Note on Friendship

Having friends is great! Good friends are an extension of your family and enrich your existence. On rare occasions, however, friendship can be a pain in the butt and require a measure of work to maintain. In these times, rather than talking things out, rehashing arguments, and using hurtful language, we suggest making use of a wonderful tradition referred to as the Jewish New Year (or Rosh Hashana). While neither Elena nor Jessy are of Jewish faith, they have spent plenty of vacation time retracing Elena’s partly Jewish roots. On one such excursion they learned about Rosh Hashana and the tradition of making amends before the New Year breaks. Jessy and Elena were quick to adopt the practice, but instead of limiting themselves to the period just before the holiday, they will declare a Jewish New Year whenever beneficial to the friendship. Phrased as a question (Jewish New Year?), atonement takes mere seconds to approve, and speeds along the healing process. Why not give it a try?

Footnote on Cum

Some of our followers have enquired about the frequent usage of the word "cum" in our blog. The Macintosh Dashboard Dictionary (product placement) defines it as follows:

cum

1 [kuhm, koom]

preposition [usu. in combination with]

combined with; also used as (used to describe things with a dual nature or function) : a study-cum-bedroom.

We understand that it also has other meanings, but would like to clarify that our usage of the word is entirely wholesome and inspired by our friend Stephen, a British national, and a fine fellow.

The Office

While in the midst of production on Good Dog Dog Biscuits, we realized the importance of a good working space, a space conducive to creative thinking, problem solving and coffee consumption. On one of our bi-annual brainstorming walks, we noticed that our neighborhood video store had undergone a magical transformation; it had become Goldhahn & Sampson a specialty food store-cum-cafe-cum-bookstore-cum-cooking school. In a nutshell, an ingenious combination of the things we love and covet. We soon began to conduct all business meetings in the shop and elected it to be our official Office. As far offices go, it offers all the standard amenities and then some, including mood lighting, a comfy couch, wireless internet, a bathroom, an array of coffee and snacks, ambient music, nice wallpaper, light shopping, and a wide selection of reference material (cookbooks). Unbeknown to them, Mr. Goldhahn and Mr. Sampson have been more than supportive of our projects, allowing us to linger for hours, using the Internet, perusing the sale bin, and sampling their products. While business for Goldhahn & Sampson is booming, we continue to struggle, but on their couch and with their coffee, we carry on the good fight.

Hits and Misses

We met in 2003 at an International Medical Research Facility in Berlin (call center). Hired without legal documents, management quickly recognized our enormous potential and promoted us to head a special project (make more calls). There the bonds began. Unfortunately, the glamour of the job quickly wore off when we realized we were working pro bono while our co-workers were getting high. Eventually, Jessy was sued for alleged slander and the company went belly up. Once we were legal in Germany, we began to pursue paying careers, but continued to develop ideas for side work in hopes of capitalizing on our keen sense of business. Here is our resume to date:

2003 - 2005
The Fruit Salad Digest - a recipe book cum spiritual journey.
(10 copies printed and gifted)
2007
Good Dog Dog Biscuits - wholesome treats for four-legged friends.
(a short-lived cottage industry)
2008
Your Boyfriend is Making you Fat - a dieting guide, based on personal experience and observations.
(shelved)
2009
House Cleaning Services - an attempt to convert our compulsive tendencies into money.
(shelved)
2010
Good Taco Blog Spot - an internet forum for us.
(in progress)

Dream Realized

We consider ourselves creative and resourceful individuals. For years we have attempted to turn dreams into funds, but our success rate has been dismal, and our earnings have amounted to zero. Most ideas never really make it past the think tank or storyboard stage. Recently, with the advent of blogs, we've noticed that many people are accomplishing what we only ever talk about. Which means we are back in business. Welcome to our blog.

Jessy and Elena