Bissel Exhausted

OK, I admit, more than a bissel. I've been functioning since 5am, and it's now about 10pm. I did my usual early morning drink water, then coffee then dress, doven (pray), and then since it was pool day, go to the pool, make breakfast, shower, dress eat and since it is Rosh Chodesh (beginning of Jewish month), go down to Tel Shiloh, then go to Jerusalem, where I met a cousin, whom I hadn't seen for twenty years, and his wife and young daughter. They weren't on the scene twenty years ago.

Then we went through the Israel Museum and then to the Anna Ticho house downtown Jerusalem and ate and wandered and helped them shop and then I trempted home, and yes:

I'm tired!

And Another Dumb Question

I don't have one of those "sign up and receive my posts the minute they're posted" things/services on my blogs. What are they, RSS? I once had something, but it didn't really do anything, so I took it off the sidebar. Yes, I know that some people use some google thing and have "live updates" on their sidebar. Others have these little "updated" signs that show up on their blogroll. I never got into all that.

A reader asked me to set something up. Nu? Any suggestions? I prefer something free which I don't have to deal with, but something which will give me info when I'm curious. Yes, it must be free. I spend enough time blogging, and "time is money."

I wish there was a way of reorganizing my blogroll according to alphabetical order. It was pretty dumb of me to start it as a mess, and as it grows, the idea of reorganizing it becomes less and less possible. As I just said:

I spend enough time blogging, and "time is money."

And now for another busy day.

• The pool
• Tel Shiloh
• Meeting a visiting cousin, whom I haven't seen in twenty years. He's here with his wife and young daughter.

**Apparently She's Not Jewish, and...

Apparently I am mistaken about her being Jewish! Please read the comments. How is it that people think she is Jewish?

... and she has five kids, and one of them has Down's Syndrome. And did I say that Sarah Palin, who was chosen by Senator John McCain to be his choice as Vice Presidential running mate, is Jewish?

All sorts of political pundits were hinting very broadly that McCain ought to choose a woman.

She's, young and pretty, too. Five kids, rare for a politician of any sex. It's probably unheard of for an American politician. Maybe things are very different in Alaska.

As a mother of five, myself, I really get a kick out it. This should be a very interesting campaign.

Gila's Havel Havelim!

#Ten x Chai (life) = 180

Havel Havelim

It's posted at Her Shrapnel, not mine. Actually, I don't have any shrapnel, different wounds...

I'm looking forward to Gila's report about her Alyn Ride. Come home safe and sound, please!

I Wish I Could Remember

This Shabbat, again, I hosted our weekly Women's Shiur Torah Class. Last week it was here, and I was dead out on the couch. I don't remember a thing. This time, I was wide awake, and I still don't remember anything...

Maybe it will come back to me...

We had two fans going, and after the shiur and saying T'hillim Psalms and noshing and talking, nobody wanted to leave. It 's not that it was so nice. All I served was those delicious grapes from my garden, water and some chocolate-flavored oatbran cookies I had bought. Summer is brutally hot, still. Strange to think that in a couple of weeks the temperatures should be dropping drastically.

The days have gotten so much shorter. It's dark when I wake up in the morning.

Maybe It Was The Food

Late morning, I started dozing off, not able to concentrate nor do anything. It took me awhile to get back to business. I drank and ate "energy" food.

This happens frequently after a wedding or any large catered event. I think that the caterers use some sort of additives, and I'm allergic to it.

About ten years ago, when I was teaching in the Jerusalem "Limudiya," an alternative school and tutoring program, I sometimes grabbed a felafel lunch at the popular "Yemenite Felafel" on Neviim Street. Inevitably, the same thing happened to me, I'd find myself dozing off mid-sentence. Not very good

Obviously, I don't eat their food any more. I never had that reaction from my neighbor Moshe Siton's felafel in the days he had a place near Machaneh Yehuda. Shalom Felafel on Betzalel Street doesn't put me to sleep either. I get hours of energy after eating there.

Am I the only one so sensitive to food additives?

Can't Complain For What It Costs Me

Now sitemeter is down. Last week blogcarnival went missing for a few days. I use their services a few times a day, but how can I complain when they're not available. Both are free.

It's not like I ever paid anything to either of them. I don't pay to use blogger, the service provider for this blog. My yahoo.mail is also free. Of course, we bought our computer and periodically pay a guy to repair stuff, and we pay for basic interntet hook-ups, but without all of the free services, I would hardly use the computer.

I also advice people to use free blogger instead of paying for an expensive site, because if you stop paying you can lose the site. So many wonderful sites are now down, because the money dried out.

The best things in life are free!

Time's Almost Up!!!

Thanks for your support in the Members Project!
To date, Marrow Magic- Save lives! has received 199 nominations. There are only 25 slots to get into the next round, so we need lots more nominations, and the top 25 projects currently have over 1000 nominations each! The deadline is Aug. 31. If everyone who has nominated so far could get 6 more people to nominate, we'd make it!
Please forward this email to a few people, if not your whole mailing list, and if you haven't yet signed on to Members Project and nominated, please do.......and maybe we will make it! The direct link is:
http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/MS3ZJW
and the original email is below:
I know people have had difficulties using the AMEX site. It's slow to load and sometimes doesn't work so well, but please be persistent. It would be wonderful to get this project under way!
Thanks,
Rose

I'd like to tell you about a project I submitted to the AMEX Members Project. It's called "Marrow Magic - Save lives!"
For years, I have seen the large efforts that go into small drives to register people to be bone marrow donors, and know there has to be a better way. I would like to get the whole country registered as potential bone marrow donors by having the nation's dentists collect cheek cell samples for the registry. Currently less than 3% of the US population is registered in donor banks.
I think I've found a way to make it happen: American Express has a competition for the funding of new projects:
Members Project is an initiative that brings people together to make a difference in the world. People go online to share ideas for projects. and ultimately vote on which projects will share $2.5 million in funding from American Express.
Please help my project, Marrow Magic - Save lives! receive up to $1.5 million in funding from Amex;
Currently over 150 projects are competing to be the top 25 projects. The 25 that get the most "nominations" will then be voted on to narrow the group to five.
To nominate Marrow Magic - Save lives! for potential funding, please go to membersproject.com and nominate my project,to reach the Top 25. It's listed in the Health section under Education, or use their search feature, for the word "marrow".
Please campaign for my project by promoting it on the Members Project Discussion Boards and forward this email to all of your friends and family members .
In 2007, Members Project provided clean drinking water to children all across Africa. This year, maybe Marrow Magic - Save lives! will receive funding.
Thanks for your help,
Rose

Surprising Myself

I'm one of the world's worst housekeepers, so I've always avoided having people sleep over. But somehow, last Shabbat I agreed to host two soldiers on the Nativ program for learning about Judaism. Not only did they sleep over, but we hosted them for all Shabbat meals.

Now, this Shabbat...
OK, not strangers, but we'll have three sleepover guests, my neighbors' two elder grandchildren and either her daughter, their aunt, or their father, her son-in-law. Her other daughter, their mother, just had a new baby and there's no room in her house for the whole crew. Funny thing is that the son-in-law's maternal grandmother and my mother were high school friends. His great-grandmother was our Jerusalem neighbor and my mentor in many ways. That entire family was so good to us, and that was before it was discovered that the old woman's daughter-in-law had known my mother. We had been invited to his parents' wedding. And then when the young couple got married we made Sheva Brachot on Shabbat.

That previous paragraph is much too long and run-on, but it's Friday morning and I'm busy. Also, there are other connections between us and the clan...

Lovely Wedding

Baruch Hashem, Thank G-d we were at a wedding tonight.

A former student married my neighbor's daughter.

It was a truly joyous evening.

My best wishes to the young couple.

Be Part of The Historic Return

Send links of your best recent picture posts, on a Jewish or Israeli theme, to JPIX-- It's returning to the jblogging world!!

Camp Savta--Granny's Camp

In the end I didn't take too many pictures.
Here are the campers:

Kids really don't need too many toys, and they don't need all the fancy ones. When I was a little girl, I had wooden blocks just like these, which my mother bought for my kids about 35 years ago. I can't claim that the entire set has survived over three decades, but enough have, so that my grandkids can enjoy them. I took out that pail of classic toys on Shabbat during the women's shiur (class) because a young mother came with her pre-school daughter.

My daughter was kind enough (to both me and the kids) to arrange some extra staff. That way the more advanced campers were able to get a special computer lesson.


While the special counselors were with the advanced campers, I could take the baby out for a "fall asleep" hike.

Yes, this exclusive camp provided lots of individual attention! Later on, the "boss" arrived and we went to the pool. No pictures from that.

Like An Ant Taking On An Elephant

If I had the time, I'd look for a funny illustration...

I must make this short, since the house needs to be gotten ready for my grandchildren's visit.

This morning I found out (thanks to my husband) that Gil Student wrote about my complaint about him on his blog. So, I replied on Shiloh Musings. Gil Student is one of the super-biggies in the jblog world (he denies we're a community). So, please read my post and comment as you wish, both here and there.

And now, once this is posted etc, I'll have to turn off the computer and get on with:

Camp Savta!

G-d willing, pictures to follow...

Sometimes It's As Simple As...

... turning around the plug.

The neighbor who fixed my tv gave me some information totally new to me. While he was working he was instructing. The two prongs of the Israeli electric plug aren't the same. Sometimes your appliance won't work properly until you unplug it and replug the opposite way. I had never heard that.

When he was working on my tv, there was a lot of experimentation. It was the first time he had worked on that exact model. Once things were finished and put together, we plugged it in. Light came out of the little red bulb, but it didn't do much else. Niether when we pressed the buttons on the tv nor when we used the remote control.

Finally he asked which was the plug and told me to unplug it, turn it and replug it. Only then did it work.

So many times we stubbornly continue with the sme failure-producing methods, finally condemning the whole system, claiming it must be broken and worse. In many cases all we need to do is to check the plug, turn it around.

My husband and I were so sure that that electric surge had burn out the tv, when all that had to be replaced was that tiny fuse. Buying a new tv didn't seem like a good start to our living on less. Today I was tempted to rush to Jerusalem to buy some end of the season bargains, but my closet is stuffed. I just have to see how to mix and match a little differently.

Didn't Sleep Much

The good news is that I managed to set up the TV reception all by myself. I'm sure my sons and daughters, too, will be proud of me when they hear. They should know where their talents come from.

The bad news is that the show which went on right afterwards and sucked me in to watch was one of those horrendous Left wing propaganda pieces Israeli TV is notorious for. It aimed at humanizing the police and soldiers who performed Disengagement. That's how Israel Broadcasting Authority celebrates three years after Disengagement. Maybe there have been better programs, which I had missed, since our TV's little 3 shekel fuse burnt out before Pesach.

I got to bed much later than usual or planned, doubly, since after watching the show, I blogged about it.

But now for more good news, I'm B"H feeling better and plan on going to the pool soon, yes, this morning. My neighbor/doctor and I agree that it must have been a "summer flu," which B"H flew away.

Not Too Late

... to see the Jewish Bloggers Convention. You can skip through it by moving the time dot, or whatever it's called. I must admit that I'm a fascinated hearing it again as I was the first time which was in person.

You can hear and see me at 01:50, sort of just before the middle. I'm after Carl (no that's not him pictured above) who is after Bibi Netanyahu. Bibi starts around 01:00, but if you don't have time for his entire session, a short speech then longish answers to questions, listen to what he says just before 01:30 about the History of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel.

Many of you have heard a lot about the conference, and now's your chance to hear it for yourself.

Does One Outgrow Hyperactivity?

John McEnroe Is Still Pretty Complicated Hyperactive!

I really enjoyed reading this NY Times Magazine article about John McEnroe.

Of course, as a former teacher who specialized in "non-standard" students, I really got a kick out of the article. Over the years, I had always felt that McEnroe was highly intelligent, and he knew that in the end his amazing tennis talent would help pull him out of any trouble.

Not living in the states or hearing or seeing foreign newscasts, I'm not at all familiar with his new profession, but his success doesn't surprise me.

Going back to my experiences as mother and teacher, it is so important for the school to fit the needs of the child. That doesn't mean "teaching down" to the kid. It means encouraging him/her with the tools for success and the message that true success is up to the student. Take your talents, develop your skills. Don't push your kids against their grains. Find ways to make the best out of their individual intelligences.

Multiple Intelligences

I don't think my husband and I are stupid. He was even chosen to be in one of the panels at the jblogger convention. But did anyone there catch his reaction after he won the "waffle-iron?" Panic at having to learn how to use a new machine. So you can imagine his reaction when our TV "died" after a power "outage" some time before Pesach, (springtime.)

I've always been ambivalent about having a TV, and during various times during our married life we've managed fine without. Since we have internet, we could even watch the TV news since the TV's demise. So, I didn't rush to get it fixed. It's death didn't bother me all that much. I could still watch my DVDs on the "other computer."

The other day a retired neighbor came over to borrow some of my DVDs and videos and asked if I was interested in borrowing any of his. I asked for DVDs.

"But you have a TV and VCR, too," he said.
"But our TV is dead, so I use the laptop."
"How did it happen?"
I told him the story.
"It's probably just a 3 shekel (less than a dollar) fuse. I'll fix it."

He came over a different day, took it apart, extracted the burnt fuse, brought it to Kashayoff Electronics, King George St., Jerusalem and bought me a replacement fuse.

Then the next day he replaced the fuse, and...

We could dance for joy!
Thank G-d for great neighbors!!

HH Despite BC

Yehuda did a great job putting together Havel Havelim, the post-confrence one. And there's more than the conference there.

We can't all f2f, but at least we can meet at the floating Jblogger magazine. I'll be doing it in a few weeks, after a long haitus.

For a few crucial days, the blog carnival service, check out my sidebar for their links, was totally down. It's back and running, but no explaination has been offered. If I find out more, I'll let you know.

ps I'm certain that there are some major spelling bloopers and typos here, but blogger's spellcheck is down at the moment, so please forgive.

Made Coffee

I was in the mood. Haven't made any since friday. I guess it's a good sign, but I made less than usual. It'll probably drain whatever's left in my system. Yesterday I ate a potato omelette, sauteed onions and potatoes, then added the eggs. Noshed on grapes, my garden's super-organic pictured here. Then I baked a couple of carrots, squash and an onion, which took me two meals to finsih.

I think I drank miso bullion in the morning. I take a spoon of miso in a mug and pour boiling water over it. It makes a sort of "soup."

Later, I'll write about the entertainment. Sorry, if it's a bore, but not much else when sick, recovering, Baruch Hashem.

Hey, Paul

Hey, Paul,

Hey, Paul, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let us into your heart
Even if we want the tickets cheaper

Hey, Paul, don't be afraid
It's really safe here in the Holyland
The minute you treat us like the folks on 66
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Paul, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Paul! Don't let us down
You're finally here, now get all over
Remember, to let us into your heart
We insist you're not getting older.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Paul, begin
We've been waiting for for you to perform
And don't you know that that the tickets are too dear,
We won't be there

Hey, Paul, don't make it bad

Take a sad song and make it better

Remember to let us into your heart

Even if we want the tickets cheaper

Hey Jude
(As Recorded by Tiny Tim & Brave Combo)

(Lennon-McCartney)

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

"Pop Up" Problem

All of a sudden, our computer isn't allowing pop-ups. That means that people who have "pop-up comments" can't get comments from us, and I haven't been able to post pictures from blogger.

One of the reasons I don't use pop-ups for comments is that I remember that as an issue.

So, I apologize in advance for not commenting.

Now, I hope to have the strength to wash some of the dishes. The house has that "dirty dish smell."

Why My Kids Have Me Worried Sick

I'm sure that many of you don't understand why I kvetch that I'm more worried when my boys are trekking than when the two were in the army.

This emptied my kishkes.

No Swim This Morning

I'm not quite up to it, not quite up to anything, but I'm up, sort of. I'll have to call my daughter and warn her that I won't be at full-strength tomorrow to take care of the kids. It just occurred to me that recovering from this "bug" will take a bit longer than expected.

None of the other bloggers at the Jewish blogger convention has blogged that they're sick. So I can't blame the cole slaw.

Does anyone know why blog carnival was out for a few days? At least it's back.

At this point, I can sit and blog, but I don't know how I'll wash the dishes...

Finally Ate Something

And blog carnival is feeling better too. It's finally online again. So you can send your posts for kcc via bc. Check my sidebar for the link.

I woke up about an hour ago, wondering what to eat. All I could think of was some sort of toast, which I don't have, so I zapped a frozen pita and ate most of it with olive oil. That's all I could handle. I hadn't had a proper meal since a couple of hours before Shabbat. During the afternoon I ate some of my grapes. The super-organic grapes which grow next to my house.

It's 2:30 in the morning. I've been sleeping on and off for over 28 hours, lost all time of day and night.

Feeling Pretty Sick

Did we all catch Frum Satire's virus?

The strangest thing happened to me. I had a nice busy Friday, with my married daughter and her family over to use the pool, first she and her daughters and then during men's hours, her husband. And I got the house ready for two Nativ Soldiers who were to be our guests for Shabbat. A neighbor called in the morning inviting us for Friday night, which we accepted.

Everything was ready for Shabbat and while my husband and the soldiers went to shul Friday night, I rested on the couch and then...

I was hit by a wave of "weakness." I was frozen, felt sick. It was awful. Then I went to the neigbor's and realized that there was no way I could eat a meal or sit at the table. So I went home after kiddush.

I just felt awful.

The next morning I stayed home, hanging out on the couch. We had an additional friend for Shabbat lunch, and I think everyone had a good time.

My husband had to set up for the shiur. We served water and grapes. I tried to tell him to put out a cake,but he didn't hear me.

It was a nice shiur and my friends cleaned up. One's a doctors, so when just about everyone left, she came over:
"What is going on? Do you have fever?"
"Probably"
"So take an Acomol."

I showed her where they are, and she brought them to me with some water.

I'm tired.

Friday, Again

And that means all the Shabbat preparations, plus.

Plus, plus...

I'm hosting my Shiur Nashim, that's the Women's Shabbat class which floats around the neighborhood. Each Shabbat it's in a different home. For the past few months, every two weeks it's at a specific neighbor's since that's when her mother visits, and her mother can no longer walk any further than the wc, but her mind is still ok, and she loves the shiur and comes to my neighbor every other Shabbat. It makes it easier for the organizer. We've been having this shiur for almost 27 years, a few months after the neighborhood was established and populated. It's the longest running shiur in Shiloh.

I don't have to get all fancy for the shiur, but we are having a guest, a guest for all of Shabbat. I got a call from someone who was placing soldiers on the Nativ Program, a religious studies program for potential converts and others who want to learn more about Judaism.

It'll give me more to blog about, most probably.

But now I have to get moving, doven, go to the pool and then start cooking and cleaning, including making one of the kids' bedrooms habitable for a guest, an unknown guest.

So, don't panic if I don't blog or comment on the comments.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach
Have a Peaceful and Blessed Sabbath

KCC Will Overcome

Great news about the Kosher Cooking Carnival!
Great news about the Kosher Cooking Carnival!

No, this isn't a mistake. It's double for a reason. There are two great newses.

One-- Isramom has offered to host the September edition of KCC.

And two, we shall overcome the glitch/error on blog carnival by returning to the "old days." If you have a post to send, and bc is still out of order, then please just mail the link and title with a sentence's explanation to shilohmuse at gmail dot com. Please put KCC in the subject, and I'll pass it on to Risa.

Wafflling About The Waffles and Where's BC?

As you know, or if you don't, then please scroll down to the previous post, we my husband won a wafflemaker as the NBN-JBlogger Door Prize. Well, actually he didn't win a wafflemaker, as meaning someone to make waffles. He won a machine which will make waffles if you put the right batter in. So that's really not a wafflemaker it's a wafflecooker/fryer/grill or something like that.

Of course, he doesn't know how to make waffles, or their poor cousin pancakes.

So please go to his blog and send him waffle recipes.

Now, another topic. Here we are with oodles of posts to post to the jblog carnivals and the bc is having problems.

Blog Carnival
Blog Communities Publishing Magazines
Blog Carnival Temporarily Unavailable
Our database is temporarily unavailable. Take this moment to write an article and post it to your blog. Once we are up and running, you can submit it to your favorite Blog Carnival!

JBLOGGER - NBN My View

On a hot, Israeli summer day, I decided to take part in history, the First International JBloggers Convention, sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh and webads. It was held in the Nefesh B'Nefesh offices, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem.

I had planned on walking from the Central Bus Station, but the driver who took me, a tremp before the bus came, decided to do me a favor and drop me off in Givat Shaul. They really are close, as you can see from the picture.






I followed the directions NBN had sent, and then came across the first mistake. When we got to the office, we were sent out of the building, not to the offices. NBN has another entrance, which is to large rooms, where the convention was held. Now, this was an "anglo" event. Not only did many come on time, but quite a few of us were early and we weren't allowed to sign in.






But after that, things were better, besides running overtime. But that was no surprise considering that bloggers are communicators and love to ... communicate.

There was lots of food, salads, sliced meat and bread (which I resisted.) Actually, it would have had been much easier to eat sandwiches.




They even had a vegetarian section.




I can't begin to list all of the bloggers I finally met f2f.


Isramom, a friend who pre-dates blogging, internet, computers etc took this picture of me and Ya'akov, aka Dry Bones.




Here's some of the crowd/attendees at the first panel discussion.








Yes, Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu came and was very impressive, but I'll blog more extensively about him and what he said on Shiloh Musings.




Here's Rivka, who's an inspiration.




When I realized that there was a good chance I wouldn't get called on to comment and promote blog carnivals, I spoke to Steve of webads, who was very much in charge, and he told the moderator to call on me. I don't know if there are any pictures, but I got notes from fellow bloggers who were happy to hear my comment/question on the web broadcast. The "biggies" in the first panel were asked, by me, to at least mention when carnivals are posted and link to them to give more exposure. One panelist was very snobby about it and said that he didn't consider us a "community;" it was just his hobby. That was the low point of the entire day, since the entire point of the event was networking, community etc. The other panelists had davka used the term "community," which is why I did. He was very haughty and said some nasty stuff to another questioner who wanted advice on how to promote a blog. He said that he'd never seen it, but he knows that attractive blogs get more readers.

Frum Satire overcame his "under the weather" and performed. Afterwards he pulled out the name of the doorprize winner for a wafflemaker, admitting that he didn't understand why people were laughing--Jameel! Yes, that's my husband who won the wafflemaker. So, please send in lots of waffle recipes and tips.




There was an interruption during the Foreign Ministry's presentation about marketing Israel in a new way, like the "beach bimbo" idea of a few months ago and as "home of three religions." She was reminded that Israel's a Jewish Country!




And here's my husband speaking during his panel.



PS I understand that another blogger trashed my question in his report of the conference. Enough said about that. Since he "miss-heard" my request to put links to the jblog carnivals on blogs and to host jblog carnivals into some personal promotion for myself, I take that as a request not to be included in jblog carnivals. And therefore, when I next host a jblog carnival, I will try to remember that.

NBN JBloggers Convention

This isn't the post about it; it's just the pre-post post.

We just got back, and I'm not going to start with the camera and computer and the discs, which reminds me that I should buy some more in a few weeks. And I did take lots of pictures.

But just to give you and idea. It really was

gevaldic

Yes, amazing, too. So many jbloggers. And we won the door prize, a wafflemaker, so please, time to send in wafflemaking recipes!

The entire experience was better than expected.

Now, good night!

Today's The Day

Yes, today's the First International JBloggers Convention!

After all the hypes and gripes, in a few hours we'll see if this is the first or only...

I printed up the sign-ups for hosting jpix and the Kosher Cooking Carnival. Now, to remember to pack them.

Please remember to send in your links and volunteer to host.

And if you're at the convention, please say hello!

Check the Floors

A couple of my daughters, my grandson and I went out for dinner in Jerusalem. We went to "Dulce Latte," if I got the name straight, on Jaffa Road, near Zion Square. We'd all been there before, and it was OK then, but...

pretty as it was, there were some unpleasant surprises.

We looked for a place to sit with one of their upholstered seats, so the baby could play, and we found one. They even turned down the music, since he was sleeping. Then after we ordered, my daughter looked down and saw pieces of glass all over the floor. We asked them to clean up. They did, sort of, so we asked them again and then again.

At least the staff was polite and cooperative about it.

I asked for olive oil for my salad-- no olive oil, so I specifically requested some sort of non-mayonnaise dressing, and they said OK.

Then the food came. I had ordered quiche, but it was a strange-looking "quiche." It looked like the thickest pizza ever. I didn't order pizza, and I didn't want a meal of dough. I took one small bite and could barely chew it. dd#1 went over to the waitress and whispered something. The waitress came over and asked what would I like instead. I ordered a tuna salad. No dough. It took so long to assemble, I think they went to the supermarket to buy a few more cans. Yes, a few. It was big. Not even I could finish it.

Back to my dd's. They ordered ravioli and a whole fish, two main courses to share. The ravioli was finished in a second, with the help of my grandson. In the middle of eating the fish, they called over the waitress and requested that it be cooked better. It tasted too raw. Yuch! I hope they don't get sick from it. When it returned, they finished it and were still a bit hungry, so I gave them my tuna salad. There was still enough tuna left to have packed up. I gave it to my husband the next day to take to work and make a sandwich of it.

We didn't have dessert. None of us wanted the extra calories, and as is, we needed a cab to catch the 8pm bus home.

The Last of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable

I guess young people don't really appreciate it, but for someone my age and older, it's really something amazing that two cultural and cinema icons, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable share their last movie. It's the Misfits.

It's one of the movies I bought this visit in New York. Of course, I was too young to see it when it came out. In those days it was rather daring. Today it would be prime time kids. If today's PC parents had any objections it would be the rodeo and lassoing the wild horses.

Considering the range of roles Marilyn Monroe played, you have to be impressed. OK, she generally played someone not too bright, but very naive. She was good in comedy. There's nothing funny about this movie.

Clark Gable looks old, very old in it. He doesn't look much like Rhett Butler.

Although no one knew it at the time, “The Misfits” would be the last film ever made by Gable and the last one finished by Monroe. Three days after the movie wrapped in 1960, Gable suffered his fourth heart attack; 11 days later he was dead at the age of 59.

Less than two years later, Monroe was found dead at the age of 36 in her Brentwood, Calif., home, the victim of either a suicide, accidental overdose or, some still insist, a conspiracy. click for complete article

It's a very depressing movie.

If You Can't Take The Heat...

...don't leave the house!

That was yesterday's program. It was hard enough to go to the merpeset, terrace, to hang and take in the wash. The laundry was so hot, that it felt like it had been taken out of the electric dryer mid-cycle.

I didn't go out until it was time for the movie (see previous post), and from there I went straight to the pool. I didn't dress in my usual old bathrobe. I wore what was once a fancy dress, wore it to my baby's Bar Mitzvah, but last year I decided that it made a perfect "robe" to wear outside to the pool.

Maybe I'll wear it again, today, soon.

Time to get ready to go. Pool's already open.

Love Those Musicals!

One of my neighbors has established a "cinema club" to give us "retirees" something fun to do. He's one of us and has a very impressive movie collection. Today we saw "Annie Get Your Gun."

It was great fun. Some of the lyrics are hysterical. The whole thing is one glorious parody. The set looks like an old stage, OK, considering the massive numbers of horses dancing around, literally, it's enormous. But there's no real attempt to make it look natural. The stage could be in the center of the earth.

I was sure the actor playing the Indian chief was a Yiddish actor from how he looked and spoke, but apparently J. Carrol Naish was Irish. Could have fooled me.

Special Carnival

"Special" in the "real sense," and "special" as it's used as a euphemism. And davka the theme is adjectives.

I decided that I'm not going to blog the name of the carnival. I want you to just visit and see the posts. It's very special.

ps How about some guesses before you visit...

Next They'll Be Charging To Use The Toilet

Public toilets aren't always free. In Israel, certain buildings charge to enter the toilets. In the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, the free ones are dirtier than the pay ones. So I gave up and pay my shekel, about 30 cents at today's rate.

And I remember when most public toilets in New York had doors with coin-operated locks. Of course, about one out of ten were free, but they had broken, cracked or missing seats and were frequently out of paper.

Why is this the topic of my reminisce?

I just read this article in The New York Times about all the fees the American airlines are starting to tack on for services which were previously free. They now include pillow and blanket rental, but don't think you can bring your own, since you're also being charged for your suitcase.

Budget airlines having been saving/making money by charging for food, only giving the drinks for free. Now there are airlines which even charge for water.

Yes, they even charge for water!

Considering that water is a medical necessity, and and security demands that passengers don't take bottles of water with them, I hope someone sues those airlines and for very big money!

He Did It!

Yes! He= Michael Phelps did! Phelps broke all Olympic medal-winning records.

You may not know this, but I used to be the girls gym, Physical Education, teacher here in our local Shiloh elementary school. It's one of those careers I've had, actually for 13 years, which I began with neither certification nor formal training.

One of my principles was never to grade according to sports talents.

"G-d gave you the talents, and I'm not going to grade Him."

That was a frequent mantra, which people heard from me in those days. I made a point of grading according to the things the students could control, wearing sports shoes, slacks under their skirts and showing some enthusiasm, participating in the lessons. I honestly didn't care about how quickly they run or how well-coordinated they are. I would only give them grades for their efforts.

The media is now full of articles touting Phelps as the World's Greatest Athlete. I have questions about that term/adjective, "greatest." That's because when describing athlete, there are two important aspects to "athlete." One is the physical sports talent, and the other is the actual character of the athlete him/herself.

So, when today, he's being described as the World's Greatest Athlete, it must be his athletic talents, because character can't be accurately predicted. Thirty-six years ago, there were great expectations for Mark Spitz. During those thirty-six years, Spitz disappointed in terms of his character. I'm sure that's one of the reasons he wasn't given a free seat/ride/ticket to this year's Olympics.

Yes, Phelps broke Olympics records, but only time will tell if he's really the World's Greatest Athlete, because we still don't know if he's a mensch.

Before Conking Out, or...

... You may not be as tired as I am, so....

Take a good look at Haveil Havalim #178 - The Tu b'Av Edition. I'm sure you'll find plenty to read there, and I'll read it tomorrow!

I guess I didn't introduce myself properly...

Even though I often describe my blogs as my very own newspapers or magazines, where I'm the boss, the other day when I went to the Gush Katif Museum I handled it badly, very badly.

I saw a painting and asked the guy in charge:

"What is this supposed to signify?"

His answer made no sense, at least to me, nor to my friend, and I wasn't all that diplomatic. I don't think I was aggressive or insulting, just too obviously confused.

Another picture, which had my friend, a resident of the Nitzan "DP Camp," had guessed "must be about the northern Shomron yishuvim, since in Gush Katif we didn't wear such heavy clothes," is identified in a Jerusalem Post article as "a family from Gush Katif."

The JPost reporter, more professional than myself, asked the right questions and got answers. I found the answers I received so unhelpful, I couldn't resist but to give some "advice."

"How about putting -- on that wall, instead of the picture, since the picture doesn't really communicate."

Correct, I wasn't very diplomatic. I'm sure this post doesn't help much. Strangely, the pr statements give an impression different from what we felt.

If you can, please visit and let me know what you think. It's in Jerusalem, on 5 Rechov Shaare Tzedek, near Rechov Agripas.

Yahoo for Young Eyes

Does your email yahoo? Mine does. I prefer yahoo to gmail and anything to hotmail. But there's a problem.

Recently, yahoo has tried to change to a newer model. When I sign in the new-fangled screen pops up. It's not easy to use, and the font is much too small. Thank G-d I found an icon asking if I want to go back to "the classic yahoo." I enthusiastically clicked it. Not so easy; I had to voluntarily of course answer questions why. I wrote that the writing was too small, and then I wondered. Is it my imagination?

Then the classic appeared. Now, you must have noticed the size font I blog here, zahftig is a good description. Yes, classic is more my size. The new yahoo is tiny.

I remember fighting blogger when it upgraded, and now I've gotten used to the changes and even enjoy many. But here, I can adjust the font easily.

Very Educational

Step right up to the Carnival of Education; there's a great variety of posts on all sorts of topics relating to... education, of course.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Busy, Busy, and Busier

Today I'm even busier than usual. I didn't do my usual "early cooking" for Shabbat, so I have to do all the cooking today. It's also pool time soon, and the house is more a mess than usual, and my nails just must "be done." Must put the high chair away and all the toys still scattered around the living room. I think I'll skip the laundry. There are enough clean things, so we can wait until next week for that. No, I won't take a picture of the mess. Just use your imagination.

Next week is getting towards the end of summer vacation, but for me it's a "permanent vacation" until further notice. I'm not going back to teaching. No, I'm not officially "retired," no pension. I have to find out how to get my unemployment insurance. Officially I was fired, because I wanted to be to get the "compensation." That will last a bit. What's next on my path? I have no idea. I never expected to be an English teacher and only trained for it after teaching a couple of years. My dream would be to get paid for my writing and photography.

I signed up at Matan for a Bible and Touring course. It's three times a month.

Next week is the much talked about NBN Jbloggers f2f. G-d willing, I'll have a sign-up poster for those willing to host the Kosher Cooking Carnival and JPIX. If you're interested in hosting,please let me know. Hope to see you there, either in person or via the technology!

Getting late already, and I'm really much too busy to be on the computer!

Strange

Very unusual. Maybe I just didn't do enough yesterday, but I was strangely invigorated and went to bed much later than usual. Even worse, I had trouble getting up this morning and even pressed the "snooze" on my alarm aka cellphone.

Now that we're in post-Tisha B'Av mode and no more mourning restrictions, I'm finally trying to watch some of the movies I bought in NY. One was actually relatively recent, Dreamgirls. That Jennifer Hudson really is something! And I must say that the acting is great. Of course it's a sort of old fashioned type of plot.

And the singing....WOW!

Lots has been written about the similarities to the Supremes, but according to this, there are more differences, but the Supremes weren't the only pop group. And many had similar stories, so I'm sure that if you research enough, you can find something to back up every part of the plot.

Lots of Recipes

Before started the Kosher Cooking Carnival there was the Carnival of The Recipes and it's still going strong. This new edition is beautifully illustrated, and check out where my post is placed.

PS Even though it's a general recipe carnival, there are still lots of things which are actually kosher or very easy to adapt.

KCC Celebrating TU B'Av

Leora is presenting a beautifully dressed Kosher Cooking Carnival. Hurry over to HP for a taste.

If anyone's interested in hosting a future edition including this coming September, please let me know, shilohmuse at yahoo dot com

Start sending in your posts for September, the 34th edition of the Kosher cooking Carnival! Remember that it's more than just a recipe carnival; any post about kosher food is acceptable. It's also a carnival made up of submitted posts. The host does not have to search the internet.

Mark Spitz--The Ego Speaks

Mark Spitz and I are of the same generation.

When Mark Spitz became a legendary sports figure, winning seven gold medals in the in the 1972 Olympics, I was a young mother of one, expecting #2.

Looking at Mark Spitz today is rather depressing,


... especially considering the image which remains in our minds.

Actually, he sounds pretty disappointed and bitter.

He claims that he's not upset that his medal-winning record will probably be broken by Michael Phelps. It's just that he had expected to be invited to the Olympics:

..."Unless I get that invite, I'll be watching on TV," Spitz, 58, said in a recent interview with Reuters. "I don't think it's going to happen. It'd be nice if it did. It would seem like the right thing to do."

...Spitz, who will be in Hong Kong on business when the Olympics start on August 8, said he had no "hard feelings" about not being invited to Beijing.

...Spitz said Olympics organizers had little sense of history, unlike say Major League Baseball in the United States. He recalled that when Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris' 37-year-old record for home runs in a single season in 1998, officials ensured members of Maris' family were part of the festivities. (complete article)

Mark, go fly a kite!