Val-isms

Fasting challenges, crushes and trying to go back to the basics

Yom Kippur passed with a few bumps:

• Sophie fasted (despite my pleading for to eat at lunchtime), and felt ill during the 1:30 children's service where she was singing in the Jr Choir. Poor thing. We ended up heading home for a quick pit-stop to split a bagel about 3pm to help with our heads & stomachs. Then we stayed home to prepare for the few people coming over for break-fast.
• Linda made it the whole day. She's a trooper.

Having Monday off,always makes the week so much nicer.

Sophie has her first major crush on a boy.  Heaven help me.  She's only 9!  He, of course, likes someone else.  sigh.

Last night, thanks to my parents heading back to Israel earlier than expected, we were able to use their tickets to the Westport Country Playhouse and saw a play called "The Breath of Life", starring Stockard Channing & Jane Alexander.  The play was ok (kind of depressing) but being about 10 rows from the front and starint at Stockard was a lovely way to spend a few hours! :)  Thanks, Mom & Dad!

Tonight, we will celebrate Sukkot with a nice service and dinner afterwards at the Temple. And then, Linda, Sophie &I will try doing a semi traditional Shabbat.  No TV & electronics (including pc's).  Phones are ok.  Driving is ok.  Should be interesting.  We hope to do some apple picking Saturday afternoon if it's not raining.

Saturday night, we're going to a friends home for dinner.  We may end up at the local gay bar at the end of the evening if we have any energy!

Sunday morning starts off the Rabbi's Judaism classes at Temple, which we'll attend.  Then a little qickball.

Linda has a 9 mile run on Sunday afternoon, so I'll be driving ahead of her providing water/snacks.  It's tough to be the wind beneath her wings, right?!!!

Shabbat Shalom.

Have your say

Please remember to go out and vote today.  It is more than just your civic duty.  It's about having a say in who is going to represent you.  It seems sometimes like one vote is so insignificant, but it isn't.

With candidates who claim to be representing all of their constituents and yet voting against gay issues, these are NOT the ones I want representing me. 

Every vote counts.  If you're not sure who is a good candidate, go here for assistance.

Snow White Sophie

Here she is folks... in all her Halloween glory:

There was a cool Halloween parade around the school and party in the classrooms this afternoon.

Then tonight, my ex, Sophie & I went trick-or-treating with her best friend Kiera, her younger sister Sophie & their Dad.

2-3 lbs of candy per bag was the prize for the few blocks walk!

Beautiful night for this - temps in the 60's (the afternoon was 75!)

Hope all you goblins out there had a nice evening!

A party for treats and farewell & welcome parties

My office Halloween party was a success.  Sophie had a great time, as did Linda & I.  Can you say C A N D Y????!!  <sigh>

We went right from the office to Services, where Sophie was a SO friendly to everyone, it was hard to recognize her!  Everyone commented on how nice and talkative she was.  As happy as I am that she is improving in this area, it's frustrating that something that should be natural, is so much work for her. <sigh>

Both Rabbi's were at a conference this weekend, so a friend of ours led the Service with the Cantor.  It was really nice.  She even did a sermon about the story of Noah and celebrating all God's creatures and diversity.  I was very impressed.  She looked like a natural up there!

When we arrived home, we were sad to discover that Cappy, the hamster, has passed away during the day sometime.  We found her 'sleeping' atop her bedding at the bottom of the cage.  Sophie was visibly moved and saddened by this, but was intent on touching her and holding her (through a make-shift 'baggy' glove).  We put her in a padded with tissues, tissue box for the night and asked my parents if we could bury her the next morning in their yard.  Not too pleased, they agreed.

The morning arrived with very overcast skies, rain and clouds.  And a FIERCE wind.  The temps were in the upper 50's, though.   Here's what the water around my parent's house looked like:

Yeah, that's Long Island sound!  Hang-10 anyone?!

The rain stopped long enough for the 3 of us to dig a nice hole and have a farewell ceremony for Cappy.

Then off to the pet store to get a new hamster.  (I told my Mom that we'll just plan on having one of these ceremonies every two years - a hamster's life expectancy - and their yard will become the ancient hamster burial ground!)

Here is the new addition - "Boo": (she's a little shy, but we managed this pic!)

Linda will be writing about Cappy on her blog later today if you want to check it out.

We brought Boo home and after getting her settled in her new home, left to do some errands.  When we returned, she was in the vertical tube that goes the whole height of the cage and we thought she might be stuck.  (She's a little 'plumper' than Cappy was!)  We watched her for 10 minutes and she didn't move.  We ended up having to turn the cage sideways to encourage her to walk out of the tube, which she finally did.  (We didn't realize just how smart Cappy must have been, as she didn't ever have any troubles with the tubes!)

Boo also doesn't have the natural instinct to 'burrow' under the bedding to create a bed, as we continue to find her sleeping out in the open - on her bedding or even up on the 'viewing' area (where the pic above was snapped).  But I guess, as with people, even hamsters come in a variety of flavors and personalities.  Guess we'll just have to get to know Boo as she is!

We managed to utilize our new "Shabbat" rule of no Internet access successfully.  It was strange to feel a bit cut-off from the world for 24 hours,  but we managed to keep ourselves otherwise occupied.  Though it's not like we didn't have the newspapers, TV & radio, but it's amazing to realize just how much we depend on that Internet connection.

We were taken out to a great dinner at Red Lobster by my parents Saturday night in honor of Linda's new job (which she starts on Wednesday) - great food and company!  Thanks, Mom & Dad!

We then went out with another couple to a gay dance up in the Hartford area (where we pretended to be the young party-goers of our youth!) and didn't get home until 3:30, which was only 2:30, since the clocks changed... still late, no matter how you look at it.  We knew the DJ and helped them pack up at the end of the night and it was an hour drive home, etc... We were T I R E D!

Last night, I had promised to pick up Sophie this morning to bring her over to see Boo before Sunday school <groan>, so I was up and out by 8:15... (wow it was bright and sunny out at that hour!) 

The hamster seemed to sense/smell Sophie when she went over to the cage.  She came out to the landing area on the top of the cage and let Sophie pet her.  She sat up on her back legs and just looked at her - very sweet. 

Today, I spoke with my sister-in-law in Israel and caught up on their lives a bit, which was great.  I've missed talking to her!  I even got to say hello and have a Little conversation with my nephew Yonah  (aged 2 1/2!) - SO great to hear his little voice and hear an "I love you" from so many miles away!  He sounded very cute.

I've posted some a new album of pics from the weekend - check it out!

This afternoon includes doing some work, some more errands and then we're going to a Sisterhood sponsored event at the Temple at 5.  A pot-luck dinner and to watch the Al Gore movie "An Inconvenient Truth".  Then home to watch the Sunday line-up - "Desperate Housewives" and "Sons & Daughters".

Pre-Halloween festivities

The office is all decorated today for the kids Halloween party happening this afternoon.  It's very cool.  We have a few office workers who happen to LOVE this holiday and have decorations and accessories to cover the entire floor with stuff from hanging bloody heads, to posters, to various limbs to stick out of file cabinets, etc...

I'm picking Sophie up from school at 3:30 and bringing her back with me to attend the festivities.  Last years' party was still vivid in her mind, as there was MUCH more set up here and one of the conference rooms had a witch that had a bit too much realism for Sophie to handle.  I promised that this year it wouldn't be that scary.

I have Sophie's costume (Snow White) hanging in my cube for her to change into.  (I held it up to Linda this morning on the way into the office and I told her that I think she might be able to wear this, too!)  I'll be taking pics and updating later this weekend.

My co-workers thought it would be funny to make me the brunt of a gag.  They went on and on to me yesterday about getting dressed up for the party today, which we've never done before.  But they went on and on about how we ALL had to do this and they had already gotten costumes, etc...   So I, not wanting to be the one that was the party-pooper, went to Party City after work yesterday and spent 45 minutes trying to find something that a) wouldn't mess up my hair - so no hat could be involved! and b) was not more than $20!

I found a nice Dr outfit - that came with a scrub shirt, stethoscope, white mask (to cover my mouth) and the huge mirror thing to go across my forehead!

I came in this morning and they all wanted to know if I had a costume and I said yes... but wasn't going to change until later... I asked them about theirs and they all laughed and said they had theirs for later, too.  About an hour later, one of my co-workers burst out laughing and said that they didn't have costumes but just said that to see if they could make me get one!  Nice, huh?   No, I didn't think so either!  Just another day in my work paradise! <smile>  Good thing that I like my co-workers!

Anyway, it's a beautiful crisp fall day out (I have noticed that I do like reporting the weather to you all!).  Shabbat Shalom!

That's nice and that's not so nice

New Jersey came thru yesterday, but kind of in a wishy-washy way.  The high-court came down with the state must provide equal rights to gay couples, however, the wording will have to be modified by the legislation withing 180 days to define marriage OR it will be called civil union but have full marriage rights.

Does anyone see a problem with this?  <sigh>  Separate but equal is not equal.  It's different.  Same and equal is equal.

But being the 'half-full' person that I am, I am grateful that it's still a victory and step in the right direction. <SMILE>

On the not-so-nice side, Sophie has had a bad cold the past few days and is home today for the 2nd day in a row.  No strep, but a horrible cough, fevers 101-102 the past 2 nights and a raspy voice when she has the rare urge to speak.  She is so very cuddly and quiet when she's not feeling good.  It's a glimpse back to the past as she behaves just as she did before she became so fiercely independant and could and WOULD 'rather do it myself, Mommy."

As soon as she doesn't feel good, she has the urge to be held and rest her warm head on my shoulder.  How the smell of her hair and the feel of her in my arms brings back those many nights of holding and rocking her and walking her around while rubbing her back. <sigh>  (May I never forget those feelings, images or smells)

I'm sure she'll be back to her usually energetic self soon.  Hopefully by tomorrow so she can attend the little Halloween party being held in my office for the employees' kids.  It should be fun.

Nursing challenged

I would not make a good nurse.  I can admit my shortcomings.  I do have compassion, but I don't have a lot of patience for others not feeling well (aside from children).   I come by this trait honestly, as my Mom suffers from this, as well.  The first time she hears that you're not feeling well, you'll have her sympathy.  But the next time she talks to you (whether it's an hour later or a day later), you'd better be feeling better or you'll hear: "What?  You're still not feeling well?  Huh."  And then the conversation changes courses and that's that!  Bless her - it's not that she doesn't care.  I think after all these years, I understand her way of thinking.  It's more a matter of feeling like, "well, if I can't do anything to change how you feel, and I feel ok, i'll just pretend that you're feeling ok, too!"!!!!  Kind of hard to explain. 

Anyway, this is all my preamble for telling you that despite Linda not feeling well last night (suffering from a bit of Weese's predicament, you might say!), I made her attend Hebrew class!  I told her that she would "just be sitting for an hour and a half"!  (yes, in hindsight, that probably was not something sensitive to say!)   She was a trooper, though, and survived and actually even did well during class.

I love to tease her, though.  I mean, it's a little hard to take someone seriously when they're moaning on how much pain they're in and how cold they are ...and then have to watch as she goes outdoors with no jacket... into the 47 degree night!

And she's still not feeling well today - tired and achy still.  But at lunch after she mentions that she's still not feeling well and I concur that she looks pretty pale and tired, she announces that she's going to the gym after work!  Yep, I usually feel the urge to run 3-4 miles when I don't feel good, too!  THAT will definitely get rid of her original aches and pains and probably provide some new ones to share with me tonight!  Boy, I can't wait!!  <smile>

But I'm not entirely Nurse Ratched!  I do give good foot massages, which are her favorites!  I see one coming her way this evening... Hope she feels better soon for both our sakes!

Rabbi dinner, a Corn maze, monster truck rides and learning

During services Friday night, Linda reached a milestone with her Hebrew studies.  A little background:  Our prayer pamphlets for the service have the transliteration of the Hebrew text below it so that everyone can 'read' and speak the Hebrew prayers.  Despite not having learned the entire "Aleph-Bet" (alphabet) yet in our Hebrew class, she started following the Hebrew text versus the transliteration!  I was so thrilled for her, as she was really recognizing letters and words as we were singing and speaking them!!!  I knew that she was doing well and really studying hard but I am so impressed with her determination and success in this challenging endeavor.  Way to go, hon!

Friday night after services, the Kulanu group was invited to the Rabbi's home for Shabbat dinner.  There were about 11 of us plus the Rabbi & her partner.  One of the couples brought their two children, but they were very well behaved and watched TV in the other room.   Linda & I were fortunate to sit with the members we're closest with plus the Rabbi, where she entertained us with her 'coming out' story and how she became a Rabbi.  She's a very inspirational and interesting person.  Her partner is very nice, as well, but due to her schedule (she's still in Rabbinical school and has Rabbi duties at a private school about an hour away), she doesn't attend services at our Temple that often.  It was very nice to see the art, books and furniture that the Rabbi surrounds herself with. 

My nieces Maisie (7) and Noa (5.75) came to the 'burbs Saturday morning for a sleepover at my ex's home with Sophie, but to spend a few hours with Linda & I in the morning and early afternoon.

I had found a farm about an hour upstate to do a monster truck ride and go thru a corn maze with the kids and Saturday morning was perfect weather-wise.  Sunny and crisp - high 50's and low 60's.  We headed out about 10:30 and the girls were in rare form for the ride up jamming to an Outkast song called "Hey Ya" and having fun coloring!

When we arrived, it was a much bigger (and ultimately more expensive) outing than originally expected.  The corn maze was on a few acres, versus the fairly small ones I'd been to in the past.  It was done in the shape of a Sheriff's badge and the kids were all made 'deputies' who had to find the 10 escaped convicts somewhere in the maze.

There were 3 bridges in the maze that allowed you to see over the top of the maze giving a nice view of how much land we had to cover:

And here are the 'deputies' now!

The other event was riding in the monster truck!  Here is the truck:

And here we all are IN the truck before taking off on the wild ride!  It  was AWESOME!

Everyone had a great time, though we got back later than I had promised my ex that we'd have them back!

Saturday night, Linda & I went out for a nice dinner at a local French restaurant using a gift card from her company.  Great food and great conversation.  Nice date night, hon!

This morning, we helped set up for the book fair at Temple and then attended our Intro to Judaism class - the topic was Shabbat.  Discussions as to why and how Shabbat is celebrated inspired both of us to try and look at Shabbat a little differently.  Yes, we celebrate the the Shabbat by attending services on Friday night, but it's not so much that there is a 'right' or 'wrong' way to celebrate, but rather to do what is comfortable for us in making it special from the rest of the week.  Linda & I discussed this over lunch and thought that one thing we would incorporate is to not going on-line during Shabbat starting next week.  We'll talk to Sophie about what she feels would be something for her to do that would be her way of celebrating Shabbat.  I'll let you know what she decides!

Linda & i are having a nice quiet evening at home tonight watching our favorite shows - "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters".  It's been a very full and happy weekend. 

Helping in the rain

It's pouring down rain and still pretty dark out at 7:30am.  Hard getting up this morning.

I'm heading off to work at a Habitat of Humanity project that is part of GE's United Way campaign.  I usually like doing these things, but I've never gone when it's POURING out!  (Please let there be inside jobs to do!)  It's also the last day of the project, so perhaps there are last minute clean up/touch up kinds of things to do.  We'll see.  It's all good.

We're having dinner at our new Rabbi's home after services tonight, with the gay group.  We're looking forward to it.

I attended a Religious School Curriculum meeting last night where I met some more nice people.  We'll be assisting with the book fair the next 3 Sundays, which should be fun.

Have a nice weekend.  Shabbat Shalom.

An opportunity presents itself

I always keep an eye out on the job opportunities at the company I work for.  I like to know what's available out there.  I have a 'search' set up in our "COS" (Career Opportunity System) that sends me a daily e-mail with open jobs with the criteria I'm looking for.  I keep it pretty general except that the position has to be in my state (not interested in relocating).

The reason for keeping the search so broad is that my background is extremely ... shall we say, diverse.  I started out in systems - operations and programming, then went into Treasury Cash Management.  Marketing followed, providing me with an opportunity to work on a database and then I ended up in my current financial application role.  This variety of roles has provided me with a diverse set of skills to work with, and aside from the systems roles, i really loved the many roles I've had.

In looking over the jobs this morning, one jumped off the page at me.  And it's in the same building as the one I'm in currently in AND even on the same floor - just in a different organization.  A bonus is that I am familiar with the hiring manager and have experience with all of the required job responsibilities!!!  How cool!

So I went over and spoke with the hiring manager to get more details on the job.  He was very open about what the job entails and how it's more project versus task oriented, which sounds like a nice change from what I'm currently doing.  It's a Treasury function role which out of all the positions I've held in my career, that's the one I've enjoyed the most (I just didn't like my manager at the time!).

So I applied this morning and we'll see what happens.   I've been in my current job almost 3 years, so a change might be good right about now.  And it's not like I hate my current job, because I don't.  So if it works out to move into a new role, that would be nice, and if I don't, I can tell myself that I tried.  It's all I can do.  I'll keep you posted.