I’m not a religious person, but I am one who loves the rituals of Judaism.  So, I love to light the candles during Chanukah.  It keeps me connected to my family, to my childhood, to thousands of years of tradition.  And there’s nothing more serene than candles burning in a menorah.  And it’s pretty! It’s also a good way to be reminded of what this time of year is actually about.  Everyone is running around, trying to get everything done, … →

I decided since it’s that time again and since I am trying to be more proactive about writing and since I’m unemployed…again…that I would participate in Holidailies.  So here I am.  It’s a little bit pathetic that this site has been dormant since I last participated, in 2008.  I don’t make formal resolutions, because I feel like it sets you up for failure and it’s better to make commitments to change when you come to an appropriate moment, rather than … →

So, I fell off the writing wagon and didn’t keep up with Holidailies too well while I was in Florida.  However, I wanted to get this last Holidailies post in to end on a high note.  It goes back to a previous post about holiday traditions, it also is sort of a “what I did on my holiday vacation…” What did I do?  Put together my dad’s new computer.  Fixed his printers.  We got him a new digital camera for … →

Nevermind that it rained this morning.  Nevermind that it’s overcast and looks like it might snow at any second (not likely).  I’m in the land of sunshine, damnit!  (Oh, wait, there’s the sun, I see it!)  I’m still sick and still hacking like I smoke three packs a day, but I’m here! I was worried about flying because I’m all stuffy and didn’t want to be in enormous amounts of sinus pain or not be able to hear.  Fortunately, the … →

I’ve been in bed with the plague (a bad cold and fever) for the last two days and didn’t have anything to write about.  So, this will be a short entry for a good cause. Although I sometimes still feel like a teenager, more often lately I don’t (as evidenced by my previous entry).  Looking back, I sometimes long for my teenage years.  Things seemed much simpler back then, though as a teenager I thought everything was so complicated and … →

It’s on days like today when I long for the ability to function on practically no sleep with little negative effect.  I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I used to be just fine if I missed a night’s sleep.  Right now I am so tired I can barely see straight and I’ve had a headache all day that previously would have only accompanied a hangover. Obviously as I’ve gotten older, my ability to bounce back has disappeared.  Normally this … →

  One of my favorite things to do at this time each year is to visit the various holiday markets that pop up around the city.  It’s where I usually get most of my gift shopping done.   Last year because I was so sick, I never made it to a single one, and I really missed it.  Yet, somehow, I hadn’t yet gotten around to visiting any of them yet this year.  So, tonight after work, I went over … →

Growing up in South Florida, as much as I loved the holiday season, I sometimes felt a little deprived that our experience wasn’t out of a storybook.  There was no snow, no snowmen, no sledding.  Much of the time we wore shorts, went to the beach and could see the lights strung on the palm trees on our neighbors’ lawns.  And though the feeling of deprivation was partially geographic, it was also partially religious.  Being Jewish, the proliferation of Christmas … →

Part of the issue is that I’m fighting a cold, but the other part of the issue is that I’m overwhelmed by all that I have to do before I go to Florida on the 23rd.  Also, overwhelmed by the millions of ideas floating around in my head that when I sit down to execute them, they either don’t materialize as I wish or they disappear altogether. I’m a huge crafts geek.  There’s nothing that I find more inspiring than … →