Carpool, or where I spend my night

Most people carpool during the day. Me? All of mine are at night.

Tonight, we have after school programs for 2 kids, each ending an hour later than the one before. We also have a choir dress rehearsal and an SAT prep course, also ending an hour after each other.

I am tired just thinking about it.

Define Modesty in 30 Words or Less

I can. According to Jewish law, and a class I attended a bunch of years ago, it is "the manner in which a young girl or woman behaves, to know that she is separate but equal, and that her manner should be with a quiet dignity." 28 words. In Hebrew, there is just one. It is an all-encompassing word that umbrellas over everything from the color nail polish deemed appropriate to how flashy a car, suit or social engagement is. It dictates the colors I wear, the length of the skirt, the length of the sleeves, the placement of my neckline, and most importantly, my behavior.

Those of you who know me, I mean really know me, not follow me on twitter or facebook, know that I do strive to live this life. In my personal life, I do live like this. It affords me a dignity. The clothes I wear might be casual, but never could be called trashy. My style of clothes is more of the "eclectic classic" style. Tailored clothes, never out of style, but always with a dignity. My professional life is more of the same. I am a superb "right hand man". But I do not do well in the spotlight. I freeze when I have attention called to me. I have an aversion to being called out from the shadows; for it is there I am more comfortable. This is no way means that I am a silent, meek little dear. No. I do what I need to do. Whether that means running dinners with very part time help, handling mass mailings in short periods of time, baking thousands of hamantashen in 4 days while working full time.  It all gets done.

To live a modest life according to Jewish law is a vague concept. That it is a law, there is no question. There also are no guidelines. There are very black and white areas of this, and there are grey areas of it. And most of it is grey. To me, this issue of modesty is as much law as it is mindset. In my society, a woman has a role of unquestionable power and control. It is she who has the final say in how the children are raised and the schools in which they go. Her home is her castle and for all the man's ruling outside the house, home is where the woman is. And this is not a demeaning or insulting comment. To be a Jewish woman is, to me anyway, the opportunity to live life with a quiet dignity that today's women in society do not have. Women today feel the need to make noise, make a point, take a stand, and be noticed. Either in the walk, talk, dress, or speech, they are trying to be noticed...by the boss, the guy down the bar, the girl sitting next to you on the train. There is a competition in general society that does not exist for me. I will admit that I was a little more careful about things when I was working in Manhattan. When I started working locally, all of a sudden I wasn't the odd one out. I'm slightly more lax now. I will wear a hat as often as I will wear hair.

To be honest, I am rambling. I firmly believe that modesty is a mindset as much as a law. It’s the mindset that is with you when you go shopping or go for the manicure. The law is there at other times, but the mindset is always there. I believe that even if something starts out with the wrong motivation, eventually the proper motivation will come and it will all fit into place. This is what dictates how I teach my daughter to be a modest young lady. That this concept of modesty is always there. Even when no one is looking and no one is watching.

one year later

well, its been something like 15 or 16 months since my last post her on blogger.

i'm not quite sure what i want to add that i'd like everyone in the world to have access to. so, I will say RIP Jane Wyman. i bought a new combo case for my cell phone. its got a wallet in the case as well, so i don't have to have an id wallet, a regular wallet and a cell phone case.

i'm currently reading my way through the diane mott davidson books. i want to read big fish. i didn't know it was a book until after i saw the movie. i loved the movie.

i'm also in the middle of afternoons with emily, about emily dickinson. good she.

i bought the unabridged Peter Pan and Wendy for a birthday present. i think that was a good call. i mean, J.M. Barrie. a century later, he STILL rocks.

My Dream, in a nutshell

if you asked me what i saw for myself as a location i would tell you a small storefront, with cookie jars for each variety and a cake plate or two bar cookies or samples of new flavors. maybe a coffee station and a couple of bistro seating sets for afternoon snacks. the baking area would be in back with a nut section and a regular section. i would function as a supplier as well as the flagship store to buy them without going to a boutique in exclusive locations in trendy lower manhattan or brooklyn locations. i would be in garden city or someplace like that. someplace that breathes exclusivity.

and that's my dream. to offer the best comfort cookies at the most hoighty toighty stores and neighborhoods. i want to get to the point where people will gladly pay $15 or $20 for a dozen cookies BECAUSE THEY ARE WORTH IT and for no other reason.

i don't want to get into the diet craze, i don't want to be a trend. i would rather fewer customers paying more because they are worth it than being in every megamart and mall, and being mass marketed to death. i don't want more than 2 or 3 locations, and certainly not in the same region of the country. and i want them to be able to be passed off as the customer baked them all by themselves. they aren't supposed to be perfect. just taste consistent.

and its this vision that i have to keep in mind, no matter where i am in the process. its my goal. where i want to be in 5 years. i want the store to come as a relief for people who have to make a special trip to get their fix.

Someone has too much time on their hands

Cordless Jumprope

Process for the Utilization of Ruminant Animal Methane Emissions, or how to collect Cow Farts

A chair just for the guys

For the Absentee Pet Owner

I just realized something.....

"cross-posted" means absolutely nothing on Blogger.

and now that i've said that, i don't really have much else to say.

local politics on steroids

cross-posted

there is actually no one who will read this, but it bothers me deeply enough that i have to say something, even if it is in a vacuum.

the results of the election this year were more decided than last year. the bad blood and hatfield/mccoy mentality of the local populations are getting even stronger and more pronounced. as residents of our local school district, we pay school taxes. in exchange, we get textbooks and bussing. special services are a fight, expect in the most extreme cases where it obviously cannot be denied. as taxpayers, we must pay a fee for use of school board properties, even if the facility would be open anyway, or so i hear. public school enrollment is going down and yet, there still is not enough money to make capital improvements and much needed repairs on the schools still open. our district stands out as one of the worst performing districts in the county. AND THEY STILL ASK US TO APPROVE A BUDGET OF MORE THAN $90 MILLION!

they closed a school because there were not enough students, and then turned around and sold the property for more than $27 million. maybe they could ear-mark some of that for repairs to the schools still open that are so desperately in need of some attention? nope. instead, they proposed 2 different budgets--the main budget, as well as a second budget specifically for the repairs.

and so, in good conscience, i voted no to the budgets, and voted to bring all new people into the school board. the hard-core contraries will call this more divisive-ness, but that's not it. the school board runs amok. its not held accountalbe in any serious manner. if they want to bring this community together, even if some send to private schools, then show us that the money is not being wasted. if they are spending $24,000+ a student, then why are they failing so miserably? its a nasty, vicious state of affairs.

the next post

well, after about a day of visiting the Blogger-verse side of the world, i realized i like my LJ much better. first, its much nicer than the blogs i've wandered across here. second, i don't have to go hunting to see my friends' blogs.

i'll keep this up in case there is something soapbox-like i'd like to say. but for regular blogging, LiveJournal is much more conducive to conversations than Blogger. who knows, one day i might emulate my friends and spout politics and healthcare reform and immigration policies.

for now though, my life revolves around my family, my business and keeping the balance that is so hard to maintain. i'm not a person with a message, a person who is out to prove a point or tackle the world. I'd like to my business to take off, my taxes to stay stagnant or barring that, a damn good reason to raise them instead of mis-management, and my children to grow up safe and healthy.

it would seem that from the trolling i have done, many of my neighbors have a corner in Blogger-verse. this is enough of a reason for me not to be here. neighbors do not mean friends, but neighbors can be mean. and given the recent vote, things have been nasty here. all in all, it was not the nicest introduction to the blogosphere i could have had.

The Other Corner...

The Other Corner of the room, the world, the Internet. This is not my "primary" blog. Actually, it is one i have had for almost 2 years and never actually inaugurated with a post. My blog and my life live elsewhere, but The Other Corner is just that. A corner i can put things that i don't necessarily need or mind if the world at large has access to.

From time to time, i'll share something of myself with the Blogger-verse, things like the School Board vote (they want for money for not enough bussing), Julia Child, and the occassional humorous thought.

And so, I am officially shedding light on my Other Corner of the Internet and we'll see what shows up, eh?