Will Blog for Food

Yehuda posted such an amazing comment on my London blog, that I had to check out what he's been writing. And, while visiting his 2nd blog, I read his post about getting paid to blog. That's EXACTLY what I've been trying to do. And, he has some amazing recommendations on how to get started. So, I'm creating a Product of the Day portion of my daily posts. This will be dedicated to all of the products that I love and wish I could get here in the Holy Land. Perhaps, someone over at some of the CPG's in Nebraska or the folks at General Mills and Procter and Gamble, will read my stuff and hire me to do some blog marketing for them. Ironically, PR and marketing is actually what I really do.

(Cue fanfare)

Produt of the Day


Israeli's NEED the Swiffer and I mean, yesterday. Here we are trying to wield this archaic, clumsy sponga stick, when you can easily clean your beautiful marble and stone floors with the swiffer. I actually will admit that I brought a swiffer with me to Israel, and even packed away four packages of the dry sheets. However, the wet sheets I brought soaked through in my suitcase and actually ruined one of my shirts. That was pretty sad, and I was more upset that I had to toss the sheets than throw away a new shirt! That's how much I love and miss my swiffer wet cloths. If it were up to me, I would import them to Israel ASAP! Can you imagine, how much cleaner my apartment would be if I only had the Swiffer Wet Jet? It was too late for me to buy one when I lived on the Upper West Side, because the product came out after I decided to make Aliyah, and believe me when I say that I was upset that I missed out on getting that product. When I had a rug on the Upper West Side, I would buy the swiffer carpet cloths but didn't have a chance to get the stick that goes with the cloths. So, and I kid you not, I would spend a few minutes on my hands and knees just pressing the cloths to the carpet. It worked great and I was just about to buy the carpet stick when, yeah, you guessed it - I decided to move to Israel.

Not convinced Mr. Procter and Gamble? Well, here's some stats that someone should really corroborate (hire me, I'll do the research for you so you do all your due diligence before making the decision to sell Swiffer in Israel!)

1) Israeli homes are 95% carpet free. Occassionally, someone will buy a nice Oriental or Persian rug, but because of all of the dust storms (we are living in the desert) it's easier to keep the house clean without a rug. The people I know who have a rug, usually roll it up in the corner and only break it out when fancy company comes to town.

2) Israeli's are a busy people, and many don't have time to clean. Most people hate cleaning, but really want their house to sparkle. Do you realize how much work it takes to do sponga in this Country? You need to fill up the bucket, drop in the cloths to soak (and, mind you, they get dirty after you wash one room and so essentially you are pushing dirt around on a rag when you get to the other rooms), squeeze the cloth out, push it around on a stick (and it doesn't exactly stay in place, and I know, cause I bought one of those super sponga's that have a mechanism to keep the rag in place and it STILL doesn't work for me) and then repeat for all the rooms in your home. This includes the bathroom and the balcony's! Think about ease of use, and the time saving factor, the Swiffer would have on Israeli culture. Personally, I think if you brought the swiffer to Israel, there would be a lot less road rage. That's why they're always accidents on the road! It's cause these people are pissed they have to come home, after a busy day working, to sponga their house!

3) Many Israeli's don't own a vacumn cleaner. No reason to, when all they need is a broom and a sponga!

4) Israel has some great advertising agencies who can pull together a great TV/Radio and print campaign for your product, which would sell out in no-time! And, I don't represent or work with any of Israel's advertising agencies, but I'm an avid TV watcher and can tell you that some of these ads make me run out and buy products. Well, except for that one about being 4 already and the pudding. That ads just annoying, and since I can't remember the name of the pudding, isn't that effective. No brand recall (I used to work with a company called the Intermedia Advertising Group, which monitors the effectiveness of advertising, and I know what I'm talking about in terms of brand recall)

So, that's it, that's pretty much my pitch and plea to the folks over at Procter and Gamble to PLEASE bring the Swiffer to Israel. Not only will you be making my job easier, but you'll be saving lives!

Ikea

Yesterday, I spent the entire day with my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law shopping for stuff at Ikea. Now, I've never been to Ikea in my entire life. I'm the girl who furnished my Upper West Side apartment shopping at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, West Elm and Sleepy's (for the bed, of course). Ikea just never entered my mind, I hated thinking that my apartment was going to look like everyone elses.

But, in Israel, Ikea is really a great, cheaper option to get decent and modern furniture at affordable prices. And, since it's all the way out in Netanya, you have to really plan to be there an entire day. We each came with lists and, for us, measurements. Unfortunately, when I found exactly what I wanted for the wall unit in the living room, I was dismayed because they didn't have all of the piece in stock. In fact, they had about 40% of their inventory and lord knows why that happened. My friend Tamara said that, as soon as a new catalogue goes out in Israel, they sell out in a few days. And, a new catalogue went out a few weeks ago.

Nevertheless, I did manage to pick up some of the stuff on our list, but sadly none of the furniture I was hoping to get. These is a basic of what I wanted for the living room:



Except, the one I "built myself" had two shelving units over the sliding doors for the TV. The best part of this unit is that I still have space in the corner of the apartment for more book shelves and this gives us a nice area for books as well. I think it would be a great fit. Plus, the color is perfect and matches the furniture in the house.

What I did manage to pick up included: a bathroom mat that I'm using as a mat in the kitchen, because I always spill water on the floor and am tired of having to sponga every time I wash dishes, two pots because we only have one. I bought a parve pasta pot and a milchig pot, so now P"G after we take everything to the mikvah, we'll be able to make Buggy his mac n' cheese. I got two collapsable dish racks because the ones I have now are getting really grungy. I got 4 candle holders, just so that I can light candles around the house without worrying that wax will drip every where. I bought a turkey roasting pan, because Thanksgiving is a few weeks away and I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 23 people! (I know, I'm nuts, but I can't wait!). I got two really pretty bedside lamps because we've been using the Shabbos lamp and I'm going blind trying to read in bed at night with the tiny sliver of light that emenates from Buggy's side of the bed. The lamps are super cute, with red hats, to infuse some color into our otherwise black and white bedroom. I also got a package of white napkins that were really cheap and that Buggy and I will go through quite quickly. 4 lightbulbs later and I was done! My SIL did very well, racking up about 1300 shekel worth of goods, while my MIL picked up the least but the dog will be happy because she got her a new bowl.

We drove home at twilight and it took us 1 1/2 hours to get back, which was great because surprisingly there was absolutely no traffic on the #1. There as an insane amount thought of traffic leaving Jerusalem, and we couldn't figure out where that was coming from. I pitied everyone who was stuck in their cars, especially the ones that had to go to the bathroom.

I got home and Buggy and I barely said two words to each other as I got ready for the rest of our evening. Last night was Kotel night as Buggy and I have a lot of praying to do. So, since we haven't been to the Kotel in almost 8 months, we decided last night was really important to go. It was great because there weren't that many people there, and it wasn't too cold, so we were able to pray comfortably. Buggy is super smart, he emptied out my puska before we left, and so we had money to give out at the Kotel. I'm really glad he did that because we both got completely mobbed when we got to the Kotel. Buggy got it worse than me, and since he was dressed like a typical American, he got it much worse. I told him he looked like Seinfeld with the jeans and sneakers, but when you have to walk back up the drive from the Dung Gate, you want to be wearing comfortable footware. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, some Chossid ask Buggy for money while he was in the middle of Maariv, and when he responded to the man in Hebrew he apologized for asking an Israeli for money. I was shocked. What? Israeli's don't give Tzedaka? Just the American and Anglo tourists? Makes no sense to me at all, Buggy had money and was more than willing to give it out.

So, after the Kotel, we went to the office so I could help Buggy with his project. Basically, I needed to type up his assignment - in Hebrew. I really want to get the hang out the Hebrew keyboard, so I was happy to peck away. You would think the corresponding keys from English to Hebrew would make some sense, but yet, it really doesn't. Like, I would naturally assume that the Lamed would be on the L key. Nope, it's actually on the K key. Go figure. Either way, with both of us doing work, we got everything done quickly.

And, at this point, it's already 10:00 p.m. and I'm absolutely starving. The food court at Ikea isn't exactly Four Seasons cuisine, so I was starving. I had my heart set on the new Sushi place in Rechavia, and we called in advance and they told us that they had tables. So, we drove there and spent a few minutes looking for parking, and when we got to the restaurant there was a line out the door. I was annoyed, cause all I wanted was a few good rolls for dinner. But, Buggy was having-a-sugar-attack starving, so we decided to go to Olive and Fish on Jabotinsky. It was, as suspected, pretty empty and we got seats right away. Of course, when you're as hungry as we were, you end up ordering way too much. We both got starters, and I had the potato leek soup which wasn't so good. Buggy had the salmon carpacio, and he's still regretting it this morning. Then, we ordered some steaks and I went with the sirloin medium to well done, while Buggy got his filet rare. I don't understand how he can eat rare meat but he absolutely loves it. Personally, anything that looks like it can still jump off the table and start grazing, is just not my thing. And of course, I wasn't pleased with how my meat was cooked. It was cooked medium to rare for my taste, way too bloody in the middle. Buggy told me to send it back and have them recook it, but I'm not into sending back food. Honestly, I know way too many people who have worked in the restaurant business and sending back food is a big no-no. No thanks, I'd rather bring my dinner home and have Buggy eat is as left overs during the week. We settled up the bill and then Buggy let me drive home, which was amazing. It took all my energy not to keep on driving and to stop when we got to the apartment, but then again, we had our typical 6:45 a.m. wake up call and I knew we had to get to bed.

Today is going to be a completely lazy day for me. I'm staying close to the phone cause there's some stuff happening back home that I'm going to need updating about. Fortunately, my husband loves me and he knew that I was going to be in the house today, and he rented The Transformers movie that I never got to see this past summer. I love him, that was really sweet and thoughtful.

Well, the kids are screaming next door at Gan so I think going back to sleep this morning just ain't happening. Might as well get up and get started on the movie. Till tomorrow!

PS. Yup, strike is still going on. Oh, and don't think I don't know that the Prime Minister has prostate cancer. When Buggy and I heard they were going to have a press conference to talk about his new "condition", we bet over what disease he had. I called it at prostate cancer, so I got to order dessert last night. The lemon pie was YUMMY! And, I wish Olmert a very speedy recovery.

London Baby!

We did it! This afternoon, we officially booked our trip to London and I am soo excited! I've never been, and I just can't wait to see all of the things I want to see. Granted, with 4 days and 1 1/2 being Shabbos, we probably won't be able to see too much of London, but I'm just so excited that we're going! I want to go see Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the Tate Modern Museaum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods, the changing of guard and Soho! Plus, the weather should be nice and crisp and hopefully not too rainy, so that should be a treat. I'm looking forward to wearing a jacket again! Once the laundry is done, I'm hoping to go to Emek to the Steimatzky and look for a travel book on London. This way, we can really plan what we want to do to maximize our short trip.

Shabbos was really nice and much busier than normal. We went to the Yael shul on Friday night and it was packed. The davening was really nice too, I especially liked the little boy who davened Kabalat Shabbos. He had a very sweet voice. We got back to the apartment and my culinary guniea pig went to work on the broccoli soup (delicious!) and curry chicken (also very good) with spicy asian string beans. We went to sleep fairly early and, for some reason, I got up at 2:00 and couldn't fall back to sleep so I read my book until 4:00. I think I was just really hot and it took about 2 hours for me to relax again.

We didn't make it to shul so Buggy davened at home and we made kiddush here and had something quick to eat. We then walked to his folks for lunch and this time, we made the mistake of walking up Marcus. That hill is absolutely evil! It is super, super steep and at one point I just couldn't catch my breath. Buggy throught it was cute that I was sweating, but I was not happy that I'm so out of shape. People must be able to walk up those hills without breaking a sweat, and Buggy himself didn't have too much of a hard time. Anyway, by the time we got to his parents house I looked like a wet dog and I immediately went to the bathroom to try to mop up. It was gross.

Lunch was very nice, Buggy's Aunts, Uncles and cousins were there too so it was a very lively meal. We walked home and it was gorgeous, the weather was nice and cool and who doesn't like walking downhill? We got home and went to sleep, even though shabbos ended in 1 1/2 hours.

We got up 5 minutes before Shabbos was out and I was already going through all the things I needed to do that evening. Buggy's BFF's were coming for dinner and a movie and I had to cook and make things presentable. Fortunately, Buggy was super man and totally pitched in. First, I washed all the dishes from Shabbos and put them away, then we set the table and swept. I shipped Buggy out with the trash and accumulated newspapers, and then I got to work on dinner. I was making tuna croques, whole wheat spaghetti with pasta sauce and a purple cabbage salad. We both also had to shower, and they were coming at 7:30! So, I went into high gear and enlisted Buggy's help on the salad. He hated peeling so I let the patties fry and peeled the 2 cucumbers for him. I also set up the snack table for the movie, with some apple muffins I baked before Shabbos, pretzels, grapes and some popcorn. With Buggy working so meticulously next to me, we were moving along at a steady pace. That is, until I caught my elbow in the salad bowl and tipped the whole thing over on the counter and my foot and the floor. I kept waiting for Buggy to yell at me for ruining everything he worked so hard on for the past 30 minutes, but he was Mr. calm. So, I decided to yell at myself since that's the response I'm used to, and Buggy thought I was a bit crazy. We managed to salvage about half the bowl of salad, so all wasn't completely wasted, and Buggy cleaned up the floor while I ran into the shower.

We had a fantastic time with his friends, who announced to us that they're having another baby in April! Their oldest will be 1 on February 4th, and she is adorable. They put her to sleep in on bed and Buggy was nesting, and kept going in to check on her to make sure she was okay. She was so sweet, and fell asleep right away. Unfortunately, the movie we rented wasn't as good, eventhough I absolutely loved the book The Bridge to Terebithia as a child. Buggy's friends thought it was the most depressing movie they had seen, but since the food was good and so was the pineapple I broke out for dessert, they forgave us and promised to come back and visit.

Today, we got a late start on the day and I'm basically being a domesticated woman all day. I've got two loads of laundry up and have been cleaning and washing dishes. We're going to watch another movie soon, and then I'm going to get out of the house to run a quick errand. Tomorrow, I'm going to Ikea in Netanya with Buggy's Mom, so I'm really excited about that! We definitely need some stuff in the apartment, and hopefully we'll be successful.

Before I forget, Happy Birthday Galit! Welcome to the wonderful world of 3! We hope your princess party today is a big hit and can't wait to see the pictures!

Baffled in Baka

Just call me baffled in Baka, cause what happened this morning and over the past few days makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I guess I should fill you in on our cleaning lady saga. So, our cleaning lady is Buggy's family cleaning lady. We inherited a slot in her weekly schedule when Buggy's brother and his family moved to London after the wedding. Well, our cleaning lady has always been very thorough, very good, cleaner. However, after cleaning for us once back in September, she stopped because of Ramadan. She never called us. Didn't return our calls either. And for an entire month, I had no idea where she was and when she was coming back. It was very frustrating as our apartment can get a little grimy and I'm not so familiar with the sponga stick.

Well, here's where things get interesting. She finally returned to us last week, at our usual time, and then when it came time for me to pay her and I asked for 10 shekel change, she informed me that she raised the price from 140 shekel to 150 shekel. Well, I was absolutely shocked because when she came to work with us, she told me her price was 140 shekel, which is 20 shekel more than she charges the rest of Buggy's family. We assumed she did this because we were a new couple, and she could raise the prices before she came to work with us, and so I swallowed whatever unhappiness I was with the price and let her continue because she was very good and also trustworthy.

So, back to last week, and me asking her where the inflation came from. She said it was just something she decided to do across the board. I asked if she was going to implement the same policy with my in-laws and sister-in-law, and she insisted she was, so I paid her. And then, I told Buggy to please fire her because I was so annoyed with her tactics. I felt like she was taking advantage, and that she saw me as some "wealthy American" so she could price gouge us.

However, before Buggy could tell her that we didn't want her to come anymore, she worked with my sister-in-law and informed my brother-in-law that she no longer wanted to work with us. She claimed the reason was because I asked her to sweep the front walk by the apartment (it gets filthy and we don't have a vaad baayit, so we need to clean the stairs and walkway ourselves). I was shocked because she never mentioned to me that she didn't want to clean that area and perhaps, had I known, I wouldn't have asked her to do it. No matter. I was livid at this point. I couldn't believe what was happening. Here she was dumping US? WTF?

I spent the week picking fights with my husband because the situation really angered me. She embarressed me in front of my in-laws, because she dumped us and made it seem like I treated her badly. So, I was upset because I was really embarressed. And, I was hurt because my in-laws didn't really seem to care about how she treated us. They just basicalled said it wasn't a good fit, and moved on. I guess I had unrealistic expectations. Here I thought, the whole family would rally around us because this woman was clearly crazy, and everyone would just dump her for treating us badly. Instead, they just continued on as if nothing had happened. I kept thinking that my own family would have certainly dumped her if this happened, and the comparisons abounded in my head and just fueled my anger.

Yesterday, my anger really drew to a head and Buggy and I had an explosive fight. Doors slammed, I stormed out, it was an absolute disaster. I ended up on a bench on Derech Beit Lechem with a pack of cigarettes, just trying to relax. Marriage is not hard, it's communicating within the marriage that's difficult. I finished running my errands, I stormed out because I was in the middle of buying food for Shabbos not because I was pissed, and I got back to the apartment and we talked things through. That's really good. At least we're able to talk things through, even if we have a lot of miscommunications. I decided to just get over the cleaning lady situation and move on, and Buggy seemed relieved. We went about the rest of our evening, which I'll write about in a minute, and then came home and went to sleep.

This Morning, Buggy gets an SMS from his Mom at 7:20 saying that our cleaning lady was going to show up today. He didn't wake me, a good thing, and he just ignored it and went back to bed. Sure enough, our doorbell rang at 8:00 a.m. and there she was, waiting for us. Buggy told me that I had to talk to her and I just said, hells no. Tell her to go away. Well, Buggy is much nicer than me. Much, much nicer than me. And, he tried to explain what happened. He mentioned what she had told our brother-in-law, and she denied saying it in the first place. Then, Buggy basically said that we were sleeping and we weren't interested in having her clean the apartment. I mean, I wielded the sponga stick myself yesterday so the apartment is clean for Shabbos! Buggy called his Mom, who said she actually wanted her to come to her apartment today to clean and that she was going to come and pick her up. The cleaning lady said she would wait in front of the house for my MIL. And then, before Buggy came back into the apartment, she asked if she was still coming to us next week at 1:00 p.m.

Let her come. I relish the opportunity to tell her, very nicely, that I don't work with price gougers and I can't afford 150 shekel a week. Honestly. We cannot afford it! That's 600 shekel a month! Which translates into $150 a month. Multiple that by 12 and, well, that's a nice chunk of change I cannot afford to part with since BOTH of us are full time students. Well, at least Buggy is, lord knows what is going on with Bar Ilan. I'm soo fed up at this point. And, since we both just booked tickets to London in 2 weeks, I just know that that's the week school is going to start for me and I'll be all aggravated because they ruined our vacation.

But, I digress. B"H, things with me and Buggy are better. Today is a brand new day, a new morning, a new chapter in our lives. Hopefully, we will be learning from our experiences and try to communicate better with each other. I am really much to blame for our fighting as I have an explosive temper some times, so my goal for this year is to try to reign that in as much as possible.

Last night, we drove to Tel Aviv so I could wrap things up with my old landlord. She had my mail from August with her, and it was much less than I had initially thought. But, it was so nice to be back in Tel Aviv and to recognize my old neighborhood. We actually had to go back to my old apartment because there was more mail waiting for me there, and now I have to figure out why the post office isn't forwarding my mail like they are supposed to. After the apartment, we drove to Buggy's Aunt near HaBimah and had dinner with her. She made a really nice bean soup, which was very healthy and extremely filling, and we spent a few hours there. We drove back to Jerusalem after Midnight and I fell into bed.

But, before I went to sleep, I called to speak to my almost 3 year old niece in Cleveland who arrived at a milestone yesterday! For the first time, she put on a pair of socks all by herself. I can't believe the nieces and nephews are growing up so fast! And I love talking to her! She is so coherent and fun, pretty soon we'll be having intellectual conversations!

Well, it's already 9:00 and I should probably go and start cooking for Shabbos. Fortunately, we are only eating here tonight and eating out at Buggy's parents on Shabbos day. That should be good as I could really use the walk on Shabbos. It's all uphill from here on Saturday, but the beauty is the downhill trek after a nice lunch. I'm making new stuff for dinner tonight, even trying this broccoli soup recipe I found in one of the cookbooks I have in the house (I've got 3, this one is from Suzanne Sommers). I'm also trying this chicken curry recipe, which should be spicy and fun, and then just going tried and true with a kugel.

PS. Anyone watch CNN's documentary, Planet in Peril? I watched the first night and it really was frigtening to see some of the awful things going on in China! If you watched last night, please send me an e-mail! I want to know what they said about the melting polar ice caps. Plus, before HOT drops CNN, it was nice to watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper one last time. Can you believe it? HOT is dropping CNN for Al Jazeera in English.

No words people, no words.

Shabbat Shalom!

Home Bound

I'm stuck in the house today, and tomorrow, and so I'm trying to keep myself busy. I have plenty to do, a long list actually, but absolutely no desire to do any of it. I think I would rather spend my time curled up on the couch watching the Food Network and the CNN coverage of the California wildfires. B"H tonight is yoga, at least I'll get some air and exercise before the day is done. It's terrible about the California wildfires too. I was just telling Buggy how I wanted to to San Diego because I'd heard it was just so beautiful. I just hope the fires stop soon, before more homes are demolished.

So, yesterday was quite a morning for me at Bank Hapoalim. I spent an hour and a half doing 3 little things. First of all, the guard told me to take a number when I walked in, and when I went to the machine I specified all three things I needed to do. And, sure enough, I got three different numbers. I waited on the A line first, cause that one was moving really quickly. When it was my turn, the woman looked at my stack of checks and yelled at me for being in the wrong line. I had dollar checks from the States and only 1 woman in the ENTIRE branch deals with that.

Well, guess what, that woman (Aviva was her name) was in the middle of opened up a new account for someone and I needed to wait until she was done. Did I mention that it was almost lunch time? After cooling my heels for 30 minutes, she was finally ready for me and started freaking out when she saw my checks. Apparently, you can't just deposit American checks at any branch of your bank in this country. No, you need to do it at YOUR branch. Well, she had to call over to the other branch to get permission and was she pissed. The woman could not and would not sit in her chair, she was stamping stuff and throwing papers around and at one point I thought she was going to toss the stapler at me too! Well, I just took the mute tactic and sat and stared at her. The problem was that the other branch wasn't answering the phone, so she couldn't do my transaction without them. She kept telling me they weren't answering and I just stared at her. She actually got through once but then got disgusted when they put her on hold so she threw the phone down and started again. Finally, she had enough, and since I wasn't budging she actually dialed the number and then handed me the phone and told me to wait until someone picked up. She left her desk and went about her business. I have to tell you, but if I was a bank manager, I would have fired her ass for that. I could have easily played around with the computer when she walked away, and her keys were right there in plain sight too, I could have gotten into her locked box and no one would have been the wiser.

Finally, somneone on the other line picked up and Aviva ripped them a new one for making her hold. She was also eating a puffed pastry of some sort while she was screaming, so I enjoyed a pleasant phyllo dough shower of spit laced crumbs. And still, I just stared at her while she did what she needed to do. Finally, she finished and was able to enter the checks into the system. I thanked her and then told her that I needed to change my address on my other bank account. Again, she got herself into a rage because apparently, you need to ask permission from the Tel Aviv branch before you decide to move out of the City and change your address. So, she handed me a pen, photocopyed my credit card and Teudat Zehut, and had me write a letter in Hebrew requesting an address change. I have no doubt that it will not work as my written Hebrew is pretty terrible and I'm pretty sure I forgot to include Jerusalem in the address.

Then, when I told Aviva I had to pick up our new credit cards, she looked like she wanted to strangle me. The branch at this point was closed for the day and she just wanted to finish her tea and get to her other work. She sent me to one woman, who spent 15 minutes looking through credit cards and yelling at other workers to leave her alone, before everyone realized that I had to go to a different department.

I walked over to the last woman I was to meet yesterday, and she yelled at me for not coming to her first as she could have taken care of ALL of my needs. Gotta love this Country. I left 2 hours after I had arrived and was pretty proud of my behavior, especially since I really was patient and calm while everyone else around me freaked out. I've discovered that if you're patient and calm, things go much smoother. No, if I was yelling at them nothing would have gone better and I would have just wasted my breath yelling.

I walked to the fruit and vegee place on Derech Beit Lechem and picked up some stuff for dinner and came home to start cooking. Buggy's old roommate was coming for dinner and staying for a bit to help Buggy with his homework assignment. I made them some fresh baked chicken cutlets, and a purple cabbage salad that was a little salty for my taste. We had some pineapple and passion fruit for dessert and, as we were digging into the slimy goo of the passion fruit, all hell broke out in the community center next door. They were holding some sort of meeting, not exactly sure what kind but we heard someone say "Ahavat Yisrael" so I'm guessing it was a political debate. I told Buggy all I wanted to do was pull up a chair on our balcony, pop some popcorn, and watch them go at it. I love a good boxing match! Too bad all the gloves were off..

After dinner, Buggy and his old roommate went to work and I started cleaning and washing dishes. It's amazing how much time I spend over the sink. My hands are starting to show signs of dishpan hands, so I think I'm going to invest in a pair of gloves. When the roommate left, Buggy and I watched a Law and Order he taped and then we fell into bed. With Tuesdays 6:45 a.m. wake up calls, I'm pretty wiped by the end of the day.

Today, we got to sleep in a little bit and then Buggy's Mom called to invite us to lunch on Shabbos. We said yes right away and then tried to get some more sleep before the alarm went off. Buggy had class this morning, so I quickly made him his brown bag breakfast and lunch, and then helped get him out the door before I went about my day. The locksmith was supposed to come at 10 but he never showed, and then the contractor came to fix the bathroom and I almost had a heart attack when I saw home much paint was littered on the floor. We threw all of the bathroom contents onto towels on our bed in the bedroom, and since this is a 2 day job, we'll have to move them someplace else tonight before we go to sleep.

Since I'm home, I'm going to spend the day organizing. I bought three pendaflex's and I'm going to start filing things away. One pendaflex will be Buggy's, one with be mine, and one will be ours. Those will include shared bills, wedding residuals, etc. Not too exciting, I know, but sometimes you have one of these days which turn out to be quick necessary.

Can't wait till yoga tonight! I wonder how much further I'll get on my headstand!

Till tomorrow

Gossip Girl

XOXO

I'm obsessed with Josh Schwartz's Gossip Girl and thank g-d that iTunes has all of the episodes, cause it's such a wonderful guilty pleasure! I'm up to episode 4 and can't wait to carve out another hour today for another episode.

So, yesterday was another annoying day dealing with Israeli beaurocracy. We went to Misrad Hapnim, the Ministry of Interior, to change our Teudat Zehuts and passports. Thinking that all we needed was the Rabanut paper, we were completely blindsided when they told us that it couldn't be done because when I went to get my Teudat Zehut in Tel Aviv, I was supposed to bring them a letter saying that I was Jewish. Yeah, I had that letter for months, but all of my friends here told me that they didn't really need it. That the woman at the Misrad Hapnim in Tel Aviv didn't know what she was talking about. Blah blah blah. And, like a completely idiot, I listened to my friends who made Aliyah before me and supposedly knew what they were talking about.

Yeah, they didn't and so Buggy and I were screwed because I no longer had that letter. The Rabanut took the letter when they decided that I was in fact Jewish and ruled that way in our marriage case. So, we had to go back to the Rabanut to get the papers from our file. I know, why didn't I make a copy. I had meant to but then the case at the Rabanut came up and when they took it I was too shy to ask to make a copy.

I will never make that mistake ever again!

So, we had to go back to the Rabanut and sit, and wait, until they would deal with us. And folks, the Rabanut is an evil place full will very unhappy people who are waiting to get divorced. Tensions are high and no one really lkes anyone there. When we finally managed to get the documents, I told Buggy that I never, ever want to go back to that building again!

Well, then Buggy dropped me off at home and I ran some errands. Little things like picking up packages from the post office and food shopping. We purchased a moldy 5% cheese cake for Kiddush on Shabbos from the Cafe Neeman at the gas station on Pierre Koenig street and I felt terrible becaue Buggy really, really wanted it. So, I bought the ingredients and made him a cheese cake from the Kosher by Design: Short on Time cookbook. Besides my Mom's cookbook, it's really the only one that I have so I'm slowly weeding my way through it.

Then, Buggy returned and we went to Chile Street to the Macabi center so I could have hearing tests. It lasted about an hour, and that was because the computer wasn't working well, but B"H my hearing is fine. The audiologist gave me a letter to give to the ENT and then it's off to another follow up appointment. I'm just hoping these marathon Dr. visits will end and I can get on with my life. It's starting to really become a strain for us both, running from Dr. to Dr. And, while we were there, we were able to get the results of our genetic testing. B"H, it looks like everything except maybe for one, turned out completely normal. There was one thing that I had 2 strands of on my DNA, and so we're waiting for the official letter to see if Buggy needs to go and have that tested. But, B"H, for all other 11 Ashkenazi genetic diseases I was clean. Phew. That was such an amazing relief.

Well, Buggy dropped me back off at home so he could get back to the office to work and I did some baking. Then, I figured out what we were having for dinner and I just relaxed. It was nice to just chill out for a while, especially since I'm hoping to be really busy today. Aside from finishing up a project for a client, I have to do a big bank run and this time I will be doing it sans Buggy. I woke him this morning at 6:45 a.m. for his 8:00 a.m. class. Buggy needs some TLC in the morning, so I made him a breakfast sandwhich and added it to the breakfast bag I started last night. I also made him a lunch bag, and made sure he didn't forget that on his way out the door this morning. P"G, so far Buggy has lost 4 pounds since Yom Tov ended and I'd like to think it's because I am preparing his meals for him and we are trying to get more active. My weight loss, of course, it an entirely different matter. But for now, I'm pleased that at least one of us is doing well on our diets!

After the bank, I am going to do some more fruit and vegetable shopping and then I have to cook dinner as Buggy's old roomate is joining us. He is going to help Buggy with some assignment so I figured the least I could do was feed the man in appreciation.

And, as far as school is concerned, last I heard the Professors weren't even negotiating. I was really bummed that this looks like it won't end any time soon and I asked Buggy if he thought I should just completely drop out of the program. He encourages me to do whatever I want, and he will support me. But, I know that I'm going to just see it through till the end. If it's one thing my parents taught me, it's to never be a quitter. No matter how unhappy I may be.

Oh well, one more year of school won't kill me. And, at this rate, it won't even happen so I think I'll be able to tough it out.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

XOXO

Pumpkin Soup and Toads in a Hole

I managed to pull my tush out of bed really, really early on Friday morning so I could start my Shabbos cooking. First, I put up the brisket because I knew that would take the most time, and then I got to work on Buggy's Mom's pizza chicken recipe. Now, when I spoke to her in the morning, she was unsure of measurements and so I just winged it. Fortunately, when Buggy got back and saw the finished product cooling on the dining room table, he told me that it looked and smelled just like his Mom makes. Next, it was onto the shnitzel, which I baked so that it would be less caloric. After that, I moved the now cooked brisket into another pan and got working on the lacquered salmon dressing. I combined sugar, soy sauce, whiskey, ginger and garlic and cooked for a few minutes over a low flame. Then, I added some pineapple and drizzled over the salmon half of the sauce, and baked. At this point, we were running really late for Buggy's niece's birthday party, so I left him to babysit the salmon and hopped into the shower.

We made it to the birthday party just in time for them to bring out the cake, which was a wonderful Pillsbury confection, and then we got home to finish getting ready for shabbos. We still had to make the pumpkin soup and since Buggy is the Soup King, from his days studying under the auspicies of the Chef's over at Jerusalem's Sheraton Plaza hotel, we have had some amazing soups. The pumpkin soup recipe is what they serve at the Primavera restaurant and it was great! We made it together and when I say together, I mean that I did all the skut work like peeling and dicing the vegetables and preparing the chicken stock, and Buggy just manned the pot. Fortunately, it turned out really, really tasty and I was the one who got to use the blender stick to get it looking like it does above. And, the best part of the whole experience, is that I was able to freeze two whole tupperwares full so we will have plenty to serve to our next Shabbos guests.

We went to bed fairly early and had a really relaxing Shabbos. We tryed out the Yael shul, which was really nice, and then came home and had a quick lunch and took naps. We both finished our books right as Shabbos was coming out. Saturday night was uneventful, Buggy did some work and I did some cleaning and relaxing, and then it was back to the daily grind the morning...

Which didn't start out soo good when The Dude decided to call and wake us up at 7:30 a.m. I don't think he realized that we were sleeping, and so we both hung up on him, rolled over and went back to bed. We woke up later than expected and got things moving. I had to put in a load of laundry especially since the dryer guys are coming today to find out why the dryer moved unexpectedly. And, since I was overtired, I had some issues making Buggy his breakfast.

All I wanted to do was make the man a Toad in a Hole. This is like, his absolutely favorite breakfast, except that I failed...miserably.





This is what it should look like. But, I was using leftover Challah rolls and the cookie cutter was too big and so I managed to pop the egg yolks both times. But, I am determined to give him a breakfast that is perfect, so I just kept on goin. And this time, all I wanted to do was a make a sunny side egg so I could slide it over the piece of Challah...

The sunny side eggs should look like this:


Mine, all FOUR of them, somehow popped either during plating or when I dropped them into the pan. I was miserable at this point, and surrounded by four different breakfasts. That's when Buggy took my eggs and spatula away and told me that this breakfast was perfect and fine.

I felt like a bit of an egg failure, but we managed to eat breakfast without incident anyway. One day, I hope, I will make him a perfect Toad in a Hole - just like his father used to make him when he was a kid.

After breakfast, Buggy disappeared into his "office" for a while and the doorbell rang. It was a certified letter for Buggy, so I went downstairs and signed for it, and then waited for Buggy to finish his business and join me in the living room. He opened the letter and got super excited - it was from the Rabanut!

They have officially approved our marriage, and so, FINALLY, we are legally and religiously married in Israel! Mazal Tov to us!

Now, we can go and change our Teudat Zehuts and I can officially change my last name. Wow, I can't believe it finally happened. Buggy, of course, had to go to the Rabanut with pictures because they forgot to ask us for them last time we were there. But, we took more passport photos the other day, so he just went with the pictures and my paperwork and left to go to the Rabanut.

I'm home today for work reasons. I'm phone pitching support for a colleage in NY who has a great event today in the City. If you're bored between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., head out to Union Square Park for Sabra's Make Your Own Hummus Sundays! I'll be here, pitching the media, and hoping they'll be coming down there too.

Hope your day is going better than mine!

Screwdrivers

It's 1:30 a.m. and I'm sobering up, as Buggy sleeps so quietly and soundly next to me. He's so quiet that I got worried and, a few seconds ago, I put my hand on his shoulder just to make sure he was breathing. Well, it woke him up and he thought I pulled his hair, so I had to explain what I did, and then he said something completely inaudible so I realized that he was still sleeping even though we were chatting, so I just let him go back to sleep.

My work project is almost done, I have a couple more hours left on it, so I'm looking forward to getting my writing time back. I have been neglecting the blog, I know, but it's for an important reason. I need to make money so Buggy and I can feed our immense appetites!

Anyway, this week has been busy but also quiet for me. Buggy had school on Tuesday and Wednesday, but only a couple of hours each day, I spent my time working. Wednesday night is yoga night in our house, and that meants 8:00 p.m. classes in Abu Tor. This week was our second week at yoga and I have to say, seeing Buggy do all the amazing things he can do is really inspirational. Well, that and the fact that I will never, ever, be able to do a headstand. Our instructor, Stan, walked around the class to help anyone who needed help during the headstands. He asked me where I was at, and I told him that now I'm able to push my knees off the floor and bear the brunt of my weight on my head. But, I have to admit, it hurts folks. I bet if I wasn't carrying the weight equivalent of a professional food eating champion it would be easier for me to raise my fat ass off the floor, but hey - at least I'm trying! I am actually good at some stuff, like bridge and table, but bad at others like shoulder raises and headstands. Buggy, meanwhile, is just amazing. He can do practically every, single pose. I'll admit, I'm jealous, but it's a good motivator. I hate not being good at something so it will just make me work harder.

Wednesday was also the first rain storm here in Jerusalem and it was quite a light and sound show! The skies turned dark around 2ish and then the lightening came and it was bright and the crash of thunder was loud. I was happy our cleaning person came that morning, because the rain washed the walkway and didn't leave us with damp and slippery leaves. I get very nervous walking about Jerusalem in the rain as the stone is so slippery, I'm really frightened I'll fall.

Anyway, yoga is an hour and a half, and I'm pretty wiped by the time we're done. We usually eat a big lunch on Wednesday so we drove by Max Brenner's on Emek Refaim and got low-fat frozen yogurt for dinner. Buggy had the chocolate and the cherry with dark chocolate chips while I just had a scoop of coconut. We got home and I went back to wedding pictures, and trying to put everything in albums and pick out the ones I'm sending in for our album. Interesting but getting a bit monotonous, at this point. Still, it's nice to go through the pictures...helps make this whole marriage things really, well, real.

Today was another super busy day. We woke up and I immediately put in 5 hours of work. After my tush fell asleep at the kitchen table, I decided it was time to run errands so I grab my list and went to the Supermarket. I picked up some shnitzel, some chicken bottoms and a brisket. I've never made brisket before and so I'm looking forward to experimenting this weekend. Buggy is my culinary guniea pig and this weekend, he's going to sample new recipes such as lacquered salmon, potted brisket and braised potatos and shallots. Buggy is making pumpkin soup for tomorrow night, and I'm really excited about that! This, of course, is all practice for our next round of invitations. I'm thinking we should invite Buggy's Aunt and Uncle, and their 4 children for Friday night in a couple of weeks. I want to make sure I have all these recipes down before I invite them over, this way I'll know what to cook for them.

So, after going to one side of Derech Beit Lechem for the Supermarket, and the other side for my fruits and vegetables, I got to work on my cooking. Brown rice and roasted vegetables cooked, I thought about roasting the cauliflower when I just got too tired and had to relax. Buggy helped with a nice neck massage and then we got ready to go to his cousin Rachel's end of season BBQ.

I wonder if it was a mistake that we went. When we got there, I was very happy to see Cousins Rachel and Dina, but realized that I had no idea who anyone was in the room. And, as I always felt in the past, the thought of trying to make new friends is just so overwhelmingly frightening. If you're woman, you know what I mean when I say how difficult it is to make girl friends. Fortunately, almost all of my good girl friends have been in my life since elementary/high school. And, except for Cuch and Jules, I haven't really made many good girl friends since graduating high school. And, maybe a primarily singles BBQ isn't the best place to start.

Fortunately, Slightly Mad was there, so it was really nice to see her and to chat. But, aside from her and the two cousins, the room was a sea of unfamiliar faces and I was the odd ball out. And that's when I started drinking. Fortunately, Rachel had some vodka so we made ourselves screwdrivers and I was immediately relaxed. Of course, that's when I met "Little Bitch", the man who was manning the BBQ. I realized that I was starving, and Buggy and I brought hamburgers and hotdogs to this little soiree, so I went outside to check on the beef. They were starting the second grill and were pulling off some hotdogs and hamburgers from the first one. I asked them if I should bring the tin with the food back inside and they could just fill another empty tin with the food cooking on the grill. Well, that's when "Little Bitch" started to bitch me out, in Hebrew mind you, that he didn't think it was a good idea to bring the plate out until it was full. Now, I actually understood that and was okay with what he was saying, until he got all attitude with me and said that "the women should go inside the house and leave the cooking to them (i.e. the men).

Oh no he didn't!

Listen, people, I have a BA in English/Journalism, I am getting an MA (well, maybe, the university is on strike again and lord knows when that's ever gonna get resolved) in Creative Writing, I've dealt with puking supermodels, uptight Fortune 500 CEO's, drugged and high A-list celebrities, egotistical athletes, pretentious bosses, unethical journalists and producers, unrealistic clients, the ENTIRE NHL during the 1998-2000 seasons, lived on my own in Manhattan from when I was 20, picked up and moved myself to a foreign country not knowing the country's language, hosted delicious Shabbos meals for 21 people, rode every single ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure - for an entire week - and got paid to do it, lost 45 pounds and lived through a potentially deadly condition that could have rendered me blind. If I've done ALL of that, I sure as shit can grill some beef.

So, I marched myself into the house because there is no point trying to argue with a bull headed Israeli man who thinks he's g-d's gift to processed red meat, and told Buggy we were leaving. He was in the middle of a conversation with his friend and decided to try to save me and get me a burger by going outside and reasoning with the "Little Bitch". 15 minutes later, he came back with a burger for me and a piece of chicken for himself, and then told me that "Little Bitch" was, well, as big bitch to him too.

At this point, the vodka is really rushing through my veins and I'm feeling the munchies. I get up and grab baskets of whatever was around the house - potato chips, popcorn, funyans and bugles, cookies and bamba. I'm eating and eating because, well, that was the thing I felt most comfortable doing in a room full of Katamon's singles. Towards the end of the night, when Buggy and I really started to get ready to leave, a guy approached me and was very friendly. I realized that he couldn't see my wedding rings, as I had my hands stuffed into my jeans pocket, and so when he asked me what my name was I told him that I wanted a cookie, and proceeded to past by him towards the cookie basket.

Buggy and I did a post mordum in the car and I was sad because, well, I think we should go to any event in the neighborhood we are invited to so we can meet people. But, on the other hand, is it unfair of us to go to a "singles" party because we're not single anymore. Aside from one couple we knew, who came much later in the night, we were the only married people there. Now, I'm just looking to meet nice girls who, well, I could hang with here in Jerusalem. Is it too much to ask to meet someone nice to have coffee with, or to see a chick flick with? I started to feel so desperate, looking around at the girls and wondering if there was anyone there who I could hang with. And, the worst part was that none of the girls were interested in meeting me! Why would they? They were all there hoping to meet eligible men. I don't blame them. Had I been in their position, I probably would have done the same.

Anyway, I think I'm rambling here but it's the vodka leaving my blood stream and the fact that it's 2:00 a.m. forcing me to be incoherent. I miss my friends in Tel Aviv and especially my friends from home. I miss meeting Jules for a drink and a concert on the Lower East Side. I miss movie night with Cousin Neil. I miss shopping with Eta, and gym and coffee dates with Cuch. I miss Ulpan with Bracha and I miss Shabbos lunch at Marn's. And, as much as I absolutely adore and love Buggy and every single moment we spend together, sometimes being married can also be a little lonely.

I should probably get to bed, I have to be up early tomorrow as I have a ton of cooking to do before Shabbos and we have to go to Buggy's niece's birthday party.

Layla Tov!

Mac 'n Cheese

Buggy is back at school and it's so weird to be alone in the apartment. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton to do so it's not like I'm wandering from room to room, forlorn and sad, but it's still an adjustment. That, and the 6:45 a.m. wake up call this morning.

I apologize for not writing sooner. I've actually got a work gig and that means, everytime I sit down at the computer, I'm doing work. I decided to take some time this morning for a quick update before I get back to the daily grind.

An entire week has gone by and Buggy and I deemed it the final countdown of freedom, so that meant we spent a lot of time just being with each other and hanging out. We did some impressive cooking for Shabbos; Buggy's onion soup recipe was delicious fot Friday night dinner and so much better than boring chicken soup. We also had a very relaxing Shabbos day, which was nice, as Saturday night was really mellow. We watched the top 40 Soft Rock songs of all time - which will explain something in a minute.

Sunday, we spent the morning in Modiin at my eye Dr. and, after he dilated my eyes, we drove back to Jerusalem to spend the rest of the day enjoying Buggy's freedom before school. Since it was Buggy's Day, we did exactly what he wanted to do, which means that we spent the day being Mall Rats. First, we went to eat some lunch at Yotvata upstairs in the food court, and then we ran some errands. We needed to buy handles for the cabinets in both bathrooms, and I wanted to get a magazine rack now that our subscription to The International Herald Tribune began. My folks should be happy about that, P"G when they come to visit us in a few months there will be a daily paper to read! Personally, I'm loving the cross word puzzle so that's fun for me too.

After we left Home Center, we went to Steimazky's to get books for us, since we're both towards the end of the books we're reading now. Buggy is reading Forest Madge by Robin Hobb and I'm reading The Book Thief, which is really unique as the point of view is the Grim Reaper. I highly recommend the book for anyone looking for an interesting read. Anyway, we both picked up some books and then we went to a 4:30 p.m. showing of Stardust. Fortunately, my pupils were close to normal at that point so I wasn't in total agony throughout the movie, which I really liked.



Welcome back Michelle Pfeiffer!! She was really terrific, and looked as stunning as ever. Think she's had any work done? Lord, if I could do some plastic surgery I would totally get her nose and cheek implants. But, I promised Buggy no talk of plastic surgery until gravity really takes hold. Hmmm, one day perhaps?

Anyway, we got back to the apartment and I got to work on a Back to School mix for Buggy. It is the most eclectic mix I've ever put together, but he really, really likes it. Here's what's on it, and you'll understand where the whole Soft Rock Top 40 fits in:

Girls who Play Guitar, Maximo Park
Suburban Knights, Hard-Fi
Suspicious Eyes, The Rakes
Your Love is Not EnoughManic Street Preachers
Empire, Kasabian
Pina Colada, Warren Buffet version
Superstar, The Carpenters
BlackbirdSarah McLaughlin version
Bizarre Love Triangle, New Order
Moonlight Shadow, Mike Oldfield
We Are, Anna Johnsson
My Immortal, Evanescence
More Than a Feeling, Boston
Season of the Witch, Donovan (my suggestion, I love this song)
Hang on Sloopy, The McCoys
Wild Thing, The Troggs
Baba O'Reilly, The Who
Hey There Delilah, The White T's

So, that was a lot of fun putting together for him. I printed it out using my iTunes software so it looks really nice in the CD case and gave it to him as a present for school. We tried to sleep in yesterday morning, but we had a lot to do, so we were up and moving around. I put in about 4 hours of work before we had to go to Hadassah Ein Karem for my neurologist appointment.

Fortunately, I saw Professor Avinoam Reches, who happens to also be the head of Israel's Medical Ethics Committee and, which we sat reading the newspaper outside of his office, I read a quote of his on the front page of the paper. It made me feel good to see someone who was, well, ethical. Anyway, the meeting was going just fine and we were discussing my medical history and whether or not he thought that the Pseudotumor Cerebri had returned, when he asked to do an examination. And, sure enough, he did not like the way my optic nerve looked so he called downstairs and asked one of his colleagues in the neuropthalmology department to do him a favor and look at my eyes. He couldn't rule out papilliademia, which basically means that the optic nerve is getting crushed by a build up of spinal fluid in the brain. If someone presents with papilliademia, it's a serious emergency, because the person could go blind. And suddenly, it was November 2004 all over again and I was being rushed all over because the Dr's thought it was a big emergency. Fortunately for me, this time I was with Buggy, who tried to really calm me down as we raced downstairs to the neuropthalmology department. I almost forgot to breath and kept telling Buggy in the elevator that there was no way I was going to let them do another spinal tap. That's one life experience I never, EVER, want to relive.

The long and short of it is that, after a really uncomfortable exam by a very unpleasant Dr. who really didn't speak any English, he ruled out papilliademia. B"H! We went back to Professor Reches and he gave us the green light to, well, continue with our lives. We asked him if it would be okay for us to get pregnant, given my medical history, and he laughed and told us to go ahead, get pregnant, and we could even get pregnant that night if we wanted to. It was funny, and the laughter helped relax me a little bit. I just want to leave the whole pseudotumor cerebri thing way, way behind me. Losing another 20 pounds would help tremendously, and so we're really trying to get my weight down, but at least I know that at this weight my condition hasn't returned.

We left the hospital really, really happy and then went food shopping for school. And boy, did we buy lots of good stuff! We came home and I made Buggy two brown paper bags full of breakfast and lunch! It was so much fun. And then, early this morning while he was davening, I slipped a note into his lunch bag. Hehehe, I can't wait for him to read it!

And that brings me back to today. I don't think school is going to start any time soon. The Universities are striking because the Government owes them 300 million shekel. For some reason, I don't see Olmert writing a check anytime soon. It will be really interesting to see if I have class next week too! Unbelievable. I feel bad for people in the one year program, this will certainly throw a wrench into the year.

Meanwhile, all my husband wants for dinner tonight is Mac 'n Cheese and well, I can't make it for him. We bought all the ingredients last night and then I realized, I have one pot, and it's meat! I feel terrible, he's going to be so disappointed when he gets home and sees that we're not having his favorite dinner. Think he'll be okay if I surprised him with leftovers instead? Oy! I'm going to have to figure something out...

OK, I'm off to work. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Back to School!

I slept in today and so it's 10:00 a.m. and I'm still lounging in bed. That's a good thing, cause after yesterday's exhausting day I could use some more rest.

So, before I continue with my mundane post, a number of my readers (i.e. Cousin Neil and friends) have requested that I censor some of the topics on this blog. Primarily, they would like all references to bodily functions and Mikvah never, ever to appear again. I asked Yonatan at school yesterday what he thought, and he just said he can also just pass over anything that doesn't really interest him. Regardless, I'll keep this blog clean moving forward.

Well, yesterday was an incredibly busy day. Buggy had a do-over project due at school from last semester and I had to get to late registration at Bar Ilan. It took me forever on the 400 bus to get to school as traffic once we hit the Tel Aviv area was a nightmare. And, they stripped away the bus stop that used to be beneath the Geha gate and so now, they drop me off at least 10 minutes away from the gate. And it's this huge ramp that you have to walk up, and then a bunch of steps you need to walk down, in order to get to the right side of the campus. I was not expecting that, but good thing I was wearing good walking shoes.

Oh, and did I mention that yesterday was like the hottest day of the year? I sweated clear through my t-shirt and it was not pretty. So, first I had to go to the Feldman building to get my print out of my bill since the University never, ever sent me a bill. And, the woman behind the counter told me that she had a problem with my bill and I had to go to the Masters department office to sort something out. I had no idea what she was talking about because all I needed to do was get the bill and pay it. Plus, she spoke in Hebrew and didn't speak any English and I had no idea what she was saying. Oh, and did I mentioned that I had already waited for an hour on the line to see her when this whole thing happened?

Fortunately, Yonatan and Tamara were on campus registering and Tamara was done so they come to help me. The people at the Masters department office, though, are really really obnoxious. No one was manning the door so I walked and and went around to find someone to speak with. The woman got really rude when I just asked her to explain the words that they told me at Feldman and told me to wait outside online with everyone else. She said it in such a disgusting tone that I yelled back that I didn't understand Hebrew and she got surprised. What is wrong with these people? Does she think that she can talked to me and be rude and I'm not going to fight back? Fortunately, Yonatan and Tamara arrived just in time and, we waited online, and then Yonatan came in to be my translator.

Well, as soon as the woman saw me bring a man to help, she completely sofetned and explained the situation to him and made it seem like I yelled at her for no reason at all. Whatever. Yonatan told her I was sorry - I wasn't - and then she looked me up in the computer and told me that nothing was wrong. So, we had to go back to Feldman and this time, I wasn't waiting on any line. There was a different man behind the counter and he spoke English and when he typed in my number he said: "I don't understand the problem, you have to pay 3200 shekel!"

I said - I know - can I just get the print out? The lady was so incompetent, had she plugged in my number correctly the first time, I wouldn't have had to deal with any aggrevation. Well, the rest of the registration process went completely fine. I paid at the bank, went to the administration office to get my form, went to the English department to get it filled in, went to the computer lab to get it registered into the computer and the print out and I was done.

So, my schedule for this year is class on Tuesdays, from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. That's it. I have an independent study that will meet a couple of times a year, but I'm hoping it will meet on Tuesdays so I only have to be at school one morning all year. I'm pretty happy with my schedule and am looking forward to really working on my thesis.

After a quick lunch, I got back on the bus and went home to Jerusalem. Buggy, who passed his project (hurray!) was running his own errands and so he picked me up and we made a pit stop by his folks and then I drove us to get the car washed at the Mall. Buggy was just like my Mom when I drive, clenching the entire way. Fortunately, I got us there without any problems and we went inside to take out money and get some frozen yogurt treats. At this point, folks, I am falling off of my face. The weather at school was so hot and I sweated through my entire outfit, that I was pretty dehydrated. We got back to the house and Buggy made himself some lunch and I took a nap on the couch.

The rest of the evening was really quiet. Instead of forcing leftovers on us again, we decided to order some sushi for dinner, and then I was in bed by 10:30 p.m. Today is going to be another day full of errands. Buggy and I are going to take down the rest of our Succah once he comes back from giving in his car to be fixed (couple of dings and power steering issues). Then, we're going to go to the Supermarket and buy some food for the week, and then to the other side of Derech Beit Lechem for some fruit and vegetables.

I'm also hoping to finish up on my thank you cards as I have about 60 more to go! Phew! I can't wait till that's over!

Simchat Torah nemesis: lemon meringue pie

Where do I begin? So much has happened in the span of 25 hours, that I don't even know the best place to start.

I guess I'll start with pre-Simchat Torah preparations.

Yom Tov was rapidly approaching and I had spent the entire day cooking, preparing, moving furniture and cleaning. With Buggy at work all day long, I had work extra hard because I was by myself. So, I got things going by moving around the furniture. With two heavy couches, a glass dining table, about 9 chairs and two coffee tables, it was no easy feat. But, I managed just fine and was able to clean this huge space in the center of the room. I hit the two coffee tables underneath Buggy's foosball table and the dining room table, and then got to work on the floor.

Check out my handywork:





Nemesis #1: Sponga
I am NOT a fan of the sponga stick. I find it clumsily and sloppy to use. Constantly wringing out this rag (called blatot) that is filthy because its been on the floor, in a bucket and then trying to wipe the floor with it is extremely uncomfortable for me. But, I made such a mess of the kitchen floor that it was necessary. Fortunately, I was dressed well for the occassion and managed to get the house in presentable shape for our company. I've been praying for a good ol's sponge mop ever since erev Chag. Buggy said it's impossible to find one, so I'm on a new mission.

Moving on...

I cut and prepared the three salads, and decided at the last minute to make a mandarin orange salad as opposed to the terra chip salad, and mainly because I don't remember how to make the latter's dressing so it was just easier for me to do. Good thing I did the switch - but more on that later.

Anyway, by the time Buggy got home, I was knee deep in dessert preparations and the house and tables were all set for our guests. We had little time to get showered and dressed, and Rachel and Oren will still on their way from Tel Aviv, so we stepped things up and really got moving. I was dressed and ready to go, with my wig firmly in place, when Buggy called Oren to find out how far away they were. We wanted to take a cab before Yom Tov to Buggy's parents in Talbieh so we could say goodbye to their Succah (a Buggy family tradition that includes copious amounts of good quality scotch) and then walk down the block to Chovevei for Mincha and Hakafot. But, El Jeffe was driving Oren and Rachel and soon I had no choice but to light candles as they still hadn't arrived. Needless to say, I was unhappy that we had to do the walk for three reasons:

1) Buggy had to go by himself ahead to shul so he wouldn't miss Mincha and we were hoping to usher in the Chag together.
2) I had been on my feet the entire day, and they were serious hurting me from all that moving and standing, that the 25 minute walk UPHILL was going to really get my dogs barking
3) I baked 4 tins of brownies for my MIL's big Simchat Torah open house kiddush and to do the walk AND shlept that much baked goods was going to be heavy

Well, when Oren and Rachel got here I basically blew up at them but NOT at them. All I asked was "whose fault was it that they were late, so I can blame the right person". Fortunately, it was someone else in the car and neither my guests not El Jeffe who was the cause for their lateness. I don't like him ANYWAY, so that made me feel much better and I channeled all my energy elsewhere.

The walk up to Talbieh was sweaty and I was cursing myself for wearing a heavy shirt. I dropped Oren and Rachel off at Ohel Nechama, told them what time dinner was, and made my way to my in-laws. Fortunately, my MIL was getting ready for the Kiddush so I was able to drop off the brownies and mop off some of the sweat before going down the block to shul.

And, wouldn't you know it, but as I got closer to shul I ran into someone I haven't seen since graduation from High School. I could pick this girl out of the Darkness plague - as long as she's speaking. She has one of those unmistakeable voices. In hindsight, I should have just walked on by but I decided to stop and say something. And the following 5 minutes I will never be able to get back in my life, as we had the dumbess conversation on earth.

She said: "OMG, I didn't recognize you at all. Did you have, like, curly hair in high school"
Me: "Umm, some days I did. I guess it must be the wig"
She said: "Umm, yeah, must be. I also, like, haven't seen you since high school."
PAUSE
Me: "OK"
She said: "Do you live here?"
Me: "Yeah, near by"
She said: "Nice. We're here for the holiday. These are my kids"
Proceeds to point out her children by name. Goes over my head.
Me: "Nice. Well, ok. Good to see you. Enjoy"
She said: "Oh yeah, you too, see ya!"

I didn't really like her in High School, so I guess this conversation wasn't surprising. She had the flattest stomach - after 3 children - that I've ever seen. Bitch.

So, Hakafot were typically for a woman. I.e., absolutely boring. I found some of our dinner guests and caught up with them, then went into shul to catch Buggy with his hakafah and to say hello to some of his family members, and then it was back to Baka for dinner. We ran into Hannah and Shana, which was great, as they were sure to get lost getting to our apartment.

And dinner was GREAT! It was so fantastic, I am really happy with how everything went and it made my filthy floor worthwhile. We had 14 in the end as my friend Lana couldn't make it and Buggy's cousin Gideon bailed last minute. It was a nice group, 3 friends from America, El Jeffe and his amazingly sweet, nice brother who just made Aliyah, Rachel and Oren, Nechama and Julia and Dani Shai (Buggy's friend from childhood) from Tel Aviv, Sean and Ricky from Jerusalem (also Buggy's friends). The group really interacted well, everyone mingled and what began as pockets of people eating scattered throughout the apartment ended with everyone in a big circle for dessert. That was the best part - everyone just naturally evolved into the big circle at the end. It made me feel good that everyone enjoyed themselves and, I will admit, the cooking compliments were great. When everyone left to hit the Jerusalem Simchat Torah parties, Buggy and I cleaned up as best we could and then I left the dishes to soak in the sink and we passed out.

The following morning, when Oren got up I was washing dishes at the sink. I got Buggy up for the 7:15 minyan and he made it there in record time. We had given Oren the keys since him and Rachel went out to visit friends in the neighborhood after dinner and he told us that he had a really hard time trying to open the gate. So much so, that he ended up just scaling the fence and opening the door from the inside.

Talk about crack pot security. Buggy and I will need to discuss another security measure with my folks after they finish their 3 day holiday.

So, Oren left to go to shul and Rachel and I took our time getting ready. My in-law's open house wasn't going to start until after Noon so we didn't leave here until 11:30. We got to the house right before Buggy and Oren were finished, so we went down the block to pick them up from shul. And boy, when my in-law's warned that it was a HUGE kiddish they weren't kidding. We estimated at least 250-275 people came in and out of the house. We couldn't find places to sit and at one point, we lost Rachel and Oren.

Buggy told me to go wash and so we both went into the house and washed, only to discover that there really wasn't any bread. Except, the caterers had made these smoked salmon sandwhiches, so Buggy and I went towards the table laden with food and surrounded by people 3 rows deep and tried to get a sandwhich to make Hamotzei.

Just as we got to the front of the table, this woman scooped up the last 4 sandwhiches and left us with NOTHING! Fortunately, a piece of bread was the garnish for the sandwhiches and we were able to make Hamotzei. Buggy was not pleased though, and was apalled at how rude this woman was especially since there were other people at the meal. Nevertheless, there were plenty of sandwhiches inside the house so Buggy was able to get his fill and since I don't like smoked salmon anyway, I was content with the bread garnish.

Meanwhile, there were TONS of Tel Avivians who came to the kiddish. Since it was an open house, I won't say that they crashed, but I can tell you that they certainly weren't invited. There was one girl there that Buggy went on a date with and, had she known that it was his parents house, I assure you she wouldn't have come to the Kiddish. Let's just say it wasn't the best date he went on and she didn't treat him nicely.

Buggy was enjoying the anonymity of some of the people at the Kiddish, and he got plenty of Mazal Tov's from all of his parent's friends. A lot of the family members - including extended folks from the States who were in town for chag - were at the kiddish and it was very nice to see everyone. I think everyone had a great time and the food was good. People also really liked my brownies, which was nice to hear.



Nemesis #2: petit-four mini lemon meringue pie
OMG, the caterer made these mini lemon meringue pies that were INCREDIBLE! You'll understand why these were my nemesis in a minute. Well, I ended up not eating much food. I'm not such a fan of crowded kiddush eats but since I wasn't making lunch, I had to chow down. Anyway, I had a spoonfull of chickpea chulent and 1 piece of potato kugel before I hit the petit-fours. I could go days eating nothing but baked goods, and I've got the hips to prove it too! Needless to say, as soon as I got my lips around these lemon meringue pies I was in absolute heaven! And then, after downing about 3, I couldn't find anymore. Fortunately, I knew the hosts and was able to sneak into the kitchen to find the reserves. I brought back 1 for Rachel to taste (she didn't like it! Can you believe it????) and then scarfed down a few more. I rationalized that we did a lot of uphill walking so it was ok to indulge.

As the crowd thinned, we helped clean up a bit and then Oren, Rachel, me and Buggy met up with El Jeffe and walked back towards Baka. We walked a new way and ended up on Yael street right by the shul that Buggy calls the "comfy chair shul". Fortunately, they had some of the rows of comfy chairs outside the locked shul and we all took a load off. Buggy was right, the chairs ARE amazing and so we're thinking about going to that shul tonight for davening.

We got home, took something to drink, and then slept the Chag away. After Rachel and Oren left, Buggy settled in for some work and I got the sponga bucket back out. With Buggy hard at work, I set to undo what I had done erev chag and tried to put everything back into place. It was hard but little by little, I got everything done. And, I spongaed the floors again in almost every room and so now everything gleams. Just as I was about to sponga the succah, a band started playing and it was LOUD!

Buggy immediately got on the phone with his friend Chanan, who manages all of the community centers in Baka and Talbieh, and his wife told us that the community center next door to our apartment will have an outdoor live band for second Hakafot for 2 hours. He was not happy but I was thrilled! I was able to clean to some great Hebrew music. Although, to be honest, the Arctic Monkeys would have been my first choice. But, I was so excited that they did this next door to the apartment, that I called my parents house in the States (they aren away for the Chag) and left them a message that they would be able to come to Israel for Chag and have 2nd Hakafot right next door! It was exciting, and made me a little homesick, but working always helps with the hurt.

Anyway, I was so wiped by the time I finished cleaning and doing two loads of sheet and tablecloth laundry, that I collapsed on the couch. I was feeling really sick so Buggy helped me to bed and we were out in seconds.

Today, I am doing absolutely nothing. I might take off the Succah decorations so Buggy can dismantle the Succah over the weekend. But, we have so much leftovers that I am not cooking a thing! Instead, I am going to divide and warm up and we're going to just make it on leftovers.

We both weighed ourselves this morning and I gained 2 pounds in 1 day! Buggy's numbers were similar and so I packed up ALL of the desserts we have left over from Chag and I sent them off to Buggy's office. Let them all pig out on chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookie bars. The holidays are over and folks, we are on diets!

Shabbat Shalom to all!

Hoshana Rabah Housewife

This was me, yesterday, all day long. I spent more than 10 hours cooking in the kitchen and it made me truly respect women of all time whose days are spent in the kitchen, cooking for another Yom Tov.

The day started out really, really early. Buggy and I got our act together and I was at the supermarket by 10:00. I think it's time for me to suck it up and get a Bubby cart. You know, one of these:



Well, in Israel they offer them in all different shapes and sizes, and try to make them appear younger by slapping on some plaid fabric and such. Anyway, I've always hated the Bubby carts, but now I think it might be necessary. Since Buggy takes the car to work and I am just inches away from finishing up and getting my license, I am left to trek to the Supermarket. Now, it's not far from my apartment, but sometimes I'm not smart about what I can carry.

Yesterday, I tried to walk back to our apartment carrying four bags full of: 16 chicken bottoms, a large tin of Chummus, a container of eggplant salad, purple cabbage salad, Matbuchah, and coleslaw, sponges, 15 pita's, 5 baking tins, a large jar of ketchup, 1 dozen eggs and flour.

Needless to say, I almost wrenched my arms out of its socket and was in serious pain when I got home. But, I relaxed a bit and waited for the blood to flow back into my fingers and then it was off to work. Cleaning the chickens (which, BTW, I absolutely HATE doing).

Buggy has never met someone who takes skin off the chicken. For him, the skin is the best part - but it also is empty calories. And so yes, I take the skin off of my chicken before I make it. 2 cans of cranberry sauce later and all 16 pieces were cooking comfortably. Next, it was on to the gfilta fish. I baked 2 loaves of marinara gfilta fish with some carrots. After those were finishing cooking, I got ready for the 2 broccoli kugels. That was a lot of fun, especially when my pot of broccoli boiled over. Fortunately, I was in the kitchen at the time and so I was able to mop up the mess before it got too bad. After the broccoli kugel was set to bake, I got to work on the orzo with roasted vegetables. Cleaning the vegetables and cooking up the orzo, squeezing the juice of the lemons for the dressing and sprinkling on the kosher salt. At this point, I was thoroughly exhausted but I still had two pans of macaroni and meat to make! Now, Ari Samuel is in town for the first time since he was like 2 months old, and so I told him to swing by before he met some friends in town for dinner. He stopped by just when I was able to brown the meat and so I gave him a quick apartment tour and then parked him in front of the computer so I could continue cooking. I was thrilled when Buggy came home to keep him company so I wouldn't feel bad.

At this point, I managed to cook up the 2 boxes of noodles and brown 2 pounds of meat in onions and had the stuff in the oven. I then got to work on the qunoia which I decided to make with some roasted carrots and sweet potato. I had it left over in the apartment and figured - why not? How bad can it be? Well, I hope it tastes good cause right now it looks a bit like mush. I think I overcook my qunoia a bit and I have to consult Shulamit who really knows the right way to cook it!

Ari left to meet friends for dinner, and I had to cook us dinner too! Well, I have two small salmon fillets in the fridge and so I quickly grilled them with some cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and olive oil and made a salad and then baked 2 individual portions of french fries. I told Buggy, as we sat down to eat, that what we had on our plate was really nicely portion controlled. Granted, with all this holiday gorging, there was no way it filled us so Buggy had a yogurt and I just picked at what I was cooking to make sure it all tasted ok.

After dinner, and we're now approaching the 10:00 p.m. mark people, I set to work on dessert. I decided to make chocolate chip cookie bars and I undercooked one and overcooked the other. I also have a small chocolate cake loaf in the freezer and bought plenty of fruit too. Nechama is bringin some popcorn, which I am super excited about since I absolutely ADORE the Hollywood Popcorn at the Tachana. Enough to add another inch to my hips, but it's almost as good as Popcorn, Indiana!

So, now it's almost 9:00 and I'm trying to figure out if I have enough food for 16 people. Originally, I was going to buy some potato bourekas and moroccan cigars for an appetizer but I think it will just be a waste and Buggy and I don't want to have that stuff in the house once Yom Tov is over. Here's the menu so far - think it's enough for 16?

Appetizer Table - since we're doing buffet, we are setting up two tables. This one will be in the succah, for anyone who makes kiddush or eats in the succah on Simchat Torah. Buggy's minhag is to make kiddush in the succah

2 gfilta fish loafs
15 pita's with 2 huge challah rolls
salatim: chummus, purple cabbage salad, eggplant salad, coleslaw and matbucha
Israeli salad
Taco chip salad
mandarin orange salad
fish plates and forks

Main Table - this will be set up in the house as it's easier for me to bring hot food from oven/plata to table inside the house

2 huge tins of macaroni and meat
cranberry/onion soup mix chicken bottoms
2 broccoli kugels
orzo with roasted vegetables and pine nuts
quinoa with roasted carrot and sweet potato


Dessert - No separate table for this, but I will be able to clean some stuff off and just put this out when I can.

chocolate cake and chocolate chip bars
fruit platter with mago, pinapple, red and green grapes
popcorn
tea

The only thing I'm thinking about adding to this list is to sautee some green beans and onions and have another vegetable side dish. Otherwise, the only thing left to do today is CLEAN this filthy apartment, cut up all the food onto platters and arrange it before our guests come, and just get the apartment ready for 4:45 candle lighting.

Tomorrow, we are planning on going to Buggy's parents, who have an open house every year with apparently a lot of good food. I'm assuming we will have a lot of leftovers, so that I will have enough to feed us and Oren and Rachel. I can't wait for Chag to be over and we can start going to the gym again!

Hope everyone out there has a great Chag!

Secret Single Behavior

In Sex and the City, Charlotte coined a phrase that really stuck with me throughout my adult life (or, since that particular episode aired). She called is Secret Single Behavior, or SSB, and all that changes as soon as you get into a relationship. In her case, it was something completely idiotic like checking her pores at night in a big mirror. According to her, in the episode, you can't check your pores at night if you're sleeping with a man. Because, there are certain things a single gal does alone that she doesn't do in front of a beau.

As they say in Hebrew, Halivay we should be discussing checking pores!

So, we're Newleyweds right? And, we're still in the honeymoon phase even though my Dad told us a few weeks ago that the "honeymoon is over". We're still getting to know each other. Living together is exciting and at times tense and stressful. We argue a bit, but we also make up before we go to bed, and it's really overall a lot of fun. But, we're still trying. We haven't reached that "sweatpants wearin, hand down my pants while watching TV, not washing my hair or brushing my teeth, walking around scratching inappropriate areas of my body - phase."

It's a good thing that we're still there cause it means that the romance hasn't ended yet.

But, as females, we're taught that certain bodily functions are embarressing and shameful. I bring up another Sex and the City episode, the one where Carrie farts in bed with Big, and she is absolutely mortified. So how, as females who are wired to think that a fart isn't just natural but a shameful act (and something you never, EVER, do in front of a guy you are dating/married to), do you spend your life living with a man and not pass gas? And how come we're not like guys, who (for the most part) have no problem just letting them rip wherever, whenever, and however. And, it's like the noisier the better, and elicits high fives and the such from male bystanders. Where the SBD (Silent but Violent) is a cheerwothy event akin to a touchdown? How come, women can't be like that?

Recently, I polled a number of my girlfriends and they've gotten around the public farting. We're basically taught how to "hold it in" in high school, so many know how to control it. But what, my dear readers, happens if you fart in your sleep and your husband/boyfriend is still awake and he hears you? Is it like the tree in the forest? If the person whose laying the fart is asleep and doesn't hear/feel it, did it really happen? Can you use plausible deniability?

Well, here are some tips to dealing with situations.

1) If you are awake and accidentally let out a big one and your boyfriend/spouse is within earshot/smell shot - channel the Japanese schoolgirl and cover your mouth with your hand, giggle and turn red, and say "excuse me" in the most adorable sounding voice you can muster. That can turn you back into the adorable creature you are to your spouse and hopefully, he'll be running in for a hug

2) If you accidentally wake yourself UP because you let out a big one and your boyfriend/spouse was within earshot/smell shot - well, all I can say is, deny, deny, deny. If YOU don't remember what it was that woke you up, turn the situation on it's head and tell him that it was HIS farting in bed that woke you up! Hopefully, that will turn into a funny debate about who laid what and how, and you'll both have a good laugh and get back to sleep.

OK - that's my preaching for today.

As many of you know, yesterday was my 31st birthday and it started off nicely. I got to sleep an extra 30 minutes before having to get up and get my day going. Buggy had to go to the Dr., so we showered and got dressed and ate breakfast in the succah and left in time for Buggy's 12:00 p.m. appointment. Fortunately, the Dr. gave us some good news, and we were off to fill a perscription and then on to our errands. We stopped off at Buggy's parents place to borrow a pillow as we're having sleepover company for Simchat Torah, and then we went paper good shopping. We picked up some plates and salad/fish and dessert plates and cups and matching napkins. We will hopefully be all ready for out company - which has swelled to an impressive 16 within the last couple of days! Needless to say, today will be spend in the kitchen as I cook up a storm for our guests.

After the paper goods store, Buggy left to go do some work and I went to work preparing the bedrooms for our company. It's difficult trying to figure out where to store all the stuff we don't have room for yet, and so I managed to find some creative hiding places. For example. I usually leave my two wigs hanging over the bed in one of the guest rooms. Since we need that bed too, I had to share Buggy's closet space and moved his ties over t omake room for what he calls "Wiggy 1" and "Wiggy 2". I'll take a picture later so you can see what I'm talking about. After making beds with fresh/clean linens, I was exhausted! It's a lot of work rearrranging and moving stuff from one room to another! I tried to settle in on the couch for some Iron Chef America but the doorbell rang and there was my husband, holding a bouquet of 31 red roses.

Soo beautiful and surprising! I didn't expect it because he already bought me the nicest birthday present! He preorder the Stephen Colbert book, and I CAN'T WAIT to get it in November! It's going to be soo funny, I am excited!

Our birthday afternoon began and Buggy watched an episode of Roswell with me, then we got dressed and headed to the mall to watch the movie Knocked Up which was hilarious. The mall, however, was a zoo with tons of people packing in and shopping. It was like the day before Christmas in New York with wall-to-wall people, and no parking or room to move! I told Buggy next time, we stay home during Chol Hamoed because it was really hectic and annoying. I'm just not that girl who likes to be jostled.

It wasn't so late when we got out of the movies, but the thought of eating leftovers didn't appeal to us and the beauty of living in this Country is that the Mall food court is kosher! So, we decided to pick up take out to eat in our succah. We surveyed the options and decided to go Thai noodles. We both got soup, 2 eggrolls, and then 2 starches and 2 chickens. I got the soy chicken and the sweet chicken and then the Thai noodles. Buggy got the Thai noodles, some rice, and 2 helpings of this other kind of chicken. We brought the food back to the house and had a lovely dinner in the Succah.

And then, my stomach really started to hurt. Shooting pains throughout my stomach made me rush to the toilet. And then, I went all Exorcist!



And, my husband was amazing, keeping me company during the entire episode. He ran and got me water, and would have held my hair back if I wasn't already wearing a shmata. After making sure the entire contents of dinner was out, I managed to crawl into bed and passed out. I think Buggy was telling me a story for a bit, but towards the end everything just got fuzzy and I fell asleep.

That people, is real love. When you're at your worst, and he's there right besides you to help you through it.

What a fabulous birthday!

Today, Buggy has to be at work all day long so I'm gonna be alone in the house doing what I have to do to prepare for 16 guests. Basically, I'm going to pick up the chicken at the supermarket and any of the last ingredients that I need and just spend the day cooking! I'm hoping to make a broccoli and corn kugel, the sweet and sour chicken, 2 huge macaroni and meats and the orzo. Hopefully, that will be more than enough to feed 16 people! Tomorrow, I leave the salad making and the baking for last.

Hope everyone is enjoying Chol Hamoed!