|
B"SD
Yesterday I was told that my girls were each having a friend join us for Shabbat. That meant there would be eight of us. I cooked enough food for all of us. Then today I was told that NONE of the friends would be joining us. Grrrr!
Then Z called and said that JD was having chest pains and has been at the hospital emergency room since 3pm. He had not done any cooking for Shabbat and they needed food. So, being the nice person that I am, I gave the girls some of the extra food I made to bring to JD, Nancy, and Naomi.
This past Sunday was Mothers' Day. Not ONE of Barry's girls bothered to wish me a Happy Mothers Day. Why do I do this? I am so hurt. I am good enough to do things for them, but G-d forbid they should be nice to me. I am like a necessary but unwanted appendage.
aargh.
I feel GRUMPY! Maybe I will take a pill... Perpetual Mood Swings:  grumpy |
|
Pesach is done. B--- and I turned the kitchen back over to chametz. I still have to deal the food in the fridges and to put the non perishable food away and then all my cookbooks back in place. It was the EASIEST Pesach I have ever made.
For one thing, we did not make the Sedarim this year. We went to my sis in law who lives in E---, NJ. I really do not like the community in E---. I find them to be rude and unwelcoming. B--- and I, on three separate occasions found ourselves publicly embarrassed by the actions of the community. Once, it was ME who was embarrassed and twice it was HIM.
About my embarrassment: We were in E--- for Simchat Torah. I had gone to the shul quite early as I am wont to do. All three of the womens' sections were empty, save for several women scattered throughout. (They have two raised sections for the women on either side of the mens section plus a small balcony section all the way to the rear of the shul). I selected a seat in the right section that was parallel to the central bimah, thinking it would be a good place for me to see and hear. About 10 minutes later, a woman comes in and comes right to me and tells me that I am sitting in HER seat. (Apparently, they have ASSIGNED seating there for the members). The womens sections were still basically empty. Ok, fine. I got up and this time I noticed that all the way up front was a row of seats that faced rear. It was located parallel to a spot in between the central biman and the Rabbi's shtender from where he would give his drash. I decided to sit there, realizing that this was actually a better seat. I sat there for most of the davening. At one point, a bit before the hakafot were to begin the Rabbi got up and walked to the rear of the mens section, out the door and then re-appeared in the womens' section, on the side in which I was seated. He then proceeded all the way to the front of the womens' section, stopped right in front of me and told me that I should not sit there as that is his mothers seat. I apologized and said I would move. Now bear in mind that the ENTIRE CONGREGATION WITNESSED THIS AND KNEW JUST WHAT WAS TRANSPIRING. I quickly finished davening what I was at and got up. Shortly thereafter, the hakafot commenced and we left the shul chapel and went downstairs to hear my husband layning and then to make kiddush. At the kiddush I mentioned my seating problem and it was then that I learned that the Rabbi's mother was niftar several years already! Imagine my astonishment! I then realized what was going on and was A)mortified and further embarrassed and B) angry and hurt that the Rabbi of the Shul would take the the time to publicly tell me this. I can understand that members would not sit there in honor of her memory, but a stranger would have no knowledge of this and would sit there unknowing. But for anyone to tell that stranger not to sit there, to me is the height of insensitivity and unfriendliness, coldness, and lack of welcoming.
On two other occasions we happened to visit my husband was embarrassed publicly and that is a story to be told another time. The result however has been a great reluctance on our part to vist E---!
As it turned out, the Sedarim were fine. But I was also annoyed because my sis in law told me not to cook anything because "no outside food" can come in her house! Now, we keep a kosher house, just as kosher as they do. And her husband is Sephardi so they even eat kitniyot, which we do not! My husband is a Rabbi as is hers. I was very insulted and my husband even more so. Of course I told him to keep his mouth shut. To add insult to injury her husband had promised that he would purchase Shmura Matzah for us when he got his. Guess what? He "forgot". On the second day my husband asked me how much Shmura Matzah I bought this year. I looked at him funny and said "NONE! You told me H--- was getting it for us!" That was when we learned he did not buy any for us! Not only that. H--- did not plan well. We have made the Sedarim every year. And I always buy the Matzoh well in advance. Then BEFORE Pesach, I lay out plastic over everything and then I sort the Matzoh: Gold=Whole, Silver=OK, Bronze=Broken. Then I put the matzah away where no one can touch it. That way I know if I have enough whole matzoh to last through the chag for the days we need it. H--- did not do that and we did not have enough!! Aargh!
But other than all that it was nice... |
I have been feeling much better lately. I received a new sheitel. This woman who had a sheitel she no longer wanted gave it to me. It happens to be a beautiful sheitel. And it is perfect for me. I took it to a good sheitel macher in Crown Heights to be washed and styled. It is so perfect for me. Now, I wear it and I feel attractive again, and I feel human and I look professional. Not that I really need to look professional at my job since I work for a Jewish non profit organization, but in the off case that I decide to look for a job in the for profit sector I really need to look professional. I also took my old sheitel to the sheitel macher and asked if it can be salvaged. It can be but it requires that the entire front section of hair be ripped out and replaced. She asked me to call her Sun night for a price because she has to match the hair up and then based on the cost of the matching hanks of hair she will be able to give me a price to salvage the sheitel. Of course, after that is done, I will then have to have it cut and styled again. My mother offered to help pay to re-do the sheitel since we are not going to Israel this year. She was going to help us with that but we have decided that it just is not financially prudent or feasible. I really hope this year will be a better year for us. If we can get rid of owing a large amount in taxes, and if the child support payments go down a little bit, it will be a big help. Also, we are hoping that we each receive a not insubstantial raise. Even if the total is only $10,000 it will make a difference. Actually, based on our expenses it would take $15,000 to allow us to break even. If Chloe decides in favor of schooling in Israel then that will be another cut in our expenses. Then we will only be paying for 3 girls in Yeshiva. Tzippy will be in Israel as an OLAH, and learning for free at Bar Ilan University. Chloe will be working FT here in the States, until Jan when she would also go to Israel as an OLAH and she would go to Bezalel Art Academy for free. Then, if Rivky does the same a year or two later that will also help. I really hope all our girls do this. It will help us out in so many ways: make the possibility of making aliyah ourselves more real and easier; ease the financial burden on us; with reduced financial burden the cost of making weddings for our girls becomes easier, and in Israel it would be even less expensive anyway. The downside, for Barry's girls anyway, is that their mom will probably not ever make aliyah. At least I doubt she would.
Barry has been learning learning learning. He is pretty stressed about the upcoming test. It will be a 14 hour test next Sunday, proctored by Rabbi Ciment. I have already planned to be out of the house for the day. I am going to 'shpatzir" with Jocelyn. Perpetual Mood Swings:  okay |
This past Shabbos was quite nice. Tzippy had a friend of hers over, Rebecca, from Toronto. She seems quite nice, although Barry thought she was snooty. Fri night we went to the Blass's home for dinner and we had so much fun. I really enjoy being at the Blass'. I just wish I would not come home feeling so jealous. Whatever Sheryl wants she gets. And she has so much: big house, diamonds, furs, tons of clothes, and she is going to be expanding her kitchen, and adding a second kitchen to the house to use for Pesach. Aaargh. I have to stop this. I do not WANT to feel this way. I have plenty in my life and I need to appreciate it. But lately, it has been difficult.
Barry's girls are good kids but I wish they would talk to me more. Rivky barely acknowledges my existence, and Devorah acts embarrassed about me. Zahava has been a bit more receptive lately, but still she is quite reserved in her relationship with me. Tzippy has been great, ever since she came back from Israel. I think the time we spent together in Israel helped. I miss Chloe. I miss a daughter who tells me she loves me and gives me hugs and kisses and snuggles with me. The other girls do not even want to sit near me. If I did not ask them to, they would sit in the back of the shul and not with me. I would sit alone. And it makes me feel bad. All the other mothers go to shul and their daughters sit with them as a given. But Barry's girls do not think of me as family and would rather sit apart from me.
Today we had the Shefts over and it turned out that Avril's mom was still here so of course she joined us as well. I was sorry she has been having such tsuris with being ill that she was unable to travel but was quite glad to have her company again. The plan now is for her to leave this coming Wed. Hopefully, she will be well enough to travel.
Barry and me and Devorah went to see a movie tonight "Meet The Fokkers". It starred Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Barbara Streisand, and Dustin Hoffman, among a few others. It was EXTREMELY funny! We were laughing throughout nearly the entire film!
I have not much to say now. I am excited about what is happening at work. We have 245 applicants for Mach Hach B'Aretz in the system, and about 25 paper applications on my desk. That makes for a total of 270. I anticipate we will be at or over 300 before the end of the month!! If we keep it up at this rate we could have over 600 applicants. Perpetual Mood Swings:  mellow |
Ok, I haven't posted in a while. Not good. If I am going to have a LJ, I ought to USE it. I have been VERY depressed lately. We are DROWNING in debt. No matter how we try, we seem to always be spending $1000 a month more than we earn -- which means we just keep sinking deeper in the murky quicksand of credit card debt. It is so frustrating. We are not spending money on extravagances, I do not own fancy jewelry, I do not even have a diamond engagement ring. I am the ONLY married woman in my shul that does not have a diamond engagement ring! I do not own a fur coat, and I have a cheap shearling. (Yes, it is real, not faux, but it is a cheaply cut one). My all weather coat is seriously worn and needs replacing but so far, I cannot afford any of the all weather coats that I have seen that match that style and quality. We just recently had to have both our cars serviced and that set us back about $700. We had to have an electrician repair some outlets and other electrical work in the house--that set us back $500. We have had the plumber come twice to deal with our faulty furnace. So far that is only $150 but we think we may have to put at LEAST $500 into it, if we are lucky. If not, we will have to replace it-- at a cost of nearly $5000! We might HAVE to take out some of our retirement money to do THAT. I fell a few weeks ago and hurt my right knee. I have been limping around for the past few weeks but this past Fri it got worse. I took a step down and the step was steeper than expected. As a result when I landed on my right foot my knee buckled and the PAIN, oh the pain! It shot both up and down my leg!! It was like a bolt of electricity shot through my leg. Now, I am REALLY hobbling around. I cannot support my weight on that leg while either bending the knee or on my toes. Now, I am going to have to call my doctor on Mon and either have him look at it or give me a referral to a specialist. Thank G-d we have medical coverage, but there will still be out of pocket expenses to deal with I am sure. Our insurance sucks.
I have been somewhat unhappy lately due to all this. I want so much. Forget about diamonds and furs. I want to be able to visit my daughter in Israel for Pesach. But I can't cos we cannot afford it. I thought that Stuart Katz, being the owner/operator of both Tal Tours and Israir and being a big Bnei Akiva-nik and with whom I have worked would do me a favor and get me a good deal on a flight to Israel. So far the best he can tell me is "somewhere in the range of $1800 to $2000!" That is NOT a good deal. I can do better elsewhere but not better enough to be able to afford it.
Tongight I had a somewhat demeaning experience. I want a new sheitel. Before I got married I purchased a sheitel. It was a semi custom and it was beautiful. But I had only ONE, and I wore it every day. It got very worn pretty quickly. I can no longer wear it. I have tried buying cheap out of the box sheitels but they look awful. You can tell they are not human hair, they are very thick, hot, itchy, and do not fit right and they slip around. I even tried cheap human wigs, but they too look awful. It is hard to look professional and feel attractive in a heavy uncomfortable wig. I have been in tears over this issue. I just cannot afford to buy a custom, or semi custom or even an out of the box semi custom. They cost in the thousands of dollars. And my husband thinks it is a waste of money anyway. He and I had a discussion about it and he really did not beleive or understand me. Then he talked to his sister about it and he understood better but couldn't help me because there is NO money for that. So, I had posted to Teaneck Shuls asking if anyone had any information about a Sheitel G'mach. No one responded, and then a week later a woman emailed me asking if I had gotten any responses as she had a sheitel to donate. I responded that no, I had not heard of any but explained that I was looking for myself. I asked her about the wig she had and it sounded as if it might work for me. So, tonight I went over there to see it. I tried it on and it looked pretty nice. It is not exactly what I would have chosen for myself but as they say, beggars can't be choosers. And I guess I am a beggar! But, it needs some cutting/styling and I told my husband that I AM going to spend money on that, I am not going to let it be butchered. So, I called this woman up in Crown Heights. I left a message for her. I hope I can set up an appointment with her THIS week!
On the plus side I am enjoying my job. I approached Howard Jonas at the IDT holiday party about making a donation to Bnei Akiva. He was amenable and told me to call Howard Millendorf. I called him the next day, he was not available, but I left a message for him. He called me back the next day, from Israel and explained that he could not do anything while he was in Israel but that I should call him on Wed or Thurs of next week. Which I will. I am hoping to get a donation of $10,000! That would be a nice coup. I would have that to add to reasons for me to get a raise!!
I am beginning to plan my Annual Super Bowl Sunday extravaganza. I cannot decide whether to do it Milchig or Fleishig. I am leaning to Milchig. A wine and cheese tasting corner, with a cheese fondue, my incredible vegetable soup, and some fried hor doevres, maybe a pasta dish, or casserole, bruschetta and crusty bread. Hmmmm.... |
| » Recipes |
|---|
I am being asked for my recipes by a number of people, friends, relatives, and fellow jewish-food posters. So, here goes.
Carrot Ring w/Peas (Pareve)
- 4 junior size jars strained baby food carrots
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 c soft margarine
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 beaten eggs
Combine all ingedients. Mix well. Put in greased ring mold. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
After removing ring from mold, put cooked baby peas in center of mold. Voila!
Sweet and Sour Baby/Pearl Onions with Prunes
- 2 lbs baby onions, peeled*
- 1/2 c wine vinegar
- 3 tbs white sugar
- 3 tbs brown sugar
- 6 tbs tomato puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 parsley sprigs
- 1 c prunes, in pieces
- salt, black pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a pan with 2.5 c water. Bring to boil and then simmer gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the onions are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove bay leaves, and parsley, check for seasoning, remove to serving dish. This dish can be served hot or at room temperature. My preference is hot.
*Easy peeling instructions: throw onions into boiling water and boil for exactly 3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain in colander and rinse with cold water. When cool enough to handle, begin peeling. Onions should slip easily out of the skins.
Indian Lamb Curry
I got this recipe from my sister in law's mother in law who is from India. It is authentic, and delicious! It feeds 15 people!
- 4.5 lbs lamb stew. (Note: you can mix stewing lamb, with cut up riblets, shanks, etc)
- 3 onions cut into small pieces
- 4 celery stalks, cut into very small pieces
- 4 carrots,grated medium to fine
- 2 granny smith apples, peeled and grated
- diced tomatoes, I use 4 cans diced, drained well.
- 2 small cans tomato paste
- 4 tbs vinegar
- 1/2 c wine (I use whatever leftover wine I have on hand)
- 2 tsp tumeric
- 2 tbs green masala*
- 2 tsp garam masala
- salt, to taste
- 8 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
Mix all ingredients except for the potatoes. Heat over low flame, cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add the potatoes, mix well, cook, covered, for 1 to 1.5 hours.
*Green Masala is made by mixing together equal parts fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and fresh coriander leaves (cilantro). I make alot of it at once, using the chopper in my food processor. Then I put in a baby food jar and refrigerate. Whenever, I want to use Green Masala, I simply take some out of the jar. It is very pungent and strong.
Jeweled Indian Rice
I simply make white rice, but add plenty of tumeric to the water for the rice. When rice is done cooking I throw in craisins, baby green peas, sliced lightly toasted almonds.
Nov. 21st, 2004 @ 10:22 am
|
| » Shava Brachos |
|---|
I made shava brachos for Michelle (Blass) and Brian Goldwasser who got married this past Sunday. Theirs was a beautiful wedding, expensive but not ostentatious. It was very nice. Michelle was particularly emotional, I could see her struggling to hold back tears alot of the time. When her Tzayde (mothers side I think) got up to give her a Bracha during the bedecken, she started sobbing. I started to cry to, I always cry at bedeckens. But I thought it was not a good idea to cry openly so I too, tried to hold back the tears -- and wound up with the WORST headache as a result! Even though I took something for it, it lasted until late at night and I went to bed with it and a cold washcloth pressed onto my forehead and over my eyes. Blessedly, I fell asleep and woke up with only a small tinge of a headache.
Anyway, the sheva brachos were a success. I served 30 people! It was the largest sit down dinner I have ever hosted. My menu:
The table was laden with food from the moment people began to arrive:
- Stuffed grape leaves
- Israeli salad
- Tachina
- Hoummous (two kinds)
- Babaganoush
- Spicy chickpeas
- Sweet and sour onions (baby onions with prunes)
- Mixed grill veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, baby eggplant, sweet potatoes)
- Tabouleh
- Pickles
- Olives
- Hot Peppers
- Harissa (2 kinds)
- Chutney (3 kinds)
- Pita
- Lavash
- Bread Sticks
- Assorted Israeli fruit drinks
- Lemonade
- Water
- Grape Juice
- Assorted Wines (Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sweet Kiddush Wine, and Light (low alcohol) wine)
Moments before everyone began arriving I took out of the oven, the whole baked rainbow trout I had made. They had been baked with plum tomatoes, lemons, and onions and fresh herbs and spices, stuffed with a harissa, garlic and olive oil seasoning. I laid each fish on a separate tray surrounded each with the veggies and herbs and drizzled warm tachina sauce on the fish. (I had pre-cut the fish). Then the trays went out on the table. So, people were able to begin eating right away. Then halfway through the appetizer courses I put out trays of hot felafel and hot kibbeh.
When the fish were done, the trays were cleared away, and each persons salad plate was removed. We then put out the Indian Lamb Stew, Moussaka, Roast Chicken, Rice, Asparagus.
The Indian Lamb Stew is an authentic Indian recipe that I got from my sister in laws' mother in law! It consists of lamb, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrot, celery, apple, wine, vinegar, green masala, garam masala, tumeric, salt, pepper, tomato paste. The moussaka was eggplant, ground beef, and a pareve white sauce on top. It is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg which gives it an unusual flavor for a meat dish. The roast chicken was dredged in a black peppercorn spice mix, and roasted. The rice was spiced with tumeric, slat and a little cayenne. The tumeric turns the rice bright yellow. To the rice I added craisins, baby peas, and sliced lightly toasted almonds. The asparagus were cooked until shriveled in a tamari/hoisin sauce with a few drops of chili oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
After dinner, before dessert, I got up and spoke. I gave a Dvar Torah. I had NEVER done that before!
For dessert each person was served a pistachio-fig-honey tart. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, and assorted pastries were also put out in trays on the table.
All in all it was a successful evening. Everyone enjoyed themselves. And several people had come to me to ask who catered it! (Yours truly!)
Nov. 19th, 2004 @ 08:18 am
|
| » Going on Vacation |
|---|
|
It is Erev Shabbat and it will be just me and Barry for shabbos. I am looking forward to a nice, quiet, relaxing Shabbos. Motzia Shabbos we will pack and then we will be getting up VERY early. We are catching an early morning flight to Florida, where we will be visiting with my in laws. We are staying for a week. I am really looking forward to this, but not with the kind of excitement that I usually have when I have a trip to look forward to. Usually, I buy something new to wear while I am away and I am already packed way ahead of time.
I am sure part of the reason for the difference is the workload I am facing at work. I am so amazed. It seems that the workload has grown but it is hard to figure out exactly how and why. I am not good at explaining to people, especially bosses, what it is that I do!
Here is a list of things I am responsible for:
- Recruitment:
- promoting MHBA via the schools
- promoting MHBA via mailings
- promoting MHBA via information nights/parlor meetings in different communities
*I use community email lists to promote the promotional events, maybe next year we will try some paid advertising as well...
- Database Management:
- Manage the database for MHBA
- Manage the database for Basket Sales
- Record donations
* using disparate databases is usually not a good idea. But MHBA needs and Basket sales needs are so diverse. I keep a separate "list" of ALL contacts and contact info only. No demographics etc. This list is the base list used for all major, non targeted, promotions.
- Supervise data entry efforts of other workers
- Office Management:
- Reception/Phones
- First contact w/organization
- Correspondence
- Office machine maintenance and troubleshooting
- Order supplies, equipment as needed
It was due to my own initiative that we have a database of contacts of over 10,000 names, that are not dupes, and good. When I first started working at Bnei Akiva they had the list, only it had over 16,000 names. But there were many dupes and bad addresses in it. Over the past 2 years, I devoted whatever spare time I had to the list and cleaned it up. Initially, we were left with only 8,000 good names. I instituted a policy called "ALL CONTACTS"--and we now have the list to over 10,000 names -- and growing.
Oct. 22nd, 2004 @ 01:51 pm
|
| » Decisions (Part Two) |
|---|
|
I still have not made a final decision yet but it is weighing pretty heavily in favor of Bnei Akiva. Heck, I really love my job and I really do not want to leave it. I am going to try and see if there is any way I can get more money form them in my salary. I am going to have discussion with Steve about it and see what he says. I am really so frustrated. I don't think I spend alot of money and I AM trying to be a bit more careful. Especially when it comes to buying food. I am not buying the expensive cuts of meat anymore and am using up what I have in the house and trying not to throw out so much leftovers. I am cooking fewer items per meal and smaller amounts, hoping everyone will be satisfied with smaller portions. Maybe we could lose a litte weight as well.
I have spent more than usually on clothing for myself. I bought myself a new suit. I have not bought a new suit in years--it just has been too difficult to find an affordable suit that looks good on me. I need a full cut in my clothes for them to look good on me. So that means a more expensive suit. So, I have not done it, until now, when I decided I needed it for interviews. I guess I am going to continue to try and find myself a better paying job, but I am not going to leave Bnei Akiva for less than at least $10,000 more a year. I THINK I can find a better paying job...
I should see if I can find what I spent last year at Pesach time...and compare that to the cost of going to Israel. In fact I am going to do that now...
Oct. 17th, 2004 @ 03:46 pm
|
| » Decisions! |
|---|
|
Hey Girrlfriend! I need some input here. I have been offered the position at CAJE, but the offer was not for as much as I had hoped. I am a bit disappointed. They are offering me $46,500 to start and an additional $1500 after 6 months, on paper. Verbally, I am told that it is possible they can bring me up to 50K after a year. Plus, they do have a pension plan, fully paid, that I would be eligible for after one year. In the long run, in terms of a "career", this is probably a better job than my current one. But the job, I think will be less diverse than the one I currently have. I will also have less "power". In my current job, I run the office and make alot of decisions. I love my job and the ideology of the organization. Bnei Akiva has far more connection to Israel, so for the obvious reasons of my desire to make aliyah in five years, that has some impact on my decision. I have to let CAJE know of my decision by Monday. I want to give Bnei Akiva the opportunity to make me a counter offer but the time constraint is a severe one. I do not think a decision can be made in one day. Even if Steve, Rav Ronen, were to approve it, I think they need to get approval from the board first. And they might not be able to do that in one day. But I am going to try. I am thinking of suggesting that 45K might be enough to induce me to stay. It is ultimately less than I would make at CAJE, but I would be dealing with a known entity and one that I love at that.
I really need to tip the scales in a way that allows me to work and be happy and that will make a difference to us financially. I really want to be able to visit Chloe in Israel this year. We have been discussing the possibility of going to Israel for Pesach and staying by my sister.
I wish we were rich! I hate this.
Oct. 15th, 2004 @ 05:27 pm
|
| » Crazy Days |
|---|
It has been a pretty crazy week.
Update:
I was asked in for a 2nd and 3rd interview at CAJE. My 2nd interview was on Monday with the IT person at CAJE. It was obvious that he and I were on the same page. So I aced interview #2. Then, I was asked to go in for an interview with the Exec. Dir. on Wed. However, it was a totally nutty day in the office and I knew I would not be able to get away so I had suggested an end of day interview for that day. Unfortunately, that did not work out as it was the Exec. Dir.'s birthday and he and his wife and whole office were going out for dinner to celebrate. So, the next opportunity that was good for both of us is tomorrow morning (Fri) at 10am. It was sort of a pain, because I did not learn that an end of day interview on Wed would not work out until that morning. And I had gotten all dressed up for the interview and then, no interview.
At the office it has been crazy. Everyone who is anyone in the organization has been in. Gael, the Director of World Bnei Akiva, Steve, Director of Mach Hach B'Aretz, Rav Shaul, Jeremy, and others. And of course, EVERYONE wants a piece of me. In addition to which the phone has been ringing off the hook, Kenes Avodah begins tomorrow, there were a million and one things to do for Kenes, we are receiving calls about Mach Hach, we are promoting it like crazy this year.
I am very unhappy with the online registration set up. I know that Steve is too. I wish he would have listened to me and let me ask Moshe Tapnack to set it up for us. It would have been MUCH better. And it would have been DONE!! Aargh!
Tonight I made Mexican dinner: taco meat, tortillas, taco sauce, guacamole, salsa, rice, refried beans, onions. Sometimes I put out corn too. And there was plenty of food. But only 3 of us for dinner. Why do I bother? We never eat together as a family any more!
Oct. 14th, 2004 @ 06:08 pm
|
| » Post Chagim |
|---|
My husband just came home from shul, all enthused about a shiur he just heard. It was given by this person who just recently lost a daughter. She was young, still a child. The subject of his shiur was Bitachon, Emunah. He tells this story of a woman who was destitute. She was widowed. One son, was unable to keep a job and therefore unable to support his family. One son was unable to find a shidduch and the other child was run over as an infant and died. She went to the Rabbi and said she hates her life -- she has a terrible life, it is not worth living. The Rabbi writes something on a piece of paper, hands it to her and tells her to make kiddush, then to put the piece of paper under her pillow at night. She will have a dream and in her dream she will be able to ask her questions and get her answers. So, she does this. She finds herself in Gan Eden and sees thousands of souls listening to a shiur. She asks where her husbands soul is and is told he is the one giving the shiur. She can't belive her eyes, he never looked at a sefer while he was married to her. So she asks him about this. He tells her that in a previous life he was a very learned man, a reknowned Rebbe. When he died and went to Gan Eden he was told that he had earned a portion of Gan Eden but it was not as large as it could have been. Why? Because he had never married and had children. In order to earn a larger portion of Gan Eden he should have married and had children. He was offered the option of returning to earth and getting married and having kids or accepting the chelek he had earned. He chose to return. Then the woman asked about her son who was having financial difficulty. Her husband told her that her son , 2 years ago, had won a settlement in the Bet Din. He said that when you win in Bet Din you are not supposed to "turn the knife" on the loser. But he did and so he had earned 20 years of financial distress. But on account of his father, who was a Tzaddik he would only have 3 years of financial distress--and had one more year to go. Then she asked about the son who could not find a shidduch. That too was resolved, and he would soon find a shidduch. Then she asked about the child who was killed as an infant. For that, the husband said, she would have to ask the infants soul , who resided in an even loftier place in Gan Eden. So she finds him and asks. He tells her that in his previous life he was an infant in a town where all the Jews were killed except him. He was taken to a goy who nursed and fed him and then redeemed him to a Jewish family. He lived a full life, was also a revered Rebbe, but when he got to Gan Eden was told he could have a larger Chelek of Gan Eden is he had been raised (nursed and weaned) by a Jewish woman). So he agreed to return to earth in order to do that. Additionally, his being killed as an infant prevented others in the womans' community from being killed. So, the moral here is that there is a reason for everything but the reasons are hidden. And we have to have Bitachon...
Oct. 9th, 2004 @ 05:18 pm
|
| » Listless and stranded |
|---|
I am so listless. I do not feel like doing anything. I have not been very productive. I am have no energy and no desire to cook and prepare for yet another Chag. I just want to sit around the house, read, write, watch TV, do nothing. But I cannot do that. I have to cook and clean and get ready for the Chag. I have not invited anyone. We have the girls but I do not think they will ALL be with us -- two of them may have made other plans. And then there is the staying up all night and learning thing -- which they do at a shul on the other side of town. Which means they will get home early in the morning and then they will not see the light of day until late afternoon. Usually they do not even join us for lunch. At least one meal we will be eating out: Fri afternoon, at the shul. It will be crazy because I will have cooking for Shabbos to do.
Today, I was stranded. I was ready to go out and do some grocery shopping. But I could not find my keys. Then Barry called. I told him I could not find my keys. He tells me they are on the counter in the kitchen, which is where I left them. But they were not there. Then a few seconds later I hear him say "Oh, shit!". He had my keys. He had inadvertently picked them up and put them in his pocket. So, here I was stranded! I wound up borrowing my neighbors car, a YUKON XL. It is a nice car, very big!
And now I am going to eat an early lunch. Maria, my wonderful cleaning lady, should be here in a half hour. Maybe I will be more energetic after lunch.
Chag Sameach!
Oct. 6th, 2004 @ 07:49 am
|
| » Interviews |
|---|
Today I went for two job interviews. I aced both.
Job number one has the title of administrative assistant. But the job duties read more like a DBA (database administrator). The position is for this company in Hillburn, NY that is owned by a Satmar chasid. I was interviewed by the CEO. Apparently, the company is poised for a large spurt in growth. It has been growing but the owner can no longer manage the growth on his own. He needs people. To that end he hired the new CEO who interviewed me. The CEO is putting together a "dream team" of people who he will place in key positions within the company to drive the goals of growth. He has no plans to let anyone go. Anyway, he and I had a fabulous rapport and the interview went really well. Until...we discussed the issue of compensation. Yesterday, on the phone with him, I had asked him what the 'ballpark' salary was to be offered for the position. I said I needed to know this before I shlepped all the way out to HP for the interview. I heard him say 60k. Well...he actually said 30k. Of course, if I had heard 30K I would not have gone for the interview. That is less than I am currently earning! So, we both wound up really disappointed. He really wanted to hire me -- but could not due to the 30K constraint on salary. I cannot afford to take that big a pay cut. In fact, I cannot afford what I am currently earning -- hence my search for a new position.
Job number two is with another Jewish not for profit organization. I did not hold much hope for this one -- based on the fact that it is a NPO. But I also figured that it might be a possibility since the position usually commands a higher salary. The position is that of Data Manager. The work is very similar to what I am currently doing. but without the receptionist/admin assist responsibilities. Which is something I would LOVE to have. We discussed the salary issue. She did not balk at my request, but she did say she is going to look into it. She wants to be able to hire me. It is now just a question of whether they can afford me. She wants references...so tomorrow I have some calls to make.
That was my day today!
Oct. 5th, 2004 @ 07:08 pm
|
| » Post Succot |
|---|
Whew! Another Chag over and done with. These 3 day chags (actually 2 day chags running into shabbos) are killers. Three days of eating, eating and more eating. I mean, I love to cook! And the expectation is basically that all the meals are "special" meals. Actually, Succot was not so bad for me this year. Barry and I had been invited out for the first two meals and then during Succot we recieved an invite for Thursday night.
So, we ate by Lerner/Brusowankin Wed night. Rochi served the most delicious item she called a Mexican Chicken soup. Only it was more like a stew. I am going to get her recipe. It had shredded chicken, beans, corn, onions, peppers and more in it. Yum.
Then we went to the Borodach's for Thursday lunch. They had invited 2 other families as well as their own family. The Mizrahi's and the Sheft's. Patty served the meal buffet style since there were so many of us and since it POURED and we were thus unable to eat in their succah. First she served the appetizers and then removed them and served the main meal. She served two unforgettable items: stuffed grape leaves which I love and a stuffing that was wonderfully nutty.
Then we wemt to the Blass' for an impromptu dinner. Thank G-d, she served a dairy meal. I enjoyed the brocolli and cheese pie and the interesting leafy green salad she served. For lunch on Fri Barry and I ate alone, I made a mac and cheese dish with mixed veggies.
Fri night we had the Sheft's over. I served an Indian meal: Curried Plaintain Fritters w/spicy tomato onion sauce, Indian Lamb Stew, Rice w/Peas, Spicy chickpeas. The fritters were a test for me as I had never made them. They were quite easy to make. I simply boiled the plaintains until they were soft, then peeled and mashed them well. Then I added flour, salt, pepper, curry, tumeric. Then I roll them into small balls and coat with bread crumbs and deep fry in a mixture of olive oil and margarine. Remove, drain and serve with the sauce.
Today, we had the Rabbi and his family and the Furer's over for Shabbos lunch. I went all out here. Two main appetizer choices were Gefilte Fish and/or Salad. Additionally, I put out spicy chickpeas, hoummous/tachina, jalapeno hoummous, olives, pickles, red peppers, black oil cured olives. With the Gefilte fish I offered 5 choices of condiment: wasabi horseradish sauce, wasabi mayonnaise, traditional horseradish sauce, chinese mustard, and spicy red pepper sauce. Then for the main dishes I offered cholent, kishke, roast chicken, sweet pastrami rolls, asparagus w/tamari and sesame seeds, roast potatoes. There was definitely alot of food!
Now Succos is over. Tomorrow we are having the Cottrells over for a nice Chol HaMoed meal. I am probably going to make more of the Plaintain Koftas and serve the Lamb Stew of which I still have plenty. (I always cook alot--leftovers are my favorite food!)
My mom is online now and I am chatting with her. I am so glad they finally got a computer. I MUCH prefer chatting online than using the phone. So, I am ending this post here for now.
Oct. 2nd, 2004 @ 08:11 pm
|
| » My First LJ Post |
|---|
|
B"SD
Well, I finally did it. I created a LJ account for myself. All my daughters each have one and I have been somewhat envious of them. I had been told that in order to create a LJ account one needed to be invited. But I just created this one minus the invitation. They snookered me!
I am not sure I am going to keep this up. But I thought it might work well as an accounting of my days, at work and at home. For now, the novelty of having a LJ will kepp me going for a little while at least.
It is Erev Succos, that Jewish holiday when we eat in these temporary "huts" we erect on our properties. We Jews have so many strange customs. Non Jews must think us very strange.
At the moment, I have a miserable cold, with achiness, and a nasty sinus headache. I have been "managing" it with antibiotic, tylenol w/codeine (#3), and sudafed. I hope that at least halfway though the chag I will feel more normal. We are eating out for the first 2 meals, then it will be just the 2 of us for the next 2, and then we have guests for the last 2 meals.
All of Barry's girls are with their mom and my daughter is in Israel. So, it is kind of quiet around here. Maria, my cleaning lady, came by today and worked her miracle with the house. It is always such a pleasure to have a clean, neat house.
Barry will be home soon, he went to Home Depot to pick up another light for the Succah.. I think I should probably go look for the Ushpizin to hang in the succah.
Which means I have to leave off writing now. If anyone happens across my LJ and would like to connect with me, feel free to post. I will respond.
Freiliche Chag!
Sep. 29th, 2004 @ 03:42 pm
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
menschette's journal