I'm grateful for: F-16s in the sky; goats and chickens and dogs in the yard; acamol & Advil (I think acamol is Tylenol in Isre-speak, but I'm not sure).

Last night's booms seem to have been a little of both. More than a dozen rockets launched at Israel. Three people injured in Ashkelon, two of them small children. Many IDF strikes in Gaza, and it is reported that an baby was killed. What isn't reported (isn't 'news' apparently) is that when the IDF kills a little baby it is an accident, they do everything possible to avoid hurting any civilians, whereas when they (the other guys) kill little children that is exactly who they are aiming at. Clearly, that doesn't count for anything to most of the world.

Also, they only seem to report on the deaths or at best severe injuries in Israel. No one bothers to report on the number of people who are in shock, who suffer psychological damage, who simply are unable to carry on and live their lives as a result of the constant rocket barrage. They are casualties, but they don't count.

Granted, they also don't report people thrown into shock in Azza (Gaza), but they do not live under a constant barrage of rockets targeting their civilian population. For the most part, if you live in the strip, and you don't hang around missile launchers, you can carry on your life without fear from the IDF (please note I'm not saying there is nothing else to fear in Azza. The population there is certainly to be pitied. However, it really is up to them to do something about it if they don't like the way their leaders take care of them.).

I'm hurting a lot today - pain from the tooth with the incomplete root canal. It is bad enough I've had to ask the children to stay away from me. It is not a terrible pain, but bad. Really bad.

Two more days until we try again for that awful root canal. I'm definitely caught between a rock and a hard place - either bad tooth pain or a possible un-numbed root canal. Maybe I'll just take a bunch of drugs and ... no, I shouldn't even joke about that.

Still, if they wanted to give me some really good pain meds... ;-)

Two F-16s buzzed our moshav this morning, passing almost right over our house. That was pretty cool. The two oldest here (D2 and S1) ran outside to try and see them. TH caught a glimpse from the front of the house. I'll tell you what - they don't sound like any other plane.

I feel a little uncomfortable complaining about media unfairness, how no one looks at Israel's side of things, how we are misperceived, and the lies, all the damned lies, here in my diary - but only because I know most everyone who reads here (not huge numbers) tend to already know all this, and if not necessarily pro-Israel, are at least open-minded and educated enough not to be *those* people that I complain and rant about. So, I'm not in any way assuming that my readers are part of *they.* And, I still need to rant about *them.* You know? I appreciate your understanding.

The majority of the civilized world really is anti-semitic. It's an historical fact. And its not getting any better (it's not necessarily getting any worse, I'm not saying that). I know who I am and where I stand. I am solidly pro-Israel (I am also anti-idiot, unfortunately the two sometimes seem contradictory). I am strongly liberal on social and environmental issues, and strongly conservative on fiscal and defense issues. And gun control. I'm just saying.

I believe that all people are capable of great good and great evil, and that most people choose not to choose good or evil, which usually results in a great deal of petty evil - good requiring more effort. I believe that all children are born brilliant, that every child really tries to be good, and that if more people believed and understood that, we'd have a whole lot less violence and misery in this world.

I believe that it is impossible to write just for myself in a public diary, and that maybe that's as it should be.

I know that my children are the best, brightest, smartest, most beautiful, most loving, most special children in the entire world, and anyone who thinks theirs are, are simply wrong. I feel terribly sorry for any children whose parents don't know that about them.

And, my dog stinks. Anyone else with dogs, do you find that your dog gives off a special stink when they are happy? My kids call it the 'happy stink,' it is absolutely unmissable. It is also a truly vile odour. I just got a whiff of the small dog, currently curled up under my bed table, cutting off circulation to my legs and in utter bliss being in her 'cave' on my bed. Heaven help me.

And on that note, I give up on trying to hear myself think, since I can't anyway.

I'm listening to S1 and D3 playing 'Questions,' D2 tuning her guitar, the rest of the family arguing and sticking in their various 2c - the quiet joys of Shabbos in my home.

:: Yesterdays : Tomorrows ::

~~~Last Five Entries~~~
Hi and goodbye - 2010-10-15
I'll be moving on - 2010-10-10
Gold membership and stuff - 2010-10-10
Decisions, decisions - 2010-10-07
Days to go - 2010-10-06