mitchellf's journal

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: stressed
Current Music: Maoz Tzur

So, tonight's both Shabbat and the first night of Chanukah!  Yay?

And what do I still need to do?  

1. Well, last night the sink was all clogged, so I need to buy food for Shabbat--you know, the icky kind that's precooked and reheated in the oven.  :-(
2. I need to find presents for vekson112.  :-(
3. I need to go to Shabsi's and buy those long-burning Shabbat candles for my menora (9 of them to be exact, since I'll need them next Friday, too).  :-(
4. I need to rearrange the kitchen so that I actually have access to the window and can display the menora.  :-(
5. I need to find the menora, and, when I do, I will probably need to clean out last year's candle wax.  :-(
6. I need to mail off the Chanukah presents for my neices and nephews (I made sock puppet making kits for them this year...well, except for Atara and Meira who are both too little for that, they're getting baby presents).
7. I need to mail off the package for my secret santa.

And all of this must be done before 4:25pm today...since that's when Shabbat candle-lighting is.

I think I may have a problem here.  :-(

Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to attempt to do items 3, 6 and 7 during my lunch break?  And, I've already put in a leave slip so that I can go home an hour early (at 2:25pm) just so I can attempt to get as much done on this list as possible.

I wish I hadn't felt like crap last night, then I might at least have gotten something bought for Shabbat meals.  *sigh*

Please send vibes of goodness my direction today.

Also, for all of you celebrating tonight, Chanukah Sameach!  Have a happy Chanukah!

And, for those of you who celebrate other winter holidays (please choose all that apply):  Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!  Happy/Meaningful Solstice!  Happy Kwanza!  Merry Festivus!  Happy Chinese New Year!  May you have a meaningful Advent!  Happy Anything I May Have Missed!  :-)

How did Chanukah come so quickly?  I was so sure I had at least another week....

UPDATE:  The gifts have all been sent off, and I was able to get the longer lasting "Shabbat Chanukah candles" from Shabsi's (which, btw, is one of the local Judaica stores).  I was also able to buy challah from the only semi-decent kosher bakery here (the other two utterly suck, only Goldman's is acceptable), so at least that's one less thing to worry about now.

Current Location: Back at work after a day and a half of both fever and cold
Current Mood: drained

Thank you to anyone and everyone who sent their good wishes/vibes or said prayers, tehilim, or anything for my friend's father.

His surgery was successful and he's currently recovering in the hospital.  The doctors believe that they have removed the entire tumor and they also think that this is a one-time occurrance, but he will have several checkups within the next 6 months just to be sure.

Thank you, again!  And have a good weekend/Shabbat Shalom!

--me

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: discontent
Current Music: AC Unit

So, nothing much new is going on, unfortunately.  I still need to send out resumes so that I can get a new (better-paying and more fulfilling) job; I still need to get my apartment back in order so that I can look into packing and moving by March; I still need to get my ticket to Chicago for my niece's bat mitzva (and I still need to decide whether or not I will accept an aliya at her bat mitzva--not an easy decision for me, as many of you probably know already).

So, now I just need to figure out how I'm getting to Chicago for the next bat mitzva party, and whether or not I can add in extra time there to visit with my friend, DH and his girlfriend.  

Oh, and I seriously need to get off my butt and work on getting myself a better job.  I think Vekson is sick and tired of hearing about my boring days.  *sigh*

Well, I'd best stop thinking and get back to work.

I'll try to update more and be more upbeat later.

Current Location: still at work
Current Mood: shocked
Current Music: Basshunter--Vi Sitter i Ventrilo Och Spelar DotA

So...I just looked at my blog and noticed that, while my last post was an "I'm not dead yet so here's a meme" post, the one right before it was from right before last Yom Kippur. 

It's obviously been a non-LJ year for me.  How did I not notice?  :(

--me (who needs to be less busy with work hell and other stuff and post more)

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: "Who By Fire" by Leonard Cohen

So, tonight is Yom Kippur and I realize I haven't posted here since my birthday.  *sigh*

It's been a very hectic couple of months here, and I'm still feeling stressed out and rushed, but, at the same time, Yom Kippur is a time for reflection and repentance, and so I felt the need to post.

I have spent the past two months trying to make positive changes in my life, and intend to continue to do so in the coming months.  I can't say that it's been easy, and it has caused me much stress, but, I now have New Year's resolutions set in place since Rosh Hashana, and I hope to stick to them.  :-)

That said, I would like to apologize publicly to anyone I may have offended during this past year, and I ask for your mechila (forgiveness).  I would also like to publicly mochel (forgive) everyone for anything that they may have done to offend me (although nothing at all comes to mind).

For those of you celebrating Yom Kippur: may you have a G'mar Chatima Tova and an easy fast.  And l'shana tova tika tevu, may you have a happy and healthy New Year. 

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for being supportive and good friends.  I'm lucky to have you.  :-)

Thank you all for wishing me a happy birthday yesterday!

I had a great time at griffinick's place for dinner, and, all in all, yesterday was a great day.

And, today I came into work (after being out at Pennsic for a week, and taking my birthday off, too) to find my cube all decorated and to be called into a "conference" with my boss' boss for cake.  :-)

It's nice to work with thoughtful and nice people, and I can't believe I've been here a year now....

Anyway, speaking of work, back to dealing with the catch-up work (out for over a week and I have lots of stuff to do--amazing how that works).

Thanks again for your birthday wishes!

--me

Current Mood: silly

So, it looks like the Onion (http://www.theonion.com/) is no longer the only game in town.

That's right, we Jews have our own joke newspaper online:  The Knish

http://www.theknish.com/

Enjoy!

Current Mood: angry

So, my car was hit this morning, and now I have to deal with it.  Oh, and to make matters even "better," the idiot woman driver who hit me wanted to claim that it was MY fault that she hit my car--apparently I "came out of nowhere" and was "tearing down the street."  Truth is, I had just turned onto the street from my parking area and had driven less than a block when she hit me (from my parking area to hers there is the length of the side of one building in between--it was maybe 40 feet before she hit me).  Came out of nowhere?  Not.  Tearing down the street?  Hardly.  >:-{

Not only did she hit me, but there is no way she can really claim otherwise.  The damage to my car is a huge dent in the rear, passenger side door--if I hit her, how the hell did that get there?  It wasn't there yesterday, or this morning when I got into the car.  Imbecile.  Oh, and the damage to her car is negligible--a couple of scratches on her fender.  Yeah, and, not only that, the woman was a flakey space-cadet--she didn't have license plates on her car, yet, and she was unsure as to whether she was driving her car or her husband's car.  I'm amazed she even knew the name of her insurance company.  Grrrr....  >:-{

Needless to say, this morning has totally sucked.  I called my insurance company to start the claim, and I called hers to make sure that she had started the claim (which, at 8am, she still hadn't).  I'm now thoroughly regretting the fact that I no longer have a cell phone, and that I didn't call the police.  This whole thing is just insane.

Right now, all I truly want to do is go home, but, since I've been trying to save up credit hours for Jewish Holiday Month (October this year), I didn't want to use any up by calling in dead.

I wish I'd just stayed in bed.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Fishy noises from the game stuck in head--"I'm Melting!"

Check out this fun (and very addictive, I might add) fishy game! :-)

http://www.home.no/vkp32/fishy_four.html

Enjoy!

...yes, I know I'm Evil.... ;-)