Israel

Ev in Israel 1974

Chicago is my home. Hollywood Florida is my home.  Israel is my home.  With God's Blessing I will there again tomorrow. 

In 1974 I put a wish in the cracks of the Wailing Wall.  I wished for a happy life.  My wish has been fulfilled.  Again I will pray for peace, for health for my loved ones, and for many more happy times in the future.

Amen.  Shalom Yisrael!

Victoria

Victoria's birthday is November 10th and I'll be on Blog Hiatus in Israel then so I'm writing this now. 

When my best friend Sheryl told me that godson Scott was dating a Jewish girl named Victoria I must admit we DANCED! Yes, we really did! The Happy Dance.  We didn't know her well but we already knew she was head and shoulders above the other girls Scott had dated.  Of course we would never (openly) discourage Scott from following his heart but secretly (OK maybe not so secretly) we were routing for the two of them.

What a find!  Victoria is beautiful, active, hard working, smart and grounded.  Great Mom.  Great RN.  She earned her BSN and RN on scholarship while working full time and being a Mom.  So proud of her recent accomplishment as a certified cardiac nurse! And I love her folks, Joel and Dorie Marks.

Scott, you picked a winner, the forever life partner you deserve.  Still dancing ;-)

Small Indulgences

I'm talking about those tiny little treats we allow ourselves every day even though we could get an alternative cheaper. Many people put their daily Starbucks infusion in that category but not me. These are my own little bits of instant gratification that I am willing to pay extra for:

Prego spaghetti sauce (it's the best)
Tide detergent (worth the 3x price)
Snapple diet raspberry or peach tea
Ghirardelli chocolate chips (any variety)
Best Kosher hot dogs (feh on the others except Vienna)
Smart Balance spread
Batherapy Eucalyptus Salts
Ajax dish liquid (the best and incidentally the cheapest too)
Charmin bath tissue (Charmin Basic is fine, no need to overdo)

;-)

Getting Sirius

My new car came with a free three month subscription to Sirius radio. A great marketing strategy! The smart folks at Sirius know that like any improvement in one's life, even a small one, it would be hard to give it up once you have it.

When I turned on the car to drive to work today it was gone! Oy! An AM station was blaring out nonsense! I was pretty sure I had signed up for a six month extension at only $5.00 a month (then they'll hit me up for the big bucks) and the nice lady in Customer Service agreed and quickly sent me a "refresh" signal.

Being able to hear the news (or whatever) whenever I want is a small indulgence.  More on this in tomorrow's blog!

That's what you call a teaser, just like what Sirius did to me ;-)

What I Love About Me

Marie Claire magazine has a regular feature called "What I Love About Me" where regular Janes extol their best physical feature (dimples, tattoos, freckles, etc.)  It was probably designed to boost the sagging egos of women after they view all the airbrushed photos of supermodels.

It got me to thinking about my own body parts. I love them all but not one is even close to being "perfect" (maybe my ear lobes).  I will spare the enumeration of my faults.

But my parts all work and I do sometimes smile at the mirror when I'm done primping or when my doctor gives me a thumbs up after a check-up.

Supermodels, eat your hearts out!

;-)

Friends

Another Confession - I do not make friends easily. This saddens me because the circle of people in my life is very small. 

I do have Facebook friends and one of them has been filling up my wall lately with inspirational quotations.  Most I can live without plus they are a pain to scroll through to get to the "real news" but this one kind of grabbed me.

Being a friend requires effort, especially if you are separated by distance or by other demands on your time.  If fate is kind enough to send me a true friend, especially if it's a second chance friend,  I will do everything I can to make sure they stay.

Keep On Dancing

Tonight is my first lesson in Israeli Dancing! Too bad I will miss the next two classes.

Confession - I am a bonafide klutz. It took practice and determination for me to master the makarena and the electric slide so I could partake in the festivities at simchas.

From the kazatske to the dancers with bottles on their heads to women doing the sherala (scissors dance) to the crazy mishugana frenzy at frum weddings - I love it all!

Hava Negila! Let us rejoice and be happy!

Tattoo

Of course there is absolutely ZERO chance I would ever get a tattoo for a variety of reasons (pain is one). 

Most of the tattoos I see are unattractive and/or a little dippy.  Occasionally you see true works of art done in beautiful colors.  I am still not impressed, I guess because I visualize the wearers becoming senior citizens and looking rather silly. 

But of course I CAN pretend.  If I was to get a tattoo what would it be?  Intertwined S's to commemorate my favorite people?  Definitely not, it would probably look like a swastika!  Poo Poo Poo! And speaking of BFF Sheryl, when she died I actually thought about getting a tiny angel on my ankle.  That should tell you how over-the-edge I was!

I guess I'll just stick to to my plain, unadorned, pasty white skin.

;-)

The Library

Double Dexter, newly published by local author Jeff Lindsay, is on hold and waiting for me at the Hollywood Library.  I would pick it up today but recent cuts by the County mean the library is no longer open on Sundays.

I have always had a well-used library card.  Growing up, I frequented the new Northtown library at California and Devon (built 1958).  I could walk there but it was a shlep. An ambitious school project might require a trip on the Lincoln Avenue bus to the old Hild library in Germantown. With its dim lighting, narrow aisles and wooden shelves and tables, it looked like Professor Indiana Jones might have studied there.  And a trip downtown to the old Main Library was like a pilgrimage to a holy shrine.   

Futurists say the library as we remember it, filled with dusty books and stacks waiting to be re-shelved, may soon be a thing of the past.

But tomorrow, Double Dexter and I have a date at 10 am!

Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

I've heard about several recent divorces and am wondering why some pairings of seemingly nice people go the distance while others fall apart.

Is there a secret ingredient that turns attraction and friendship into a lifelong commitment?  And what is it that can morph white-hot passion into boredom or bitterness?

I assure you, I do not have a clue. 

But I do know who to ask, one of the wisest men who ever lived, Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel.

The Joy Of Cooking

I'll be honest, I really do not find much joy in cooking.  I do however enjoy eating and sometimes looking at pictures of food and watching the Food Channel (Iron Chef is a favorite). 

I have been a fan of "The Barefoot Contessa" for awhile, ever since I found out she was Jewish and unashamedly makes the simple dishes of my youth.  Of course when she makes them they are not-so-simple anymore!  I credit her with greatly improving my own chopped liver recipe with the addition of thyme. 

This issue of Good Housekeeping arrived yesterday and I am eager to try her Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme recipe for Thanksgiving turkey this year.  What fan of Simon & Garfunkel wouldn't be intrigued? 

Yum!

Augmented Reality

This article was in today's Sun Sentinel.  I only wish I really could Augment Reality!

 

The idea is to superimpose an image or information over a snapshot of reality.  In my mind I sometimes superimpose what I wish existed over what is actually there. 

Like when I look in the mirror and a much younger me is staring back!

;-)

Siri

Siri is the new tool for the iPhone4S that actually speaks to you and answers your questions in a real (albeit eerie) voice.  I must add that Siri used to be available for the previous incarnations of the iPhone but TPTB decided it was too cool for anyone who did not have the latest greatest iPhone and now it's off-the-market for us mere mortals.  Truth be told, old Siri never worked all that great, maybe the new improved Siri is better.

 

In any case, this is something the world was definitely waiting for.  Siri seems to have an answer for everything, much like the old ouiji boards we had when we were kids.  I can hardly wait to ask Siri my most pressing problems!  World Peace?  The Meaning of Life?  The temperature in Marrakesh?  How Much Wood Would A Woodchuck Chuck?

 

;-)

The Joy of Text

I find myself communicating more these days by texting.  It's fast and to the point and avoids a lot of "schmooze" that must accompany a phone call (hello, how are you, that kind of thing).  But texting comes with challenges - I find myself typing "huh?" a bunch.  And it's easy to have your hilariously funny humor misinterpreted. Worst of all is the horrific "auto correct" function!

Texting does have some big pluses.  You can use emoticons to convey feelings where words can be difficult or just not sufficient (but I have yet to find a "finger" emoticon).  And you can use those wonderful abbreviations like ROFL or BFF. 

If you have a close friend you can even make up a "secret" code like we did in elementary school.  Fun!

BB4N  :-*

Revenge

Revenge is a new TV show this season and cousins Terri and Elise agree with me - we're hooked! It sounds wonderfully delicious to be able to make those who did us dirt pay the appropriate penalty (no violence of course) especially if we could do it anonymously. Just stand back and watch their lives self destruct from a safe distance. 

Forgiveness is a tenet of Christianity and we Jews also advocate wiping the slate clean on Yom Kippur. It is hard for me to embrace this idea wholeheartedly - I've seen loved ones suffer badly at the hands of genuinely cruel and evil people.

Sorry, but I'm routing for Amanda/Emily every Wednesday night. You go girl!

Secret Identity

Batman has one.  Superman has one.  But I'm not talking about someone who has a completely alternate persona.

I'm wondering about a secret something that is not apparent on the outside of people we think we know well.  Does everyone have something in their past (or present) that would shock others if they knew?  Is there a misdemeanor, a crime, an act that is completely out of character hidden inside everyone?  Like finding out dear old Grandpa fled a murder warrant in the old country?  Or that Grandma did a pole dance or two?

Some things are better off kept secret!

;-)

OPB - Other People's Blogs

I guess I have finally "arrived" - I've been cited (nothing good of course) in OPB, specifically the Hollywood "Whistleblower" blog. 

I guess the anger and frustration felt by City employees about the recent cuts to salaries, benefits and pensions has boiled over to the vilification of all management, little old me included.  Should I be flattered?

I just couldn't let this alone as would probably have been wise (not in my nature) so I wrote a mild rebuttal.  Smarter people than me would probably say just stop reading the Hollywood Whistleblower blog. 

Nah, too much fun!

Ten Things I Learned Today

1. The pain in my right breast is not the Big C!
2. Blogs about other people's children are boring
3. I am too cheap to upgrade to an iPhone4S (what's wrong with me?)
4. I'm not really crazy about anyone who is running for President
5. I'm glad I didn't sell stock when the market was way down last week
6. Blogs about running are boring
7. A day without iPhone games is boring
8. I now feel guilty if I don't want to go to shul on Friday night
9. It's going to rain everyday next week
10. The pain in my right breast is not the Big C!

Getting Older

When I was 50 or so I faced up to the fact that I was indeed getting older.  I saw that other women my age were looking a little bedraggled and it was a bit scary.

I decided that I was at a crossroads.  Should I embrace sensible shoes, stretch pants and graying hair?  Or should I opt for lifts, liposuction and the gym five times a week?

I decided on a happy medium.  No heroic efforts like a tummy tuck or (gasp!) exercise but I would try to look as good as I could for as long as I could.  I would do the Colorsilk thing every couple of months and watch my weight.  Put on my make-up. Wear cute but age-appropriate clothes.  Try not to think of myself as an old lady. 

I'm not getting older, I'm getting better! (Where have I heard that before??) 

;-)

On The Road

Not many people know this and I rarely talk about it but for almost four years I traveled around the country with hubby in a Mayflower 18 wheel tractor trailer.  I like to say that I have visited 48 of the 50 states (minus Alaska and Maine) but the truth is I mostly visited truck stops in every state.

It was a hard time and not a whole lot of fun.  I learned to do physical work and to appreciate a 9 to 5 job, a hot shower and a real bed. 

:-)

Gilad Shalit

Happy Happy News! Gilad Shailt will be coming home!  I am verklempt with emotion.

Could it be that our trip to Israel (18 days and counting) (I just realized, 18 days = Chai!) will be a time of celebration throughout that entire country?

And how apropos that this news comes in the season of Sukkot, a time of rejoicing. 

Must I state the obvious?  That the Jewish people value the life of one soldier so much that they are willing to risk the release of 1,000 terrorists back into the world?

Welcome home Gilad Shalit!

Anger Management

I try to get along with everyone, honest I do.  Like everyone else (I'm sure) I can get really (really, really) mad at people, even people I love or care about.  My anger is usually very short lived.  Here's how I deal with it.

I forget about it.  I think about the person's basic goodness and how wonderful they are the other 99% of the time when I'm not mad at them and I just move on.  I chalk it up to them having a bad day.  In an extremely and unbelievably short time I have forgotton all about whatever I was mad about.

This works well, at least for me. 

But if some one is a true downer or negative influence in my life, trust me, they are gone-in-a-hurry.

Nite Nite

What do ladies wear to bed?  If you asked me when I was a teenager I might have said a frilly or lacy negligee with matching robe.  Yah right! I must have watched too many Doris Day movies!

My night time attire of choice is PJs.  But they have to be cute!  Here's my collection:

Flannel Lambs for Counting Sheep

Lox and Bagels! Yum!

Fresh Squeezed from Florida

I heart Flamingoes!

Betty Boop Sleep Boxers

Kids sent me these when I was sick

Ed Hardy Knockoff Bath Wrap



Nite Nite!  ZZZZzzzZZZzzz  

Think Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For those touched in some way by this disease, including myself, we don't need a month to be made more aware.

In October 1996 my best friend of 30 years told me she knew she had breast cancer even without a biopsy.  She had unmistakable physical changes.  But she was a newlywed, and she wanted to enjoy at least one happy holiday season with her new hubby and she wanted to get life insurance so she could leave a small legacy for her children, still teenagers. She did not get an official diagnosis until February 1997.

I asked her what the results of her last mammogram were.  She said it was about 12 years ago; she didn't think she needed to go again until she was 50.  Of the hundreds and hundreds of hours the two of us spent talking about everything under the sun, this subject had never come up.  I assumed she got a yearly mammogram as I did (and do).

Perhaps it IS wise that there is a Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Love and miss you my angel.

Six Day War

The upcoming trip to Israel got me to reminisce about the Six Day War.

In the spring of 1967 my classmates and I were looking forward to graduation, summer jobs and college in the fall.  When the war broke out it seemed like all of the guys changed their plans and now anticipated heading straight to the airport after graduation and enlisting in the Israeli Army.  Who knew if the Israeli Army would even have them?? 

Thankfully the war was soon over.  But I was proud of the guys, many of whom were sons of Holocaust survivors, and many of whom I had known since elementary school.

Nothing makes a boy become a man faster than when he puts on the uniform of the country he loves.

Occupy South Florida

Grassroots public protests like the Occupy South Florida effort (stolen from Occupy Wall Street) fascinate me.  From the protests of my generation against the VietNam war to Tienanmen Square to the Tea Party to Arab Spring and now these folks, I see the expression of frustration and desire for change. 

I'd like to think my generation "invented" this form of protest but of course I know it isn't true.  Our own American Revolution and especially the French Revolution were definitely role models.  Special kudos to the brave suffragettes who gave us ladies the right to vote.

Guess what?  In some cases these "rabble rousers" have actually righted wrongs and changed the course of history.

Tropical Acres Update

I know there is a lesson in the latest Tropical Acres Update.  It seems that the recent fire, which caused some of the venerable old restaurant to have to be torn down  and rebuilt, revealed a hidden gem - old tongue in groove planking that will soon be restored to its former glory. 

OK so what's the lesson?  Silver lining in every cloud? Hidden treasures just waiting for us to find them? Old stuff is good stuff?  They don't make them like they used to?

;-)

Career Choice

I graduated from college in 1970 but I didn't really start my "career" until 1980 after deciding to go back to school and take computer programming classes.

I visualized myself in dead-end jobs forever and didn't want to be (gasp!) 40 without a career I could be proud of. And I was surely very tired of riding around the country and sleeping in a Mayflower tractor-trailer.

I asked my BFF's husband if he thought I could be a computer programmer. He said "absolutely", that I was organized and logical and smart and it would be a good fit. He was right - as soon as I took my first class I knew I was on the right path.

A few tiny words of encouragement from an off-hand source - it made a big difference in my life.

Steve Jobs

When someone does something truly remarkable with their life, you just have to stop and take notice. 

Steve Jobs shook things up so much that his impact will be felt for decades, maybe forever.  And then there is the "ripple" effect - how he stirred competition, created jobs, and made things like FaceTime with friends big fun.

He changed other people's lives in both small and profound ways...

Don't we all do that, maybe a little, maybe a lot, with our own lives? 

RIP in iHeaven Steve Jobs

Political Season

I love political season, when the presidential election frenzy kicks into high gear. 

I think it started in 1960, the year I first saw a party convention on TV.  So exciting, especially the states' doing their roll call thing, casting their votes for their nominee or splitting the votes between candidates.  I remember hearing Florida's late governor Smathers speak.  I remember a newbie, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon who I already knew as the Vice-President.

I was only 10 but I could recognize great theater even at that early age! 

I'm Rich!

I already know that I'm rich in many, many ways but now our President has confirmed it.  If he didn't quite say "rich" he did propose that taxes be raised on "the most fortunate among us".

I am most definitely in that category.  I have been fortunate to be able to work for over 40 years.  I saved money whenever possible (without feeling deprived), always paid the credit card bills in full and lived on whatever amount came in each month. 

I sincerely do not mind paying my "fair share" and helping to support those who for no fault of their own cannot make it without society's assistance.  I know there are real people behind the stories of how easy it is to slip into poverty and despair.

I just hope my "fair share" is being spent wisely...

Happy Birthday Blog!

It has been two months since I started "Dear Diary" on August 3rd. I love writing my blog. It has truly been fun and given me a window into myself too.

I feel I've kind of picked up steam over the months.  From struggling a bit in the beginning to think of things to write about I now usually have ideas for several days ahead. 
 
This could be because I have developed the small but pleasant habit of noticing things around me that could be used as fodder for my blog.  Something I ate, what I watched on TV or read in the newspaper, something someone said to me, a fleeting memory that made me smile. 

Life is made up of those little things...

Happiness

Coffee and the Sunday morning paper.

An article caught my eye and I immediately sat down to write about it.  It seems the government wants to make measuring the "psychological well being" of its citizens (that would be, uh, us) a "major government priority".  This "easy-to-understand well being indicator" would measure our "quality of life" as a nation over such dry and mundane numbers such as the unemployment rate and number of people living in poverty. The biggest hurdle seems to be how to measure "happiness".  Good luck with that!

Apparently the geniuses have correctly figured out that money doesn't buy happiness, and even such "sure things" like children, marriage and health are not guarantees.

As for myself, I don't need the government to tell me I'm happy. I am! 

 

Bucket List

I have a very small bucket list but topping the list is a return trip to Israel after almost 40 years.  And In 4 weeks my dream will come true! 

With the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki yesterday, there is an even more stringent warning to would-be world travelers to be careful.  I would be crazy if I said I was not a little fearful. 

I'm excited, happy, but a bit nervous.  Isn't that how everyone feels when embarking on any new adventure? 

Horror Show

There are certain movies and TV shows I will NOT watch.  Tops on the list is anything depicting the suffering of Holocaust victims followed immediately by anything showing any person or animal being tortured.  I could not even watch the latest incarnation of "True Grit" when the horse died of exhaustion in an attempt to save the life of a young girl.  I had to leave the room. 

It seems easier to watch something like the whole planet being wiped out by a meteor or alien invaders than to watch a single human being suffer. 

But nothing ever caused my blood to run as cold as did the real life experience of thinking a loved one might leave this world...