Thank G-d It's Friday
I'm coming up on the end of my tech writing class, and I am incredibly thankful. I knew when I started that it would be exhausting, but now that we've been at this for almost five months, I'm completely and totally over it.
I've got it easy compared to some in my class. One of my classmates works six days a week, from 7am-3pm... she has a two-year-old daughter, and she's now almost nine months pregnant... and she lives outside of Jerusalem, so it's something like 45 minutes each way. She's been going to work, going home, coming back to class, not getting home until after 10:00 or 10:30 at night, and going back to work by 6:45am the next day.
Another one of my classmates commutes 1.5 hours each way to come to this class twice a week.
So I'm not complaining -- I'm really not -- but I am grateful to be almost done.
Of course, the next step is actually finding a job. Again, I am thankful that I can afford to be a bit picky. I don't like my current job, but I can swing being there another few months if absolutely necessary... so I can wait until I find someplace where I believe I'll fit in with the team, and I'll not hate going to work every day. (If it's sooner, rather than later, I will be thankful for that, too.)
And the fact that I dislike my current job so much adds to my exhaustion. I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of the hours. I'm tired of the stress. I'm tired of the baloney that goes on. I'm tired of the politicking. I'm tired of making phone calls. I'm tired of getting blamed for things that are not my fault. I am flat-out tired.
So between the job and the class, it's all I can do to make it to Shabbat every week. I haven't been down to see my adopted family in three months -- I don't have the strength. I haven't been going to the gym in the mornings before work or in the afternoons when I don't have school -- I can't force myself to wake up that early or go after a full day of work.
The good news is that if I can find a decent job in tech writing, I could theoretically be working fewer hours and making considerably more money. The US Government would like that -- I would actually be able to start paying off my student loans.
So I'm definitely thinking happy job thoughts.
In other news:
Both of my pregnant co-workers have now given birth. One gave birth almost two months early, four weeks ago today. The other gave birth a week early, at 5:45 this morning. Mazal tov! Thank G-d, they're healthy babies and healthy mothers.
I can't decide if I want to plan to vote in the U.S. Presidential Election this fall or not. What it comes down to is that although I believe the Dems are better for America, the Republicans are usually better for Israel. When it comes down to it, I don't know how much I trust myself to vote in the best interests of the United States instead of my homeland.
There was a terrorist attack in Dimona this week. The security fence that will separate the West Bank from the southern part of Israel has not yet been built. Now there'll be a push to get it built, one death, many injured, and even more traumatized people late.
And there's talk of building a fence to separate Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, too, since Hamastan (Gaza) residents broke through the border to Egypt and participated in a shopping and smuggling spree for food, cigarettes and, of course, weapons.
I am reminded of my trip to Gaza back in January, 2005. I was on a pretty right-wing trip -- at the time, I was quite a bit more moderate -- but something that really affected my way of thinking was when the guide outlined Israel's security history in recent years:
Terrorists started stabbing pedestrians in the Old City. Result: People started wearing stab-proof vests when walking.
Terrorists started throwing rocks at moving vehicles in "controversial" areas. Result: People started getting shatter-proof stickers for their windows to protect them from the rocks.
Terrorists started shooting at cars. Result: People started driving vehicles with bullet-proof windows.
Terrorists hijacked a bus and drove it off a cliff. Result: The drivers are behind a security bar now, and for a time the buses were armor-plated at the bottom so they wouldn't break into pieces if driven off-road.
Terrorists started leaving bombs in public places. Results: Calling the police whenever we see a "suspicious object." Renovation of mailboxes so that they couldn't hold bombs.
Terrorists started blowing themselves up in public areas. Results: Security checks before entering every single store, cafe, public office, etc. Renovation of bus stops so that there would not be as much dangerous shrapnel flying. Security guards at bus stops. Under cover security on buses. Building a wall to keep the terrorists out of Israel.
Now, with all the rockets flying into Israel on a daily basis -- what's next? Are we going to build a taller wall? Cover ourselves with a dome?
We keep being reactive to the changing tactics of the terrorists... I wonder what it would be like if we'd finally get fully proactive. Hmm.
Anyway, now it's Friday afternoon. I still need to run to the store to get grape juice and water, so away I go...
Happy Friday/Shabbat shalom! :)
I've got it easy compared to some in my class. One of my classmates works six days a week, from 7am-3pm... she has a two-year-old daughter, and she's now almost nine months pregnant... and she lives outside of Jerusalem, so it's something like 45 minutes each way. She's been going to work, going home, coming back to class, not getting home until after 10:00 or 10:30 at night, and going back to work by 6:45am the next day.
Another one of my classmates commutes 1.5 hours each way to come to this class twice a week.
So I'm not complaining -- I'm really not -- but I am grateful to be almost done.
Of course, the next step is actually finding a job. Again, I am thankful that I can afford to be a bit picky. I don't like my current job, but I can swing being there another few months if absolutely necessary... so I can wait until I find someplace where I believe I'll fit in with the team, and I'll not hate going to work every day. (If it's sooner, rather than later, I will be thankful for that, too.)
And the fact that I dislike my current job so much adds to my exhaustion. I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of the hours. I'm tired of the stress. I'm tired of the baloney that goes on. I'm tired of the politicking. I'm tired of making phone calls. I'm tired of getting blamed for things that are not my fault. I am flat-out tired.
So between the job and the class, it's all I can do to make it to Shabbat every week. I haven't been down to see my adopted family in three months -- I don't have the strength. I haven't been going to the gym in the mornings before work or in the afternoons when I don't have school -- I can't force myself to wake up that early or go after a full day of work.
The good news is that if I can find a decent job in tech writing, I could theoretically be working fewer hours and making considerably more money. The US Government would like that -- I would actually be able to start paying off my student loans.
So I'm definitely thinking happy job thoughts.
In other news:
Both of my pregnant co-workers have now given birth. One gave birth almost two months early, four weeks ago today. The other gave birth a week early, at 5:45 this morning. Mazal tov! Thank G-d, they're healthy babies and healthy mothers.
I can't decide if I want to plan to vote in the U.S. Presidential Election this fall or not. What it comes down to is that although I believe the Dems are better for America, the Republicans are usually better for Israel. When it comes down to it, I don't know how much I trust myself to vote in the best interests of the United States instead of my homeland.
There was a terrorist attack in Dimona this week. The security fence that will separate the West Bank from the southern part of Israel has not yet been built. Now there'll be a push to get it built, one death, many injured, and even more traumatized people late.
And there's talk of building a fence to separate Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, too, since Hamastan (Gaza) residents broke through the border to Egypt and participated in a shopping and smuggling spree for food, cigarettes and, of course, weapons.
I am reminded of my trip to Gaza back in January, 2005. I was on a pretty right-wing trip -- at the time, I was quite a bit more moderate -- but something that really affected my way of thinking was when the guide outlined Israel's security history in recent years:
Terrorists started stabbing pedestrians in the Old City. Result: People started wearing stab-proof vests when walking.
Terrorists started throwing rocks at moving vehicles in "controversial" areas. Result: People started getting shatter-proof stickers for their windows to protect them from the rocks.
Terrorists started shooting at cars. Result: People started driving vehicles with bullet-proof windows.
Terrorists hijacked a bus and drove it off a cliff. Result: The drivers are behind a security bar now, and for a time the buses were armor-plated at the bottom so they wouldn't break into pieces if driven off-road.
Terrorists started leaving bombs in public places. Results: Calling the police whenever we see a "suspicious object." Renovation of mailboxes so that they couldn't hold bombs.
Terrorists started blowing themselves up in public areas. Results: Security checks before entering every single store, cafe, public office, etc. Renovation of bus stops so that there would not be as much dangerous shrapnel flying. Security guards at bus stops. Under cover security on buses. Building a wall to keep the terrorists out of Israel.
Now, with all the rockets flying into Israel on a daily basis -- what's next? Are we going to build a taller wall? Cover ourselves with a dome?
We keep being reactive to the changing tactics of the terrorists... I wonder what it would be like if we'd finally get fully proactive. Hmm.
Anyway, now it's Friday afternoon. I still need to run to the store to get grape juice and water, so away I go...
Happy Friday/Shabbat shalom! :)
posted by M at 14:08
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