How I became a statistic

Most of our plans for this summer involved being up north, plans which were cancelled by the Hezbollah and our own government. To make up for it, Friday we went out as a family to the Middle Teen's new obsession--bowling.

Here's the Oldest Teen (Happy Birthday, Boy!--19 years old today) trying to steer the ball with his body



On the way home the Oldest Teen was driving (gotta let him get all the practice he can) when a woman coming out of the local Arab town lost control of her car coming into what we locals call Death Curve. Oldest Teen did an amazing job of driving, but we still came away with a lovely souvenir

but you should see the other guy

She got taken to the hospital; we only had bumps and bruises.

What was odd (#1) is that the secod car she hit belongs to another car in our town, so local gossip had it that we'd gotten into an accident with our neighbors. All Shabbat both families were doing damage control to squash those stories.
What was odd (#2) was the reactions. The neighbor's car was being driven by their 20 year old, and when she got out of the car she stretched out on the road, in shock. The Oldest Teen got out of our car, looked around, and decalred, "Did you see that? It was just like Fast & Furious 3! Woohoo!" Boys...

Random Ramblings fromRecent Royalty

Diane's alliteration deserves some -- well, something in return. Thanks to Anne for leading me to the game. In truth, it was the "not Russia at the time of his birth" that led me to identify G.I. Gurdjieff as the Dead Guy.

Speaking of man and mustaches, I ought to write something about the Lebanese mud we're getting pulled into like something out of a Brer Rabbit story. The politicians will never be able to get their hands clean. But really, what could I say about Amir Peretz that I didn't knit before the elections?

There's a protest boycott being organized by e-mail for tomorrow night. Organizers are (in Hebrew) asking people not to watch tomorrow night's news in protest over the way loose lipped reporters, out chasing scoops, helped Hizballah pinpoint where their missles fell. FYI--I'm not participating because I haven't actually watched any of the news programs since early 2001. There's only so much I can take being called all sorts of names, and with three teens in the house, I don't need Yonit and Chaim taking their turns, too.

Instead, I'll knit. Amazingly, I actually finished something. Typically, it's from a book everyone else discovered months ago (which is dog years in internet time).

The Mason-Dixon felt basket in its natural state:


Drying:


And in use:

(I think I'm going to have a William Carlos Williams moment...)

Eye Candy Friday

I always seem to forget to post somethin, which is why the button isn't up on my sidebar.

This is a photo of the artwork for The Spouse's Rosh HaShanah card.

Commuter Family

So, it's time to shape up my fall travel plans. And just in time, I find out that the clinical trial I've been cat-wrangling is almost certainly a go, so I'm going to be spending a lot of time in Greece.

Fall travel? More like living away from home most of this year. Problem is, so will The Spouse -- but not The Youngest Teen. Time to start cobbling together people she can stay with. Thank G-d Greece is close enough that I'll be able to come home weekends.

Time to start learning Greek.

I can't tell if I'm excited or terrified. Oh, well, at least I know where the LYS in Athens is (and they speak English -- and have sock yarn).

National Knitting Service

Proof positive The Middle Teen is moving out prior to what's basically the first of three years of national service:



She's cleaning her room. (As opposed to the Oldest Teen, who basically moved out 5 years ago, she's pretty much renouncing this as her home. "You'll have a guest room!" she chirped as she threw out yet another bag of trash. I refrained from reminding her that the fact that she's finally cleaning her room, after 17 years, doesn't mean I've seen the last of her.) She's dismantling her stash and handed me a pile of dishcloth cotton.

The little stinker is keeping her Trekking, Cotton Ease, and handspun.

No politics inside. No real knitting, either.

No politics, because I think Shoshi Greenfield said everything that needs to be said. We don't have enough sons to send them off to die in a war the government doesn't want to win.

Instead, a work rant.

I don't think I've ever talked about my work, even though I work over 40 hours a week. Suffice it to say that I love my work conditions, my work less so, because several of the topics I have to deal with are -- well, imagine Hassan Nasrallah working for Jewish National Fund.

But my work conditions--ah, what a joy. Even though I'm on call every day which isn't Sabbath or a holiday, from 6 am to 10:30 pm, weekends and legal holidays included. Even though I get no vacation. What other job in the world would allow me to go travelling with the Spouse for 3-4 months a year? At what other job would I be facing my current dillema--to go to Toronto with the Spouse in late October or go to Greece alone? (In truth, I'm giong to try to swing it so I can do both.)

But right now I'm doing trial management, and trying to get a protocol together. Two camps are involved, and I have to get one camp to approve the protocol, then go to the other, get a new version of the protocol approved, go back to the first group -- over and over.

Things that got settled on Monday were once again questioned on Tuesday. I answered everyone's objections, patiently, calmly, and got everyone to agree with me. Then on Wednesday the questions and objections came up again. I answered everyone's objections, patiently, calmly, and got everyone to agree with me. Who wants to place bets on what'll be in my inbox come Thursday morning?

I want my boss to change my job title to Mommy. This way I can set up an autoresponder reading

No.

Why not?

Because I'm the Mommy, and I said no.

I'm going to ask my boss to change my jo

The Lion sleeps tonight

Follow up to yesterday's post.

First off, mitpachat tip to Jerusalem Knitting and Craft, who had the link on her blog yesterday.

Yes, I understand why people would use acrylic when sending gifts/charity to others, to people who may not have the time/desire/know-how to care for natural fibers properly. When I gift, even I do it in acrylic 99% of the time because of future care. But still, somehow the thought of (as I said) Arab petrochemical byproducts to victims of Arab terror just rubs me wrong.

And as for Lion Brand, I realized that even I have a sleeping Lion in my stash.



Oddly enough, through no planning on my part, it's in a box full of sock yarn I don't like wearing--the rest is Sockotta. Like gravitates to like.

Does this mean I have to start liking Lion Brand?

Hello, people coming in from Overheard in New York. Unfortunately, Overheard in Israel is a lot less entertaining...

Madison, NJ women knit for victims of terror. Can I be catty? Oh, sure I can--this is my blog. I am *so* happy to see that they started this a year ago, for terror victims. I feel as bad for the people of Haifa and Tzefat as anyone, but where was all the national unity when people in Yesha were getting shot at, gunned down in their own homes, kidnapped, or bombed? Where was the national unity when Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Hadera were having Arabs blow themselves up downtown? Where was the national unity when Shederot was/is getting bombed? I'm glad to see that, though this group is getting publicity now, they've been active before it was quite so fashionable. It's awfully nice of Lion Brand to donate the yarn, and I know many, many Israelis are happy with acrylic (gioven what's in the yarn stores here, most of them simply don't know better) but I hope a lot of the yarn being knitted for distribution here is the good stuff. Because really, sending petrochemicals made from Arab oil byproducts to victims of Arab terror--no.

Saturday night I was listening the rad. A man from Haifa had taken shelter in Hadera, which itself was attacked on Friday. Mr. Haifa tells the reporter: "Well, now the people in Hadera know how we feel." And all I could think of was The Middle Teen's next-year principal, telling the parents "We haven't had a terror attack in forever--the last one was in the middle of Sukkot" (10 months ago). And some guy from Haifa thinks he can teach the Haderans something? Teach his grandmother to suck eggs, more like.

When knitting gets political

One-Year Anniversary of Expulsion of 9,000 Jews

(Pattern courtesy of Monthly Dishcloth KAL.)

The last honest Israeli politician

The JBlogosphere is buzzing over Prime Minister Olmert's statement that we must win the war in the North so that we can acomplish the much more important goal of giving the Arabs Judea and Samaria.

Jameel (eee, it always seems like I'm picking on him. I'm not, really, it's just that he expresses things better than your avereage blogger, so he's very quotable) wrote:

And you know what? Olmert is entitled to his political opinion as Prime Minister, and he is even entitled to try and push his plan forward.

However, to do so now, during wartime, intentionally targeting the settlers who are showing incredible loyalty to a State which turned it's back on them last year, who are fighting as one in a war of survival for the Jewish State -- shows incredible cynicism, small mindedness, and I'm sad to say...evil.

Interviews with Knesset members from NRP/NU echoed the sentiments -- Olmert can keep on planning, but he should shut up until the war's over.

My question is--why?

So that we (the settlers/the national religious camp which supports us) can go up and die to defend the country? Olmert is being remarkably honest, especially for a politician. Launch the announcement and damn the consequences.

When will the national religious camp stop closing its eyes and pretending everything's all right until someone shows up on the doorstep with an eviction notice? If you're going up north to serve, if you're going to throw yourself on a grenade to save others, you should at least know that you're doing it to throw your own wife and kids out of your home, not for some idealistic hope of making Israel safe.

Does anyone think that telling Olmert to shut up until the war's over will change his mind about carving the heart out of the country? If not, why shouldn't we encourage the emperor to walk around in his new clothes? It'll give us a fighting chance of showing the country and the world what lousy taste he has in tailors.

Knitting as a metaphor: