can't breathe

i just wanted to say hello to everyone out there and take a breather. these days at work i feel like i barely have time to breathe, nevermind do all that other fun stuff (personal emails, blogging, etc).

anyone know any good jokes? do share.

i also would very much like to go karaoke-ing in Tel Aviv for anyone who lives here and is also interested... any takers?

ok...inhale.......exhale.........

and back to work.

I have the best co-workers in the world

Wow. That's how this post needs to begin. Truly and utterly WOW.

So, the story begins as such...On Saturday night I came home, was in a relatively pissy mood for various reasons, said goodnight to my bike locked up downstairs outside my apartment (as usual) and went upstairs and to bed. Sunday morning, I get up, decide I should forget the moodiness and move on... and then I walk downstairs and see my bike chain cut and of course my bike GONE. It was one of the worst feelings I've had in a long time. This bike was not the most expensive or the most amazing one (and apparently even though the lock cost me a lot of money it was hardly anything to write home about as well), but I really really liked it. We had only been together for three weeks before someone decided that it should not belong to me anymore and stole it in the middle of the night.

I continued on to work (on foot) in a pretty terrible mood -- with a valid excuse at least -- and tried to keep it together as i told my co-workers the story of my stolen bike. The day went on, everything annoyed me, and even though everyone was trying their best to be really comforting, even the comfort seemed annoying. I just wanted the bike back, you know?? I had gotten very used to having it and the wonder of getting everywhere so quickly and easily had most definitely NOT worn off yet...

So, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful, I went home, tried not to think about it, and went about my business as usual. Monday morning, I wake up in a slightly better but still not totally over it mood and get to work (on foot yet again), along the way debating if I'll try to buy a new bike, if I think it's a good investment right now, if I should try to find the most ugly awful bike I can so that no one would care to steal it, and all that kind of thing. Because the thing is, the only bikes that are light enough for me to feel comfortable carrying them upstairs every night are quite expensive and perhaps more than i can afford at the moment.

I'm sitting at work, finishing telling the story of the stolen bike to yet another co-worker who doesn't work on Sundays because of her studies, and hardly finish doing another task on my to-do list when I hear two of my co-workers come in the door. All of a sudden i look over and there they are... and between them...

a new amazing beautiful bike.

UNBELIEVABLE. TRULY AMAZING.

I was completely in shock for a solid few minute and just kept saying...WHAT?? I don't believe it!!!! Yup...they bought me a new bike. and not just any bike. one of those incredible light bikes that are so comfortable and are (relatively) easy to bring up the stairs. Well theres' no way i'm leaving this one out overnight. crazy. i still can't really believe it. I thanked them of course as well as anyone can, but I plan to bring in some goodies on Sunday morning for our internal meeting -- it's the very least i can do considering how thoughtful and awesome they are for doing such a thing.

basically i've told this story to everyone i've talked to since then and they have all passed it on. it's in some version a "pay it forward" kind of thing where somehow good karma keeps on going and i believe that somehow this can only give people more faith in others and the goodness that exists out there despite all the daily facts proving otherwise...

anyway...that is my story.
life is good. I am happy.
period.

Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...

So here are some pictures from the windows at work -- it has a bluish tint because of the windows and I took them on a less than perfectly clear day (I took advantage of being alone in the office during daylight hours on Friday), but you get the idea I think.



Well, the word "closing" has taken on a new meaning in my life: a lot of work. The "first closing" of the Fund that me and my co-workers are currently working on has meant a lot of work and some extra hours, but overall it's been going well.

I have been daydreaming about my new apartment a lot and am really excited about it. Sivan and I are in the process of making a list of everything and then dividing it into things that we need to buy (ikea and south tel aviv, here we come), things friends and family are so very kindly donating to our cause, and things (does anyone else find it amusing that I currently have a mixer for my kitchen but not a dresser for clothes in my room)that maybe we can find through our good friend Homeless.co.il. We even had a brief discussion about the possibility of a cat once we're settled :-)

Not too much else to report at the moment. I'm excited for my first Pesach in Israel, I'll let you know how that goes.

l'hit,

full time baby

wellll...hello. it's been a couple days, and since i've been pretty good at updating frequently this feels like a long time :-)

so, i am at work, but soon to be leaving and i figured i would just let everyone out there know that this job that started out part-time will in fact become full time within a week or so!! well, it was never discussed officially...but basically i mentioned to one of my co-workers that it didn't seem to be that this whole experience would end in a week or so, and she first looked at me like i had fallen from the sky and then said something to the extent of "clearly...it wasn't obvious to you?" and I just said ok, just checking, making sure i'm not mistaken. And so we talked briefly about hours and such and basically when i am working full time, no one really cares what hours as long as things happen the way they should and i am doing what needs to be done. in other words if things are on track there's not reason to stay just to stay and if things are still left to do, it's understood that i will make sure they are taken care of before heading out...SO, at least until the end of March (first closing for the fund), i will be here mostly starting a little later and leaving a little later...and whatever else i think i need to do. it's really really nice knowing that they just trust me to get it done and aren't too worried about the inbetween. sometimes my boss likes to check to make sure i really get what he means...but for the most part he seems pretty sure that i'm very much on top of it all. it's good to since i'm finally understanding what the hell is going on around me :-P

enzywayz...que mas...oh yeah, Iris got the shirt Liz and I sent her today which is good fun. The shirt was awesome (and perfect for her!) it said: I'M A VIRGIN (in big bold white letters, on a black shirt), and then underneath it says in parentheses "this is an old shirt." brilliant, really.

ok, time to go. this should be a pretty low key weekend i think. oh can i just also mention how it is SO odd to me that i know pretty much NO ONE in this city and yet i've managed to run into someone i know every day? (sometimes the same people, like the way i saw Yosi and Arturo about 5 times in the last week, three of them NOT on purpose) and then today I ran into Roie and Rubi (btw, Amitai, the dog-bite looks much better but is not totally healed yet) walking down Allenby.

the apt hunt goes on...i'll keep you posted.
ciao :-)

after a week's worth of work

an update in a second, first pictures from last weekend's hike...

sunset view from Sde Boker (where Ben Gurion and his wife are buried) -- our hike (Amitai, Danny and I) ended here but i always forget to upload pictures in the opposite order...
a "bamba break" before starting to make our way back --- bamba, making us stronger since 1964 :-P

arm-held-out-with-camera self-portrait --- yay for desert hikes...


mmmmmmmmm....weekend.

well, i've officially finished my first week of work (no work on Fridays, so i have a "normal" two day weekend :-P) and I have to say that I think it's going quite well so far. I can't really believe that it's working out...the skeptic in me taking over, that is, but it really is a nice office with smart and interesting people (and small, so not that many of them). So far the job is quite eclectic and something tells me it will remain as such, which i like -- no monotony. My knowledge of what it means to be a venture capital fund is growing exponentially and while i was never really into economics and math related subjects, this is actually pretty cool, and i generally like the idea of helping big American companies invest in Israel -- in whatever form it is. Amitai came to visit me yesterday and I showed him the office. He also commented on the change of pressure when you ride up in the elevator...i still haven't gotten used to it and have to force myself to yawn or chew or something to pop my ears all the time. but it's kind of fun that this is an issue at all :-)

chutz mi zeh (besides that), things are pretty much standard. last night i was hanging out with Eyal and Gali and Eyal's buddies, which was fun. Groups of guys are really amusing here. It's really nice to be around, and they've been buddies since high school or before, so them making fun of each other is on a whole different level. Although from what i've observed, girls here, when they hang out with guys, aren't very vocal...it's like, the guys hang out and some girls are there accompanying their boyfriends or something, but aren't really part of the group. For me this is an odd feeling and I just jump right into the conversation if I want, they're all great and friendly and sarcastic anyway...just my style.

this shabbat should be pretty low-key. I'm going to go hang out with my grandmother later today and then tonight i'll be hopefully meeting up with Amitai for a last hurrah of sorts. boooo, people need to not leave. it's not ok with me. i will just have to start looking forward to my next visit from a person i miss in America... my MOM!!! there's no ticket yet, but the general plan is March?? we shall see. It'll be fun if she comes and can stay with me at my new apt in Tel Aviv --- uhh, no, i don't have an apt or know of an apt or anything like that...i'm just saying it so that it comes true --- it's worked so far with the job thing :-) tomorrow i might end up hanging out with my cousin Shaked who i actually haven't even seen yet...so that'll be fun. perhaps I'll get to meet the famous Maya who he's been dating literally since the last week i was here in Israel -- two and a half years ago.

anyway. enough rambling for now. if you read you should comment. it makes me happy. which makes me write more. which makes you have something to procrastinate with. it's an amazing cycle...keep it flowing.

working girl

Chanukkah with the Neiger Family

hanging out with Adi and Shir

yo yo,

life as a working girl is going well thus far. i'm enjoying being in the everything is new kind of environment and the people are great so i can't complain (yet :-P). it feels very stable and comforting walking into an office where i am expected and where i have my own place to sit and work and help with whatever. it's really nice. the view from the 35th floor is also much appreciated :-) yay tel aviv.

i am continuing to adjust to life outside of the kibbutz, although i was there on Sunday night visiting which was great. it was so nice to be with my chicas and just enjoy the comfort of a place i'm used to...even if i don't live there anymore. perhaps i'll go again this coming Sunday since I don't work on Mondays right now and it would be a good opportunity to hang out there before Noa and Liz scurry off to other locations.

Amitai is leaving on Sunday early morning....baaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Iris is leaving a week after...baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i know they are both returning to places they need to be for very valid reasons, but still. it sucks. i want them here damnit. in some ways it's even harder than the people that i'm used to missing, if that makes any sense. i've found a way to handle not being in the same place as my family, and as sucky as it is, it's not unfamiliar. Iris on the other hand has just been here with me all along and not talking to her all the time is just a foreign concept i'll have to get used to. ok, not going to think about that.

enzywayz...time to go shower and get this day started for real.

ciaooooooo.

i be EMPLOYED!

automatic timers are lovely
Dad's visit to the kibbutz

mmmmhhhmmmm...that's right. last night i got offered a job at one of the places i interviewed a couple times and thought could be really great. so YAY!

it's a venture capital company that works with American and European companies to invest in Israeli startup (communications) companies. They want an office manager type that will be able to both do basic administrative tasks as well as help them with their more challenging projects --- use my "Native English Speaker" capabilities, if you will :-P so yeah, it's a really small company (6 or 7 full time people) which seems awesome and just a really good place for me to learn. My thoughts are, if you're going to be in the corporate world, you might as well sit on the 35th floor of Azrieli (a very tall building in Tel Aviv with an amazing view and a crazy big mall below it) and work in a company where 'everybody knows your name' kind of place.

Anzywayz...i called and left a message for Adi, the woman I spoke with during my first interview who seemed great, and told her that i would like to start -- (we didn't talk about this last night on the phone) and if that means Sunday, then great, but let me know. So who knows, i might be on my way to work first thing Sunday morning :-) (the US Monday morning idea for those who are confused at the moment).

i have to say, i am still quite skeptical and i'm thinking...nahhhhhhhhhhhhh, it can't work out this well this quickly?? can it?? but yeah, i'm trying to be optimistic and saying, yes, yes it can Lerone, and beyond that, it DID. but keep your good energy vibes flowing people, i'll need it regardless :-)

que mas...yeah, that is the only new i have, but it's big news so it deserves it's own post. but i've included some more pictures from random things in case this post is not exciting enough for you readers...