The Truth Will Set (Your Wallet) Free!

I am a person who is always looking for the best deal. Many times that requires comparing products, price shopping, and adding coupons into the mix. Sometimes I can only employ one or two of these factors and sometimes it requires all three. However, sometimes it just takes a little luck and a smidge of effort in order to get the best price possible… FREE!

As of late, I have been picking up a few items here and there at job fairs which have demonstrated varying degrees of quality and usefulness. This is a great way to collect a mismatched set of plastic cups, travel mugs, and random memory foam stress relievers (best used when you hear the words “we’re not looking for someone with your background at the moment”). All in all, nothing is really worth bragging about (both the item and where you got it).

My wife has also been picking up a few free items lately. She came home yesterday with a grab bag of literature from an all day conference she attended at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia (the conference was also free which is a find in itself). I was going to attend the event with her but Mr. Sandman was being a particularly persistent bastard yesterday. Anyway, while the information may not be helpful to many it was useful to her and, therefore, a great free find.

My latest two acquisitions are of a completely different free breed. High quality useful items are something I am always looking for and getting them for free is just a bonus. The two items pictured will be used and used a lot… one right away and one in the future.

I came across the free Siddur while browsing through my Facebook feed. A few friends had shared the link for the giveaway and when I saw it I had to claim my copy. This was not a contest; it was on a first come first serve basis. Simply click on the link and fill in the shipping information.

I knew the company, Koren Publishers Jerusalem, and have other Siddurim from them so I had no qualms about sharing my information. A few weeks later and the book was waiting for me at the front desk. Now I just have the simple task of learning Hebrew and this will be a heavily used addition to our library. Like I said earlier, this is the item that will be used in the future.

An item doesn’t have to be fancy to be a great freebie. Sometimes it’s the simple items that prove to be the most useful. A perfect example of this is the map I received from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The arrival of this enveloped was met with some trepidation because usually when you have an envelope in your mailbox with that return address and your registration isn’t due it means bad news. So, when this parcel arrived, I was ready to break out the check book and survey the bank account. I find it both impressive and disturbing the pucker power an envelope can have when the return address it related to a government agency. It was a pleasant surprise to find something useful enclosed in the PennDOT stationary.

With all of the traveling that we have been doing lately and all the trips that are planned over the next several months, this map is something that will be used over and over again. For me, old school maps are a much better way to find those out of the way places that the Maps App on my iPhone can’t pronounce. We often forget that technology has its limits and sometimes the best way to find something or someplace that you didn’t know you were looking for is by flipping through the pages of a book or unfolding a map on the table.

It just goes to show that free stuff (and clichés) can be found all over the place. All you need to do is pay attention and be willing to commit about 30 seconds in filling out your mailing information. Note that some of you may have to take off the tin foil from your noggin to accomplish this. Some of the items are going to be more useful than others but, who cares, its free. If you really don’t want it I’m sure someone you know will or you can donate to charity (which would, in turn, make it free for them).  

What are some of the items you have gotten for free? What are some of the items you wish you didn’t get for free?

Job Insecurity – The Marco Polo Paradigm

Ever since my wife and I returned from Israel and moved back to the Philadelphia area, my employment situation has been in flux. Since the beginning of 2012, I have had a couple of sales positions as well as my current position working the desk of my apartment building during the night. It has been difficult to land a job that was a good fit for me where I know I was adding value to the company and I enjoyed going to every day.

As many of us experienced during our childhood, I feel like I am treading water in a deep pool yelling “Marco” with the anticipation of hearing the response “Polo”. To this point it has been a one way discussion (no, I have not started answering myself). But, just as you did when playing the game, you keep calling until you get your bearings and find the right direction you need to travel. I know there are fish in the water I just have to catch one.

Throughout that time I have longed to return to my chosen profession, the industry I left to move back down here from Manhattan, Public Relations. Over the years, I found this profession to be rewarding both creatively and socially with writing and pitching being my two strongest areas. I thrived on finding ways to get the client’s voice heard and I enjoyed making the connections and getting to know reporters in order to make mutually beneficial introductions.

Of course, this is something that I have continued to do on a personal level both through Rotary, Masons, and other organizations. I have given both my time and creativity to help others and I continue to write for the sake of my own creative sanity. However, it would be nice to find a place, to find a company, where I could bring those to areas of enjoyment together again.

As many of you may have seen, I have posted an open position on my LinkedIn profile to this effect leaving the name of the company blank with the start day coinciding with the current month. PR is applicable to so many businesses and industries that I can’t limit my search… with that said, the recent trips that my wife and I have taken have open my eyes to one of the logistical roadblocks that I have, until now, place before me.

Prior to our explorations, I have limited my search to Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Basically, I have been an idiot. Now I am expanding my search to include the entire southeastern part of the Commonwealth (Pennsylvania is a commonwealth not a state) as well as the counties immediately north of that area. With writing permeating the bulk of my educational and work experience, and where my natural talent lies, I am also opening up to a wide variety of opportunities where writing could possibly be the centerpiece of my efforts. I can always find a way to add PR and networking to the mix in some way, shape, or form (travel writing is an idea that comes to mind).  

For those of you unfamiliar with my background, please consider the following bullet points:

·        Seasoned PR professional with placements in both national and trade publications including (but not limited to) The New York Times, ComputerWorld, Forbes.com, Baseline (byline author), ReadWriteWeb, and Processor.com.

·        Experienced social media strategist accomplished in the creation and implementation of media campaigns simultaneously across multiple platforms.

·        Strong writing and editing skill set applicable to numerous industries with experience ranging from internal communications, speech writing, and press releases to bylines, reviews, and social media posts.

·        Diverse writing portfolio which includes publication in both print and online mediums ranging from poetry and short stories to blogs, editorials, and research pieces of a personal and business nature respectively.

·        Research experience encompassing a wide range of topics including (but not limited to) genealogy, Holocaust studies, public relations, and business and social media trends and statistics.

·        Accomplished public speaker, emcee, and event planner. 

·        Proficient in Microsoft Office, SalesGenie, ProfNet, BusinessWire, Cision, Factiva, and numerous social media platforms (and the business applications thereof) including Blogger, Wordpress, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

·        Active in local community and nonprofit organizations with a wide variety of leadership duties and charitable causes.

So, I will finish this brief post / employment update by requesting your assistance. I am open to new opportunities, new challenges, and a new chapter in my career. If you happen to know of anyone looking for someone who possesses the above set of skill please reach out to me by sending me an email at seanmt4d@yahoo.com. Of course, I also enjoy the opportunity to meet new people so if you happen to be in the area or know someone in the area I would like to get together over a cup of coffee so that I can properly introduce myself. I look forward to hearing from some of you in the very near future.  

Sometimes Keeping Kosher Does Much More Than Divide A Kitchen

Over the years my wife and I have observed the laws of Kashrut to varying degrees. It began about three years ago when we began eliminating pork and non kosher fish from our diet. I had eliminated shellfish long before that time due to my wife’s severe allergy but we took it a step further by removing eel, calamari, and others from our options.

Next was the big step of not mixing meat and dairy. This was particularly hard as we both grew up and thoroughly enjoyed cheeseburgers and cheese steaks. While it was a struggle, we managed to do it. However, I think we are still on some Philadelphia citizens watch list.

After our short time in Israel, our observance increased to the point at which we created a kosher kitchen in our new apartment and stocked it with strictly kosher food. As many of you know, this is not an easy endeavor as this required us to segregate our pantry, fridge, stove, cabinets, and sink and maintain a process of keeping everything kosher and having a set of steps to follow for the times when we messed up (grabbing the wrong utensil for example).

This is where we have been for the past year or so.

Lately we have been asking ourselves if this extra step has really added anything to our observance. Is it bringing us closer to G-d or is it hindering us from truly appreciating what G-d has given us? Of course, this is really part of a much broader question regarding our observance but it applies to all aspects including the laws of Kashrut.

In the end, we have decided to go back to basics as we have found ourselves getting too caught up in the details of what we are doing rather than the appreciating of what we have and what G-d has given us. While a minor aspect of the decision it is still an important one is the fact that, given our financial position, it has been detrimental to our life and well being to spend the extra money on strictly kosher products (ones that are labeled with a hechsher).

We had gotten away from appreciating life and all that we have been given. We had overcomplicated our lives and muddled the meaning of what it is to live and what it means to have G-d in our lives. It is time to keep it simple.

If I have pissed you off or offended you in some way with this post please know that you are not the first and you won’t be the last… you are the newest member of a club that has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. However, keep in mind that all members joined the club of their own volition as they refused to be open to an opinion that differed from their own. I always welcome a respectful discussion no matter how wrong you may be.

With that said… if you agree, leave a comment; if you disagree, leave a comment; if you’re struggling with the same issue, welcome to the club, now leave a comment.