ve decided to return to the United States and to pursue my M.A./Ph.D. there.

I will be retiring from active duty on June 19, 2011. It is my plan to be on Long Island on July 1, 2011 in order to have enough time to study for the GREs. It is my goal to resume my academic studies in August of 2012.

For those of you who have asked me if this is a ‘permanent move’, the answer is that I don’t speak in terms of permanence. I speak in terms of right now. What I do know is that at the end of the day, I want to live in Jerusalem. What I also know is that the only way I will be able to accomplish both my personal and professional goals at the same time is if I return to the United States.

If you’re interested, the schools and programs that I’m applying to are:

A) Hofstra University – M.A. in Forensic Linguistics
B) University of Oregon – Ph.D. in Descriptive Linguistics & Fieldwork
C) SUNY Stony Brook – Ph.D. in Linguistics
D) University of Rochester – Ph.D. in Linguistics
E) The University of Chicago – Ph.D. in Linguistics
F) Indiana University Bloomington – Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics
G) University of Texas at Austin – Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies

I’ll be posting more information in the coming days.

– M

It’s 12:44am…do you know where your children are?

moocowinthecity 2010-12-29 No Comments

Oh man…January 23rd cannot come fast enough…we are going to have a very, very pissed off Lt. Colonel…he may, actually cry…this past week has been all kinds of limitless crossings of red-lines, outrageous assumptions, and other things that are face-palm-worthy. Collectively, these serve no other purpose than to make our meeting on the 23rd more awkward than it was already going to be (don’t worry, I’ll be sharing them them with you in intimate detail shortly, because I am damn well not going to go this one alone when the internet invented LiveJournal for, essentially, this very purpose)…I’m leaving for Jerusalem in five or so hours, so I do need to nod off for a bit…an update from the road, or the hotel room, coming your way soon.

It’s 12:44am…do you know where your children are?

moocowinthecity 2010-12-29 No Comments

Oh man…January 23rd cannot come fast enough…we are going to have a very, very pissed off Lt. Colonel…he may, actually cry…this past week has been all kinds of limitless crossings of red-lines, outrageous assumptions, and other things that are face-palm-worthy. Collectively, these serve no other purpose than to make our meeting on the 23rd more awkward than it was already going to be (don’t worry, I’ll be sharing them them with you in intimate detail shortly, because I am damn well not going to go this one alone when the internet invented LiveJournal for, essentially, this very purpose)…I’m leaving for Jerusalem in five or so hours, so I do need to nod off for a bit…an update from the road, or the hotel room, coming your way soon.

I’m on my new laptop

moocowinthecity 2010-12-23 No Comments

It’s wonderful to have a keyboard again. Even more so that this laptop is less cumbersome (a much nicer, one piece powercord) than my other laptop. You can expect daily updates again starting when I’m done touring with my parents.

An IDF/job/grad school related post will be coming soon.

I can’t wait…I’ll once again be able to check email on a daily basis…read the news…and other things that I haven’t really been able to do too well on a less than two inch cellphone screen!

:o)

I’m on my new laptop

moocowinthecity 2010-12-23 No Comments

It’s wonderful to have a keyboard again. Even more so that this laptop is less cumbersome (a much nicer, one piece powercord) than my other laptop. You can expect daily updates again starting when I’m done touring with my parents.

An IDF/job/grad school related post will be coming soon.

I can’t wait…I’ll once again be able to check email on a daily basis…read the news…and other things that I haven’t really been able to do too well on a less than two inch cellphone screen!

:o)

An Incredibly Important Update

moocowinthecity 2010-12-18 No Comments

This is not for general announcement until I release a formal announcement on January 25, 2011. Please do not discuss it, allude to it or even wink at it on facebook – my commanders are friends of mine on there and they can see my wall.

That being said, contrary to what they think, I will not be signing Keva (contract) and I will be finishing out my army service on June 19, 2011. I will be returning to the United States for an undetermined period of time to work on my master’s degree in forensic linguistics at Hofstra University on Long Island. Congratulations are not yet in order: I have not yet applied to the program and I still have to take the GREs, I will let you know when I apply and when I receive my acceptance letter.

I am also applying to be the executive director of Hillel at Hofstra.

The reason that I’m not letting my commanders know immediately, which is what I would prefer to do, is that I’d prefer to wait until after I finish the next Hebrew course I’m going on in January before I let them know. I’d rather not give them the opportunity to be petty and to remove me from the course because they’re upset.

Anyway, that’s my big news — further posts to come, as well as a formal announcement.

Peace,

M

An Incredibly Important Update

moocowinthecity 2010-12-18 No Comments

This is not for general announcement until I release a formal announcement on January 25, 2011. Please do not discuss it, allude to it or even wink at it on facebook – my commanders are friends of mine on there and they can see my wall.

That being said, contrary to what they think, I will not be signing Keva (contract) and I will be finishing out my army service on June 19, 2011. I will be returning to the United States for an undetermined period of time to work on my master’s degree in forensic linguistics at Hofstra University on Long Island. Congratulations are not yet in order: I have not yet applied to the program and I still have to take the GREs, I will let you know when I apply and when I receive my acceptance letter.

I am also applying to be the executive director of Hillel at Hofstra.

The reason that I’m not letting my commanders know immediately, which is what I would prefer to do, is that I’d prefer to wait until after I finish the next Hebrew course I’m going on in January before I let them know. I’d rather not give them the opportunity to be petty and to remove me from the course because they’re upset.

Anyway, that’s my big news — further posts to come, as well as a formal announcement.

Peace,

M