'Perfect Balcony' Project

The house of my childhood had a fairly large garden, dominated by a majestic nut tree and populated by lots of flowers, peaches, gooseberries, grapes, strawberries, table with benches, resting chairs, cats, dog and occasional chicken.

I never had a balcony before, so planning our perfect balcony was one of my challenges after moving into the new apartment 2 years ago. My wishlist inventory included an Armenian coffee table (lower that eyebrow, I'll explain) with 2 wooden resting chairs complete with footstools and matching cushions, a small herb 'garden', a griller, a climber, a mini-citrus and wind chimes. I started with much enthusiasm, decided to report successful completion in a blogpost, and even took pictures along the way.

A colleague of mine and proud owner of an ample collection of Armenian ceramics, introduced me to this world. You'd think Armenian ceramics are to be found in Armenia. Wrong. Turns out there are none there (I can attest the weirdness), and the best place to buy them is ... Jerusalem. If you still don't believe me, just google it up! The few rival Armenian ceramic artist families in Jerusalem claim their pieces are hand made, while the others' are mass produced. I just trusted my colleague's judgement and went to visit Arman Darian's shop on 12 Shlomtzion Hamalka st., Jerusalem. The shop was crammed with lots of pieces, one more beautiful than the other. I couldn't decide which way to look, it felt like being in Hansel and Gretel of Armenian ceramics.

There was progress and there was regression. The herb garden was nice, then some herbs died. The wooden resting chairs and matching cushions are in place, but without footstools. The Armenian table by Arman featuring the seven biblical kinds [of crops in the land of Israel] was beautiful, then the varnish popped and 2 tiles cracked. The griller is there and works well and much. Never got to the climber, mini-citrus and wind chimes, but have a small olive tree in a pot.

After more than a year later, I realized I won't achieve perfection (how stupid of me to even assume I would), as the balcony project is more an ongoing process than a task with a distinct endpoint. Today it's time to decorate the balcony with flags for Independence Day. Happy birthday, Israel!

Market Dilemmas

For months we are complaining about the rising vegetable and fruit prices in the supermarket. Unfortunately, there is no market in Holon, the closest being the Carmel in Tel Aviv. As a new emigrant, this long and crowded noisy-smelly strip of oriental mess appealed to me, but I haven't been there for many, many years.

A friend who buys there often and knows the worthy stands, offered me a guided shopping tour. Armed with a short shopping list and 2 empty bags for the catch, I met him there early in the morning, to avoid the Friday crowds.

(1) Turns out that early was not early enough to find a parking spot along the sidewalk, but too early for fresh merchandise, that just started to be unpacked.

(2) The prices are better than the supermarket, but the difference is 'eaten up' by the parking fee, especially if the quantities you buy are for less than a regiment of hungry soldiers.

(3) On one hand the place is an anti-hygienic forest of tin huts, on the other hand the mess of underwear, carrots, baked goods, fish and beads living in charming proximity makes is authentic. Your shopping experience depends on they way you decide to perceive it.

(4) You can shop efficiently, visiting your regular stands owned by the merchants you befriended during the years, or wander aimlessly and experience sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Or combine the two. Whatever you chose to do, my friendly advice is stop checking the prices of items you bought, for sure the nectarines are being sold for 2 shekkels less per kilo 3 stands away. Well, actually the ones you bought seem slightly larger now...

And my bonus for today's market visit was watching the surprise flyover rehearsal for Independence Day.

Last Night - The Movie

Friday night Dan invited friends over and told us in advance we are personae non grata in our own house. So I picked up the phone and invited friends for a night out. I thought about dinner and a movie. I never considered going to the cinema as spending quality time with someone, watching a movie is basically an individual experience, even though physically you are not alone (hence the dinner). Being a very busy woman (=she doesn't work), our friend S just told me what she doesn't want (restaurant), so I ended up picking the place, suggesting 3 movies and ultimately ordering the tickets. The name of the movie (Last Night) made the ordering process kind of comic, as the name kept appearing on the web form and confusing me - what do you mean last night? I want tickets for tonight.

To combine the no-restaurant request with a movie, it was finally decided to go to a VIP movie. This means the price (aka a small fortune) includes unlimited refreshments and drinks for 30-40 minutes, a huge screen and only a few rows of chairs, super-comfy armchairs with electrically adjustable backs and legrests, lots of place for your stuff, and even blankets.

The movie itself was aesthetically pleasing, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it. In my view, a non-comedy should have a message to convey, something new to teach you about life, or yourself, provide food for thought. Yet, the only thought I had after watching this movie was 'boring'. I learned nothing about infidelity - definition, regrets and impact on relationships are not only individual to a person or couple, but also a matter of geography (I bet the French perceive it differently), so basically no rules apply.

Is it necessary to make a full length movie to tell me that?

Chametz of the Soul

Sometimes in a shop or restaurant, the salesman/waiter addresses Israeli clients (me included) as 'chevreh' (pals, comrades, mates, buddies, amigos). My sons detest my reaction to this. They claim I'm not cool, unfriendly and I should just let go. The poor guy is just trying to be friendly. Sorry for my old fashionness, but the person is supposed to serve, not befriend me. I just want a normal service provider-customer relationship.

This goes on on a national level as well. In the last few days, there is an annoying commercial on the radio about Elijah (the one we open the door for on Passover eve) waiting for the children at Mini Israel, together with Moses, Pharaoh and all the other 'chevreh'. Respect!

Another pet peeve of mine is also related to the media. From time to time they cover criminal activities, crime is sensation, and sensation apparently sells. But the way they do it, the local Mafia families are presented as celebrities. We know their names, when they go to jail, when they are set free or arrested and interrogated by the police. Every such mention in the media makes them even more popular and fearsome in the underworld. Please, save us the details. We have the right to know, not the obligation.

Just some Passover soul cleaning.

Falling Apart

We switched to daylight saving time, but my body is still lagging behind. For a few weeks now I feel in a rut and have this heavy, yet-another-workday feeling in the morning. My greatest wish was having breakfast with a human being before leaving for work, instead of just rushing out the door into the eternal traffic jams. Unfortunately I am the last one to leave the house in the morning, except for Venus the cat, who apart from being cute but not human, doesn't feel like socializing in the morning.

Then, out of the blue, I chipped a tooth and was on painkillers until my dentist could see me. She explained that the 'crater' is so deep that the nerves were almost uncovered (hence the painkillers). I can either have a root canal treatment and crown (or cap), or and extraction and implant. I chose the first option and asked her why this happened. "Fatigue of material", came the laconic answer. With everything feeling difficult and slow, I decided it's time for hypothyroidism blood tests.

For years, we are having a widowed relative and his family for the Seder (Passover ceremony and dinner, usually celebrated in large family gatherings). I always felt this is something I have to do, so they are not on their own for the holiday. Onto this steady platform, I used to invite more friends and relatives, so they are not on their own either. This year, the widow's daughter and my son cannot leave their base and he decided there is no point in celebrating without them. They are not coming. My other son threatening to celebrate with friends, I'm certainly not going to bother for just the two of us. Turns out without these relatives, the usual holiday celebration is falling apart. I realized THEY did us a favor all these years and not the other way around. Leaving my Polishness behind, I had my cousin invite us for the meal. They were invited themselves, but didn't want us to be on our own (sounds familiar, doesn't it?).

Time for some spring buzz taking over the falling-apart days.

First Arab Democracy?

A Tunisian vegetable seller sets himself on fire, and next thing you know, the Arab world is trying to shake off its tyrants. Some left, some are more stubborn.

As always, we are posing the eternal question: is this good or bad for the Jews? According to Thomas Friedman, democracy is supposed to be good for peace, that's why the West wants to see democratic Arab states (while more realistic Israelis praise stability), but is this going to happen?

At the beginning of the revolution, we saw and heard middle class Egyptians claiming that anti-Israeli propaganda is an insult to their intelligence, they are not going to attack us, they have enough problems of their own. So why are we not convinced? The well organized Muslim Brotherhood (and others) called for a reassessment of the peace treaty with Israel. Mubarak was denounced as a friend of Israel, gas export has stopped and the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv stopped issuing visas for Israelis. The military of this 84 million neighboring nation (we are barely 7) has top notch American gear and is constantly training against the IDF. Each year, one million new Egyptians join the ranks of the unemployed and corruption is wide spread. Turning Egypt into a democracy is a long and painful process, with a fair chance for the masses to loose patience and faith in a better system along the way. When that happens, self-preserving power can conveniently point at an external enemy (Israel) to divert attention from real problems (as countless examples in the history of nations teach us), while extremists and fundamentalists are ready to offer a better 'solution' to the impatient mases.

In the mean time, gas supply has resumed and the Egyptians intercepted truckloads of weapons from Sudan meant for Hamas in Gaza.

First Girlfriend

For some time now, I hoped Tom (20) will have a girlfriend. I thought how wonderful it would be for him that in addition to being mom's cuddly baby and the most loving son in the whole wide world, there would be a girl to love him for being this honest, intelligent, loving, compassionate and humorous young man he is. I would ask him from time to time what's going on, knowing how shy he is. The answers were evasive, usually around 'there aren't any nice enough or smart enough girls where I hang around', until one day, while spending quality time together, he told me about O, his first girlfriend. He was afraid I'll ask many questions. I didn't. I was happy for him. But the change was so sudden that I didn't have a chance to get used to my new status as woman number 2 in his life. He spent more time with her than with us, which, coming to think of it, is actually quite logical, but neither my nor his logic were fully functioning at the time. I guess I made some inappropriate comments until his 'you are not in competition' made me realize my mistake.

Judging by the short time I saw her (a few minutes one morning and evening and once for lunch),  O really seems a nice young woman. She must be if Tom likes her. I know there will probably be other girlfriends, so there's no point getting too involved. As always, I try to support him as much as I can (with phone calls, lots of home made cookies, stuffed eggs and errands), I drive him and change my schedule around his, whenever possible.

Tom got  a 2-day vacation starting tonight. He is going to see O first, then come home tomorrow morning. I'm cool with it. I know this makes him happy. Isn't this what we really want for our kids?