Still alive and well...

Took a long break from blogging, in order to jobsearch 24/6, take care of intensive family matters, both at home and at large, do radio for a new foreign client in the Far East, set up a "real" Flash-based website with a great designer (that, after getting all the digi-kinks and typos out, should be up in a few weeks), begin a new evening job with a local telemarketing firm, and - of all things - get my Goverment Press Office card renewed for 2005. It has been a wickedly tough, bone-wearying few months around here, I'll tell'ya.

A bit on what's been happening, without getting into last Friday's terror attack and it's reprecussions, "Disengagement" politics, the wider disputes and, oh, the meaning of life in general. That's all for the next entry...

Best news is that daughter Inbal, 17, is responding well to her chemotherapy treatments. She has about a month to go, and then goes on a two-year pill "maintenance" regimen. Only after- God willing - 5 years, according to statistics, can we start talking about "remission." Unfortunately, she's ingesting enough steroids and chemotoxins in her last few batches to choke a horse. Makes her real moody (as if being 17 itself wasn't enough), and she, apparently, caught an infection. Since her immune system is leaning towards negative numbers due to the medicines, she's back in the hospital for a few days to suck down antibiotics. Wife Mazal is with her around the clock. Avner is doing his best, and I'm working.

Working: I managed to get a weekly freelance spot writing for In Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post's metro edition. Did four editions, so far and love being back in the newsroom, at least to meet once a month for planning - despite all the controversy (mostly justified) about working conditions, the recent sale of the organization, and such. That is a newspaper with dedicated staffers, administration and interns... Here are two of the latest articles I've done for them:

"Taxing Times"
"Routing for Rachel"

Had a genuine saga trying to renew my GPO ID card, as noted above; it's a tough to get into many press conferences and other secured or otherwise closed venues for coverage without that sly slip of plastic... Turns out that, according to the GPO, far too many in-duh-viduals were gaining access to those events with - formerly - casually handed-out cards, so they cracked down on their definition of the term (epithet?) journalist/correspondent.

Now, since I've been mainly tending to family matter as noted above, I didn't have requisite number of Internet "hits" for articles, or print/radio press coverage to be considered worthy. So they turned me down on first and second application. What a drag... so there I am, metaphoric hat in hand, running pillar to post at the GPO and begging indulgence to give me a break, so I can make a living... Ugh.

Been working at CSM for a few months now. Great place, great crew and ambience, too, despite my initial misgivings about working at a call center. There are so many new, "middling," and veteran immigrants from around the world working here, and a good "rosh" - headspace. Now to just buff up this weeks sales figures...