New Year's Eve 2006

New Year's Eve is overrated. Now, of course, I didn't always think this way. In fact, New Year's Eve was fun for me for majority of my 20's. I remember one year at a party in Massapequa with friends from work, the year where it hit 60 degrees in the City and I spent the evening with Jeorjie and Debbie at Gus and Lindsay's apartment across from Daniel's on the Upper East Side. We sat on the front stoop and watched the rich and famous arrive and leave in limos and gowns for their glamorous party at the upscale boite. There was one year when Deb and I just went to dinner and watched the ball drop from her Upper West Side apartment, and then chatted with Jeorjie who was in Sydney and had celebrated nearly a day earlier. There was the year after a huge snowstorm, when my car was the only one on the block to be shoveled out, and as I made my way to the vehicle to drive to the party on Long Island, discovered that my tire had been stolen. I must have scared the guys because they actually left the jack underneath the car and, when I called the cops to come and dust the jack for prints, they laughed and said it would be a really long time until they could send a cop car to investigate. Yeah, I know, they were busy with the donuts and toasts on New Year's Eve. We never did file a police report and I had to wake up my Dad to take care of changing the tire, which we did in the freezing cold and by the time we were done it was well past midnight and all I wanted to do was pass out. There was New Year's Eve 2000 when I had pneumonia; I listened to the fireworks from my bed in the basement and, in my fever induced delerium, talked to a huge, black tarantula that kept me company for most of the night.

With the good, there was the bad, and I enjoyed most of my pleasant New Year's Eve experiences. I never did any of the Bangitout parties because I wasn't really interested in shelling out that kind of cash for booze I would never end up finishing and then have to deal with trying to find a cab back to my apartment early in the morning. I was willing to give New Year's Eve another try, after a long slew of disappointing events (I've never had a boyfriend over New Year's, so I was kissing no one special when the ball dropped) and that's when we got the call about my Zaydie (ZT"L).

I lived with Zaydie for almost 3 years and, in January 2002, moved out of the apartment to my own place on the UWS. I regret that I didn't get to go down to the LES to visit him more often, but I called him every week and did manage to make it to the store from time to time. The December before he passed away, he decided to go down to Florida to visit my Aunt and escape the cold. A few days into the trip, he was rushed to the hospital with severe internal organ failure. That December 30th, we got a call from Florida saying that if we wanted to say goodbye to him, we should fly down ASAP.

And that's how I found myself at 5:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve, sitting with Cousin Neil in the Jet Blue terminal at JFK airport. We were scheduled to land at Ft. Lauderdale airport well before Midnight, and we both calculated that we would already be at the hotel on South Beach when the New Year rang in. My folks and brother had flown down earlier that morning and were already asleep before our plane touched down in the sunshine state, my two sisters left their husbands home to fly for the day from Maryland, and Cousin Neil and I were on our way to pick up the Corolla rental car at Enterprise when we pulled in past a gorgeous, gray Jaguar. Cousin Neil asked if we could upgrade and, since our Grandfather was on his death bed, I thought if the flashier car would make him happy then it was worth the money. Cousin Neil drove from the airport to our hotel, which was the official hotel of one of the Orange Bowl teams and therefore packed with college kids getting drunk, hooking up and getting ready for the big game on New Years Day. The lobby looked like an entire orange grove threw up in it and we parked the car and picked our way past horny co-eds towards the elevator. At the last minute, we were lucky to even find these rooms. Everyone who was coming, except for my cousin and his girlfriend who were skiing at Jackson Hole and were slated to arrive two hours after us, were already upstairs and sleeping.

I checked into my room, careful not to wake my sleeping brother who was also really sick and had downed a shot of Nyquill hours earlier. My sisters were still up so I made my way towards their room and we chatted in the surreal environment about nothing and everything. When the brothers in laws called them on their cell phones, I excused myself and decided to pick up some water and a box of cookies at the drugstore across the street. I also picked up a pack of Marlboro Ultra Lights and, instead of wandering on the boardwalk (to this day, I don't even think I walked outside of the hotel towards the beach or boardwalk, it just never occured to me to go looking for a pool to sit by) I sat on the one bench on the hotel porch and lit up my smoke. Halfway through the cigarette, with thoughts of my Grandfather rushing through my head, the fireworks boomed and lit up the night sky. The noise surprised me, I honestly had forgotten it was New Year's Eve, and I jerked my head up to try to catch the show but it was obscured by the hotel. The two parking attendants, who were standing in front of the building on duty, both eyed me warily before one wished me a Happy New Year. He walked up the steps and shook my hand, wishing me all the best, and then I handed him a cigarette, lit it for him, and wished him one as well. I think I might have told him that my Grandfather was going to die in the New Year and I don't remember his reaction, I was alone seconds later. I kept ruminating on the fact that My Zaydie was dying and that I was in South Beach, on New Year's Eve, because he was going to die. As people drank shots and kissed each other on the beach, he was in pain.

I spent a few hours on New Year's day in his hospital room, patting his hand, brushing my fingers over his high, cool, alabaster forehead that was remarkeably smooth for his 90 years. I repositioned his yarmulka a couple of times, and then Cousin Neil would move it around again, so that at one point it slouched over his eyes and made it seem like he was a yeshiva bocher taking a nap, hiding his eyes from the glare of the hospital lights in his big, black kippa. When Zaydie was lucid, he said few words, told us he was thirsty and asked for water, which we could give him by allowing him to suck on the sponge contraption that was attached to a straw. They had removed majority of his stomach and intestines, so drinking water wasn't going to go anywhere. I argued that the man was thirsty, which was evident as he pulled on the sponge with his still strong mouth and tried to squeeze every last drop like a man who was dehydrated. We ended up leaving a few minutes later but the nurse promised she would continue to give him water in that fashion, while we were away. I purposely left the cup and sponge tilted against the wall of the windowsill when we left and, was devestated to find that it was still in that position when we returned. She had never given him water like she promised. I still regret that we left that room that day, because Zaydie asked for water the second we returned, and Cousin Neil and I took turns dipping the sponge into the cup and putting it into his mouth like a mother nourishing a child.

Zaydie passed away 15 days later, and was buried on Martin Luther Kings Day. And thus was born a new tradition for me on New Year's Eve. I choose to remember my Zaydie on New Year's Eve over a good meal, as he was a man who really loved food, and with family, as he was a man who absolutely loved his family. This New Year's Eve, given the time difference, I will be picking up the phone at Midnight and calling my family in the States to wish them all well, and to chat a bit about Zaydie. In Zaydie's honor, I will break my fast this evening not by scarfing down a bowl of cereal, but over a real meal complete with some Challah (his favorite type of bread). I'm going to log into the Wall Street Journal website, as he enjoyed reading the stock pages each morning over breakfast, and cook myself an egg the way he taught me how to make it. And then, when I'm finished eating, I'm going to clean my pan the way Zaydie taught me, which is how the Chinamen in the old neighborhood by the store used to do it.



This is last photo I ever took of Zaydie (click on the pic and you will be able to see it better, not sure why it scanned in like this but I've got a new scanner and am still learning), who passed away four months after his 92nd birthday. A few of his Grandchildren took him out to Noah's Ark on the Lower East Side and the entire restaurant cheered him on and applauded as he blew out the candles on his cakes. It was a wonderful night, and a great celebration of his life. At Midnight, will e-mail the image and the link to this blog entry to all who loved him.

Hope everyone who is celebrating this evening has a very safe, and Happy New Year!

The Iron Chef

I feel like the Iron Chef right now, and it's pretty cool. I have in front of me steamed string beans and I want to make them differently than I usually do. Typically, I saute some onions in a little bit of oil, add salt and pepper and just call it a day. But, based on the food I'll be serving this evening, I think the string beans need to have some sweetness to them. Now, I recently picked up a bottle of apple honey vinegar and have some honey, soy sauce and sesame oil in my pantry. So, I'm going to do a little experimentation and pray that it works out.

Now, if you have any knowledge of the zucchini bread incident, you are probably shaking your head and screaming at the screen for me to not experiment. Sorry folks, it's time for me to try to spread my wings a bit in the kitchen. Hopefully, I'll learn to fly and not poison the 8 people I'm having over for Shabbat dinner tonight.

Speaking of which, last night Cousin Neil mentioned that I've been doing a lot of entertaining in this country. I thought about that a bit and if making four meals since November indicates a lot of entertaining then yes, I am doing a lot of hosting. To be honest, if I didn't live in the tiny apartment on the UWS, I probably would have made a lot more meals. I mean, I have a lot more friends on the UWS, and between the boyz, could have always met new people and invited different folks to each meal. At this point, there are only two new people coming to my dinner tonight, and one is El Jeffe's younger brother and the other guy I've met a few times.

I think the reason I entertain a lot more now is because I'm a little bit lonelier here in Tel Aviv. When I was in New York, I was content seeing people all week, going to shul on Friday night and Shabbos morning, and then just either eating with close friends or just eating alone and reading or napping in the afternoon. Here, I just really don't like being by myself over Shabbos. It's not that I'm no longer happy being independent, it's just really a different feeling. These people, in essence, have come to represent my family. A ragtag bunch that they might be, I've managed to make some really close friends here in Tel Aviv in the four months since I've arrived, and who doesn't want to spend Shabbos with quasi-family?

I'm waiting for the cauliflower to finally finish cooking so I can put the cauliflower kugel in a pie shell into the oven and move onto the next item on my list. Last night, I made chicken soup, cranberry-onion soup mix chicken, cinnamon chicken, orzo with sauteed mushrooms and onions and cut up the fruit for a fruit salad. Lana is bringing soda and the challah, Michael is making his famous mashed potatos and onions, Oren is picking up the "salatim" for the challah, and I tasked El Jeffe with dessert. Quite honestly, he is a great baker and his cookies are wonderful. It's another big item off of my list, which has grown suddenly. I also made a deli roll a few weeks ago and froze it, so it's defrosting now and I'll serve it tonight. Plus, with the strawberry salad, the Israeli salad and the string beans, I think we will have plenty of food!

We're having an end of semester party in Bret's class on the 16th and I offered to bake Shulamit's blondies (such a great recipe and sooo easy to make!) but I think I might make actual food instead. I'll be honest, baking just ain't my specialty.

OK, so back to the blackout of 2006. I have to say, not as much fun at the Blackout of 2003 although the climate was much, much better than the sweltering heat. I spent that August night spritzing myself with my water bottle while sweating through my sheets. When the lights came on at 6:30 a.m. that Friday night, I shut my window, cranked up my AC, left a message on my bosses machine telling her I wasn't coming to work, and went back to bed for a few hours. That was a special night.

Anyway, even with Itai and his girlfriend next door, I just really felt uncomfortable without any lights. My room got really dark but I had to shut the trisim in order to lock out some of the cold air. I did end up sleeping really well though, in spite of the pitch blackness in my bedroom, and was woken up by the pounding on my door. I was so out of it that I actually walked into the wall which fortunately, did not result in a black eye. Turns out, the problem wasn't with the main electric company (think Con Ed but for Tel Aviv) and we had to wait until 5:30 p.m. for the personal electrician to come check things out.

Wonder what one does all day long in an apartment without heat and light? Well, first I went and did a HUGE mound of laundry. I sat in the restaurant next door to the laundromat and drank tea with nana (mint in Hebrew) and charged my phone. I also spoke to the owner, who had this huge picture of David Ben Gurion handing him a photo album and some sort of metal from 1958. It was a really cool picture but the restaurant owner didn't want to elaborate on what he did to get the photo album - I surmise it probably went hand in hand with his glass eye (which never looked directly at me when he did, which is how I knew it was fake).

After the laundry, I came back and figured out what I needed to purchase for Shabbat so that I could pick up all the dried stuff before I had to get the perishables. The electrician had promised Itai that he was going to be able to fix everything on the spot so I didn't cancel my meal (as Dad recommended, although Mom had the faith that everything would be fixed so I decided to be an optomist and not cancel). I headed out to Supersol and picked up a lot of food for Shabbat, even the frozen cauliflower (I know, I didn't think about the fact that if my refridgerator couldn't hold chicken my freezer wouldn't be able to do anything with frozen food). Fortunately, the weather is so cold that I don't think anything spoiled in my fridge, although I did toss the milk because you just don't play around with lactose.

I was so happy once the lights came back on - and, let's be real - my VOIP phone was up and running again, that I practically skipped back to Supersol to pick up the chickens. Now, this time, the woman behind the counter didn't reach for the puny, tiny little organic chickens. Oh no, for me, she was going to give me the biggest, plumpist, fattiest chickens there ever were! I asked her for three whole ones cut into pieces (and then told her in my broken Hebrew that I needed them in 8th) and watched her hack these chickens a part. I've never seen such real life looking chickens before, honestly, all that were missing were heads and feets. I had to turn away when she started cutting them up, it was a little too much for me to observe. I like getting my meats and chickens already packaged and shrink wrapped, so I don't have to watch them disembowel the poor creatures.

Think maybe it's time I become a vegetarian?? Hmmm, I think I'm too much of a carnivore to try.

Anyway, it's off to yet another item on my to do list and scour the Food Network site for a recipe for my string beans! Mazal Tov to Michael and Ilya Welfeld too on the birth of their daughter Dorothy! I can't wait to meet her when I'm back in the States in a few weeks.

Literature of the day is Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson, a terrific writer and teacher at the Iowa Creative Writing Program. I'm in the midst of this book now and I'm hoping to finish by Shabbos end. The language alone, minus the content, is simply beautiful. It's like reading a linguistic symphony.

Blackout of 2006

OK, so it's nothing like the Blackout of 2003 in Manhattan, but I'm in the midst of my own little blackout right now. Itai taught me how to use my heater tonight since, it's the coldest night of the year thusfar. How cold is it in Israel? Cold enough that it snowed today in Jerusalem and hailed while I was in class at Bar Ilan. I walked around all day in wet socks and shoes so, when I got home, I needed some heat.

Unfortunately, around 11:30 this evening, Itai and I were running two heaters and two dud shemeshes (which use up a lot of electricity). He also had the TV going while I was using my computer and we had tons of lights on in the apartment. I didn't panic when the lights went out, but that was because I thought they would come back on pretty quickly.

Yeah, no such luck. We're going to be in the dark all night and man am I annoyed cause I just bought myself a brand new milk and will probably have to toss the contents of my fridge in the a.m. Good thing I didn't go food shopping yet for the big meal I'm making on Friday night (yup, we're up to 9, another biggie for sure).

I'd like to take a moment to thank my Dad for teaching me to always be prepared. Because of him, I brought a big flashlight with me to this country and that was a good thing cause otherwise I would have been going to the bathroom and washing my face in the dark.

I'd also like to take moment to thank Buggy in Jerusalem for lending me a ski jacket until I go home and get my own winter coat, and buying me a candle for the second night of Chanukah. Who knew that I would need a candle so soon!

The photos were taken today from Buggy's apartment in Katamon. The first is from this afternoon as the snow began to fall and the second was taken this evening of the snow acculmulation on the cars.

If you want to get in touch with me, call my cell phone as my VOIP is out due to the fact that I have no electricity for cable. Otherwise, I LOVE my VOIP because I've been chattering away with the States ever since the Holidays started.

Cousin Neil, I'll try calling you as soon as my VOIP is up and running again.

I'm off to find another blanket to try and stay warm tonight, again, the coldest night of the year here in Tel Aviv! And to all a good night!

My Life is a Postcard

It's already 10:30 p.m. on Monday night and today I really felt like my life is one giant postcard. I've been working on writing my second short story, which is due tomorrow and slated for workshopping on the 2nd, and I was starting to get burnt out. So, I strapped on my New Balance sneaks and hit the beach, which was teeming with folks in the Holy Land for the holidays. The weather this afternoon was absolutely gorgeous, so much so that some die hards were in the water swimming! There was an American couple with a baby no older than 16 months who was absolutely enthralled with the sand and the surf. After my heart pumping workout, I sat on one of the benches by the marina at Gordon Beach and just watched this little girl play in the sand. It was a beautiful sight.

So, my story is basically done. I know I'm going to get completely killed in class, especially since the opening is pretty graphic and a little bit violent. I don't believe in easing into things - no tiptoeing into the water - this piece is like canonballing into the deep end. I'm not looking forward to the grilling but at least I'll have plenty to talk to Bret about during our end of semester meeting on January 16th!

The countdown until I head back to New York has officially begun and we're looking at approximately 30 days from today. I can't wait! As much as I love it here in Israel, I am really looking forward to getting together with my family. I was talking to Shulamit this afternoon and telling her about all the things I can't wait to do once I'm back in New York. They include, but are not limited to, seeing my Grandmother/Mother/Father/Siblings and Nieces/Nephew. Drinking tap water. Taking a long, hot shower without worrying that the water will run out. DRIVE MY CAR (oh how I miss my Ike), get a decent haircut with Rob, get a facial and wax with Josine, go to the movies with Cousin Neil, hit the concerts with Jules, go to Zen Palate for vegetarian food with Julie, train with Victoria, get a pedicure with Bracha, catch up with Melissa at Starbucks, go to Hayden Planitarium with Marns and Rachel, head down to Maryland and overdose on the kids and Debra, go shopping at Banana with Hannah, see Eta's new house, go food shopping with Ema at Supersol, get my teeth cleaned with Dr. Levenson, go to Virgin megastore in Union Square, grab a drink at Verlaine's with Jeorjie, etc.

I probably won't be blogging again until Wednesday, got way too much to do and won't be around until late Wednesday night. I hope everyone in the States enjoyed their day off today. My Dad just told me that they are forecasting a snowy Shabbos - what a nice way to usher in the New Year?

Oh, and before I end this blog, I must give props to Mom. I would completely be lost without her! My chicken soup was a big hit on Friday night and, had she not told me to go out and buy corn flakes to crush for the chicken cutlets, I wouldn't have had a main to serve on Shabbos day. Besides the culinary advice, Mom is just all around wonderful and I can't wait to see her in a few weeks!

OK, enough gushing! Literature of the day is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I don't know what it is about the holiday season, or the thought of potential snow, that sends me running towards the green lights of the Hamptons. Either way, this classic is one of the greatest pieces of American literature. Go back and read it if you haven't since your High School days.

Tiptoeing Through Tulips

Check out the gorgeous tulips my Shabbat guest brought me on Friday afternoon! Actually, they were ordered and sent to me, but who needs to argue semantics? The tulips are simply amazing and, given the fact that tulips are a spring flower, I was shocked to see them in December! They've opened up really nicely and have given off this wonderful scent that has permeated every single corner of my apartment.

Today was supposed to be my productive day. I had a very nice, relaxing Shabbat, so I was supposed to be all geared up and ready to do some writing. The morning started strong, I woke up early and got out of bed before my alarm even went off. Just when I was getting ready to leave the apartment and run some errands, however, my phone rang and it was The Dude. Since it was only 1:30 a.m. in the States, he was up and ready to do some chatting, so I ended up 30 minutes behind schedule. After I ran my errands, I got back home and made a quick breakfast.

I sat down at my computer and the concept I had been thinking about writing for the past few weeks completely left me. I don't know why but I just wasn't in the mood to write it anymore. I was bored with the storyline and so I sat down and just started writing this completely new story. I got through the first two pages really quickly and then started struggling with the third page. The page was pretty much action/dialogue and I get exhausted after a few lines of dialogue. My brain started turning into mush so I decided to help it along and watched an entire Ugly Betty marathon! I kid you not - from Pilot through episode #8 - I sat here for almost 6 hours! My tush was sore by the time I was over and now I'm too dazed from watching TV to do any writing. Tomorrow I will have no choice but to finish the rest of the story. Chances are, this piece is going to be significantly shorter than my other story. In fact, I would be thrilled if I'm able to crank out 10 pages!

So, I just heard that they are forecasting snow in Jerusalem for Tuesday night into Wednesday! I'm super excited about that, especially since snow paralyzes everything in The Holy City! Both of my professors on Wednesday come from Jerusalem to Ramat Gan for class, so if they can't get out of Jerusalem we probably won't have any class. Either way, I think I'm going to go to Jerusalem for the evening. I've never seen snow in Jerusalem before and I bet it's pretty magical! Of course, that means my school bag on Tuesday is going to be really, really heavy. Again, I'm hoping it will all be worthwhile!

I just burnt the CD for Bret and hope that he is enjoying Xmas eve here in Israel. I wonder what he's going to be doing tonight and tomorrow and look forward to hearing all about it during class on Wednesday.

Well, it's almost 11:00 and I'm wiped from not doing much today. I have to give Shulamit a quick call back and then I'm washing up and heading to bed.

Literature of the day is Eli, the Fanatic, a wonderful short story by Phillip Roth. If you've read The Human Stain, I highly recommend reading this short story as it's representative of some of his earlier writing.

Good night and Happy Holidays to all of my friends celebration with their families this weekend!

The Stuffed Animal Pogrom

I woke up this morning thinking about The Stuffed Animal Pogrom, an event in my life where my Mother purged myself and my two sisters of all our stuffed animals. I was very young, around 6-7, and had been constantly ill with strep or an ear infection. My Mom was at her wits end with the sickness and, since she assumed it was due to my stuffed animals (which apparently I was constantly sucking on or putting tails into my ear, etc.) she decided to get rid of them all. I remember that night clearly; I was asleep on the bottom bunk of the wooden bunk bed in the room we shared and the door opened. The hall light illuminated the shadowy figure of my Mom, who was caring a big pillowcase, quite Santa like although I knew she wasn't depositing any gifts. Methodically, she walked from bed to bed and felt around our bodies for the stuffed animals. I feigned sleep, even when Mom took away my beloved snuffaluffagus (sp?). And that is the end of the memory - I don't even know how I reacted the next morning! And, the moral of the story is that I still had to go get my tonsils out before the strep would end.

Today is a writing, working and cooking day. I decided to update the blog first before hitting the kitchen. I am going to attempt to make chicken soup for the very first time in my life. Last night, I went across the street to visit Boris, the owner of a very small fruit and vegetable store. He actually supplies the fruits and vegetables to the supermarket down the block, and since it's cheaper to purchase directly from him, I go there. A recent Russian immigrant, he runs the store with his wife, young son and the tallest man I've ever seen in my entire life. He is circus tall and bald, with big blue eyes and shoelaces that are perpetually untied. I see him walking the older women in my neighborhood back to their apartments, carrying their purchases and chatting along amicably. I've never spoken to him myself, his height is a bit unnerving.

So, I went into the store and told Boris my latest attempt at cooking and he helped me gather up all of the vegetables I need. He tried to give me this celery that didn't really have any celery on it but had a big root and I explained that I'd never seen my Mother or Grandmother cook with that kind of vegetable before. He laughed and told me he kept the American celery in the back and then went back to get me a bag. I'm glad he did cause if I'm going to try to cook, I'd like to make sure I'm using familiar ingredients!

Oranges are really ubiquitous right now and, ever since Daniel peeled two in class on Tuesday, I'd be hankering for one. I'm usually not a big orange person, but my body must be craving Vitamin C cause I had one last night and another one for breakfast this morning. They were really good, but I wonder when orange season ends in Israel. Again, we're in the beginning of Strawberry season which is a Summer fruit in the States, so it will be interesting to see if I can get oranges all year round.

Last week, Michael Kramer told a story about the Lower East Side and it sparked an idea in me, and I've been working on this new piece for next week. I guess I just needed a familiar setting to get the creative juices going. I hope this one comes out better than the last one.

Oh, the above photo is of my Chanukiah! I lit candles last night just before Vera came in to clean the apartment, which is looking so nice right now that I'm upset I had to mess up my kitchen by cooking! I wish she could come on Fridays, but since she is also Shomeret Shabbat, she needs her Fridays to prepare for the weekend. Very understandable!

Since today is December 21st, I'd like to wish my Cousin Neil a very Happy Birthday!!!. I owe you a movie once I'm back in town! I'm glad you liked the sweater, I hope it fit and that you've been able to wear it already! It's perfect for the next time you're in prison!

Literature of the day is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Follows is background information about the author taken from the Barnes and Noble website. Happy reading!

About Paulo Coelho
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city where he now lives, his own life has in many ways been as varied and unusual as the protagonists of his internationally acclaimed novels. Like them, Paulo Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." He was 38 when he published his first book.

In 1970, after deciding that law school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he began a successful career as popular songwriter. In1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used for centuries by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral said to house the remains of St. James, he achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage.

Paulo Coelho once said that following your dream is like learning a foreign language; you will make mistakes but you will get there in the end. In 1988, he published The Alchemist, a novel that explores this theme, and it launched him as an international bestselling author. Specifically, Paulo Coelho is recognized for his powerful storytelling technique and the profound spiritual insights he blends seamlessly into his parables. Since then, The Alchemist has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages. In addition to The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho has written luminous novels about the different streams of our lives, including By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept, The Valkyries, The Fifth Mountain, and Veronika Decides to Die. A winner of numerous literary prizes, Paulo Coelho is also a prominent speaker for humanitarian causes. In 1999, he received a Crystal Award for Artistic Achievement at the Davos Economic Forum Conference.

Shotgunning with Bret Lott

Happy 6th Night of Chanukah! I hope everyone is enjoying the parties and getting lots of great gifts. There might be a student strike at Bar Ilan right now, so I don't have class today until 2:00 p.m., which gives me plenty of time to update my blog.

On Monday, I met with Yehuda and he literally kicked me into gear. I was so sore in class yesterday that it hurt to bend down to slide into the seat. My thigh muscles are really sore from the squats he made me do. Thankfully, he stretched me out afterwards, so at least my calve and hamstring muscles aren't too bad.

Yesterday was a great class! Well, the first part of the class was really good, although the workshopping was a little rough. At that point, I had an awful headache and had given my three remaining Advil to the Professor, so I was without any ibuprofin. That being said, I was really looking forward to the ride to Jerusalem. That morning, I had asked Tamara to ask Bret if I could bum a ride to the Holy City. Fortunately, I got to him first and was able to secure a seat in his car, which became full pretty quickly as a few other members of the class wanted rides back home.

At the conclusion of class, I did what I used to do in the days before I had a drivers license. I called shotgun to get the seat up front. Brown nosing, I'm not, I just like to sit in the front seat! It's the best view, and besides, you usually get to control two things: radio and conversation. The radio went down low pretty early on in the car ride and, instead of controlling the conversation, I ended up dominating it. I'm not sure how it happened, but I ended up telling tales from my days as a working gal in sports/entertainment PR. In the middle of some of the stories, Bret mentioned that I had a novel worth of material, and now I'm rethinking my strategy for this year. I had been concentrating on writing that dream novel - you know the one - the book that I want to write that will win me tons of awards and maybe even the Pulitzer (don't laugh, at least I have goals and aspirations, what are YOUR dreams???). But this one could be really marketable and might be a good way for me to get a foot through the door. Hmmm, I've been thinking a lot about it and will go back to Bret to ask him for some advice.

Anyway, I got to Jerusalem last night and went to another Chanukah party. Before the party though, I found out that a couple of people I had been expecting to show up weren't going to be there because they had to go to a levayah (funeral). When I asked what happened, I was told that this time, she succeeded and chills literally ran through me. I really don't understand suicide, I can't even imagine what must go through someone's mind to make them want to take their own lives. I've actually been thinking a lot about this, especially since there is this documentary film called The Bridge I really want to see. It's about 24 suicides that took place off of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and while there are no interviews with the jumpers, you do apparently see each and every one before they plunged to their deaths. The film was screened at The Tribeca Film Festival this past year and I had wanted to go see it, but on the night I had wanted to go, I ended up taking Ken Burns to a private screening so I missed the showing. I'm hoping to see it here in Israel, but if for some reason I can't make it, I'm hoping to pick up the DVD when I'm back in the States in a few weeks. Also, complete side not, but I highly recommend The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. If you haven't seen the movie, pick up the book, it's really thought provoking and well written. It's worth a read for the opening and closing paragraphs alone.

This morning, Itai called and woke me up around 8:00 a.m. to let me know that the workers were coming to fix the leak in the apartment below. Oh yeah, I had meant to blog about this on Monday, but was too exhausted to put anything down. Basically, I get back from the gym and you know I stink and am in need of a long, hot shower. Itai calls and he's frantic. Apparently, the downstairs neighbors noticed a "big water leak" on the ceiling and he asked me not to take a shower until the contractor could come to assess the situation. I laughed cause there was no way I couldn't take a shower, especially given the state I was in. But, since Itai is doing me a really, really big favor this weekend and letting my friend from Jerusalem park over Shabbat in his parking space, I felt that I really should try to accommodate him.

Ever wash your hair in the sink and take a sponge bath using a bucket? Me neither, until Monday night. It was quite an experience, especially since the sun had set and I was freezing! It was pretty difficult to manuever in such a tight space but I somehow managed it. And, while I was in the middle of blow drying my hair and trying to turn my purple fingers back to the normal color, my phone rang and Itai was giving me the green light to use the shower. The contractor told him he didn't think it was such a big deal and I could use the shower. It was a good thing too, cause I don't think the sponge bath was that effective!

Never a dull moment in this Holylandhipster's life folks!

I'm off to figure out the bus schedule for this afternoon's class. Book of the day (a new feature on this blog!!) is Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. A must read for anyone who likes WWII novels!

All I Want for Hannukah is You

Is it sacreligious that I've been spending all morning listening to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You? song? What can I say? I'm a bit homesick this holiday season. I went to a family Hannukah party last night and, while it was a lot of fun, it wasn't my family Hannukah party. Granted, I don't remember the last night we had a formal Hannukah party in my house but last year we had a really nice time. I went back to my iPhotos and looked at my pictures. There was a really cute shot of my niece and my Dad after he lit candles. Dad was holding her and she was wearing his baseball cap, sporting a big black eye from a fall she had taken earlier that week. There was a picture of The Dude holding her and making a bad face cause she needed a big time diaper change. We've had some amazing Hannukah's in my family, including the year my parents got me the best present ever! They bought me a credit card sized radio with headphones. That was the coolest gift in the history of gift giving! I listened to the radio every single morning when I walked up the block to school. I listened to the radio during recess, and sometimes at lunch too. I listened to the radio morning, noon and night until I decided to listen to the radio during class and my teacher confiscated it. I never saw the credit card radio ever again.

Now y'all know why I've got a grudge against my elementary school. Those yeshiva teachers were evil!

I've been writing all morning and decided to take a quick break to blog. My kitchen is bare and, unless I plan on eating nothing but tea all week, I'm going to have to make a trip to the supermarket. I've been hanging close to home cause I really wanted to talk to Mom before I ran my errands, but I also have to buy a menorah and candles so I can light tonight. I really don't enjoy lighting candles by myself. I think I've been spoiled. When I first moved out on my own, I had no problem lighting candles by myself. In fact, I actually kind of like watching the candles burning down as I watched TV and relaxed until they burnt out and it was back to work! But then I moved in with Zaydie and we would light candles together, and then he would screw in the lightbulb on the electric menorah, and we would have light on the Lower East Side for the complete 8 days!

What can I say? Holidays are best spent with family. Period.

I have to pick up a few more Hannukah presents this afternoon and then it's back to work. I have a lot of reading to do for this week and I miscalculated in terms of my next story. Turns out, I'm workshopping the piece on January 2nd! That means, the story is actually due next Tuesday.

Yeah, I've got nothing in my arsenal for this one. I'm going to need a Hannukah miracle to get the juices flowing in time for the deadline.

WIshing everyone a Chag Sameach!

Song of the day is The Ballad of El Goodo by Evan Dando, an oldie but a goodie!

That 70's Show

I just got back from an hour+ walk on the boardwalk at sunset. It was gorgeous and the weather today was really fantastic. I can't believe it's the middle of December! With blue skies and cool breezes, you'd think it were Spring here in Tel Aviv. I hope the rain holds off until I'm back in the States. I'd take a snowy day in Manhattan over the deluge of Tel Aviv. The walk was exactly what I needed tonight and I got back to my apartment pretty drenched. Good thing I have plenty of hot water for the shower.

So, a lot has happened this week and I've been neglecting my blog. I wish I had the excuse that I've been writing instead, but with two short stories due within two weeks of each other, I'm pretty much up a creek without a paddle. I've been toying with this one idea for my short story to be workshopped but haven't gotten anything down on paper. I won't panic until next week.

Michael Kramer is back from the States and so it was full speed ahead in the two classes he teaches. I've been feeling intellectually sluggish so I'm really thrilled that he's back. We've been having some interesting conversations this week, and the reading material is really fascinating. I've never studied American Jewish Literature and it is going to be great to really get to know these writers.

As usual, Philosophy class was great. I think I need to e-mail Professor Harvey so he gets a better understanding of my questions. This week, we wrapped up the introduction to Rambam's Guide to the Perplexed. Basically, besides telling the world that he is writing this book for like 1 in a million who would have the capacity to understand what he's writing, he insisted that someone who is confident with their religious beliefs and is about to study science (Aristotilian) and is perplexed should turn to his book. Hmmm, so how come they don't teach this in Yeshivot? Why is it that I've learnt about evolution and the Big Bang theory but no one ever though to explain Creation from a philosophical perspective? Are they afraid that people would become unbelievers? Maybe Yeshiva's should give their students a bit more credit.

Today was a nice and relaxing day, which is good since I've got a lot on my mind. I shlept my big bag of laundry to the nicer laundromat and washed two weeks worth of clothing. My jeans came out smelling really nice, but I know I shrunk them so it will be a pain getting into them tomorrow. Speaking of which, tomorrow is the first night of Chanukah! I can't believe Chanukah is here already! It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating Succot in Jerusalem. Time is really flying for me this year. I'll be in Jerusalem for the weekend, so that should be really nice.

I called Jon a few days ago to ask him about these two websites where you can watch American TV that's streamed instead of downloaded. It was great that he gave up the goods because I've been overdosing on TV these past few days. These sites have the entire series of That 70's Show, which is one of my all time favorite shows! As a comedy, it's just classic, and I can't get enough of the character of Hyde. He's my version of the Fonz.

There should be a law in Israel that construction in residential neighborhoods cannot start before 9:00 a.m. When I lived on 74th Street and Columbus, and they decided to convert a Senor Swanky's (the Celebrity Hangout) to a Beau Brummels, the drilling began at exactly 8:00 a.m. I know, because they drilled right below my bedroom window and, for three months straight, I was up at 8! I know, most people are up at that time during the week, but when you work from home and make your own hours, 8 is a bit early. So, they are doing construction in the apartment directly across from my bedroom. The drilling and hammering start at 7:00 a.m.! What's worse is that it appears the drilling and hammering is over, each and every day, by 9:00 a.m. So, I've been getting up super early these days which means that by 5:00 p.m., I'm on my face with exhaustion!

Chances are, I won't have time to blog tomorrow before Shabbos. Here's wishing each and every one of you a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Sameach!

Song of the day is Jewish Girls (At the Matzo Ball) by The Leevees off of the Hannukah Rocks CD. A must have for every Jewish collection!

Criticism

I hate my haircut. I really, really hate it. To the point where I am dreading leaving my apartment tomorrow to go to school. I spent all day yesterday in bed, hiding myself from the world. I've discovered that the jerk over at Shuki Zikri gave me the Rachel Green haircut circa 1994. Even when this haircut was in I refused to get it. I've been simmering and trying to figure out how I'm going to proceed with the salon. I am giving myself a few more days to calm down and then I'm going in to talk to a manager. I want my money back, and an apology. I know - I'm living in a fantasy world - but you get nothing if you don't ask.

Why can't people handle criticism? Why is the first reaction always defensive? Why, if criticism is delivered in a positive, straight-forward manner, do people still get defensive? Why can't they just own up to something they've done wrong, instead of trying to make excuses for their behavior?

Cousin Neil's birthday is coming up and I've sent him a present. Unfortunately, the website wouldn't let me wrap the gift, or put in a note. So, Cousin Neil, the box from JCrew that should be delivered to your building in about 3-5 days is a birthday present from me. I hope you like it!! It's exactly what you asked for :)

I just finished workshopping six stories for class and am pretty tired from staring at my computer. I'm going to log off and try to do some reading before I go to bed. Tomorrow will be my first full Tuesday in more than a month, I've gotten used to getting out of school at 3:30 the extra two hours will probably be a bit jarring. Here's hoping I can make it through!

The Work Anthem

My Dad has a work anthem. When we were younger, we would have to chant the anthem before school started. In fact, it was almost almost ritualistic each night before the start of yet another grade. work, work, work, work, WORK! Dad started the chant softly and then, by the seventh work he would be almost at a complete yell.

I thought about the chant this morning as I rolled over in bed and realized that this Sunday is going to be dedicated to - well - working. I have a tremendous amount of reading I need to accomplish today, including the Joan Leegant novel An Hour in Paradise, three stories in my Jewish American Literature reader and the introduction to the Khouzari for my Philosophy class. That's on top of beginning a couple of short stories and workshopping others due in class on Tuesday.

Phew! I got a lot on my plate :)

Like most of my Sundays as a child, today will be all work and no play. I'm actually not that disappointed, I could use an excuse to just chill out today and relax. I didn't get much sleep this weekend. I was back in Beit Shemesh and shared the baby's room. That meant I was up in the middle of the night when she was crying and then again at the crack of dawn when the 5 younguns were racing around the house shreaking and playing. I just hope I don't fall asleep in the middle of my reading today!

Sad to report that my hair did not miraculously grow back this weekend. A shame really, I was sorta hoping that maybe it would. No luck. I'm going to be in this embarressing state for a couple of months. Hopefully Rob will be able to fix me all up when I'm back in the States in a few weeks.

Good news! They finally caught Benny Sela on Friday night. Thank G-d, I can go back to walking on the beach at sunset! I'm looking forward, tonight by the water should be a nice, relaxing break for me.

Since it's Sunday, I'm looking forward to catching up with all of my family and friends. If you're reading this, and we're good friends, expect a phone call from me soon!

Song of the day is Hard Row off of Thickfreakness, a great album by The Black Keys. If you like Rock and Soul, you'll love this duo!

Bad Haircut

I'm not leaving my apartment for the next month. I'm not kidding. Seriously, forget going out tonight with the girls. Forget my Shabbos plans in Beit Shemesh. Don't even think about getting me to school. I'm homebound until this awful haircut grows out.

So, it all began this morning when I walked to the Shuki Zikri salon on Ben Yehuda Street here in Tel Aviv. My hair was really long and I wanted two things done:

1) Trim the ends because they were really split and needed just a trim. I was just looking to take maybe an inch, inch and a half off.
2) Cut my bangs. Since the weather is cool with low-humidity, I can finally cut my bangs shorter since they'll look nicer in this weather. Plus, they will grow out in time for summer so I'd be able to pull them back.

I made a 3:00 p.m. appointment and that was it. When I walked in at 3:00 p.m., they immediately wanted to send me to get my hair washed before I even met the stylist! That was my first red light and so I insisted that I meet and speak with my stylist before they washed my hair. Now, I have to say that I'm not a fan of anyone who cuts my hair wet. I've gotten used to Rob's style of cutting hair dry (which actually make a lot more sense, because then they can see how the hair actually falls when dry) but I know Rob's unique so I didn't complain. Anyway, they introduce me to Jackie, a guy with no hair and no style. I should have known right away that he was going to take a hacksaw to my auburn locks! I took my hair out of the ponytail and explained to him, carefully, what I wanted done. He said all was fine and so I went to get washed. When I got to the chair, he started pulling at my hair and told me that it was uneven and that I had a "tail".

Ummm, I like my "tail". I have a hipsters haircut. You know the one, where it's sort of like a mullette but much, much cooler. So, he said he needed to fix all of the problems and started cutting. Like a moron, I figured he was the professional so I just let him do his thing. When he was finished cutting, I realized that majority of my hair laid on the floor at my feet. I was absolutely SHOCKED that he cut so much!

But, I figured maybe since it wasn't dried, it wouldn't be so bad. Now, I used to think that Israeli's knew how to do hair, in fact, Israeli's are known for their blow out. This guy was terrible. He didn't put any product in my hair and he didn't even bother using a brush until he realized that without the two, my Jewfro was out of control! He started to pick at me with the brush and yanked and pulled until he could straighten the frizzy mess he created with the blow dryer and his fingers. At which point, I covered my eyes and started saying Tehillim. I was hoping if I prayed that maybe G-d would create some miracle and my hair would magically grow from my head.

No luck.

Jackie then asked his assistant to plug in the hot iron. Mistake #2. In this country, if anyone is giving me a blow out and needs to use a hot iron, he is obviously a crap stylist. Now, I am censoring the words I want to use here out of respect for my Father, since he has requested I not curse on the blog. But, should you call me right this minute, I will unleash a torrent of words that would make a sailor blush!

So now, he is using the hot iron and still yanking at my hair. I told him he is really hurting me and so he tried to be gentler but to no avail. I was in serious pain and growing more miserable by the second. He asked me if he was still hurting me, because I have absolutely no poker face and he could tell the tears were about to fall, and I told him that the haircut was terrible.

So, does he apologize? NO. He said that I needed it and he had to do it. Not only that, but the one part of my hair that he didn't cut were my bangs! So, now I have short layers all over my head and long bangs. Folks - he gave me a Bubby haircut. In 20 minutes I went from Hipster to Grandmother and I'm miserable. I have football helmet hair. Seriously.

Shuki Zikri is NOT the best in the country as far as I can tell. Cause, if this is the country's best, G-d help us all.

After the haircut, I was schedule for a wax. I asked the woman where to go and she said just go upstairs. I literally sat upstairs for 15 minutes and nothing happened. So, I made my way back downstairs and asked what was going on. Apparently, I was supposed to knock on one of the doors upstairs because the waxist was waiting for me. Had they told me that 15 minutes ago, I would have certainly done that instead of fuming out in the hallway.

Now, Lilach the waxist was the nicest woman and she made me feel better. I started crying on the table and complaining about my haircut, and she was very sympathetic. It was even harder because the waxing was soo painful, but she tried her best to make me feel better. I gave her a REALLY nice tip.

When I went downstairs to pay, Liat at the desk asked me what I thought about the haircut. I didn't respond. She asked me what I thought of the wax, and I told her it was wonderful. She tried to pump me for my opinion on the haircut but I just wasn't going to say anything. What's the point. She can't glue my hair back to my head and I'm not going for extensions. There is nothing she can do to make things up to me. And, honestly, getting my next haircut with Shuki Zikri himself wouldn't make any difference. I'm going to be seeing Rob back in Soho in February, and I hope I can persuade him to pack up and move back with me to Tel Aviv.

I ended up giving Jackie a nice tip too, and only because my Mother taught me the right way to do things. I will just never, ever use him again. And, I will make sure to tell EVERYONE I know that they shouldn't, ever, get their haircut at Shuki Zikri (or at the very least, not use Jackie).

I'm off to finish crying before my 6:00 p.m. conference call. Cousin Neil probably found this post very boring and so I apologize in advance to anyone who thought they were going to be reading something entertaining. Unless you find my misfortune entertainment, you probably didn't enjoy the blog.

Maybe tomorrow's will be better. Either way, now would be a really good time to have that box of Enternmann's.

Holiday Parties!!

Tis the season for loads of holiday parties. Last night, I got my first Hannuka party invitation - the annual soiree at the Key West. Hannah, Fruma and Carrie will be hosting this year and, if memory serves, it is the most happening event of the season! For some reason, I don't remember if I was at the party last year but the year before I remember playing games with my friends and then the fun grab bag. I think Cousin Neil gave away the He's Just Not That Into You book and he got a pocket pool table set that is still sitting on the coffee table in the boyz James Tower apartment. You can't miss it, it's next to Ari's copies of Men's Health and surrounded by week old issues of The Jewish Week. The monkey, I'll hazzard a guess, is still perched on the sofa. Man, I miss that cute little monkey!

I also got a couple of Holiday party invitations and, this year, will miss my annual get together with Jenny and Jules. Last year, we had an absolute blast! First, I met Jenny and Jules at Artisanal where they ate up a storm and I sipped an alcoholic beverage. We were next to this really nice couple, until they started talking to us about their affair. I am not kidding. She was his secretary and had a wife and children back in Astoria. They were having a quick dinner before heading to the hotel for a romp. Talk about cliche! We weren't that shocked that it was happening, just shocked that they were being so open about it. I don't think the two bottles of wine helped them either. Then, we went to the Gramercy Park Hotel (before they closed and started tearing it down for renovation) for a drink at their lounge. That's where we exchanged our presents and Jenny gave us all boxes of homemade chocolates and cookies. She also made us all holiday mixes, which were great! I made Jules and Jenny mixes too and don't remember what present I gave them, but I know we all had a great time. I got home really late and ended up leaving my chocolates and cookies for Antonio (my doorman) even though they looked very tasty!

So, I've been having really weird dreams lately. Last night, I dreamt that I was back at Camp Moshava and we were getting ready for a weekend Shabbaton at some hotel. I went to ask Lana if she would room with me (note to folks who don't know Lana, but she is one of my friends here in Tel Aviv) and she told me that she was rooming with Susie (another girl from Tel Aviv). When I asked if the three of us could just share a room, Lana basically said no, and so I was left to pack up without anywhere to go. Talk about high school insecurities rearing its ugly head! At this point, I would just take a room by myself (which I would prefer actually) and be done with it. I think Freud and Jung would have absolute field days with my dreams!

I got a call from a few of my Tel Aviv friends who were complaining that I haven't been around enough lately. So, I promised that I would hang out with them tonight. I'm not sure yet what we're doing, but I really hope it's tame cause I just don't have the strength for a raucous night out on the town. There is a girl who is having a party to celebrate lasting the first year into her Aliyah, so we're going to stop by the house to wish her a Mazal Tov and then see where the night takes us. Meanwhile, I was hoping to get through some more Philosophy reading and workshop stories for next week.

Oh - I was soo excited this morning! Tamara had e-mailed Professor Harvey yesterday to ask a question and explain why she wasn't going to make it to class, and when Professor Harvey responded to her question he mentioned my name! YEA! He knows who I am! That is a good thing, or at least I hope it's a good thing. Hmmm, I hope he likes my questions and doesn't find them annoying. Maybe I'll have a chat with him after class next week!

I'm off to get a haircut. My hair has gotten way too long and I need a trim ASAP. I've been doing a lot of Weezer listening lately so, the song of the day is Holiday off of the Blue Album. I highly recommend both the Blue and Green albums; must haves for any growing collection!

Time to Make the Donuts

I'm so happy that Jeff is back cause he brought me a box of Entenmann's chocolate donuts! I know I shouldn't be indulging, but I haven't had a decent pastry since I moved to this country. Many people would disagree with that statement, most using Marzipan Rugelach in the shuk in Jerusalem as their prime example, but there is just something about Entenmann's that I love. I think it's a family thing, cause my sister and her kids love the brand too! Anyway, I'm hoping to meet up with Jeff tomorrow to catch up and get my goodies. Don't worry Dad, I plan on sharing the wealth!!

I'm tired again. I have got to stop staying up late on the phone with people back home cause the going to bed late and waking up early is not helping me at all. Today was Philosophy class and it was so good. I don't know why people don't enjoy my Professor, I'm so enthralled with the subject material that I find everything he says fascinating. I don't participate this much in my other classes, and I'm hoping by the end of the year Professor Harvey and I will have a relationship where I can continue to talk to him about some of these texts we're delving into.

Tonight, Vera was supposed to come to clean my apartment and so I came home from school and cleaned up a bit beforehand. I know, sounds counterintutive. Who the heck cleans before the cleaning lady comes? To be honest, all I do is make sure nothing is cluttered so she can do the heavy duty tasks such as washing down my bathroom and the floors.

Anyway, it's already 10:30 p.m. and I'm wiped. I have a busy day tomorrow so I'm going to get to bed. Song of the day is Side by Travis.

Good night!

Class Cancelled!

I'm having a very Dazed and Confused morning. I should probably start with last night to put everyone into the right frame for this morning. So, I took a cab from Tel Aviv to Modiin for my eye Dr.'s appointment. My cab driver waited downstairs to take me back because I knew that I was going to have my eyes dialated last night, and I have to say it was the smartest thing I ever did. First of all, Dr. Fischer was really terrific. I showed up wearing my Einstein sweatshirt and he was very excited to see the emblem. He is an alum of the medical school, which immediately put me at ease. I'm a big fan of Einstein trained physicians. Nevertheless, he did a really thorough eye exam and gave me the good news I was looking to hear! That being said, the dialation was pretty brutal and I forgot to bring my sunglasses.

My pupils get so enlarged, that all you can see is a sliver of army green rims around large pools of blackness. The problem was when I tried to get out of the building. Since I had the last appointment, they actually locked the front door and I couldn't find anyone to guide me out. Finally, I went into a random office and this woman led me out of the building through the side entrance (and through a couple of darkened rooms). Of course, once outside, I literally stumbled to the car since there were no lights to lead me around the side of the building. Next time, I make the appointment during the day!

By the time I got to bed at 1:30 a.m., my pupils were barely shrunken, so I just went to bed and hoped all would be back to normal this morning. Well, my eyes were fine, but severly bloodshot. Hence, the Dazed and Confused morning. Anyway, I had so much on my schedule for this morning that I didn't get my usual 45 minute snooze in. I jumped out of bed and set up my computer to immediately start working on editing a story for one of my classmates. I logged into my e-mail though to see if anyone from home sent me a note, and that's when I saw that class today was cancelled. Sadly, Bret threw out his back in Turkey last week and he's laid up in bed in Jerusalem and couldn't make it to school. That means I have to put off camping in front of his office for another week. I was also pretty bummed because I did all my homework for class today, and was really looking forward to workshopping the stories.

The upside was that I didn't get out of my PJ's until 11:30 when I met Tamar from class for coffee. We actually both don't drink coffee and she ordered me this interesting drink that had the consistency of oatmeal. I don't remember the name of the drink though, I have to ask her tomorrow in class, but everyone who knows me and knows I can't stand oatmeal won't be surprised that I barely drank my drink. I came home instead and made myself some tea :)

Yesterday was another busy phone day. I got to catch up with The Dude, who made a request that I stop referencing him on the blog since he doesn't read it and gets weirded out when other people talk to him about things I'm writing (about him). So, from here on out, I'm going to limit all of my Dude writing. That, or he'll just have to start reading the blog! I also got to speak to both of my nieces this week and they are soo cute! One niece has discovered money and kept asking my sister for more cash, while my other niece sang me the A,B,C's, Twinkle, Twinkle and then spent the rest of the time just heavy breathing on the phone. It was really cute, she was really listening to me when I was talking to her! I hope that she'll at least recognize my voice when I finally see her in a few weeks!

So, I think there is a stray dog that hangs out in front of my building because I keep seeing him when I'm coming and going. The dog is very sweet and comes up to me and I want to do something because I think he's hungry. The problem is that I'm not sure what to feed a hungry dog. For some reason, I just don't think the dog is going to want fruit salad or pita. Should I go out and buy a bag of dog food for the next time I see him? I think I might try to find an ASPCA type of organization here in Israel that will take care of the dog, or at least put him in a kennel so that he can be adopted. I have to do some research cause I'm not calling a pound type of place that would put the dog to sleep, he's really sweet!

Anyway, I have to go get ready for tonight. I'm heading back to Jerusalem for dinner and am aiming to get the 3:00 p.m. bus out of Tel Aviv.

Song of the day is Molly's Chambers by Kings of Leon, a great group of Southern brothers (with one cousin) who really know how to rock! I highly recommend their Sophomore album.

Double O's

So much has happened since Thursday, and I feel just terrible about not blogging sooner! I'm going to try to do this blog justice for having neglected writing for three days, but forgive me if I don't write it all down.

First of all, thank g-d I got a new modem because its been a very phone heavy weekend! My VOIP was waiting for me as soon as my cable company fixed my problem. It was great knowing that my Ceasar at US Voicelink would be there to help me if I needed it. Fortunately, it was working as soon as my new modem booted up!

Friday was very hectic, getting ready for Shabbos and getting to Jerusalem before sundown. Since Shabbos comes in so early, I had to leave Tel Aviv by 1:00! Since I cooked for the meal on Shabbos day (which I'll get to in a second), I ended up spending 270 shekel and taking a cab door-to-door. It was worth it, there was no way I could have taken all my stuff on the bus. It was great to be back in Jerusalem for another weekend, I haven't spend Shabbos there since my parents visited back in October. The weather was beautiful but very cold, made me wish I had my winter coat, although I did layer up nicely underneath my leather jacket.

Shabbos lunch was my very first singles meal in Katamon. Basically, it was pretty much like my singles meals here in Tel Aviv although the conversation was much, much tamer. I made a taco salad, cauliflower kugel, orzo with grilled vegetables and pine nuts and Shulamit's blondies for dessert. We were 6 all together and there was plenty of food. Since Shabbos also ends so early, it didn't make sense to nap Shabbos day, so I ended up on a walking tour of the neighborhood. Ya gotta love the hills of Jerusalem, I definitely burnt off my lunch!

Saturday night we hung out in Jerusalem, grabbed a quick dinner of soup in Baka, and then went to see the new Bond flick. We had purchased our tickets in advance on Friday, and so we went to the theatre a few minutes early and waited online. I should correct myself though since it wasn't a line but rather a horde of pushy people waiting for the doors to open. Here's what I don't understand. We all had tickets and, in Israel, each ticket comes with an assigned seat. So, it wasn't like we needed to push in order to be first into the theatre to claim good seats because we all already had seats. At one point, this guy behind really started shoveing. So, I turned around and gave him my famous you have got to be kidding me with the pushing stare. He started talking to me in Hebrew and, rather than try to concentrate on what he was saying, I responded in English with: I have absolutely no idea what you just said to me. The 20something kid switched to perfect English and said that the reason he was pushing is because he had already been in the theatre and wanted to get back in, as opposed to having to wait in line like all of us new moviegoers. So, I told him that a polite "excuse me" would have been just as effective as the shove. At which point, they opened the door and the herde stampeded. Thankfully, I managed to get through at the front of the pack and sidestep the crowd so I wouldn't get bowled over.

Sadly, the movie was pretty disappointing. Eventhough Cousin Neil loved the film and tried to defend it last night, partly because he thought the female lead (aka the latest Bond girl) was extremely hot, I still wasn't swayed. Who the heck wrote that dialogue? The conversations between falling-in-love Bond and the heroine-who-turned-out-to-be-villian Bond girl was terribly cliched. I groaned a couple of times when Bond said lines you wouldn't feed to a love struck monkey. Speaking of monkeys, the first full on action scene had the bad guy chased buy Bond moving with ape-like precision. What happened to attempts at reality?

Yesterday I basically took it easy as I'm coming down with a cold. Since I have a ton of homework to do for tomorrow and Wednesday, I took the opportunity to be productive. That is, until it was early enough in the States to start making my calls. Unfortunately, I ended up calling some people too early (sorry Marns!!!) but most of the folks I chatted with were happy I just didn't call during the foodball game.

It's already 4:00 p.m. and I had a great Nyquill induced sleep (thank you again Hannah for the cherry elixor!). Since I have a short story exercise due for class tomorrow, I spent majority of the morning writing. I have to leave here in a couple of hours to make my way to Modiin for my first Dr.'s appointment in country. The eye Dr. I'm going to comes highly recommended, and he is a native English speaker which makes things a bit more comforting for me. I also went fruit and vegetable shopping because, once again, my fridge is bare. The melons I picked were really sweet and, as I made a big bowl of fruit salad for the week, I patted myself on the back for successfully using my Dad's method for picking good fruit (thanks Dad!!).

I'm off to read the introduction to The Guide to the Perplexed. I hope everyone whose at work is having a good Monday! Song of the day is Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne from the Eragon soundtrack. I never purchased an Avril Lavigne song, but this is a pretty good tune from pop-rock princess.

Back in Business!

I'm too tired to go scrounging around the web for a blog appropriate pic, so you'll have to just do with the words.

So much has been going on and I am dog tired people. Like, feel it in my bones exhausted. The trek to and from school really takes a lot out of me. It's rough but my classes are worth it. I'm really enjoying school, especially the Jewish philosophy class.

On Wednesday, I didn't let Professor Harvey gloss over the comment Rav Saadia Gaon made about women not having apptitude for speculation. He evaded the topic for a while, going off topic to discuss a different negative view about a minority, before mapping back to women. His comment was that essentially, because women weren't educated therefore they couldn't understand these books. So, I asked a follow up question. If would seem to me that, since these great Rabbi's were tackling such topics to help explain what's going on in the world and to make sure that people didn't stray from Judaism, that they would want to educate women (especially given the woman's role in child rearing). Professor Harvey said it was a good question but one he would like to tackle later on in the course.

A couple of girls from the class came over to me afterwards to thank me for my question. Tamara thought it was great that I had "admirers". I told her that I have no interest in being the Rosie the Riveter icon for women issues but I would really like to understand why the Bais Yaacov movement took such a long time to be established. Seriously, why weren't women's education a priority during Medieval times?

The Opera last night was simply amazing! We sat front row, center, and right behind the conductor. He sweated so much during the performance, I was worried I might need a towel but fortunately, it just ran down his face and didn't hit anyone sitting behind him. The costumes were incredible and talk about voices! Ann McMahon Quintero was brilliant in her role, and her costume was really elaborate! We went backstage after the performance to pick Ann up and drive her home, and of course to get my autograph! I picked up the Armide playbill (what do you call it for the opera?) and asked Ann for her autograph. Ebay folks, I will one day sell it on Ebay and it will be worth a lot of money!

Today was really, really busy! I had to do laundry and so that took a nice chunk out of my morning. While I was loading up the wash, in walked the conductor from the Opera! I almost didn't recognize him and then, when I wanted to thank him for a brilliant evening, I got the hiccups so I couldn't speak. Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be! I came back and folded everything and put it away before meeting Lana for lunch. After lunch, I ran some errands. I'm going to be in Jerusalem for the weekend and am helping cook for my meal on Shabbos day, so I had to run around and buy some ingredients. It was back to my apartment to cook and wait for the cable guy to come and fix my modem.

I'm BACK online folks! That's right, my VOIP is working once again! Woohoo, call away people! I'm actually in the middle of wrapping up a project for a client, but then I'll be around to chat. Don't call too late though, I have an even busier day tomorrow and I want to get some sleep.

Time to get back to work! Song of the day is The Show Must Go On by Queen. Not sure why, just in the mood for some Freddy Mercury.

Murphy Strikes

Ah, good ol' Murphy, always striking when you really don't want 'em to. After a pretty emotional day yesterday, between my short story getting workshopped in class and my visit to the Kotel last night, I really needed to phone home last night Guess what? VOIP is not working! If I had to hazzard a guess, I think that my "wonderful" cable company changed around some of my settings and so now I have to call them and figure out what's going on. My internet though, is working quite nicely, so at least I can e-mail the friends and family at home.

And, since we're dealing with Murphy's power today, guess who has to call TWO potential new clients back? Yeah, I got two great referrals and of course now that I'm all ready to get started on the accounts, the phone ain't working! Pretty big problem I've got on my hands and yet, I'm handling this really well. Hmmm, must mean I'm growing up :)

So, class yesterday didn't go very well. One of the women in my group, who was also getting workshopped yesterday, decided to preface the critiques with a plea for people to be brutally honest with her story. She felt that the more blunt people are, the better it would be for her. Personally, I thought it was extremely inappropriate of her to make that comment before my short story was workshopped. If she was a little bit more tactful, and less selfish, she would have waited until it was her turn before making the request. That being said, I don't think people responded any differently to my story because of her comment. In fact, on the whole, it was exactly what I had expected. So, I wasn't surprised at all.

What I was surprised about was Bret's comments. He told me that I was "ambitious" with the story. Now, usually, that wouldn't get me thinking much. However, my summer session professor said the absolute same thing on my summer short story. So now, I need some answers.

What the heck does it mean that I'm an ambitious writer? Is that their way of saying that I write over my capabilities? Perhaps they're telling me that I don't have the talent to write the way I'm aspiring to write? I have no idea, but I do plan on being parked outside Bret's office when he returns from Turkey next week, so I can understand better what the professors are telling me.

I'm excited about the rewrite though, I have some good ideas and some of the feedback was really productive, so I hope to whip this story into great shape. I want to send this out in time for September journals next year. If that's too ambitious then too bad, at least I'm driven!

Speaking of selfish, I felt really selfish at the Kotel last night. And, not because I was hogging an area of the wall or anything because at 10:30 p.m. the Kotel isn't as packed as it usually is. I felt selfish because here I was again, asking the Almighty for yet another big request. Usually, that wouldn't bother me. But, since I asked for something really big a few weeks ago, and it looks like I might actually get what I prayed for, I feel bad asking for something else! Oh well, my parents always taught me, it never hurts to ask.

And so I did.

Tonight is the big night at the Opera and I'm sooo excited!! I already know what I'm wearing and all I have to do when I get back from school is get dressed and head out. I will hopefully blog with Opera photos tomorrow!

Song of the day is Dreaming of You by The Coral.

Happy Birthday!!

Today is Holylandhipster's Dad's birthday! Happy, happy birthday Dad! Here's hoping that this year is full of good health, many simchaot, success and much happiness! Love you and miss you a ton!!

I'll update this more later, as I'm running late to meet Ann for breakfast. She mentioned that the Opera got great reviews and they're projecting sold out performances for the rest of the run. I can't wait to hear how opening night was!

I'm still waiting to hear from my friend Josh. He's in town for the week and mentioned that he might come to Tel Aviv this afternoon to get together. I've got errands and work to do, so it will be interesting to see if we can coordinate my schedule. Knowing Josh the way I know him, I think I won't be seeing him until I get back to the States in January.

Song of the day is Steady as She Goes by the Raconteurs. Because, that's the song that's currently on the radio at XFM.

Strawberries - Toot, Toot!

Apparently, we are on the cusp of strawberry season here in Israel. I am so excited! I love strawberries, I think they are my absolute favorite fruit! I managed to score a really small container of strawberries on Friday and I made Rob's famous fruit salad for breakfast this morning. I also went out and bought a tiny juicer, to use when I need to cook with lemon or lime juice. The fruit salad was yummy, I managed to pick a really sweet honeydue (ok, I'll admit it, until I opened it up this morning I thought it was a canteloupe), some good red grapes, the strawberries and a very ripe mango. I dressed it with some lime juice, honey and fresh mint and it was the perfect way to wake up this morning. And, with the sun streaming through my huge glass windows, it was heavenly. The weather in Israel today was amazing. No humidity, sun shining, warm in Tel Aviv and crisp in Jerusalem. Perfect!

I went to Jerusalem this afternoon to try to do my homework and I failed, miserably. The assignment was to basically eavesdrop on someone's conversation and record it. Word for word. When we went to the Coffee Shop on Emek Refaim, we asked for a seat next to people speaking English. The waitress looked at me like I was absolutely off my rocker and sat us right next to three Israeli couples. Yup, the entire other side of the restaurant spoke English but we were surrounded by the natives. I didn't want to really seem weird and ask to move seats and so now, I have to find a cafe in Tel Aviv tomorrow and pray that there is one table of English speakers I can listen to for the assignment.

I'm also in the hot seat on Tuesday and I'm already getting nervous. My second short story since arriving in Israel is on deck and a few classmates have already warned me to be prepared for the grilling. I can take it, especially if the comments are productive. If they aren't productive then I'll just shake 'em off.

Tuesday I'm going back to Jerusalem, after class. We get out at 2:00 p.m. so I'm going to hop the bus with the Jerusalem crew from my program and make my way to the kotel. I haven't been there since my parents were in town and well, me and G-d need to have another heart to heart. I've been chatting with Him from Tel Aviv, but with this particular request I want to be in his House to make sure He can hear me. I've got important things on my mind.

At some point this week, I need to make time to do another load of laundry. With the Opera on Wednesday night, I'm thinking Thursday is going to be my earliest opportunity to get my housekeeping done. I really miss not having a laundry room in my building! It was so easy at my UWS pad, I would run down in the morning with a load, and be back upstairs and at my desk working without worrying that some homeless person was rooting through my dryer to steal some clothing (I kid you not, that apparently happens here, which is why you have to watch your stuff like a hawk).

Well, it's getting late and so I'm going to get ready for bed. Song of the day is Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zepplin. Not sure why, just in the mood for some Zep.

Timorous in Tel Aviv

I have a confession to make. I'm terror-stricken in Tel Aviv. For those who don't really follow Israel news, there is a rapist on the loose in Tel Aviv. On Friday, this monster (who has raped and sexually assaulted more than 14 women since 2003) somehow convinced the prison guards that he had a court date. While they transported him to the courthouse for this bogus court date, he managed to scale the freakin' wall and escape. All while wearing handcuffs.

Israel has launched the largest manhunt in history and, almost non stop since Friday afternoon, there have been helicopters and sirens throughout my neighborhood. Yeah, I'm a little scared. Apparently, he has been coordinating and planning this for quite some time. He is known to be in incredible shape right now and was spotten a few hours ago on Arlozorov street near the train station.

Here's some interesting facts about this entire messed up situation.

1) How the heck did he manage to convince the entire prison system of a fake court date? Apparently he showed them forged documents. Ummm, can anyone say inside job? What I don't understand is who in their right mind would help a RAPIST?

2) He was spotted on Erev Shabbos changing out of his prison issued brown pants and into a pair of jeans. Anyone else wonder where he got the jeans from?

3) Apparently, he was sighted a few blocks from his mother's apartment. Seriously now folks, does no one in Israel watch American crime TV programs? The first place you stake out is the family! Why weren't there unmarked vehicles sitting in front and in the back of his mother's apartment?

So, I ate Friday night dinner at Lana's and right before I hopped into the shower, she called a little nervous. I felt the same way so I quickly got dressed, skipped any makeup, lit candles and ran to her apartment while it was still light out. Fortunately for her, Aussie Gayle decided to spend the night so she wasn't alone. Me, no such luck. The meal was actually a lot of fun, I got to meet a couple of new people and hang out with some of the familiar faces. After dinner, I asked Aussie Benjy to walk me home and then check out my apartment to make sure it was all clear. Normally, I wouldn't have been that ridiculous but I didn't leave any lights on but my bathroom and I just wanted someone else there when I walked through the place. He was so nice and came up and inspected the apartment to make sure it was all clear and then listened as I locked the door behind him.

The ONE night Itai decides not to come home had to have been last night, right?

I didn't sleep very well last night, again, between the helicopters and the sirens I was pretty amped up. The neighborhood kids were having a party so I heard a lot of screaming until Midnight, and that definitely didn't help my precarious state. I ended up just relaxing today and catching up on some good reading for school.

Man, I hope they catch this guy soon! In the meantime, a friend of mine mentioned picking me up a bottle of Mace/pepper spray and I gave him the go-ahead to do that. In the interim, I'm going to e-mail Slight Mad for some safety pointers. Sadly, she has a lot of experience working with rape victims.

I hope everyone else had a much lighter and happier Shabbos!

Song of the night is Son of Sam by Elliott Smith.

Thanksgiving Wedding

Before I recap my Thanksgiving wedding last night, I need to vent my frustrations with Itai. Here's the situation. Remember when I blogged a few days ago about the leak in my ceiling? Well, the contractor came and fixed the leak, but now he has to come and actually paint over the stains. Itai e-mailed me on Wednesday to say that the guy was coming at Noon on Friday to do work in the apartment. So, naturally, I planned my day accordingly. That meant, I wasn't able to go and meet my friends for coffee this morning and that I had to wake up early and run my errands so I could be home later. When he hadn't shown up by 12:15, I called Itai only to discover that the contractor told HIM that he was running late and probably won't be here before 1:00 p.m. So, I asked Itai how come he didn't tell me about the delay because then I would have planned around it. Of course, he got ALL defensive and turned it around on me. Saying how that the handyman can come at 1:15, he doesn't have to be so prompt and he also didn't know and was waiting for him and only NOW decided to go out and hit the supermarket himself.

Then it was time for the guilt and how, he is doing the best he can to fix MY problems. How is this my problem? I don't own this apartment and the leak is fixed, it's just aesthetic at this point. Why is it so difficult for him to try to work with me here and be considerate of my schedule? Why is it ALWAYS when it works for him?

He is really frustrating to live with. Honestly, he is absolutely never, ever in the wrong and he has an answer for everything! And, somehow, I'm always the wrong one for even ASKING him to be more courteous. Well, I refused to let him end the call with me feeling bad for him being inconsiderated and I basically told him that IN THE FUTURE, he needs to please call me and let me know if there is a time change. And then I told him I had his money and hung up. I'm sure he'll be knocking at my door soon for his money.

OK, back to last night. The wedding was absolutely lovely. I had a great time. It was so nice to spend the evening with the Gittlers and Levenson families. Before I go recap the entire eveing from the beginning, I have something else to write.

FIrst of all, I'm fine. B"H, I am ok. But, I was in a minor car accident last night on the way to the wedding in B'nei Brak. We were on Jabotinsky street heading to Ahronovtich when we were rear ended by this guy who was going way too fast! Fortunately, my cab driver was really calm and he got out of the cab and they basically inspected the damage and exchanged information. No cops were called and we only blocked traffic for a bit. Thankfully, I always wear a seat belt when I'm in a car, regardless of where I'm sitting (front vs. back seat). So that was my excitement leading up to the wedding.

Now, on to the affair itself. I hadn't realized that the Chuppah was actually outdoors. The hall has an atrium where they had the badekin and Chuppah and I was absolutely freezing for the Chuppah. At first, I just assumed the hall had some hard core air conditioning and I was wondering how people knew to bring coats, but then someone pointed out to me that there was no roof over the Chupah. Pretty interesting.

So, there were a lot of differences in my first Israeli wedding! First of all, there was no procession. The only people who walked down the aisle to the Chupah were the bride and groom being escorted by their parents. No one else. Then, Netanel's (groom) Rabbi switched the order of what took place underneath the Chuppah. They actually sang Im Eskachch Yerushalayim (If I forget Jerusalem) and Netanel broke the glass before the Sheva Brachot. I asked Gila (groom's sister) about the switch and she said because it's such a solemn moment, and in most weddings people start clapping and celebrating right after the breaking of the glass which defeats the purpose of the solemnity of the moment, they put it in the middle so that everyone can really feel the sadness before the celebration. I actually thought that made tremendous sense, even if it wasn't what I'm used to. Also, the bride and groom both actually signed the Ketubah underneath the Chupah. That was different for me too as I'm used to that taking place before the Badekin. After that, the Rabbi called all of the people saying each Bracha to the Chupah so that they could say all of the 7 Brachot without pausing for people to come up to the stage. The Rabbi also told the band not to play in between each of the Brachot. Again, I thought that was very interesting. And then, after the last bracha was uttered, the band started and the friends went wild. It was one of the most laybadik weddings I've been to in a long time.

Ahh, the energy of youth :) That's what happens when two 20 year olds get married. There is just tons of energy and excitement in the air. Loads of dancing and some really cool shtick! Netanel's friends were really great. It was a really wonderful evening, especially since I was a little lonely not being at home for Thanksgiving dinner. I spoke to the whole family though, but it's not the same as actually being around the table with everyone.

Today has been pretty low-key. I ran to the supermarket to pick up a couple of things for the weekend. I'm eating both meals at Lana's, so that is a real treat for me. All I have to do is select a bottle of wine from my arsenal and bring it tonight as a thank you. Lana wouldn't let me make anything for her, so I am relegated to just bringing the wine.

And now, I'm still waiting for the contractor to come to paint my ceiling and for it to turn 7:00 a.m. in the States so I can call the folks and wish them a very Good Shabbos.

Song of the day is Playground Love by Air and off of the Virgin Suicides DVD.

Shabbat Shalom!