Shamed

I am feeling completely shamed by the fact that my friend Kuri, who has a toddler and has recently moved into a new house, updates her blog approximately 100 times more often than I do.

There is the usual litany of excuses. One being that I recently spent almost two weeks in Japan -- my much-loved second home. It was a work trip, and I felt woefully deprived of adequate shopping opportunities ("You have 20 minutes in Jusco" -- RUN!). But, most disturbing, were the changes I observed in Japanese culture.

1) The JR shinkansen conductors do not bow with the aplomb and pride that they used to.

2) The JR shinkansen conductors do not even check anyone's tickets in reserved seats on the train (which resulted in Sweetie and I having to boot someone out of our seat, who then moved to another reserved seat, only to be booted out of that one too by new passengers).

3) Service is not what it used to be. Sweetie and I dropped in on a cute coffee shop in the train station mall and it was so appalling that on my way out, I warned a woman with two small children who was waiting for a seat. We waited 40 minutes for our coffee and tea, which were supposed to come with cookies and cake. We waited another 20 minutes for our cake and cookies, which I had to ask for TWICE (actually walking up to the kitchen myself in one case), and needless to say, our coffee and tea had long since been consumed by the time the cookies and cake arrived. All the staff were running around like complete idiots -- we observed our waitress alternately serve as waitress, dishwasher, and kitchen staff. Someone was furiously washing dishes, while no one could seem to muster the time to put two cookies and a pre-sliced piece of cake on a plate.

In addition, while staying in a rather expensive hotel, the hotel power went out for THREE HOURS one morning (it went out while I was showering for work) and the hotel offered NO explanation and no compensation (fortunately, we were only on the 5th floor). This was in the middle of winter in a major northern Japan city. There were several inches of snow on the ground. The room became intolerably cold during that time.

And to top it off, when we asked if we could check out two hours late they next day, they grabbed a calculator and told us how much extra it would cost!!! Hel-lo!

Also, Sweetie sent a shirt off for dry cleaning, and it came back looking like no one had bothered to iron the sleeves or shoulders. The staff at the front desk looked at me like I had three heads when I took it back and said it was unacceptable. No "moshiwake-arimasen"s and not a single bow of apology. It was more like a disbelieving, "Soo desu ka???"

4) One of my perhaps greatest disappointments was while staying at a ryokan and eating their overwhelmingly large dinners served in the room. We were served up piles of fish and sushi one evening and I was delighted to see one of my favorites, uni (sea urchin). (I've recently tried giving pescetarian-ism a try after 11 years as a vegetarian, as I've become increasingly plagued by respiratory illness). Although I was slightly dismayed by the obvious supermarket packaged-tray that the uni was served on, I figured that we were, after all, inland, so maybe they couldn't get the fresh stuff.

But, my forgiving attitude took a turn, when I glimpsed the back of the uni tray and a sticker that listed the origin of that uni as THE UNITED STATES.

I nearly wept.

New Lady

I've brought a new lady into my relationship with Sweetie. And it's one of the best things I ever did. Her name is Jill. And she's the voice on our GPS unit. It's absolutely brilliant, because now, when we get lost, Sweetie can yell and curse at Jill. While I sit perfectly innocent in the passenger seat. It's amazing. Highly recommended. In fact, she was recommended to me by several sets of aunts and uncles. Always listen to the wisdom of those older than you (I don't dare call them "elders"!)




Last weekend, after a fairly uninspiring trip to an international supermarket called "Jungle Jim's" (I'm sure it's much more pleasant on a weekday when it isn't completely mobbed), we spent Sunday strolling along the local "gorge trail," which skirts some historic sites related to the early days of jazz recording. We've been blessed with absolutely amazingly warm and beautiful weather lately (Sweetie thinks I'm a big liar for all the horrible tales I told him of Midwest weather).

Today I inaugurated a "Hebrew lunch table" at the college where I work. One student showed up (others are interested, but were busy today with the election), which I actually found to be highly encouraging. We spoke Hebrew for about an hour, and I was feeling really proud of myself afterwards, especially as I headed off for 80 minutes of observing a Japanese class. This must be good for my brain! Right?!

Happy Birthday

This month, it was my turn for a birthday. Sweetie spoils me and showered me with gifts and surprises. For my actual birthday, we went to Yellow Springs, Ohio for a brunch at "The Winds" restuarant, which was really lovely. I had a delicious borlotti beans and orzo dish, which at the time, did not seem that large, but it filled me up for about 6 hours! Unusual for me, because generally I like to eat every few hours. We walked around quaint Yellow Springs, enjoyed the fall colors, and visited some artists' galleries.

It's really a cute little town, but sadly, the college located there (Antioch) has apparently GONE OUT OF BUSINESS, which is really quite sad for a town like that. I am not sure how it is going to affect the local businesses.

This past week, I did a bit of traveling for work, and ventured to three liberal arts colleges in Minnesota. I really enjoyed the town of Northfield, in particular. It had a very British feel and had the usual assortment of upscale college-town gift shops, bakeries, and decent restaurants.

I think that is what our town is missing -- it has a college, but really is not in any way a "college town."

Back on the Grid!

Sweetie and I FINALLY got Internet service at home after many trials and tribulations that I will not even go into. In the end, we subscribed for a wireless service called BridgeMaxx, which is working fairly well (if a tad slow sometimes). Hooray!

We've been trying to get away from the rather, ummm, limited town where we live, at least once each weekend. One weekend we ventured to Indianapolis for an incredible dinner for Sweetie's birthday. Oakley's Bistro has a somewhat uninspiring location at a strip mall, but the food was divine! We really enjoyed our dinner and I enjoyed having some inspired food for a change.

Last weekend, we took a train from Connersville to Metamora, where, little did we know, a HUGE "Canal Days" festival was underway. This photo was taken there in one of the few square feet that was not occupied by several people. We really enjoyed ourselves and the injection of "Americana."

Today, we ventured to Oxford, Ohio, which is a nice college town. We had a nice lunch at Kona Bistro (bistros seems to be the theme...) and walked around the town and filled up on the much cheaper gas there. We've learned that virtually everywhere has cheaper gas than our town, so we justify our weekend journeys by filling up the tank at a much lower cost!

Still No Internet

Despite many valiant attempts, we STILL do not have Internet access at home. Our attempt with a THIRD provider failed on Friday and after approximately 30 calls over the weekend, I finally rescheduled the install for today. But, I have little faith that someone will actually show up and finish the install job that was begun on Friday. And let's not even think about when/if we might get someone from the cable company to come out and dig up our yard to bury the newly layed cable.

All very disconcerting. The owner of our rental house had a HOME OFFICE that was operational until a few days before we moved in. So, I am completely baffled why no one has been able to get any form of communication activated in our home. No phone lines working. No cable working.

So, we are feeling very isolated (Sweetie much more so than me, since he remains many thousand miles away from his home country and family and friends).

Living in the Boonies

A quick post to stay that I WILL revive my blog asap. I was unaware when we moved that we would be living in a "rural" area for internet purposes, and my first attempt at home internet access failed. So, now I am trying another provider. One that is rumored to be going out of business. Yes, it's that bad. There just aren't any good options. Earthlink offered to hook me up to satellite(!) internet for $99.99/month. HEL-LO. No, thank you. I am tempted to return to a life of dial-up....

Transitions

A photo from Africa -- I believe it needs a little Photoshopping magic but that will have to wait!

I apologize of the lack of posts recently. I have been rather unrooted lately, and general busy-ness aside, I find it hard to muster any inspired, coherent thoughts.

On the good news side, my job search has come to a conclusion and I was able to snag a fabulous position at a small, private, liberal arts school. My position involves coordinating exchange programs with Japan, so I really could not imagine anything better for me. I start soon and fortunately do not have much free time to become apprehensive about my return to the working world after 1 1/2 years.

As many of you know, the US economy is not in great shape these days and I was concerned about the prospect of job hunting in these conditions. In the end, it will have been exactly two months from my arrival in the US to my start in a new position. I think that is excellent and am quite proud of myself!

I did encounter enormous amounts of competition for all the positions I applied for. In the end, connections (recommendations from people who know the hiring manager) really made a difference for me. I think utilizing good connections is virtually the only way to get a position these days, and even with them, you do not always get the job (this wasn't the first time I had used my connections -- it was just the first successful time).

Well, I cannot possibly explain in words how excited I am to be able to work on Japan-related activities again. It involves a move to a very small town with very limited dining and cultural options, but I think being part of a diverse and vibrant college campus will make all the difference. As I told Sweetie, we must befriend the international students and invite them over for potlucks to keep our tastebuds amused!

Finally - my Africa Trip Log

First of all, huge thanks to everyone who comments on my blog!! Much appreciated!! I do enjoy having this creative outlet, even if I haven't been able to update it as frequently as I would like!

Africa

It has been three months since our return from Africa, and I'm finally sitting down to write up some of our adventures.

The Start

I vaguely recall that we took another one of those extremely early flights (for some unknown reason, there is a huge swath of time during the day in which no flights leave from Tel Aviv, therefore, most flights are at one ungodly hour or another). Sweetie and I ran into an acquaintance at the gate, who was boarding our same flight. Small world. "Friend" was happy to have met us, because we had booked an escort in Johannesburg to get us through immigration and onto our next flight and he tagged along. As we were waiting for our bags, we made some joke about how my bags often go missing and were surprised that my bag was actually spit out on to the conveyor belt. I did a small dance of joy.

The route to the domestic terminal was not entirely straightforward and our escort was able to jump us through all the lines at various junctures. Hooray.

Our flight to Cape Town was over an hour late departing. I had one of those experiences where I fell asleep on the plane, woke up later expecting us to be halfway to our destination, only to look out the window and see that we were still on the *&*$ tarmac!!

I was very happy when we finally arrived in Cape Town, only to pull Sweetie's bag off the belt and then wait and wait and WAIT for mine. I knew the drill from Sicily (didn't get my bag for five days) and raced out to the claim desk like a mad woman, dragging our driver behind me. Once inside the baggage office, Sweetie took over while I had a small breakdown in the corner of the office. It's just that this has happened to me so many times and I was just EXHAUSTED and totally not wanting to deal with a missing bag YET AGAIN on my vacation.

It was all very civilized in the office and no one was panicked about their missing bags. An African woman dragging a kid along actually tapped me to see if I was in line. How refreshing compared to life in Israel!!

Word was that the bags would be delivered by midnight and no one was worried, so I decided to stop having a breakdown. We left with a form in hand.

We arrived at the lovely Villa Belmonte, which I selected using Tripadvisor.com since we arrived one day before our tour group. It was a nice room, but had no view. There were, however, chairs outside with a great, close view of Table Mountain. We had dinner at the Villa with some much-needed wine. The food was decent, though service was slightly spotty and the Kenny G Christmas music was about 8 months early (or 4 months late, take your pick) and a bit odd.

DAY TWO

Word on my bag (via the customer service number) was that it came in on the 10AM flight and we later learned that it really DID come in on the 10AM flight!

Breakfast was fabulous on the terrace -- gorgeous weather, nice tea, great selection and cook-to-order options too.

Streisand show tunes were slightly odd background music (but better than Kenny G Christmas, I suppose...).

Sweetie's South African friends picked us up and took us to Camps Bay for lunch -- gorgeous area on the seaside. We indulged in some lemon merengue pie and Malva pudding for dessert. YUM-MY.

We later transferred to our lodging at the Mt. Nelson hotel. We settled in. I took advantage of one of the spa services, as there is not a single place in Israel that can perform any sort of waxing under even moderately hygienic conditions. Only problem was that there was a screaming child in the waiting area and I actually found myself saying out loud, "OMG - get her out of here." The mother shot me a dirty look, but to be fair to me, it was completely inappropriate for a child to be in there.

We had an amazing dinner at the hotel's restaurant -- the kind of inventive, cutting-edge foods (foams and the like) that I expected but never found in Israel. We had oysters, and then I had a mushroom arrancini -- like a risotto in deep fried balls with foam and a tapenade. For dessert, we had "Green or Red?" -- six apple-inspired desserts, including an apple sorbet with some liquor in it that was absolutely exquisite!

Sunset on the Zambezi

My new wheels

The new 'mobile! It is growing on me, most definitely, even though it's a boring grey color (err-wait, my aunt says "silver" sounds better. She's another proud owner of a "silver" car).

Slow Progress

I am slowly establishing myself back in the US. I started out the day buying a printer. I was holding out and going to Kinkos to print resumes, but that was getting old. This morning, I called Sweetie and he said, "I think we can afford a printer." Well, yes. We can (at least we could at that point in the day. Read on). But, but, but...I have this problem. Buying a printer is my most dreaded shopping experience. It's so incredibly stressful, because I know that whatever I get, it's going to be a lemon AND it's going to consume mass (and expensive) quantities of ink cartridges. That's just the way it goes. Basically, it is cheaper to buy a BRAND NEW PRINTER (which comes with a fresh set of ink cartridges) than it is to replace the cartridges in your printer. Seriously. The old guy at OfficeMax didn't believe me, but the price tags on the cartridges back me up on this.

Anyway, I bought one on the spot, spinning the roulette wheel of the printing world. And sure enough, when I got home and looked it up on the Net (big mistake), that particular model is completely panned by virtually everyone who owns it. Lovely. Not only that, but the customer service number is a TOLL number. Can you just imagine -- being put on HOLD at YOUR EXPENSE for 30 minutes before finally being connected to some completely incoherent service rep somewhere in New Delhi? Ayeyeye. Oh well, I hooked it up nonetheless and printed out a resume.

My next shopping experience



I have also determined that I need to buy a car soon. I have been sharing a rental with my mom who is temporarily back in town, but when she leaves, I need wheels and renting indefinitely doesn't make sense.



I wanted to get a hybrid, but guess what -- three-month waiting list. I don't have three months.



Plan B -- smallish car with great gas mileage. I read a few things about the Honda Fit and when I read that it has twice the cargo capacity of a Civic (my other top choice and what I previously owned before moving to Japan 5 years ago), I was intrigued. After all, I have another 61 kg. of luggage arriving tomorrow via DHL. I need to transport that stuff to my next temporary dwelling somehow and UHauls are not my forte.



I submitted some quote requests for the Fit last night online, and today ran down to the local dealer to take a look. Well, it turned out that they had already sold the ONE Fit they had in stock. I was able to take a peek at it as they prepped it for the owner, but it wasn't even the model I wanted, so it wasn't entirely helpful.



After further discussion with the dealer, I realized that my chances of getting a 2008 Fit were fast disappearing and that they were selling them even before they arrive on the lot. Not only that, but Civics are in extremely short supply as well, as scads of people try to replace their gas-guzzlers with more economical vehicles.



My mom convinced me that I HAD to immediately drive up north 21 miles to a dealer who had three in stock. So, we did. And guess what, they were all sold. The salesman said he had one "on the way" that day. But, when we walked out to the lot, I noticed a rogue Fit Sport and he said, "Oh! Maybe that's it!?" It was -- had literally just arrived.



Long story short, I took it for a short test drive (first person EVER to drive it) and though it felt VERY SMALL and not as sexy as the Civic and was not at all the color I wanted (there are only two in blue in the entire STATE and those would have been sold before I ever got to them), I decided to buy it on the spot. No negotiating possible, sadly. These things are selling themselves. Every review by an actual owner that I have read has been most favorable, and in the end, it's $2,000 cheaper than a Civic.



Sweetie will have to be the one to get the sexy car! I'm sure he will not protest:-) I've gone for practical!

The Interminable Job Hunt
I am persevering with the job hunt, but it is getting exhausting and demoralizing. I am not taking the rejections personally (and in fact, in most cases, I never know if they ended up hiring someone or not), but I'm just getting bored and tired. I often go back to my grand idea to start a company with all my brilliant, underutilized friends and seek world domination.

Snoop Dogg

I just confirmed what I thought was true -- I spotted Snoop Dogg on the escalator at O'Hare airport yesterday. I just confirmed that he had a concert in Chicago the next day. Of all the people on the adjacent elevators to notice and recognize Snoop Dogg, I have to say that the white girl from Ohio was quite possibly the least likely person to ID Snoop Dogg. Maybe it was those years living on a military base. Or maybe my college days.

The sighting occurred shortly after my mom commented that it's amazing we had not seen anyone we know at the airport. Well, I don't exactly KNOW Snoop Dogg, but anyway.

[Photo from Snoop Dogg Official website].

Coming Home

A cheetah spotted on our safari at Ngala Private Reserve, which is adjacent to Krueger National Park in South Africa. I was in such awe when we first spotted these creatures. It's just amazing to see such dangerous animals up close and in the wild!

Home

I'm home. It's great to be home. Last weekend, on the sad occasion of my uncle's death, I was able to meet up with numerous family members who I rarely see. We were all so sad that my uncle wasn't there with us (indeed, we planned to get together while he was still alive, but instead the day planned for the family get-together became his funeral), but I cherished the time with all who were there, as I am sure my uncle would have wanted.

I come from a big extended family. You could probably call it huge. When my aunt called for a family photo, virtually the entire crowd from the funeral lined up. I had no idea.

When we showed up at the funeral home, a gentleman standing outside said, "These must be my cousins." He identified himself and all I could say was, "No way!"

It's great to be home.

Today's photo is of a wildebeast in Ngala Private Reserve. I am very grateful now that I did not delete it because it was "blurry," because in fact, it's a really cool picture. Sometimes, you just don't know. Believe it or not -- I did virtually no Photoshopping on this. I believe in taking photos properly in the camera. Which is why I have ordered the $75 Photoshop Elements with my new laptop, as opposed to the $700 full Photoshop version. Get it right the first time and save money.


Moving
Well, the dreaded moving day has passed without much incident, though with international moves, you always wonder if that will be the last time you see your stuff, particularly in this part of the world (Second Lebanon War resulted in a re-routing of my crates when I moved here two years ago). The movers came and packed up the house in about 8 hours and as there were only three of them, it was actually pretty manageable. Hooray.

Question though: why do movers always leave little random items in your drawers and on the shelves? It always happens and it is clearly deliberate, as the items are left in plain view. Maybe they feel like having some control over the process. They feel like they need authority. So, they silently state that they see no reason why I should be taking items such as 1) A New Zealand coin 2) A disposable razor or most-interestingly 3) Pieces of surgical-grade tape for a backless/strapless bra.

Fine, they're all going into air freight.

South Africa pic

Bird of Paradise at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town. A gorgeous garden and quite extensive - I could have spent all day there!

Garage Sale - the Final Episode

Penguins in Cape Town -- they were sooo much fun to watch -- such comical animals!

Today we held the final garage sale installment. Sweetie's daughter, her boyfriend and I had held one for 5 hours on Wednesday, but with few results and one really, really horrendous incident. Today we had even fewer results. So, that's it. What is left is going to charity or the trash.

Back to the horrendous incident -- during the sale, I went inside briefly to make a salad while Sweetie's daughter Sweedle manned the sale. I was quite a distance away (the garage is detached) and had the house door closed. But, even so, I suddenly heard a commotion coming from the garage. So, I rushed out, and watched in complete horror as this very tall and big-boned middle-aged Israeli lady walked around the garage kicking things and generally wreaking havoc for no apparent reason. I was shocked!! I didn't know what to do. I imagined that if I tried to intervene, she would become even more destructive. At one point, she picked a very heavy electrical transformer off the floor and set it down on some delicate Japanese decorative sushi plates!!! I nearly screamed.

She couldn't carry everything she bought (probably because she shoplifted one item and hid it in the double baby stroller she had with her, unbeknownst to us until she left), and came back the next day to pick up the rest. I had her ticket and knew she would try to have a second go at the garage. So, I had her items ready at the front gate and used them as a barrier when she tried to push her way in. I told her everything was gone.

Horrible.

These sorts of experiences really sour us on life here.

Busy Days

Today's photo is of a cell on Robben Island, the island where Nelson Mandela was once held prisoner. A truly incredible place to visit and highly recommended to anyone traveling to Cape Town.

Sorry posts are few and far between these days!

Spent a night at Amirim in the Galilee this weekend. Beautiful and peaceful and lots of good food.

But now it's back to reality.

We're continuing our garage sale efforts -- we held one for two hours on Saturday and it was something else. It was advertised only via our housekeeper and we had almost more of a turnout than we could handle! OMG. My head was spinning. I was powerless against these experienced garage sale mavens who lined up ONE HOUR before opening time. Brilliant strategy, however, as we felt pressured to open the door early and they got first dibs on our priceless treasures (okay, pseudo-junk).

Seal Island

We took a boat trip to Duiker Island which is famous for its seals. The ride was VERY rough and a few times I was afraid the boat would tip as it rode huge swells. Fortunately, that didn't happen and we were able to enjoy watching the seals.

Cape Town

I wish I had more time to write about our fascinating trip to Africa. Though it was marred by the news of the burglary of our house in Israel (got the news on Day 2), we did see some amazing things.

Cape Town had a lot to do, and wonderful weather. Clear skies with great views of the famous Table Mountain. The only problem was security -- it was not advised to walk outside the hotel grounds after dark. Even just to walk a few blocks down the main street.

This pic is from Cape Point.

Photos are Back; Next Steps

I am slowly working my way through my list for insurance -- every day I remember another treasured piece of jewelry that I will never see again. Even some of the smallest, least expensive pairs of earrings I had will be sorely missed. As I expand my list, I realize that most of my jewelry pieces were gifts. With fond memories attached. Of visiting friends in Japan. Of farewell parties and small packages opened at the airport.



I have decided, as VegetableJ so wisely suggested, to focus on going home first, finding a job later. I'm going to book a flight to Ohio and stay at the old homestead until I can get my bearings again and/or find a job. This has all upset me much more than I thought it would. Though I am dealing with the theft and the resulting sense insecurity, all the fallout from it (losing my computer, harddrives and all their data; trying to fill out insurance forms; trying to sell much of our stuff prior to the move which has now been brought forward by about two months and is imminent; etc.) has added stress to my plate that I'm honestly not handling all that well. I can't say I've ever felt this ungrounded in my life.

On the good news front, I am plunging forward with organizing some of my trip photos -- so here's the first one from Cape Town -- the lovely Villa Belmonte where we stayed on night prior to the rest of our tour group's arrival. It was gorgeous and I wish I could transport myself right back to their open-air veranda for breakfast!

Would you believe....

Thank you dear readers who have sent your sympathies! You've put smiles on my face -- no easy task these days!

Well, things just go from bad to worse.

For example, the local police had put a note in our mailbox while we were on vacation, stating (in Hebrew, of course) that they stopped by and we weren't home, but we could call them with any questions. My Hebrew teacher encouraged me to do so, and so that is what I did yesterday. Well, "Roni" of the local police said that if there was anything they could do, to let them know. And I wasn't quite sure what the police would be willing to do -- for example, would they increase patrols on my street? Or keep an eye out for my car? Or maybe add some lights to the alley behind our house? I didn't know, so I asked. And do you know what he said? He said that if I needed to BUY some INSURANCE, that he could help me.

Yeah.

Can you say "Corruption"?

Absolutely appalling.

Israelis out there -- you need to start speaking out about this if you care about the future of your country. Not only are the police horribly corrupt, but theft is incredibly rampant. Pretty soon, people are going to have to put up electrified and/or barbed wire fences.

AND, yesterday (just before calling the helpful policeman), I spotted a man standing on a dumpster in the alley behind our house. He had a camera pointed toward our basement patio doors. Hmmmm... When he saw that I spotted him (he was literally only 7 feet away from me even though I was in the middle of our kitchen and he was outside our yard wall), he brushed me off with a hand motion, but I raced out the back and confronted him. He claimed to be taking pics of "the roof next door." Ahyuh. And that's why he was standing on a dumpster with his camera pointed at our patio doors? I raced back into the house and got my camera, but he had split by the time I got outside.

Needless to say, I am now completely terrified that they are coming back for what they didn't get the first time.

Anyway friends, sorry for the dearth of pictures lately. I've taken my camera equipment to a "safehouse." Sad:-( But, I am feverishly applying for jobs in small, quiet towns back in the US, so wish me luck that I can move to a kinder, gentler place very soon!

Open Letter to the Nasty Person Who Took Our Stuff

This is to the person who broke into our house while we were on vacation and took "all the important stuff" (as a former fellow burglary victim put it).

What exactly are you going to do with my 4-year-old Japanese hard drive that requires a transformer (which I noticed you took) and plug adaptor? It's only 100GB -- completely obsolete by today's standards. Why bother? You've managed to take all my photos, my iTunes, and other things too large to back up on discs. I hope you're happy.

And how much money are you going to get for my 2-year-old laptop? A hundred dollars maybe? Is that really worth the time it will take to clean the drive and the gazillion programs I had installed?

You can have my brand new 250GB hard drive, but could you at least transfer the vacation photos on it to a DVD and drop it in the mailbox?

I'd like you to know that the ribbon was out in my fax machine. Good luck finding a new one.

As for my jewelry, including the custom-designed necklace with diamonds from my parents' wedding rings, I hope karma comes back to haunt you. Those can't be replaced. I also can't replace the jewelry Sweetie gave me because the series is discontinued. So, instead, I'll be treasuring the memory of my joyful reaction when I opened the boxes of the diamond necklace and later, earrings, that he gave me.

Regarding the other diamond jewelry you stole, you can have it. It was from an ex-boyfriend, so enjoy.

As for the car, in case you care (which I know you don't), it was NOT insured for theft (unbeknownst to me), so we just lost that money, and contrary to what you might think, money does not grow on trees for us. I will be walking to the grocery store for the hot summer months to come. And when I move back to the US, I'll be riding a bicycle. Thanks for keeping me fit.

As for Sweetie's cufflinks, tie tacks, and watches: low blow. As for ALL my costume jewlery (except for one pair of earrings and some tarnished silver bracelets), another low blow. As for all the change Sweetie had in his car and desk drawer, LAME. And that half-empty bottle of Chanel perfume, who do you think is going to buy that???

[Side note to the Israeli government: I am completely appalled that you are now going to charge us HALF the value of our stolen car in taxes simply because it was stolen and is no longer in our possession!!!!!!!! So, a citizen of YOUR nation steals MY car, and I have to PAY YOU for it???????!!!!!!!!! How is that acceptable in any version of reality?]

Still Around -- sort of

Hello to my wonderful blog readers.  Just a quick note to let you know that I have not been sucked into a black hole. I hope to resume my blog asap, but unfortunately, someone decided to come into my house last week and take all my valuable stuff, including my laptop.  It's very sad, but at least Sweetie and I are okay and we still have each other.  

Please do subscribe to the RSS of my blog.  That way, you'll be notified when I'm back up and running.  

Action Shot

Here's an action shot from my safari park adventure.  Didn't realize what I had captured until we looked at it on the big computer screen.  Obviously animals don't have the same need for privacy that we humans do.

Can I get some sleep?
Life in Israel continues to frustrate.  On Friday, we were awoken at 0430(!) by road crews getting an apparently very early start on their never-ending "tear up the road, over and over again, for 7 months" project.  For some reason, the road workers and the garbage man cannot enter our neighborhood in any gear but REVERSE.  So, for several minutes, we hear, "beep beep beep beep BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!  BEEP!" as they come all the way down the street and past our house.  It baffles me.  

Also, the dog across the street (or rather his irresponsible owners) has tested our last nerves.  We've asked the neighbors 
kindly TWICE now to manage his barking during the nighttime hours.  His bark is so loud that it pierces right through our shutters and double-glazed windows, jolting us both awake.  We end up sleeping on twin bedrooms in Sweetie's daughter's bedroom on the opposite side of the house about 2-3 nights a week....Any tips or hints on how to get better results from the neighbors are welcome!  It's clear that they do not walk or interact with the dog at all.  He's a huge bull mastiff-type, who doesn't get any exercise, and can't see through the fence and hedges surrounding his yard, so he's barking at EVERYTHING.  And NOTHING.

 

Dragonfly

The red dragonfly that spends summers by our pool is back. I stalked him yesterday with my camera and telephoto.

おかしい話

最近とてもおかしいことが起こりました。私は茶道について記事を書いて、それをイギリスの外交官の家族向けの雑誌に載せられることになったのです。その雑誌をずっと期待して待っていたのです。先日、ともだちに、「あなたの記事を読んだよ！」私が「そう？もう出たの？」友達：「うん。だけど、ひとつ質問がある。なんで名字が「チャン」なの？」

私がビックリ。ショック。

編集者が間違って、私のメールアドレスが私の名前と名字だと思い込んでそのまま出したみたいです。信じられない。だけど、わらっちゃうよね。

Safari Preparation

Yesterday, my photography instructor and I went to a local safari park so that I could practice taking pics before I actually go on safari. It was an excellent learning experience. Needless to say, I learned a lot about what NOT to do. Like, don't cut off the animal's legs if you're going for a full-body shot. Or, actually focus on the animal and not some random point in the background. Anyway, I did get some decent shots and will post some of the better ones, and some of the more interesting ones, here.

For example, the photo above. I had this great shot of zebras set up and then this waterbuck strolled into my shot. Just like people would do. As my instructor said, "You've got to be a little quicker off the mark." Indeed.

Tips

For all you construction workers who may (or may not) be reading this blog, cat-calling a woman of my age is completely inappropriate.  You would know this if you were to see my knees up close, which leads me to my second tip:

For all you women under the age of 30, you must leave your computer NOW, go out to the nearest store, and buy a large bottle of something called SERUM, and apply it liberally to your knees each night.  Now, usually this is something recommended for women over the age of 30 to put on their FACE, but I am telling you, if you are going to be needing it on your face, it is already too late.  You might as well start saving for Botox.  Save your knees instead.  

I swear, my knees are seriously showing my age, while my face has none of the expected laugh lines around the eyes or furrows around my
mouth.  On the other hand, NOBODY ever warned me to put creams and serums and daily sunscreen on my knees, for goodness sake.  

No photo is being supplied here for obvious reasons.

Peace and Quiet

Sweetie is upstairs napping before our Friday pilgrimage to the gym, so I'm using this time to write a post.  I wanted desperately to nap, but the two thousand-billion decibel level of the children's party (probably about a mile away, but it might as well be in the living room) was disrupting my efforts to join Sweetie in blissful sleep.  

Yes, it's Friday late afternoon/early evening, it's April, it's children's birthday party season again.  No children's birthday party in Israel is complete without
professional entertainment, usually a man, equipped with a really loud sound system that will blare not only his voice, but also every irritating techno beat known to mankind.  They tend to last from 1600-1900.

I have determined that whenever we buy a permanent dwelling for us to live in, it should be surrounded by many acres of land.  Either that, or be thoroughly soundproofed.

Trip to a Ship

Here's a photo of my new camera lens!

Ship Trip
This past week, Sweetie and I had the opportunity to participate in a reception onboard a Turkish vessel that is part of a NATO group of ships currently docked in Haifa. I had never been on a warship before.

We arrived early, and representatives from the boats of all nations in the flotilla were there and held up flags for us. Then, there were representatives from the various boats also at the reception on the Turkish ship. Sweetie and I managed to scope out some Americans and I talked to the top enlisted sailor on the US ship, who answered some of my questions about uniforms (it was really hard to tell who was from what country). Then, I ended up talking to a group of officers, while Sweetie sought out the Brits. It was great, until another officer swooped in and would not stop talking. I did not catch on when all the other officers discreetly walked away. This guy was a serious motormouth. I think part of the problem was that he was on this Turkish ship for a few months, without any other native English speakers. He was making up for lost time and I was his victim.

I kept waiting for Sweetie to rescue me, from apparently, to the outside observer, it looked like I was having a nice conversation -- but in fact, I was playing therapist (and not getting paid $110/hour).

Anyway, I FINALLY escaped and got some food.

Slow Blogging Season
I really must apologize for the lack of blogs recently.  I am job-hunting and that has been consuming lots of my time (read: if you want to hire me, let me know!).  I want to write more often, but it just hasn't been possible.  I will try to post at least once a week.  

Unwelcome Guest

I was working late in our home office the other night when I heard a noise on the patio.  The office is in the basement, but there is a lower level patio cut out about 12 feet under ground level -- it's great because it gives the basement lots of natural light.  Anyway, I called up to Sweetie to see if he had thrown something down into the patio or something like that.  He hadn't.  He instructed me to close the shutters and we'd see what was out there.  So, I closed the shutters and turned on the patio lights.  He looked down from the upstairs and said, "It's a cat."  

A cat.  A small, very mangy, nasty-looking cat.  It had apparently jumped, or fallen, into the basement patio and now couldn't get back out.  We watched as it got up on the patio table and did a spread-eagled leap into the air toward the wall of the patio, falling to the ground like a ton of bricks.  Yeah.  He hadn't quite mastered the whole jumping thing.  

It is cases like this where my 7th and 8th-grade gifted students class ("Project Challenge," which my classsmates and I affectionately called "Project Reject") proves its worth.  I start brainstorming 101 ways to get a yucky cat out of a basement patio WITHOUT bringing it into the house and tracking fleas all over the place.

My first idea was to put our tall ladder on one of the patio chairs so that the cat could climb out and make the short leap to ground level.  So, Sweetie did that.  For the longest time, the cat wasn't getting it and kept leaping off the table fruitlessly.  

So, I put Plan B into action.  I put a bunch of canned tuna into an empty tea bag and tied a roll of string around it.  Then, I lowered the string down into the patio from outside, resting it near that chair with the ladder on it.  However, the cat didn't appear.  In fact, I couldn't see the cat anywhere on the patio.  Sweetie came to investigate and noticed that the ladder had moved.  The cat was gone.  Hooray.   And it was waaaay past our bedtime.

The Hunt

The Hunt for Irises
I have been reading about the legendary "black irises" which apparently can be found in Netanya (a city north of here), Mt. Gilboa (a mountain north of here and very close to the West Bank), and also in the Negev (the south of Israel).  The problem, however, is that newspapers and magazines in Israel are never specific about WHERE exactly things are located.  For example: WHERE  in Netanya, on Gilboa, in the Negev, can I find the irises??  No idea.  Anyway, I wanted to see the irises and decided that Mt. Gilboa was the best bet because there is only one road on it, so surely the irises would be along that road.

So, on Monday, Sweetie and I booked lunch at one of our favorite restaurants (called Herb Farm, located on Mt. Gilboa), and left a bit early so we could do iris viewing on the mountain.

We drove up the mountain and initially stopped off at the spot where I encountered Mr. Lizard last month.  But, everything was parched and the flowers were gone, so we didn't linger.  Sweetie took over driving at that point, because I was not well (the smog/sand that has been around for a week finally did me in) and though I didn't tell Sweetie, I had been feeling like I would pass out during the previous 1+ hour of driving.

We ventured on, with me going cross-eyed as I scanned the roadside for the elusive irises.  We eventually decided to give up and turn around in a parking lot labelled "The Irus Way."  Fortunately, Sweetie is not blonde like I am and he figured out that this was where the irises (with an "i") were.  So, we disembarked and wondered along the path.  We managed to find about four irises (or "iruses," whichever you prefer) and couldn't help but wonder if people had walked off with the rest (a la that Finn recently who knocked an ear off a Moai statue on Easter Island).  

Anyway, I felt a great sense of accomplishment that we found the irises!

Sweltering (and Coughing) in March

We're experiencing a "sharav" here in Israel this weekend.  It's basically a massive influx of hot air and dust from the desert areas east.  Usually, I'm not too bothered by it, but this one seriously has me coughing, much along the lines of the "Cairo cough" that plagued me in Egypt.  Today, I spent much of the day inside (some of the time wearing a surgical mask), while Sweetie was out basking in the sun.

Veggies
I finally remembered to take a picture of my organic veggie box this week before putting everything away.  Doesn't it all look yummy?  I've really been enjoying having a nice, fresh salad every day.  Did you know that if you wash lettuce, break it into pieces, and put it in a tupperware container with some water in the bottom, that it will keep really well for about a week?  

I do have to be very careful washing the veggies though.  They are really fresh and not at all prewashed.  So, there are lots of spiders, caterpillars and other assorted guests in
with my veggies.  Today I actually had to throw away much of my broccoli because it had some bugs on it that I couldn't get off, even after soaking in vinegar-water and boiling!  Oh well....  That's the exception, though.  And I'd rather deal with some bugs than pesticides!

Technical Difficulties

These are the fresias blooming on our patio and making the whole garden smell wonderful!

Photography Stuff
In the past three days, to support my new-found photography habit, I have acquired a 70-200mm Canon f/2.8L telephoto zoom lens, a 1.4 Canon extender, a Kata Digital Rucksack, a very expensive B+W circular polarizer, and a 250 GB portable external hard drive.  Ayeye.  I've also downloaded a trial version of Adope Photoshop Elements, which is so confusing to me that I am really glad I don't have enough money to buy the full Photoshop software right now.  

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L telephoto zoom lens
Big thanks to MOM who contributed a big chunk toward this fabulous purchase!  It's a very serious-looking lens and I am so proud!  

For camera freaks out there, you might notice that this is NOT the IS version.  Of couse, I wanted the IS version, but right now, I don't exactly have an unlimited supply of money, and I read reviews for this lens (written by poor folks like myself, who only have $1200 to spend on a lens and not $1600) and those who have it are VERY satisfied with its performance.  With the caveat that if they had an extra $500 lying around, the would have gone for the IS version.

Canon 1.4x II extender
Again, the poor man's version (in a sense).  I didn't want to have to pay for a stronger telephoto, so I got this extender instead.  I opted for the 1.4 instead of the 2.0 because the 2.0 apparently degrades image quality noticeably and this is not what I wanted.  Also, it significantly multiples your minimum focal length, which is not good for me because I have the non-IS lens.  I need to maintain wide aperatures so I can keep the shutter speed up to account for any shake.  

B+W Circular Polarizer
This was basically the most expensive polarizer I could find.  But, it got great reviews, so knowing virtually nothing about polarizers, I decided to give it a try.  

Kata Digital Rucksack DR-467
Haven't tried to fit my new acquisitions into this bag yet (ironically, made here in Israel!), but am looking forward to it!

Technical Problem
I got a wonderful TINY external hard drive to support my photo habit, but it is totally slowing down my computer.  I think I made progress today toward getting things back in order (honestly, I think Photoshop was the problem).  Fingers crossed.

Anyway, my Easter weekend will be spent playing with my new toys.  The above photo was taken with the old lens (in full manual mode, and in RAW format -- hurray for me).  However, to upload it, I had to shrink the file size considerably, so it's not as good as the original.  Handy excuse:-)

Photo for Today

It has become clear to me that I need to get a macro lens for my camera.  I am taking lots of flower photos.  Unfortunately, this purchase will have to wait, as I have just shelled out lots of money that I shouldn't really be spending (the past year of unemployment has nearly decimated my savings, but it has been FUN!!) for a telephoto lens, a backpack that can hold my oversized media-verson laptop with my camera equipment, and an extender for my telephoto lens, none of which I have actually received yet, as the shipment is apparently being held in customs at Ben Gurion airport awaiting confirmation (from me, presumably) of what is inside.  Of course, no one has actually tried to contact me about the shipment, so I am just waiting.....

My Passport

Yesterday I made a long-awaited trek to the US Embassy for an appointment to get additional pages added to my passport.  Yes, my passport is nearly full, with four more years to go before it expires.  This is even considering the fact that I used my diplomatic passport for much of my travel (prior to last March).  So, I guess I've spent a lot of time on planes!  Anyway, I followed the directions on the embassy website and left ALL personal belongings in my car, with the exception of my passport, my application form, and my car keys.  As I arrived at the embassy, they swiped my hands for bomb residue and then I got to wait behind several dual-citizen families who had clearly paid no attention whatsoever to the embassy regulations and were trying to bring in electronic 
dictionaries, telephones, hair picks, etc.  I was less than pleased, as this was all delaying my progress in the line.  

And I must say that I was slightly dismayed that all the instruction were being given to me in Hebrew, despite the fact that I was waiting in line for American Citizen Services.  Anyway, I eventually made my way into the Embassy and waited about an hour until my name was called.  When I got to the window, the guy told me that I need not have made an appointment!  I waited four months for this appointment!!   Anyway, they did take care of it and I had my passport pages within the next hour, for which I was very grateful.

Anyway, I just checked the embassy's website, and indeed, it does state there that an appointment is REQUIRED.  So, I am completely perplexed.  

Note to any US citizens living in Israel: try to take care of all passport issues and other official business when you are back in the US visiting.

A Taste of Israeli Wine; My Favorite Show

Israeli Wine
Ever since I heard about it, I've been wanting to visit the Jerusalem Hills area and check out some of the vineyards there. On Sunday, Sweetie and I visited Tzora Vineyards in Bet Shemesh. I had previously tasted a Tzora bottle, and I have to admit it wasn't my favorite (to be fair - it was a bottle of their "Judean Hills" which is intended simply for everyday consumption - ie: it's nothing special), but Tzora was the only place I called that welcomed us for tasting that day, so off we went.

It was very easy to find and Shula who assisted us was really kind and helpful. She explained where the grapes are grown (at three different locations near Jerusalem) and the history behind the vineyard and its founder (who sadly just passed away a few weeks ago). I tasted a Merlot that I really liked, but Sweetie preferred the Cabernet. In the end, I decided to buy a bottle of their dessert wine called "Or" ("light" in Hebrew), which apparently received a tasting score in the low 90s from a renowned wine expert. They don't provide tastings of the Or due to its limited quantity, but I decided to take a chance. I'll let you know how it is. Sweetie picked up a few bottles of the Cabernet. Neither were cheap -- my dessert wine was 119 NIS (over $30). But hopefully the taste will be worth it!

We ate a picnic lunch on the tables outside of Tzora. There was a "sharav" that day -- a weather phenomenon that entails unseasonably hot, sandy weather. So, the views weren't that great. But, we were the only ones there and it was shaded and pleasant.

My Favorite TV Show
I have to confess that I LOVE watching American Idol. This drives Sweetie absolutely insane. He just barely tolerates it when, on Friday nights at 1930, I sequester myself in the bedroom to watch American Idol (while he goes to the basement to watch anything else). But, I LOVE music and I really love the show. This year, I am soooo impressed with the men on the show, and I have to say that at this point, there is not a single one who I think should be eliminated. They are all excellent. Of course, one of my favorites is David Archuleta -- he's just a perfect singer. But I am afraid he might be one who would not be able to sing hits. And ultimately, that's
what the show is/should be looking for.

I've been much less impressed with the women. That said, I did download Brooke White's version of "Love Is a Battlefield" from iTunes. Totally worth a listen if you have iTunes. It's a ready-made hit.

Cosmos

This cosmos in our yard finally bloomed. Hooray. I have been watching the stalk grow for months -- first straight upward, but then it got too tall and collapsed sideways under its weight. Even so, it stayed green and eventually blossoms formed and now it has bloomed.

コスモスです。我が家の庭に咲いています。九州の行橋市の市の花ですね。行橋に住んだときから好きで、ここに引っ越してきたときに庭師に頼んで植えてもらいました。椿も今咲いていますよ。でも椿の花はすぐ落ちますよね。

I've had it

Today I am really thinking evil thoughts toward Israel and most Israelis (I say "most," because some truly are nice and this doesn't apply to them). Why? Well, last night at 0230, Sweetie and I were very abruptly woken by an ear-piercing house alarm. We both were jolted out of bed by it and upon investigation, discovered that the house under construction behind us (which has already ruined large portions of our lives/time here in Israel) had a house alarm fitted. And it was going off. And we thought, no wonder because the house has no windows, no doors, no gate, etc. DUH! Anything could get in there (eg: birds, cats, dogs, etc.) and set the alarm off at any time!

It went on for about 10 minutes. Both of us were entirely too disturbed after the alarm finally ceased to get back to sleep. I think I was awake another hour seething with anger at people's complete lack of consideration for others. I was trying to decide how I would handle it -- who to talk to about it, what would be likely to get them to do something about it/care, etc.

Long, irritating story short, our kind, quiet next door neighbors know the lady building the house and told her to turn the alarm off. Apparently, the lady (we call her FB) was going out of town and gave our neighbor the alarm code. But, like us, the neighbors were rudely awoken by the alarm at 0230 and our neighbor said "What, does she expect me to get up in the middle of the night, get dressed, and walk over there and shut it off?? And to have my whole family woken every night?" Indeed. And frankly, anyone who wants to mess with a crappy unfinished house rather than robbing any number of luxuriously appointed, occupied homes in the area has a serious priority problem.

I've just really had it with noise and lack of consideration for others in this country. Our whole neighborhood is a giant construction site. Virtually every third house is being either torn down or gutted and renovated. We might as well be living in the middle of the Big Dig. Sundays are ruined. Every day from 0700 until at least 1500 is just full of noise. We can't wait to leave.

私の急須

私が5年ぐらい使ってきた急須です。とてもおいしいお茶ができました。だけど、この急須はもう古くて、蓋を2回も割れちゃって、中についている網にゴミが溜まってお茶があまりでなくなって、捨てることにしました。

南部鉄瓶の急須があるからそれを出しました。だけど、使ってみたらお茶があまり美味しくできません。網が口についていなくて、網みたいなものをポツンと入れるものがあるのです。そのせいですかね。

今度日本へ行ったときに新しい焼き物の急須を買いましょう。

Flowers

For some reason, I find myself photographing a lot of flowers lately.  'Tis the season, I suppose.

This is from my camellia bush which FINALLY bloomed.  I've only been saying to Sweetie for about 6 months that it's going to bloom "any day," and it finally did.  I sacrificed one bud for my elegant vase (for the tea ceremony) but learned that they wilt quickly!  This was taken after just a half day....

Giving up the veg

I've been vegetarian for about ten years.  And I've decided that I'm going to try to start eating fish again.  I originally became vegetarian for health reasons, but for the past 4 1/2 years, I've found myself getting sick way too frequently.  I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the lack of fish or meat (or even dairy, as I don't consume much of that either), but I'm going to TRY to start eating fish again (I say "try" because after not eating it for so long, it is completely unappealing to me!) and see what happens.   My other possible explanation for my health issues is that I've been living in warm climates (where during a "cold" winter it gets no lower than 50F) the past 4 1/2 years and perhaps there are different bugs in these climates that my body just can't handle.  Not 
sure, but I need to try something different and since I can't exactly up and move right now to a cold place (nor do I really want to!  I'm not a fan of winter).

That said....
That said, I just got my first delivery today from an organic vegetable farm.  Woohoo.  Very exciting.  I was impressed with the assortment -- cucumbers, red bell peppers, beets, yams, onions, beet greens, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, fennel, carrots, kohlrabi....all in excellent condition.  And it's a luxury to have enough time to actually plan out how I am going to use all 
these vegetables.  I might as well take advantage of that time while I can!

 For the Israel-dwellers
On our recent trip to the Galilee, we had dinner at Auberge Shulamit -- a restaurant in Rosh Pina that I have read great things about.  I was excited to finally give it a try.   It was lovely -- nice setting, quiet (we were one of only two tables occupied -- great for us, but doesn't necessarily bode well for the restaurant).  It is on the old road to
 Tsfat (nightmarish twisty turny road up and around mountains) -- but not far along that road at all - just enough to get up the hill and see the twinkling lights of Rosh Pina.  

The food was fine, but I was not overly enthusiastic.  I had chestnut soup, which was lovely, but not exceptional.  My pasta was really good, but not THAT memorable.  And Sweetie's and his sister's chops were rather thin -- they said they would have preferred fewer, thicker chops.  Dessert was just okay.  When I ordered
souffle, I was expecting a REAL souffle, not the typical microwaved one that you can get at any coffee shop in Israel.  So, it was a bit of a disappointment given the amazing reviews I had read.  That said, the service was excellent and I would return.

The sounds of Israel

Here's a pic from the waterfall (yes, a waterfall in Israel! It was a wondrous sight!) at Gamla Nature Reserve in the Golan. A gorgeous place and an easy, fairly level walk to the waterfall.

Noise
Now, let me tell you something.  Israel is not quiet place.  It really isn't.  Rocket attacks and jets and army helicopters flying overhead aside, it's still not a quiet place.

For example, in good times, the sweet sounds of birds chirping in our garden is completely drowned out by either:

1) someone's house alarm, since apparently few people in our neighborhood have actually bothered to hook theirs up to a monitoring company.  The alarms can go off incessantly for hours.

2) someone's car alarm.  You might be surprised to learn that 9 times of out 10 that I hear a car alarm, it was set off by the owner.  For some reason, people here can't seem to figure out the basic workings of a car alarm.  If you've ever had one, you know who utterly simple they are.  Nevertheless, many, I dare say MOST, people in my area can't seem to get in or out of their car without setting off the alarm.

3) a backhoe tearing apart cement and/or blacktop (either a street or a house that's being torn down).  The past 4 days, I have nearly been driven insane by the sound of a little JCB (mini backhoe thing) tearing apart a house 3  lots away with its constant revving and then BEEPBEEP as it backs up.  On good days, I merely have to listen to the posse of diggers that have been tearing up some of the surrounding streets (thank goodness not ours, YET) for some sort of drainage project (mind you -- I have seen no progress whatsoever in the past 5 months of this).

4) Neighbors/workers on houses under construction playing loud music.  Saturday, our neighbors across the street decided to blast Garth Brooks into our house and garden.  There is a time and a place for Garth Brooks and a Saturday afternoon in Israel was definitely neither.

5) Barking dogs.  Our neighbors (not the Garth Brooks ones - neighbors on the other side of the house) have a dog with serious issues.  We have nicknamed him "Buster."  He looks something like a Bull Mastiff and he produces the loudest sound known to the animal kingdom.  He has incredible stamina, too.  Can go on barking for a solid hour.  Needless 
to say, we can hear him through our double-glazed windows and shutters.  Likewise, we can hear him when he is INSIDE the neighbors house with all their windows closed and all of ours closed as well.  He is the bane of our existence.  

We've talked to Buster's owners and the situation has improved somewhat, but that isn't saying much as Sweetie and I had basically permanently encamped in his daughter's room at the opposite end of the house on two twin beds before we spoke to them.  

Something is definitely not right with Buster though.  Sweetie ran into him yesterday in front of our house (the owners just let him roam freely now and then, though unfortunately he doesn't go farther than one block and always comes back.)  Sweetie stepped toward Buster threateningly, and Buster completely cowered.  A dog like that should not be cowering.  So now we wonder if he's being mistreated.  Well, clearly he's not being treated well since he's barking (and howling -- now that's something to hear) all the time, but maybe it's more than that.

Anyway, all this noise makes me really want to go find a quiet island with no cars, no electricity (and no dogs!) :-)

A Tipsy Morning

Today's photo -- a rose from the garden of Pilgerhaus in the Galilee.

Lots o' Wine

Yesterday, Sweetie's sister (who is visiting) and I went to the opening of the Israwinexpo in Tel Aviv. I didn't really know what to expect -- Sweetie received an invitation to the "opening event" and so we aimed to go to that. We registered and then went into the hall where the opening event (with various high-ranking government officials scheduled to speak) was to take place. There was a jazz band playing, an open bar with champagne on offer, and canapes of all types being offered by a bevy of servers who were fluttering around the room like butterflies. We procured some champagne (what else at 10:30AM?) and found an open table and stools that were conveniently located right where the servers were entering the room with their trays full of goodies. We feasted on avocado cream puffs, ceviche, roasted vegetables in crispy filo bowls, mini-quiches, passionfruit tarts, etc. It was difficult, but somehow we endured it.

We kept waiting for the opening event to start, but there was no end in sight, so after consuming what we thought was a respectable quantity of appetizers, we headed into the large hall where virtually every Israeli wine producer had an area set up with wines on offer. I have never seen so much wine available in one place for tasting in my life.

Yesterday was open only to "wine professionals," journalists, etc. so as "diplomats" we were complete and total posers. BUT, that said, I think we did VERY well holding our own. People were very interested in serving us, and it was only when the mayor of Tel Aviv walked up that we were pushed aside at one of the producers stands while the paparazzi (who were already there taking photos of US) snapped a flurry of photos.

Each vineyard's representative would say, "Why don't you try our entire range of wines?" and they'd have like 20 bottles lined up. Uhhhhh---did we look like complete boozers or something? I was driving, so I really had to try to limit myself. Not easy! I think by about the 20th tasting (which happened to be at the Dalton vineyard's stand - they have a SUPERB 2003 Merlot in their Reserve line), I could no longer distinguish tastes and actually begged a cracker out of the hostess's secret snack stash for herself (only one exhibitor had any sort of cracker on offer).

A difficult life, let me tell you! :-) We really had a great time -- I'm so happy Sweetie thought to pass his invite along to me and his sister!

Cha-Chan's Heartattack/Mr. Lizard Hangs on for Dear Life

Over the weekend, we made a brief stop on Mt. Gilboa since we were a little early for our reservation at the Herb Farm restaurant. I was admiring these flowers and took my hand down to the leaves to show Sweetie that we have the same flowers popping up in our garden. It was then that I nearly had a heartattack. It was then that I noticed Mr. Lizard reclining between the two anemone flowers like he was in a Barcolounger. He became very very still and was only moving his eyes (independently of eachother), presumably to gauge whether we could see him or not. He started slipping, losing his grip. But he held on for dear life hoping that we still hadn't noticed him. We left him in peace. (You can click on the picture to see a larger version).

Fruitful Trees

I found this gorgeous tree just outside the same church where I took the previous two photos. It's the time of the year when all the trees and plants start growing again at warp speed here in Israel. The Galilee was literally a different world this weekend as compared to our visit one month ago. Plants that were nowhere to be seen four weeks ago were now several feet tall. Everything was so green that I almost thought I was in Ireland. Apparently, in March there are even more flowers in bloom, so I am determined to return then to see for myself.

Koi and ruins

This was my second visit to the Church of Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves and I always struggle to capture the beauty of the serene koi pond in the courtyard in front of the church. This is one of my attempts.

Church of Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves

A lazy Sunday for the doggie at the Church of the Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves. No tourists wreaking havoc upon the premises.

Bird in the Tree

I took this photo with a Canon Telephoto Zoom 75-300mm L IS lens that I am borrowing from a friend. I'm trying to decide whether I really need the IS or not because it's an extra $500. I'm thinking that for an amateur like me who happens to not be employed right now, it's not really necessary. I'm sure I'll want it later when I get more serious about taking photos and have more funds, but for now, I think I will live without.

Lemons on our tree

We kept a few lemons on our tree for Sweetie's sister to see during her visit. I've been making lots of lemonade now that it is warming up. It's nice to know that they are organic!

A Photo a Day

I've decided I'll post one photo each day, if at all possible. Now that the sun is out again, I can carry my camera around and get some practice.

Yes, the sun. It's glorious. Israel is blessed with lots and lots of sunny weather. And the sea. I'll try to walk there tomorrow for some seaside photos. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for this one of some trees in my friend's garden.

The pic here was taken with my standard 18-55mm Canon lens, which I was told by a serious photographer is "crap." But, for a casual photographer like myself, it's a great multipurpose lens and I think I will use it a lot.

It's a little embarrassing that the more photos I take, the more I realize that my pics are not so great! Anyway, I'm learning, so that's the important thing.