The New Job

I haven't gotten online in a while (how's that for obvious!), but I'm back. Mostly, I just haven't had the time to blog; the new job has taken a big chunk out of my schedule, and, honestly, Susan takes most of what's left. Fortunately, I like them both.

I'm working at an ad agency now, as the head of the copywriting department. Most of our clients are in the auto industry or the computer industry, and I get to write and edit (or read and edit what my two junior colleagues have written) press releases, newspaper clippings, industry white papers, magazine "special advertising secion" inserts, and sometimes even radio scripts. I actually leave the radio commercials to Leah, since I suck at that sort of thing. I tend to take the white papers and ad inserts for myself.

I've never been a department head before, and it's sort of fun, having flunkies. I don't call 'em that, and they've both been at the company longer than me, although I freelanced for the firm over the last couple of years, and watched both of them arrive. They're good at what they do, and I respect them. Mostly I just divvy up the work load, hand out assignments, and spend a lot of time editing. Or in meetings, like the rest of the department heads.

Anyway, this lil blog isn't about my work, it's about my life, mostly. So....

What to say? I get up, I go to work, I come home. Evenings, Susan and I complain about our work, weekends we go out on cheap dates around town. It's getting colder, so we're starting to stay in more. Our apartment has a fireplace, and we both like hot chocolate. At the end of the month, we're going cross-state for a few days, to visit one of my old college friends and her husband, but we're not sure exactly when. It'll depend on when their baby comes. It should be a good weekend.

And what else.... Susan's mom keeps bugging us to get married. She doesn't say much to me (one of the few things that she and I agree on is our deep, intense, and mutual dislike), but Susan tells me about their ... conversations on the subject. It isn't pretty. Good thing I chose Susan, and not her mother, hey?

I once thought about spending a lot of time blogging news, but really, the news is just depressing. My life might not be that exciting, but at least it's real, and it doesn't get you crying in your coffee when read about it. Still, there is a story I saw that I want to mention:

I don't know if you (what you? I don't even know if I get that many readers!) follow anything about the Arab-Israeli issues, but Susan is Jewish, and so it's become sort of important to me. I never really looked into this too closely before I met her, but I always felt that the Palestinians got a raw deal all around, from everyone. That, and the Israelis didn't really look like they were ever trying to get out of the Palestinians' lives.

I'm starting to change my mind about things.

In the last few years, we saw the Palestinians reject an offer from Israel to help them build a state, and launch what can only be called a terrorist war. They elected more terrorists to run their internal affairs, and when Israel pulled its army and people out of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians increased the terrorism from that territory. Now the USA is trying to get both sides to conference next month.

I'm not sure I see the point to it, because of this:

First, you can read here about Syria refusing to attend the conference:

Syrian President Bashar Assad all but ruled out his country's participation in a U.S.-sponsored international peace conference on the Middle East, suggesting in an interview published Thursday that the meeting has no chance for success. [my emphasis]

And, you can read here about the Iranians calling on all Muslims not simply boycott the conference:

Iran's supreme leader called on Muslim countries to boycott a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, saying Saturday that the international meeting would hurt the Palestinians.

Now, maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me that having someone around to mediate between parties who can't even talk to each other would only be a good thing.... And that peace, or at least a cessation of violence, would benefit the Palestinians.... And that Syria is blind, since negotiations between Israel, and Egypt and Jordan produced viable peace agreements....

So is it just me, or is the Syrian action looking like an excuse for continued conflict, and the Iranian action looking like a religious provocation?

Well, on that note, I'm going to leave you now. It's something to think about, though, isn't it?

And one more thing: If you read this, and you're an Arab, or an Israeli, or a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Zionist, or a Palestinian, let me know what you think. That's what comments are for, right?