There's a signpost up ahead: 5769

Most people don't suffer through the kind of year I had. If we're close, Dear Reader, then you know the unseemly details. If not, you can ask. I don't want to spell them out here, nor do I want to write about what transpired in 5768. I want to write about how I can make 5769 far, far better.
Being single (and "Sleeping Single,"--thanks, Roxette) and the possibility of a long-term recession are serious concerns. Improving one's status--social and professional--takes time, energy and commitment. Where do we go from here? My father, of blessed memory, unfortunately dealt with multiple periods of unemployment, mostly due to job elimination. (And in one case, an antisemitic ass of a boss.) He became quite experienced at job search, and one part of his advice I distinctly remember was, "Try every day to make some headway toward finding a new job." I think that's true of each goal I've set for myself: improving my social status*, improving my career, and losing weight. I don't have time to put off until tomorrow what I can accomplish today. Even on the holy Sabbath, I am capable of not backtracking on weight loss. (And holding to that is a true challenge--one I will address in another message.)

I have been looking forward to next month (Nov. '08) as a new beginning, when the tumult of 5768 is behind me and I leave town for the first time since early March**. I now know the changes I want in my life start with me, and they start now.

*Social status means "single," "dating," "engaged" or "married," not "popular."
**Milwaukee doesn't count.