Passover Shopping Report Card

I had no idea how spoiled I was growing up in Needham and living 8 years in Waltham. Shopping for Passover was a breeze (kinda - my mom got my first shank bone). Needham has two major grocery stores; Roche Bros. and Sudbury Farms. Both always have Jewish holiday foods at reasonable prices. Waltham has a ton of grocery stores but the ones I frequented had a pretty admirable selection. Hannafords on Main Street had entire aisles for Passover. I guess it helped that the store is across the street from a temple. Shaws on Lexington Street had excellent products and shank bone availability.

Down here in Quincy? Passover shopping has been a complete chore. Stop and Shop advertised free shank bones in their circular but when I tried to pick one up, the butcher told me they didn't have any. Their kosher aisle is stocked full of past due products. Hey ma, I got food poisoning at a Passover seder. Dayeinu! I was wondering if any South Shore Jews could give me tips on where to shop for next year? If it's crappy all around, I'll just drive to Needham and do my shopping.

I Love Eyeliner Now!

For years, I haven't worn eyeliner because A) My hands are too shaky to apply a good straight line, B) My eyes are incredibly twitchy when touched, and C) I had no lessons or technique to apply it. Most of my cousins have rocked awesome eyeliner looks for years and I have been SO JEALOUS! My eyes are an amazing color so of course I wanted to highlight them.

Last week, I decided to look for video tutorials online for eyeliner. This is the first one I watched. That had a bunch of great tips and diagrams plus having a shaky hand is not such a handicap if you do small pen-strokes. This is the second video I checked out. I liked all the product tips and her website is pretty amazing!

Thanks to these videos and my leftover Mary Kay samples, I have been rocking a pretty awesome lined eye for the past week. I have just been using pencil. Maybe next week I can move onto cream? I bought this a couple months ago and have used it just for a smudged smoky eye:

A Famtastic Week

This past week has been pretty awesome. I've been falling asleep at night with a smile on my face for a change!

It all started last week. My cousin, who is in fifth grade, was having a birthday party. The party entertainment fell through so my aunt called me to see if I would mind being the fortune teller for the party. I happily accepted because it sounded fun and I was getting paid. So, I got to figure out a costume and props then the party was Friday. I didn't know what to expect going in besides about a dozen fifth grade girls. I donned my scarf, jewelry and whipped out the tarot deck. I had a blast and the girls were all really great. Guess what? The generation gap isn't so huge - the girls still played MASH, plus paper fortune tellers, and did gimp. It was also nice to see that my cousin has a good group of friends. Later in the evening, I might have discovered why I recognize the fifth grade games. They were discussing how old their parents are amongst each other. Guess what? Mom and dad are all my age!

Last Saturday, I had a really great visit with my cousin and her baby. Her son is growing so fast! He's four months and definitely has his own personality. My cousin and I had a great visit talking about life plus some really great laughs. I'm psyched that she's thinking of moving to Quincy. When baby got fussy, I brought out my teddy bear (who I have had since I was 1) and did a little puppet show for him. Man, he LOVED it! It was so cute seeing him smile and giggle. He also likes pictures of babies. God, I love kids... Speaking of, another cousin gave birth yesterday to a healthy boy! Yup, this is a fertile time for the fam.

Tuesday and Wednesday I visited my brother in Holyoke. Tuesday was old home day when we lunched in Amherst and drove through Umass. I got carded when I ordered a beer and it was such a compliment! We encountered a couple new campus buildings at Umass. One I nicknamed "The Death Star" because of all the black metal and glass is a new integrated science building. There is also another gorgeous building for studio arts which is designed to fit into campus architecture and has natural light galore, unlike a concrete piano with no windows... Yup, I remember my first week at Umass getting a tour where the guide told us that there is always construction on campus. It's nice to see that in 15 years that hasn't changed! Tuesday evening, I was introduced to the video game God of War 3 by my brother's roommate. I was totally geeking out watching a roommate play since it's all about Greek mythology and Mt Olympus. Plus, it is awesomely gory - I got to see a centaur be eviscerated.

Wednesday, we went to the flagship Yankee Candle store in South Deerfield where I took advantage of the $1 votive sale. I have to say, whoever designs their sea related scents is so completely off it's ridiculous. I don't know, maybe there is a sea where gallons of flowers float but it ain't the Atlantic I know! I tend to be a big fan of any citrus scent. It's also fun to figure out scents of the weirdly named candles like Cottage Breeze or Beautiful Day. Midsummer's Night smells like a man's cologne so I've called it the Man Candle for years. They have a new one called Greenhouse (I think) that smells lush and AMAZING! Clean Cotton just smells like Tide.

So this week has been a nice distraction from still being unemployed and having my unemployment benefits held up - again (no bennies for 3 weeks).

Career Wear Intervention

I know that my work clothes are lacking for the job hunt. But when I had an interview in Beacon Hill yesterday and was sitting with a wonderfully put together job applicant, I felt like an old dish rag.

I only have one suit jacket and two pairs of black work pants. One pair is perennially covered in cat hair no matter how often I lint brush them. The second pair is too big for me and winds up falling off me after a couple hours. I also am lacking on layering shirts/camis. I have two pairs of button down shirts with button holes a tad too big so I often glance down and see that I'm flashing passersby. I also hate suit jackets because I feel like a linebacker stuffed into one.

Darn it, I guess I have to go clothes shopping for my job search darn it. Some pictures for inspiration...

Recruiter Run Around

Two weeks ago I was contacted by a recruiter for a position that I wasn't qualified for. How did I figure out that I wasn't qualified? The first line under requirements. I let the recruiter know via email that I wouldn't fit. Her response was a request for interview availability. It turns out that the first line under requirements was moot. So, why was it in the job description? After a very confusing round of emails back and forth where she kept responding to 3 emails ago, I wound up with a phone screen interview scheduled. Yet she didn't let me know if I should wait for a call or call in.

Guess what? I was totally stood up for this interview. The recruiter used the phrase "my bad" when explaining the mix up (aka total waste of my time). The job sounds really interesting but I have never been treated so poorly as a potential new hire. Seriously, who uses "my bad" as professional terminology? Why yank me around for weeks? Luckily, this recruiter hasn't been the norm for me. Overall, I have had very considerate and professional people contact me for open positions.

My Five Year Plan

By 2015, I will...

Have a good job.


Finally get fit and lose weight so I can...


Get pregnant. I'm 33 years old and I have always wanted to be a mother. I haven't always wanted to be a wife or married so I started thinking why should the one aspect of pregnancy that I'm unsure of be a hurdle to a lifelong dream?

If I have a good job and am in a good financial situation, my health being excellent, why shouldn't I get pregnant when I'm 38? I just hope I won't have any fertility issues! I did some research and a sperm sample only costs $100 - $300 and insemination costs $300 - 500 per attempt. And depending on health insurance, some of the procedure can be covered. I already have a two bedroom apartment so I don't need to move. Hopefully, I will have a job that has decent maternity benefits too!

Is God Shaking The Snowglobe Alot Lately?

It started January 12 with Haiti. Then we had Chile which apparently affected the Earth's rotation. Finally, we have Taiwan today.

King of the Douches

Senator Jim Bunning because he voted against extending unemployment benefits. Guess whose benefits ran out Feb. 28? Here is my letter to his office (it's dramatic for effect):

Mr. Bunning,

I have been working ever since I was fourteen years old paying into a system that I knew that would never pay me a dime. I am responsible with my money, pay my bills on time, and have been able to survive a massive stroke so that I can live like a normal person.

Living like a normal person became a pipe dream three years ago when the first of three lay-offs happened to me. There hasn't been a year that I have not been unemployed since 2007. I have worked really hard to survive. I have lucked out with occasional contract work here and there.

Sadly, all my hard work and struggles have been ignored by you. My unemployment benefits have run out. I'm in danger of being evicted. I cannot live the healthy independent lifestyle that I aspired to once I was released from the hospital thanks to you.

Please open your eyes to the suffering that your political stance has caused millions.