ATLX is coming!

This week began with a trip to Augusta area for a project. it is ending with crunch time in the office. This weekend is ATLX, which is the Atlanta Lindy Exchange. I am hosting 8 - yes, you read right - people at my house this weekend for the event, and I will probably get no sleep all weekend. It better be fun. Last night I went to Kenny's for dinner, and that was fun, but unfortunately I had to leave really early to get back to my house before matthew came over. He is in town from Austin. We hung out for a bit, and then he convinced me to go out dancing last night. I remember why I stopped going on wednesdays -besides the many other reasons that I won't get into here, it is LATE. I am tired now. Tonight I even have a few things to do, like teach a dance class 9-11, and so I won't catch up tonight either, so this weekend will be shot.

If anyone wants to do something fun saturday, go to Centennial park and you'll see a bunch of really good swing dancers (and me). It should prove to be a nice day if the impending rain doesn't appear, and it'll be warm!

New Website for E2M

My company's new and way improved NEW WEBSITE went live today!

See what we do at E2M here! and now you can stop asking me what I do, and read it for yourself =)

My Favoritest.

Joshua Greer is my favoritest marine in the whole wide world.

(ok, my favorite MALE marine, Leah)

READ THIS...

Wow. Read this whole article about your credit card applications...

you might fall out of your chair. In disbelief.

Walk to Shul...and Yente.

I decided this weekend that it'd be a good idea to walk to Shul since there is an orthodox one right near my house. I got up early and walked about 2 miles to get there, and it was relatively nice. I hadn't been to this one in a long time, probably since high school. But I ran into (of course ;-) ) a million people I know, including my favorite rabbi from High School, my Third Grade teacher, my friend Sara and her husband who actually live in NYC, and my friend Heather's Parents. The Rabbi of the Shul's wife, the rebbetzin, invited me to go to their house to lunch (another .5 miles farther than the shul from my house). It was nice, but took a very long time, so I didn't actually make it back to my house until 5:30 pm.


While at the Rabbi's, Sara was there with her parents, two brothers, and husband. She has a younger brother, David, who is about a year younger than me, and ever since Sara got married last year, her mom has been pushing me to marry David. Apparently, in Judaism, dating is not an end goal for mothers. It's never "...my son is fantastic, you should date him!" it is "...my son is fantastic, you should marry him!". I am not sure why, but my mom is the same way. I guess they care less who we date, and more who we marry. Either way, I think if my mom is a 7 on the scale of "1 to Pushy", Sara's mom is a Pushy +1. She was relentless with dumping David on me. The funny thing, was that David was around for most every conversation she was having with me about marrying him. and of course, the only empty seat at the table was the one next to David. At one point, when David was out of earshot, she said "not only is he smart, good looking, and funny, but he'll make a great Dad!" Whoa buddy! hold up there! I am not looking for that this very instant. I'd like to make my own decision about who I want to date and especially who i'd like to marry. Either way, it was pretty funny, but probably equally as embarrassing.

Don't read if you have a weak stomach =)

For the past two weeks, I hadn't been to the JCC because I couldn't find my membership card, and I didn't want to have to get a new one. So I have been running a 3.3 mile loop around my neighborhood, and it's actually a really good run.

Well, yesterday I went to the J because I had found my card (in my car - for all those on the edge of their seats), and after running for just about 10 minutes, the back of my ankles started to hurt because my new sneakers were rubbing against my foot. I decided to tough it out because the treadmill that I like using has no "pause" button. Only stop. So if I want to stop for a second in the middle of a run to tie a shoe or in this case, pull up my sock to stop the rubbing, it's impossible unless I want it to forget all my workout stats thus far. So I decided to tough it out and keep running. Around 2.5 miles, it was really hurting, but I figured, it's already hurting this much, I can finish 3. At the end of three miles, I got off and looked at my feet. The backs of both ankles had not only gotten blisters, but the blisters had popped. So needless to say, the backs of my feet were (and very much still are) very raw. I couldn't do the rest of my "on my feet" workout, so I did a few machines, some ab workouts, and then went home.

Now my feet still hurt, and I am not sure when I'll be able to wear my sneakers again so they don't hurt.

Google Calendar

Back to my Google Raves. I love google.
I can't wait until this goes public and I get to use it. yay!

the only catch on something like this is that it works exponentially better with the more people who use it.

Google Calendar

Graham Crackers

I looked on the side of the box of graham crackers today, and it said "serving size: 8 crackers".
I thought , cool! I love graham crackers, and apparently, they're not that bad for you.

I was wrong. One "cracker" is actually when you divide the rectangular cracker along the perforations. so really, serving size is 2 crackers. they want you to divide it up. what a hoax!

Wasting Air

My office is SOOOO cold. everyone runs around wearing jackets and have space heaters under their desks. The coffee goes like hotcakes because people just want something warm to hold. There is going to be a rebellion soon. You heard it first from me. Unless of course, we freeze in our seats before we can rebel.

Pi Day

I am on a roll today. I just feel like posting all day!

I almost forgot, today is Pi day! (3.14)
Happy nerdiest day of the year everyone!!!!!

Laundry

I am anal about my laundry. I do some weird stuff with my clothes.

One: I keep my closet in color order. that way, when I pick a pair of pants or a skirt I want to wear, I can go immediately to the matching color top section to find something to go with it. Either I have too many clothes, or I am anal.

Two: I pin my sock when I take them off. I pin the toes together with a safety pin before I put them in the laundry. That way, I'm already handling them, and when they come out of the wash, not only am I NEVER missing a match, but I don't have to match my socks! they're already matched. My dad takes this one step further by using baby diaper pins on his socks. They have a football or a duck or whatever on them, and the decor says something about his socks. When we were younger, he would get up before my mom in the morning and get ready for work, but didn't want to turn on the light to wake her. But the problem is that black, brown, and Navy look the same in the dark. So he knew if the pin had a football on it, the socks were brown. If it had a blue duck on it, the socks were blue, and if it had a soccer ball on it, they were black.

Three: I keep multiple baskets in my closet so that when I throw clothes to be washed, I sort them immediately. That way, I know exactly when I need to do a load of darks or lights, because they're already separated.

People think it's because I have OCD, but really I think it's because I am an engineer, and I want things to always be as efficient as possible.

Housewarming

This weekend, I fumbled around for a day and a half, trying to get all my pictures situated on the walls, fixing things that were broken, mopping, vacuuming, and washing, because Saturday night I had a housewarming party! It was a lot of fun, and a bunch of my friends came over and helped celebrate with me. I am only upset that I didn't get to spend too much time socializing with anyone, and I didn't take pictures! The cleaning was useless though, because right after the party, I had to do it all over again. Oh well. Now at least, I have broken in my house, and everyone knows where I live, so I expect you all to come by more often and hang out on my side of town =)

Jews on TV...or something like that.

I was watching TV the other day, and there was a Netflix commercial where the woman comes home and the characters from the movies are in her house. You've probably seen the commercials. What you may not have noticed, but caught my attention immediately, was that on her door, there was a Mezuzah! How about that!

I got a table.

I went this weekend to the outlet malls up 400, and though I didn't get too much, it was nice to spend a day away from reality. Sebastian came up to keep me company, and probably against all hopes, even ended up buying himself some clothes. Saturday night we went to meet up with Amanda and some other Dukies to watch the Duke UNC game. I of course, rooted for UNC. At least I picked the better team. What you see here is the table I purchased for my dining room on Sunday. I have to go pick it up, but at least you can see it. What's cool about it is that the end is wide, so you could fit two people if you wanted to, and food will fit on the table while you eat too. nice and roomy =) I leave in the AM on a two day business trip, and then on Thursday, I am doing interviews on the GT campus. That should hopefully be fun! That's my latest and greatest, Have a super week!

Habitat for Humanity...sans the humanity

I just wanted to post saying that nothing extremely exciting has happened lately.

I spent almost every night last week hanging with friends and catching up, and then this past weekend, thought it would be a great idea to sign up for habitat for Humanity. Big Mistake. It was about 40 degrees and pouring rain, not a light drizzle, or off and on rain, but buckets pouring from the sky type rain. But no, they don't cancel for anything! we had to do landscaping, of all things - lay sod, plant plants, lay pine needles. it was horrible. everyone was miserable, but felt too proud to leave since after all, it was charity work. Oh well. The houses we worked on were for Clark howard's houses that he works on. We went under the cover of a nearby church porch for a moment to snag a picture with Clark.


I went salsa dancing this weekend for the first time, really. I went with Amanda and Avital, who I'd seen just the night before when amanda had a shabbat dinner at her house for about 18 people, which was also fun.

This week has not too much in store, but Greg will be in town from Dallas!! yay =)

Driving in Atlanta

Anyone ever driven in Atlanta knows that no one drives the speed limit.
This video is HILARIOUS. check it out.

it's called "A meditation on the Speed Limit"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q=speed

UPS gives freebies!

So, for Valentines Day, I sent josh a box with some little gifts in it. Apparently, when he received it, he got the following extras included:

Josh: stuart little 3 - the call of the wild
Josh: a foot works electronic callus smoother
Josh: two bottles of haiku awakenings perfume
Josh: a jar of avon "beyond color" line softening mousse blush (in nude satin!)
Josh: and an avon birthstone cuff watch (july, apparently a red stone, very gaudy!)

I wonder who was supposed to receive that gift for valentines day!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

veni vidi vici

I just came upon this site. Apparently I have officially been to 25 countries, which is 11% of the world. I thought I was worldly, but I have 89% left to go!!
here is my map of where I've been. It's hard to see some of the smaller islands because they are barely visible next to the vastness of the US.
There is also one for which US States you've been to. I have been to 70% (36 states) that I can remember. Here is mine:(http://douweosinga.com/projects/visitedstates)

varies inversly...

I have discovered that being busy at work causes me to lag on my blog postings. I guess you can tell how busy I get with how often I post. (it varies inversly ;-) )

Since my arrival back in town, things have been pretty hectic. I have been on a project with work that is just coming to a close, and in trying to deal with everything else on my plate, I have been finishing that up, so all in all, work has been really really crazy for the past few weeks.

It is nice having a roomate so far. We haven't seen much of each other, but maybe that's good? we have made a bit of progress in the "decorating" of the house; not much, but we've gotten a little farther. Hopefully soon, I'll be having a housewarming party - there are still many things I still need. =)

Last weekend, my big sister Evin and her husband Noah came in town for the weekend. Evin is expecting her first child in a little over a month, and I think my parents are starting to freak out that they're going to be grandparents. It was great seeing them for the weekend, though as usual, I wish I could've hung out with them longer. With them living in Chicago, I don't see them half as much as I wish I did. My grandmother also came in town last weekend, and was here for the party, and then spent the whole week helping my mom decorate the new back room. I must say, it looks fabulous. I am totally blown away by how nice it looks, and I go back to my house and realize I need to kick it up a notch in my decorating focus.

last night I danced with Andrew at GT Dance Marathon, and it wasn't up to our usual par, but we did ok though we were sliding all over the floor. Also yesterday, I saw the movie Firewall with Sebastian, which was pretty good. I also did some "art shopping" for the walls of the house, and was surprisingly successful!
Thanks to Ross, I got to see GT whoop NC state today, but I also saw them lose last week as part of their record losing streak. Then we spent like, the whole afternoon watching the movie the Aviator.

I am looking forward to having a lighter week this week in comparison with the last few.
Time to get a little beauty rest!

two weeks - abridged version.

My goodness. It's been almost two weeks since I've posted, and honestly, I don't even have a minute to post now, but otherwise it might be another two weeks without me posting, so here goes.

Since my last post, Chris, Kevin, and Scott came over for dinner, and we had a potluck, so everyone brought a couple things, and we had a delicious dinner! it was a lot of fun catching up too, and talking about whatever happened to old friends. That weekend Julie Gutman was celebrating her birthday, so we went to a Tapas bar called Eclipse de Luna. Every time I tell someone I went to a Tapas bar, they think I say I went to a topless bar. It's funnier when your retired project manager thinks you say that. Anyway, I spent all last week in FL, driving a total of 1300 miles. First I went to Gainesville on Monday to be in the Career fair tuesday and interview wednesday for candidates for work. Then Thursday and Friday I worked in Daytona with my project manager. Then I drove from Daytona to Pensicola (Pepsicola as some call it), to visit with Josh and Leah. It was Josh's last weekend there since he is getting transferred to Corpus Christi Texas, and Leah and her other roomate Jen were moving from the apartment to a new house (which might I add, is fabulous). Sunday night, I got back in town, and Betsy had moved in, so I now officially have a roomate (and a dog)

That's the latest and greatest, minus any ellaboration since I am short for time right now.

Comcast has not made a good impression thus far.

I have comcast cable and internet. They came and installed it two weeks ago, and it has barely worked since I got it. I had a technician come out this past weekend, and supposedly, he fixed the problem, but it was still not fixed. Anyway, yesterday I called Comcast to see if they could tell me the problem, or do something about it. I spent 10 minutes on the phone, and just as we were almost done setting up a solution, my fabulous cell phone cut out. So, I called back and got someone else. After explaining my problem again, he told me he had to transfer me to the internet help division. SO he put me on hold, and after waiting by some nice elevator music for a few minutes, I was connected. But to my surprise, it wasn't who I expected on the other end of the phone. It seems they'd connected me to some phone-sex line. It was really weird. They were telling me how much everything costs, and I could choose what I wanted, I just had to type in my credit card. I was flabbergasted! So, I hung up and emailed comcast. They emailed me back saying I needed to talk to a representative online. Eventually, after telling my story 5 times in an hour, I have been set up to have a technician come to the house again.

update: I left work for a while on friday to be home when the technician came, and after waiting until 2:00 to no avail, I went back to work. errr... they said he was running late, but hey, work doesn't wait. I rescheduled for Tuesday, but as it turns out now,I'll be out of town for a week.

recent aquisitions

Well, I got couches. Some friends of friends are moving away, and I got these couches for $200. One of them is even a sleeper sofa! They are in perfect condition, so I am very excited, and happy that I didn't have to spend an arm and a leg on furniture.

Last night, Ethan came over and we hung out and he connected my house wirelessly. He is a genius at this stuff. At least, he knows way more than me. then today, something didn't work, and he knew what it was. Thanks Ethan!! you rock my socks off! =)

I discovered the other day that I can see the statistics on my webpage since I have a counter on it. Here is the daily number of views to my page (not including my own). The peak is the day I sent out the link from the party. Amazing how many people read and click on links sent to them in email. Wow.

::yawn::

this was originally part of an email to Josh, sent by me this morning, and then I realized it was so whiney, it deserved to go on my blog.
Last night, my uncle Aaron passed away. he was my mom's little sister's husband, and my cousins Miriam and Rebecca's father. I have known him my entire life, and just saw him last month on the cruise. Aaron, you will be missed =(

I came home last night to stay with my mom since she was pretty torn up about it, and booked her some tickets to FL to spend shiva (the mourning period) with her sister.

On a lighter note today was quite the ordeal. After getting up early, leaving the house and getting my mom to the airport by 6:30 (with the dog in tow), the dog puked in my car. So, I sat in Atl traffic going back to my house with a car smelling of dog puke. I get to my house, let him into the house, bring his bed, toys, food, etc. upstairs, and let him into the patio incase he wanted to pee. I forgot that I'd left my gate open though, so he took that as a cue to run as fast as possible out of my patio and into the free world.

I finally got him, and now I am at work. Friday the 13th has certainly taken it's toll on me so far, and it isn't even 9 am!

Filling the house

Lately, I have been spending all my spare moments finding things to unpack, and buying things to fill my house. I haven't bought anything big yet, because thankfully, I took my bedroom set and a table from my parent's house, and the house I bought had all the appliances already installed. My mom came out this weekend and came with me to target, wal-mart, and Macy's, and I bought all sorts of necessities like cleaning supplies, towels, etc. At Macy's, I found bedding I really liked on the clearance rack, so I got it and am very excited about it. I filled both bathrooms with bathroom mats, shower curtains, trash cans, etc.

During the week, Jeff loaded his futon into the van, and gave it to me for my new place!!! we had a heck of a time trying to get it up the stairs in my house (don't ask), but eventually got it into the office, and now I officially have a "guest" bedroom"

During the week, I caught up with a few friends (Lisa, Amanda, Will, Ross), and that was nice, especially since it included a few yummy meals and going to the GT basketball game. And I am slowly getting to show off my house to everyone.

A friend of mine from college, John, who is dating a girl I've grown up with, Rebecca, came and saw my house, and decided he liked the neighborhood so much, he put an offer on a house practically across the street from me. He will be closing in a bit over a month, so that is neat, getting to live near someone I know!

Bagel Bash

(I am posting this late)

On Christmas eve was the Bagel Bash. Apperently, it is a party that happens every year on Christmas eve, and all the Jews go. It was $30 to get in if you bought your ticket in advance, or $40 at the door. There was no way I was spending $30 of my hard earned money to get into a party and then have to pay more for drinks! Conveniently, I was asked to work the door for an hour. So, in exchange for working at the door for one hour, I got into the party for free. Though there wasn't anything in particular that made the party spectacular, there were a LOT of people there. There were probabbly 600-800 young Jews from atlanta. I ran into people I knew from elementary school, High School, College, and from just being Jewish in Atlanta.

Before the party, I went with Greer, Jonathan, and a few others to eat - in Jewish Tradition- Korean food (sorry, it was closer than Chinese).

On Christmas, I went to spend the day with Leah W., and we saw Memoirs of a Geisha, and then ate latkes for dinner (which were really yummy). I don't know how other people's Christmases are each year, but mine was a pretty typical and fun Jewish Christmas ;-)

Speakeasy, New House...

Oh my goodness! it's been like, two weeks since I last posted! this might be long.

Last tuesday, the 27th, I finally closed on my house. Now that I have officially spent all my life savings, I am a bit nervous! but happy that I followed through with it and now own my very own townhouse. In answer to everyone's questions, yes, eventually I'll have a house warming party, but not until I am all set up.

New Year's eve, I had a party at my parent's new back room, and it was a blast! about 45 people were there. I think everyone had fun too. pictures are posted at www.belanaomi.com/photo. The theme was "speakeasy", and people really got dressed up into the theme. People came dressed up, we had poker, there was dancing, and really turned out well. The only downside was that the new hardwood floor was pretty scratched up after the party. I may have to pay to refinish it if my mom is too upset. but back to the party. Friends were in from out of town, which was cool, Leah was in town, and Miles and Jen, KT, Monique, EBeth, and a few others came from out of town, and that was really cool. Josh also came in town this weekend, which was really fun. It was nice to have a date for new years ;-)

My parents were out of town for the past couple weeks visiting my brother in Spain, and my sister took it upon herself to cook on many evenings. I must say, she cooked well! I was happy to come home to food on the table ;-)

On Monday, I moved into the new house. Thanks goes out to Greer, Ross, Nick, Josh, John, Jeff, and Rebecca for all coming out to help with my move!! you guys rock big time, I couldn't have done it without you!! (and I'm not just saying that). The new house is still in boxes, and I will get it unpacked slowly but surely. I still need to make a trip to the grocery and wal-mart for some necessities. I still don't have anything to sit on, but I may be picking up a futon this week, and couches next week.

I am sure a million other things happened over the last two weeks, but I think I've written enough for a while.

free stuff.

Well, since my last post, I have made a lot of progress!

I have begun packing my room at the house to start moving next week, and after packing about 10 boxes, I realized I should've taken a picture of my room. I don't think I have one, and I've lived there my entire life! Even though I packed 10 boxes, it looks like I haven't made a dent in the amount of stuff I'll have to pack. The nice thing is that I am moving in town, so if I can't or don't feel like moving everything at once, I can always go back and move more stuff another day.

I have found a roomate to live with - a girl I work with at E2m - Betsy. Hopefully that'll work out. We don't know each other very well which may be a good thing, or may be bad. I am excited to have found a roomate though. That will ease a bit of the stress of paying for a house. I also went to Amtrek the other day and collected about 15 boxes that I can use to move. For free. what a deal! I took a trip to IKEA and some furniture stores last sunday just to drool a bit, and once I got home, found out this week that Betsy has a couch, and that Jeff has a futon he wants to get rid of, so I am set on seating at least for a bit.

My new place is less than 2 miles from the JCC. I have decided that it would be a good idea to join, not just for the gym, but to meet other people. It is really expensive to join at the level that allows gym usage though, and so I gave them a call, and found out they're having a special that if you've just graduated college, that you get your first year membership for free!! Now that is exciting!

I have spent a lot of time dealing with the lender and his company, and with getting an insurance agent (calling around for the best prices), and with things like choosing a home inspector, a home warranty company, deciding on internet, cable, phone, and more. I have spent at least 100 hours on house stuff, if not more. Who knew it was so time consuming!!

Closing is next tuesday the 27th, and I get to move in on the 29th. I will make the big move day Jan 2 though, since that is the first day that I don't have work and can get people to help me. I can't wait.

Mobile, AL

I went to Mobile this week for work. I am enjoying working more lately because I have been pulled on more projects. It does mean longer hours, but it also means I won't ever be bored. I am right now on four projects, one a bit east of Atlanta, one in Wisconsin, one in Oklahoma, and one in Mobile. I really hope they go well. I am excited about all of them.

since I was just 45 minutes from Pensacola, Josh was going to come visit me in Mobile, and then it occured to me he was going straight from there to Charlotte (through Atlanta), so we worked it out and I drove with him and kept my return ticket for another time, and as it turns out, my flight was cancelled anyway, so I got here before I would have flying! so that was pretty cool.

Can I take you home with me?!

Since my last post, I have signed my offer on the house and will be closing on Dec 27. Yay!

But my mind hasn't been on the house this weekend. Josh came in town, and friday we went to my work's holiday party. It was such a hoot. It was a black tie optional affair, and so Josh wore his uniform, and I was having to fight off the wives of other engineers who were throwing themselves onto him. I must've been asked 5 times that night "can I take him home with me? please!!?" " I love a man in uniform..." It was hilarious. I am not sure how funny Josh found it, but I was laughing. All in all, it was a fun evening at the party. Josh, thanks for being my date, adored by women, envied by the men.
Today, we went to check out the new Georgia Aquarium, and it was super cool. Josh got some good pictures (see below) but they really made quite the attraction finally here in Atlanta. Now when people come in from out of town, we have somewhere other than the coke museum to take them to.

a special shout out goes to Julie G. on this post...thanks for this weekend!! ;-)

Nervous.

Today is a time in my life that I wish I could write poetry.

I wish that I could express in words how I am feeling this evening.

but I can't.

I made an offer yesterday on a house. For a day and a half now, I have been preoccupied with what I have gotten myself into. It isn't just the fact that I decided on one house - that maybe it isn't the best house or the most good looking house, or the best bargain. Though, that is a lot of the worry.

I signed a sheet of paper today with the monthly cost of my mortgage. It ends when I am 53 years old. I will be paying for this house (theoretically) until I am almost old enough to retire.

I am buying a house with the approach that I do with if I'll date someone. Does it have the qualities I am looking for in a match? will I get bored with it after a short amount of time? I can't return it with the receipt. will my parents like it? will my friends like it? but most importantly, will I like it?

It is a huge move for me. I added up how much my monthly payments will be. I need a roomate. I was planning on just having one, but it might be better to have two. At least, as long as I can stand it.

my mind is spinning. and I can't make it stop.

new addiction

http://www.sudoku.com/

I am addicted to this. They are fun. Meanwhile, I have been pacing and fidgety all day. I hope this doesn't last two more days until the offer is final.

also, I learned that instead of typing www.websitexyz.com, you can type websitexyz and hit control enter, and it adds the www and the .com. be careful with this feature if you're going to a .org or .gov though. it only adds .com. but it is cool.

Offer Made

I put in an offer for the house today. They have till wednesday to let me know what they think. Keep your fingers crossed!

I am sooo nervous today at work, I have been fidgeting and I haven't been able to concentrate. I keep wondering if I am doing the right thing. I mean, this whole time, it seems like a good idea, but when I have now just thought about how much money I will be spending on this house, I get nervous.

Oh well, I'm going to jump in and do it.

Found a House!

I have a lot of things to catch up on, but I have one thing in particular that I can't get off my mind just yet. I went house shopping literally all weekend, and finally found a few places I really liked, and then revisited them today and finally picked one to make an offer on. I really like it. I hope that no one sneaks in an offer before me, because then I'd be sad.

It's a townhouse, and it has a garage, so like many garaged townhomes, the entrance is on the same level as the garage, and then you immediately go up stairs to get to the main part of the house. Not only is there a garage, but there is a HUGE storage room on the main level too, about the size of a 1.5 car garage. It was only the second of the 30+ townhomes I saw that had storage.

Anyway, this home has a gorgeous open kitchen, a den, and a great room with a fireplace, and a dining room. the dining and great room are in the same area, but the great room is about three times the size of the dining area. On that same level, there is a halfbath. On the top level there are three bedrooms - a master with a bathroom, and two smaller bedrooms that share a bathroom. I am really excited. I have posted the pictures on my website, or you can click here. Click here if you want to see what my daily commute would be.

The Cruelty of Strangers

Well, I figured since we got my purse from the restaurant, and it was in the mail back to me, that I didn't need to cancel my cards. I guess that was another dumb move on my own part, because as it turns out, though they left some of my cash in the wallet, they swiped my ATM card, and went to town in every gas station in South Florida. Who knew I could buy nearly a thousand dollars of gas in a day!

I hope you're enjoying your fuel, cigarettes, beer, and whatever other junk you spent all my money on. Piece of *&%#.

The Kindness of Strangers

As you may know, I was in Daytona for the past three days. It was alright, but I was ready to come home. I had been gone already a week before that, and the weather there was rainy.

My ticket was to return at 7:00 pm today, but really this morning we were close to being done with the portion of the project we could do, so I called Delta to see if I could switch to the 1:00 or 4:00 flight instead, but they said that both flights were not only full, but overbooked. Since we didn't have much to do, I didn't go to Mike's to work until I'd taken a bit of time to pack and work out, and since we didn't have too much to do, at 3:00 we were done. I figured I might as well try to get to the airport for the 4:00 and try my luck. I checked in at the counter and the lady said that indeed the flight was overbooked, but that she'd let the gate attendant know I was coming just incase there was an empty seat. On my way to the gate, I went through security and totally forgot that I had nail scissors in my suitcase. I hadn't thought about it because we'd driven to Florida originally, but that was obviously something they weren't going to allow on the plane. After removing them from my bag, the security agent handed me an envelope and told me that it is a Daytona Airport service that they'll mail you what they remove from your bag! I thought that was pretty cool.

So I arrive at the gate, and ask the attendant about the chances of me getting on the flight, and she said "honey, I just paid 5 people to switch to the later flight, sorry, this flight is overbooked". Oh well. I sat down and started to figure out what I'd do with this time, when I heard my name over the loudspeaker. "would Passenger Bela Jacobson please step to the gate desk...thank you". So I go over there, and she tells me that two people have not yet arrived, and if they don't come, that I'd get a ticket! that was fabulous. "All you need is to pay the $25 change fee and we'll take care of it." I pulled out $25 and handed it to her, and she says "maam, you need to pay with a credit card please", which in any other day, I wouldn't have even thought to hand her cash to begin with, but keep in mind that I don't have my purse, so all I have is cash! she tells me that if I don't have a credit card, I can't switch flights. Disappointed, I sit down, and the lady that had been behind me in line walks over and says "excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your situation. I wonder if they'd let me pay for it with my credit card, and then you could get on the flight!" So, we went to the desk, and they allowed us to do it. I gave her the money in cash, and was very excited to come back three hours earlier.

I guess this is a lesson for us all that we should consider doing some more good in our lives. Especially if it is no skin off our back. Pass it on. Thanks Mira from LA!

Eerie

24 hours before I lost my purse, my brother lost his wallet. That is very eerie. and we both did the same thing. We both stupidly left it somewhere. No need to pickpocket the Jacobson kids, we'll just leave our money for you!

Cruise, Football, and stupidity.

I'm sure you are all having Bela withdrawl. ok, at least lie to me about it. The cruise was alright. I, like many of you already know, am not a huge fan of cruises, I just like spending time with fun people. Unfortunately, spending every waking hour with family for a week is a little tedious sometimes. I already get to do that at home. There were a total of 22 of us on the cruise. It stopped in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, USVI; and St. Maarten, a Dutch/French territory island. Of the 6 days of sailing of the 7 day cruise, two days were overcast, and really too windy to sit outside. They did have a good gym, which was nice, but it's really hard running on a treadmill when the waters are rough. You keep getting thrown off! The food in the dining room was really good though. It's really nice having two waiters waiting on you for 4 courses, for seven days. Yum. Thanksgiving was weird though. although they offered turkey in the restaurant, it didn't really feel like thanksgiving. Oh well. We went to the beach on St. Maarten and for a little while in St. Thomas. and in all three stops, we shopped a bit. It's weird how different people choose to spend their money. One of my cousins, who drives a porche and is dating this woman who came along...his girlfriend went shopping and bought a watch for $12,000. Now, I am perfectly content with my Fossil watch. It tells time, and I don't have to take it off to go swimming. Granted, there are no diamonds in it, but I think $12K for a watch is a bit excessive, even if you've "been wanting that specific watch for 5 years". All I could think about was "that is half a downpayment!!!!" But hey, to each their own.

On the football side, I am proud to say we beat #3 Miami last weekend, and i got back in town in time to watch the GT/UGA game on TV last night. It is lonely to watch it alone in a hotel room, but at least I wasn't with any of my UGA friends so they couldn't rub it in the loss. I must say though, it was a fabulous game. Much better than the past few years. As Brandon put it, UGA may have won for the last four years, but in the end, I'm still smarter than you ;-)

I am in Daytona Beach now, and will be here till Tuesday evening. we ate lunch yesterday in Miami before getting on the road, and a couple hours later, I realized I left my purse where we ate. I felt so stupid. I have never left my purse anywhere. well, we called, and they still had my purse (less $30), and my uncle went to pick it up and will ship it to me. The hard part, is that I have to fly, and spend 3 days out of town before I get home. Luckily, I had my passport with me, not in my purse, so at least I'll still be able to get my flight home. But I feel naked without my cell phone, wallet, or camera. For the time being, I am borrowing my mom's cell phone, so if you want to call me, IM me and I'll give you the number (remember, I don't have almost any numbers that I know by heart)

Gone for a while...

Well, Today at noon I am leaving with my family to drive to Miami. Tomorrow morning, we are having brunch with my dad's mom, and then boarding a cruise ship for a week to go to the Eastern Carribean. We are taking the cruise with the entire extended family on my mom's side. Both her sisters, their kids, and the cousins that have kids are coming too. It'll be big. I'm sure it will be a thrilling event. We arrive back to port a week later on Saturday, having spent thanksgiving on a boat (exactly what the pilgrims were thankful for not doing).

On the way back, I will be spending 3 days in Daytona to work with one of my bosses on a project. He lives there, and I will be staying in a hotel on the beach for three nights. anyone up for a trip to Daytona? ;-)

Have a fabulous thanksgiving, everyone, and I'll talk to you all upon my return.

Bullseye.

Last thursday we took another trek to the shooting range during lunch. This time I shot a 9mm Springfield. You can see me with the gun, and a picture of my target. of 500 possible points (if I'd hit the bullseye every time), I scored a 402. so I'd suggest to not mess with me ;-) Richard took a picture while we were there. the other picture is of my target.

Walk it off...

Well, this weekend was all right. Jackets lost again after a hopeful comeback. I got to see the Munich Symphony for only $10, which was really cool, and my friend Chris was in town, and I got to hang out with him too! Overall, it was an uneventful weekend, but it was fun.

It has now been about a month since I hurt my foot, and so I decided to venture out to see how it’d hold up. I went for a ‘brisk’ walk on Sunday for about 4 miles, and out dancing last night. I am not sure if it is that I am just out of shape from not exercising for a month, or if my foot really isn’t healed, but my foot hurt a little near the end of the evening, so I rested up after that. Today is the real question. I am going to go running with Betsy, one of my co-workers after work. I sure hope that my foot holds out. I can’t wait to get back out there running, especially since the weather won’t hold out this nice for much longer.

Calendar Mistake

Of all the things that Calendars need to get right, there is one thing infinitely important. I was making travel plans at work, and I keep a calendar posted on the wall for a quick glance for dates. I nearly booked my ticket for the wrong day. Can you see why?

An email Forward....not forwarded.

I received this in an email with a threat if I didn't pass it on. I hate sending forwards, and I hate when people send forwards for the sole purpose of "having all their dreams come true", but I thought this was sweet, so enjoy this =)

The 21 rules of life.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it
cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get
older, their conversational skills will be as
important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have
or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in
the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get
married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't
have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt
but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't
want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to
know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great
achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self;
Respect for others; and responsibility for all your
actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great
friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take
immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller
will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Construction after 10.5 weeks

After the initial framework went up (see post on Sept 30), things didn't seem to move so fast. They have since put in the windows, built and shingled the roof, done the electrical wiring, installed the heating and air system, built stairs to the side of the house, and put up the walls and cieling of sheetrock. It sounds like a lot, but visually, there is not much of a difference. The estimated goal to be finished was 14 weeks from start time. I get a feeling that will not happen, but who knows... Here are the pictures of where they are currently:

easy to please

I was having a particularly confusing day at work, and I just opened a starburst packet that has 2 squares in it. I got pink and Red. that made me a bit happier. thought I'd share.

Now, if you go to the GT webpage directory and look up my name, I am no longer in existance according to GT. so sad!

mmm....men in Uniform...

Alright. This weekend was a ton of fun. I decided at the last minute to go to Pensacola to go to the Marine Ball with one ::very sweet, very good looking:: marine, Josh. Anyway, I went down Friday after work, and just returned late tonight. The ball is held each year on the Marine Corps birthday. There were easily over a thousand people there, mostly male marines with civilian dates, but a few females splashed around with male dates who all looked really uncomfortable being there. Anyway, the evening was filled with tradition, and although I didn't know any of it before, Josh was always making sure to fill me in on the rules before I managed to make him look stupid ;-) The ball was held in the Naval Air Museum, which was so cool, especially for the pilots in the crowd, who were all just drooling over the planes. Here are a couple pictures from last night. the rest are at http://www.belanaomi.com/photo.htm

I ::heart:: Gmail.

I love Google. I especially love Gmail (www.gmail.com). I really use it for nearly all its capabilities, and if you are curious why I like it so much, I could probably go on a half hour rant about why it's so great. That being said, I really hate the fact that they don't have a "sort" function like every other mail provider in the world. Yeah yeah, I know you can search, but sometimes, I just want to SORT my mail. Let's say I want to find everything with an attachment. I can't do that in Gmail. They should have a suggestions box somewhere so I can tell them that they need that option. ::Note: this just in, they DO have a suggestions box.

a guy rants on his site here at the bottom of the page:
http://www.danisaacs.com/blog/archives/2004_08.html

and unfortunately, I totally agree with him.

Who am I?

According to Similar minds big 30 test results, this is who I am:

Prince Charming

Well, already this week is interesting and exciting! Monday night Josh (cute Marines guy, Leah's roomate) called to see if I wanted to go to the Marine Ball with him. I've never been to a marine ball! but at the same time, it is in Pensacola, FL THIS weekend. I don't have a dress, and I have plans all weekend that I'd have to cancel. Most importantly of course, I'd also have to miss the Wake Forest vs. GT home game. So needless to say, it was a bit of a decision. Both options sounded like fun. I asked Josh what happens at this event, and he said "well, it's a ball!" so of course, I retorted with "the only balls I've ever heard of are the ones in fairy tales. Josh let me know that he would not really compare to prince charming, but that he'd try, so I let him know I wouldn't be packing my glass slippers. Eventually, I decided to go. I will let you know next week how it goes, but supposedly it is quite a big deal for them. I have to find a dress to wear this week though. I may borrow one if I can find one that fits, otherwise, I'll buy a new dress since I need one anyway, and this is a fabulous excuse for it =)

Halloween Costume

I went wearing a Sari (not looking at it's best in this picture), a tech cap, and a phone headset.

I was "Indian Tech Support". Get it???!! Laugh. Julie lent me the sari. hers stayed on much better than mine did.

Homecoming Proposal

I went house shopping today. It is exhausting, and I really am not 100% what I want yet. But it was nice getting out there and taking another look. I spent last week talking to a few different lenders, and so I was in the housing mood.

This weekend was also homecoming weekend at Tech. Leah and her (cute) friend Josh came up, and we hung out a lot this weekend. We went to the game on Saturday afternoon (which we won 10-9), and it brought back lots of memories seeing the mr. and ms. GT candidates on the field. So the best story of the day is this: Kevin was one of the five finalists for Mr. Georgia Tech. He was escorted on the field by his girlfriend Chris. Kevin and Chris are dear friends of mine, and fabulous people. But I digress. Kevin was named Mr. Georgia Tech - Congratulations Kevin! in following tradition, he had to kiss the winner of the freshman cake race. Once completing that duty, he returned to his place on the field and promptly got on one knee and proposed to Chris right there on the field at halftime of Homecoming!!! Right after though, he had to hop in the wreck with Ms. GT (saira), and ride around the field celebrating. YAY!!!! I am so excited for them. They are sooo cute together, and so I suppose now chris is going to be Mrs. GT ;-) or at least the first lady!

Qualifications

Alright. You asked for it, so I am putting it out there.
What kind of guy do I want to date? The following are not in any particular order, though some are exponentially more important than others, because I don't want any "self rating" going on for my system. Though you don't have to have all of them for me to date you, the more the better ;-)

Male.
Jewish - affiliated
within 6 years older than me or 1 year younger
Educated
Driven
Dancer - as in partner, not "shake your ass"
agreeable (aka not stubborn)
Kind
Funny
Dark hair, light eyes
Likes sports - specifically Baseball and college football
Nerd
non-smoker
Friendly
Low maintenance
Taller than me
Interesting
Cook

I reserve the right to add to this if I feel like it. Post comments, I'd like to see them =)

Stay off your feet.

Ack! so after getting home from Wisconsin, my foot started hurting. On wednesday it was just kind of sore, thursday a bit worse, friday pretty bad, and today it is awful. I've been taking advil to ease the pain, but it really hurts! Turns out, It is probably a stress fracture. Not only does that stink just because it hurts to walk, stand anything, but that definitely impairs my ability to dance and run - two of my favorite things!!!! I'll have to see what I can do to fix that, but I am very frustrated right now.

Squeaky Cheese and Exchanges.

So much has happened since my last post, I can't believe I haven't updated!!!

Let's see. First off, I went to synagogue for Yom Kippur, and while I've been fasting for 26 hours, a cute guy in shul introduces himself, and it turns out we have a lot in common! Not sure if he knows that yet, but I'll make sure I pass on that information ;-). Maybe something will happen with that, I'll keep you posted. Don't want to say anything else in risk of jinxing anything.

Friday I went to work and straight from work headed to Knoxville for a Lindy Exchange. The exchange was a blast! For those of you who don't know what a lindy exchange is (which I assume is most of you), you can read about it on that website, but the jist of it is that most major cities host an event once a year where all night and all day for 3 - 4 days, there are venues, bands, djs, and swing dancers. Coming from another city, you pay an exchange fee, usually 50-70 dollars, and other than that, you don't pay much. You get there (a plane ticket or driving), and the dancers in the hosting city house you in their homes and show their city's hospitality. Anyway, I ended up staying with Chris, who I met a few times before at different events in Atlanta over the past year, and he was very hospitable, and a lot of fun. Susan and Liia also stayed there, and we had a blast. I danced a lot, and learned a bit, and though as usual, the leads sometimes were creepy or frustrating, overall it was a lot of fun.


On Tuesday I left with work to Wisconsin, and although it was chilly, I think the trip overall went well. Upon arriving, I realized the airport here in Appleton has I think 6 gates and three luggage carosels. I went for a nice run with my co-worker, Paul, and then all of us went to a nice steak restaurant for dinner. Today was an all day event at the plant. I think it went well for my first project that I have been the lead engineer on. Well, I am not the lead. There is a project lead. but I am the only design engineer, and am in charge of doing most of the actual work, which makes me a bit nervous, but I have backup if I need it. It's nice though, I can finally *hopefully* prove myself =)

I am going back home tomorrow, and have a very busy evening planned. I just hope I don't have to go into work once we return. I don't want to.

Forgiveness...

So you hate your job? Join our support group, it’s called EVERYBODY! They meet at the bar. –Drew Carey

It’s not that I hate my job. I love doing the task my job requires of me, it’s just not quite as much fun as school was. I am about to leave for Wisconsin next week, so hopefully this new project will have me up and running in no time. Ryan (the guy who sits next to me at work) and I spend a few minutes a day marveling at the amazing fantasticness of Google and their products. Every day they're coming out with some new cool program. "If Google made a virus I'd probably install it the day it was released and marvel at how efficiently and quickly it categorized the information it destroyed on my hard drive."

Over this past weekend, I had quite the array of matrimonial events. I went to John J. and Marilyn C’s wedding. It was honestly one of the more fun weddings I’ve been to. The combination of knowing both people in the couple, and a fair number of the guests made it more fun, but the atmosphere in general was a blast. Buzz even came to the wedding for about an hour and danced =) Sunday was Jess’s bridal shower, also a lot of fun, but about 10 minutes in, I realized I was the only one in the room that wasn’t married or nearly married. Oh well. I surprisingly didn’t feel left out at all, so no complaints on my end.

I am still taking my dance classes, and salsa is still fun, and ballroom is pretty good. The ballroom class is much more challenging than the salsa, but I think I’ll use salsa more. We shifted from Waltz to Tango in the ballroom class, and T-A-NG-O is pretty fun. I need to find a venue that I can practice these all in though.

Monday night I went swing dancing, and it was the night of my b-day dance, which was alright. They held it really early, so a lot of the dancers weren’t there yet, but I suppose it was for the better since after about 45 minutes, the power in the neighborhood kept flickering and eventually blew the system, so the night was called early.

On a totally different note, tomorrow is Yom Kippur, and for this, we are supposed to apologize and ask forgiveness for all we’ve done to other people over the year. I am really bad about this and did not save/make the time to call everyone, so if you are my friend, know that I have forgiven you for anything you’ve done to me, wittingly or unwittingly, and I hope you can forgive me for the same. If you have an issue please let me know if there’s something we need to work out. I can work a payoff or something ;-)

My Birthday

So, today was my birthday. I must say, nothing too exciting happened at all. But, last saturday night I had a shindig of sorts at my brother's house, and that was a lot of fun. The theme of the party was "2nd grade", so there was pin the tail on the donkey, a pinata, party favor bags, etc. it was a lot of fun, and great seeing everyone together. I have friends from so many differnet random places, none of them knew each other, but I think it still went relatively well!

pictures from the party are at:
http://www.belanaomi.com/photo.htm
there are some funny ones.

My parents framed my diploma for me, which is what I asked for, and my sister chipped in with them and bought me a straightening iron for my hair that I wanted, but didn't want to actually buy. Not much more to update right now, but thanks to everyone who sent/called/emailed/IMd birthday wishes =)

here is what my big sister left me on my voicemail:
"just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and I hope you're having a lovely time, and doing something that Mom would just not understand"

Construction after 5 weeks

My parents are doing major construction on the back of our house. Our contractor is hammersmith (http://www.hammersmith.net/) .

here are some pictures of the progress as of today on the back of our house:

Don't mess with me.

During Lunch yesterday, David, Richard, and I decided to go to the shooting range down the street from work. Now , the only weapon I’ve ever shot was a black powder civil war era rifle back in High School. So, the weapon of choice yesterday was a 22 pistol, and Richard and Dave each got 9mm guns. Once I got the hang of it, I was actually pretty good, hitting the center target about 15 times! I took a shot each with Richard’s and Dave’s guns, and with dave’s, I hit close to the center on my only shot, and with Richard’s, I nailed the goal (the middle of the guy’s head) dead on! It was pretty cool. I came home and told the ‘rents about it, and my dad commented “That’s good, everyone should know how to fire a weapon”. My mom said “that’s nice….wait, that was a REAL GUN??? WITH BULLETS???” “COULDN’T YOU HAVE GOTTEN SHOT!!! I DON’T LIKE THIS”… funny.

Well, I am assigned to my first project out of town! I am going to Wisconsin in a few weeks (yeah, I know…not in my top 10 places to visit either). But it is just for a few days at a time I think. I am excited though, because it is my first real project, and I am the only Design engineer assigned to it. So it is sink or swim for me.

I’ve decided to buy a house. I was teetering for a while between condo and town house, and then decided on a townhouse, and now I’ve decided it just isn’t worth $250 a month to have someone mow my lawn and fix my roof if it breaks. I’d rather set aside the money into a bank account earning interest, and then pay for the mishaps and upgrades when they need to be taken care of. On the same note, I am sick of people telling me what “they think” is best for me via homes. If you got your place on daddy’s money, don’t tell me where I should/shouldn’t live or what is too cheap/expensive unless I ask you about it =)

I’ve started researching joining the JCC, and I think I’ll join. There is an offer that members can use the Emory U workout facility on Clairmont. That is right by where I am living right now! So, when the weather gets a little cooler and it’s too cold to run outside, I’ll suck it up and pay a membership fee.

My laptop that I got a little under two years ago is full. I thought I bought it with 60 GBs of space, but it actually just had 30. I have less than 500 mb left on it, and that is after clearing out a lot of stuff. So, I bought an external hard drive yesterday with 120 GBs, and now I am queen of storage. I can do it all now on my computer!! =)

So, you think you can dance?

So, you think you can dance?
Well, I don’t. I must say, that until I started college, I’d pretty much have to be paid to set foot on a dance floor. Even now, unless it is something I know how to do (AKA partner dances), I am still not one of the first on the floor. I guess I am just self-conscious and unless I am being “told” what to do on the floor, I don’t want to be out there. It’s funny because for a long time, I thought I was the only one out there that didn’t like dancing, and now more and more, I see people not wanting to get on the dance floor. It doesn’t count if you’re drunk, people. But conversely, when I meet people that are afraid or unwilling to try learning how to partner dance, I am almost insulted! It’s like this: I can talk until I am blue in the face about how much fun dancing is, but I think a lot of people have the same perspective on partner dancing as I do on “club” dancing. They’re just not interested. I wonder why that is. I suppose as a guy, it is more understandable, because really, the ball is in their court. They are the ones responsible for knowing what to do, how, and when. But what they also don’t realize, is that with a lesson or two, they can be pretty decent at it! It’s a great learning curve =). People say things to me sometimes like “you must be really good at swing dancing”. And to me, I’m not. I just watch people and drool over their style, technique, and grace – hoping I can be half as good one day. But then I realize that with how long I’ve been dancing, there are people out there thinking that about me (not many, I’m sure, but I’ll flatter myself with one or two)! The funny thing is that if someone takes just two lessons, someone who has never seen them dance before thinks they’re amazing!! So people, get off your butts, and give it a try. Just twice! (once tripping over your feet, and once actually learning). I bet you’ll like it!

I decided to break my mold and learn other dances besides swing era ones (IE Lindy Hop, Balboa, east coast, etc.) So, this semester, I am taking two classes. Every Sunday. One set of classes is beginning salsa, and the other is beginning ballroom (where we’ll go over Waltz, Tango, and foxtrot). So far, they have been pretty good. I like my salsa class better, but they are both informative, and both my teachers think I can dance, so I like it =). I am someone who likes what she’s good at, and doesn’t like what she’s not. So, it took me a bit of time to really enjoy dancing, and now you can’t tear me away from it. Come to think of it, I am going dancing tonight!

Attached Earlobes

It’s amazing to me how much we depend on certain people in our lives. Yeah, with that first sentence you probably thought I was going to talk about “significant others”, but no, I am talking about Football team’s quarter backs. It’s their fault when something goes wrong, and you want them desperately to be OK when they’re gone. Ok, I suppose it is kind of like a boyfriend! Georgia Tech has gone 3-0 so far this season, whooping every team we’ve played. It has been exciting and fun, and everyone ends up in a better mood at the end of the day. But our dear Reggie Ball, the QB for my beloved Yellow Jackets, was hospitalized last weekend, and had to sit out the game. Luckily, our second string man did the job beautifully, but on the other hand, we were playing the University of Connecticut – Not exactly known for their football team. But this weekend we’ll be playing Virginia Tech - currently ranked #4 I believe (we're #15). Yikes. I hope this weekend goes well!!

Work this week has been a bit slow for me. My boss is finally back, but I haven't really been feelin' it this week. I pack up as early as I can get out. Yesterday, I left work at 3 to go to the doctor. This sounds ueber strange, but my left ribcage, near the top, has felt really weird for about a month...like my rib is poking me or something. Well, I thought it would go away, but it is still there, and it is not pleasant. So I went to the doctor, and after taking an X-ray, he (like he always does) told me I'm fine, and to go home and if it still bothers me in a week, to come back. He did however say that it was strange because my rib cartilage, instead of caving up, caves in. but that it is "nothing to worry about, just 'different'". I have all these weird health quirks, and I am always sent out saying keep track of it! or there is nothing wrong with you! for example, every few months, I get this shooting pain in my left shoulder for about 7-10 seconds, so painful that I can not move or think, just horrible. It is so random though, that he has no idea. Another weird thing: I don't have asthma, but sometimes I can't take a deep enough breath, or I feel like I need to, and gasp. if you have spent any amount of quality time with me, I've probably scared you with my gasps once in a while =). I think I must be a quirky person in general because hey, I do have the striped eye, red hair (in a family of brunettes), and of course, attached earlobes! =)

Totally differnet thought: I have been SO good lately about working out. I count going for a run or going dancing working out. Last week, I worked out 6 times, and this week so far, I am 4 for 4. I think I'll be going 7/7 too! I am going to nip this work munching habit in the bud!

Have you ever seen the TV show HOUSE? I just started watching it (beginning with like 6 saved episodes on the TIVO). It is like ER mixed with Law and Order. I really like it! if you haven't seen it, you should watch! it is on at 9:00 on Tuesdays.

Since my last post, Moshe left for Spain for the year, and my mom is flipping out. I saw she saved the comics this weekend after reading the paper (the comics are all Moshe reads), and she put them on his bed at home. I said "mom, he's gone for a year. I think you can get rid of the comics". She responded saying that she will save the comics every week until he gets back. Before he left, Moshe took some pictures with leah in the yard....actually I took the pictures with his camera. Every time I see this picture:

I crack up laughing.
OK, I also wanted to see if I could post a picture here since I never had =)

Spanglish

Well, since the last post, I went to 6 flags which was a lot of fun. IT’s cool hanging with all GT students, alumni, faculty, and friends. I rode a lot of the roller coasters, and when we were one step beyond exhausted, we drove home. Ross and I stopped at the Majestic Diner on the way, and the food was much better than I remembered it…or I was much hungrier. Of course, there were other people that we knew there who had also come from six flags, so we chatted a bit, and then headed for my house. Finally got to sleep around 3 am and woke up the next morning to head out to GT to tailgate and get tickets to the game. Standing up for 3 hours before the game and 4 hours in the sun at the game drained my system. I came home and changed to go out to a dance on the other side of town, and stayed a few hours (I had to work the dance for a couple of those hours). The dance was part of an all balboa exchange weekend, and I am not much of a bal dancer, but it was cool watching anyway.

Sunday I was still tired, but I ran a few errands and then went out to Moshe’s for his going away party. He is leaving tomorrow to go to Spain for a year to teach English. The party was fun, and he had some cool friends over.

In keeping up with the non-stop schedule, I went to work yesterday, and left a little bit early to hit a reception at GT for Dean Boyd leaving. It was nice catching up with some of these people. After the reception, I had dinner with Billie and Richard, which was nice as well. From dinner, I went to Hot Jam to dance, and it was a lot of fun because there were still some people in from out of town from this weekend’s shindig of an exchange. I especially liked dancing with Josh from Chicago. He is a good dancer. Julie, a girl I met last week at the Hillel event, showed up as well, so that was cool!

I will try to be more humorous in future posts. I think work fries my brain.

In the real world

It's funny. I thought I had exhausted the entire Jewish datable population of Atlanta, and last night I went to a Hillel GAP (Graduates and Professionals) event, and met so many new people! it was a lot of fun. Like I've mentioned over and over again, I am really trying to get out there and meet new people. So far, I've been keeping up with it.

Tonight I am going to GT night at six flags. I am excited. I am going to meet up with ross and probalbly then meet up with other people that we'll run into. I'll give the full update after the event.

I am going to keep a book blog too. I will post up which books I've read and what I think of them, and people can post suggestions or whatever. That will be at http://belabook.blogspot.com/

so you can start enjoying that. Meanwhile, GO JACKETS!!! Have a great weekend!

Military people are cute.

Well, it's been a while. A lot has happened since my last post. Mostly things that are probably not of interest to you, but since they're of interest to me, I am going to write about it.

I just returned from spending the long weekend in Pensacola. I went to visit Leah Weber, who if you haven't met her before, is a friend of mine from GT and has since joined the Marines and is right now stationed in Pensacola for flight school, etc. Anyway, Leah is one of the few people who gets (and laughs at) all my corny jokes - mainly because she makes the same ones, and there I am, laughing too. I have a lot of respect for her. It takes a lot of guts doing what she does, and being proud of it. I know I don't have the same kind of strength. She and another of her friends that is in the USMC with her, Josh, were talking on Saturday night about regular stuff that they do each day, and then they mentioned about how they've made their wills and who they left things to. It was an eerie conversation that I was sitting in on. I for one, rarely think about death, and when I do, it frightens me. It is a selfish fear as well. Of course I feel bad for people who might miss me, but ultimately, I think - wow. There are so many things I wish I could've done or that I could've done better. I don't want to die. And here they are, Leah and Josh, proud and seemingly fearless of how their future could turn out after training is over and they're deployed into whatever struggle the US is meddling into at the time. I'd just like to say that I am truly amazed and grateful that there are people like them, to stand forward, and protect the wusses like me. You guys rock (oh yeah, and if I learned anything this weekend, it's that the USMC is way better than Army, Navy, or the Air Force).

On a brighter note, the weekend was fun. It was a lot of fun catching up with Leah. We watched a lot of movies (and went to see 40 year old Virgin), read books, chatted, went to the beach and the pool, and really just relaxed. She invited over a few friends to hang out as we watched Georgia Tech upset Auburn at our season football opener, and I have to say, she did have a pretty cute friend join the crowd that night, so that was fun. Overall, it was nice to catch up. It's too bad Leah lives so far, because I like hanging out with her.

I've been spending random evenings with different friends over the past few weeks. It sure does take a lot of effort keeping in touch with people when you don't see them on a daily basis anymore. I hope I don't lose my network of friends because we just don't happen to run into each other. I'd like to think that I've built relationships that are stronger than that. But on the other hand, as I still have the opportunity to see people, others have left town and are starting new. I'm sure they're having a much harder time. It's been a weird transition from college to the real world for me. Maybe it's because I am still in town, and I can still cling to my old relationships for support, or maybe it's just that I really loved my time at GT, but I don't think I have really adjusted into the working world. I still feel like eventually this "semester" will end, and I'll be back in school.

Those are all my latest thoughts. I could think of something witty to put here, but I have nothing. I think my lack of social interaction is melting my sense of humor (or lack thereof)

Crash and Burn

Well, This was a pretty fun and lesson filled weekend!! Like I mentioned earlier, I went to a Balboa workshop all day Saturday, which was pretty helpful (considering I didn’t really take anything too formal before), and that night I went to the dance. The dance’s theme was “Footloose”, and so though the music at the dance was ok at the beginning, at the end, it was 80’s themed, and not fun to lindy hop to. Oh well. Also that night I went to my friend Miles’s going away party. He is leaving this week for grad school at UCSB, and will be in CA for the next five years.

Sunday, I got up really early, picked up Rochelle, and we drove up to lake Lanier to Robbie’s lake house. I’d never been up there, but it was a lot of fun. His parents, his girlfriend Andrea, and another friend Jonathan were up there, and later in the day some more of his family friends came. We went out on the boat in the morning, and I attempted to learn to water ski. I had never done it before, but I got into the water and gave it a go. I was having a lot of trouble getting up. I would pretty much crash and burn every time Robbie started the boat. In the afternoon, I gave it another go. This time, his dad was driving, and on my first try, I got up! I got up most of the times after that, but didn’t make it too far standing. I am not sure if I got up then because of the morning practice, or because Rob and his dad drive differently, but it was cool. I never did stay up for long, but it was neat to learn. Maybe I’ll go up another time and give it another try. Today though, my whole body is sore. Maybe I should’ve stretched before taking off yesterday…

My mother's dreams of me having kids...

The back room in our house (if you’ve ever been over, the room we call the back porch) currently is the room we LIVE in. We have the couches and TV in there, the dinner table, and basically, if you’re ever looking for someone at my house, that’s where they’ll be. My mom has this idea…well, it’s more of a wish for the time being, that one day all of her kids and grandkids will come home and all have Shabbos dinner together every week. And naturally, the back room is not big enough for that right now unless we shift around furniture. So, instead of waiting until we have kids, get married, or for heavens sake, date somebody, she is renovating it now. We have been working on the plans for a while, and finally signed the contract a few days ago. The current back room has now been emptied, and well, it seems a lot bigger without furniture in it! They have boarded up the wall between the original back of the house, and the back room (it was an addition originally), and construction take down starts today. It’s kind of sad. My dad and grandfather built that room when I was born, and I sure know dad is crying on the inside that it’s being torn down (or “remodled” as my mom puts it). The new plan is as follows: looking at the room from the kitchen door, facing the back yard…the left side of the room will be expanded about 8 feet, then there will be two steps, and then there will be a large sunroom attached to it – all open. From the left side of the room going rightward, there is a constructional division so it feels like another room, but no doorway or walkway or anything, also open. The other room goes out a few more feet than the first part of the left side, and that will still be where the couches will hang out. The far right wall, which originally is where our TV entertainment center stood, is becoming home to a new fireplace. Hopefully, we’ll get a flat screen plasma TV to hang above the mantle. Well, I’ll keep you posted on that construction, but for now, it is just an empty, lonesome room.

My social outlet...(not to be confused with "shopping with friends at an outlet mall)"

Ok, enough about dance. Lately, on Thursday nights I have been going to Neighbors. Throughout college, I never had a steady weekly friends hang out night because I was always so occupied. But for the past 3 weeks, we’ve all gone out to this bar in the Highlands called Neighbors. By “we”, I mean, Me, Becca, Rochelle, Heather, Greer, Stacey, Sarah, and at times, others. We’ll just set up shop, and other people start showing up and hanging out. It’s gotten to the point that we just go individually and assume everyone else will meet us there. It is a heavy Jew hangout on Thursdays, so you’re always likely to bump into someone you know anyway, but at our area of the patio, often there is also Robbie, Daniel, Jonathan, Brett, and always a few friends to join. It’s nice because everyone meets everyone (meanwhile, inserting a few Jewish geography questions), and it’s cheaper than an online dating service (read: Jdate). It is a nice social outlet for me too since I am the youngest one at my office, and many of the people close to my age that aren’t shipped out on site somewhere, are married, or close to it. So, I’m not exactly getting social interaction overflow at work.

This weekend, my friend Dave is getting married. I am not going to be able to attend the wedding (long story), but he is my second friend to get married this summer. It’s a teeny bit weird too, because Dave was my first real boyfriend. Eeeek…oh well, such is life.

Late night, come home Work sucks, I know...

Well hello my faithful blog readers! It’s been a while!! You guessed it; work has been taking up most of my time lately. I have been working specifically on one project for the past few weeks, pretty much non-stop, and at the end of this week, the project managers went to present it on site. I heard back today that the presentation went really well, and that they really liked some of the things that were on my plate last week. I am excited that my first major contribution went well. On another note, my mom has started prank calling me at work. It’s pretty funny, she calls and pretends to be a customer (as if I can’t recognize when she tries to disguise her voice – not to mention the Cuban accent…)

Since my last post, for the most part I have spent my days at work, and my evening doing different things. On Mondays, I go dancing. It is great. For $4, you can go and get a quality evening of dancing practice in with really good DJd lindy music. I really like going. Monday night dances are called “Hot Jam”, and for those of you who have known me for a while know that I used to usually dance on Wednesday nights, but the reason I like hot Jam better is for a few reasons: 1) it starts an hour earlier than the Wednesday dances, and it is closer to home, so I am not tired the next day. 2) it is cheaper (by $3/night) 3)Every 6 times you go, you get a free entrance 4) the music is way better.

This weekend I am doing a Balboa workshop all day, and also a dance on Saturday night. If anyone wants to join, let me know. This will all be held at Emory.

The beginning of the rest of my life.

Well, I have now officially started work. The first day for the most part was taking care of paperwork – tax forms, healthcare, my one million dollar bonus…oh wait…

They are always nice here anyway, but everyone seemed exceptionally nice on my first day. They probably all have a crapload to do and immediately realized that they had a new gofer to do their work. We went to lunch which was fun, but the day still went a bit slow. My "office" is actually a corner cubicle. Most people here have cubes except for the higher up people, and Dave, who thinks when he starts out full time that he's going to get an office. We shall see.

Today is my second day, and I've had some work to do today, but since I am not totally in mode yet, I still have a million questions. I think because I was here before, people kind of expect to be able to throw me into things…what they don't remember was that I was not a co-op, but just an intern, here for one semester. The co-ops that are starting full time start next month, so they'll probably remember more than me. They're trying to train me so that since we have a bunch of on-site things coming up, I can go ahead and be part of a site team and be useful. If I am put on site, it might mean I am gone for up to a month, maybe more. Maybe it'll be exciting though, and at least everything is paid for when I'm on the road.

On another note, I went condo shopping Sunday with Greer and her mom, and saw some great (expensive) condos, and some cute (not as expensive) townhouses. I will still wait a few months before deciding on anything, but I will most likely move to the Dunwoody area since it is close to work, close to the JCC, close to where I dance, and near a mall, and all the highways. I can't wait to have my own place. Especially since I've been living at home, I get so excited about decorating and furnishing a place of my own. I will be looking for a roommate for my place, so if you'll need a roommate any time soon, let me know =) I'm going to buy a place that has at least 2 bedrooms and two bathrooms.

I didn't realize how lonely being out of college is. I am not really friends with anyone at work since almost all of them are married and older than me, and of course my school friends are all now either out of town at new jobs or grad school, or in-town working long hours. I have been trying hard to keep up with my friends in-town especially, but "grabbing dinner" together starts to get expensive. I'll have to have a new plan soon so I can save my money to buy a place. It is nice though, not having homework at night. I can come home and do whatever I want. I say that, but really all I want to do is take a nap. Last night, I didn't even want to go out to dinner. I hope that it is just a "jet lag" of changing to an earlier wake-up time.

Back in town, let's do lunch!

I am back in the country. After a wonderful two months, I arrived in Atlanta on Monday night after countless delays. My luggage decided that two months wasn’t enough, and stayed in Detroit for a few extra days to do some sightseeing. I got my luggage a couple days later, but the mugs I bought as gifts were destroyed, which was sad. So sorry everyone, no presents.

On Wednesday night, my friend Lauren, who got married last summer had a great party. She invited over a lot of her girlfriends, and told us to bring all the clothes that have been sitting in our closets for a long time that we haven’t been wearing and that we’re ready to give away. So about 15 chicks came with all their old clothes, put them all around the house – shirts in one room, pants in another, skirts in another, etc. Then we had a free for all where we went through all the clothes and picked what we wanted. It was great! Everyone found some “new” clothes to bring home, and cleaned out the closets at the same time. And everything that no one wanted, Lauren took to goodwill. Fabulous idea! Kudos.

I spent a little time this week catching up with friends, but mostly just catching up on my sleep. On Friday morning, I left for NYC, and spent the weekend there. My friend Sara got married on Sunday night, so I arrived in NY Friday afternoon, spent about an hour with Will, an old tech friend who now is at Columbia, and then after much commotion and wrong turns, I made it out to sara’s friend Judy’s house for Shabbat. All of Friday night and Saturday there were between 12-15 females at Judy’s house to spend the time with Sara. It was relaxing and a load of fun. I don’t get to see Sara too often, so it was nice to catch up. Judy was also really cool, and Saturday night when Sara left to sleep in the hotel before the wedding, I stayed at Judy’s an extra night and we went out to hang with some of her friends and go to a few clubs, which was fun. We were out pretty late though, and then slept until noon Sunday. Sleeping through Judy’s nail appointment and almost through the hair appointment. We went to the hair place at one, and got our hair done a bit, and then came back home for it to just be ruined by the rain, but then headed for the wedding. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Everything was incredible. Sara and her new husband Shloimie were so cute together, and Sara looked beautiful. I caught up with a few Atlanta people that I hadn’t seen in a long time, and spent hours dancing, drinking, and eating.

After the wedding, I went back to Will’s, and we showed each other pictures from our recent traveling adventures (which took a long time), and then finally went to sleep around 5, and then today I woke up at 10 and worked on some stuff until I had to catch my plane. I took the M60 bus, which goes from Manhattan to LaGuardia airport, and I took it with 2.5 hours to spare before my flight. The highway was so congested from construction, that we took about an hour to go about 3 miles, so I was pretty worried I’d miss my flight, but luckily the flight was delayed, and ended up not leaving until an hour after it was due to leave. Phew!

This week is my week to catch up with all my friends at home who I haven’t seen in a few months. If you want to get lunch, let me know ;-)!