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Archive of ‘Life Without A Manual’ category

I Stand with Israel

“We are at war” – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

This is an illustration of flag of Israel

I woke up to the news in Israel and am devastated at the surprise sneak attack by Hamas, the injuries and loss of life everywhere, and the pure hatred that is at the root of it all.

Because I have no words right now, I continue to pray for all of our families and friends who live in the Holy Land and offer up the wise words of Rabbi David Wolpe.

El Maleh Rachamim

Compassionate God,

We pray

not to wipe out haters

but to banish hatred.

Not to destroy sinners

but to lessen sin.

Our prayers are not for a perfect world

but a better one

Where parents are not bereaved

by the savagery of sudden attacks

Or children orphaned

by blades glinting in a noonday sun.

Help us dear God,

to have the courage to remain strong,

to stand fast.

Spread Your light

on the dark hearts of the slayers

And Your comfort

to the bereaved hearts of families of the slain.

Let calm return Your city Jerusalem,

and to Israel, Your blessed land.

We grieve with those wounded

in body and spirit,

pray for the fortitude of our sisters and brothers,

and ask You to awaken the world to our struggle and help us bring peace.

Rabbi David Wolpe

Friday Musings

I’ll be honest. It’s hard to come up with topics to write about when I’m home most of the day. And I don’t want to spend this entire month writing daily blog posts about my job search and bore you with all the details. I do have some random items on my mind that I thought I’d lump together in today’s post.

World Smile Day

Today is World Smile Day. I like to smile. Who doesn’t, right? But, I don’t think I have a resting bitch face in me. I like to stay positive even in the most trying of situations. My kids may say that I have a “mom face,” but that’s different. That face only comes out when I’m annoyed when they don’t do the dishes or clean up their rooms like I asked them to do a hundred times. And yes, they don’t live here anymore, so I may have retired the “mom face.”

I’m sure when they read this, they will let me know.

I try to take smiling to the next level whenever I can. I like to share a smile with perfect strangers as I go about my day. If they smile back, I may comment on the book they are reading on the train or make small talk at the self-checkout as I attempt to plug in the right numbers for blueberries. If my smile is not returned, I don’t sweat it. Smiling is just as much for me as it is for them. It keeps me in a positive frame of mind and often random acts of kindness will follow. And don’t we all need more of that these days? Give it a try!

My Reading Life

This week, I am diving into two books about personal branding. Fun, right?! Actually, I’m kind of enjoying them. They are well-written and extremely helpful at the moment. I’m also looking forward to reading the new Madonna unauthorized biography. I’m third on the wait list to get it out of the library, so I’m excited. But, it is nearly 800 page, so I’ll have to read fast. Henry Winkler (“The Fonz”) has his autobiography coming out at the end of October, and I’ve heard mixed reviews. I’ll probably read it anyway. He is such a mensch.

I decided I can’t read in bed anymore after 9 pm. No matter how good the book is, I inevitably fall asleep. I have a couch in my office that is comfortable, but not as much as my bed. I just need to get rid of all the clutter piled up on that couch and claim it is as mine.

Halloween

So, if the Phillies make it into the World Series, Game 4 is on Halloween. My costume will not be a problem. I’ll be head to toe in Phillies gear, which will be scary to anyone rooting for the other team. And while I love giving out candy and seeing all the kids in their costumes, there is no way I’m leaving my TV every few minutes to answer the door. I’m going to need a Plan B.

But, I’ll worry about that later. First, we have to beat the Atlanta Braves. Game 1 is tomorrow, and I’m a little scared. They have a good team year, but then again so do we. Go Phillies!

On the Health Front

This week, I received my flu shot and scheduled my COVID-19 shot for two weeks later. I know some people get them at the same time, but I’m not comfortable with that approach. No judgement here. To each his own, I say. I’m more comfortable putting a little time in between.

Next week, I’m going for my mammogram and breast ultrasound. It’s not how I necessarily want to spend my morning, but I never skip these appointments. They are too important. And afterwards, I stop at Dunkin Donuts to give myself a treat. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so ladies, if you need to get “the girls” checked, make an appointment today.

Job Search

Funny story – One recruiter reached out to me about a great job opportunity. I thought we established a nice rapport over email, but in her last message, she called me “Tara.” So, I’m not sure if my resume made it onto the short list or if Tara got my spot. When I pointed it to the recruiter for clarification, she ghosted me. Oh well…

On the professional development front, I’m working on an online ChatGPT certificate. When I’m done, I’ll have a badge to add to my LinkedIn profile. Since AI doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, I guess I’d better start embracing it, add it as a new skill, and get ahead of the competition.

I bet Tara doesn’t have a ChatGPT certificate. 😉

XO,

Elisa

Puzzled by Connections

A photo of the New York Times Connections PuzzleEvery morning, I drink my coffee and solve the The New York Times Wordle. Recently, I added a new puzzle to the mix: Connections.

Have you seen this puzzle? It is pure evil, and I’m completely addicted to it.

Basically, you are given 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four words that have a common thread. When you make four mistakes, the game is over. Groups are categorized by color: the yellow and green topics are supposedly the easier ones to get and blue and purple are the harder ones. Sounds easy, right?

But here is how they get you. Several words can have common themes and different meanings and can be grouped into different categories. In order to win, you really have to get into the mindset of the puzzle creator to figure out what they are actually thinking. And it is SO HARD.

I’ve solved a few of these puzzles but not as many as I’d like to. Clearly, I don’t know what the creator is thinking, but I do know they definitely have a maniacal laugh. I hear it every time I open this puzzle and attempt to solve it.

Take yesterday’s puzzle for instance. Five words were definitely related to Christmas. They were: mistletoe, reindeer, snowman, stocking, and candy cane. I can only pick four so I chose: “mistletoe, reindeer, stocking, and candy cane.” And I was wrong. I had another guess so I kept “reindeer, stocking, and candy cane” and went with “present.” There are plenty of presents given on Christmas, so that must be it.

Wrong again.

Now, I’m Jewish, so after another attempt at getting all the Christmas-related words right, I started to wonder if there was some mysterious holiday tradition I was missing out on. So, I walked away. I grabbed more coffee and sat back down again. I gave up on Christmas words and tried to create a different group. I was so happy when I put the words “bagel, cheerio, donut, and lifesaver” together. Round shaped foods for the blue category, Alex!

I thought I was on a roll, so I went back to the Christmas words and tried one more time. I went over each word, considering hidden meanings and watching my morning fly by. I decided to keep “mistletoe, reindeer and candy cane” and replaced the word “stocking” with “display.” People have Christmas displays all the time – in their front yards, in the shopping malls, on TV. That must be the answer, right?

Wrong!

FUCK!

And now the game was over.

The correct grouping was “mistletoe, stocking, snowman, and reindeer.” I’m sorry, but when is a snowman specific to Christmas? Aren’t snowmen agnostic or at least seasonal? Yes, I know all about Frosty the Snowman, but I’m sorry – presents are more associated with Christmas than a corncob pipe and a magic hat.

Oh, and why wasn’t candy cane included in the Christmas words??? Because it fit in a different category – things with stripes – “referee, crosswalk, tiger, and candy cane.” Cue the maniacal laugh…

I know. I know. First world problems. But, yesterday’s puzzle really put me in a bad mood.

Will I try again tomorrow? Absolutely.

XO,

Elisa

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