Gotta Love U-Haul......Wait....No I Don't!

I want you all to know I have now driven everything in all conditions. Last nite I drove a U-haul around the heights - on the narrow, double-parked, honking pissy ppl street of bennett ave - yet another reason to live on ft wash - and on top of the crazy streets, it was pouring. Oh that's nothing you say. Aaaah but all my windows fogged up and I could see nothing. Turn on the defroster, idiot, right? So the defroster did not work. The switch to turn the fan on didn't turn on anything and in fact came off in yoni's hand. So I want you all to know that I have now driven in every situation. And I will never do that again! Altho it was fun in retrospect. But don't try it at home, kids. Just felt like sharing....in case anyone was worried.....

....cuz I'm proud to be an american....

Today was Thanksgiving. In my head, Thanksgiving is a lot like July 4th in that July 4th is celebrating America's independance from the British and our freedom and stuff and Thanksgiving is an American holiday all about being thankful for stuff and what better to be thankful for than freedom and a good safe life in a nice democratic safe country.
I was at a Yankee game a while back (GO YANKEES!) and of course they start off with the National Anthem. I think it's kinda sad when random ppl in the audience and especially the players don't know the words. I feel the same way about the Olympic athletes who win gold medals for America and they stand on their podiums and don't know the words to their national anthem. So sad. So I was at this Yankee game (GO YANKEES!) and they played the national anthem and one of my friends wasn't singing it. I asked her after why she wasn't singing. She said it's not her anthem. I said what do you mean? She said her country is Israel and not America and therefore the American national anthem is not her anthem and she isn't going to sing it. So we got into a discussion about that. She basically said she - as all Jews - don't belong here and of course she is planning on making aliyah one day soon. But until then, she's living here but it's not really her country so she's not gonna sing the anthem. So I said back to her that it doesn't matter who's country it is. America lets Jews live here safely and we can walk around freely without fear of being stoned or shot and we can walk in the streets wearing kippahs on our heads and tzitzit hanging out and sheitels and hats and we can leave work early for shabbat and take off for holidays and have tons of kosher food and have a shul on every corner that's safe to walk into and pray. And by the way, NYC street cleaning rules that force you to park on the other side of the street during certain hours used to be in effect on Saturdays and Jews would either find a spot that was good till monday or just get a ticket and too bad. Forget about random weekday holidays. Now, street cleaning rules are not in effect on Saturdays and they are suspended on all Jewish holidays! And how much money does America give to Israel? And without America's help, Israel would probably not exist.....except it would find another way.....but you know what I mean. So I think Jews in America have a lot to be thankful for while we still live here. It's very important to give Hakarat Hatov (recognition for something good) to anyone who helps you, even if you didn't reeeeally want their help. But they still did help you. Just say thank you. Just like you do to the bus driver or the waiter or the ticket person at the movies....I hope.....
So Thank you America for letting me live here safely, eventho I might leave you soon. But I'll be in touch.

Check out my sidebar!

I finally figured out how to do cool things on my blog. Check out my sidebar with all the cool links. Actually I don't care if you actually go to the websites - except the top one b/c it's mine - but I'm just excited that I figured out how to change stuff on my blog....Yaaay.

Crazy in NYC

It is amazing how oblivious pedestrians are in NYC. It is equally amazing how drivers in NYC notice everything you do and every move you make and honk and glare at you if they don't like what you did. I recently rented a car - I've rented so many cars and mini-vans in the past month - more than I ever have in my life - I should write a book. Anyways, Monday, I rented a car. so of course as I was trying to drive in NYC without getting dead, other drivers honked at me if I went too slowely, or if I didn't move at the red light - yes I said red light - when really you're not allowed to move. But apparently there's a hidden rule in NYC that if you're surrounded by cabs - or any other cars or busses or trucks or man pushing a cart - yes they too drive here. I almost hit one. So if you are surrounded at a red light by anything on wheels, and you don't move, they will honk and glare and maybe even plow thru you. So be careful.
On the flip side, I have found that pedestrians are so oblivious. They have no idea what is going on around them, even if there is a car driving on to the sidewalk....right in front of them.....blocking the sidewalk.....cutting them off. I think they see a large solid mass blocking the sidewalk, so they casually step around it. But I don't think they konw what is actually going on. On Tuesday morning, when I went to return the car, I was told to turn up onto the sidewalk and drive down into the garage. I tried that. But there were soooo many ppl walking in my way. I feel like do you not realize I'm coming at you with tons and tons of metal and gas and sparks and if I hit you, I can kill you! If I hit you, I win. And yet these ppl kept walking as though the sidewalk grew a harmless obstruction that they now have to walk around to get by. And of course if I hit someone, it would be my fault. Where's the justice?!

You want a piece of me?

One thing that frustrates me about my job - which I really do love, in general - but there's always one thing not being perfect about it - is that I'll be on the bus thinking of a plan of what I need to do that day and in what order and I'll be all good because I can now focus and get work done and be productive. Then I get to work and I find 30 emails from my boss and 20 phone messages from him asking me to do random stuff. Then the someone wants me to make a postcard and mail it out. Then someone else wants his lists. Then someone else needs something. Then the boards need to be changed. Then someone else. Then someone else. And don't forget the phones ringing always and forever with the annoying ppl who call and ask "What time does ___ start? it says on the flyer 6:30." Yeah we just put the times on the flyer for fun. And then there's just me being generally tired and lazy. So by the time it's like 3pm, what have I done? I still have my to-do list in my head with nothing done, and my to-do list on my desk with nothing checked off. and that's very annoying. Because then I have to regroup and re-assess and still get all the work done that was in my original plan but now i have less time to do it - or just stay later which sucks. So that is very annoying. Good thing my favorite co-worker over here has the same issues so we stay late together! YAY! And then I can come back tomorrow, start fresh, with all my grand plans of what to do, only to get interrupted by a thousand different people who all want a piece of me.