Friday

Black Friday.

Explain why it is called Black Friday.

Yup, I plan to do my usual pilgrimage at 5am, or earlier.

The best site I have found is right here. I hope I am more succesful than last year.

This year I am on my time, my stores, my business. No one else's. All alone in the car at 4:45am to go shopping.

Can't wait.

We Have Gone TOOOOO Far

So I am behind the times in writing this. But I just heard this on the news on my way home. Why is this a proud thing, that Lakewood, NJ is banning internet in their schools. According to the news, "if you have internet at home, you are not welcomed in our schools" So the reporter said that if you have internet at home, you cannot go to a Jewish school. Go figure. Don't we have enough in the news about us, that we really need this important vital information the talk of topic.

I am so happy that I do not live in Lakewood. So far my school has not started up on this topic. They have asked if we have a TV, and the answer was no. I sort of understand the question, and I guess the same issue they have with TV, they are now having with internet. But this is 2005 and soon to be 2006. How can we not have internet? I mean...Really now. What is going to happen??

I was speaking with a friend. She agrees with this because she has had company where the young gentleman was online till 2-3am on a Saturday night. I am sorry. If he is old enough to understand what he is doing, he also knows what he is doing and there is nothing you can do about it. What already is so bad? I mean if he knows what to look for he will either do it at home, or go elsewhere and do it, like the newspaper stand or somewhere else.

Who is to say that by banning the internet we are not encouraging the kids to go seek and find why we are banning it. Please, why are we hiding from them?! There are ways to get around it, if you are worried, go block everything possible. Get a lock and key. To say that all you need is one boy to get an AOL screen name, and pass the information around...What you are doing is, causing people to lie.

From what I am gathering, it is best to lie, if you want your kids to be in school. If you don't care, or if you find another school that will accept the new modern age, and does not feel the need to live in the shtetl, be honest and tell them you have internet.

But beware, word is out. If you have internet at home, you will have a hard time with shidduchim.

Today

I am still here. I didn't leave, I just don't have that much time to access the internet. And my H doesn't work so well.

Today was a busy day. Last night we painted our daughters room...pink. Two-tones. It looks like a girly-girls room. It is really nice though. She is all happy about it. Next we paint the boys room, yup, you got it. Blue. It should look really nice. We just need some time for that one.

My daughter had a birthday party today, and another two next week. She decided she did not want to go the the Uncle Moishy concert, which I already had tickets for. I never knew it would be so hard to find someone to fill that spot. After numerous phone call, I finally got two other kids to go with me. A friend down the block, where we swapped kids. She took my oldest, while I took her youngest. And then my niece joined us. (Do not ask why I had these extra tickets). Not sure why my daughter did not want to come, but I did bump into many of her classmates, and older girls as well. She did ask that next year she go.

While we walked into the building where the concert was, my son noticed a man walking out and said "that is the clown". He was not dressed as the clown, but it was the clown, juggle/cousin Nochum. Astute little boy is he.

The kids really enjoyed the concert. They had a lot of fun dancing and clapping along and singing with their favorite Uncle. There was one weird guy on stage with Uncle Moishy, and I am trying to figure out who he is and why he was there. It was not the usual mitzvah men who played the keyboard or drums, nor was it Uncle Moshy or cousin Nochum. It was some guy named Dovid, who used to do the announcements from behind, but this time stood on stage, sang into the mike, and killed lots of Nochum's jokes made for the adults. He also ruined some of Uncle Moishys routines. If anyone knows why he was there, and what purpose he served, please let me know.

All in all it has been a busy day. Best of all, the kids had a super day.

Favors

Asking a favor from people is never easy nor fun. Especially those who actually keep track of the favor and expect "an eye for an eye" return. Don't get me wrong. I do favors for people and ask for them as well. I have a few that I don't feel the need nor do they make me feel that I must return it exactly for them. I try to pay back my favors as well, but sometimes it is just not possible. Sometimes it is just annoying to deal with people as well.

I needed a favor from someone who I am relatively close with. So, I called her up, and told her the scenario, and she was so accommodating. Sure she will do the favor for me, but I will return the favor to her when it is at her convenient. DING DONG. The warning bell just went off, though I chose to ignore it. I owe her a favor. What is the big deal? Inconvenient for me? Messes with my work schedule? Big deal. It was hard for her to do what I asked for, but she did it for me. No complaints.

As I was speaking to her this week, and mentioned that I might be going somewhere earlier than planned, she was wondering if by chance, NOT to call in the favor, but if I was going anyway can I do her a favor, because I am going anyway and it is not out of my way. But she is saving the returned favor that I owe for another time when it is more suitable for her. WHAT THE @#$%^& is this? Please explain this to me! When you do a favor for a friend, are you really keeping track to see whether or not she repaid your favor at your convenient making it a harder obligation than it really is? Is it really even stevens? Mine are usually not. If I ask for a favor I see if the other person can do it. If someone owes me the favor, when they offer to do the favor, I accept, and not demand it, or bank it. I just don't get it.

She had the audacity to ask me to do something as a "you are going anyway, so it is not the favor that you owe me because that I will use when it will be convenient for me and not you, but since you are going, be a pal and do this for me, scott free." I don't owe you anything for this, because you are going anyway. Because of that, I am so not interested in doing it for her. I am so interested in being mean and want to stop the relationship we have going on because, frankly, I don't like it. Not one little bit.

Please tell me, my dear loyal readers, that you are a true friend. That when you do a favor for someone, and even if you did it as an exchange-a-favor favor, you will not really hold the other person to it. And if you do request the pay back favor, it is as their convenient and not just yours. And if they do owe you a favor, you don't ask for them to do something for you that is on their way, but remind them again, that what they are doing is NOT the favor they owe you, but just a token of friendship, because of course they would do the same for you...NOT.

Keeping ones word is very important. I am going to keep mine. I will also know when to offer a favor and when I have the right to be not nice and say No. This is one of those times. It really is "it's all in the way you phrase it". Had she phrased it differently, I probably would have done the nonfavor, token thing and forget about it. But since it phrased in such a way...I am going to keep score. Actually, come to think of it, I have one on her and she has not realized it, or maybe she has, but thinks that it is all coming to her.

Thanks for the venting season. We hope to have a better one tomorrow.