...
It's no problem of mine but it's a problem I find
Living a life that I can't leave behind

But there's no sense in telling me
The wisdom of the fool won't set you free
But that's the way that it goes and it's what nobody knows
Well every day my confusion grows

Haven't written in a while. Now writing from the plane; returning to Tel Aviv after a ten day work trip to NYC. It was my first time "back home" in over seven months but I barely had a chance to do any of the things I normally do, couldn't eat at the places I normally eat and didn't have time to see the people I normally see. It was all work, work, work, with some hard-fought time for my closest friends and family. Oh, but I did have time to celebrate my fifth annual Festivus!!

You see, the past 11 months of my life have been a rather mad roller coaster ride as a result of work. Except its not so much a roller coaster as it is an ever-increasing escalation of pressure, stress, excitement, risk and reward. My days are ruled by a ten hour time difference to Los Angeles, yet my partner and I still have to balance working with people in Israel. All the while we strive - usually unsuccessfully - to have our own social lives as well as personal/private time. The results aren't always stellar. I've had to cancel on friends many times and miss some things I really regret. Those in our lives have also been put in the position of adjusting and being understanding or falling by the waist-side.

However, the flip side to the story is one of insanely great advances in my career. Its hard sometimes to explain to friends in Israel what I'm doing, on what sort of level and within what sort of scope. The few times my partner and I get to interact with the larger organization we're a part of are truly mind-blowing. Those are the times we understand the gravity of our work and the massive opportunity we're given to prove ourselves, succeed or fail.

In the past two months, on that background of intense career-related stress and excitement, I celebrated my 28th birthday, my 4th year of life in Israel and even begun seeing someone (more on that later.... NOT). In that time I've also done a good amount of volunteer work with Taglit-birthright israel and hosted my father on a visit to the country. I had the honor of organizing a huge Hanukah party (300 people, open bar, free admission, celebrity guest-star) and finally took a three-day vacation (one day in the Dead Sea and two up north).

Now, returning to Israel, my partner and I have a new office to fill with furniture and we're looking to hire an assistant. So if you know of anyone...