tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133074722024-03-14T15:13:17.551+02:00false bananas"False banana" is an African plant (called "kobe" in Amharic) that looks like the banana tree, but is actually the cassava. Kobe is versatile and strong, and can survive even the worst droughts and pestilence; like the manna of biblical times, its roots, once fermented and pounded into mush, can be used as a base for every kind of food...Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-68367972810450006892011-02-22T05:06:00.003+02:002011-02-22T05:08:32.321+02:00Charting a course in ChinaI'm going to China next month to visit my brother. We're doing some traveling when there.<br /><br />Planning this trip has been fun.<br /><br />The zoom out feature of Google Maps has seriously "misled" me to the point that he and I managed to chart a vast course of some 4000 miles for our travels by train in China. We are now revising, and some airplanes are involved.<br /><br />It feels like cheating but that's what happens when you zoom in and realize you have essentially been planning a 10-day trip on this scale: Vancouver > San Francisco > Yosemite > Albuquerque > Colorado Rockies > Yellowstone > Vancouver. <br /><br />Most of these connections require a 20-ish-hour train ride. I think that we calculated 3 days of train alone, leaving 7 days for 6 destinations. Hmm.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-55115348114690561132010-09-13T22:16:00.003+02:002010-09-13T22:30:25.339+02:00Working with grandmaMe: Why don't I type up your manuscript while I'm here?<br />Grandma: Shouldn't we go to the store and get one of those zip things? For storage?<br />Me: It's just a document. It shouldn't take up too much space. We're not recording it, after all. Just typing it.<br />Grandma: On a typewriter?<br />Me: On my laptop.<br />Grandma: Oh... so we'll store it on your laptop. And then how will we get it onto my computer? Is it transferable?<br />Me: I can email you the files.<br />Grandma: Just like that!Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-91087555768367985052010-08-27T19:22:00.011+03:002010-08-27T19:59:39.925+03:00You are not aloneLast night, my company held a <a href="http://www.nostupidanswers.com/2010/08/27/what-a-night-at-answers-com/">house party</a> to inaugurate our new community office next door. Lots of people showed up and it was a great, great shindig.<br /><br />Rewind to early May. Emboldened by the <a href="http://falsebananas.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-anybody-out-there.html">Jello experiment</a>, I had tried something new: a mad lib for our neighbors. It was a line from Green Eggs and Ham:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSHKY8P1pLI1ZvAwpfQzdurBN3cZ05hQGKKUtFBki42kmwp7pYbpScy3MmIQCWd_XiiRtt70Ef1aYNfMJzYzv_xpt3PxZxL1dNkAQp6c-87jWNNvIz09foJtqR9pEQWJVg9a21w/s1600/madlib.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSHKY8P1pLI1ZvAwpfQzdurBN3cZ05hQGKKUtFBki42kmwp7pYbpScy3MmIQCWd_XiiRtt70Ef1aYNfMJzYzv_xpt3PxZxL1dNkAQp6c-87jWNNvIz09foJtqR9pEQWJVg9a21w/s320/madlib.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510132660159132626" border="0" /></a><br />I waited a few days, bleakly watching dozens of windows for signs of life.<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Disappointed, and tired of not being able to see the world, I took it all down after a few days.<br /><br />Fast-forward to 2pm yesterday, when we decided to invite those self-same neighbors to our company party, again via window-messaging service.<br /><br />Up went the signs: House party, 11th floor, 6:30pm. Answers.com.<br /><br />Our office manager balked. What if they thought we were stalking them? I persisted. We might be opening our doors to the crisp design-firm employees directly opposite to show up and complain about our mocking their assistant's target-motif shirt by drawing a target of our own and posting it on our window one day. (He hasn't worn the shirt since.)<br /><br />But we might also be opening the door to the lovely folks behind Bill Cosby's Jello-endorsing, window-brightening smile.<br /><br />It was worth a shot.<br /><br />At 6:30pm, and I arrive at the party after a long and tiring day involving the muck that is semantic web, a delicious new spec, and a dash home to walk <a href="http://falsebananas.blogspot.com/2007/08/razor-sharp-yeah.html">my dog</a>. When I get there, my coworkers rush at me in excitement - look who it is! It's the Jello guy from across the street!<br /><br />Indeed it was: James, textile printer and lover of Jello. Hi, James!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaw4WtswLvxYkAzXT2c44MUmBphT17f6tZIG0UyEN9_PMjjNrZTZ5Lns8d5uzgBGcnFbyBrKNNFdX0IbWITF8taAg4yQrcuYzlw6PXRgYD3M7UuG_TBZPSIpFm-fuUpbg6vRJIg/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaw4WtswLvxYkAzXT2c44MUmBphT17f6tZIG0UyEN9_PMjjNrZTZ5Lns8d5uzgBGcnFbyBrKNNFdX0IbWITF8taAg4yQrcuYzlw6PXRgYD3M7UuG_TBZPSIpFm-fuUpbg6vRJIg/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510129990707866594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXT-nPVG1qYSUC6-Z26jZfBJmqhIEB5FRNHGnPAxz6kPshODljUhc19D6Vq5mrSmY3bgSqnjpWeeUvq9qDhJbialXRDfIwUNdk9j2PATmTHPu3g6pBo9-lgFPmc7msrLml15QaA/s1600/IMG_0642.PNG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXT-nPVG1qYSUC6-Z26jZfBJmqhIEB5FRNHGnPAxz6kPshODljUhc19D6Vq5mrSmY3bgSqnjpWeeUvq9qDhJbialXRDfIwUNdk9j2PATmTHPu3g6pBo9-lgFPmc7msrLml15QaA/s320/IMG_0642.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510129265959337314" border="0" /></a><br />The best part? James did, back in May, prepare a response for the mad lib. Somewhere in his dark office there are a noun, an animal, a food and a name printed out and ready to post. If I had only waited a little while longer, they would have made it to his window.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-44657555834673778302010-05-04T14:42:00.013+03:002010-10-12T20:44:57.543+02:00Hello, anybody out there?I work in midtown Manhattan.<br /><br />Last week, I put this up on my office window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-ZjXta-QAA2d04mzKViOdRTvy2hnbVfBuBxjZHwu8skp2FgacwYFL12sw-ud0O0huLciViCEZMdFrSklEUMTf6j8j3YbinpvTkFcttk2n40RVw6FAPEb3Djyfd0-vnPUxotBvw/s1600/photo.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-ZjXta-QAA2d04mzKViOdRTvy2hnbVfBuBxjZHwu8skp2FgacwYFL12sw-ud0O0huLciViCEZMdFrSklEUMTf6j8j3YbinpvTkFcttk2n40RVw6FAPEb3Djyfd0-vnPUxotBvw/s320/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467379662170265378" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A few days went by with no response, so yesterday at the suggestion of a coworker I changed it to "JELLO."<br /><br />A few hours later, look who appeared on the opposite window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6oECJc7xsC0X0HwbGUTNhZmZWL0sbLIJXR2U5KjsoWtI5VH5WFKY9lw6Dm4WkX1B9PRLWrd5dQOmQRI5gapB-AvNRNyO36Ldpr59HiXaG0qlRytN6ZSsDQkDWsceKYX2f12kMw/s1600/photo+2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6oECJc7xsC0X0HwbGUTNhZmZWL0sbLIJXR2U5KjsoWtI5VH5WFKY9lw6Dm4WkX1B9PRLWrd5dQOmQRI5gapB-AvNRNyO36Ldpr59HiXaG0qlRytN6ZSsDQkDWsceKYX2f12kMw/s320/photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467380044707950050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I thought that was pretty nifty creative genius.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ozw8l2LvtTm70QV4IwwuRC2SNunzmm50RqAhSK1lFKpWKw81PvjJJvd6Mrjjg7Sdp6aibmjpaRoVwEugwqo6aQKTvuai160k1zFVfrwHBORFzQhCaM53Y4GIJ9EHATPa_Kf6pA/s1600/photo+3.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ozw8l2LvtTm70QV4IwwuRC2SNunzmm50RqAhSK1lFKpWKw81PvjJJvd6Mrjjg7Sdp6aibmjpaRoVwEugwqo6aQKTvuai160k1zFVfrwHBORFzQhCaM53Y4GIJ9EHATPa_Kf6pA/s320/photo+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467380378346167106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They replied again, still stuck on Jell-o.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_l6cRNOY8QyYTeIb2AjaUZ0E9qkUAh0Bn7_rD4ynHmOGcUvpMd7uRxAF_tbeNANetBBTo6fVmw07mM6DSR4Dx-taxTHA23HsmpeOYKWjKv_3gXMS2699bnHpjox5ytXNOybTgA/s1600/photo+4.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_l6cRNOY8QyYTeIb2AjaUZ0E9qkUAh0Bn7_rD4ynHmOGcUvpMd7uRxAF_tbeNANetBBTo6fVmw07mM6DSR4Dx-taxTHA23HsmpeOYKWjKv_3gXMS2699bnHpjox5ytXNOybTgA/s320/photo+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467380572265259090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Well, ok.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW787gBLJZYZqMUB5xTsPlXvAH2SSHx8mMCulNZSdnJjvHkrIxw_dedektW4yGftjY_CDj7354GdHeSWJqKdyoae7R8krH-DsMfFUXgwKs2VrLOhvpYd-mdB0CO08Libp0f-4duw/s1600/photo+5.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW787gBLJZYZqMUB5xTsPlXvAH2SSHx8mMCulNZSdnJjvHkrIxw_dedektW4yGftjY_CDj7354GdHeSWJqKdyoae7R8krH-DsMfFUXgwKs2VrLOhvpYd-mdB0CO08Libp0f-4duw/s320/photo+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467380755542008306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update: It turned out that wasn't the end of the story. So the story continues in <a href="http://falsebananas.blogspot.com/2010/08/you-are-not-alone.html">this post</a>. Also, there is a </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.patrickhughes.com.au/shorts/schweppes_signs.html">great short film</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> inspired by the same idea, directed by Patrick Hughes.</span>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-32198854762109482992009-03-20T23:40:00.001+02:002009-03-20T23:40:45.959+02:00Welcome Drafty<p>I'm testing Drafty, a new platform for posting to multiple services from a single location.<br/></p><img src="http://www.drafty.com/proxy/stats?id=134" style="border: 0; width: 1px; height: 1px;" />Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-33323842205269501912008-06-25T12:53:00.000+03:002008-06-25T12:54:16.672+03:00Help raise money for nonprofits by answering questions on WikiAnswers<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgSLcO9pD1w53engmoF5F59DzEJ7iZvAL7J9ohCfm1rhlbtpzFE3f1EXsgH8NEg85SQAGXT-y3xveS5NxLRHfzSeX5e_YZcWnggdxpdueyumCjInsFWybUBzmWDL2xoKTdu-KvQ/s1600-h/answerthon_header2-756675.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgSLcO9pD1w53engmoF5F59DzEJ7iZvAL7J9ohCfm1rhlbtpzFE3f1EXsgH8NEg85SQAGXT-y3xveS5NxLRHfzSeX5e_YZcWnggdxpdueyumCjInsFWybUBzmWDL2xoKTdu-KvQ/s320/answerthon_header2-756675.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215755267554366018" /></a></p><b>Hey friends and family,</b><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br>We at <b><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Wiki</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Answers</span></a></b> are holding our second <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/static/answerthon.html" target="_blank"><b>AnswerThon</b></a> next month, and we're adding a special <b>community </b>twist.<br> <b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Last time</span>,</b> the person who contributed the most answers <font size="4">won</font> a <font style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" size="6">big<font size="4"> prize</font></font>.<br><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This time</b>, we are working with <font size="4">5 non-profit organizations</font> to help them <font size="6">raise money</font>. <br> <br> <br><font size="2"><b>Here's how it works:</b></font><br><br>1. <b><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/static/answerthon.html" target="_blank">Register here</a></b>. You'll need to create a WikiAnswers username so that we can keep track of your contributions.<br> <br>2. <b>Pick a team</b> - that's the non-profit you're playing for. There are 5 to choose from and you can <b><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/static/answerthon_orgs.html" target="_blank">read about them here</a></b>.<br> <br>3. <b>Get familiar</b> with <b><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Wiki</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Answers</span></a></b> so that come July 26...<br> <br>4. you can <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/" target="_blank"><b>sign in with your username</b></a> and <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/questions/&src=rctQ" target="_blank"><b>answer as many questions as possible</b></a> over the weekend. Answers must be at least 3 sentences long to count (no "I don't know" or "Google it!" answers will be considered in your total). The more questions you answer, the more points your non-profit team scores.<br><br>5. The non-profits with the most questions answered will receive a HUGE donation - <b>and you made it possible</b>.<br><br> <br><font size="2"><b>Here is the prize list...</b></font><br><br>The <b><span>FIRST PLACE</span></b> charity, with participants who answer the most questions in two days, will receive a <b>$5,000 donation</b>. <br><br> The <b><span>SECOND PLACE</span></b> charity will receive a <b>$1,500 donation</b>. <br><br> The <b><span>THIRD PLACE</span></b> charity will receive a <b>$500 donation</b>. <p style="font-weight: normal;">The <b>top 10 individual contributors</b> who answer the most questions according to the<b> <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/static/answerthon.html#signnupID" target="_blank">rules of the AnswerThon</a></b> will each receive <b>an official WikiAnswers t-shirt</b>.</p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><br> </p> <p style="font-weight: normal;">Our team worked really hard to put this together and the non-profits deserve every penny. (And of course it's just fun to answer questions... no matter who you are or what your specialty, you always have knowledge or wisdom to contribute about something.) So...<br> </p> <p style="font-weight: normal;">Please sign up and mark your calendars for July 26!<br> </p> Thanks,<br><font color="#888888"> Shaya<br> </font></div><br> Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-83873765000845700782008-06-12T11:08:00.006+03:002008-06-12T11:28:58.073+03:00Send him up!There's this tenacious guy, Michel Fournier, who wants to break the sound barrier with his own body. He wants to jump out of a hot air balloon from an altitude of 130,000 feet. So far he hasn't been able to get off the ground... he's persistent, though.<br /><br />A month ago, I didn't know he existed. Now that I know, I really want it to work out for him (but yeah, honestly, it's a me thing. I need to see him make this incredible jump).<br /><br />During his most recent attempt (in May), much of his financial investment blew away when his balloon took off without him. So I started a site, <a href="http://www.sendhimup.org/">SendHimUp</a>, to help contribute to the next round. Maybe, just maybe, this will be The One.<br /><br />You can read more about him at his site, <a href="http://www.legrandsaut.org/">Le Grand Saut</a> (the Great Jump).Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-17792758286353126562008-01-08T13:46:00.000+02:002008-01-08T13:55:03.131+02:00Caption contest<p>Got a good caption for this pic? Leave a comment! The winning caption will be added to this image and posted here. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></p><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IoSwKHvw6zgH1W7SpxES0L9aJijDw8Pz5VLZMnNatZNthe8t-jjJ03vu7l0mUpM5TPqHfQ31X0oXPunzk5nTYT-rNZLGxxvL5KfIYReyLQazt8dxj2yulV6mMxUKCJUbGIpXrQ/s1600-h/tablets.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IoSwKHvw6zgH1W7SpxES0L9aJijDw8Pz5VLZMnNatZNthe8t-jjJ03vu7l0mUpM5TPqHfQ31X0oXPunzk5nTYT-rNZLGxxvL5KfIYReyLQazt8dxj2yulV6mMxUKCJUbGIpXrQ/s400/tablets.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153071715904012434" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-62695338615600007692007-11-21T11:17:00.000+02:002007-11-21T11:24:41.585+02:00Something Weird on WikipediaThis was Wikipedia's home page this morning. Looks like Jerusalem's Zion Square to me.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9678nDwl2QAbhrIiwH9fLaIFmP8MZBFyhBcIuMihyEwLwAXgPAPkqM-470UtXEzYfPTVfa1yVYE1ay0q67iELY1F6_CDIdBnpym1zm2iBMxnfPItMqwZ7g8GcEjSAenztkXsFmA/s1600-h/wikipedia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9678nDwl2QAbhrIiwH9fLaIFmP8MZBFyhBcIuMihyEwLwAXgPAPkqM-470UtXEzYfPTVfa1yVYE1ay0q67iELY1F6_CDIdBnpym1zm2iBMxnfPItMqwZ7g8GcEjSAenztkXsFmA/s320/wikipedia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135221840732708754" border="0" /></a> A quick refresh and — voila! — Back to the standard homepage.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-88354272536145838282007-08-21T20:29:00.001+03:002008-01-10T14:58:53.404+02:00Man's Best Friend ... but not his smartest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTDa6FIZptH3ai_tWeCriwn0lwzfla4DP7wwYJD3eUYYC54_BHL84sdkhaFle7K9v1Rm9jWP8XqgBZdiSqifL9xFcZYJAO1MJEd_LC4Soh0PvdJUZ6vQzpqMsohMTrScejMe-rg/s1600-h/IMG_3311.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTDa6FIZptH3ai_tWeCriwn0lwzfla4DP7wwYJD3eUYYC54_BHL84sdkhaFle7K9v1Rm9jWP8XqgBZdiSqifL9xFcZYJAO1MJEd_LC4Soh0PvdJUZ6vQzpqMsohMTrScejMe-rg/s200/IMG_3311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101215123379544082" border="0" /></a>You know the phrase 'the dog ate my homework.'<br /><br />Well, today the dog ate my razor. Or tried to. No worries, he's ok. He seemed to realize the razor part was bad. Detached it from the handle. Chewed up the handle.<br /><br />I came home today, did the usual search for damage, found the handle in one room... searched the entire house for the blade. Was afraid to step on it. Finally found the blade in the living room, next to several chewy bits of blue plastic. Dog was fine. Amazing.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-64534294391616204702007-07-22T11:29:00.000+03:002007-07-22T11:53:15.607+03:00Harry Potter 7I didn't pre-order it (lazy me). I didn't wait on line. And I didn't knock over any children desperate to get their hands on the final tome of this 7-book saga.<br /><br />I also didn't see the books when I walked into the store.<br /><br />I popped out of work on this sunny Sunday morning to pick up a copy of <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/harry-potter-book-seven">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</a>. There was a skip in my step as I approached the bookstore. Expecting to see the windows filled with HP book covers and fans in lines down the hallway, I was a little surprised to find the shop nearly empty - and devoid of a visible stack of HP hardcovers.<br /><br />Afraid of the answer, I asked timidly if there were any copies left. A chipper sales lady replied, "Oh, sure. We're just opening another box," and dipped into a cardboard box with BLOOMSBURY printed on the side. I'd found my stack, at last.<br /><br />In Israel, where American movies and ice cream flavors tend to put on a belated appearance, Harry Potter arrived on time and in no hurry.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-8267482058870953822007-07-20T19:56:00.000+03:002007-07-20T20:11:20.920+03:00Crossing the LineThere is a woman who cleans our building's stairwell every Thursday morning. We live on the second floor. Each time she comes she rings our bell incessantly so that we can let her in to dump her bucket of dirty water in our toilet and refill it with clean water. This would be a nice thing for us to do, because otherwise she has to go back down to the bottom floor to the faucet to get more water to clean with. But she always rings when we're asleep in bed, in pajamas or less, and she annoys us to pieces with her nonstop ringing.<br /><br />Usually what happens is, she rings the doorbell, wakes us up, and I get the dog ready to go out. I end up taking him down while she's finishing up. She always says something along the lines of "have a good day" or "bless your soul" - that kind of thing.<br /><br />Yesterday, she was still cleaning when we got back. And as I passed her in the hallway, she said, "So when are you having kids already?" I was so shocked I just looked at her. How had the cleaning lady managed to poke into my business more than any friend or member of my family, grandparents included? And it didn't end there. When I didn't offer a satisfying reply, she kind of shouted, "What? Aren't you at least <span style="font-style: italic;">thinking</span> about it?" I mumbled something I hoped was sufficiently indignant and went upstairs with her still yelling after me about my nonexistent babies. What I was thinking in my head: "Maybe I would, if you would leave us in peace and quiet!"Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-57000286362767199972007-07-10T20:53:00.000+03:002007-07-17T11:01:34.928+03:00Cruise Update No. 2<b>Day 3: Redeeming the cruise ship<o:p></o:p></b> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>This was going to be my post on Day 3, when the weather brightened and the ship stabilized and all was well with the world. I thought: time for a cruise-neutral post. An apology of sorts for the last one. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>However, since I am writing this entry 1 week post-cruise and 30,000 feet over <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Lyon</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>, I can say in retrospect that it is impossible to redeem cruising as a method of travel unless your idea of a vacation is two weeks in a geriatric ward. More on that later. In all fairness, though, our fellow cruisers seemed to agree that PrinCESS was a line for the elderly, while the more youthfully-named Carnival was perhaps more suited to young people. That and the length of the cruise contributed to the absolute lack of night life or buzz aboard the boat: young people prefer shorter cruises. They haven’t yet amassed the life savings that will make those longer trips possible later in life. And another thing. Vacation days are easier to come by after retirement.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b>Day 4: Sea legs!<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Once the raging wind had died down and the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5078036700653606098">top deck</a> was no longer being thrashed with mist from morning till night (and one could jog on the track without lurching around like a drunken sailor), life on board settled into a routine. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b>The daily drip<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>For many people, my brother <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5078036477315306578">Achim</a> among them, the day started invariably with coffee. At first it was the buffet brew, made ever-so-delicately from syrup. This bitter, sour, watery caffeine drink was given but one charitable second chance. By Day 2 it had already become clear that this was not merely a chance encounter with the dregs from the bottom of the tap but rather the coffee was made this way – how shall I put this? – intentionally. Freshly brewed stuff – lattes, mochas and the like - was soon discovered (for a fee) in a specialty café at midships on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor. And then there was the regular drip coffee, nearly free, and not bad at all. Especially compared to the stuff on tap at the buffet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>After that first cuppa, it was time to go upstairs to the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5078036541739816050">breakfast buffet on Deck 12</a> and join whichever family members one could find. At times, because the café was huge and U-shaped, several of us would end up scattered at different tables around the room, not knowing that the others were just around the corner in the parallel universe that was the other side of the U. We learned to scan the area first and eat second (unless solitude was the goal, in which case we ate at a very small table in a corner). Then, in a nice transition to lunch, and at <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5083828042355083762">tables</a> still littered with the remains of bagels and lox, toast, muffins, cereal, fruit, milk cartons and juice cups, ham and bacon and sausage and bologna (!), the cruisers commenced to play relaxed games of scrabble or poker. Once in a while, the waiters would ask a card player or idle shmoozer to vacate the premises so that the table could be used for someone who was planning to actually eat. This was unpleasant. But most of the time, breakfast just melted into lunch, which melted into <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5083828029470181842">dessert</a> and then tea at 3:30 (more on that to come), and then – voila – it was 5:45 and time for dinner in the main dining room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>If one managed to detach oneself from food, one could spend the day sunning by the pool on Deck 12 or running outdoors or working out in the underwater and windowless gym. And there was the odd entertaining PrinCESS activity, such as the competition to build a boat that would sail 24 cans of beer across the pool and back (the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5083081993650865666">Lyon sisters</a> won 2<sup>nd</sup> place) and the on-deck <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082720993059699490">ice carving show</a>. At night, there were several <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5078035480882893378">empty bars</a> to hang out in. And a theater filled with an audience watching a show that was much like an overacted high school play.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>See? Lots to do on a ship.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b>"Rolling Scones"<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>My favorite part of the day was <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5078036378531058706">tea</a>, the best-kept secret of the cruise. For one hour, the main dining room was filled with tea napkins and dainty dishes; small sandwiches and bite-sized cookies; Lipton tea and – of course – tiny delicious currant scones with a side of jam and cream. We happily managed many hushed and polite yes pleases and no thankyous, despite the caffeine that was flowing into our system as more tea kept arriving with our scones. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>We couldn’t get enough of the little scones, which were perfectly crunchy on the outside and good and sconey on the inside. And we weren’t the only ones. The international dining staff loved the word and couldn’t stop repeating it. “Scones?” they would offer frequently, singing to themselves “scone, scone, scone, scone, stone scone, rolling scone” as they held their trays high and navigated the rocking aisles with ease. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b>Cruise survival kit<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Tea gave us an opportunity to sit and talk in a quiet environment. On deck and in the bars and lounges there was almost always music, often played to audiences of zero (except when <a href="http://web.mac.com/benjaminlyon/iWeb/Hawaii%20Trip%20Movies/Dancing%20Hannah.html">Dancing Hannah</a> was around). we were hard-pressed to find a quiet moment outside of the stateroom. The ship had several grand pianos; at tea, however, there was only a man playing keyboard music (poor thing), which could be escaped at the other end of the room. Headphones went a long way toward cutting out the noise; there are two other items that were not in our packing guide and should have been:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>1 Walkie talkies. It’s a big ship with no cell reception. Either bring a pair of walkie talkies or spend countless hours wandering around looking for someone who might be right there in the next room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>2 Power strip. There is one outlet per room. One camera can be charged, or one computer plugged in, at a time. One. Bring along a power strip and you’ll notice a marked improvement in your lifestyle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><b>The great outdoors<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b>Finally – after five days at sea, we were back on land! And yet, somehow, all our adventures still involved water.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>In Hilo, a small picturesque town on the island of Hawaii, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082726142725488978">Achim, Deb, Ronit and I</a> rented a car (by a fluke, we ended up with the overly luxurious Chrysler 300 instead of the Dodge Neon we had reserved) and headed up the coast to Akaka Falls State Park. Along the way, we stopped in a tiny town for victuals (<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085921821732015938">local beer</a> and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085921813142081330">sandwiches</a>) and the post office. The drive was beautiful and so was the short hike through the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082726305934246258">rainforest</a> to the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082726924409537010">waterfall</a> lookout. We saw many <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082726632351760818">Banyan trees</a> and tropical <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085921795962212114">flowers</a> and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082726220034900322">plants</a>, including <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082727091913261602">bananas</a>. A little disappointed that the waterfall itself was so far away, we headed for a small beach park, whose turnoff we missed twice due to the car’s inability to make quick, comfortable turns. Big laughs. At the park, a river rushed to the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721353836952498">sea</a> in a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721431146363842">scenic</a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085921684293062290">rocky area</a> surrounded by <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721611534990306">forest</a>. Children swung over the river on a rope swing, but our desire to join them was overcome by rumors of an infectious bacteria in the river. We had lunch, rested, and, overflowing with mirth at our fancy <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085923797416972114">Chrysler 300</a> tooling around in the rainforest, made an impromptu <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ4MvcMBZnk">Borat-style commercial</a> promoting it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b>A few days later, we landed in <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724390378831634"><st1:city st="on">Honolulu</st1:city>, <st1:place st="on">Oahu</st1:place></a>. It is difficult to describe the experience of pulling up to shore on a cruise ship and being face-to-face with modern skyscrapers after days of ocean horizon followed by the little down of Hilo. Up on Deck 12, we watched the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724454803341090">city</a> approach at an interesting angle. Achim and I looked at a map and decided to walk a few miles from the port to the famous <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Waikiki</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The walk was uneventful (except for the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721942247472178">Duck Butt Cafe</a>) – we passed a lovely, spacious <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721963722308674">white beach</a> and we were passed by a convoy of Harley bikers. Mouthwatering smells wafted up from the waterfront, where Hawaiians had set up family BBQs every few meters. Pleasantly tired out, we arrived at <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722105456229506"><st1:place st="on">Waikiki</st1:place></a>, sunscreened up, and stayed there for a while. This beach was so packed with tourists that the hot sand was barely visible. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722131226033298">Catamarans </a>waited to whisk tourists off on a speed tour. Nearby, the International Market sold overpriced local souvenirs. After dipping in the water, we met dad, Jane and Hannah for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Jane and I hit Macy’s. And then we took Hannah to get her ears pierced for her 7<sup>th</sup> birthday. At a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722169880738978">body piercing joint</a>. <span style=""> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723939407265362">Nawawili, <st1:place st="on">Kauai</st1:place></a>, was our next stop. Verdant mountains greeted us as we anchored in the harbor. Kauai is home to <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename st="on">Waialeale</st1:placename></st1:place>, the rainiest spot on earth, now sheathed in cloud and inaccessible except by helicopter. The five of us – <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722204240477362">me, Achim, Deborah, Ilana and Ronit</a> – had consulted a guidebook and found what sounded like an exciting, challenging and satisfying <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723763313606162">waterfall hike</a>. We hailed a taxi to take us to the trailhead in Kapa’a, and proceeded, surefooted in water booties and sandals, to seek our way in the forest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The book may have been old; the trail, unmarked, may have changed. After 10 minutes of hiking by the book (and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082721791923616786">one crazy rainshower</a>), we were lost. The directions read something like this: Begin at the water tower at the end of <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Kahuna St</st1:address></st1:street>.</st1:address></st1:street> in Kapa’a. At the remains of an old cement dam, the trail will lead to a hidden water hole. Do not go there. Instead cross the river. To your left will be a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723449780993458">pleasant swimming hole</a>" (was on our right). "Continue up the other bank and after a short while in the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722603672435970">bamboo forest</a>, the path will lead steeply uphill. Do not follow the path that way. Walk up the river some 40 feet past the rock face" (what is a rock face? Had I ever seen one and would I recognize one if I did?). We were forced into the river and had no idea how or where to continue on the path, when along came our fairy godmother. Or fairy tourguide, as luck would have it. Peter happened to be doing a quick hike of his own when he heard our voices and came to our rescue, leading us forth. We never did make it to the waterfalls; we hiked about 1 mile in 4 hours and in <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723058938969442">this terrain</a> – rocky rivers, muddy cliff edges and mosquito hell - probably needed 6 to 8 hours for the trip. But we did see <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723686004194802">ginger</a> and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082722968744656210">shelf fungi</a> and stop at a lovely <a href="http://web.mac.com/benjaminlyon/iWeb/Hawaii%20Trip%20Movies/Waterfall%20Hike.html">water hole</a> before turning back, and the sun graced us there for a few minutes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>We returned to the ship <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082723806263279138">wet, muddy and ridden with mosquito bites</a>. It was great.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b>The last <st1:state st="on">Hawaii</st1:state> stop was in <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082725773358301378">Lahaina, <st1:place st="on">Maui</st1:place></a>, where we <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724819875561362">dropped anchor</a> 10 minutes from shore. Once again, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724944429612994">Achim</a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724944429612994"> and I</a> explored the town on foot, winding up at the cute little <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724901479940018">Lahaina Train Station</a> (<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082724983084318674">all aboard!</a>) and finally the picturesque <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082725176357847058"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Kaanapali</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Beach</st1:placetype></st1:place></a>. When you picture <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state>, <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082725369631375442">Kaanapali</a> is that image. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082725425465950306">White sands, turquoise water</a>, a few scattered palm trees breezing in the wind. We <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5082725627329413266">took in the beach</a> and headed back to the ship.</p>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-84332647689665446082007-06-20T09:46:00.001+03:002007-07-11T16:17:33.571+03:00Update at Sea<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Day 1: A rockin' good time</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br />I'd say Cruise Observation No. 1 begins with the following favorite reassuring line of experienced cruisegoers worldwide:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>You Won't Feel The Boat Rocking – It's Too Big.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then why is it that we ate dinner at a precarious angle; unpacked with not a few newborn-calf wobbles into walls; and were now nearly being dumped, sleeping, onto the carpet as we slumbered through the gentle rolling motion of our seabound vehicle? This cruisegoer's promise just doesn't hold water.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At 3am the only sounds are the creak of the ship and the hum of its motor (not unlike that of an airplane). Achim isn't even snoring. A few minutes ago, fully awake and indignant at being rolled about, I peeled apart the curtains hoping for a hint of daylight; what we had all oohed and aahed at during the day ("We're so close to the water!") had become, not far below my feet and a little too close for comfort, the threatening chop of rough dark waves topped with churning foam.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The good news in the churning department is that our stomachs are fine. The seasickness seems to be not gastrointestinal but rather mental. At dinner, the floor (much like my 6-year-old sister) just wouldn't stop moving and I found myself facing an urge to yell in quiet frustration, "Settle down already! Give it a rest!" I'm on vacation; can't the boat take it easy, too? Those who have leaned to the left in celebration of their freedom will appreciate the similarities between Seder dining and cruise dining. We hadn't ordered wine but we were feeling a little sloshed; my head felt like it needed an anchor. Or something. And my plate kept tilting away from me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Before the boat started really rocking, though, there was much adventure and entertainment. Arriving on board, I was required to sign a form declaring I had been tummy-trouble free in recent days. Thank goodness the terrible Jerusalem stomach virus had attacked Benny and me at the beginning of the week and not at the end! I might have been quarantined otherwise. And no sooner had I signed the form when my attention was turned mirthfully to my fellow travelers. They seemed to be obeying a dress code that was not detailed in the guide booklet. Where had I gone wrong? Oh, let me count the ways.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>The 10 Commandments of Cruise Attire</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1 Thou shalt wear a new white tennis visor despite being indoors and despite the fact that you've never worn one before and are not playing tennis or planning to do so ever</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2 Thou shalt wear blindingly white new tennis shoes despite the reasons stated above and the added logical motivator that there are no tennis courts on board</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3 Thou shalt dress in shades of white and turquoise only, unless obeying commandment 4:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4 Thou shalt outfit thine entire family in creased Hawaiian print tops, even your 9-year-old son who probably would rather be playing with Legos</p> <p class="MsoNormal">5 Thou shalt not be both not tan and not blond</p> <p class="MsoNormal">6 Thou shalt wear only those clothes which have never been worn before</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Extra credit for dressing like a Yalie or in full Hilfiger.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I hereby reserve the right to determine the remaining four commandments after <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085925094497095522">tonight's formal event</a>. I can't wait. Hopefully I will be able to provide some visual documentation. No campground attire, this.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Regal Princess</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Before continuing I would like to tell you the name of our boat. It is the Regal Princess. Try saying that. I guarantee you'll get it wrong. That's okay – like me, you are not on the High Society mailing list and so are not privileged to know about their special dress rules or pronunciation guide. But if we work hard on ourselves we can improve. So our first linguistic lesson will be:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">RE-gal Prin-CESS</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That's right. Prin-CESS. That's how it's done, as the captain ever so elegantly elocuted during the emergency drill.</p><b>The drill</b> <p class="MsoNormal">Before we set sail (set diesel?) there was a modest emergency drill which demonstrated why on airplanes we do not actually learn how to put on those life vests and if it is ever necessary to do so we will never make it out the exit door and off the plane. Apparently, it is human nature to play with life vests. The line "Do not inflate your life vest until you exit the plane" is very important because, as we learned today, when you are in a room filled with people wearing large lifesaving equipment it is impossible to move. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few choice lines from the drill, all spoken in the captain's poshest of accents:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The sounding of the ship's alarm does not mean 'abandon ship'" (though that desperate dying-duck sound would make me jump overboard in a minute, thanks for clarifying).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">"If there is a man overboard, throw him a life boy." Sounds a bit like a eunuch. Where do they keep those guys? I haven't seen any yet. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Please do not throw any burning cigarettes onto the deck below" uh… or anywhere? "and leave no naked flame burning in your room." Naked flame?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We couldn't stop giggling. Achim and I didn't catch the official evening entertainment program (a comedy routine by Dick Gold. I kid you not), we were too busy unpacking and passing out, but we sure did get a bellyful of laughter from everything else. We even enjoyed a really good chuckle with our porter, jolly Paul, when we came back to our room and discovered a huge pink bridal something hanging in our closet. "Oh, so that's where it is!" he exclaimed when we showed him. (Had it wandered off, we wondered?) When they turned our beds down and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/HawaiiCruise/photo#5085927637117734818">put chocolate on our pillows</a>, they must have accidentally hung a massive wedding dress in our room. I'm sure it happens all the time.</p>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-49358497094244307042006-12-28T10:29:00.000+02:002007-07-11T10:28:52.076+03:00SnowThey say the Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow. I only have one.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/SnowInJerusalemDec2006/photo#5013362828308979618"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/shayab/RZMK7i-BH6I/AAAAAAAABVM/32vxG8p1EO8/s288/IMG_2657.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shayab/SnowInJerusalemDec2006">Snow in Jerus...</a></td></tr></table>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-4272966121206657342006-12-21T18:23:00.000+02:002006-12-21T18:29:47.760+02:00Jacob in IsraelKeep it running, <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.jacobshwirtz.com/israel/">Jacob</a>.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/brNhUudPh2s"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/brNhUudPh2s" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-6896758312302610492006-11-24T14:59:00.000+02:002006-11-24T15:05:55.538+02:00The rain in SpainIt turns out your pronunciation can say a lot about you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always give you away completely. Today, my hardcore <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/california">California</a> accent (or lack thereof) placed me in the "Midland."<br /><br /><table style="border: 1px solid gray; width: 320px; font-family: arial,verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; background-color: white;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding: 5px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black;"><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; margin-bottom: 8px;">What American accent do you have?</b> <div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 4px;">Your Result: <b>The Midland</b></div><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 200px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 95%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><p style="border: medium none ; margin: 10px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; color: black;">"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">The West</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 88%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Boston</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 69%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">North Central</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 66%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">The Inland North</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 41%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">The South</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 35%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Philadelphia</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 33%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">The Northeast</td><td style="padding: 3px; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 100px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; margin-top: 4px;"><div style="background: red none repeat scroll 0% 50%; width: 27%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;"> </div></div><br /></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have"><b>What American accent do you have?</b></a><br /><a href="http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Take More Quizzes</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1164276101548351112006-11-23T12:00:00.000+02:002007-01-21T17:41:45.063+02:00Apples and tangerinesWho was the first to celebrate <a href="http://beta.blogger.com/www.answers.com/topic/thanksgiving-day">Thanksgiving</a>? Spanish explorer <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/francisco-v-squez-de-coronado">Francisco Vásquez de Coronado</a> is thought to have feasted with some Native Americans in Texas in 1541, in celebration of (and gratitude for) his discovery of food supplies. Some 200 years later, national leaders called for a Thanksgiving feast after a military victory over the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/whiskey-rebellion">Whiskey Rebellion</a> (not to mention the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/american-revolution">American Revolution</a> and the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/war-of-1812">War of 1812</a>). <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/george-washington">George Washington</a> even declared the completion of the new constitution worthy of its own Thanksgiving festivities. In the 20th century, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/franklin-d-roosevelt">Franklin Delano Roosevelt</a> attempted to expand the Christmas shopping season by moving (the already traditional) Thanksgiving a week earlier. But the funniest by far is the group who celebrated what is thought to have been the second Thanksgiving dinner ever:<br /><br /><!-- start Flash blufr code --><center><embed style="width: 200px; height: 215px;" src="http://www.blufr.com/mini.swf?id=3563" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" scale="exactfit"><br />Powered by Answers.com:<br />free <a href="http://www.answers.com/">online dictionary</a> and more<br /></center><!-- end Flash blufr code --><br /><br />With all that fruity goodness, no wonder <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/cranberry-sauce">cranberry sauce</a> became a Thanksgiving staple. The typical canned variety might as well have been created (and packaged) 3 centuries ago, considering its incredible rigidity. In case you've been wondering how strong jellied cranberry sauce really is, it may not be able to support an entire gobbler, but it can hold up more than its weight in pennies:<p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Carefully, we set paper plates on the tops, and began pi</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ling pennies, ten at a</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> t</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ime, on the paper plates. We tried to place the pennies evenly around the plate, in order to bala</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4874/1164/1600/22861/broke.jpg"><img style="margin: 10pt 10pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4874/1164/200/2062/broke.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">nce the load. Side-by-side, we continued to pile. With each addition of pennies, the dedicat</span><span style="font-size:85%;">e</span><span style="font-size:85%;">d staff held their collective breaths. It became apparent right away that the jellied sauce would</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> be the stronger. Still we piled, like a backward game of </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/jenga">Jenga</a>. At 300, we saw signs of strai</span><span style="font-size:85%;">n on the whole-berries. At 310, it collapsed. The dedicated staff was saddened but also a little relieved. It is hard waiting for the inevitable. The jell</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ied berries</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> fought the good fight, finally falling at 540. The dedicated staff cheered. (<a href="http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=462">Edhat.com</a>)</span></blockquote><br /></p><br />Go figure! Gobble gobble... Happy Thanksgiving!Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1164275694584165102006-11-23T11:48:00.000+02:002006-11-23T11:56:33.630+02:00Plumb full of pumpkinIn honor of <a href="www.answers.com/topic/thanksgiving-day">Thanksgiving</a>, a seasonal recipe:<br /><br /><ul><li>1 slab of pumpkin, skinned and chopped in 1-inch chunks</li><li>a handful of brown sugar</li><li>2 T butter, margarine or olive oil</li><li>cinnamon (optional)</li><li>nutmeg (optional)</li><li>powdered ginger (optional)<br /></li></ul>Spread pumpkin chunks on a cookie sheet and cover with little bits of butter (or toss in olive oil). Sprinkle brown sugar over the top (and add a dusting of cinnamon, nutmeg and/or ginger if you like a spicier dish). Cover in foil and bake at 350-400 degrees F until pumpkin is soft and steam pours out of the foil when you open it (30-60 minutes). Remove foil and bake uncovered for a 10-15 minutes to get a caramel tinge. Enjoy!Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1153171139961864762006-07-18T00:12:00.000+03:002007-07-11T10:28:08.744+03:00Dear friends<span style="font-style: italic;">False Bananas often focuses on the semantic meaning and etymology of words. In light of this summer's events, this entry explores the conceptual and experiential meaning of a little word with a lot of clout — war.</span><br /><br /><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >D</span>ear friends,<br /><br />Just wanted to let you all know we're fine, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/jerusalem?initiator=4" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Jerusalem" on Answers.com">Jerusalem</a> is still untouched (physically), and so far Benny hasn't been called up. Yohana and Tzahi, Benny's sister and her husband, are hosting Tzahi's family (who live in <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/qiryat-shemona?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Kiryat Shmona" on Answers.com">Kiryat Shmona</a>), so their house is a bit full, but nobody's staying with us — yet. Maybe we'll get to host a family for <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/shabbat?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Shabbat" on Answers.com">Shabbat</a> next week.<br /><br />Everyone up north is in bomb shelters and reinforced rooms, as far south as <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/haifa?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Haifa" on Answers.com">Haifa</a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tiberias?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Tiberias" on Answers.com">Tiberias</a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/akko?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Acre" on Answers.com">Acre</a>. <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tel-aviv?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Tel Aviv" on Answers.com">Tel Aviv</a> is under warning but it's hard to tell if people are taking it seriously since there hasn't been a rocket attack there. And in Jerusalem, everyone is depressed but so far safe. Mostly we're just wondering if tomorrow there is going to be a huge war, or if the whole situation is going to fizzle in a few days. Nobody really knows what to expect, and though life does go on as usual in this city at least, with work and TV and everything else, we go to sleep each night wondering what news we'll wake up to.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/2006-israel-lebanon-crisis?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis" on Answers.com">battle</a> with <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/hezbollah?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Hizbullah" on Answers.com">Hizbullah</a> here and in <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/lebanon?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Lebanon" on Answers.com">Lebanon</a> is strange, stressful, ongoing — it doesn't seem to let up. Very different from suicide bombings, when at least you weren't expecting it and waiting for it to happen, and then when it did, it hit hard, then passed (if you were lucky not to know any of the victims). Or maybe I've "learned" suicide bombings. They had a pattern, devastating but familiar. The potential for pain and fear was delineated by the nature of those attacks: the repercussions could only go so far.<br /><br />I feel vulnerable for the first time, though the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/katyusha?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Katyusha rocket" on Answers.com">rockets</a> are falling miles and miles away, even after 6 years of terrorism here in my city, neighborhood, bus stop. It's a scary feeling. This new war game is endless and unpredictable, in location and scope. A wrong move by <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/israel?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Israel" on Answers.com">Israel</a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/syria?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Syria" on Answers.com">Syria</a>, Hizbullah could draw us into another full-fledged, multination war like the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/israeli-palestinian-conflict-timeline?initiator=2" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed; color: green; cursor: help; text-decoration: none;" target="AnswerQueryWindow" title="Look up "Israeli-Palestinian conflict timeline" on Answers.com">others</a> in Israel's history. Those wars made heroes. They are black and white on pages of history books and newspapers. Romantic and poetic on movie screens. Educational. Historical. But not real. Not for me.<br /><br />Who will get called up to the army, and when? And will they come home? Conjuring images of past Israeli wars and their 5-digit casualty lists is awful. If we think and talk about it today, over lunch, will that make it easier to deal with if it actually happens tomorrow? Will we look back, thinking, "So that's what it was not to know war"? Will it all be over tomorrow and will I feel foolish for imagining I could imagine war?<br /><br />I don't want to send a man to war.<br /><br />Each morning when I get up and before I leave for work I want to wake Benny and say something... in case he gets called up to the border while I'm away at work. And then I get over it and just take a good look at his peacefully sleeping face and go to work.<br /><br />I don't want to send a man to war. I don't want a hero in a box.<br /><br />I hope we're laughing this off next week in nervous, giddy relief.<br /></span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" class="sg" ><br /></span>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1134420725424845952005-12-12T22:52:00.000+02:002005-12-12T22:52:05.476+02:00Everything-in-my-fridge Soup<div><em>Ingredients:</em></div> <div><em></em> </div> <div>2 T olive oil</div> <div>1 onion, chopped</div> <div>2 carrots, chopped</div> <div>florets of 3 medium broccoli heads, chopped into manageable pieces</div> <div>4 medium-to-large light zucchinis, cut into chunks</div> <div>1 large mushroom (or more if you have...)</div> <div> <div>3 cloves garlic, whole</div></div> <div>salt and pepper to taste</div> <div>cumin</div> <div>ginger</div> <div>paprika</div> <div>dried mint</div> <div>2 T lemon juice</div> <div>1-2 T soy sauce</div> <div> </div> <div><em>Directions:</em></div> <div><em></em> </div> <div>In a large pot, sautee the onion in olive oil until clear. Add all other veggies and let them steam for a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to cover the veggies. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for as long as it takes for the veggies to get soft. </div> <div> </div> <div>I like thick, creamy blended soups. This one's good even without cream. Wait for it to cool slightly and then blend it with a stick blender or mash it with a potato masher. Add a dollop of cream or sour cream if you like. Yummmmmm. </div> Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1134341040155794532005-12-12T00:15:00.000+02:002005-12-12T03:16:05.353+02:00Something from 'Everything' (1)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>F</strong></span>rom <em>Everything is Illuminated</em> by </span><a href="http://www.jonathansafranfoerbooks.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#9999ff;">Jonathan Safran Foer</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> (pp. 28-29):</span><br /><br />A few days before the hero was to arrive, I inquired Father if I could go forth to America when I made to graduate from university. "No," he said. "But I want to," I informed him. "I do not care what you want," he said, and that is usually the end of the conversation, but it was not this time. "Why?" I asked. "Because what you want is not important to me, Shapka." "No," I said, "why is it that I cannot go forth to America after I graduate?" "If you want to know why you cannot go forth to America," he said, unclosing the refrigerator, investigating for food, "it is because Great-Grandfather was from Odessa, and Grandfather was from Odessa, and Father, me, was from Odessa, and your boys will be from Odessa. Also, you are going to toil at Heritage Touring when you are graduated. It is a necessary employment, premium enough for Grandfather, premium enough for me, and premium enough for you." "But what if it is not what I desire?" I said. "What if I do not want to toil at Heritage Touring, but instead toil someplace where I can do something unordinary, and make very much currency instead of just a petite amount? What if I do not want my boys to grow up here, but instead to grow up someplace superior, with superior things, and more things? What if I have girls?" Father removed three pieces of ice from the refrigerator, closed the refrigerator, and punched me. "Put these on your face," he said, giving the ice to me, "so you do not look terrible and manufacture a disaster in Lvov." This was the end of the conversation. I should have been smarter.Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1134335504439707542005-12-11T23:10:00.000+02:002006-07-30T15:23:02.176+03:00Harry Potter and the Aisle of Chairs<em>. . . Evening approaches . . .</em><br /><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">W</span></strong>hen we got to the theater, the machines that spit out movie tickets with a single swipe of the credit card through weren't working, so we had to wait in line anyway... but at least we knew (or were hopeful) we had seats.</p><p><br />And we did, in fact, get great aisle seats - a treat if you're the type who likes to pop out for a drink, popcorn or the restroom. The minute we sat down, however, an old lady with a walker came in with her granddaughter (we had both uttered heartfelt "awwwww"s when we saw them waiting in line together). </p><p>[Before I continue, a brief description of the movie theater: there are 10 rows of, say, 20 chairs and one aisle down one side. This is typical of Israeli movie theaters. Also, not directly related to the seating plan but possibly indirectly related to it: there is always an intermission during the movie. Doesn't matter which movie or how long. Intermission will always, always come jarringly in the middle of a word, split a sentence, collapse the height of suspense with that flickering smattering of letters, numbers and lines that signals the end of the reel. It's possible that intermission is a necessary thing here given the 30-odd people buried deep inside their rows with no aisle on the horizon and no way out over the scrunched-up knees of the other 17 potentially griping, booing viewers whose views would be obstructed by potential bathroom-goers. Also important to keep in mind: seating is assigned, assisted by unhelpful ushers who obstruct the aisle stairs so that you can't avoid tripping down them in the dark.]</p><p>Now we had the grandma and the granddaughter and the walker, trying to reach - from the single aisle - seat number 17 of 20. Which you knew was going to be impossible. So a kind young couple at the end of their row gave up their aisle seats ... and then, because they had a baby and a stroller and needed another aisle seat, we (also young and kind, though not a couple) gave up ours. Only to discover that we were expected to take the grandma's seats way inside.<br /></p><p>Now it was getting awkward because the movie was starting (for once we did get there early, but, sadly, we missed all previews due to this game of musical chairs that was feeling less and less altruistically charming as the opening credits started rolling). Grandma was still standing in the aisle, granddaughter was trying to fold up the walker, the lights kept going on and off and we were stuck standing on the aisle trying to figure out where to sit in a theater filled to capacity. Which put us in a good position to ask the ushers to keep the lights on long enough for the lady to find her seat. And could they please restart the movie so we could all watch it from the beginning? No, we can't restart the movie. No, we can't even pause the movie. And we can't turn the lights on to help an 80-year-old get settled because the entire roomful of audience is in the grips of anticipatory psychosis and we can't take the booing.<br /></p><p>Grandma finally found her seat as flames and doom (and brooms? I don't know, I was trying not to trip down the stairs) roared across the screen, but there was no chance we were going to get past her (and her walker) to seats number 17 and 18. The audience was locked in a single silent stare and to break it would have been to invite disaster. There were five seats available in the center of the theater so even though the ushers were still insisting it was fully booked, we just sat ourselves down and put our knees up and ...</p><p><br />... Wouldn't you know it, a whole family of kids came traipsing in and we couldn't bear to split them up - after all , they did have tickets. So we got up again, this time with a plan that had to work. We figured we'd ask for tickets to the next show, two hours later, and just look around the mall until then. But the manager insisted that show was also sold out (and fast, I might add: When scavenging for tickets earlier, I noted many empty seats during all showings) and offered us tickets for any other day that month.</p><p><br />Now, it is complicated for me to arrange to go out at night, since I work at night, even more so to reschedule with another person. And we really had a hankering for this movie. So we took the proffered plastic chairs sat on the aisle stairs. After we got over being annoyed and selfrighteous, it was pretty cool - we didn't have anyone in front of us, we had easy access during intermission, and nobody put their feet up on our backs. It turned out to be a prime location.</p><p>A side note on noise and the Israeli movie theater:</p><p>The silence during Harry Potter was rare for this kind, or any kind, of Israeli audience. Ordinarily, the teenagers talk, all cellphones ring, and everyone else makes noise shushing them. How odd, then, and hysterical, to hear how this audience wanted absolute silence ... the quiet was reverent, focused, awed. In Israel! </p><p>There were two exceptions. But really, only two. </p><p>There was a crying infant. It belonged to the couple who took our seat. Their other 3 kids were quiet. And probably more than a little scared. Taking your entire family to see a movie is a wonderful and beautiful thing. But did the 4-month-old really need to see You-Know-Who? I'd've cried too. </p><p>And toward the end of the movie, I was thinking how amazing (and bloggable) it was that not a single phone had rung during the entire movie, when suddenly, a phone started ringing ... and kept ringing ... and then ... </p><p>... there were the few isolated beeps of a message.</p>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1120146034224366402005-06-30T18:28:00.000+03:002005-06-30T19:23:22.476+03:00Dammed if you do<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>H</strong></span>aving come across the following sentence, which seemed - with the exception of one little word - relatively straightforward, I was stumped:<br /><br /><blockquote><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">The prohibition of Leviticus 22.28 banning the slaughter of a dam and its young on the same day applies to both father and mother, whereas the rabbis (the majority) hold that it applies solely to the mother (B.T. Hul. 78b). </span><span style="font-size:85%;">(From The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, p.811.)</span></p></blockquote><br />What, exactly, is a dam? A typoed lamb? Sure, except that lambs are the young in question. A quick search yielded the following answer from <a href="http://www.answers.com"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">answers.com</span></a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">dam2 (dăm) n.<br />(Abbr. d.) A female parent. Used of a four-legged animal.<br />Archaic. A mother. </span></p></blockquote>Never heard of such a thing? Never even come across it, not in a <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">New York Times</span></a></em> crossword puzzle, 6th grade research project, the odd piece of trivia?<br /><br />Turns out the word isn't as far-fetched as it appears. Its usage is, at best, esoteric, but its lineage is legit, stemming from Middle English <em>dam -</em> dame, lady, mother. <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/dam-female-parent?method=6"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">See</span></a> for yourself.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="173" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4874/1164/320/Dammed.jpg" width="256" border="0" />Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13307472.post-1117554753712321472005-05-31T18:50:00.000+03:002005-06-30T19:22:05.423+03:00First blog. Really.<a href="http://www.jpost.com"><em>Work</em></a><em> is calling, as is the bathroom, but the tik tik of the keys calls louder. Oh yes, even louder than the managing editor. Or the news editor.<br /><br />But apparently the battery has the final word. So i'm off.</em>Shayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17122339479552840086noreply@blogger.com3