Sushi and Alcohol

I'm started to have cravings. Actually, to be more precise, I've always had cravings but now happens to be the first time I can't indulge my cravings. You see, all I want these days is a well chilled Extra Dirty Ketel One martini. With lots of dirty and at least 4 giant olives. Unfortunately, pregnancy means no alcohol what so ever. Even worse, I've yet to find a bartender in Israel who knows what I'm talking about when I ask for a dirty martini. It's all really sad, which is why my freezer is stocked with 3 bottles of Ketel One and I have some nice vermouth in our liquor cabinet. Never been opened. I'm waiting until the baby comes, when I will P"G make myself the drink I've been craving to toast our little one. Now I just need to do some research on breastfeeding and alcohol.

Meanwhile, I'd love to chase my extra dirty Ketel One martini with a sushi boat from Sushi Bar Rechavia. That would just be the perfect accompaniment to my alcohol. I miss sushi so much! We used to eat it at least once a week in our house, which really hurt our pocket but was so tasty and worthwhile. We had the same order each week. We started with the seaweed salad and then split a boat between us. I always ordered an extra spicy tuna sandwich and sometimes I would get some extra sashimi for Pidgeon since he prefers sashimi to rolls. We polished this off, between us, every week. I'm from the school that you need to eat as much sushi to fill yourself up, as opposed to trying to be dainty and just stick to 2 rolls that we all know does little to satiate the stomach. Shavuot will be very hard for me, as Pidgeon's family (in acknowledgment of their Japanese heritage) always has sushi for dinner. Last year, it was incredible! I stuffed myself silly on all sorts of yummy sushi! Sadly, this year I'm going to have to stick to the cooked fish and spinach/sesame salad (Pidgeon's Aunt's recipe for this is delicious!) and try not to shoot daggers of jealousy at the family indulging in the evening's make-your-own-sushi Shavuot ritual. If Pidgeon can bring me some sushi to the delivery room, I'm all for it! First, we have to figure out where we're going to deliver :)

This week has not been a good week for my tushy. The above photo is not an exaggeration. I had that size needle jabbed into my upper tushy yesterday, and was icing for 2 hours just so I could sit on it. But I digress. 

Friday was a wonderful day! My friend came in from Tel Aviv and we went to see the Orphaned Art of the Holocaust exhibit at the Israel Museum. It was truly incredible. There were two pieces in particular that really, really stood out for me. This one Egon Schiele painting of the ghetto, and the Money painting called Snow at Sunset, which were both really fantastic. It was an extremely well done exhibit and left us both wondering how no one in the Rothchild family has claimed four paintings of their ancestors? The paintings were stunning, naturally, but seemed very out of place as orphaned art. 

After the exhibit, we went to Caffit on Emek for some lunch. As usual, the service was horrendous,  but while we ate a friend of ours walked by the window and invited us for dinner. Since I hadn't even started cooking, I decided to buzz the Pidgeon and we accepted. The meal was really, really interesting. We hadn't been to an all singles meal in quite a while, and the conversation at least on our side of the table was intelligent and stimulating. I was very pleased where we were sitting, especially once I caught some snatches of conversation from the other side. Pidgeon had a good time and we excused ourselves early so we could come home for my shot. That's the hardest part of this daily stomach shot, I need to do is roughly around the same time each day. Since I picked 11:00 p.m. as my shot time, dinner on Friday nights out of the apartment is getting increasingly difficult. We might have to stop accepting invitations for Friday night from now on. We got home only 10 minutes late and, since I had done a ton of walking on Friday, passed our fairly easily. 

I woke on Saturday with pain shooting up from my left foot. It's not new pain, unfortunately, and I was cursing the decision to wear new shoes for the walk on Friday night. My left foot is very sensitive and I get inflammation of the joint at the ball of my foot. It makes it hard to walk on it and, the only cure for the problem is to stay off the foot until the inflammation has time to go away. 

Well, we had a hike ahead of us to get to Pidgeon's parents for lunch, and so I strapped on my New Balances and said a little prayer that the problem shouldn't become exacerbated. The walk was hard, it was hot and up "death hill". They live in Talbiah and, since Pidgeon was davening at Chovevei's 9:30 a.m. minyan, I knew that we had no choice but to trek up Chovevei street. Which, when coming from the Inbal hotel, is "death hill". It's really, really steep. I was wheezing halfways through the bottom half, and there was plenty ahead of me. Finally, we managed to make it to shul, and I took Pidgeon's house keys and went the rest of the way to his folks house. I managed to pour myself some more water before collapsing on one of the beds. I didn't get to sleep, but was able to relax and cool down. I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to do that walk. Although, I do think if I end up going overdue, that I'm going to make Pidgeon walk with me up that hill. It should certainly put me into labor!

We decided to walk home after lunch since I really wanted my bed, and my foot was sore but not too bad so we took it slow. We ended up getting lost in Baka - don't ask - and took a roundabout route home. The good thing is that we discovered a very nice, clean, beautiful park with lots of activities for kids. The bad thing is that it added 10 more minutes to an already long walk. 

Fortunately, I had plenty of time to nap before Shabbos ended, and it was fitful but restful. I spent the night waking up every hour going to the bathroom though, I guess from all the fruit and water I'd been consuming, and so I woke up yesterday at 7:00 a.m. really, really tired. 

Which brings me to the situation at hand. Yesterday, I was feeling really lousy. I was nauseated and tired and my foot was throbbing something awful. Plus, I had the worst headache that didn't go away no matter how much I ate. For some reason, I decided to whip up a bath of Riches Whip from my freezer to go with a strawberry slices snack. About 30 minutes later, the puking began. It was terribly painful. And it was stopping! I went into the kitchen and discovered that the Riches Whip expired in March! That's when I started to panic. Fortunately, this happened towards the end of the day, and Pidgeon came home from work in time to help me out. We called the Medical Center to talk to the Dr. on call and he told us to immediate come in to see him. I ran to puke again while Pidgeon got things ready. My headache was worse and I just couldn't believe what I had done to myself.

We waited a short time before the Dr. saw us and he took my blood pressure, which was B"H normal, but I had a very elevated heart rate. He didn't like the way I looked but didn't want to give me an IV if he didn't have to. He decided, instead, to shoot me with a drug that would take away the nausea so I could rehydrate myself. He left to get the shot and then came back, with the shot concealed. He told me the needle was too big to go anywhere but in my ass. Oy!

I turned around, closed my eyes and clenched Pidgeon's hand. The Dr. said he would count to three and then jab. Unfortunately, he only counted to 1 before jabbing and boy did it hurt! I yelled Jesus C#$^T! and then it was over. Since I take Clexane though, I bleed more than normal people, so he had to put pressure on it to make it stop. That was about as pleasant as the shot itself. He asked us to stay for 20 minutes so he could make sure I didn't have a bad reaction and I took my time sipping a glass of water. 

Pidgeon brought me home and I was a wreck! My parents were calling to see what was going on and so I had to fill them in, while Pidgeon attacked the kitchen to make himself some dinner and cook me some rice. Fortunately, I was able to keep a few spoonfuls down. Within no time, I had to give myself another shot, and I just almost couldn't do it. I'm getting real sick of needles people, and two in one night is just too much for me. But, with Pidgeon's help and support, I was able to do the 11:00 p.m. shot and crawl into bed. Sleep, B"H, was much easier last night. Being dehydrated, while it's very dangerous, at least afforded me a full night's sleep without getting up to use the bathroom.

And so, on this Memorial Day in the US (which I celebrate here in Israel too), I am spending it trying to hydrate and relax. Tomorrow is school and, at this point, I don't think I'm going to make it. Here's hoping that today is a much, much better day than yesterday!

Yom Tov from Baka!

 

Under Siege - Day 3

It's day three of Operation Mold Removal here at Jtownunderground's apartment and I've eaten plaster already twice. And, let me tell ya, it wasn't tasty. The apartment is such a wreck, it's a miracle I still have this one swatch of bed to sit on and type. Every room is filled with either our stuff or stuff the contractor brought in. There is dirt and plaster pieces on the floor of every room, and they are using two brooms to try to keep the mess at bay (it's not working). Progress is going well though, and I'm waiting for the workmen to return to get started on the master bathroom. They have a lot to fix in there and Pidgeon and I are looking forward to our weekend retreat away from our construction site.

Since we're basically under siege, and my kitchen is all cluttered and messy, we've taken to eating out. On Sunday afternoon, we had brunch at Caffit and I ordered the sweet potato and leek quiche. I asked the waiter if it was good and he insisted it was delicious. Unfortunately, when it arrived, I found it tasteless and mushy and so I basically left it untouched. We had ordered onion soup to start and I filled up on bread, so I decided not to send it back to the kitchen. Also, our waiter never once showed up between leaving us our food and bringing us the check, so I didn't even have the option to send it back. Now, I was okay with paying for it and just chalking it up to a bad order, when the manager came over and basically chastised me for not saying anything. She insisted that, had I said something, they could have replaced it with something else. I told her not to worry about it and then Pidgeon and I left to get the rest of our day going. I was annoyed with the way she addressed me and, I could have said something snide about the lack of service in the restaurant,  but I usually am happy with the food. We will certainly go back there to dine, I just don't know if I'll order something I'm not already familiar with.

Meanwhile, last night, the family went out to Buffalo Steakhouse for a mini celebration. It took us over an hour to get our main courses and I ordered the hamburger since the thought of eating another steak just didn't appeal to me. I wanted some beef, just not that much! Well, I didn't tell them not to bring me a bun because, up until the moment I got my plate, I thought I would eat the bread. However, since it took so long to get our meal, I had filled up on diet coke and the french fries and onion rings that were going around the table. When the waiter came back to remove my plate, he asked me why I didn't eat the bread, and I told him that I just wasn't in the mood. He then chastised me for not ordering initially without the bread and I said - stupidly - that I didn't think I could do that. He got all snobby and responded that "anything can be done". Bitch.  I didn't eat all my french fries either, should I have not ordered that too? I also didn't lick my plate clean, is that offensive? I'm sorry I wasted the food but isn't it my right as the customer to order as I please and eat what I want? I'm getting a little tired with the attitude of the wait staff at these establishments on Emek. The more they bug me, the less I'm inclined to eat out. And folks, I'm quite a big eater, so that's just bad business practices. 

I'm trying to adopt a new policy of not complaining to Pidgeon about his family, as I don't think it helps him one bit. Sometimes it's difficult and I slip, but for the most part I think he knows that I'm trying. Well, at dinner last night, his sister said something completely inappropriate and I was livid. This came after the fact that, when she was organizing this shindig and she told us it was called for 6, she neglected to inform us of the 2 hour time change and come 6:30, both Pidgeon and I were starving and wondering what was going on. I was upset that she dissed us in that fashion, but since Pidgeon was even more pissed, I decided to control my tongue. Pidgeon and his sister have a difficult history and, as of late, he has been making a tremendous effort to change their relationship. Since we're all adults now, it's in the best interest of the family for them to get along since we all get together so often. But what should he do when he takes 2 steps forward and she takes 2 steps back? I bit my tongue last night after her rude comment, but all I wanted to do was ask her if she heard herself speak. I honestly don't think she realizes what she says sometimes - and she can say some mean, spiteful and obnoxious things. Pidgeon is reconsidering whether or not to make an effort anymore, I think he should just point out these problems to her and see what she has to say. Either way, I have to stay out of it because this is his family, even though it kills me inside to see him try and constantly get rebuffed and hurt. 

I'm excited because we're planning our trip to the States! I can't WAIT to get back to the family and we're hoping to go in the Spring so we can have some good weather. My Mom offered to fly us in, if we paid for everything else while we're there. Since we want to do some East Coast traveling to visit the rest of the family, that could get a little pricey, but it's well worth it. I have no idea how often I'll be able to get into the States, so this could be a great opportunity for us. Pidgeon needs to get clearance from his advisors and I need to consult with my thesis advisor and then we can book some tickets. Woohoo!  The Big Apple - I'm a coming back to see ya!

Pidgeon and I are getting away for Shabbos, but I still have to cook and it looks like I'll also be cooking for some other folks as well. I'm looking forward to mixing things up and so I'm trying to figure out a good Shabbos menu for everyone. I have such issues with chicken on Shabbos day and since I can't use any sauce, it gets boring just breading and frying/baking cutlets. But, I'm hoping to supplement with some interesting side dishes, so it should work out ok. 

Well, the workers came back so I'm off to go "supervise" once more. Not much left for me to do, but I think my presence is good enough. Here's hoping I don't eat anymore plaster.

Animal House

Cousin Neil reminded me that I've been neglecting the blog and so, before the parents and brother invasion that is imminent, I'm going to try to do a very quick update on life.

My brother arrived on Christmas Day and well, he certainly has turned out to be the gift that just keeps on giving. He insisted that he not eat ANY meals in this house - breakfast, lunch, dinner and all snacks included. In a week, I've gained 7 pounds because he needs someone to eat with and so I've been going with him places.

Wednesday night, we went to Olive on Emek Refaim because it was in walking distance and The Dude wanted a piece of meat. He was disappointed in the size of his beef but fortunately, we were able to appease him with food over the course of the week so he wasn't so unhappy. That night, at 10:00 p.m., pidgeon had an ultrasound scheduled over at the Terem near the entrance of the City. We drove over and they were extremely efficient, and we were in and out within the half hour. Fortunately, what the ultrasound discovered was something manageable, so I was able to breath a great big sigh of relief. I know pidgeon wasn't too worried going into the ultrasound, but I was petrified. Hopefully, this will just be another blip in our lives and we can move on.

Pidgeon let me drive home to practice for my big driving test Thursday morning. It was fun to drive through town so late at night and B"H, we got home no problem. I was up extra early the next morning for my driving lesson and Avi, my favorite driving instructor, picked me up right on time. We drove around Arnona, Baka, Talpiot area and past the driving exam center, before he dropped me back home and promised to pick me up 15 minutes before the test. He told me to eat breakfast to help stave away the nerves so I took him up on his suggestion and grabbed a bite. My brother went to the Kotel to daven and then Pidgeon met him at Caffit on Emek Refaim for breakfast. They were both disappointed with the food but then they went to the Supreme Court and the Knesset for guided tours. They were very happy with that. Meanwhile, I was in the midst of my driving test and was in the back seat of Avi's car when we picked up the driving examiner. The British Chassid went first, I drove second, and the Christian Arab was last. Fortunately, my test lasted a total of 5 minutes and I didn't have to do anything like I did 14 years ago in NYC on my driving test. I guess since I've been driving for 14 years, he just wanted to make sure I could handle the car. Fortunately, I could. 

Avi promised me that he was going to drive us home and then, right when the test was over, he informed us all that we had to figure out other ways of getting back. I ended up walking 45 minutes through industrial Talpiot to get to the apartment. Needless to say, I wasn't so happy and told pidgeon to rip Avi a new asshole if I failed the test. Anyway, once the Dude got home we decided to relax a little and then we took a cab to the Malha Mall for some lunch and shopping. We ate at KFC and, well, since I've had the real stuff it was a bit disappointing. The Dude was thrilled and claimed it the best meal he's had in Israel thusfar. Oh well, we're trying. We ended up buying some hats for my sisters, a pair of Naot for my brother, a comic book for pidgeon and a People magazine for me before the night was over. We came back to the apartment and rested before we headed out to Emek again for dinner. We were also going to the Kotel to do the tunnel tours at 10:00 p.m., so I honestly don't remember where we went to eat but I know that the Dude wasn't too impressed. The tunnel tours were much better this time than last because it was in English. Some yeshiva guy asked whether or not the tunnel would cave in and we were unimpressed but the question. There was also a lot of sludge leaking through from the Muslim Quarter and all I wanted was some purelle. It was nasty that the sewage just leaks on down - they need to get in there and fix that problem. I was very happy when we got home as my day had been exhausting and I fell into bed and to sleep. 

Friday, the Dude took me to the zoo after I spent the morning peeling a sack full of pearl onions for the Beef Bourginone. It was a big time hassel, but it turned out really well so I was pleased. The zoo was exhausting, since the Dude made me walk all over the place. He kept asking me why I was huffing and puffing and I explained that I haven't done this much exercise in months! The zoo starts off in the valley and ends at the top of the mountain, so that was pretty much a big ass hike for me. It wasn't even so worth it when I saw my favorite animals, but the day was beautiful and it was nice to be outside. I complained the whole time - mind you - but that's just my way of saying I was having fun. Shabbos came in early and we ate dinner with pidgeon's parents and then walked home. We told my brother the walk would take 25 minutes but we decided to go the long way home to walk a bit with pidgeon's brother, so the walk actually took 37 minutes (oh yeah, my brother kept track). The house and warm and inviting and we all just fell asleep as soon as we could.

Shabbos day, I missed shul while pidgeon and The Dude went to Pelech, and spent the morning getting ready for lunch. We were having a whole bunch of guests so I tired my best to be a good hostess. Unfortunately, the two big shots of scotch from the night before didn't help and I was hung over and grumpy. I managed to get a smile on my face before our guests showed up and we had a very nice lunch. My food turned out really good and everyone ate well. We went to nap late and woke up an hour and a half after Shabbos ended.

We were really, really lazy that night and we all decided just to hang out at home and call it an early night. I was very appreciative that my brother was ok with that, since I was wiped and all I wanted to do was sleep. Fortunately, he let me do that, and I was very thankful.

Sunday morning came and we had a ton on our list to do. I found out that I passed my driving test and pidgeon had to take me to the DMV to pick up my drivers license. Unfortunately, we got there when the DMV was on a 20 minute break and the line was out the door. I feared we would be there forever, but once break time was over it was very efficient. We went to pick up the license and the woman yelled at us because she was closed on Sunday. Don't ask - completely messed up - but pidgeon yelled back and she ended up helping us. She was pissed because I started my driver license process under my maiden name, and had since officially changed my name to my married name, and apparently I was supposed to come back to the DMV and deal with the name change. Whatever, she gave me the paper and we were on our way home.

Pidgeon went to the office quickly and I got back to the apartment to clean up and check in with The Dude. He decided to go to Mini Israel and Latrun, while we went to the airport to meet my parents plane. It was so nice to see them and even nicer to get the second suitcase worth of goodies from the wedding. We put them in a cab to Tel Aviv and then drove back home so that I could unpack. The Dude just got back from his day trip and we decided to go to Selena's on Emek for dinner. We all got steaks - which were very yummy - and then we came back to the apartment. I finished putting everything away and we went to bed.

Yesterday, the Dude left for his day/night with my parents in Tel Aviv and we had the house all to ourselves. I went to the post office to pay for my driver's license and then came back to the apartment and completely vegged out. Originally, since it was New Year's Eve, our plan was to go out to a nice dinner and just celebrate together. We are both so tired and sick of eating out, that I just warmed up leftovers and we had a nice dinner at home. We watched some TV and then we went to bed. I fell asleep at 11:30 and pidgeon woke me at Midnight to give me a kiss. It was very, very sweet and, after listening to some of the fireworks in the distance, we went to sleep.

This morning was our 6:30 a.m. wake up and I got pidgeon out of bed with much difficulty. That's what happens when you stay up until Midnight! But, I made him a great lunch of shnitzel on a whole wheat roll with some salad, and then helped him get out the door. I called Cousin Neil to check in and wish him a Happy New Year and then I went back to sleep. I asked pidgeon to call me to wake me up at 9:30 and I was not happy to hear the phone ring. But, since the parents are arriving today for the rest of their stay here in Israel, I really had to get up and moving.

I had so much cleaning to do that I didn't know where to even begin! I decided to take care of us first, and pack us up since we'll be spending the next two nights at pidgeon's parents. I went to the Mamad to the suitcase corner and that's when I discovered the mold. The entire corner of the room is COVERED in green mold. I looked down and all of my suitcases are full of green shit. That's when I noticed it had spread underneath the window too and I started to freak out. I can't believe this is happening and my parents are going to come in and see this! 

I called our contractor and told him the problem and begged him to come and check it out, then I SMSed pidgeon to call me immediately and then I called pidgeon's Mom to ask her about the situation. Well, I tidied up as best as I could and moved all my suitcases away. I have to call Samsonite and ask them how to remove mold from my suitcase and lord knows how the hell I'm going to clean that wall. My parents are going to freak out when they get here but I swear, I had no idea this was growing in the room next door! How the hell it happened it another mystery and I'm not looking forward to finding out what's the cause.

I quickly packed us up and then tackled the master bedroom and bathroom. I put all new sheets and blankets and towels, and even moved away the beds and cleaned the dust bunnies. I lit a candle to freshen up the place and then I was done. I'm now doing two loads of our laundry, so when they leave we'll have clean sheets and towels to put back onto the bed, and I'm just waiting for the folks to arrive.

Hopefully, when they drop off their stuff and head out to dinner, I'll be able to do some cleaning so they won't be that unhappy. That being said, today is my Zaydie's Yahrzeit and I know my Mom is just not in a good mood.

Well, that's it for now, more to follow once they leave! Hope everyone reading this is having a fantastic New Years Day and is sleeping in - and sleeping it off - and just enjoying their start to 2008!