May 9, 2017
Lunch at Akiko - it can make a day. I am crazy for seaweed so she made me a special dish with seaweed and fish. There is no place for lunch like Akiko.
Ignoring the news - the proposal to take Arabic off the official language status - i am renewing our language lessons. i cannot believe this language is not a necessity in the Middle East. Someone even told me today that one of our favorite words, "Nidges," meaning nudnik, comes from Arabic, from the word for simple, as in foolish.
A walk around the port in the evening is also pretty high up on my list of fun things to do. Especially at this time of year. The weather is warm and dry, there are a lot of people but not too many, the shops are open until late, there is lots to eat. What more could we ask?
And we didn't talk about politics after we agreed the opening summer session of the knesset was so bad even the French elections can't balance the evil. Even the news on channel 10 doesn't want to talk about it, i think.
May 9, 2017
when I got to the health clinic labs with my 24 hour pee test, i discovered there were blood and other lab tests waiting for me. I had only an hour to get to my gym class and i never thought i'd make it. But I was out in minutes and had time for a happy breakfast and a newspaper. Every time I think there is something wrong with the health system here, I'm proven wrong - the efficiency is pretty amazing. The tests results are partially in on my computer, although the entire results won't be back until next week.
now I can concentrate on the Muezzin law - the bill to forbid using loudspeakers for prayer. it's supposed to include Jews but i have heard it won't apply to the siren announcing Sabbath in Bnai Brak.
Turkey's Erdogan complained of this law yesterday and urged Moslems around the world to protect Al Aksa even though the problems are separate. The Muezzin law is in a way a dehumanization of the religion, but the loudspeakers also seem to me to be a dehumanization of the religion. There is no Muezzin climbing the tower and calling to prayers. It is a machine, a sad caricature of a call to devotion. There is no one there. Were there a real man, a real invitation to holiness, i would be moved as well.
May 10, 2017
Last night: Six in the evening there's a message on the cell: tonight will be the last night of the public tv news program. so i drop everything and turn on the tv. 1000 odd people are out of a job, some after 40 odd years. the debate about this has ben going on for years - the station was supposed to cut spending, they wouldn't, they were leftists, etc. etc. and suddenly they're gone. Anything to do with Trump firing the FBI guy who helped him win? I post a photo of the last program on facebook and got flak from friends - as well as agreement.
And today Bibi says he didn't know it was happening. Maybe I got the text message he was supposed to get yesterday.
I gave a little talk today about Bob Dylan at Beit Kenan. Amazing how much I learn from talking. Today I learned that my red dress is going to be the dress i wear to important occasions until november.
Do you know what petango is? I've been talking about it for years in these pages,
They grow on our neighbor's fence, and we steal them at night
May 11, 2017
not feeling so good tonight. let's see what happens tomorrow. My tests are fine but i am a mess.
May 12, 2017
After a tortuous night, when i knew i should have gone to the clinic in the evening before it shut down at midnight, I made an appointment with our new family doctor early in the morning. Barely made it there - got all confused about where to go, how to get there, and i was incredibly fortunate that I could persuade Ezi to navigate for me. Once home, and after the administration of medication, I slept all morning and part of the afternoon. I missed the Lida Memorial, I did no shopping, and didn't even look at the first copy of my new book, in hebrew, "ways to love." now there is a long afternoon spreads before me - devoted to recovery. Tomorrow the frenetic life begins again. thank goodness for public health
May 13, 2017
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