Snow Alert!

Israel's meteorologists are on overdrive these days, forecasting a 2-day snow storm that is expected here in Jerusalem. The inclement weather, according to the Jerusalem Post is expected to begin already this evening with the weather plunging below freezing. And then, tomorrow evening, that's when the snow is supposed to begin and they're predicting it won't end until Thursday night. 

Well, that sounds like a lotta snow and we still have no heat. It's getting a bit cold in here and I don't know if my sneezing fits are because of the workmen's dust or an actual cold. Here's hoping it's the former and not the latter. Regardless, I'm actually missing my first day of school tomorrow to wait for the Electra repairman to come and fix the unit. If they don't come, I honestly don't know what to do with myself. We can't live in this apartment without heat if the snow is falling all around us. We'll just figure something else out then, we'll have no choice.

Pidgeon is all gung ho about the snow and he dug out his ski pants and ski gloves yesterday. We found his wool black hat and draped them over the chair in the living room. I took out my fleece Rangers sweatshirt, from my days working with the hockey team, and a brown Gap puffy vest that will give me plenty of range of motion to throw snowballs on my husband. I'm hoping we'll be able to find some sort of snowball fight in Jerusalem if there's enough of the gorgeous snow to actual pack and toss snowballs. I'm kicking myself for leaving my snow boots back in the States and already plan to pack them up the next time we're visiting the folks. These snow storms are rare occurances but they DO happen. It's great to know that, hopefully, one day our kids will experience snow. If not, we'll just have to pack them off to Switzerland for some skiing in the Winter. 

Do you remember Freezy Freaky's? I had a pair I absolutely LOVED and when it was still warm, would sometimes put the gloves in my folks freezer just so I can see them turn. I mentioned these fantastic childhood fashion items to Pidgeon and he had no idea what I was talking about. Poor guy, he missed out on Freezy Freaky's growing up in Israel! 

The contractor came back today to "finish the work" and then he disappeared. Bastard. I'm really losing my patience with him and I honestly just want all this work to be over and done with. I haven't had clean nails in over a month and I blame it on the work! Honestly, ever time I go to clean my nails, they just get dirty 15 minutes later. I miss being in a clean environment and it really bothers me when people come into the house and track boot prints of dirty all over my floors. If you ever plan to visit me folks, make sure you check your shoes at the door when the weather is gross outside. I don't need to follow you around the house with a smartoot to clean up after your mess. And don't think I won't either! Just ask my little sister, I once chased her around my Upper West Side apartment with a coaster (hey, all my furniture was wood!)

My neurotic tendencies aside, Pidgeon and I went to see Juno on Saturday night based on a friends recommendation and the movie was terrific! I really liked the music, always been a big fan of Belle & Sebastian and so I bought the soundtrack off of iTunes and then burnt a CD of the music for Pidgeon's car. I think he'll be happy with the surprise CD, and hopefully I'll get a chance to listen to the music the next time we take a ride together.

Yesterday was a pretty busy day as I spent almost 6 hours putting the clothing back into the closet. It was exhausting work but Pidgeon really helped me out, which was nice. My back was starting to really hurt by the 4th hour but I still had ALL of clothing to do, so I couldn't rest. I was pleased to see the floor in my room and the bed in Pidgeon's study emptying out. Slowly, the apartment is starting to look normal and I'm starting to feel a bit better.

I was settling under 2 layers of heavy blankets to watch a bad TV movie when my sister called to tell me that they bought a webcam. Well, we wanted to try to see if it could work, and I waited for Pidgeon to come home to try it out. It worked and it was so great! I haven't seen my niece and nephew since August, and they have changed so much in 6 months.  They're both 1 and 3, so my 1 year old nephew wasn't really interested in the faces on the screen. He was just so happy shoveling fists full of spaghetti into his mouth. My niece, on the other hand, was enthralled and slightly confused. She was happy when we read her a book and when we jumped together with her. And then, right when we started to sing them Happy Birthday, my nephew grabbed the pulka off of her plate and she we all started cracking up. It was 20 minutes of bliss together with the kids. Here's hoping modern technology will enable me to video chat with all my friends and family in the States.

Well, I'm off to kick some contractor butt now that he's back to do some more work. Will keep you all posted on the snow and I hope to send some pictures of the wonderous weather within 48 hours!

Videon Snobs

OK, so I'm a bit obsessed with the Heath Ledger story and have spent the majority of this morning surfing the various websites for more information. The latest news that the maid called Mary-Kate Olson for advice is ridiculous! The man was not breathing! You don't call a friend in California, you call 911. You know, even in celebrity PR, we learn that you have to trust your instinct and deal with a scandal later. I'd rather save a dying client and deal with the media fallout later, than try to protect a potential media frenzy by delaying a life saving procedure like dialing 911 to do something stupid like try to protect his privacy. And, had any one of my previous employers instructed me to do otherwise, I would have refused. I don't need something like than on my conscious.

It's interesting, but this part of the story reminded me of something I dealt with while in College. My boyfriend at the time and best friend were roommates in college and my best friend has epilepsy. Before they moved in together, my best friend's Mother told my ex that if he ever finds my BF in the middle of a seizure then he should call her first before calling for help. Sure enough, a few months into their semester, the ex came home late at night and found our BF in the middle of a seizure. He didn't call his mother but called for Hatzolah instead. Well, when our BF's Mom found out that the ex didn't call her first, she had an absolute shit fit. Bottom line, I told the ex he did the right thing. What the hell would his Mother have done 45 minutes away by car when the BF needed immediate medical attention? Nothing. Sometimes, people are so scared about the reputation or fallout from these types of experiences, that they make bad choices. My BF's Mother's request, from the beginning, was absolutely ridiculous. She was hoping to protect her son from having people discover his condition (which he is able to control with medication, so that it's not really public knowledge) and in the end, she neglected his basic need for emergency medical care. Fortunately, my BF is healthy, married and no longer my BF (I blame his wife, she never liked me, but that's a blog posting for another time). As for the ex, well, he's an ex for a reason. Nuff said.

Yesterday, an angel named Ellen came to our apartment and did the most incredible cleaning job EVER! I love her. I told Pidgeon all day how much I love her, she did such an amazing job. Granted, she was here for 6 hours (and that cost us a pretty penny) but it was well worth it. You wouldn't know there was work done in this apartment, she was that thorough. I need her to come back next week to help finish up the rest of the apartment, and I'm really looking forward to that. We still don't have any heat in the apartment, and our upstairs neighbor is dicking us around so I'm pissed. We need her to let in our workers because half of the unit is up on the roof and is only accessible through her apartment. I left two messages asking to organize a time, and have yet to hear back from her. I left her another message last night, trying to appeal to her human side, and explaining that we are freezing in the apartment without any heat. No response. We had scheduled the workers to come this afternoon and now I'm going to have to cancel and once again, Pidgeon and I won't have heat for another night in the apartment. It's a really crappy situation to be in, but it's our reality. If she doesn't get back to me soon, I'm gonna find a locksmith to break into her apartment. Seriously. It's ridiculous at this point!

So, with no heat in the apartment, Pidgeon and I went out to eat again last night. This time, we went to Marvad Haksamim on Emek. It's a GREAT little restaurant that has some great Yemenite/Israeli food. We split a hummus with meat (yummy) and a Saloof (I think that's what the bread is called, it was great and spongy), then Pidgeon got the chicken shishlik with rice and beans and green beans. I got the chicken nuggets, french fries and green beans. The green beans were so salty, I took a pass on them, and then we both did something amazing. We didn't clean our plates and were able to bring back leftovers that will be another meal for us today. I sent Pidgeon to school with his leftovers today since he will be class from 10:00 - 4:30 and I plan on finishing my food for lunch. That is, if I ever get out of bed today. We have a mini heater in the apartment and it's on in this bedroom and keeping me warm. The rest of the house is absolutely frigid so I'm trying to stay in the areas of the house I can keep nice and toasty. 

We also stopped by the Video store on Emek to drop off the movies we took out last Saturday night. Well, with the Oscar nominations recently announced, Pidgeon had a great idea that they already do back home at Blockbusters. He suggested to the woman behind the counter that they could set up an area with all the Oscar nominated films. We were looking for the Israeli film Bafour, which was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, and thought it would be great idea if everything nominated would be in one area. Well, this snobby woman responded indignantly that she absolutely HATES any Oscar films because they are the worst movies ever. I laughed as we walked out of the store. Interesting perspective from the adult working behind the counter of a video store. Everyone's gotta opinion in life; I thought Pidgeon had an excellent suggestion.

Meanwhile, Pidgeon has to hand in a final project next week and is waiting on an upholsteror to get in touch about building the chair he designed. I think the chair is very cool and it's really the ultimate TV watching chair. I begged him to had the upholsteror make a real-sized model so we could put it in our living room. That would be so cool! I'll take a picture of the model next week so you can see the brilliant mind of my hubby.

Well, I think it's time I actually get myself up and out of bed. It's cold in the apartment, but I still have a lot to do today. Here's hoping my neighbor will stop being a bitch and help us out! My skin is so dry from the cold that it's literally flaking off!

Cya!

 

Heath Ledger - A Tribute

I awoke this morning to the shocking news that Heath Ledger has died, at the tender age of 28. According to police reports, he was found by his housekeeper, naked and dead in the Soho apartment he was renting.  An empty prescription bottle of sleeping pills was apparently also found near his body, although family and friends are refusing to believe it could have been a suicide attempt. I worked with many celebrities back in my NYC life, but unfortunately never had the opportunity to work with Heath Ledger. I thought he was an extremely talented actor, absolutely loved his performances in both Brokeback Mountain and Monster's Ball, and I cannot deny just how enjoyable he was in 10 Things I Hate About You. In his memory, I fess up to liking that teen chick-flick. I feel for his daughter, Matilda, who is only 2 years old and will probably never remember him. At least, for her sake, there are enough cyberspace photos of the two of them together so she will have something to remember him by. Pidgeon and I were always planning on going to see the new Batman movie, set to open this summer. Now, even more so, we are looking forward to watching him play The Joker, which is perhaps his last role he ever filmed. The above photo is a still for his recent movie, Candy, I thought it was extremely poignant picture to remember him by.

On to brighter things - like living life!

Pidgeon and I moved back into the apartment yesterday and braved the cold (we still don't have a working heater) for the comforts of home. The house was a wreck, full of dirt and dust and pieces of stone, that rendered the living room area completely uninhabitable. With the rain falling outside, we decided to order in dinner, and just sat on our bed and watched the last episode of Heroes. We ordered from Yoja, and it's probably one of my favorite restaurants on Emek! We split 4 beef dim sums and 4 satay's, Pidgeon had the Hot and Sour soup and then we ended up swapping our mains as mine wasn't sweet enough and Pidgeon's was too sweet. I ended up with the Goya and Pidgeon enjoyed the Pad Thai. Yum! I used this Oriental tray that we got from Pidgeon's Grandparents so he could eat comfortably, and I spread a towel out in front of myself so I could dig in. I'm usually very against eating in bed, but when you have no other choice, you just deal with what you can deal with. At this very moment, Ellen our new cleaning lady, is scouring the kitchen/dining room/living room area. I asked her to clean what she can see today, and will hopefully move everything back into the Mamad from the other bedrooms so we can clean the other rooms next week. I'm hopeful that life will be getting back to normal before I start school next week!

We spent the past two days at Pidgeon's parents house, so he could heel in comfort. He was a very good patient, and really didn't make too many demands on me, although I was very happy to do whatever I could to help. The first night, I kept waking up thinking that he was moaning from pain, and so I would wake him to see what was wrong and it turned out to be nothing. I think that's why he slept until Noon on Monday. He's starting to get some range of motion back into his shoulder, but it's going to be a while before he feels 100%. I made sure there was plenty of ice cream in the apartment and served him as much comfort food as I possibly could. 

On Monday morning, I left Pidgeon for a few hours, and met his Aunt at Shuk Ramla. This is an outdoor market in the Talpiot area, right on Pierre Koenig Street and off of Rivka, that has some very interesting items. I tend to over do it at the Shuk, so we put myself on a 70 shekel budget and I was off. I took the car and parked by our apartment and then walked to meet his Aunt. She warned me right away of the rampant pickpocketers in the Shuk, and so I shoved my meaty upperarms into the tight handles of my hand bag and tried to keep my valuables close to me. At one both, this old woman stumbled into me and grabbed my back really hard. Immediately, after I yelped in pain and she apologized for falling, Pidgeon's Aunt told me to check my valuables as that's the MO of many of the pickpocketers. Fortunately for me, all was there, but I was extra vigilant moving forward. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Shuk, as I can't stand the overcrowding, the pushing, the thick cloud of smoke that hangs over ever area, and the filth. But, they did seem to have a number of "good" items for much cheaper. I decided not to tell Pidgeon's Aunt that I wouldn't buy clothing there. I also haven't bought clothing in Israel, period. I find that a lot of the material just isn't very durable, and so I'm keeping to wearing what I already own. Although, my JCrew long-sleeve t-shirts have taken quite a beating and I definitely need some more ASAP! 

So, are you wondering what I spent with my 70 shekel? I bought (at the insistence of Pidgeon's Aunt who kept yelling at me to go ahead and treat myself) a pair of Dolce and Gabbana underware (I don't think they fit and haven't tried them on). That cost 10 shekel. For 3 shekel, I bought Pidgeon black Kippa clips as he ran out of his old kinds. Of course, now he tells me that the bobby pins I gave him a few weeks ago were much better, so these we'll just have to put away for a rainy day. For 30 shekel, I picked up a copy of the Hebrew version of Erik Carlisle's children's book The Catepillar. My niece loves that book in English, so we bought one for her birthday in Hebrew and sent it home with my folks. I'm hoping that now we both have the book in Hebrew, we can do a webcam book reading with her. The leaves me with a couple more shekel to go. And, for 30 more shekel, I bought 2 sponge baskets that suction into the sink. I hate that I have no where to put my sponges and they get filthy if I leave them on the counter. This way, I can put them in the sink and they can stay cleaner longer! There you go - I overspent by only 3 shekel and it was well worth the trip. That being said, I don't think I'll be going back there once a week. It's just too much for me. Although, it's good to know I can get other items like children's toys and house decorations, on the cheap.

We stayed up pretty late and watched the Christian Slater indie flick The Quiet Man, which we both really enjoyed. And then, it was off to bed. Pidgeon was in more pain so he took some Advil's, but we both slept very well. 

Yesterday, we spent the morning sleeping in and just cleaning up. Pidgeon was finally able to shower and I got a good look at his wound. It's a little bruised and swollen, as the surgeon predicted, but looks like it's on the mend. This morning, the swelling had gone down significantly, which was great to see.

With Pidgeon on the mend, and the work in the apartment coming to an end, I'm finally able to think about school. My new schedule sucks but once again, I have no control over the system. My first semester starts on Sunday and goes until April 11th (Pidgeon's birthday). Then, we have a break until May 18th until second semester. During that time, there are exams for classes that have exams. Fortunately, my classes this semester are all paper courses, which makes me very happy. The second semester goes from May 18th through July 31st. And that is really, really crappy as the weather in Bar Ilan from May until October is absolutely sweltering! It's going to be hot, hot, hot! Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to stay cool and just suck it up for the one day a week I have to be in school.

Well, it looks like I better get started on my readings. I have a huge reading list for my Holocaust Literature course and I managed to get my hands on the Nicole Krauss book Man Walks Into a Room. Hopefully, that will be a decent read.

Till tomorrow!

Patient Zero

Pidgeon named today's blog entry as it's all about him. This afternoon, Pidgeon had a surgical procedure to remove a lump on his shoulder. We had been calling it his second head  for a few weeks now, and we were both very happy when it was finally taken out.

The morning was very stressful, with the build up and anticipation of the procedure. Pidgeon and I picked up breakfast at Aroma and came back to the house so he could shower. We picked clothing that were buttoned up or zippered so that it would be easy to get in and out of it, and Pidgeon got dressed and ready to go with 30 minutes before the schedule date. I drove us to the hospital and we went to the recovery room where they checked Pidgeon in, took his stats, weighed him, and gave him a gown to change into. We were then escorted to a room where Pidgeon changed and we waited for the surgeon.

All around us, in curtained off areas, were other people recovering for their procedures. The gentelmen right next to us kept moaning, and I was worried that Pidgeon would get nervous from his pain, so I tried to distract him. We talked about the movies and ice cream we bought on Saturday night, in preparation for his recovery, and Pidgeon just laid back and held my hand, and we chatted. The surgeon finally came by and did the final check, looked at the lump, felt around, and then discussed how long the procedure was going to last. Since Pidgeon was only going with a local, no sedation necessary for my guy, he was allowed to keep his shoes on with these blue booties on top. I helped him with his hair net and even joked we should pocket some to take home while preparing food in the kitchen, and before we knew it the nurse came by to get him.

He was a male nurse and said to Pidgeon he was going to be his "Ach" for the day. Ach, in Hebrew, also means brother and Pidgeon remarked that his brother looks totally different from you, but it's nice to have a new one. I gave him a hug and a kiss, and then his new Ach took him away for surgery.

The next 30 minutes were absolutely grueling, and I've never felt this way in my entire life. The anxiety stretched like a band across my chest and I did the best I could to keep my breathing under control. I said my Tehilim, but I couldn't really concentrate after a few perakim, and so I took out Pidgeon's hand held computer and played a few games of Solitare. That didn't calm me down either and so, for 20 minutes, I just stared out of the crack on the curtain by the bed and waited for Pidgeon to come walking back through the door - post-procedure. Every time the doors opened, my heart skipped a beat and I got excited thinking it was him, but when it turned out to be someone else it just made me really scared and sad. I kept imagining that he was awake on the table, and scared and in pain and lonely, and the not knowing what was going on was the hardest part. I would have given away my entire life's savings if the surgeon would have let me in the room during the surgery, just so I could hold his hand. I just wanted to hold his hand.

Meanwhile, the room started to stink as more and more people in recovery were farting away. It was loud and smelly and almost comical if I wasn't so scared about Pidgeon. And finally, in walked the surgeon with Pidgeon's lump - all white and pink and peach - floating in a bottle that will be sent to pathology. A few minutes later, Pidgeon came walking in with a female nurse, and I felt the same way I did when he came to our badeken 5 months ago this past Saturday.  Thrilled that he came for me, love because I care about him so much, and scared shitless that I have this man in my life that I cannot ever imagine losing. 

I helped him get dressed and, after resting for a bit, we walked out together. I drove us back to his folks house and we have been resting ever since. Pidgeon indulged in some comfort food - the ice cream we got at Aldo/Max Brenner's, some chocolates and a big bowl of left over meat and barley soup. We watched Season 2 episodes of Heroes, this great movie with Christian Slater called The Quiet Man and some news. Fortunately, he isn't in any pain yet, but I have a huge bottle of Advil next to the bed just in case something happens in the middle of the night. Here's hoping tomorrow will be a much better and brighter day.

And here's wishing my Pidgeon a Refuah Shelaymah! May he never have to go through something like this every again.

Flambe'

I set my mother-in-law's kitchen on fire last night. 

More on that in a minute.

Pidgeon and I had the most exhausting day yesterday and it started off with an early morning blood test at Wolfson center. The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. and I jumped out of bed, got Pidgeon moving, and we were underway a few minutes later. Of course, they had some issues finding my veins (happens all the time) but she was quick so we were able to get in and out of there in no time. Since the workers moved our entire living/dining/kitchen into the spare bedroom, we had no place to go and eat breakfast. We decided to stop off at Aroma and eat a quick sandwhich. We had to be back at the apartment, though, to meet with the AC repair guy about the central heat/AC that went on Wednesday night. I was in pretty good spirits when we drove back, a little tired, but still in good spirits.

And then, when Pidgeon parked the car, I got out and literally stepped full on into a pile of dog shit. Pidgeon tried to warm me - yelling watch out but it was too late. I stepped and I stepped with authority, so the shit was all up in the crevices. Needless to say, I threw a bit of a fit outside the apartment and then walked shoeless upstairs. The workers ALL wanted to chat, but I was still having my fit, until the contractor took my shoe and cleaned it off for me. That made me feel a bit better, although I did spend another 30 minutes with Qtips trying to get all the crap off the shoe. I was in a lousy mood for the rest of the morning.

We left at 3:30 p.m. to get haircuts, since we are both very shaggy and dirty individuals. I haven't had a hair cut in 4 months and it was way overdue. We went to Tzvi Michaeli's on Marcus Street and he did a pretty decent job with the haircut, but with all this dry weather, I had no idea that I was going to be the poster child for Static Cling! I kid you  not, I was like the Bride of Frankenstein doing a kids school experiment. Just without the balloon. We went straight to the SuperSol in Talpiot to pick up food for Shabbos and Pidgeon was having a little too much fun with my staticky hair. If you raised a hand near my hair, the strands would just rise and levitate. It was annoying when my bangs wouldn't get off my face, but we did our shopping and raced home to pack.

We moved into Pidgeon's parents house since they are away for Shabbos, and I immediately got to cooking. Probably NOT the best of ideas since I was super tired at this point, but I wanted to get some stuff going. Pidgeon abandoned me to chill out and relax, but Pidgeon's cousin came over so I had someone to talk to. 

And that's when I set the pan on fire. I still have NO idea how the whole thing happened but one minute, I am sauteing potatoes in the pan and then next it's going all flambe' on me. Fortunately, I was very calm, and just took the pan off the fire. It quickly went out with a few shakes. I mean, I have my mother-in-law issues just like everyone else, but I certainly didn't want to burn her kitchen down. Pidgeon's cousin promised to keep the incident a secret, so that's a relief, and I was able to continue cooking food for Shabbos.

I thought we were going to be a lot more people, so I ended up overcooking today. I'm still in the kitchen, been here since 10:00 a.m., and I am finally almost done. The shnitzel is baking nicely, the roasted vegetables are cooling and the onion soup for tonight is still bubbling. Pidgeon left to do some work, so I'm alone in the house, and it's really weird cooking in my in-laws kitchen. It's just this entirely unfamiliar experience, complete with cooking utensils I'm not used to handling and a gas range as opposed to my great electric unit at home. 

BTW - it looks like this Professor strike is finally over and for the first time in 7 months, I'm going to be back in school this week! Too bad I'm really not looking forward to it, especially since the house is in shambled. 

And, it looks like this cold snap won't be breaking anytime soon and my skin is about to flake off. It's so dry the everything is in need of moisture. I'm just hoping my nose doesn't start bleeding in the middle of the night, we're sleeping on white sheets!

Wishing everyone a very good, and warm, Shabbos!

Frigid Comedy

You know how cold it is in Jerusalem? So cold, that I'm sitting here and contemplating putting on a pair of tights underneath my jeans. Last night, Pidgeon and I had experiences that will go down in our personal history. Stories we will hopefully tell our children one day - about how Mommy and Daddy dealt with construction during their first year of marriage. 

I haven't left the apartment in 2 days, and I'm looking forward to finally getting out of here for an appointment today. I am getting a little ancy, although I did manage to watch the entire 3rd season of Weeds so I feel a little sense of accomplishment. The house is a wreck but I got over than 2 days ago, what I didn't get over was what happened last night.

First, we needed to have the Treissim guy come and fix the same @#$*$%^ tris that just keeps on breaking. He was coming at 7:00 p.m. Beforehand, I had to wait for the dry cleaners, who was delivering 4 bags of moldy clothing back to us. Fortunately, he was able to clean and get all the mold off. Unfortunately, it cost more than 500 shekel to do. At least I didn't have to throw anything out! My moldy shoes, on the other hand, are a different story. I was annoyed with the cleaners because he made me come downstairs to pick up the clothing. It was heavy and I stepped on the bags a few times. Fortunately, I didn't get any dust on anything but the bags. The tris guy showed up and was very thorough,  but he kept all the doors open and the freezing cold air just poured right in.

So, right after he left, I decided to put on the heat and warm the place up. Since no more workers would be around for the night, I felt this was a good opportunity to get the place in shape before Pidgeon came home. I also needed to do a load of laundry, cause we've been recycling the same clothing for a few days now and I was short on under garments. 

And then the pop heard round the neighborhood as my heating system blew. I went to the fuse box and sure enough, the switch was down. So, I tried putting it back up and it threw some sparks. I called Pidgeon in a crying panic and then called my folks. Everything is just falling a part.

Pidgeon rushed home to help out and the electrician paid us an emergency visit. He told us it wasn't an electrical issue and we needed to get someone in to check out the unit. Pidgeon ran out to pick us up a portable room heater and I tried to figure out what's for dinner. He offered to pick us up some food, but I didn't want to eat out anymore so I decided to make my version of a deconstructed tuna casserole. I cooked up whole wheat penne, steamed broccoli, opened up a can of tuna in water, mixed 1 can of mushroom soup with 1 can of skim milk and then crushed potato chips over the big bowl. This was dinner (and, I ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning). Not that nutritious since we ate a heck of a lot of it, but still much better than eating out at a restaurant that pours salt all over their food.

Just when we thought nothing else could happen, Pidgeon decided to help out and wash the dishes and somehow managed to break a really nice bottle (for olive oil, part of a set of olive oil and vinegar that we got as a wedding gift) right behind the fridge. Fortunately for us, the bottle was completely empty. Unfortunately, we now only have 1 part of the set and it just doesn't really work as well alone. Then, I accidentally sliced my finger open on the jagged edge of another wedding present that I broke. Somehow, one handle on the soup tourrene we got from our Tel Aviv friends completely broke off and I want to try to return it as I didn't do anything but reach down to pick it up. I kept it on the counter but didn't think it would be detrimental to me, until I sliced my finger. Pidgeon rushed around trying to get me to put on a bandaid as the blood just dripping all over.

We started laughing at this point, until we decided to go to bed and move the new heating unit to the bedroom. We plugged it in, put it on, and out went the lights. It blew the lights not once -  but twice -  until we figured out that no other lights in our house could be lit while running this unit. This morning, our contractor told us that the unit was too powerful for the power in the apartment. Crap. We can't return it and what the heck are we going to do now? I guess we'll just have to figure something out. 

Well, I've been scouring the net for new cake recipes. I don't have a cook cake recipe that's pareve that's also NOT chocolate, and so I'm trying to find something good that works for me. Too bad all of Paula Deen's cake recipes are Milchig. Sometimes, it would be nice to a piece of sour cream cake with buttercream frosting. That just sounds yummmmmy!

I'm off to scour sites like Food Network, Epicurious and BakingBites for a great cake recipe!

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.