I'm grateful for: shelves in the kitchen, and D3's stuff in D3's room; older children; a god nap before supper.

The new kitchen shelves are in. Of course it didn't occur to me to take photos before and after, until WAY later. I'm just not going to bother, now. Maybe when TH gets the final cabinets built I'll try and photograph that. D3's room is pretty well finished now, too. She took the old shelves that were in the kitchen, that were actually built several years ago to be in the kids' room to help hold their stuff. Got them all cleaned off and moved into her room and her stuff put away. Now none of her stuff is in my room or S1's room, its all in her room. It look pretty good. Something else I wish I wouldn't thought to photograph. Oh, well.

Other than that, a pretty non-productive day. Not much I can do with only one working arm, and I can't even do that right now, 'cause it's that time of the month and I'm spending hours out of each day in the bathroom. Thus avoiding tmi, but for anyone who doesn't understand how that can be, well, too bad. It just isn't something that flows smoothly for me, pardon the pun.

At the end of every half-hour trip to the loo, I then am so exhausted I have to collapse for a while. So, nothing much accomplished today.

It still feels like rather a good day. I got my book back from S2. He borrowed it when he was going to be on base for two weeks straight - I figured he needed it more than I did - but I've missed it terribly.

It's called World Cup Wishes, and it is a terrific book. I don't even know if it is available outside of Israel? I mean, it must be, since it's been translated into English. It's about four friends since childhood - and that's basically it, really. I mean, stuff happens, of course, and that stuff is the stuff life is made of. So I'm a lousy book reviewer, such is life. If one wanted to get an angle on what it's like to be a young, urban Israeli of a particular generation (younger than mine) then this is quite a good book. The characters are people you care about and a whole lot of stuff you can't imagine if you didn't live here in little bits and pieces throughout.

I've been reading it quite a bit. Generally it is hard for me to manage to read much - I can't concentrate, my house is too full and busy and people are always asking me questions and wanting my attention. It's why I spend so much time on the computer - *this* I can do with all the many interruptions. Reading, not so much. But I managed it today. It's been great.

I also had a very nice talk with MMF. We've been talking almost every night for a while now. She got sick from eating a rich chocolate cake with cherry jam filling and had to get off the phone. It sounds delicious but I think I'll skip it given the opportunity.

What I *really* want is a My Pi deep-dish pizza, along with a caesar salad from Pizzeri@ Uno and some H@agen D@zs honey-vanilla (even though they don't make that one any more). Okay, I'll settle for pizza from Gen0's East, deep dish with a cornbread crust, if I have to. *sigh*

I used to work downtown in Chicago walking distance from Pizzeria Due. Originally there was the Pizzeria Uno, and the second one was Due. Only then when they became a chain they were all Uno. Which makes no sense. But then, no one asked me.

I also used to live walking distance from My Pi on Sheridan road near Loyola University. There was also the Volume II bookstore, so I had lots of reason to walk that way. In my opinion no pizza ever compared with My Pi's deep dish, although the one with the cornbread crust held it's own in a category all it's own. You had to eat it with a knife and fork. SO good.

When I went to school for computer programming I was walking distance from there.

I don't miss living in Chicago. I do miss the lake. And the shopping. And the museums. And the lake. And the food. Oh, the food.

I had no idea how spoiled I was until I moved away. I was used to go down to the butcher shop for my meat. This (kosher) butcher would go pick out a cow, kasher it, butcher it, and have the meat in the cases generally within 24 hours.

When we first moved to New England, I went to the kosher butcher in town, and I kept looking for the good meat. Where was there good meat? I'm not kidding, if there was anything there that was less than a month from going moo, I'd find it hard to believe. I was *so* spoiled. I *liked* being spoiled that way.

I remember corn, too. In season corn on the cob that was basically being given away. $.10 an ear wasn't unheard of, and if you went to any of the corn boils it was free, freshly cooked usually with local butter.

In New England, okay, fresh beef wasn't easily had, but we had all the good home-grown and home produced stuff. Maple syrup and strawberries and asparagus and apples right off the tree. We were pretty much vegetarian then, so the meat wasn't an issue. And we baked our own bread from flour we ground ourselves - whole grain breads not like the fluff they call 'whole wheat' in the supermarket. OR in the bakeries, sad to say.

Now - now I think wistfully of Arm0ur chili with beans. No, seriously. the meat here - well, it's not so good. And there is nothing like a good restaurant or even fast food. Although there *is* kosher McDon@ld's. We don't go there much, but it was a hoot when we first found them, you know?

What would I miss (in terms of food) if we left here? Hummus I suppose. And really good pita. Now that we know how, we can make falafel anywhere and the falafel TH makes is just utterly superior to what we can buy, at least locally. I'd miss shawarma maybe, and techina, which no one seems to make, at least in the U.S., that I would recognize as techina.

I know - I'd miss the dried kiwi. I just utterly LOVE dried kiwi. Who knew? I didn't, until I moved here and had some. I'm like an addict in that once I start eating it I just can't stop.

I've no idea why I'm going on about food like this. Oh, yes, I remember. Well, I can bake a chocolate cake that won't make anyone sick.

I did one of those surveys that the periodically ask people 'how many boxes of baking mixes have you bought in the last year?' Baking out of a box? I don't think so. These days, D3 does all the baking, but I taught her all she knows so I can still take some credit. All with whole grain flour and non-processed sweeteners. I won't say no sugar, all sweeteners have some sort of sugar (at least the ones that are real food). And utterly delicious. This weekend she baked chocolate cupcakes. And put on vanilla frosting. Okay, the frosting came out of a can. It's one of the things I never go the knack of - I can do chocolate frosting beautifully. But anyway. Changing the subject...

To... no much. I guess I'm going to stop now. It's late enough, after 2am. I'm not going for another late night like last night, Hashem willing.

Be well, everyone, I hope all is good by you as it is by me. Oh, one last piece of news - it rained today! Not here in the Negev, I'll grant you, but - Rain! In June! I think I love climate change.

I'm listening to Three Dog Night: Pieces of April

:: 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