Yes, I’m Still Here

I was going to write as a headline “Yes, I’m Still Alive” but then thought the latter word “alive” might presuppose a few health problems, which I’m currently (thankfully) not having. So I swapped out “Alive” for “Here.”

Sorry I haven’t been active on my blog but since the start of 2016, my life has been a WHIRLWIND! And that is no exaggeration.

The following things happened in January:

A close family friend with no real history of medical ailments died suddenly;
My mother decided to retire after 45 years; and
I was told after three years of working for a specific company–the last year and a half in a full-time capacity that my contract would be ending;

And here’s just a summary of February’s highlights:

I continued to help my mother in her post-retirement phase;
My contract job officially ended February 10;
I sent resumes out and was lucky to score a number of interviews;
One of those interviews led to a string of call-back interviews that would continue into early March;
I debated what to do with my insurance–whether I should still continue to pay the premium or opt for something less expensive given my precarious job status;
I did a few freelance gigs after February 10 just to keep some incoming trickling in;
I debated about my bills and loans and opted to give myself a few more weeks until making a decision about them;
I started writing a monthly column for the Clyde Fitch Report;
I went back and looked at a novella I wrote last year that’s about the experiences my teen-aged father had in a DP camp following World War II. After reading it, I decided it wasn’t a piece of crap and that it had some merit. I did a rough revision on it.
My recent old company offered me a short-term, part-time research gig, which I took and that would last into early March.

And this is just a smattering from February. Here is March:

I continued to go out on job interviews;
Disgusted and frustrated with Trump, I gave some money to the Hillary Clinton campaign;
I also joined the campaign as a volunteer in NJ and canvassed the local mall, seeking to get signatures on a petition that would ensure Hillary’s name would be on the ballot for the NJ primary in early June;
I wrote my second column for the CFR Report;
After finishing the rough revision of the post-Holocaust novella, I researched editors and finally found a really good one based on a referral from someone who specializes in Jewish-themed fiction/nonfiction;
Said editor reviewed the manuscript and gave me an excellent developmental edit from which I’m continuing to work with;
I got a job–in PR/communications, which I had been looking to transition into–only drawback is the commute but I have to get used to that;
On my first day while trying to catch a bus, I had a nasty fall–and walked into the office of my new job bleeding and asking for bandaids!! (I’m better now); and
I’ve now decided that my breakup with New York City is not as acrimonious as it once was–we’re back to being on very good terms.

Again more happened in March–that’s just a smattering. I wonder what April will bring.

I knew on New Year’s Eve that 2016 would be INSANE but in a good way. Now that we’re barely four months into the year, I can say that my prediction is proving to be true.

Can’t wait to see what June will be like! Crazy year!

How is everyone else’s year shaping up?

Photo is from the Impressionists and Expressionists exhibit at the Neues Museum in Berlin. I was there last September.