Great News!

Well.. great for me.

I FINALLY got word on my severance package. As my husband says in Arabic - "El Hamdo lelah!" (It translates to Thank God or Thanks be to God!

Sooo.. as it turns out, on the 15th I will get a regular paycheck with my 85 hours of vacation. THEN - I will get one more check on the 30th and that will be the final one.

Heck, it's better than nothing. AND - by then the unemployment should kick in.

All together now - El Hamdo lelah!

I guess for me, the good news is, I will be fine through September, maybe even October. If I stick to the basics, I should have enough time to truly pay rent, car, insurance, and essentials. No extras for this girl! But that's okay, I have been spoiling myself for years. I have been blessed to make the income I was given, and you know - it's money. Simple math.

Money comes and it goes. I have to just be super smart about it.

(Have you noticed this entire time I am only talking about my income?) Because THAT's how I am. I will take care of me. Always have, always will. God willing, except for unemployment, I won't have to ask for any hand outs. (From family, friends, etc.)

Today is my day to do a little laundry, organize a few more cabinents, read a little, watch a little tv... just be me.

I sent my resume to a  television station last night for the Morning Show  Producer position. It's a tricky position - horrible hours (10:30pm - to like 7:30am or so.) Less money.. but I'm good at it, and it could be my entrance back into TV News.

Just. Not. Sure.

O f course, that's if they even accept me! :-)

Today there are two other positions someone sent me online - one at an area hospital (Marketing/Communications) and the other with a very prominent Non Profit (Volunteer Management.) I will shoot out a resume to both and just see what happens.

Strategic. ;-)

As for life in general -Day Two of Ramadan. The egyptian did well yesterday, he looked tired and grumpy (what's new?) But that sort of comes with the holiday. I find it fascinating that my muslim friends get so excited about Ramadan. They fast ALL DAY, then basically eat a big meal at night, and a small one before the day begins.. and pray a lot. They say they love it. I guess I am so used to my Westernized/Euro-Christian Holidays.. where celebrating involves over-indulgence, presents, and lots of songs and laughter. I can see where Ramadan is nice, to grow closer to God. But to me, it's an interesting concept. See, as a Christian, we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and loved us so much he endured the pain and suffering.  To me fasting all day is like suffering. Though, I understand the purification properties, and putting God above our own basic needs...

It's just interesting to me that, in their eyes, it's a joyous occassion. (Perhaps our concept of joy is different. I often concentrate on the earthly joys, when they are concentrating on the eternal joys.) Something to be learned from my muslim friends, for certain. (Though, I guess my 40 days of Lent is similar, but I do NOT look forward to Lent. ;-) )

It is now time to finish up the laundry.

PS - Did I mention how much you guys ROCK??

Tis the Season

He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh - Quran

As you may or may not know, I live in a multi-cultural home. My husband is a devout Sunni Muslim from Egypt. Tonight begins the season of Ramadan for believers of the Islamic Faith. I may be a Christian (Catholic), but I see the absolute beauty in this time of year for my muslim family members. This is a time of purification of spirit, becoming mindful of God's (Allah's) message, and showing love to the less fortunate. To me, it feels like a mix of Christmas and Lent all rolled into one!

I wanted to share with you a little about Ramadan, and how we can all apply some of the aspects to our lives. For one, Ramadan basically consists of thirty days of prayer and deep reflection (similar to the Christian Lenten Season.) These special prayers are called Taraweeh. These prayers are recited at night, as well as portions of the Quran (the sacred book of Islam.) Muslims will also enter a period of strict religious observance and fasting.

One of the best parts of Ramadan is when the community comes together for the night prayer (Taraweeh.) The word taraweeh comes from an Arabic word which means to rest and relax. The prayer can be very long (well over an hour), during which one stands upright to read from the Qur'an and performs many cycles of movement (standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting). After each four cycles, one sits for a brief period of rest before continuing -- this is where the name taraweeh ("rest prayer") comes from.

During the standing portions of the prayer, long sections of the Qur'an are read. The Qur'an is divided into equal parts (called juz) for the purpose of reading sections of equal length during each of the Ramadan nights. Thus, 1/30 of the Qur'an is read on successive evenings, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed.


It is recommended that Muslims attend the taraweeh prayers in the mosque (after 'Isha, the last evening prayer), to pray in congregation. However, you do have a choice to pray at home. The prayers are voluntary, but are strongly recommended and widely practiced.

I remember sitting outside the mosque last year, just listening to the sound of the call to prayer. It was really quite beautiful and calming.


Another signifigant item to know about Ramadan is the most people decorate with lights. Beautiful lamps can be found hanging on trees and from houses in the middle east.




Here is a video of a kid's song for Ramadan, it actually explains a little bit about the season:




For my friends of the Christian Faith, please know that ALLAH is the same as our GOD or even Yahweh. Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship the same God. What is different for Christians - we believe that God had a Son - the Christ. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, not the son of God. That is the difference.

What can I learn, as a Christian, from the Muslim's this season of Ramadan? I can be reflective about my own faith and my own habits. I can attempt to fast for a spiritual as well as physical cleansing. I can contribute more to the poor and less fortunate. I can spend more time with family. I can pay tribute to God - Allah- Yahweh.

So, for my family and friends - Ramadan Karim! Peace to each of you. May we all pray to find understanding and concentrate on our similarities, versus our differences.

New Year's Eve - Seriously

It is the end of the fiscal year at my company. This is a good and a bad thing. Let's get the crummy part over first:

1. I may or may not have reached certain goals.
2. I still have soo many ideas I did not get to complete.
3. The economy is crap, so I seriously doubt more money will be coming in.

Okay - now for the good stuff:

1. NOW- I can implement a plan that makes total sense.
2. I like our new strategy, and hope I will have the chance to give it a try.
3. My territory is changing - again.

I realize this is probably very boring to the vast majority of you, but KNOW this - with a clean slate, I will be in a much better mood and will have more quality posts! :-)

In my world - I am entering the Start! Heart Walk season. Every summer/fall, the American Heart Association has this HUGE celebratory event that raises funds for the organization. This money TRULY goes back into the hospitals for research and education for the community.

With that being said, my territory is a large one (All the way from Johnson City/Bristol, TN down to Pensacola, FL.) That's a LOT of Start! Heart Walks.

What does that mean for the Marketing/Communications Director? That means booking tons of radio and tv shows, writing numerous magazine articles, placing 1/2 a dozen billboards, designing print ads, prepping spokespeople, media tours, chairmen press releases, letters to the editor, pitching feature stories about life style change to the health reporters, taping and producing PSAs about the Start! program, editing scripts, approving logo/branding compliance... etc.. etc.. etc...

It is a busy time of year. But, by the end of September, I get to breathe a little easier until January. There are still plenty of events, just they are a little different. The walks draw thousands of people, that's a lot of maneuvering for the media. Imagine trying to run from the Live truck from the TV station with a spokes person to the live remote going on with the radio station, to the "talent/tv/radio personalities" on stage to asking the guy with the really big camera if he is with such and such publication - to dropping by my media sponsor's booths, making sure they are "feeling the love" to trying to stay cool in the HOT southern summer weather.

I am a department of one - did I mention that??

Last year, I elected my husband and his friend from Egypt to accompany me to the walk, and volunteer as my assistants. Guess what that day happened to be? The first day of Ramadan. Which means - the first day of the fast. Needless to say, my hubby did not fair well in the heat. And when these guys fast - I mean - they don't even drink a drop of water.

C'est la vie.