What? A non-political post?

Yep, I figure it's time to write, but I can't deal with the political stuff at the moment, so I'm going to wrap my head in a towel and hope it doesn't see me. (Douglas Adams fans will understand that, and the rest of you... well... I can only tell you that you're missing one of the most important pieces of culture on the planet, so oh well.)

So what to write about? Hmm... so many options... let's go with one of my favorite subjects -- me! :)

I've been at my current job for seven months now. Until recently, I really felt like, as a good friend of mine put it in explaining how he felt at his last job... like I was pretending I knew what I was doing, and I was afraid that any minute, someone would discover I was incompetent. (That's a paraphrase, for the record.)

It is honestly the first time in my life that I've worked so hard at something and felt so little understanding. Normally, I'd have long given up by now, if I had so much trouble understanding what I was doing.

But in this situation, it's been awesome. I learn a little bit more every day. I am intellectually challenged without being *completely* lost. My co-workers are awesome. My boss is great. There's enough flexibility in my schedule to keep me from having to be something I'm not (a day person), and enough stability to keep me from going off the deep end. My Hebrew has improved tremendously. My technical knowledge has improved tremendously.

In short -- I love my job. I post that on facebook pretty regularly, but I'm not sure if I've posted it here, or when that was.

I truly feel blessed to have this job. I don't remember if I ever posted all the awesome stuff that had to happen at *exactly* the right moments in order for me to get this job, but really, I consider it a gift from Hashem.

So it's also frustrating when I've had some stupid health issues that have prevented me from being the best employee I could be. Some of them are work-related, like headaches and a weird asthma attack caused when the guy cleaned our windows. Others are sorta-work related, in that most of the people I work with have many children, and said children are sick, so said parents bring the germs to work and share them through our recycled air.

I did finally come to the source of one of my problems, though... I apparently have a wheat sensitivity. I knew wheat didn't like me much -- it made me tired and made me crave more carbs. But I've come to realize that on the occasion that I have a bunch of wheat challah on Shabbat, I end up with sinus problems within 24 hours for at least a few days.

Most of the time, it's not an issue -- I make my own non-wheat challah, and i don't use wheat in cooking at all. When I go to most of my friends' for Shabbat, I take my own challah. But once in a while, I end up someplace without my own challah... or I just can't help myself, because something looks so yummy... and sure enough, sinus problems.

Thank Gd, I've been able to pinpoint that one... because I thought I was having colds constantly for months, and once I kicked the wheat, I was immediately better.

So anyway... I love my job, and I want to be better at it than I am, and I have faith that I will be. But meanwhile, I know I'm getting better at the pace I can, so it's fine.

Outside of work, I'm really, truly blessed with some of the most amazing friends, teachers and mentors anyone could ask for. Even my landlord is awesome.

Life isn't always "easy," of course... but man, life is good. I am so thankful, every day, for being able to live in Jerusalem, the Holy City in the Holy Land... having my great job... having great people in my life... and the ability to be who I really am, and be happy being this person.

I wish everyone in the universe could experience this.

For my fellow Members of the Tribe, I wish you a kosher and happy Pesach! You should be blessed with figuring out what's holding you back from being the person you should be, and have the strength and resources to move forward. Amen. :)

Guess it hasn't been as long as I'd thought

I somehow had it in my head that it had been at least a month since I posted here, but I guess it's only a couple of weeks. Still, as long as I'm logged in, I might as well come up with something to say, eh?

Politically, we're in yet another interesting situation. Netanyahu is having more trouble gathering a coalition than most people had expected, being that the "right wing" parties comprised such a huge percentage of the overall votes cast. But he's not being so accomodating to the right wing parties, and the center party (kadima) has decided to remain in the opposition.

(Maybe I'll do Israeli Politics 101 another time.)

Meanwhile, there's a ton of negotiating going on over Gilad Shalit, the soldier who was kidnapped nearly 1000 days ago. Hamas wants hundreds of terrorists freed for Shalit's release. I don't know if they have had proof of life anytime recently, but I do know that no one has been allowed to visit him, if he is still alive.

It's really a nasty situation:

Our soldiers need to have faith that our country will do everything in its power to get them back, if they get caught behind enemy lines.

But we arrest and convict terrorists for a reason -- they commit crimes.

On numerous occasions, terrorists who have been released as part of ransom agreements or "good faith" gestures have gone on to commit more horrific crimes, sometimes using the knowledge they acquired in Israeli prisons to help them succeed.

Additionally, Hamas and other terrorist groups know that for every Israeli soldier, they can free hundreds of their soldiers. So they have a strong incentive to kidnap more, every time we concede to their disproportionate demands.

I feel awful for Gilad Shalit's family, but I honestly don't know if releasing up to 1000 terrorists and continuing to give the terrorist organizations a reason to kidnap more of our soldiers is the right solution.

The answer to what a unilateral ceasefire is...

Apparently, the answer is this:

Hamas continues to reign terror down into sovereign Israel. More than 60 rockets have been fired since the "unilateral ceasefire."

Hamas continues to steal humanitarian aid being sent into Gaza.

Gilad Shalit is still not home. Nor has ANYONE in Israel or the international community seen or heard from him, to even know whether he's alive.

Hamas continues to say it will not recognize Israel. Now the PA and Fatah are considering merging with Hamas.

Do you really, really, REALLY think we have a peace partner somewhere in this? Really?