The big gossip is that on Sunday I started another job! I am still keeping this one but now I work at a "real job" in the afternoon. When you have another job to challenge and stimulate you, it is really not bad to have a second job where you can do nothing. It works out very nicely- in the morning I read all my emails and do all the things I need to get done for myself, and in the afternoon I go on to the next place and actually work!
My big mission today was creating a detailed shopping list (or wish list) of things I want from America. My mother is flying there on Sat. night. I made a very nice chart broken down by store and even included pictures of some of the items.
I am also in the middle of researching cameras since I have yet to replace mine, which broke on a jeeping trip in Turkey (how cool do I sound?). The prices have really come down so I hope I can find a good deal for minimum dollars.
Since it is Channuka, a few people are on vacation and I had the office to myself for about a half hour this morning. That gave me just enough time to read the paper (for some reason we get it delivered everyday) and drink my coffee. Not a bad way to start the day.
Now it is time for lunch and then I am off! Have a good day.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wake up and smell the donuts
Mmmm. The smell of donuts/sufganiyot. Today one of the boss people brought in fancy sufganiyot. They were really good! All different types- chocolate spread, halva, sprinkles. Israel has really gotten fancy with their donuts. I remember the days when you could only get jelly filling.
I realized that I have been promoting lots of sites- but I have yet to promote my own! So here is a link to my 3d animation video which I did as a final project in a class I took. Link. Worth seeing, if I do say so myself.
Another website that is a great find (courtesy of my father) is points.com. Apparently you can redeem frequent flier miles for gift certificates to clothing stores!
It is nice that people post a million pictures on facebook. One can waste quite a bit of time by flipping through everyone's party photos.
In case you didn't notice, today I worked the afternoon shift, which does have some advantages. By 4 or 5 everyone is pretty much gone so today I came prepared- I brought a book! Nothing like good old fashion entertainment.
I realized that I have been promoting lots of sites- but I have yet to promote my own! So here is a link to my 3d animation video which I did as a final project in a class I took. Link. Worth seeing, if I do say so myself.
Another website that is a great find (courtesy of my father) is points.com. Apparently you can redeem frequent flier miles for gift certificates to clothing stores!
It is nice that people post a million pictures on facebook. One can waste quite a bit of time by flipping through everyone's party photos.
In case you didn't notice, today I worked the afternoon shift, which does have some advantages. By 4 or 5 everyone is pretty much gone so today I came prepared- I brought a book! Nothing like good old fashion entertainment.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
New week
In case you missed it, a new week has begun. It is kind of sad to work on Channuka but in the real world very few places are going to give you off of work for eight days.
In the spirit of the holidays my uncle sent me this link: Senator Orrin Hatches a Hannukah Song. It seems that ever since Adam Sandler's Channuka Song it has become quite popular to write holiday songs. This link then led to another click- tabletmag.com. It is actually a very interesting magazine. I am happy to have another site to read on these long mornings.
And, since it is the holiday of presents, I did some online shopping at Old Navy. They are giving 20% off right now without requiring a minimum purchase- very rare for them so take advantage!
It takes a bit of dedication to keep up with all the events happening this week. I think I have it under control -not that I am necessarily going to everything, but at least I am aware and informed! I wonder how people who don't have spare time manage to know these things.
I came across a cute article about the Orbaum triplets: article. For anyone who has lived in Israel over 7 years, you probably read Sam Orbaum z"l's column in the Jerusalem Post, or maybe even his book. It is nice to hear how the girls are doing since we all had front seats to their childhood antics.
That pretty much sums up my morning. However, the day is much longer than the morning!
In the spirit of the holidays my uncle sent me this link: Senator Orrin Hatches a Hannukah Song. It seems that ever since Adam Sandler's Channuka Song it has become quite popular to write holiday songs. This link then led to another click- tabletmag.com. It is actually a very interesting magazine. I am happy to have another site to read on these long mornings.
And, since it is the holiday of presents, I did some online shopping at Old Navy. They are giving 20% off right now without requiring a minimum purchase- very rare for them so take advantage!
It takes a bit of dedication to keep up with all the events happening this week. I think I have it under control -not that I am necessarily going to everything, but at least I am aware and informed! I wonder how people who don't have spare time manage to know these things.
I came across a cute article about the Orbaum triplets: article. For anyone who has lived in Israel over 7 years, you probably read Sam Orbaum z"l's column in the Jerusalem Post, or maybe even his book. It is nice to hear how the girls are doing since we all had front seats to their childhood antics.
That pretty much sums up my morning. However, the day is much longer than the morning!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it!
Awesome day! And the cherry on top is that things maybe changing with this work situation but I don't want to jinx it so you will have to stay tuned....
Besides that, I got money back from Snapfish! If you are keeping up with my blog you know that I made a photobook on snapfish only to discover that their discounts only work on the first 20 pages of the book. I wrote them a letter explaining why this is ridiculous- I could just make 2 books of 20 pages each instead of one book of 40 and get the discount- but it is a hassle for me and costs more for them. They agreed and credited me with the money..so I graciously took the customer satisfaction survey that they sent.
I spoke to my friendly neighborhood banker (end of the year and all that) and spent time looking at pictures on facebook and wishing all the birthday kids a happy birthday (why are so many people born on the 10th??).
Courtesy of my sister, who got this from someones facebook stat, I played the absolutely most ingenious games. The site is called "Can't you see I'm busy??" and is made specifically for people like me! They have games that, to the person passing by your desk, look like you are doing work when really you are playing. My favorite is a game in the bejeweled style (deleting same colors to clear the board) that is embedded in a PowerPoint slide! I think I should go work for them!
Then I took my slackeresness to a new level. I actually left the building to do an errand. Granted I was only gone 10 minutes (well 7 minutes if you want to be exact) but it feels so much more naughty than playing games at your desk.
I also dabbled in some semi- illegal activity of the downloading nature but no need to expand upon that!
I did a bit more scoping out of chamshushalayim activities so we have a fully packed night ahead of us. I am meeting a friend after I get out of this place and then, after the gym, the chamshushalayim celebrations will began....and won't end until 2 am!
Have a party filled weekend!
Besides that, I got money back from Snapfish! If you are keeping up with my blog you know that I made a photobook on snapfish only to discover that their discounts only work on the first 20 pages of the book. I wrote them a letter explaining why this is ridiculous- I could just make 2 books of 20 pages each instead of one book of 40 and get the discount- but it is a hassle for me and costs more for them. They agreed and credited me with the money..so I graciously took the customer satisfaction survey that they sent.
I spoke to my friendly neighborhood banker (end of the year and all that) and spent time looking at pictures on facebook and wishing all the birthday kids a happy birthday (why are so many people born on the 10th??).
Courtesy of my sister, who got this from someones facebook stat, I played the absolutely most ingenious games. The site is called "Can't you see I'm busy??" and is made specifically for people like me! They have games that, to the person passing by your desk, look like you are doing work when really you are playing. My favorite is a game in the bejeweled style (deleting same colors to clear the board) that is embedded in a PowerPoint slide! I think I should go work for them!
Then I took my slackeresness to a new level. I actually left the building to do an errand. Granted I was only gone 10 minutes (well 7 minutes if you want to be exact) but it feels so much more naughty than playing games at your desk.
I also dabbled in some semi- illegal activity of the downloading nature but no need to expand upon that!
I did a bit more scoping out of chamshushalayim activities so we have a fully packed night ahead of us. I am meeting a friend after I get out of this place and then, after the gym, the chamshushalayim celebrations will began....and won't end until 2 am!
Have a party filled weekend!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Only Wed??
Wow today was a slow one.
If you are looking for a job I have become a semi expert. I think I checked out 5 sites today. I read the nefesh bnefesh guide to employment and all their advice on different careers. I visited tons of links and checked out different jobs. Of course, I am not actively looking :)
I got so bored, I resorted to games. Yes, I am a bejeweled champion. Also movie quizzes and some shopping help the time past.
I chatted quite a while on gchat and was informed that, once again, our Wednesday Tiyul was cancelled (this time bad health). About 20 minutes later I was offered a babysitting job for the afternoon so I took it.
I went through a bunch of papers that I had brought with me. Bills and forms and faxes and maps and recipes. Orginazation is always more fun on someone else's watch.
That about did it for my exciting morning.
If you are looking for a job I have become a semi expert. I think I checked out 5 sites today. I read the nefesh bnefesh guide to employment and all their advice on different careers. I visited tons of links and checked out different jobs. Of course, I am not actively looking :)
I got so bored, I resorted to games. Yes, I am a bejeweled champion. Also movie quizzes and some shopping help the time past.
I chatted quite a while on gchat and was informed that, once again, our Wednesday Tiyul was cancelled (this time bad health). About 20 minutes later I was offered a babysitting job for the afternoon so I took it.
I went through a bunch of papers that I had brought with me. Bills and forms and faxes and maps and recipes. Orginazation is always more fun on someone else's watch.
That about did it for my exciting morning.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Planning stage
Today will more than make up for yesterday. One person away at the dentist and one on her day off= lots of undisturbed free time!
Once again, I researched all the things Chamshushalayim has to offer for this upcoming weekend. I made reservations for Thursday night at the Herzel Museum, which is one of the few places I have yet to visit. They must be filling up fast because the earliest tour she had to offer was 11:30 pm.
I am also planning our famous "Wednesday Tiyul". I had thought about going to Mazkeret Batya because I read about it in a tourism article on ynet. However, it seems the museum is only open on weekdays until 1:30 pm which is to early for us. So this one will have to wait for a Friday or real day off. By the way, they have a great website and quite a bit to do so it is worth checking out.
I emailed snapfish customer service about their stupidity. They have a ridiculous policy for sales on photobooks. They only give give discounts on only the first 20 pages but I want to print a book that is about 50 pages. With the current promo (35% off) I can only get $7 off because it is only for the first 20 pages. So I will split the book in two and order 2 books of about 25 pages each and get $7 off on each (I have done this in the past). I think this is insane because it costs snapfish more (they have to make 2 books instead of one) and is a huge hassle for me. All I want is one book but in order to get sales I have to make two!
Then there was the matter of jobs. I found something of interest for my sister and helped her write a response. That is my other "hat"- a job agency.
Now we are working on a shopping list for when I leave work. That is the great thing about email/chat and the great thing about working near the shuk!
Once again, I researched all the things Chamshushalayim has to offer for this upcoming weekend. I made reservations for Thursday night at the Herzel Museum, which is one of the few places I have yet to visit. They must be filling up fast because the earliest tour she had to offer was 11:30 pm.
I am also planning our famous "Wednesday Tiyul". I had thought about going to Mazkeret Batya because I read about it in a tourism article on ynet. However, it seems the museum is only open on weekdays until 1:30 pm which is to early for us. So this one will have to wait for a Friday or real day off. By the way, they have a great website and quite a bit to do so it is worth checking out.
I emailed snapfish customer service about their stupidity. They have a ridiculous policy for sales on photobooks. They only give give discounts on only the first 20 pages but I want to print a book that is about 50 pages. With the current promo (35% off) I can only get $7 off because it is only for the first 20 pages. So I will split the book in two and order 2 books of about 25 pages each and get $7 off on each (I have done this in the past). I think this is insane because it costs snapfish more (they have to make 2 books instead of one) and is a huge hassle for me. All I want is one book but in order to get sales I have to make two!
Then there was the matter of jobs. I found something of interest for my sister and helped her write a response. That is my other "hat"- a job agency.
Now we are working on a shopping list for when I leave work. That is the great thing about email/chat and the great thing about working near the shuk!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Slow going
Today was one of those annoying, useless days. My computer was not cooperating. Talk about slowwwwwwwwwww. Slow as molasses. Slow as traffic in Jerusalem. Slow as the light rail progress. Slow as progress towards the weekend. Slow.
Crash. Restart. Repeat.
Needless to say, I didn't get much done today (not that anyone notice since I didn't have any work work to do).
About my only success was printing out some long term paper for my sister. And eavesdropping on my boss who spent the ENTIRE morning on the phone. Apparently she is trying for a new record because she is still on the phone. At times she was even on two phones which I guess takes a certain talent. In case you were wondering, NONE OF IT was work related.
Of course the other secretary didn't even try to disguise her activities. She went shopping. Yes, shopping. Though I don't hold it against her because she generally does more work than anyone else here (besides maybe the accounting department).
All in all a wastefully facebook kind of day.
Crash. Restart. Repeat.
Needless to say, I didn't get much done today (not that anyone notice since I didn't have any work work to do).
About my only success was printing out some long term paper for my sister. And eavesdropping on my boss who spent the ENTIRE morning on the phone. Apparently she is trying for a new record because she is still on the phone. At times she was even on two phones which I guess takes a certain talent. In case you were wondering, NONE OF IT was work related.
Of course the other secretary didn't even try to disguise her activities. She went shopping. Yes, shopping. Though I don't hold it against her because she generally does more work than anyone else here (besides maybe the accounting department).
All in all a wastefully facebook kind of day.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Multi-task your way to riches
A new week has begun. Joy (insert sarcasm here). I only hope I can make it a lucrative one.
Began the morning with the usual emails, facebook, online sales, and skimming the new jobs out there (I am not actively looking but it can never hurt to be aware of what your options are).
I took a very interesting survey regarding the Jerusalem light rail. If you have lived in Jerusalem for over two years and are fluent in Hebrew, fill it out here. I think it is pretty obvious that most people who have lived in Jerusalem over the past two years are not huge fans of this project.
The highlight of my morning was earning some extra cash by doing a freelance translation for a former boss (Hebrew to English). This is what boring jobs are all about.
Also made some annoying phone calls (like to my school where the guy seems incapable of sending a stupid receipt). All in all, not a bad start to the week.
Began the morning with the usual emails, facebook, online sales, and skimming the new jobs out there (I am not actively looking but it can never hurt to be aware of what your options are).
I took a very interesting survey regarding the Jerusalem light rail. If you have lived in Jerusalem for over two years and are fluent in Hebrew, fill it out here. I think it is pretty obvious that most people who have lived in Jerusalem over the past two years are not huge fans of this project.
The highlight of my morning was earning some extra cash by doing a freelance translation for a former boss (Hebrew to English). This is what boring jobs are all about.
Also made some annoying phone calls (like to my school where the guy seems incapable of sending a stupid receipt). All in all, not a bad start to the week.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The internet is a wonderful tool
Today was spent on the internet.
1. Finding math games for my mother to use in school. I was not too successful. Most of the games are pretty boring!
2. Looking up all the resturants that have specials for tonight in honor of chamshushalayim. I think the final decision is "Kadosh" which I have never been to. This seems like a good oppurtunity to try something new.
3. Reading online news. Ynet has some good tourism articles about things in Israel. One I really liked is: article it has some ppossibilites for future Wed. trips.
4. Picking out a movie to see this afternoon. My friend has discount coupons so we will be seeing "My Sister's Keeper". I read the book so it will be interesting to compare with the movie.
5. Sharing some of the albums I uploaded on snapfish (emailed the links etc.) and checking out the sale of the day (buy one get one free on mugs. no thanks). No, I am not obsessed with snapfish! From the amount of advertising I give them you would think I work for them!
Have a great weekend!
1. Finding math games for my mother to use in school. I was not too successful. Most of the games are pretty boring!
2. Looking up all the resturants that have specials for tonight in honor of chamshushalayim. I think the final decision is "Kadosh" which I have never been to. This seems like a good oppurtunity to try something new.
3. Reading online news. Ynet has some good tourism articles about things in Israel. One I really liked is: article it has some ppossibilites for future Wed. trips.
4. Picking out a movie to see this afternoon. My friend has discount coupons so we will be seeing "My Sister's Keeper". I read the book so it will be interesting to compare with the movie.
5. Sharing some of the albums I uploaded on snapfish (emailed the links etc.) and checking out the sale of the day (buy one get one free on mugs. no thanks). No, I am not obsessed with snapfish! From the amount of advertising I give them you would think I work for them!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My travel agency is open for biz
Good news! If you are sick of hearing me talk about snapfish photobooks, you can breathe a sigh of relief. I finished it last night. However, the 50% off coupon turned out to be a hoax (you can only get $10 off max) so I will be checking their site everyday to see if any of the Christmas sales are good.
Since it is Wed., I researched our afternoon tiyul. I found one great article from Maariv that explains the trails and another site from the National Parks- in English! If the weather holds out, we will be hiking near Mitzpeh Yericho, north of Jerusalem.
My sister requested I find a recipe for carrots (we have 2 bags in the fridge) so I had a bit of fun with that. In the end, I printed about 10 different recipes ranging from low-fat carrot cake to a lentils and carrots dish.
Wearing my other hat of travel agent, I called daka90 and tried to find a ticket from NY to Israel so that my cousin can come visit us. The best they had was Iberia for $950. Not great but better than anything else I have found.
Since I was still bored, I called Arkia to see what they had to offer. I guess I got to the wrong department or they had to many calls because the guy took my number and said someone will call me back. They should be warned that if it isn't during working hours I don't have time to talk!
Next on the list was Issta. I didn't know they were so expensive. The "cheapest" flight they had to offer was for a flight on Friday/Shabbat that stops in the Ukraine! And that was $1060! The same Iberia flight that daka90 offered for $950 would cost $1064 with Issta. So consumers beware.
Let's see...what else did I accomplish. Oh! I left the office today! Yes, very excited. I went to buy some office supplies and, of course, do some errands for myself. I also ran into a friend so we chatted a bit and then I got a free newspaper so I now have something to read.
I guess all in all not a bad day. But I still have hours of work left!
Since it is Wed., I researched our afternoon tiyul. I found one great article from Maariv that explains the trails and another site from the National Parks- in English! If the weather holds out, we will be hiking near Mitzpeh Yericho, north of Jerusalem.
My sister requested I find a recipe for carrots (we have 2 bags in the fridge) so I had a bit of fun with that. In the end, I printed about 10 different recipes ranging from low-fat carrot cake to a lentils and carrots dish.
Wearing my other hat of travel agent, I called daka90 and tried to find a ticket from NY to Israel so that my cousin can come visit us. The best they had was Iberia for $950. Not great but better than anything else I have found.
Since I was still bored, I called Arkia to see what they had to offer. I guess I got to the wrong department or they had to many calls because the guy took my number and said someone will call me back. They should be warned that if it isn't during working hours I don't have time to talk!
Next on the list was Issta. I didn't know they were so expensive. The "cheapest" flight they had to offer was for a flight on Friday/Shabbat that stops in the Ukraine! And that was $1060! The same Iberia flight that daka90 offered for $950 would cost $1064 with Issta. So consumers beware.
Let's see...what else did I accomplish. Oh! I left the office today! Yes, very excited. I went to buy some office supplies and, of course, do some errands for myself. I also ran into a friend so we chatted a bit and then I got a free newspaper so I now have something to read.
I guess all in all not a bad day. But I still have hours of work left!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Nothing in life is free
I was tipped off to a deal at Staples for $25 worth of free Sharpie's products. Now I never really believe that something is free but after hearing from a few friends that they actually ordered it, I was tempted to believe.
The bottom line is instead of paying in dollars and cents you will be paying in time. You, of course, have to open a Staples account. Then, since there is some kind of bug in the system, you process your order and pay for it and then have to call customer service (we all know what fun that is) to get the money back. Then, if you want to avoid shipping costs, you have to go to the store to pick it up. Yeah, not exactly free.
In the theme of black friday sales, I spent time looking for airline tickets for my cousin (not a bad price at usair). Then I looked up some Israeli sales going on at bug (not a bad deal on the external hard drives so I will probably head over there after work).
Now it is time to get back to my snapfish photobook. I have 2 days to finish before their 50% off sale ends. The pressure!
The bottom line is instead of paying in dollars and cents you will be paying in time. You, of course, have to open a Staples account. Then, since there is some kind of bug in the system, you process your order and pay for it and then have to call customer service (we all know what fun that is) to get the money back. Then, if you want to avoid shipping costs, you have to go to the store to pick it up. Yeah, not exactly free.
In the theme of black friday sales, I spent time looking for airline tickets for my cousin (not a bad price at usair). Then I looked up some Israeli sales going on at bug (not a bad deal on the external hard drives so I will probably head over there after work).
Now it is time to get back to my snapfish photobook. I have 2 days to finish before their 50% off sale ends. The pressure!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
This is getting serious
If you have been reading some of my posts you know I want to find ways to make some money on the side while I am making money at this boring job. So today I joined Google Adsense. I opened a profile and am pending approval. This means that you, my faithful readers, will be able to help me make money! All you will have to do is click on ad links that will show up in my blog and I will make money!
Now I don't want to take advantage of my friends and family alone so I started researching ways to get my blog noticed. I joined a site called technorati which is a catalog of blogs. I applied for recognition there and who knows, one day my blog maybe listed there. It also provides hours of reading!
There are many other sites where you can promote your blog or create a more advanced site. I think I will start with this and see how it goes.
I was also reading a post on yahoo about the top 10 movie flops of the decade top 10 movie flops of the decade and I am proud to say I only saw one of them. Take a guess which one.
I watched a youtube video on sand animation that was pretty good. It seems to have won some talent show in the Ukraine, though I don't think I would have the patience to watch the full 8 minutes if I wasn't at work!
Now I don't want to take advantage of my friends and family alone so I started researching ways to get my blog noticed. I joined a site called technorati which is a catalog of blogs. I applied for recognition there and who knows, one day my blog maybe listed there. It also provides hours of reading!
There are many other sites where you can promote your blog or create a more advanced site. I think I will start with this and see how it goes.
I was also reading a post on yahoo about the top 10 movie flops of the decade top 10 movie flops of the decade and I am proud to say I only saw one of them. Take a guess which one.
I watched a youtube video on sand animation that was pretty good. It seems to have won some talent show in the Ukraine, though I don't think I would have the patience to watch the full 8 minutes if I wasn't at work!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A bit of this and that
When you are bored you eat a lot more. I spend time making coffee with vanilla flavored milk (seriously the best invention) and peeling oranges which ordinarily, are to messy for me to be bothered with (also they were on sale so we have a huge bag of them that need to be eaten). I bring yogurts or pita or canned food with me, as well.
It is a serious problem when you are trying to make a photobook and most of your pictures come from a professional photographer (my sister: http://www.leahsportfolio.com/)! The quality is so good it takes a long time for each picture to upload. Also, since every shot is amazing I end up using a lot more pictures and have problems narrowing it down. I think this photobook is going to end up being over 50 pages! I have been working on it all morning.
While waiting for the uploads to finish, I watched a few youtube videos like "Flash Mob Jerusalem" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULtglogZbR8 (apparently I am not the only one with to much time on my hands). I also read our alumni newsletter so I am up to date on all the births/weddings and the like. Having twins seem to be in fashion!
I also attempted to find a decently priced plane ticket from the USA to Israel for Dec/Jan. I really want my cousin to come visit! So far all the prices are insane. I hope something cheap comes up soon!
The sad news is our Wed. tiyul day is cancelled yet again (last week we had a wedding so it didn't happen either). I have a feeling it will turn into "once-a-month-tiyul-day". Oh well. You take what you can get.
It is a serious problem when you are trying to make a photobook and most of your pictures come from a professional photographer (my sister: http://www.leahsportfolio.com/)! The quality is so good it takes a long time for each picture to upload. Also, since every shot is amazing I end up using a lot more pictures and have problems narrowing it down. I think this photobook is going to end up being over 50 pages! I have been working on it all morning.
While waiting for the uploads to finish, I watched a few youtube videos like "Flash Mob Jerusalem" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULtglogZbR8 (apparently I am not the only one with to much time on my hands). I also read our alumni newsletter so I am up to date on all the births/weddings and the like. Having twins seem to be in fashion!
I also attempted to find a decently priced plane ticket from the USA to Israel for Dec/Jan. I really want my cousin to come visit! So far all the prices are insane. I hope something cheap comes up soon!
The sad news is our Wed. tiyul day is cancelled yet again (last week we had a wedding so it didn't happen either). I have a feeling it will turn into "once-a-month-tiyul-day". Oh well. You take what you can get.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Slow and steady
As promised, I am working on my snapfish photobook. It is slow going, though the site really isn't so slow when you consider all the pictures and graphics it involves. However, being of the MTV generation it can feel like forever.
They have also added more background choices, layout changes, and more flexibility. While this is of course, a good thing, to many choices can sometimes make you go crazy. Instead of looking through 50 background colors or patterns you now look through albums of options. I do appreciate it but it does take a long time to do each page when you are trying endless layouts and colors.
I can imagine most people don't have time to do this so if you want you can pay me to do a photobook for you :). I have lots of experience since I did two of them of my trip to Spain last summer.
Other than that, the usual emails, facebook, blogs, online news, weather, and shopping kept me busy while snapfish was saving or loading different things.
They have also added more background choices, layout changes, and more flexibility. While this is of course, a good thing, to many choices can sometimes make you go crazy. Instead of looking through 50 background colors or patterns you now look through albums of options. I do appreciate it but it does take a long time to do each page when you are trying endless layouts and colors.
I can imagine most people don't have time to do this so if you want you can pay me to do a photobook for you :). I have lots of experience since I did two of them of my trip to Spain last summer.
Other than that, the usual emails, facebook, blogs, online news, weather, and shopping kept me busy while snapfish was saving or loading different things.
Monday, November 23, 2009
New and improved
I decided that I am getting bored with "surfing" so I came up with a more productive way to waste the time away. Today I brought my external harddrive full of pictures and uploaded over 600 pictures to snapfish! Tomorrow I am going to start a photobook on their site. It really is genius (if I do say so myself) because once the pics are uploaded I can log in to snapfish and work on the album whenever I want. Plus they have some pretty good sales going on for the holidays.
While my pictures were uploading, I also researched the next city we will be traveling to. On Wednesdays I go with my sister and a friend to random places in Israel just because we can. This week I have randomly chosen Rishon L'Tzion. It is a city that has grown enormously over the past decade and has lots of parks, museums and a boardwalk on the beach. There municipality website even had three suggested "trails" to take in order to see the interesting sights. I just hope the weather will be good!
Since I switched shifts today (I usually work mornings and today I did the afternoon shift) I was able to im people (like my darling cousin) in America! Amazing how time can fly.
While my pictures were uploading, I also researched the next city we will be traveling to. On Wednesdays I go with my sister and a friend to random places in Israel just because we can. This week I have randomly chosen Rishon L'Tzion. It is a city that has grown enormously over the past decade and has lots of parks, museums and a boardwalk on the beach. There municipality website even had three suggested "trails" to take in order to see the interesting sights. I just hope the weather will be good!
Since I switched shifts today (I usually work mornings and today I did the afternoon shift) I was able to im people (like my darling cousin) in America! Amazing how time can fly.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
If you break it you buy it
I had a really nice weekend. The folks were away so we had a few friends over for shabbat. Nice seeing everyone and catching up.
The only bad thing was my clumsiness. I broke a china serving bowl. I don't understand how this bowl made it through my entire childhood unharmed but now that I am a "responsible adult" I manage to break it.
How did I manage to break it, you may ask? Well I was washing dishes and put the huge serving platter up top to dry (Israeli kitchens have drying racks above the sink). The serving bowl to the set was in the sink. All of the sudden the platter fell down right into the bowl and shattered it. At least all the pieces were in the sink and the platter was fine.
Needless to say, I have spent some of my morning tracking down a replacement on the internet (once again, yay ebay). I also am considering calling up a few places like Macy's and Penny's to see if I can order it through them and then maybe use one of their holiday coupons to get a discount (we have an American phone line so I can call for free). How anyone ever affords to buy a 12 piece set of china and all the serving pieces is beyond me!
On a happier note, Chamshushalayim is back! For those who don't know, the Jerusalem Municipality sponsors free cultural events for the three weekends before Chanukah in an effort to boost local tourism. Free museums, concerts, tours, and discounts at restaurants are all part of the long weekend (named for the army term of "chamishi shishi shabbat" or chamshush when soldiers get off for a long weekend). It is a lot of fun and most places have extended operating hours until 1 or 2 am!
The only problem is navigating the municipality website. It can take a few hours (which I have) to read through all the happenings and decide what you want to do. So far I have worked on the first weekend but seeing as it is also Thanksgiving and we are going to a yummy turkey dinner, I am not sure what time I will actually be able to join the chamshush festivities.
I also had to work some today (I know- how awful to work at work) because 2 people are out sick and the bigwhigs are in the office. I think about 70% of Israel is sick right now (yes, I made up that stat but it sounds pretty good). Everyone you speak to is sick or recovering or talking about how their school/workplace/kid's school is like a ghost town. Refuah Shlayma to all and to all a goodnight.
The only bad thing was my clumsiness. I broke a china serving bowl. I don't understand how this bowl made it through my entire childhood unharmed but now that I am a "responsible adult" I manage to break it.
How did I manage to break it, you may ask? Well I was washing dishes and put the huge serving platter up top to dry (Israeli kitchens have drying racks above the sink). The serving bowl to the set was in the sink. All of the sudden the platter fell down right into the bowl and shattered it. At least all the pieces were in the sink and the platter was fine.
Needless to say, I have spent some of my morning tracking down a replacement on the internet (once again, yay ebay). I also am considering calling up a few places like Macy's and Penny's to see if I can order it through them and then maybe use one of their holiday coupons to get a discount (we have an American phone line so I can call for free). How anyone ever affords to buy a 12 piece set of china and all the serving pieces is beyond me!
On a happier note, Chamshushalayim is back! For those who don't know, the Jerusalem Municipality sponsors free cultural events for the three weekends before Chanukah in an effort to boost local tourism. Free museums, concerts, tours, and discounts at restaurants are all part of the long weekend (named for the army term of "chamishi shishi shabbat" or chamshush when soldiers get off for a long weekend). It is a lot of fun and most places have extended operating hours until 1 or 2 am!
The only problem is navigating the municipality website. It can take a few hours (which I have) to read through all the happenings and decide what you want to do. So far I have worked on the first weekend but seeing as it is also Thanksgiving and we are going to a yummy turkey dinner, I am not sure what time I will actually be able to join the chamshush festivities.
I also had to work some today (I know- how awful to work at work) because 2 people are out sick and the bigwhigs are in the office. I think about 70% of Israel is sick right now (yes, I made up that stat but it sounds pretty good). Everyone you speak to is sick or recovering or talking about how their school/workplace/kid's school is like a ghost town. Refuah Shlayma to all and to all a goodnight.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Yay for Thursday
Thursday is a great day; the weekend is close, the boss doesn't work (cutbacks), and I can plan my weekend to keep myself busy.
This shabbat the parents' are away so the kids can play. We are having a few people over for shabbat so a menu had to be planned and a lot of text messages (what to bring, who is coming) sent back and forth. Good thing I can do it all for free from here.
We decided to do a Thanksgiving dinner theme for Friday night, in honor of the fast approaching holiday. We will even have pumpkin pie courtesy of my mother and Libby's pie filling. Lunch will be the usual (alcohol soaked chicken) and pretty low key.
I also spent a while online shopping at Jo-Ann's. The scrapbooking craze has a strong hold on me and Jo-Ann's is having a huge winter sale on albums and paper. It takes a long time to look through their thousands of scrapbooking items!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and see you back here on Sunday!
This shabbat the parents' are away so the kids can play. We are having a few people over for shabbat so a menu had to be planned and a lot of text messages (what to bring, who is coming) sent back and forth. Good thing I can do it all for free from here.
We decided to do a Thanksgiving dinner theme for Friday night, in honor of the fast approaching holiday. We will even have pumpkin pie courtesy of my mother and Libby's pie filling. Lunch will be the usual (alcohol soaked chicken) and pretty low key.
I also spent a while online shopping at Jo-Ann's. The scrapbooking craze has a strong hold on me and Jo-Ann's is having a huge winter sale on albums and paper. It takes a long time to look through their thousands of scrapbooking items!
Hope everyone has a great weekend and see you back here on Sunday!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
It's not me, it's you
I don't want people to think I am a slacker. Really it is not my fault that I do nothing all day. It is not like my boss does anything productive. So far this week she has spent an average of three hours a day (out of the 5 that I am here) on messenger or the phone, having personal conversations. And she has taken iming at work to a whole new level- she was using a webcam. Seriously, we all IM at work but a webcam?? At least they kept their clothes on.
With a role model like that can you blame me?
I have to thank everyone that answered my cries of boredom and sent me some ideas for ways to amuse myself. Today I helped someone research a trip to the pyramids, spent a while on lamebook.com, visited the site where people share secrets, read some Israeli news, found some recipes for thanksgiving food, and caught up on my oldnavy/snapfish/joanne's sale emails.
Sadly, I also spent a while reading about Adira Blatshauser z"l who passed away after giving birth to her first child. She had subbed quite a bit at my mother's school.
I really should come up with a way to turn this spare time into $$$. There has to be something I could do that will result in some cash. Maybe I should work for one of those sites where people buy term papers. I have time to write papers. Or I could write a novel. Or work for online customer service. What I should really do is install the software I need for school on this computer and finish my final project. But this computer is so old it would probably crash and then where would I be.
With a role model like that can you blame me?
I have to thank everyone that answered my cries of boredom and sent me some ideas for ways to amuse myself. Today I helped someone research a trip to the pyramids, spent a while on lamebook.com, visited the site where people share secrets, read some Israeli news, found some recipes for thanksgiving food, and caught up on my oldnavy/snapfish/joanne's sale emails.
Sadly, I also spent a while reading about Adira Blatshauser z"l who passed away after giving birth to her first child. She had subbed quite a bit at my mother's school.
I really should come up with a way to turn this spare time into $$$. There has to be something I could do that will result in some cash. Maybe I should work for one of those sites where people buy term papers. I have time to write papers. Or I could write a novel. Or work for online customer service. What I should really do is install the software I need for school on this computer and finish my final project. But this computer is so old it would probably crash and then where would I be.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging
Obviously I am spending my morning starting this blog. My first accomplishment was switching the default from Hebrew to English. My Hebrew is pretty good but it will never be my mother tongue!
I should mention that I was inspired to finally do this for two reasons:
1. I finally have the time.
2. Two great blogs: what I ate for lunch today (http://whatrebeccaateforlunchtoday.blogspot.com/) and what I wore today. Both are no longer being updated but they are still amusing ;)
Of course, it goes without saying that everyday I check my 3 email accounts (hotmail, yahoo, and gmail) and read the latest updates on Facebook. I haven't gotten into Twitter but if I am really bored I might check it out. I keep hearing about it, especially on the Ellen Show, which I often watch while I am at the gym.
One hour of work left.
Intro
For the first time in my life I have a job that requires little work. I pretty much sit by a computer answering emails (not that there are many of those) and the phone (which doesn't ring enough). This leaves me with hours and hours of free time. I have tried reading books but that feels kind of weird because my boss and other people in the office are always around. I find that as long as I am on the computer noone cares what I actually do. SO I try to find stuff to keep me busy...and here you will be able to read all about it! Hey, if you have a job like mine this might actually give you some ideas. Enjoy.
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