Tel Aviv Diary January 13-18, 2016 - Karen Alkalay-Gut

Tel Aviv Diary - January 13-18, 2016 - Karen Alkalay-Gut

January 13, 2016

So I wanted to get away from all the politics that invade every aspect of our lives, and when i turned on the radio there was a program about 'wandering camels." Tell me that's not a good escape. But it turns out these camels wander off onto the road (I've seen them on the road to Beer Sheva), and when they suddenly appear cars may smash into them broadside. It turns out people get killed this way - more than a few. And it turns out the camels belong to Bedouin who don't always keep track. And the local government can't find a solution for making the tribes responsible for their camels.

We were planning to go down to Sde Boker this weekend but Oren is back for a few days so we're staying put. No camels, only rats. Apparently we now are infested with extremely bold rats in Tel Aviv. Ezi mentioned that there have always been rats, ever since there was a port here, but now the garbage bins are closed so they are particularly hungry and are getting a bit more desperate.

January 14, 2016

Tel Aviv Museum. It is my grandson's favorite place and we don't get there often enough. Today we concentrated on Alma Yitzchaki's oils of Jaffa. Somehow Omer won the heart of the guard who got up from her chair to ask him about what he sees. "What are these men in bathing suits doing?" It looks like exercise - they are kneeling with their hands behind their necks. "Look at their shadows. What is the shadow of?" A dog. "These are prisoners of war. The painter sees them viewed as dogs." Yes, I see it. "How old are you?" five years and five months.

Did he really see it? I think he did. I think living in Tel Aviv makes a five year old into an old man.

January 15, 2016

I write online. Sometimes I don't save it fast enough and it disappears. That happened to me today. It wasn't terribly important. I was writing about my orthopedist and how I came to him to report that I was feeling fine and he looked at my xrays and decided again that I need to replace my other hip. I feel fine - I told him. You don't have to do it, he said, it's your hip, not mine. I feel fine, I said, I don't need a referral for the second operation. I left the office and suddenly my hip started hurting.

This is what happens when I turn on the news. I felt fine before. But now I hurt.

January 16, 2016

Even though I can't think straight about the situation any more, I enjoyed this little historical overview.

There are times I wanted to butt in here and there and fill in facts like 'they started it,' but I stop myself and say that is counterproductive. the point is that when you take out the details, the situation becomes solvable.

hey you Are coming to this if you're in Jerusalem, aren't you? I paid for all this food, my curators have disappeared and so we're doing all the work, the publisher who once loved the book seems to be tired of promoting other people's books and has reverted to promoting only himself, the exhibit isn't even listed yet anywhere, and I paid for all this food, so come:

or at least tell your friends.

To Karen Alkalay-Gut Diary

To Karen Alkalay-Gut home