Friday Updates

I don't like to leave people hanging so here are the updates from last post:

• Talked to my boss. Things are better.
• Still Sick (maybe sicker!)
• Buyers pulled out of the deal
• It STILL is what it is

Good Shabbos!

What's bothering Shifra

This was posted in November - I don't know what happened to the date....

I'm in a bad mood, and this has always been a good place to vent.

I don't expect I have much of a readership left so no need to worry about my content being unpleasant or whatever I guess so might go for it.

1) WORK - I am happy to be employed. I am not happy to be micromanaged.

I'm at a high enough level that I should be trusted. Don't assume, Mr. Boss-Man, that just because I don't copy you on everything I do doesn't mean I'm not working. I had a conference call with someone in Glasgow this morning which you didn't even know about. Not to mention copying you on everything makes me look and feel like a puppet. If I am the project manager, let me manage the projects! Also maybe tell me this stuff to my face not over IM and a clipped phone call. If you have an issue with my work let's talk about it face to face.

You said to use my discretion about what to copy you on. I think you meant use YOUR discretion. Fine. Hope your emailbox doesn't explode.

2) GERMS - How is it that one night you go to bed feeling fine and you wake up the next morning feeling like death on wheels? I also burned my tongue on a hot tea. Somebody call the waaaaaambulance I have an acute case of whiny-ness.

3) REAL ESTATE - I'm selling my house because I can't manage the mortgage on my own.

It's a very nice well maintained old house, but it's 100 years old, like most of the houses in my town. So no, I'm not going to waterproof the basement, rebuild the garage or put in a state of the art furnace at my own expense. It's a nice house in a nice neighborhood, reasonably priced, and I'll throw in a 1 year home warranty, but it is what it is. You want granite counter tops? Go buy some! I'm not giving the place away for free so stop living up to every lousy Jewish stereotype and just buy my house or go away.

4) IT IS WHAT IT IS - What a stupid pointless expression and now even I'm using it... like everyday! Of course it IS what it IS... why does that even need to be said. Call me back when it's going to change and be something else.

OK that's all for now.

I'm Old.

Today my oldest (the famous Bas-Shifra) starts high school.
I feel like *I* was just in high school... wow... I'm old.

Relaxing and Religion

I just heard about some research which took a look at European vacation.

No no, not National Lampoon's European Vacation! I mean the benefit of having the extended vacation time that is mandated in Europe. Did you know that Europeans get about TWICE the vacation time Americans do?! Well yeah, I knew that too, but every time I hear it, it annoys me.

My summer has consisted of driving kids all over the place, getting poison ivy while mowing my lawn, battling a computer virus, 32 conference calls and a couple trips to the beach. Fun, fun, fun. I also rented High Fidelity, one of my favorite books and movies of all time. If that's the highlight of my summer I think I'm in bad shape.

ANYWAY, this new research shows that more vacation time results in a better attitude, lower blood pressure, weight loss, overall health and fitness, increased religiosity and spirituality, and an over all better quality of life. You don't need to be a scientific researcher to work most of that out! The majority of people I know work 50 weeks a year just for those two weeks vacation.

Time off is great! Work is stressful!

So what's this about religion and vacation? You always hear about people finding religion in times of stress but not usually while resting in a hammock sipping a pina colada. I've never heard anyone say "There are no atheists in a tropical paradise."

Can being more relaxed help you find God? Or is religion more of a luxury item affordable to those with peace of mind?

Please post your thought below, I have to get back to work!

Corporate Culture

As you may recall I was laid off from my old job in January of 2008 and I started a new job in March. This job is a lot different than my last. More stressful and high profile for sure, but with more interesting projects (which are mine to manage.) The corporate structure and culture is different too. Political correctness, environmental friendliness and the encouragement of diversity all get a lot of lip service, and even some actualization!

It seems like I'm constantly being bombarded with not only work, but company policies which seem to be manufactured and modified continuously from somewhere deep within the corporate machine.

One of my favorite things in the office is when opposing ideas are put out right next to each other. For example, recently there was a big push toward improving building security recently. Employees were directed to display their work IDs prominently at all times and not to hold the door for people to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining entry. The new policy is prominently posted everywhere, on doors, in the break rooms, and on posters in the copy rooms.

Another highly publicized campaign around the office at the same time was one which talked about assisting people with disabilities in the office. There was a webcast, handouts with tips about how to treat the disabled and of course more posters.

So we were left with two posters side by side plastered throughout the office.
The poster on the right shows a polite employee holding the door for a coworker using crutches (but still able to hold his briefcase!) with the caption "Who needs help getting in the door? Everyone!" and a blurb about how we all need help at times, so be nice to the disabled.
The poster on the left warns us never to hold the door for anyone, and that security is everyone's responsibility!

Oddly it doesn't seem to bother anyone but me.

Hebrew Tattoos

I've been determined not to waste my summer this year, and when it comes to spending a summer right, time at the beach is high on my list.
I love the ocean, it's just magical to me and I never get tired of it.
I love looking out at the waves, playing in the sand of course people watching.

One thing I've noticed plenty of are tattoos, I never want to look, but really the whole concept just fascinates me, like some kind of super slow train wreck. Here are people who decide that there is an image they like so much they want it on their skin.... FOREVER! I have trouble picking a pair of sandles!

So what do they choose as their ever lasting image?
A skull on fire of course! Now that's an image for the ages apparently!
I have lots more to say about skulls in pop culture, but that's another post.

Aside from flaming skulls, something I've noticed plenty of that strikes me so odd is the prevalence of Hebrew tattoos.
What's up with that?

Whenever I see Hebrew permanently marked on to a persons skin my first thought is "Oh they must be Israeli... or Jewish..." but no. A second look will over reveal the presence of crosses or other marks ruling out that as a strong likelihood.

So why a Hebrew tattoo? Here's a whole website dedicated to them, and that's just one of MANY! It boggles my mind.

So the last time I was at the beach I saw a Hebrew tattoo that puzzled me, especially since my Hebrew is pretty rusty.
I don't trust my memory 100% but it was something like "Betach Baal."
The guy who was wearing it, had dozens of others from the Celtic Cross to what looked like the Golden Gate Bridge! He also looked like he could have turned me into hamburger meat in a matter of moments so I didn't ask him or look for very long, but it's been bothering me.

I looked up the word "Baal" and "tattoos" and apparently the God "Baal" was worshipped by the application of tattoos which may be part of the reason they are forbidden in Judaism today... but maybe I'm totally barking up the wrong tree here.

If any of my readers can help me solve this riddle I'd be grateful.

-Shifra

And now a word from David Bowie...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-ch -Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Boy it's been so long since I've been on here that even the interface has changed.
There is "Monetize" tab on blogger now?!
Where has blogging gone?
Down the drain apparently.
Not that I should talk, I still get my check for $1.79 from web ads every month even though I don't post...um... ever!

Looks like old DovBear is still going strong but I've heard he's gone soft (or "nice" as he prefers to call it) what fun is that?

Where was I?
Oh yes, content, right... Posts need content...

So here's the deal. I've changed, my life has changed, blogging has changed, the world has changed...I think the death of my blog was when it got too personal so I'm going to take it back a bunch of notches and try again.

So, watch this space for ... something different?! I'm not sure myself but I think I'm ready to start writing again.

PS To all the men who keep emailing to find out if their wives are "hot chanies" I think if you need to ask the answer has got to be "no." Sorry fellas!

Mocking the Unwell or Oh, Shut UP!

So I've been off-blog for a while but it's for a good reason - I've been sick.

I have ummm... OK....well... I have Mono.... but please, don't go to any trouble, I've already heard all the jokes.

No, I'm not 19, yes I know it's called the kissing disease (I did go to High School you know) and unlike in HS where a case of Mono might actually improve your social standing, as an adult it just seems weird to people.

No, I don't know where I got it, I don't know anyone with Mono, I've never had it before and believe me as an adult it's no fun. I'm getting better though, finally.

I once was lost....

I have no sense of direction. I can get lost in my own town, which is a pretty good trick since it's less than two miles across. I get it from my father, I think, who blames it on being left-handed, although I don't quite see the connection.

So FINALLY I broke down and got a GPS. It's not a good one, I mean it's good enough, but not a top of the line, name brand-y type of GPS.

Sometimes I don't understand why it routes me the way it does - for example on a trip back to New Jersey from New England it took me on some kind of meandering tour through all of the Bronx - but it gets me where I need to go one way or another. It gives me a lot of peace of mind because getting lost is something I find very frustrating and sometimes frightening.

But mostly it's just SO FREAKING COOL! The fact that this little hunk of metal and plastic can know where it is at any given moment and can tell me how to get wherever I want to go, and how long it will take nearly blows my mind. I feel like Buck Rodgers or something with a little sidekick that actually talks to me.

The future is here...and it's saying take a left in 500 ft.

Lawn Care and the Single Woman

Yeah, I've been gone a long time.
Longer than I've been away from this blog, that's for sure.
I haven't felt like "Ask Shifra" in well over a year but slowly I'm feeling more and more like myself.

My husband and I separated in February... it was a long time coming I guess but no less shocking somehow. When I tell people about it I compare it to this cartoon I had on my fridge for many years.

In the first frame there is a snail about two feet away from a banana peel.
In the second frame it's about a foot away from the peel.
In the third frame the snail is right up next to the peel.
And it the fourth it's yelling "WHOA!" as it slips way up into the air.

You know it's coming but it doesn't seem possible until it happens.

Telling our kids was the worst, telling my grandmothers wasn't great either.
"Who's going to mow the lawn?" asked my grandma, clearly shaken.
"I will" I said "I've always mowed the lawn."
"Couldn't you pay a neighbor boy to do it? There must be some boys around who can mow the lawn?"
"Grandma, it's not a problem, I've always mowed the lawn, I can mow the lawn..."
"Maybe you could hire a service, I don't think it would cost that much..."

So now I'm very careful to keep my lawn looking good.
The appearance of my wellbeing depends on it apparently.

For those of you left hanging from my last post, I'm pleased to report that in week seven of my job search I had three excellent job offers. I chose the company that seemed the most flexible and well organized because that's really what I need right now. It was a good choice, and I am very happy there.

I'm busy but not too busy to crank out a post now and then if anyone is still interested.
Is anyone?