National Cookie Day!

December 4th is literally my favorite day of the year. Not because this year the date happens to coincide with the beginning of Chanukah, but because it's National Cookie Day! Oh yeah - Buggy and I both harbor the cookie monster within (admit it, you know you do too!) and so, I began prepare for this fabulous holiday by baking! For the first time in my entire adult life, I actually made my Aunt Irene's (TZ"L) cookies and they were just as good as I remembered!

While sifting the flour, baking powder and salt together, I remembered this one summer I had gotten kicked out of summer camp (long story, not worth retelling the reason why in this blog) and I had about 6 weeks left until school started and nothing to do with my days. Since my parents worked, and my siblings were all either away at sleep away or day camp, my days were long stretches of boring. Well, my Grandmother and Aunt Irene both chipped in to help me out and one day I would spend fruit and vegetable shopping with my Grandmother at Kissena Farms. That's where I learnt how to pick good grapes (my Grandmother would pop them into her mouth to make sure they were sweet) and how to tell if a grapefruit was ripe. While, Aunt Irene, would take me over to her house and we would either go errand shopping together on Main Street or we would go to the house and bake! I'll never forget the afternoon we baked her cookies (she let me add chocolate chips even though you really don't need them!) and she let me eat a whole bunch (I was always dieting so cookies were a big NO NO in my house). Aunt Irene was really cool though, and I missed her a lot while baking cookies for Buggy. Anyway, I'm going to bake another batch tonight and bring it over to the Chanukah party.

Yesterday, I was a bit down, but I felt a lot better when I went into town to run some errands. I had to hit the bank to change my name and address since my Teudat Zehut has been changed. Afterwards, I just walked around a bit and looked into shops and stores. Everyone has some sort of Chanukah decoration out in their storefronts, and I was just getting so excited by the holidays that I practically skipped the rest of the way to Buggy's office. He was the only one still there, so I popped over to a computer and lent him moral support as he finished his project. We left around 8:00 p.m. and then I started dinner. We had a nice, balanced and nutritious meal of grilled salmon, brown rice with soy sauce, and three bean salad. Oh yeah, I did it, I actually served us three bean salad! We're way passed not eating certain food items that might be deemed offensive since we live in such close proximity. Anyway, it worked out great, and we were able to watch the latest episode of CSI New York before going to bed.

We had an early night, which was great because Tuesdays are our early mornings, and I had some interesting dreams that included a baby rhino and a dalmation puppy on a remote Island in the Pacific. Anyway, I must have had some sort of dream that Buggy was falling because I woke up - around 3:30 a.m., and lunged at him to make sure he wasn't falling off the bed. Of course, that woke him with a start and he was a little surprised with my sudden, early morning, lunge-to-safe-his-life moment and we had a good little chuckle. He started telling me he was having weird dreams, but since it was so early in the morning, decided to save the retelling until the alarm went off. So, we both went back to bed and I was up before the alarm went off at 6:50 a.m.

Buggy left for school around 7:30 with a tuna melt for breakfast, a deli sandwich for lunch and a whole bunch of goodies for snack (including an apple because it's true that an apple a day really DOES keep the Dr. away) and I, of course, went back to sleep. Four blissful hours later, I was up and on the move because I have so much to do today! First, I had to wrap my Mother-in-law's Chanukah present and, of course, I can't really wrap anything. So, I struggled for about 30 minutes to wrap the two boxes of trivets we bought her, and well, I just hope she doesn't notice the jagged lines or the sloppy tape jobs. We were way past due for a laundry run, and so I put up a colors wash and then got to work on the kitchen. I had to wash up and wipe down the counters and that just led me to my broom and, before I knew it, I was sweeping the whole place. Mind you, our cleaning lady comes tomorrow, but I prefer she not have to clean in a pig sty.

As soon as I sat down to update the blog, though, the doorbell rang and I thought it was the package I've been waiting for. Buggy's getting a delivery today, so I'm home until they come, and for some reason the intercom wasn't working. So, I slipped on my slippers and raced downstairs to find our lovely neighbor leaving us a note. Apparently, she has two leaks into her apartment that she fears is coming from our apartment and now that it's spreading she felt she should let us know. Well, since we're going to have to pay for any damage, I got on the phone and called our contractor ASAP and made an appointment for him to see the leaks at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. I guess tomorrow is going to be another early day for me, but I really hope we get this fixed and soon! She was really sweet about it though, and invited us over for Shabbos lunch of vegetarian Chulent. I told her I had to get back to her after I spoke with Buggy, but we'll probably go since we have no other plans and it would be nice to get to know our neighbors!

OK - I'm off to do some cookie baking in honor of Chanukah and National Cookie Day! Chag Sameach everyone; enjoy the start of this fabulous Festival of Lights!

Product of the Day



Oxo makes three sizes of cookie scoopers and I could really use the medium sized one for Aunt Irene's famous cookies. Since I'm supposed to drop them in 1/4 to 1/2 spoonfuls at a time, what I've been using ends up being a bit insufficient and I get cookies of all different shapes and sizes! With the Oxo cookie scooper, it would be perfectly shaped cookies every time!

Super Bug

It's 5:30 a.m. and I've been up since 3:30 a.m. with a very sick Buggy who, unfortunately, caught the Jerusalem super bug that's been spreading around town. This super bug is quite special, and it causes people who get it to puke AND have diahrea at the same time. B"H we've got plenty of buckets in this house. I think I might have frightened Buggy when he was finished in the bathroom and ready to crawl back into bed. See, I'm a germ a phob, which will explain today's Product of the Day in a minute, and I am petrified to get this super bug. My sister-in-law and her family had it, and my MIL had to take her to Terem (the 24 hour clinic) for an IV for dehydration and she was really in bad shape when she had it. So, anyway, I also grew up in a house with a Dad who was also a super germaphob and, while I'm not sleeping in a separate bedroom to avoid getting the germs, I have taken some precautions.

I tied a bandana around my mouth and brought my cleaning supplies into the bathroom. Unfortunately, I don't have a pair of gloves, but trust me when I say I'm going out tomorrow and buying a lot of pairs! Anyway, first, I used the Jet cleaner to disinfect the toilet, and then I wiped down any surface Buggy touched like the sink and the tap handles (since he washed his hands). After that, I sprayed (and BOY do I miss Lysol disinfectent spray, but that's for another day) and moved Buggy's stuff (like his toothbrush) out of us our shared cup and onto the side of the bathroom. At this point, Buggy is watching me from his pillows bemused. I told him that from now on, the bathroom in our bedroom is his own, and that's the only place he should well, be sick, if possible. I'm trying to maintain at least one sterile facilities for me :)

Anyway, yesterday was a really nice day. First of all, the weather is finally my speed, with it being nice and crisp in the evenings and early mornings and pleasant and sunny during the days. Buggy overslept so we jumped out of bed and I tried to get him out the door at best as I could. Good thing I made him lunch and breakfast the night before! As soon as he left, I got myself up and I went to Steven Selig's framing store on Derech Beit Lechem to pick up Buggy's anniversary present. November 4th will mark our one year anniversary of our first date. It's so weird that a year ago, today, I was just thinking about going on some blind date with a Jerusalem dude from Jdate. I never, ever, in a million years thought I was going out on the first day with my future husband!

So, I framed for Buggy architecture plans from his Grandparent's old apartment. I thought he would really like that. I also framed for him the architecture rendurings of his Grandparent's bathroom, and both came out really nice. Buggy bought me a necklace that we returned for something else later in the afternoon :) I love him for being so understanding and for letting me be in a relationship where I could feel comfortable telling him if something isn't my taste. I loved the sentiment of the gift, and what I exchanged it for is really pretty and definitely something I will wear for P"G years to come!

After the jewelry store, we decided to check out Buggy's gym which is not far from the Malcha mall. It was really nice, and had a huge indoor pool. Since Buggy really loves his gym, we decided to sign me up, and at 95 shekel a month combined it's worth it. We're hoping to go at least twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays to start, and then see if we can add more gym time other days of the week. Hopefully, once I get my license and we get me a car, I'll be able to go myself when Buggy is either in school or working.

After we checked out the gym, we ran another quick errand and then we went to the SuperDeal at the Wolfson Mall. I wish I could give props to the blogger who wrote about this but, for the life of me, I cann't remember his name so I apologize in advance. But, basically, they lock the shopping carts in this country and you need to use a 5 shekel piece in order to "rent" one during your shopping excursion. Well, I never seem to have any 5 shekel pieces on me and, this guy suggested that I use an American quarter instead. The first time I tried it, I honestly thought I was going to jam the mechanism and so I experiemented at a supermarket I normally don't shop at. This way, if I needed to make a run away, I wouldn't have to go back there again. But, it actually WORKS! I am so excited every time I use the quarter in the slot. It makes me feel like I'm sorta bucking the system, eventhough I'm really not. So, we picked up some provisions for the rest of the week, and I got some salmon and organic whole wheat pasta and pasta sauce for dinner last night, and we came home to watch the rest of the Transformers movie we started the other day.

Dinner was delicious! I made rosemary grilled salmon (very simple, just marinade the thawed salmon in a little olive oil, some minced garlic and chopped rosemary) and then throw on any grill or grill pan. Cook until you like it which, for Buggy, means a little raw on the inside and for me means very, very cooked all the way through! We called it a night early and, even though Buggy was complaining of not feeling so great, I thought everything would be fine when we woke up this morning.

So, now all of our plans for today are up in the air. I will probably be able to get out of the house and do my errands. Hopefully, Buggy's comics will be at the post office so I can bring those back for him to read while he's in bed. I told him he absolutely cannot run around today as he really needs to relax. Good thing we are eating out both meals this Shabbos. Fortunately, Friday night's meal is in Baka and Shabbos lunch is with his Grandparents. I'm hoping by Shabbos day he will feel much, much better because it's a long walk. I'm really happy now that I made us stay home from yoga last night, could you imagine if Buggy would have gotten sick during tree stance? Yikes!

Which brings me to today's Product of the Day




I absolutely love Purell, the best hand sanitizer in the universe, which is manufactured by the lovely folks over at Johnson and Johnson. I carry little bottles of Purell in every single handbag that I own, and I the colors run the gamut. Right now, I'm using the green hand sanitizers, but in the winter, I use the white ones because they have added moisturizers. I have two big bottles of purell in the house for filling up my small bottles and, P"G, when my folks come to visit in a few weeks I'm going to ask them to bring me some more. Purell is like the wonder hand sanitizer as it claims to kill 99.99% of germs! Now that's a percentage I can certainly live with. And, since I'm the girl who takes those hand towels they give out at restaurants after the meals and fills up my bag with them, purell is an even better solution for me! If you've ever had to use a public restroom in Israel, or ANY country for that matter, you should be carting around a bottle of Purell. Lord knows what kinds of germs live in those places!

Well, I'm off to try to get some sleep since Buggy has finally fallen back to sleep himself. Hopefully, he will be better when he gets up in a few hours. Otherwise, well, I might just be forced to bath him in Purell and tuck him back into bed!

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!

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!

Buggy Danish

We hope everyone had an easy fast! Ours was T"G absolutely amazing! I guess that's what happens when you go to a 7:00 a.m. minyan that lets out at 11:00 a.m. I was asleep by 12:30 and didn't get up again until 3:30 p.m. for Mincha. The davening here was so great - no KVETCHING! Someone needs to clue in the folks over at my parents shul that you can have a meaningful Yom Kippus without the Chazan who drooones on and on for hours.

Anyway, we broke the fast at Buggy's parents and it was a little weird for me being in a new place that has different post-fast customs. I miss good ol' G&I on Main Street and my apple turnovers. Can you believe Buggy has no idea what an apple turnover is? I have a friend coming from Queens for Succot and I have half a mind to ask her to bring me one, just so Buggy can see the fantastic pastry!

So, as you can see, I was craving pastry when I got home and we had gone to my favorite Jerusalem bakery called Pe'er before Shabbos/Yom Tov to get pre-and post-fast provisions. Well, I had picked up an assorted box of mini danishes and rugaleach and cinnamon buns and when we got back to the apartment last night, I went straight for the box. We curled up on the couch to catch some news on TV and I was pulling a part this plain danish when I saw a BUG!

Well, I spit out any of the danish in my mouth and then made Buggy check out the Bug. Well, once he confirmed that it was in fact a bug, we launched into this whole debate on whether or not I will go there again. See, it wasn't like the bug was in the box, or on top of the danish. It was BAKED INTO the danish folks, and that means that the bug was in the DOUGH and that just skeeved me out a bit.

Buggy tried to nicely point out how much I like their Chalot and I think this incident is just too fresh in my mind and I'm going to refrain from the bakery for a bit. Good think we got a bread maker as a wedding present! I need to hit my little sister up for her Challah recipes - especially since we're having 10 people over for dinner on Friday night and they're gonna want some bread.

Last night, we decided to go see The Nanny Diaries, Buggy's very first official chick flick. It was a pretty bad movie and now I wish we had seen Knocked Up instead. Either way, it was nice to be out together at a movie - we hadn't done that since before the wedding!

Today we're staying close to home as we both have work to do. Buggy has to work on his project and I need to get back to writing thank you notes and planning our Succot meals. We're eating at home, just the two of us, on Thursday lunch and then we're having a bunch of people over for dinner on Friday night. There will be LOTS of cooking going on in this apartment and I'm getting excited - please let me know if you have recipe recommendations. I need to get some good bar recipes from my sister - I will be doing a lot of baking within the next few days!

Repent

I think I need to seriously reprent this year, and I already have a basic handle on the sins that turn out to be my "go to" sins. The typical ones like Lashon Harah and Rechilut, etc. I did a lot of thinking last night about Yom Kippur starting this evening and well, I'm just hoping the 25 hours of reprentence will be meaningful for me. I really have a lot that I'm sorry about.

Before I continue, I know that I didn't get a chance to call a lot of people before Yom Kippur. I'm not making excuses but when you read the rest of the blog you'll understand how come I've been crashing each and every night this week and not able to even pick up the phone. Nevertheless, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask for Mechilah for anyone I could have offended or upset or hurt this year. It was never intentional and I truly hope that you can forgive me.

Tuesday
Ever wonder how to get into the right frame of mind for Yom Kippur? Go before a Beit Din, it will shake you to the core and make you wonder what it would be like to actually stand in front of the Beit Din Shel Malah. (the Bet Din up above - as in the ultimate beit din). So, Buggy and I were up really early because we had to meet with his lawyers. Buggy rents out an apartment in Katamon and he met with his new tenant, so we were at the lawyers to go through the contracts. I wish Buggy could have been there last year when I was dealing with all this stuff out in Tel Aviv; he really is a wonderful and compassionate landlord. We had 3 minutes until our appointment at the Beit Din so we ran up Hillel Street to get there on time. Fortunately, our two witnesses were already there and we proceeded to wait....for 2 1/2 hours. Buggy had to run out in the middle to Aroma to get us drinks and lunch because we were all so hungry. Anyway, when it was finally our turn they called the two of us in and asked us a lot of questions. They were trying to establish that we were both Jewish, that our marriage was in accordance to Halacha, etc. I dressed for the day 100% appropriately, which included covering up all of my hair in a big shmata. I wore the longest skirt I own and I opted for long sleeve t-shirt even though it was very hot outside. Nevertheless, my garb didn't necessarily convince them but the letters from my parents Rabbi stating that my mother is Jewish and that my parents are religious and the copies of their Ketuba helped. They questioned our witnesses extensively - asking whether or not my parents were religious and if I came from a religious home. They didn't relax until I told them about my Yeshiva education. As soon as I said that I spent my time in seminary at Michlalah with Rabbi Cooperman, they finally relaxed. We are waiting for a letter to arrive that states that the Rabanut of Israel recognizes that our marriage in America was 100% kosher and we "officially" married. Then we can get on with the next step of beurocracy.

As a side note to the Beit Din issue - they actually force women not dresses appropriately to put on long robes to cover up before they stand before the Rabbi's. Just a helpful hint, in case you ever have to go before Beit Din in Israel. Personally, I hope that's the last time I'm there.

Since they didn't see us until 1:30, we were 30 minutes late to my genetic testing appointment and had to sprint across Yafo and Aggripas to get there. Fortunately, the woman was kind and saw us anyway and we went through the proper paperwork. We decided to do all of the 16 genetic testing on the Ashkenazi panel. Sadly, there are a lot of genetic issues with Ashkenazi Jews so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Buggy agreeds and 2,050 shekels later and after they took 3 vials of my blood, we were off to get me some ice cream. It's a HLH family tradition - we always get ice cream after a harrowing medical experience. Giving that much blood definitely called for some Twix ice cream at Aldo on Emek.

Sadly, I don't remember what we did the rest of the evening but I think Buggy ended up going to work for a bit and I cooked us some dinner. I wanted to surprise him so I made him fresh tortilla chips - I fryed them in a bit of vegetable oil and we had them as an appetizer to our Tivol (soy patty) and quinoa with peas dinner. It was yummy eating by candel light and just relaxing after such a busy day. By the time we fell into bed, we were both really wiped.

Wednesday
We woke up really early because Amos came to build our Succah. It was really, really exciting and he was here for 4 hours! Since the parameters of the balcony are atypical, we hired Amos to build us a custom made Succah. He spent hours here putting it together, even though it's not as difficult as some of the Succot in the States.



This picture is the left side of the Succah if you're standing in the sliding doors to the balcony. We have 2 windows too - which is really nice and we'll probably leave open in the evenings and during the day if it gets too hot inside.



Here is the right side of the Succah if you're standing in the sliding doors to the balcony. Amos put up the one Succah decoration I had - and then told me that it wasn't a Succah decoration at all but a wall decoration. I looked at it again and then said - "that's great, I like it better for the Succah, can it work in there instead?" He laughed and helped me hang it and now Buggy and I have to go decoration shopping for some more. I want to go at some point on Sunday to the mall to get some more stuff, and I saw a place in Town that were selling some decorations that looked familiar. There was a shiny nice apple that my folks have at home and I can't wait to get another one for our Succah!

Well, Amos is not just a Succah man but he's also an electrician. After he finished building the Succah, we asked him to look at our Shabbos clock and tell us why it didn't work. Buggy at that point had to run an errand and was out of the apartment, and that's when Amos loudly blew a fuse with a huge expolsion....3 TIMES! It was very scary - we lost power and then it came on again, we lost power, and then it came on again, etc. He told us that the only way to connect it properly would be to rewire the entire panel in the apartment and he couldn't do that until after Succot. I was appreciateive and thanked him and then paid him and he left. And a few minutes later, when Buggy returned, we realized that the AC wasn't working, the lights in all three bedrooms were off, and the lights in the bathroom was off. Unfortunately, Amos was nowhere near the apartment and couldn't come back to fix it until later that evening. So, we sucked it up as best we could and I showered in the dark and used the light from Buggy's hand held computer to pick out my clothing for that eveinings festivities...which I'll get to in a minute. Our cleaning man didn't show up as arranged, so I was really disappointed, the apartment could use a really good scrub down. But, I spent the afternoon running my own errands like putting in our cleaning, going fruit and vegetable shopping and writing and mailing 25 thank you cards! Phew, by the time the night came, I was beat. But, we threw Buggy's Mom a surprise birthday party at Pear E Mela (Agas V'Tapuach), this extremely quaint Italian restaurant just outside the old City walls and next door to City Halls in Town. She was very surprised, very happy, and everyone had a great time. The food was really good too but the highlight was dessert - which was raspberry and mango gellato, fresh whipped cream and chocolate blitzes. Yum! We came back home satiated and very happy.

Thursday
There is no rest for the weary and, once again, Buggy and I had to go into town to take care of bank issues. We waited in line forever and then did all 3 transactions that needed doing. Then, it was off to Har Nof to pick up my Fall which the woman did an excellent job with! I was really happy and, 110 shekel later, walked out of there with a clean and freshly blown out fall and a new styrofome head. We then went to Buggy's parents house to get hair cuts. Buggy's Mom arranges for a stylist from Tel Aviv to come and cut her friends hair in their home in Jerusalem. He was cutting 8 people's hair that day, and Buggy and I were 1 & 2 on line. We showered at the house and then Buggy was up and I watched and chatted with the stylist. He looked great and when it was my turn, I decided to go drastic. And...since it's no longer summer here and it's already Autumn, I cut bangs.

Yup

Straight across and long - so that it's slightly over my eyebrows - I am now sporting a nice haircut with bangs. It's going to be a pain to maintain, but it's a lot more flattering that what I had before and I'm happy with it.

After the haircut, we came back to the apartment and I put up a load of laundry and decided it was the day I would get out of boxes! The closet people came at 9:00 a.m. that morning and fixed the drawers that needed to be fixed, so I no longer had an excuse not to be out of boxes. I spent 4 hours and put away all of my socks and shoes and the HUGE box of drug supplies in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. It was exhausting work and then Buggy had to leave for work and I ended up just hanging out and relaxing. When we do so much in one day, I get really tired afterwards, and had to fight myself from falling asleep on the couch. We were supposed to celebrate my Hebrew birthday (oh yeah, that was yesterday for me, Happy 31st to me) but our photographer called and told us that he was in Jerusalem and we could come pick up our proofs. We were very excited so we cancelled our dinner and a movie plans, drove into town to his apartment, and picked up the 800 wedding proofs. We spent the rest of the evening looking at pictures and it was so overwhelming that we have to narrow it all down to 70 that we ended up going to bed at 11:30 without making any big decisions. My folks also go their set of proofs, so it will be interesting to hear if they liked the pictures!

Today
Which brings us to today, Erev Shabbos Yom Kippur 2007 in Jerusalem. Buggy woke up at 6:15, which means that I've been up since that time, and he left for Slichot. We are going out to Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim this morning for an Azkarah for his Grandmother, who passes away on Yom Kippur 4 years ago. Afterwards, we're going to come back and I'm going to start cooking for our Seudat HaMafseket. Buggy and I both missed dinner last night and I woke up starving, so I hope today we'll be better about eating in light of the fast ahead.

We wish all our loved ones - and anyone who haphazardly stumbled upon this blog - a Gmar Chatimah Tovah. May all your sins be forgiven, and may all of your Tefilot come true! We hope to see you all next year in Jerusalem!

The History of Eggplant

I have a history with eggplant. It's not a pleasant one at that. At my cousin David's Bar Mitzvah YEARS ago, his Aunt (from the other side) was helping me navigate the buffet table. It was late at night and I was tired, we were flying back to New York early the next morning, but the spread was fantastic and I was on the kiddie table. That meant, Mom and Dad didn't control what I was eating, so I went to TOWN! Anyway, back to the buffet table. So, the waitresses were serving up from hot plates and I saw something nice and cheesy/saucy looking. I asked the Aunt what it was, and she told me that it was pizza. Well, who doesn't want pizza? I got a big fat piece and brough it back to the table. Halfway through the pizza and I wasn't liking it. It tasted funny and I couldn't find the bread. My Cousin (I think it was Larry but can't remember for sure) turned to me and said that it wasn't pizza but eggplant parmesan.

YUCK!

I abandoned my plate and joined my Zaydie on line to the big make your own ice cream sundae buffett. The next morning, about and hour before we had to leave for the airport, I was ralphing BIG time. Dad wasn't happy with me, and I was soo sick. I lost count on how long it took me to empty my stomach, but vowed to never again touch eggplant.

And, until a few weeks ago, I stuck to the vow. But one night, Buggy and I were out at our favorite Italian restaurant, and I ordered the antipasti. Well, it came with grilled eggplant and I decided to finally get over my eggplant fears and dig in. It was surprisingly very, very good! So yesterday, when we saw these little baby eggplants at the fruits and vegetable store, I bought it and decided to make it today as our vegetable side dish.

Here's how I prepared it..



Yup, pan fried baby in some olive oil with a little salt and black pepper. Yumm! I'll be pairing mine with a nice piece of salmon, while Buggy will get his with salmon and some pasta with sauted portobello mushrooms and onions.

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen since we moved here. Cousin Neil was right when he mentioned that we eat out too much, and since we're both watching our weight, I decided to try to limit our eating out. I've been making 3 meals for us for the past 2 days and I'm already tired! How do people do this all the time? It was really easy feeding myself, I ate what I wanted when I wanted. But now, I'm feeding for two! It's a lot of fun though, I'm looking forward to getting some new recipes when I'm back in the States. I think I need to learn new ways to prepare some of my typical fare.

Last night, I didn't get much sleep again. This time, it's the alarm guys fault. He came and we set up some of the specific aspects to the system. One of the modes is a "night" mode and that means that we were able to alarm some areas of the apartment while not alarming the others. But, there I was, lying in bed and I had to go to the bathroom. It was 2:00 a.m. and I was soo nervous that I was going to set off the alarm. Finally, I couldn't lay there any longer, and I crept like a cat burglar to the bathroom. I did my business and then decided not to flush (sorry to be graphic, but the alarm is LOUD!). I repeated this two more times during the evening, so it's no wonder why my face has broken out and my eyes have big bags underneath. I'm dog tired peeps!

I flushed this morning and then told Buggy the story when he came over. He laughed and promised that things would get better once I'm used to the place. I'm just thrilled we've got an alarm! I had nothing in my apartment in Tel Aviv!

Today was a productive day. We spent the morning in town, going to various places to run some errands, and picking up some additional freezer items for the week. Tomorrow, we're going to have to get some meat and chicken for Shabbos. The men came to install the gate at the front of the building and they needed to hook into our juice to power their drill. So, my afternoon walk on Emek didn't happen. I had to sit and wait for the men to finish up. It was worth it, I think the gate is really a nice addition to the building.

Buggy just ran out to duplicate some new keys and I'm trying to figure out when to marinate the salmon and how much pasta to cook him. In the meantime, I think I'm going to have to go back to studying for next week's final.

Crave of the Day is Dunkin Donuts munchkins in all different flavors! I could use a nice big box of munchkins right about now! Hmmm, I wonder if I'll be able to pick some up on the way from the wedding hall to our hotel. Hahah, can you imagine what the Dunkin Donuts employees would think if I ran into the building in my gown?? They'll probably think I'm crazy but who knows, I might have THAT much of an urge!

Marking Territory

Buggy has marked his territory by moving his foosball table into the apartment. For now, we've left it in the living room but we're going to have to figure out where it will ultimately go. With no Machsan (storage room), we're going to have to improvise with the space we have.

We are both really, really tired. We haven't slept since Saturday night and it seems like we just keep getting less and less shut eye. The amount of stuff we did yesterday was insane, really, and I'm still shocked that I was able to get out of bed when the cable guys called this morning.

So, recap on what went down yesterday. After Mei Eden came and the contractor successfully moved the fridge into its spot, took the cabinet back to shave it down and left, Buggy finished his exam and came over. We had a list. We needed to go to the supermarket to pick up food! And, since it's the 9 days and we can't eat meat, I was trying to figure out how to be creative with dairy.

But first, Buggy's Mom wanted to come by and see how things were coming with the move. She came over and took a tour, walked around some of the boxes, and then offered to take us out to dinner. We happily accepted! We were both starving and realized that we should probably eat sooner rather than later. Then. Buggy's Mom asked me to pick out silver candlesticks, which she is buying me P"G as a wedding gift. This is what I selected, what do you think?



After Buggy's Mom left, the cabinet guy called about the handles for the bathroom cabinet. He needed to come in and install them but we were off to the supermarket. I told Buggy I wanted the handles more than I wanted food, so we told him to call us when he was near, and we left to try to get some food. On the way to the Supermarket, Buggy got a call from Fedex. His handheld computer broke a few days ago and the company was sending it back, so we now had to drive to his parents house to pick up the Fedex package. Well, we were so hungry and it was almost 4:00 that we went to Faza for a quick lunch. Buggy had the whole wheat pasta and I had a salad. Right before we were done, the cabinet guy called to say he was on his way, so we raced back to the apartment to let him in. It took him 10 minutes to literally drill in holes and add handles to the cabinets in the bathroom.

As soon as he left, Buggy had to rush out for an appointment, and I was left to clean up after the cabinet guy. You know, I'm happy to give people glasses of water when they come into the apartment to do work. Truly happy. But, when I then find the cup crushed and discarded on the bedroom floor, that just makes me angry. After Buggy's appointment, he went back to his apartment to move his computer, TV, and some other electronics. Since the computer desk is here and the cable guys came this morning, Buggy needed his whole set up ready for the cable guys to hook up.

That took almost 2 hours! It was heavy stuff, and Buggy and I coordinated watching over the car and bringing into the apartment his things. While I was waiting for Buggy, I started reading over my notes for next weeks Philosophy final. I'm up to Saadia Gaon and his introductin to the book Emunot V'Deot. I remember that Saadia came before Rambam and that he was writing his book to help people deal with the theologians of the time. I've got a long way to go before I'm ready for this test!

I couldn't read that much because I was so tired, so I looked out the window and waited for Buggy to come. While looking out the window, I noticed this strange man just hanging out outside. It looked like he was "casing the joint" as they say in the States and I got suspicious. Soon, two other men seemed to be doing the same, and now my suspicion was boardering on paranoia. When Buggy finally finished loading in the stuff, and we were now 30 minutes late to meet with parents for dinner, we locked up and left. I didn't like the way these two guys looked, so I asked Buggy to drive around the block and come around so I could see what was up. They were gone by the time we drove back but I'm definitely going to be keeping my "eye" on them.

And, to help me, Buggy gave me binoculars with a camera attached! I know, I know, I'm crazy but I just like to be on the safe side. And, I guess I'm a bit of a voyuer. Thank god Buggy already loves and agreed to marry me! Anyway, after a lovely dinner with his parents, we went back to their house to pick up some stuff and then drove to the Supersol by the Sheraton. It was the other supermarket we knew that was open at such a late hour and I stocked up!

We got:
soy yogurts (Buggy's), 5% cheese (Buggy's), Parmesan (me), goat cheese rounds (me), whole wheat pasta (me), regular pasta (Buggy), tomato sauce (me), marinara sauce (Buggy), 2 dozen eggs, tuna in olive oil (Buggy), tuna in water (me), edamame, kosher salt, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, light mayo (Buggy), regular mayo (me), bread, 3% cottage cheese (me), 5% yogurts (Buggy), pam spray, chocolate (Buggy), frozen cauliflower, frozen broccoli, lighbulb, lemon juice, tins, paper towel, toilet paper and little mini peaches.

Today, once Buggy gets back from his Dr.'s appointment, we're going to walk to Derech Beit Lechem and pick up some fruits and vegetables. I want to get cucumbers and tomatos for an Israeli salad, some garlic and cherries and maybe a nice mellon to have in the fridge. I would also love to pick up some frozen fish so I can make salmon and tuna for the week! We'll have to find another supermarket for that, I didn't like what I saw in the freezer section last night.

So, after the cable guys came bright and early this morning, and the electrician came back to fix some stuff, I sat down to cook breakfast. Poor Buggy, I called him once I heard from the cable guys and woke him out of a deep sleep and he raced over with his tefillin and toothbrush! He didn't even get washed up, he just jumped out of bed and got into his car and came right over. Is he great or what?

I decided to treat him and made him an omlet sandwhich for breakfast. After a relaxing time, with internet, phone, and TV now all B"H working, Buggy had to run out again to a meeting. And now, I have to go, because the cabinet guy is back to put up the new cabinet he shaved off to make room for my mamoth fridge!

Crave of the Day is a breakfast of french toast smothered in Aunt Jemima's syrup. When I'm exhausted, all I want is some breakfast comfort food. Chased with a big glass of hot chocolate, it's heaven!

The great refridgerator challenge

You know how it's hard to sleep in a strange place? Well, that's basically how I felt last night. After Buggy and I had our final meat supper before the start of the 9 days, and figured out how to use the hot water in the apartment (it was actually quite comical!), and I watched two of my favorite Grey's Anatomy episodes, I just laid in bed and listened to the noises of the new apartment. To minimize the noises, I shut all the windows and also cut off all of the gorgeous breeze that you get in this apartment. I used the AC to cool the apartment down and, right before shutting the lights, I closed it off and opened the window in my bedroom. I could hear people walking and laughing outside, and also the creaks and some movement from our upstairs neighbors. It was a little weird, and also a bit scary (I have to admit) but I finally managed to get to sleep around 1:00 a.m.

The kids screaming and laughing next door woke me up at 7:00 a.m. The apartment is right next to a gan/kaytanah (summer day camp) and parents were dropping their kids off extra early! Oy, I'm not much of a morning person, but it was actually nice to hear kids. I'm sure that feeling won't last long!

I had to get up anyway and I shuffled from room to room, looking through bags and boxes, just to find all of the things I needed to get washed up and dressed this morning. Of course, I had to hop on the scale too, as is my morning ritual. Fortunately, even with all the crappy food I ate yesterday, the number didn't budge. That's a good thing for me!

Anyway, it was a good thing I got out of bed when I did because the Mei Eden guy came to deliver my machine and 3 waters at 9:15 this morning. He told me how much better it was to live in Jerusalem as opposed to Tel Aviv, and I just nodded my head, and he set everything up. At first, I had him put the 2 extra waters on the balcony, but he said it wasn't smart to keep them in the sun. In the morning, we don't have sun on the balcony but when it sets, that's when the sun really shines into this apartment. So, when he left, I moved the waters back into the apartment and I'm waiting for Buggy to finish his tests and come over so he can move the waters somewhere else. We'll find a place for them, somewhere.

And then, I sat down to the breakfast of champions in the new apartment. I had been saving this solid white tuna in water can for a special occassion and I opened it up and used some dijon mustard. With a big glass of diet coke with lemon, it was a fantastic breakfast! I can't wait for to get out to the fruit and vegetable store and start stocking up the place! I only have 2 cans of tuna left and I know Buggy is going to be hungry after his test.

The contractor and his worker showed up a few minutes ago and hence the great refridgerator challenge. For some reason, since my stolen wireless is very weak, I'm having problems uploading the photos of my fridge. But, it's MASSIVE. And, the space left for it is too small, as mentioned yesterday. Right now, they are shaving off the cabinets and raising them so that we can fit in the fridge. The contractor also noticed that all of the cable wires are outside of the wall, and he said it would be better to put them inside the wall. Hmmm, not sure what that means but will ask Buggy when he gets back.

Anyway, I love when Israeli worked show up and look at a job and then decide that they can do it on the spot. That's really, really great. I'd prefer to have that then someone who comes and tells me that it will take 2 weeks before they can do the job. This is teriffic. Plus, this way I can move the fridge out of the living room area and back into the corner where it belongs.

A couple of other people are supposed to come today to do some stuff in the apartment, which is why I'm just sitting here in my scrubs and a t-shirt and flip flops, chilling. I have some more unpacking to do but I'm too tired to even think about it. Maybe when Buggy gets back he'll help me sort some things out.

Will post pictures later when I get a better connection!

Crave of the Day is my Mom's baked ziti. With all the marinara sauce and two types of cheeses, it's really heaven. I promised Buggy I would make him my Mom's baked ziti, using 5% cheese of course, and he got really excited. With the 9 days upon us, we're going to be eating lots of pasta.

Holy City Home

I'm taking a break from unpacking to blog an I don't think I've ever been this exhausted. Last night, I didn't get to bed until 3:30 a.m. Between last minute packing and trying to prepare for the move, I was just too hyped up. But, I knew that I had the entire morning to sleep since the movers were coming until the afternoon.

My cell phone rang at 7:00 a.m. and I was jerked out of a deep sleep. The movers were downstairs. I laughed. I told him there was no way in hell I was letting him upstairs because I still had some packing to do and I was in bed! He insisted and I pushed back. I was holding 2100 shekel for these folks, he was going to have to wait. I jumped out of bed, called Buggy and woke him up, he was also up late helping me so he was in an even deeper sleep, and then I just raced around the apartment getting things done. I still had to pack 5 boxes, which included my linens and pillows and things! Buggy showed up just in time and he helped me get my stuff packed. Meanwhile, Itai called me and said that he doesn't want me to let the movers use the elevator. He said it wasn't meant for movers and they can't use it. I was frustrated with that but was happy that he was at least leaving to go to work and wouldn't be around to watch.

At 8:15, I was finally ready and dressed and Buggy let the movers up. I told them that they couldn't use the elevators for the boxes and they went off on me! They said the price they quoted was a price that included the elevator and they wouldn't have given me that cheap of a price if they knew they had to go up and down stairs. Finally, after some heated negotiations, I made them sign a form that said they were responsible for any damage to the elevator if they break it. And then, the movers got to work, and started loaded my boxes up and getting them out of the apartment. I was running back and forth to let them into the elevator and watching to make sure they wouldn't make any holes in the apartment walls. It was very stressful. At one point, I went out to watch the movers and the guy was smoking in the apartment hallway and then dropping the butts on the floor and grinding them out. I was not pleased with how filthy they were.

And then, the movers told me that they couldn't dismantly my bed. That the carpenter had messed up and they couldn't take it apart. At that point, Buggy ran to the parking lot to pick up the car so that we could head to his apartment in Jerusalem as soon as the movers were done. Well, I told him that he had to either figure it out or find another way to get the frame out of the apartment. He finally got his tools and took the frame apart and then the problem was solved. But, I saw that they were loading all of the bed parts into the elevator. At one point, the Hot cable guy came to pick up my modem and cable box and he shoved himself into the elevator with my mattress. I was NOT happy and told them that they couldn't do that. They promised they would only use the elevator for boxes. They tried to tell me to relax but I was really annoyed and, with less than 3 hours of sleep, I wasn't functioning well.

So, they finally loaded everything up and then one of the movers spent 15 minutes in the bathroom. It was gross. Thank god I hadn't packed the spray. Mr. no neck mover stopped traffic on Arlozorov (he was incredible looking, no neck, huge shoulders and chest and was "moving" me in sandals!) and we were off. Buggy and I were both so exhausted but we made it to the car and started driving to Jerusalem. I had also done some cleaning in the apartment as the floors were filthy, but I have to go back next Sunday for a meeting at misrad klita so I'm going to finish cleaning the place. I'm sure when Itai shows the apartment tonight he'll call me with some words about how dirty the place is. Oh well, he already has all my money, nothing more I can do about it.

Buggy and I beat the movers to his apartment in Katamon and were able to relax a little before they came to get his stuff. They only moved his computer desk, his foosball table, and three mini card tables. It took two seconds to do and then they followed us to the apartment in Baka. They moved everything in and I directed, while Buggy ran to the Makolet to buy them water and stuff. One of the movers got too rough with a door and now I need to have someone come and fix the little hole. We need to get a doorstop so it won't keep happening too. And then, they moved the refridgerator and just as we had feared, there is no enough room for it in the area that's left. Fortunately, the contractor who already did some work in this apartment, is doing work for our upstairs neighbors. He was in the building when the movers came and he came down and measured the area. He's going to be in the apartment bright and early tomorrow to shave off 10 centimeters for the fridge to fit.

And then I got to work, as Buggy chilled out because he has a big test tomorrow and I didn't want him overly stressed. And, little by little, I got things upacked. First, I tackled everything in the kitchen but the pantry items. Then, I put together my bedroom so I could have someplace to crash tonight. After that, I put together some of the electronic stuff. The shower guy stopped by to measure the bathroom for the glass door and so I had to stop and talk to him, and now I'm going to get to work putting the pantry stuff into the kitchen. After I'm done with the pantry, I'm going to stop for the evening. I'm so wiped, I don't know what to do with myself. I'm also pretty dehydrated, haven't gone to the bathroom since this morning, so I'm going to drink the water Buggy brought me and try to relax.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy and early morning. A whole bunch of people will be in and out, including the Mei Eden guys and the contractor. He said he was going to be able to fix the area for the fridge, so at least that's good news. Tomorrow is also Buggy's big test, so I'm going to be solo for majority of the day. I think Buggy is going to have to pick me up some food since I'm going to be homeward bound until at least the afternoon.

Tuesday doesn't look any better as the cable guys are coming and we have to run out to do some errands with his family. In the midst of all this, I'm going to have to find some time to study for my final in a few weeks.

Good luck to me.

There is no Crave of the Day as all I want right now is my bed.

Till tomorrow's saga!

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

Buggy and I almost did something really naughty at the bank today. No, we weren't thinking about becoming Bonnie and Clyde, although that could have been an interesting scenario. No, what we had in mind was far more mischevious then criminal. And, it involved peaches. But, before I tell the story of the Bank HaPolim Peaches Predicament, I have to give a quick synopsis of Tuesday/Wednesday.

Tuesday morning, woke up feeling nasty. Headache and some nausea so I stayed home from school which was good because I had to finish my story. So, I wrote for most of the day, caught up on some e-mail backlog and did some wedding stuff before hitting the hay. Wednesday it was bright and early wake up for me, in school by 8:30 a.m. Professor Kramer's class was great, as usual. We discussed Tillie Olson's short story Tell Me a Riddle which is one of the saddest pieces of literature that I've ever read. While Professor Kramer tends to cry every time he reads the piece, my tear ducts stayed dry. It was sad but not boo-hoo sad. After Professor Kramer's class, it was on to Professor Harvey's and now we're really at the meat of the course! We're finally discussing Free Will vs. Gods Knowledge of Paticulars and it's getting interesting. I think I'm going to opt to write the 3-4 page paper on this topic, which should be pretty easy for me. I've been grappling with the Free Will vs. Preodination concept since Junior High School and I will be absolutely thrilled if this course gets me to a satisfying answer.

After class, Tobye drove me to the bus stop and I walked home, stopping at the SuperSol to pick up some stuff for dinner. Buggy called to ask me out on a date (a first since engagement) and we were invited by his best friend's wife to come over to their house to celebrate Buggy's friend's birthday. I have to say, Buggy's BF and his wife are two of the nicest, most genuine people I've met since moving here. And, I'm absolutely thrilled that we all get along so well, especially since Buggy has been close with them since his Yeshiva days. Anyway, it's a good thing I never got around to cooking dinner cause it was a dinner party and we were starving by the time we got there! The food was excellent, onion soup, Egyptian meatballs, orzo and Israeli salad. The chocolate cake with a big #3 for his b-day looked amazing for dessert, but I held my resolve and didn't partake. I just sipped my cinnamon magic tea instead and enjoyed the conversation.

Now, I ended up sleeping in Jerusalem because Buggy's friends live in Givat Zeev. In fact, they have an absolutely beautiful apartment there and it has a gorgeous view and sports one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. I guess that's what is to be expected from a gardener's home! I wish he could give me pointers, it's a miracle my cactus is still alive! Anyway, when Buggy got to Tel Aviv to pick me up for my date, I was really itchy. And, I noticed these red splotches on my arm and was getting a bit nervous. In fact, I've noticed them before but now I was concerned since they didn't appear to be going away. Buggy called the Medical Center in Wolfson and got me an appointment with a dermatologist for this morning, and so off we went to Jerusalem for the night.

The problem with sleeping by Buggy's parents is that the bed is so comfortable, and I'm not alone in the house so I feel a bit more "protected", that I overslept. Buggy overslept cause, well, we didn't go to bed until 2:00 a.m. and he didn't hear all three alarms! (Three alarms people, he even took my cell phone and set that alarm as a backup but it didn't help!). Anyway, at 9:45, he woke me up and we started rushing to make the 11:00 a.m. appointment. The Dr. at Wolfson was really nice, and she told me that it looks like I have bug bites but couldn't tell me from what kind of bug.

Yuck!

She gave me a steroid oitment that should bring the swelling down and told me to call her if it doesn't get better. I hope it does - with wedding 67 days away I really don't want to have bug bites! Anyway, it's now 11:30 and I'm pretty hungry. I need to eat and drink water in the mornings, especially drinking water with how easily I get dehyrated in Israel. Buggy, though, is like a Sabra camel and can go all morning without food or drink and be fine. So, instead of going to eat something, we decided to go to Bank Hapoalim to open a joint bank account. Now, normally I would have waited on that until after the wedding, especially since now I'm going to have to go back to the Bank and sign 33,000 forms again with my new signature (after the name change) but we got some engagement checks from the States and it's not nice to not deposit them. Anyway, so there we are at the Bank, and we're waiting to open the new account. Now, I also needed to go and take out the rent money for my Wicked Witch of Northern Tel Aviv landlord since she is coming at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow morning to collect. Nevertheless, I didn't anticipate how long of a process this was going to take.

First, we needed to set up the account. That took a while, since there were a million forms to sign and loads of questions to ask like when I want an SMS sent to my cell phone with my credit card statement or what address I want my statements to be mailed to. Then, Buggy and I both had to sign and finally, almost an hour later, the account was open.

However, the gentelman who opened our account couldn't put money into it - that's not his department. So, we had to wait for someone else. But, the person we wanted to go to was busy so he told us to wait for another woman. Now, this woman for whatever reason, got up and disappeared right when we sat down.

And that's when we saw her bag of fruit on her desk. It started to speak to us, the 2 peaches, 3 cherries and 4 apricots. They looks so good, Buggy and I both started salivating. We were starving - it was already 1:00 p.m.! I said to Buggy, "don't they give new bank customers fruit as a present?" Well, he agreed. And we tried to figure out what would happen if we just helped ourselves to the peaches.

We imagined scenarios:

1) The woman returns to see us in the midst of chowing down on her peaches. "Are those my peaches?" she would ask. "Peaches?" we would say "what peaches? We don't see any peached!" SLURP.

2)The woman returns to see us in the midst of chowing down on her peaches. "Are thos my peaches?" she would ask. "I'm sorry," we would answer "but these aren't for bank customers?" Awkward pause in mid bite. "Umm, would you like them back?"

3) The woman returns to see no peaches in the bag, and Buggy and I wiping peach juice off of our mouths. A trickle rolls down my arm but I rub it away in the arm of the chair. "What happened to my peaches?" she would ask. "Peaches? We didn't see any peaches. Just those three cherries and 4 apricots. Are you sure you had peaches?"

At this point, I am hysterical with laughter. My side is hurting because I can't breath and Buggy is laughing with me but getting a little nervous cause it appears that I'm cracking up. Oh, and did I mention that the bank closes at 1:00 so we were the only customers left in the now quiet building? I felt like I was making a big ruckas at the library but I couldn't control myself.

FINALLY, the woman returns only she wasn't interested in helping us. Now, I was past the funny-happy-hungry girl and told Buggy that he really didn't want to meet Hungry Holylandhipster. She's usually locked up inside cause she can be a real, well, bitch if let loose. I started snapping that people needed to help us so we could be on our way and, well, they finally did. We left the bank at 1:30 and made our way to Ben Yehudah.

Folks, I have no idea the name of the place where we ate nor do I care. However, the food was amazing. It's this shwarma restaurant place across the street from Cafe Rimon, where they give you about 10 salatim with 2 pitot as soon as you sit down. You choose from a pretty nice meat menu and then they just bring you either a pita or platter of what you selected. Buggy chose to get the Pargiot on skewers and I went with the shwarma with fried onions.

And then our waitress brought us a huge plate of french fries. I told her not to put french fries on my platter and just give me Israeli salad. She said she couldn't remove the french fries from the platter (does that make ANY sense?) and brought me my plate with shwarma, french fries and a side plate of Israeli salad. I removed the french fries to this other huge plate of fries she gave us and Buggy and I chowed down. At the end of the meal, Buggy reached over to eat one of the skewered vegetables that came with his pargit. He took the green pepper and bit down, not realize it was a Jalapeno green pepper. His eyes started watering, his mouth went numb, and he looked like he was going to faint. Unfortunately, he had finished his drink and so I gave him some of my soda while he waved his hand to the waitress. He told her to quickly bring him some water from the tap and she went to look in the cooler for mineral water. At this point, I thought Buggy was going to pass out and finally she ran and got him a glass of water.

He couldn't feel his tongue or mouth and was starting to look like he was going to be sick. So, I did what any other loving fiance would do. I leaned over and kissed him. Twice. My mouth and tongue became a bit numb, tingling a little, but Buggy starting feeling better.

I guess mouth to mouth works on hot peppers too.

Anyway, after a huge lunch, Buggy dropped me off at the bus stop and I was off to Tel Aviv. Somehow, I managed to get stuck with Mr. Drooling, Sleep-on-the-person-next-to-me's-shoulder. I felt like a fly on a windshield, that's how squished I was against the window. Finally, I just cleared my throat and pushing his leg a bit with my own. He got the hint but for a few seconds, and then he was snoring again against me.

Gross!

I was thrilled when we got to Tel Aviv and I ran like a bat outta hell off the bus. The wall home was good, although was sweaty, and I had to once again peel off my clothes when I got home. Now, I'm just relaxing before I have to go plan the menu for Shabbat. Buggy is coming and with my dietarian restrictions - and his - I'm going to have to be the creative culinary cook!

Crave of the Day should not come as a surprise. McDonald's French Fries! Not only was I taunted by the big plate of thick steak fries at lunch, but the girl sitting across from me on the bus to Tel Aviv was devouring a super sized MickeyD's French Fries and they just looked soo good! I think I'm gonna have a peach for a snack :)

PS. Katherine posted on my blog and, while I wish I was able to post back on hers (I don't know what your blog URL is so I hope you're still reading!) the requested information from your comment is as follows: Mei Eden can be reached either by *5335 on your cell phone or at 1-700-70-2002. I have a hot/cold water cooler and get 2 containers a month which is more than enough for one to two people for that time!

Heat Stroke

OK, so I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. And, sometimes when Buggy says something, it doesn't really register. Like last night, when he told me that today was supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far. I didn't really get what he was saying, I was too busy being disappointed with the ending of Pirates of the Carribean, The End of the World. And, after we spent our morning in Jerusalem running some wedding errands and getting him some luggage for his trip to the States for the wedding, I boarded the bus to Tel Aviv without really giving a second thought to the temperature outside. After the long trek, all I wanted to do when I got off the bus was move my legs. Stretch them, as my late Zaydie A"H used to say, and walk home. It was hot outside, but I thought I could make it. I pushed my heavy knapsac higher onto my back and started the trek. By the time I got to Arlozorov/Weitzman I was feeling pretty parched. I stopped as soon as I crossed over Ibn Gvirol, rooted around in my bag for the bottle of water I stowed away last night, and downed it in three long gulps. I didn't care that water was dripping all over my shirt, it was already drenched with sweat and sticking to me. By Dizingoff, I contemplated sitting on one of the benches and resting before making the rest of the trip but pride got the better of me and I kept going. I stopped again to get the second bottle of water out of my bag and finished that while crossing the street towards Ben Yehuda. By the time I got into my apartment, my face was so red from the heat that I thought I had gotten a sunburn. I had to literally yank my shirt just to get it over my head, it was absolutely plastered to my body. I stood for 15 minutes in front of the AC, with a large glass of water, and tried to get the sweat to stop pouring out of my body. It took me a good hour before the room stopped spinning and while I'm hydrated now, I feel like I was hit by a bus. I just can't wait to crawl into bed and go to sleep, but I'm keeping myself up so I can keep drinking.

I finally booted up my computer and went to check the temperature and was shocked to see that, when I was walking home, it was 102 degrees F in Tel Aviv. Wow - that's just dumb of me! Next time, I listen to Buggy when he talks and take the bus home. Phew!

I'm procrastinating and it's not good. I have my final story due for class on Tuesday and I'm only one page into it, which does not bode well for me as I need it completed within the next 48 hours. I thought I'd be able to work on it all afternoon but, between not feeling great and my usual glut of Sunday phone calls, I haven't had time to devote to working! Buggy told me to just not answer the phone, but I just can't do that, its been programmed into me to always answer a ringing phone! Since, once again, there is an issue with my apartment I have to spend all day tomorrow waiting for the plumber to come and fix the tap that he never fixed last week. And, my bathroom is once again full of water and I'm not happy about it but the good news is this:

I GAVE NOTICE!

Woohoo, moving day is merely 5 weeks away and I cannot wait! I'm looking forward to leaving all these apartment issues behind me. And, while I am going to miss the proximity to the beach, my friends nearby and the shops and restaurants I've come to know and love this past year, I'm looking forward to the cooler climes of Jerusalem!

Friday was disappointing for me, as Buggy and I both expected to see the rainbow parade pass by my apartment. I was on the parade route but, when he left at Noon, the parade goers hadn't gotten this far yet. I had my camera out and everything to capture Tel Avivian's gay pride but it was all for nought. I took some pics of Buggy instead as we drove out of the City.

This week is going to be busy with school work but I'm really hoping tomorrow will be productive and I'll be able to complete my story and have something ready to submit by Tuesday evening.

Crave of the Day is the cinnamon buns and rugelach that they make at Marzipan in the shuk of Machane Yehudah. I already told Buggy he needs to take note of all the Crave's of the Day cause, once the wedding is over, I was one of everything I'm yearning for in the apartment! I am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into one of these sweet, delicious treats! If you haven't been to Marzipan in the shuk, you MUST make your way. It's a delectible experience!

At the Carwash...

These building in Bayit Vegan is what Buggy refers to as the eyesore of Jerusalem. I wish I had a picture of this during the day, these buildings are absolutely bizarre. And you can just imagine how much it costs to live in the row of connecting apartments up top. With the views of Jerusalem, I'm sure we're talking well over a million.

So, I spent majority of Thursday and Friday in the kitchen and running errands. I went to three different supermarkets looking for salsa so I could make the taco salad for El Jeffe's meal. Then, it was back to my apartment to grill the tuna for the tuna salad nicoise, roast the vegetables, steam the string beans, roast the potatoes, make the sesame teriyaki and barbecue chicken and make sure the apartment was clean and ready for Shabbat before Buggy came from Jerusalem. By the time Buggy finally walked through the door, I was pretty much done with everything and absolutely wiped. He was hungry so I told him to help himself to anything in the fridge. I went to my bedroom to put away some of the clothing that I had laid out on the bed and Buggy followed me, chomping on a pickle. I asked him where he got the pickle, and he told me the container on the top of my fridge. I grimaced. And told him that those were the pickles that fell on the floor that I never got around to throwing out. He looked at me like I had two heads and then started ticking down the food-related "issues" I've caused him since the beginning of our courtship.

First, it was the laxative chocolates. He forgave me for that because I ate them too and was sick right along with him. Then it was the whole wheat pasta, which I told him he's going to have to get used to cause I'm saying goodbye to white pasta. After that, it was the Fiber One chicken that apparently had him really sick to his stomach. And now, I was feeding him dirty pickles!

I explained that the pickles fell out of the fridge late one night and rather than leave them to rot and smell up my garbage, I put them back in the container and made a mental note to throw them out the following day. Umm, so I just forgot to throw them out.

Anyway, we watched some Harry Potter Goblet of Fire before it was time for Shabbat. The meal at El Jeffe's was so nice, it was just really great being able to talk to new people and drink with friends. Buggy walked me home and I was tettering on my flip-flops from all the Glenfiddich. The next day, I slept in and then Buggy came by for kiddish/lunch. It was the first time I've made a zucchini bread since the famous Zucchini Bread Incident of 1996, and I was really nervous. Buggy loved it! And, as he read some more of his book, I whistled a happy tune and made the tuna salad nicoise dressing. It was good except I dried out the tuna. Otherwise, I assembled everything so nicely, even Chef Rob would have been proud! We finished lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading. I did some reading for class next week and Buggy plowed through the rest of the newest Lord of the Rings novels.

Saturday night, we decided to go to Buggy's friends in Givat Zeev for Melavah Malka and a movie. Since I made so many apple cinnamon muffins (the low-calorie ones his nutritionist gave me the recipe for), I brought over 6 fresh ones and we took the Harry Potter movie. For some reason though, by the time we got there, I was absolutely exhausted. We ended up only staying for a few hours and watching half of the movie, because Buggy and I continued on to his parents house in Jerusalem.

We unpacked quickly, washed up, and then went to our separate bedrooms. Unfortunately, my bedroom came equipped with my very own mosquito! Man, these Jerusalem mosquito's are absolutely relentless. I padded into Buggy's bedroom to wake him up at 9:00 and show him all of my bites, but he begged me for a few more hours of sleep, and so I took his DVD player and watched the rest of Harry Potter.

Buggy left me for about an hour to attend his third Shiur Chatan - I still haven't started Kallah classes - and I just hung out and surfed the net. He picked me up around 1:00 and that's when the marathon of errands began. We went over to the Malcha Mall so Buggy could wash him car, and the dust in the air started to suffocate me. I was having some trouble breathing, so Buggy put the air on in the car and let me sit and breath while we went through the car wash. We went inside the mall and just ran a few errands, including getting Buggy a new wallet (his broke) and grabbing a bite to eat. Since Buggy has so much work due for school tomorrow, he dropped me off early at the Tachanah and I was able to get on the 4:30 p.m. bus back to Tel Aviv. Unfortunately for me, I had the Israeli version of a Big Gulp of Diet Coke at lunch and my bladder started hurting before we even hit the Ayalon highway.

We pulled into the Arlozorov station and I was doing the dance in my chair, desperate to get out and get moving...to the nearest bathroom. Unfortunately for me, my apartment is a good 40 minute walk from the Arlozorov bus station. I don't think I've ever done that walk as fast but somehow, I made it back to the apartment in time.

It's already 11:30 p.m. and I'm contemplating making the apple pie for Shavuot now. I'm excited about tomorrow, I have to do laundry desperately (I'm down to 1 pair of Granny panties) and I'm going to make Buggy a low-fat, low-calorie cheese cake for Shavuot. Also, my friend Bracha is in town and Buggy and I got tickets to her sold-out performance at the Tel Aviv Museaum on Thursday night! I cannot wait to see her! I haven;t seen her since before we got engaged, and she is such a brilliant violinist, I know the concert is going to be spectacular!

Song of the day is anything off of the Arctic Monkey's Favorite Worst Nightmare CD.

Sushi and Yom Yerushalayim

So, I moderate the responses to my blog because sometimes people write things that are just plain dumb. Someone posted on my most recent post - describing my situation in Israel - that I should "quit whining and get a life". Hmm, I just wish the person who wrote that would have the eggs to identify themselves. Saying something like that under the veil of anonymity is so cowardly, I would have had tremendous respect for the person with that very same comment who at least owned up to it.

Moving on...

Slightly Mad tagged me the other day and so I wanted to take this time to respond to the tag. Unfortunately, I don't really know any of the other blogs I read, so I can't pay the tag forward and so the buck's gonna stop here. Anyway, the tag is to list out the five favorite places I like to it in my location. But, since I shuttle back and forth between New York, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I'm going to list my 5 favorite sushi restaurants.

1) Sushi Samba 7 - By far my favorite sushi restaurant in Manhattan. Located on 7th Avenue South right below Christopher Street (convenient to the 1,9 trains), I started going here way before Samantha had a date at this locale on one infamous Sex and the City episode. It's all in the spicyness of the sushi, and put a jalapeno with my spicy tuna roll and I'm in heaven. Couple my sushi with the Emerald Forest drink - which is loaded with rum and is green people - and it's a fantastic night out at a botte in Gotham. In the summer, the restaurant is packed with people who like to be seen and people to see. Book reservations way in advance and try to get a table on the roof deck, it's worth it.

2) Choshi - This little known sushi restaurant on Irving Street, across the way from Friends of a Farmer (a well known brunch place that is absolutely packed on Sundays in the summer), I am always shocked at how consistently good the sushi is. Freshness if key, and every time I went for a pre-drinks dinner at the corner shop, I was impressed with the sushi quality. Also, their sake collection is vast and, if you like cold sake, they have some incredible plum flavored brands that are perfect with edemame and an avocado/tuna roll.

3) Yoko Ono - Located near the Bursa, this is by far my favorite restaurant in Tel Aviv! Forget the fact that Buggy and I had our second date here, the sushi is terrific, the prices are reasonable and the ambiance is great. It's a perfect romantic spot for an intimate dinner, and also casual enough for an evening with the girls. The wait staff is really friendly, and the wait is practically non-existent. I highly recommend their sorbet for dessert too, because there is nothing better than washing down some great sushi with a nice passionfruit sorbet.

4) Sushi Running - Ok, ok, technically this is not in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or New York but the Herziliya sushi restaurant was surprisingly good! Located away from the hotel strip, these restaurant features the conveyer belt bar, where the sushi chefs put out plates of varied sushis for patrons to grab at will. This is a lot of fun if you're in the mood to play "guess what we're eating". But, if you want something a bit more formal, there is both an outdoor and indoor eating area. The menu was vast and they had some interesting appetitzers. I personally love sushi that comes with some tempura, but did not find that on their menu. Nevertheless, I was able to mix and match and basically create my own inside out roll, which was great!

5) Yama - Back down on Irving in Manhattan, Yama is the restaurant where the food really does live up to the reputation. Located off the beaten path, you have to really look for the sign of you might walk right past it, the cramped quarters gives way to an intimate dinner atmosphere where people are gorging themselves on sushi and sashimi. The sushi here had such smooth rice that it almost dripped down my throat like liquid, which was a pretty incredible sensation. Since the down-downtown Yama tends to get overcrowded, with lines out the door, I recommend skipping the sceney spot for this locale, where the sushi is just as good if not better.

Today was Yom Yerushalayim and somehow, Buggy and I ended up in Jerusalem not once but twice! I have never seen the flag parade before, although I think I did participate in it during my year in Israel. I don't remember much from 1995 - it was a while ago - but I do remember marching with friends from the Tachanah down towards the Old City, through the Arab shuk and to the Kotel with hundreds and hundreds of people. It was such an amazing experience, I wish I could remember more of it. Anyway, Buggy and I made it through the thousands of high school students gathering at Gan Saccer with their flags and back to his folks house to get ready for tonight's party. We had a family function in Beit Shemesh that we had to get ready for, and it was nice and wet. Apparently, it poured in Jerusalem for a few hours. They even reported some spots of hail in the area! Buggy and I had a gorgeous, sunny day in Tel Aviv. Sadly, his car is still covered in the dust from the dust storm and the woman at the gas station remarked that his car looked terrible. Meanwhile, everyone else driving around in Jerusalem looked like they just had their cars washed at the car wash. I promised Buggy we'd go to the mall to get his car washed.

The drive to Beit Shemesh was nice and quick and we were only 45 minutes late to the party. Then I did something stupid, Buggy got mad, we had words, and I apologized. I then spent the rest of the evening feeling bad about what I did, and so I offered to drive back to Jerusalem with Buggy so we could discuss and work things out. He dropped me off at the Central Bus Station around 10:15 and I was soon batteling a throng of pre-and-post-peubescent kids trying to make it back to Tel Aviv. At one point on the crowded bus (the kids were sitting in the aisles that's how crowded the bus was!), I felt like this crotchety old man who had no patience for the chattering and singing of these little kids. I don't know how that happened, I used to have so much patience. I really need to work on that.

Anyway, tomorrow will be back to the government with the rest of my Aliyah issues. I'm saving the fight with Maccabi though until Buggy can come with me. I want to make sure someone who is fluent in Hebrew is on my side during what is bound to be a hell of a fight.

Layla Tov and Chag Sameach!