A place for my unformed thoughts. Help me sort them out!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tough Security
They have been cracking down on security at my internship following some incidents of people being allowed in the building who are not supposed to be there. Yesterday, as I was walking into the high school for my internship, I was stopped by the principal of the school. He asked what I was doing there and I explained that I was an intern in the guidance office. He asked me for my ID, and I explained that I had never been given one. He then asked how long I had been there, and I told him, since September. He was a little startled by this and admonished me to get an ID that morning. So I wandered downstairs to where they make IDs and explained that I was an intern and needed an ID. Without any questions asked besides my name, my picture was taken and an ID made on the spot. Done, now I'm official. I sure feel safe now.
I must say I am quite happy that Pesach is over and I can eat like a normal person again. Good thing it's only one week a year. I'm also very happy to announce that I wasn't nearly as sick for the last days as I was for the first days. I made it to all my meals this time and enjoyed very much.
My Jamaican Rastafarian co-worker brought me a beautiful haggadah this morning that he found being sold recently. I thought he was just bringing it to show it to me, but he gave it to me! So thoughtful, I think it will be my haggadah of choice in the coming year.
From Princess D, I took this typing test and got 90 words a minute! Woo Hoo! (I'm not sure if I could duplicate that result.) Try it for yourself:
I'm back to school tonight after a little break. Not so incredibly happy about it, but I only have two weeks left until I graduate! I can't believe it!
It's been a while, but here's a new LOTD - this one is super chilled out and just a nice relaxing tune.
Jack Johnson Better Together
[Verse 1:] There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard, No song that I could sing But I can try for your heart, Our dreams, and they are made out of real things, Like a shoebox of photographs, With sepiatone loving, Love is the answer At least for most of the questions in my heart , Like why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy, And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together
[Chorus:] MMM, it's always better when we're together Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together Well, it's always better when we're together Yeah, it's always better when we're together
[Verse 2:] And all of these moments Just might find their way into my dreams tonight But I know that they'll be gone, When the morning light sings And brings new things, But tomorrow night you see That they'll be gone too, Too many things I have to do, But if all of these dreams might find their way Into my day to day scene I'll be under the impression, I was somewhere in-between With only two, Just me and you Not so many things we got to do, Or places we got to be We'll sit beneath the mango tree now
Yeah, it's always better when we're together MMM, We're somewhere in-between together Well, it's always better when we're together Yeah, it's always better when we're together
Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm I believe in memories They look so, so pretty when I sleep Hey now, and when, and when I wake up, You look so pretty sleeping next to me But there is not enough time, And there is no, no song I could sing And there is no combination of words I could say But I will still tell you one thing, We're better together
Today is Administrative Professionals Day. That title could definitely sum up my job description. Completely unexpectedly, my co-workers had an absolutely gorgeous floral arrangement put together for me. It has roses and orchids and hydrangeas and another flower whose name I don't know in it. I'm so touched I almost cried. It's really nice to feel so appreciated.
I was sick most of the weekend, just about confined to my bed, due to an overabundance of pollen and allergens in the air accompanying the beautiful spring weather. So when I got dressed this morning, I wasn't feeling quite at the top of my game. My co-worker just came over and told me how pretty I look today. It really made my day :)
Over Pesach, I started (and almost finished) reading the book "Pack Up the Moon" by Anna McPartlin, about a woman whose childhood sweetheart is killed in an accident and who must then try to move on with her life. It's not the typical chick book and I've really been enjoying it. The writing is good, the voices in the book very honest.
This passage in particular stood out:
"There's a sadness that comes with survival, but also more joy to be had. Although we had long ago realized that life isn't all roses and behind every silver lining lies a big dirty cloud, we also knew that we would always find comfort in one another."
The clock on my computer at work runs slow. Every so often, I have to make sure it's still the right time, and it is very often running late by as much as 15 minutes. The funny part is that it tends to run slow in the afternoon, when the day is dragging by and the seconds feel like they are barely ticking on. I wonder if my computer does it just to annoy me.
As I was walking through Port Authority this morning, I noticed for the first time, a sign which read "Free Speech Permits" and listed the hours in which one could acquire one. I found it kinda amusing - you have to have a permit in order to have free speech? Do they deny people free speech permits? Is there a fee for a free speech permit? I guess nothing is really free.
I'm trying to install a new version of a software program we use. I called the support line that we pay for, and they refused to help me. Refused. They sent me some stupid link to a set of instructions. But, excellent IT Guy that I am (not) actually managed to figure out what the problem was, and got it installed. Now, if only I knew the password to get in....
Article from the NY Times about non-jews who have decided that kosher items like matzah and gefilte fish are the desired cuisine of choice. Can't say it would be at the top of my list of delicacies to try, but I guess different strokes for different folks.
I just realized how funny it is that, while I regularly email people (and blog) in the 6 o'clock hour, when I see that someone has sent me an email at the same time, I wonder who on earth is up so early to be emailing me.
I hate my insurance company. I had to see the eye doctor the other day and he was very, very nice to allow me to see him and get a referral later, because of course, my evil insurance company requires referrals for everything. I called my doctor and they were nice enough to give me a back-dated referral, which they said my insurance company would fax to the eye doctor. Nope.
I called the insurance company and they explained to me that they have no way of faxing the information they have about a referral to a specialist's office. Information technology has apparently not provided them with a printer and fax machine. The explained that the only way for the specialist to get the information would be for them to call the insurance company and ask for it.
The phone number - it includes "666." Evil. I knew it.
I was having a problem with my eyes, so I went to the eye doctor yesterday. He said it was basically allergies and he showed me this scary picture of my eye with all kinds of bumpiness on it. He gave me prescription eye drops that have both antibiotics and steroids in them in order to make my eyes feel better. I was telling a friend this and she warned me not to go running while taking the eye drops. I didn't understand, I was like, hello, it's only eye drops. And then I used them right before cleaning my room for Pesach. Wow! I had more energy than I have had in weeks! Who knew that eye drops could really get into my system so much. So now I feel great! I totally understand why athletes would want to use this stuff :)
It really works. I've had a sucky week, with a weekend that hasn't been a ton better. I was moping. So I decided to leave my apartment instead of moping to go try to find a needed item of clothing. Not only did I find the necessary item, I also found a ton of other stuff (don't worry, all on sale). And, viola! Much better mood. At least something went well...
It has been a really rough week. Everything that could possibly break in my office has, I have a huge presentation due tonight that has been kinda stressful to put together, and my internship was just crazy from beginning to end this week. Having said all that, I also realize that while all these things have been extremely annoying and frustrating, I'm really ok. I'm not depressed or scared or freaking out. I'm ok. But VERY ready for this week to be over.
There was a power outage at my school yesterday. Well, not on my campus, on another campus that I've actually never set foot on. Just to make sure I'm aware of what is going on, I received SEVEN emails, TWO text messages and ONE voice message. Yep, TEN messages to inform me that there was no power somewhere I had no intention of visiting. If only I could get such response to my issues regarding my still-not-corrected transcript...
I am an Orthodox Jewish baalas teshuvah who is constantly striving to grow and learn about the world and myself. Feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts on my blog, life, love or anything else!
