Vacation!

Our plans for next year are very up-in-the-air at the moment.  One thing that is up in the air is whether or not I will be able to be teaching next year.

So every day off now is like a trial day.  Can I do this?  Be home with the baby all day?

One concern was whether I would be productive.  I learned today to be more specific with my concerns.  Oh, I was productive.  Six or seven freshly made challot (challah loaves), heaps of chocolate chip cookies, cranberry and cranberry/blueberry scones.  Dinner just about on the table, hubs about to walk in the door... this was a full day of work, easily.  (Add in taking care of The Deentz and leaving the house tidy after all that baking!)

The problem is, this isn't the kind of productive I meant when I created that concern.

I meant, can I run the house, get good bonding time in with the baby (being a work-from-home-mom hardly pays if you're just shoving a toy in front of the baby and working the whole time) and DO MY JOB from home?

I hope today isn't cause for concern.

I have plenty to be doing and lots of exciting articles going up (stay tuned!).  But I just couldn't get myself to stay here in front of the computer.  The only argument in my defense is that this chair is AWFUL.  I literally start to ache within a minute of sitting down.  Maybe it's time to cash in the massage hubs bought me for last Rosh Chodesh........

So there's my conundrum of the day.  I've learned how to get off my tush and get to work... but how to stop getting to the wrong kind of work and refocus?

healthy living

I just had the most therapeutic kitchen mopping experience ever. Thank Gd. I had no idea how much the kitchen floor was bothering me!!!

So Omri and I know we're in a big learning process. And it truly feels like it some days. I'm learning how to manage a house, feed our little family properly, do errands. On top of that, we're adjusting to a new community and the major lifestyle changes that that includes... especially as neither of us grew up as religious Jews. Finally, I'm learning how to teach... as I do it. Which ends up in nights like last night: 3 hours of cramming over a fifth grade history book to get my head around the differences of the 13 English colonies. Then, once I learned it, how to teach it. Then creating the materials. Thank Gd I love my job but it is not always so easy this first year.

Well, I decided to add another learning curve. Which sounds crazy, but I find that the busier I am, the better I feel. And while this running-a-house-learning-to-teach-learning-to-be-married curve is progressing nicely, it's progressing slowly. In the meantime, I'm finding other things that are lacking.

The TED video I posted yesterday reminded me that we need to really prioritize finding a social group here in town. So hopefully this Shabbat, hubby will be going to the "young" shul in Passaic and I'll follow next Shabbat. That is a good step in that direction. Oh, and an awesome young couple down the road may be coming for a meal next Shabbat as well!

But I'm also less-than-satisfied with our lifestyle, health-wise. I learned at Tisch to love body work, exercise, and healthy living. I want to get back to that. I get all starry eyed walking through Sporting Goods stores and I had a near-religious experience in the Kripalu giftshop. But that's not sufficient.

But, BH, that's fixable! So my plan is to check out this amazing looking yoga studio in nearby Clifton next Monday morning.

And the second bit is where this blog comes in. I've heard friends and professionals go crazy over amazing diet changes that I just don't know anything about. I'm not talking crash diets. But, learning about whole grains, for instance. What qualifies? What does it do to help? What are best recipes to try? Or, what's so bad about caffeine? Or sugar? I love health, and I appreciate health. But I just don't know that much.

So, IY"H, I'm going to be using this blog to track the progress and report on my findings. Whole grains may have to wait, as Passover is coming and they'd get the short end of the stick. But here's the list I definitely want to start with:

Whole grains

Caffeine

Sugar

Alcohol

What else should I add to the list?

Alternatively, ages back I bought Dr. Weil's CD 8 Weeks to Optimum Health. Maybe I should start by doing his program and use the blog-part as a supplement?

Hm... leaning towards the latter.

What do you think?

suburbaphobia

I'm about to do my final read-through of my first real life paid article before sending it in to get pulverized by Maralyn, the editor at Cheapism.com. Scary stuff, but kinda exciting! Since our only working computer is being used by my husband's job search, what else would I be doing than blogging?

I'm also going into the city in about an hour to sign my contract for my real, full time job. More details once I'm getting started.

Ok, so back to blogging... my fellow Atlantic Theater CompanyActing School alumna, Faryn, has an awesome blog (actually, she has two websites, but I think I gain calories just looking at her delicious bakery website) which makes me jones for Brooklyn like nothing else. Admittedly, my two experiences living in Brooklyn were sketchy at best, but there's something really cool about a borough made up entirely of your generation. Or at least, those who are not trendy 20-30 somethings at least have the common sense to hide in a less populated pocket. Living in Williamsburg I started fantasizing about hipster hunting, but I almost miss the skinny jeans living in NJ. Ok, that's a lie, but I do miss the bikes. People don't bike in the suburbs. They drive. And except for the absolute fabulousness of going grocery shopping and having a TRUNK to take your groceries home in, I prefer public transit or walking. Or biking.

I guess it's a typical issue for a (relatively newly) frum 23 year old married chick. I'm 23. But I'm married. There are some fabulous perks to living in the suburbs, like peace of mind or access to a car. And living in the second largest BT community in the world means having great conversations with highly educated, worldly people who still have the same fundamental beliefs. But I still feel too young to be cast out into the suburbs.

When people ask how I like Passaic and I say I like being near the city but I wish it wasn't so hard to get to Brooklyn and they look at me like I grew a second nose a la Ionesco and ask, "what's so great about Brooklyn?" I can't explain it to them. Then again, this coming from a girl whose celebrity crush is this guy

...and I can't defend that either.


Can you cure my suburbaphobia?? Well that's what the comments section is for, silly!

Three random tests... two career suggestions in common... probably doesn't mean anything anyway...

http://similarminds.com
You are a Guide, possible professions include - career counselor, psychologist, educational consultant, special education teacher, librarian, artist, playwright, novelist/poet, editor/art director, information-graphics, designer, HRM manager, merchandise planner, environmental lawyer, marketer, job analyst, mental health counselor, dietitian/nutritionist, research, educational consultant, architects, interpreter/translator.

http://www.personalitypage.com
Possible Career Paths for the INFJ:
* Clergy / Religious Work
* Teachers
* Medical Doctors / Dentists
* Alternative Health Care Practitioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist
* Psychologists
* Psychiatrists
* Counselors and Social Workers
* Musicians and Artists
* Photographers
* Child Care / Early Childhood Development

CareerFitter.com (this is just about every job ever...)
Computer programmer
Computer software designer
Data base manager
New market or product conceptualizer
Research and development specialist
Strategic planner
Systems analyst
Biomedical engineer
Cardiologist
Neurologist
Pharmacologist
Psychiatrist
Psychologist
Attorney
Business analyst
Economist
Engineer
Financial analyst
Investment analyst
Judge
Management consultant
Manager
News analyst
News writer
Academic curriculum designer
College faculty administrator
College professor
Historian
Mathematician
Researcher
Architect
Artist
Editorial writer
Inventor
Photographer
Writer

Decisons... part 2

Ok so daddy dearest recommended that I think about my priorities in a job and see if that helps me make a decision. Actually he said it in a much fancier way... I need to "rank my decision criteria." Woah.

The only problem with this is that, just like my career preference, my priorities in a job also change constantly. Sheesh.

Maybe I'll just write out a few possibilities to see where it gets me...

Opportunity to further my education, helping others, having my own say to a large degree, flexible options for mothers, a job that leaves me feeling good at the end of the day, creative opportunity, working with people I respect and can learn from, working with people with good values, time off, good pay, time off in the summers, not too much more schooling, an "organized" day, ability to take off time and/or change careers without having invested so much that I'm stuck...

Ok I'll organize it later.

Work work work...

So I know I shouldn't be worrying about it right now. I have the rest of my year here in Israel to continue to explore who I am, what I care about, what I stand for, what strengths I want to employ, and what kind of environment I want to spend my days in. This is no time to be worrying about where I'll be next Fall.

So you tell that to my subconscious.

So just to get it out of my head and onto "paper" and make Julia Cameron proud...
Here, in no particular order, is the nonsensical, unconnected, and ill-researched list of careers battling it out in my mind whenever a teacher takes a pregnant pause:

1. Go back to the world of my last job: Jewish non-profits.

Pros: kosher food, easy access to Rabbis and learning, generally a supportive environment, no issues with Shabbat or holidays, clearly a subject that holds interest with me, more likely to be on the laid-back side and definitely a cause I can get behind. G-d willing I'll be getting married in the not-incredibly-distant future and this job is likely to give me enough peace of mind to focus on building a home and accepting stray socks on the floor.

Cons: I have trouble being excited about any job that requires no specific education from me. Unless I'm using my year in Israel (which is very doubtful) then I have no specific training in Jewish non-profits other than my half-year spent there. I'd rather do something that either uses my degree (Drama) or requires additional training from me, partly because then I'm not as likely to be working with other people who just walked in off the street. Also, the non-profit world can be the biggest headache and has no advantages when it comes to compensation. Little opportunity to create any programming or give much input. Lots of mind-numbing tasks.

2. Teach for America

Pros: Giving back to NYC, teaching, generally getting off earlier in the day, summers off, decent pay, challenging, no commitment to "becoming a teacher," another cause I can get behind. Personally in control of lesson plans, projects, etc. Plus I'm a geek for school, so I'd probably like that. A chance to explore a field that would be VERY good for my lifestyle. Amazing benefits in the long term.

Cons: Headaches and heartbreaks. Horror stories from the teachers and horror stories on behalf of the students, stuck with a largely undertrained teacher. Stress and frustration during what might be the first year of my marriage which is not something I want to bring into my home.

2a. Get a masters in teaching

Pros: All the good stuff about teaching, but bypassing the inner-city potential nightmare.

Cons: Making a commitment to a field I don't know. Slightly less noble than doing TFA.

3. The Theater World

Pros: Amazing people. Using my degree. A field I love. Literature, lighting, acting... love it. Wouldn't get that nervous feeling of regret I'd get going into any other field. Constant change of scenery (no pun intended). Working with people who are asking questions. Authentic people. Different jobs. Constant learning. Working project-to-project means I can take time off when I want and have kids when I want.

Cons: I have no idea what this really means... the Theater World? I don't want to act anymore. I'd love to direct. I'd love to be involved with a company. Maybe write. I don't want to do anything that requires me being in on Shabbat (lights, stage management). No pay, no consistency, much less experience backstage than onstage. Lots of people who are twisted and value-less.

4. Go back to school and pursue a Psych PhD or a PsyD.

Pros: Becoming an expert in a field that is interesting to me. Furthering my education. The opportunity to counsel and teach at a uni level. Having an impact on the field of mental health. A job that wouldn't specifically make it difficult to make aliyah should I ever go crazy enough. Counseling can be good money. Helping people.

Cons: A LOT more school. Very competitive. Lots of horror stories about being a woman/becoming a mother in such a competitive field. Would have to invest in a post-bacc, only after which would I have a really clear idea if this is the field for me.

4a. Go back to school and pursue a Masters in Counseling or a MSW.

Pros: helping people, interesting field, get to go back to school.

Cons: again, making a commitment to a field before I know for sure how I feel about it. Might still need to get a post bacc. Only working one-on-one when I enjoy teamwork.



...and this is where I almost always come to the point of, "Thank G-d I have several months to learn and grow and change before I need to make this decision!" Which I guess was the point from the beginning.

But any ideas, advice, or good jokes would be appreciated.