86 Minutes

So, I've been sitting on the new Leopard software for my MacBook Pro since Pesach. When we were in the States, I picked up the software and had every intention of upgrading my system, but just forgot about it. Well, in yesterday's cleaning rampage, I found the box still shrink wrapped and decided it was time to bite the bullet. Last night, I spent 2 hours upgrading my system. At first, everything seemed fantastic. I had some cool new features like Photo Booth and Expose, but something funky was going on with my Mac mail. See, I use Mac Mail to filter all of my e-mail accounts. Yet, for some reason, I wasn't able to delete anything out of my inbox. And, my inboxes tend to fill up with crap and spam pretty quickly.

At first, I got in touch with an IT friend over on Facebook but he wasn't able to pinpoint my problem. Then, I went to the Apple website and looked around for some troubleshooting information about mail. There appears to be a lot of Mail issue with Leopard, but nothing I tried seemed to work. Finally, with Pidgeon's coaxing, I picked up the call and spoke to a Mac technician.

86 minutes people!

It took 86 minutes for him to basically tell me that I needed to input all of my outbox and inbox information from scratch. Fortunately, my mailboxes are all set up and working. Phew. My ears were sweating and my ass was stuck to the kitchen table chair by the time I was finished. Here's hoping there isn't anything else wrong with Leopard! I am really liking the new look and feel of Safari though, it's great.

So, the BIG news of the day is that Bar Ilan posted my grade from Professor Harvey's Philosophy class. I'm THRILLED to say that I got an 83 in the course! Woohoo! That means that I not only passed the final exam, but I will P"G never have to take another test again in my entire life. I feel such a tremendous weight lifted off of my shoulders, and all I want to do is toss my Philosophy papers and notes. I'll probably hang on to them for a little bit longer, in case I meet someone taking Professor Harvey's class who could use my notes. 

Today was really busy. In addition to my Mac issues, I had a huge fight with the folks over at FTD.com. My Grandmother, B"H, turned 85 on Friday! Sadly, all of her Grandchildren live out of States or Country. So, I spoke with my siblings, and we decided to send her a beautiful FTD bouquet for Shabbos and her birthday. Now, I placed the online order on Wednesday, received immediate confirmation that it would be delivered on Friday, and then didn't do anything like make a follow up call because I thought it was taken care of.

Ha! That will teach me NOT to follow up with an online order!

When I spoke to my Grandmother on Sunday, she told me nothing was delivered and I felt terrible. The woman LOVES flowers and I knew she would be so happy to receive the gift from us, so I felt terrible that they never delivered anything. I called FTD yesterday but the florist was closed and they couldn't tell me what happened. Then, I called again this morning and they told me the florist tried to deliver all weekend but no one was home.

Ummm, my Grandmother is practically homebound and she has an aid. How the hell is that even true?

So, I composed myself and didn't rip them a new one. Instead, I calmly explained the situation and told them I expected the bouquet to be delivered ASAP. By the time we got home tonight after a celebratory dinner at the new Italian restaurant on Emek, I was happy to hear from my Grandmother that she got the flowers. And they were gorgeous. And she was happy.

But I will never order from FTD again.

Well, I'm off to finish watching tonight's episode of Kochav Nolad! What can I say, I'm hooked to this Israeli rip off of American Idol, it's my guilty pleasure!

Layla Tov from Baka!

Mourning

Today is a really sad day for the State of Israel. This morning, Pidgeon and I made sure to turn on the TV at 9:00 and have been glued in ever since. I had hoped that both Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev would be returned alive. In fact, last night, I had a dream that Eldad Regev was alive. It was very vivid and when I woke up and woke Pidgeon to tell him about the dream, I almost expected it to come true. I was absolutely shocked when the Hizbollah spokesman made his speech about the exchange and then, when asked if the soldiers were alive, waited for a preverbial drumroll and said "well, now we're going to find out". That's when they pulled out two coffins. It was very, very upsetting. Pidgeon asked me when I was going to turn off the TV today, I said not before I see the two Red Cross trucks with the coffins cross into Israel. I need to know that they're bodies are here, in this Country, before I can turn off the TV and try to process the terrible news.

It's difficult to write about the mundane happenings in my life on such a day, but I think that's the only way I know how to cope. 

Yesterday, Pidgeon drove me to class in my new sandals and with four bottles of water. I managed to drink them all before returning home to Jerusalem at 4:30 p.m. Class was interesting and I was really engaged in the subject material, even though in the back of my mind I was excited that there's only 2 weeks left of school. I can't believe that, in 2 weeks, I will be finished will all of my course requirements for my Masters. Two years of classes, writing, exams, papers, almost finished. It's just so surprising how much has happened in the past 2 years, how much my life has changed, and now the academic portion it coming to an end. Strange but exciting at the same time.

After class, I went to the cool library on campus and read some of the required readings needed for class next week. I was also waiting for Pidgeon, whose own class doesn't end until 2:00 p.m. I had 3 hours to kill, and at least my book was pretty interesting. All the water I had been drinking was starting to get to me though, so I decided to take a break and hit the ladies room. 

I got stuck in the stall.

Laugh if you must, my Mother did when I told her.

I got stuck in the stall because they make these toilet stalls so darn small. And, the door always opens in! So, when I was finished my business and tried to get out, I couldn't. Between my big belly, my backpack and the narrow space, I somehow got wedged in. I had to literally back up, straddle the toilet, and twist in order to free myself. It was not pleasant. The baby kicked the entire time, I think it was because of my adrenaline. 

I hope, after 2 weeks, I never have to use a public restroom while pregnant again. We'll see whether or not I can live up to that aspiration.

Plus, I have developed a set of Fe Fi Fo Fum Feet. Yup, my feet has gained weight and spread about as wide as my belly. Hence the new sandals as I managed to outgrow all of my current shoes. In two months, I went from a size 8 to a size 9. And, I have absolutely no idea how wide they've gotten. All I know, is that it was a miracle I was able to find a pair of Rockports to fit my new swollen feet. Pidgeon insists it's cute, I'm a little less enthusiastic about the latest change in my body. Hopefully, once the weather cools off a bit in a couple more months, my body will stop swelling.

Well, I'm off to finish washing dishes and to get to work on my stories. Wishing everyone a Yom Tov from Baka. And, may Hashem comfort all the mourners of Zion.

Corn Chowder

It's almost 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and I'm sitting here as the corn chowder cools on the stovetop, and am waiting for the AC/Heating repair man to come take a look. It's been 5 weeks since our heating/AC unit died a very miserable death, and it looks like we might be in for another snow storm at the beginning of next week. I know he won't fix the problem before Monday, but here's hoping we'll figure out a solution sooner rather than later.

Week in Review:

Friday

Pidgeon and I were in Ashkelon for Shabbos with his parents, and it was such a beautiful day! I woke up early and poked Pidgeon out of sleep. I wanted to spend the day outside since the sun was shining and the beach looked so inviting. I left Pidgeon to daven and took the dog for a nice, long walk on the beach. When I got back, Pidgeon was finished davening and we took the car and went to the huge SuperSol Big that's right outside the city. We had a quick breakfast at Aroma and then did some pre-Shabbos food shopping. I didn't want to leave, the supermarket was amazing. It reminded me of Costco from back home and I tried to steer clear of the massive cookie/cake aisle. We finished getting what we needed for Shabbos: some herring, smoked salmon, caviar, etc. and then drove back to the apartment. With a few hours left to go before Shabbos, we just relaxed and watched some DVD's. It was amazing.

Shabbos

I slept in but Pidgeon went with his Dad to an Ashkenazi shul in the area. When they got back, he woke me up and we joined his parents and their guests for an elaborate Kiddush in the apartment. I treated myself to some delicious chocolate Babka while Pidgeon feasted on the smoked salmon. After Kiddish, we took the dog for another walk and this time we went to the Ashkelon Marina. It was absolutely packed with Israeli's enjoying the weather and all of the various eateries. The marina was full of boats with names in English, and some sported International flags as well. The dog was a little overwhelmed with all the people, but we stayed outside for a while soaking in the sun. I got a bit of a tan, but Pidgeon laughed and said that all my freckles came out. I get freckles in the sun, which is annoying, but it's nice to know that a mere 1 1/2 hour car ride could get me some color in this Country. We went back for a late lunch and then slept Shabbos away. We ended up driving back to Jerusalem after Shabbos and spent the night just unpacking, relaxing, and watching some TV.

Sunday

It was a pretty busy day, with a very early morning start. Once again, I needed to go and get another blood test. We thought that the center opened between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., but it turns out that the Maccabi on Aggripas doesn't start drawing blood until 9:30. So, we went to eat breakfast at Beiytza Ayin on King George Street. We love that place for breakfast as it serves some great eggs of our choice. Pidgeon got the Shakshuka, and I got the Healthy Breakfast with scrambled eggs. Fortified, we went to Maccabi and stood on line for our turn to register and pain. Well, as soon as I went up to the front, the woman at the desk told me to cut the line and go ASAP inside for the test. That was a little scary, but it worked out nicely as the woman who drew my blood was very experienced. Unfortunately, she took 7 viles of blood! Needeless to say, I spent the afternoon resting because I was exhausted from the morning and Pidgeon ran around getting ready for the week.

Monday

We woke up very late and decided to do our major food shopping. We went to the SuperSol Deal in Talpiot and literally loaded up our cart. Pidgeon remarked that most people don't food shop for Shabbos on Monday, but the supermarket was empty and they had a pretty decent selection. We got some staples like cheese and deli and bread, and then some interesting items like Phyllo dough and cocktail olives. I decided to make a brisket for Friday night and a deli roll for Shabbos lunch. We got home and I set to work on putting everything away and then got down to doing my homework for class. I'm reading the Autobiography of Mary Rowlandson, who was kidnapped by the Native Americans in the 1600's and wrote about her 11 week captivity. It was a little difficult to get through as Rowlandson preached a lot (she was a Puritan, so what could I expect?) but the details of the situation was riveting. Pidgeon did his own homework too and, before I knew it, it was late at night and I had to cook dinner and get ready for bed.

Tuesday

The alarm went off at 6:45 a.m. and I jumped out of bed, ready to start the day. Pidgeon was so dead to the world, I was scared he wouldn't get up in time to drive me to the Central Bus Station. Fortunately, with much prodding, he got up and drove me in time to make the 8:20 a.m. bus. I zoned out and listened to my iPod and managed to get to the class before the rain started. I love how it rains in Tel Aviv. When class was over, and after I dealt with Schar Limud, I walked to the bus stop and waited for the 400 to Jerusalem. I felt two heavy, big drops, and knew that I'd better make a run for cover. I entered the crowded bus kiosk just as the rain starting to come down in sheets! Everyone crowded in and waited for the bus, and I just pulled my hood tighter and waited for the rain to stop. Almost as quickly as it began, it ended and the bus pulled up a few minutes later.  The ride back was pleasant and Pidgeon picked me up and we went to his parents house to raid their fridge. I was starving and cranky, so it was a good thing we did the parental pit stop. We loaded up on bagels and tuna and then, satisfied, went back to the apartment to relax. Pidgeon left for a bit to do some errands, and I just unloaded from my day and did a little work for my American client. I was more than happy to fall into bed early. 

Today

Pidgeon was up early and out of the house to go to school for his test review classes. I was tempted to sleep in, but decided to drag myself out of bed and get my day going. Since our freezer is full of bread, I thought I'd make a bread pudding for Shabbos. It's a pain to make as it takes at least 3 cooking utensils and a lot of elbow grease, but Pidgeon loves it so much that I knew he'd be thrilled to have it for Shabbos. I also got us some turkey legs for Shabbos lunch, so it will be very tasty coupled with the bread pudding. I also wanted to try this new recipe I found on the box of Saltines. I've never made corn chowder before, but I had all the ingredients in the house, and as an old episode of House played in the background, I got to work. The chowder is extremely thick and creamy and, since I'm not a big milk person, it doesn't really fill my palate. Pidgeon's opinion will determine whether or not I make it again. The previous apartment owner sent an electrician to look at our AC/Heating unit problem and, he stood here for a few minutes before telling me that he was the wrong person for the job. I was more than happy to let him out the door as quickly as he came in. I'm starting to think that this is just never going to get fixed!

Meanwhile, tomorrow is our 1 year engagement anniversary. I cannot believe its been a year since Pidgeon proposed in New York City in the aftermath of the Noreaster. It was a lovely, and surprising, Valentine's Day. We are going to celebrate by going out to a nice dinner and, since our cleaning lady is coming to the apartment at Noon, I plan on taking my time and getting dressed up for the occasion. We're on a very strict budget, so there will be no exchanging of gifts. Instead, we're treated ourselves to a nice dinner out on the town. I'm really looking forward to a fun evening together!

Well, I'm off to go fold the laundry and call Cousin Neil. I shipped a package to his apartment in Manhattan so my friends (who are coming P"G next week) can bring them to me. Anyway, I need to let him know so he can BOTL!

Erev Tov!