You will not believe what I answered when Liat asked me what was for dinner the other day

"Hamburgers, Be'ezrat Hashem".

Which sent Isaac and her into peels of laughter as we drove home from work.

I looked at them both, with one eyebrow raised. (Well, I can't do the one-eyebrow-raise, but if I could, that would have been the expression on my face).

"What exactly is so funny about hamburgers?"

They looked at each other through the rear-view mirror and again starting laughing.

"It's not the hamburgers, mommy, it's the be'ezrat Hashem".

Yeah, well. In recent years I've been pretty into the "Baruch Hashem [Thank G-d]" and "Be'ezrat Hashem [with G-d's Help]" thing. But I usually used those words in regard to health (I never take that for granted) and for future plans (as in Be'ezrat Hashem the kids'll go to camp this summer). I guess it struck Isaac and Liat funny that I used it in regard to a dinner that was a couple of hours away. They think I'm totally being influenced by the charedi environment where I work. And they're probably not wrong. I've realized over there that you can't answer the question "how are you?" without saying "fine, Baruch Hashem". G-d permeates every sentence they speak.

What my charedi co-workers don't realize, but my family does, is that I also have a tendency to use foul language. I've always tried not to use that language in front of the kids, but as they get older, it does slip out more. It's something I should work on, I know, but it can be so satisfying in certain situations (such as when you drop the pot of chicken soup all over the floor or when someone cuts you off on the road). Oddly, sometimes I find myself using both foul language and Baruch Hashem in almost the same sentence....

Sigh. You all probably think so much less of me now.

(BTW, my friend Gila has also written about her tendency to use those words (the Be'ezrat Hashem, not the foul language). I'd link up to the exact post, but like me, she doesn't index her posts).

Men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses* or , thoughts on middle aging

I went to the eye doctor today. What a nice guy. It was my first check-up since making Aliyah. At my last appointment (right before we moved) the doctor said that my vision could use correcting, but that I was fine without glasses.

Well apparently in 18 months, things have gone downhill, because at today's appointment, the doctor wondered out loud how I was managing to drive at night. Yikes.

Then he proceeded to tell me that I have dry eyeballs. That's due to allergies, very likely to Ozzy the wonder dog. (My kids have already informed me that if they have to make a choice they're just not sure who they'd pick. I'm not to worried; Ozzy can't drive them to the mall.)

Actually, I have no thoughts at all on middle aging. Just turn up the volume on the TV, please. I can't hear it.

*To his credit, Isaac says this isn't true.



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My friend SuperRaizy, is hosting the Superhero edition of Haveil Havalim this week and my other friend Ilana-Davita is hosting the Kosher Cooking Carnival. It's good to have friends in high places.

Hey, I don't make the news; I just report it*

On my way home from work today I heard Reshet Bet reporting that Muammar Qaddafi has proposed a one-state solution, saying that it would be virtually impossible to manage two divided states. He proposed that the new state be called "Isratine".

Of course, I snickered at this: the Palestinians would never go for this--they'd want the state to be called "Palestael".

The radio quoted the source as the New York Times, so I decided to check it out. It turns out that Qaddafi himself wrote the op-ed piece for the Times. Who knew the man could write English? That in it of itself was a surprise. And this excerpt in particular was interesting to me:

The basis for the modern State of Israel is the persecution of the Jewish people, which is undeniable. The Jews have been held captive, massacred, disadvantaged in every possible fashion by the Egyptians, the Romans, the English, the Russians, the Babylonians, the Canaanites and, most recently, the Germans under Hitler. The Jewish people want and deserve their homeland.

Huh? And then there's this:

A two-state solution will create an unacceptable security threat to Israel. An armed Arab state, presumably in the West Bank, would give Israel less than 10 miles of strategic depth at its narrowest point.

What's gotten into Qaddafi? What's next, Ahmani-should-be-dead coming to pray at the Kotel?

Look, let's not crazy here. The article, though well-written, is inherently flawed. The basis of our state is not our persecution, but rather our Right of Return to a land that we were exiled from. Most of the article's one-state premise is based on solving the Palestinian "refugee" problem, by absorbing them into Isratine; there goes the Jewish state.

But wow, I'm still scratching my head over Mr. Qaddafi.


Would you want this man to lead your country?



*I've always wanted to say that line.

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West Bank Mama is doing a round-up of posts on the war by olim. She says:

Here and there I read posts by olim chadashim (new immigrants to Israel) about their feelings during the war - some expressing their ambivalence about being here in Israel but not really “taking part” in the war.

I want to do a roundup of posts on this topic. Whether or not you have been living here in Israel for three months or thirty years - please send me your posts about how you felt during the last three weeks.

Go here to submit your post.

Welcome, Mr. President, and good luck

So we now have a 44th president of the United States. Of course this is a historic moment, as is being pointed out everywhere. It's a big deal to have a black president, and Barack is indeed a charismatic person. He probably has a chance at being a great president. Time will tell.

I'm about to say something extremely unpopular. I'll say it quickly and then I'm going to hide somewhere until it's safe to come out again, maybe in a couple of weeks. I know it has become very cool to totally trash President Bush, even amongst the people who once supported him.







Say what you will, but I personally believe this: this was a man who always stood by his convictions. He believed in what he was doing and in a strong America.




May America stay strong under Obama's watch. I wish him success.

But now for what's really important:

Which designer is Michelle wearing to the inaugural ball?

Enquiring minds want to know.

A very special birthday, and my 200th post

Please join me in wishing my favorite dog, Ozzy, a happy 3rd birthday. Since in dog years he's finally legal, he's planned a big bash at a local bar where he and his buddies will get rip-roaring drunk. He deserves it. After all, it's a dog's life. (But he's not getting the keys to the car.)


I guess he's also taking up smoking. Sigh. Well, he's under lots of stress lately, what with a war going on and all.

And, yes, I've reached a milestone of sorts: my 200th post. I was going to ponder yet again, what blogging has done for me, but that stuff is boring and Shabbat is starting soon.

But in honor of the occasion here are the links to some of my own personal favorite posts:

I smell a rat, or how much I love my car (I really do).

Uh-oh, which reminds I have to go on a diet.

Gratitude, because I'll never forget.

These pictures are not for the weak of heart, where my friend NW almost called the PETA people on me.

It's my first war and I'll cry if I want to, my most recent post.

Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Shabbat Shalom!

Please, G-d, help them find him before it's to late

Where is Gilad?

Apparently a rumor went around this afternoon that Gilad Shalit has been found. To everyone's sorrow it was indeed just a rumor.

There is talk of a cease-fire. I pray that Israel negotiates that with strength, and doesn't accept some ridiculous deal because of world pressure and anti-semitism. And I hope that one of the provisions is the release of Gilad.



This graffiti was sprawled on a giant-armored tractor called a "D9". Their job is to go in and clear the path for the incoming troops. Translation: Gilad, we are on our way to you ([from] Adi and Dudu). (I got this from Jameel, who got it from Rafi G.'s Life in Israel).

May Gilad and all our other soldiers in captivity be brought home swiftly and safely!



UPDATE (in response to a comment from Leora):

She wrote: I posted a ReTweet of Rafi's post this morning (he is just learning Twitter), and I got this tweet in return:
"so the israeli soldiers want to rescue ONE dead soldier so they kill 300 kids? #gaza".

I know this is preaching to the chior, but (duh) Israel did not send in the IDF to rescue Gilad. It is ludicrous to even think that. Do I need to even say this? The IDF went into Gaza because for the past eight years Hamas has been lobbing missiles into Israel, killing and maiming, and terrorizing our Southern cities. That the world thinks that we do not have the right to defend and protect ourselves boggles the mind. And guess what world? You're just going to have live with that, much as it irritates you.

I doubt that rescuing Gilad was a primary military objective (although if he was MY father, husband or son, I'd want it to be), but while our soldiers are there, you can bet they are thinking of him and hoping to find him. Maybe some are even actively looking for him.

And that would be okeey-dokeey with me.

Here's who I've been sleeping with lately

I know it's a terribly unflattering picture, but I couldn't help going for the (very) cheap laugh.

And L-rd knows, I could use a laugh what with all the anti-semitic venom being spewed everywhere. I'm not even going to bother linking to those videos and pictures because they are all over the web. If you've missed them, you either live under a rock or are purposely avoiding them.

What it boils down to is this: the world can barely tolerate a down-trodden, beaten-up, emaciated Jew with a number on his arm. But what they really abhor is a Jew defending himself.

That's really what this is all about.

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Go see Jack for Haveil Havalim 200 and all his Gaza war round-ups.