Started the new job at Objet Geometries http://www.2objet.com/ on March 12th in the new office in Billerica, MA right off the Middlesex Turnpike. Nice office park with plenty of woods and that mother nature feel. It's great to walk around to escape the fluorescent lights. I have a nice office with a window view to shine some light on the day and to keep my plant Lucy shining.

With the beginning of my new job and the excitement of the chance to visit the corporate office in Israel for training, I was thrilled at the opportunity. Having only traveled to Canada and Mexico, I had never really been to an another country for International business travel. And now with the requirement of a Passport to everywhere except Bermuda I think, the whole US was in the whirlwind of getting a passport, including me. But fortunately because my trip was scheduled for March 16th and I would be leaving the country within 14 days I was able to get a passport in Boston with a turnaround time of 24 hours, instead of the grueling 6-8 weeks. Hallelujah I had my Passport, my renewed drivers license and my bags packed for Israel.

Wow Wild New England Weather.... On the day I was supposed to leave for Israel I managed to make it to beautiful Newark Liberty Airport at 2:30 but just as I arrived the weather turned for the worse. We started to get a heavy Nor'easter and pellets of hail were hitting the jumbo 777 that I was supposed to board. Crowds of people were anxiously awaiting the status of their flights. It was 3:00 PM and I was due to board in 15 min for a 3:50 flight. As the snow started to come down more heavily, I waited to hear the Continental lady inform us if we could get on the plane. We heard over the crackling loud speaking that our flight was delayed and that we were on a hour by hour status., which meant that I had to wait there because the flight was not officially cancelled and if I left it would be considered a no show and really where did I have to go? So I waited patiently while the airport became more crowded and the smell of stress filled the air. I read many celeb affairs mags from the latest status on Nicole Richie to Tom & Katie and the whirlwinds of Brangelina and Brittany to the Paris Lohan debacles. I tried to escape into the celeb life while I waited for an update. The weather was getting worse outside and I knew if I didn't get on my flight soon there was a chance it would be cancelled. At 6:30PM the Continental lady got on the loud speaker to announce that after my 3 1/2 hours of waiting and countless hours for others that Newark Airport was officially closed and all flights were cancelled. There were approximately 175-200 domestic and International flights that were cancelled that day and approximately 20,000 people stranded and looking for a place to stay to ride out the storm. The details of the Nor'easter debacle are too ridiculous to elaborate but the situation led to hours in lines waiting for status of baggage, to exorbitant lines for hotel vouches, to a mass piling outside for taxis and a slew of hotels in the state of New Jersey that were completely sold out. Not only that, once you left the terminal to check for your bags, make a call etc. the terminal was closed. Once you left you could not go back in which left on the baggage claim area and the floor with all the security gates. There were not chairs or carpet to sit on and the only source of food was at the infamous Hudson News stand. It was abysmal at best. Needless to say I was able to find a hotel with the help of my superhero Mom who was able to find a room at the Comfort Inn Suites in Woodbridge, NJ only 25 min from the airport. I ran to the next taxi and jumped in. I didn't care that I didn't have my luggage after waiting in line for four hours nor did I care what the taxi would cost I just wanted to lay down on a warm bed and take a hot shower. I was able to do so and I fell asleep so fast and hard and awoke to a new sunny day.