Video: A Heartfelt Message

Here is an exclusive message from FOTS (Friend of the Shul) Joey. I'm in it too.

Murder Threats on the Subway

I was standing on a packed subway train this evening, looking forward to coming home to a warm meal and a glance at the newspaper. And then some jerk decided to threaten another man's life.

This fellow shouted "I'm going to make you the seventh homicide of the year!" and then the security alarm went off. The confrontation continued to build as a loud shrieky alarm blared in the background. All the train doors opened. I decided to make my move.

No, I didn't get involved. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not an idiot (usually). I walked three cars down. I mean, what if the dude was packing heat? I've got enough lead in my body (I think).

Three cars down things were more calm. The alarm was further away and the passengers couldn't figure out what all the commotion was about. "We are sorry for the delay" the loudspeaker squawked. "Due to a security situation we will have to wait until the police can arrive."

This got everyone in my new subway car buzzing. I was the only one there that knew what was going on three cars down.

We finally started moving and I got home to my warm meal.

But I couldn't find the damned newspaper.

Bush looks uncomfortable

President George W. Bush doesn't look very comfortable during this Chanukah lighting ceremony. It's a funny clip. Check it out below:

Hope is Emo

My old pal Dan just introduced me to a sad emo chick called Hope. It's a super-funny video podcast featuring a ridiculously distraught emo girl. It is scripted comedy, but carries an ounce of truth with its pound of hilarity. Check it out at hopeisemo.com . Chapter nine is a great one in which "Hope gets emotionally damaged at a family weddding".

Perry Bible Fellowship

The Perry Bible Fellowship (PBF) has been my guilty pleasure for the last couple of years, delighting me with hilarious and sadistic comic strips. It has won more awards than you ever will.

The visual style jumps between watercolour, manga-style, faux woodcuts, and superhero-style ink lines. It is finally going to be collected into a hardcover publication from Dark Horse Comics this summer.

Enjoy it now. This link is your key to a world of laughs.

Staying Cool

Hi Folks,

It’s that time of year again. Heading back for another semester of punishment. Winter break has officially come to a close, and now it’s back to school.

But fear not! You see, often I get asked by people “Avi, how do you say so laid back? So chilled?” and I never know how to answer.

I’ve thought long and hard, pondering this query, and I have compiled a short list of things for you to do in case school and/or life starts getting you stressed. I’m (apparently) an expert at staying calm under pressure, so heed my advice, and hopefully you will be able to keep your cool until summer hits.

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. Don’t sweat the big stuff either. Just deal with it.
3. Try to organize your time. It really helps.
4. Don’t forget about your friends. Work can be distracting, but never lose sight of the important things in life. They’ll help keep you sane.
5. Find time for an extracurricular activity.
6. Make some time for yourself. Go for a walk. Clear your mind.
7. Always have your favourite tunes handy. Especially Buena Vista Social Club.
8. Put things into perspective. Seriously, is the problem you are facing something you will even remember 5 years from now? 10?
9. Ask yourself, WWAD? (What would Avi do?)
10. Eat a comfort food. Mine is Mac n’ Cheese… or popcorn.
11. Close your eyes and go to your ‘happy place’.
12. Do something nice for someone else.

Print this list out and keep it on your wallet for future reference.

Stay cool, my babies.

- Avi

Back to Reality

I'm back in Toronto, and I've got tons of cool stories and pics and videos to share with you. I just spent the past week in Israel with a ton of students from around the world. We shared in an incredible learning experience that was truly unique.

I also met up with Yoni Lightstone, Alex Green, and I even bumped into Zev Bromberg. I also got together with Shul regular Joey Lightstone a record four times during a one week period that saw me travel north, south, east and west. He was my personal stalker.

In the image you see above, Joey is sitting on a hotel bed, stunned by the surprise birthday gift his friends purchased for him. His iPod was stolen a few months back, so we threw some cash together and bought him a new one. The 2 GB iPod nano we got him contains pics featuring all the contributors, and a whole lot more. We also loaded it up with his favourite music.

Joey was resolute in his belief that his friends are unlike any other friends on Earth. He loves his chums and thanks them for the thoughtful gift. He has been missing a lot of music in his life for the last while, and he is happy to have it back.

Yoni (featured on the left in the above pic) did not comment for this blog post, but rumour has it that he CONTENT REMOVED PENDING LAWSUIT.

There is a lot of amazing S of R material heading your way. Welcome to the Oh-Seven!