Not-so-random facts

1. The Oldest Teen has finally heard from the army about his placement. He's been accepted into the Atudah program (which is basically ROTC), to study aerospace engineering at the Technion. And to think that this is the child the regional council wanted to force into special ed...

2. Word to the wise: never be the first woman in my town to give birth in a new year. Last year the first birth was quadruplets, this year it was only twins.

3. Only in a small town department: Second day of Rosh Hashanah and I'm awake, but still in bed. The Teens have already gone to synagogue and The Spouse is putting on his shoes and socks, getting ready to leave. Our bedroom door is opened up by someone calling The Spouse's name. "What, this isn't TheNextDoorNeighbors' House?" she asks, a little angrily. "No, it's ours. TheNextDoorNeighbors live next door," The Spouse replies while I sink under the covers, trying to hide from TwoDoorsDownNeighbor's mother, who was supposed to go to NextDoorNeighbor and wake her grandson (who has the same first name as The Spouse) for prayers. Think this will stop my neighbors who are always telling me how far-too-American looking my house is, when their's (they claim) isn't?

4. I'm working my way through the Mason-Dixon book; I've already knitted more from this book than from any other knitting book I own. I've done many, many felted baskets and am now working on a crop of baby kimonos (babies are SmallTown's national product). This is done in garter stitch and only one tie (never did like the look of two) in Hibiscus Yarns hand-dyed:


5. To the person who got here by Googling Jewish men allowed to knit -- whyever not?

6. I'm not sure if I find this deeply cool or deeply disturbing. There's a new mixtape CD DJ Handler presents Y-Love, and one clip is on Y-Love's My Space site. So's a warning against listen to that clip, because some of the samples include female singers. (a)If it's forbidden to listen to them, why put them up on the site? (b)How many Charedi mean who'd obey the warning are actually trawling My Space?

7. G'mar Tov!

5766 FOs and KALs

Multi-direcional scarf Bad Juju Cinxia Shadow socks pink tank top Glad Ragg socks Holly Jaywalker socks Astra one-ball baby sweater Felted Flamingo Sixth Sense socks Broadripple socks Pomatomus socks Skully sweater felted baskets (7)

The habit of silence

Once you get into the habit of not speaking much, it's hard to start again. You either gush (as at Knit Out Israel) or stay too silent (as on this blog).

You know things are bad when you listen to Sondheim to cheer you up.

Finished Business:

1. Knit Out Israel. Read about it at Amy's blog (her ice cream socks looked yummy enough to eat). Gourmet Yarn Shop would be OK for a US yarn shop; that it's in Israel at all is pretty darn amazing. Orly's got glass knitting needles and will soon have the short Bryspun dpns, and she seems pretty open to carrying just about anything her clientele will buy. Works for me.

I think I shocked the British ladies. They start talking about odd balls who have multiple WIPs, and I pull out the MD felted basket, an MD baby kimono, a garterlac placemat and Amir Peretz -- I spared them all the ER trip and did not pull out the other MD baby kimono, the sock, and the kumihimo braid. And I didn't even bring the shawl in progress, the dishcloth, the linen ties, or the other pair of socks. Nothing succeeds like excess.

2. Got our new car today. It's a case of second verse same as the first; another white Hyundai Getz, but this time a 2005 model instead of 2003.

3. It's a small world. Our Rosh Hashanah guests are bringing a guest of their own, an American whom the Oldest Teen knows from his summer university classes. A professor he may have next semester (if the army sends him to the university he's been in) has a son who used to live next door to our guests (down the block from us). The Middle Teen's housemate turns out to be a cousin of the Middle Teen's 5-6 grade teacher. I think we're getting to the point where we're reaching a critical mass of connections.

Have a sweet new year. Anyone wants some killer honey cake?

Touching history

Today, for the first time since 1942, rabbis were ordained in Germany. And of all the scribes and calligraphers in the world, who was chosen to write their ordination certificates? The Spouse! I'm so proud of him for having his hand (literally) in a piece of history. Here's a video of some of the ceremony; The Spouse's work is inside the tubes being handed to the new rabbis.

9/11

Today is not the yahrzeit, but since today is the day the 2996 tributes are going up, here are links to tributes to the two (thank G-d, only two) 9/11 victims we knew personally.

Shimmy Biegeleisen
During high school, The Spouse worked in (or rather bartered in--he took most of his wages in books) the Biegeleisen family seforim store. When we're back in New York, we still stop by the new location in Boro Park, and it's still our go-to store for hard to find Judaica, be it old books or books which one needs a personal reference to be allowed to buy. (Yes, true story.) With one thing and the other, and living in the neighborhood, you get to know nearly everyone, like The Spouse got to know Shimmy.

Shimmy, HY"D, had the zechus of letting his family know where he was, so when the initial psak came out, declaring every unaccounted-for person who was known to be in the Towers at the time of the crash halachically dead, hsi family could begin the process of mourning.

Eliyahu Furman
The Furman family, though, did got get that privilege and had to wait long months until Chavie (my sister-in-law's adopted sister) was declared a widow and not an agunah. I remember seeing her and the kids at our mutual neice's wedding that December, how heartbreaking it was to see those nearly-perfect little angels and realize I was seeing part of their lives that Eliyahu never would.

May G-d avenge their blood.

As a family we were lucky. One of The Spouse's nephews worked in the Towers and was just about to get on an elevator when the first plane hit. He freaked out so badly, just from the sound, that he ran from the building, past the first bridge to Brooklyn and caught himself only at the second. If it had hit one minute later... ut it's hard, thinking abuot hashgacha pratit, because if it was what saved Ari, wasn't it also what doomed Shimmy and Eliyahu?

When knitting gets political pt 2

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:

To my friends from Karnei/Ginot/Kedumim

Riddle me this.

On Wednesday, the army sniffs out a terrorist in the village outside Kedumim.

Thursday, between Karnei and Emmmanuel, the army finds the burnt corpse of Yakir resident Dr. Daniel Yaakovi HY"D.

Today, you're demonstrating on the Azun road in protest over the recent spate of stone throwings.

And you won't let your kids tramp in my area because it's dangerous?!?

A few links and some tests

Giyus.org has a Windows based desktop application which will make giving knee jerk support to the Israeli government's decisions easy.

Wait, wait, hold your fire. I know I'm sounding horribly Leftist. I don't automatically supoort the Israeli government's decisions in this war? Well, no, of course not. The soldiers killed yesterday died because the Israeli government decided not to bomb and to send in ground troops instead. Protect Leban civilians who have been told to get out (and who know the consequences for not getting out), who have been given adequate time to get out, and the Hezballah terrorists lurking among them or protect Israeli soldiers?

And the day before, with Olmert going to visit people kicked out of Gaza last year and telling them, "You think you should still be in Gaza. The government thinks not, and we're right, so we're going to screw the country by giving the West Bank to terrorists, too!" (OK, he didn't put it that way exactly, but come on. We left Lebanon and got more terror. We left Gaza and got more terror, You'd have to be an idiot not to think the same thing will happen out here. Even Ha'Aretz says so.)

But whether you approve of what the givernment is doing, the soldiers still need support. Send them a hug and Elite will send them some chocolate.

So, those tests the Teens took? The Middle Teen flunked her driving test, much to the relief of everyone but her. (Overconfident teenager + car = bad idea. A little humbling is a good thing.) The Oldest Teen won't know his results until September, but he thinks he did well and showed that he has leadership ability without being pushy. The Youngest Teen has been sent to the plastic surgeon to remove a beauty mark at the top of her chest (quoth the doctor: "You'll want a pretty scar for when you wear low cut blouses." Uh huh. Someone explain to me why the local doctors think the Russians are their only customers and learn nothing about their other market share, the religious settlers?) and the dietician wants her to live on diet soda, black bread, and radishes. I'm just surprised she wasn't given a daily vodka ration, too.

Yestarday we took the Middle Teen to interview in the school where she may be volunteering for 12th grade. She fell in love with the principal, and if she gets accepted there she will have private tutors for three subjects: chemistry (which is her major but is not offered--a Russian chemistry teacher working in Hadera as a lab tech tutored the Shelef volunteer girl last year), history (no one in the school is taking five units as she is) and math (her school does the 003 & 005 tests by the end of 11th grade, everyone else does the 003 & 004, so they'll all be learning for 005 and she needs to learn 005, but since tutoring goes more quickly than a classroom, she may even be able to do 5 units instead of her projected 4). She won't be able to do her Bible thesis, so she'll have to make up last year's work (Bible's an easy subject for her, though) and she's already finished English, so her classroom time will be limited. Works for me!

And--lookee here, no visualization exercises for you today. (Well, if you insist, you can keep visualizing that black stockinette sweater. By next week I may actually have something worth showing). But here's some spinning--2 ply, 14wpi. Not finished yet, because I still ahve to ply it with a strand of blue mettalic, but that'll be done once the whole kilo is spun up, and this stuff's a bitch to spin: full of VM and neps. Never, ever will I buy rovings off Ebay again.

We interrupt this war

Even in the middle of war normal life goes on, especially when you're far (at least an hour) from the battlefront.

Tomorrow is a crucial day in the Moze household. The Oldest Teen is taking a day off of his first aid course to interview for an ROTC program with the army, the Middle Teen is taking her driving test, and the Youngest Teen has a slew of doctors' appointments. I don't know how any of these things will go: the prep course which Oldest took told him he's ready to go and has a good shot, as long as the army will accept people from our area. He has no police record (I taught him long before last year to pretend to be a tourist when picked up at a demonstration), has good grades, his hearing problem is unnoticable in an interview situation, he's personable and has leadership qualities. Really, the only reason I could see him being rejected is his address, which just--let's call things as they are--sucks. And not in a good way.

The Middle Teen--well, she drives well. Too well. She's just an accident waiting to happen with her over confidence, but when she had to do a lesson with a substitute driving teacher on Sunday she said her legs turned to jelly, so we'll have to see what side of the bed she (and the tester, for that matter) wake up on tomorrow.

The Youngest Teen? Well, no one will listen to me, so she's been going for tests on her achy stomach for nearly a year. Clues? The ache gets worse when both The Spouse and I are out of the country. The giorl could live on corn schnitzels and pasta. Mom's diagnosis? Missing her parents and bad nutrition when on her own. But will the doctors listen to me? Ha!

Wednesday the Middle Teen has an interview in what I assume will be her new school. Officially she hasn't been told which city she'll be volunteering/living in, but since the high school in Hadera called her in for an interview and we've heard nothing from Beit Shemesh, I'm assuming Hadera's the choice. Now if only Nassrallah would go away...

Where's PETA when you need them?

Israeli TV channel 2 reported that dozens of cows were killed by a Katyusha attack. I'm expecting worldwide protests to begin shortly. Of course, it will all turn out to have been Israel's fault.

Knitting: Black, back, knit knit knit knit. Black, black, knit knit knit knit knit.