Kishkashta

If a blog falls in the forest and nobody is there to read about it...

2007-03-09T22:57:00.000+11:00

Just in case someone stumbles here and wonders what happened, here's a summary of what's going on in my life at the moment:
1. My best friend is battling breast cancer. I'm spending most of my spare time helping her in any way I can: talking, cooking, babysitting, whatever I can.
2. We're buying a house and spending lots of time house hunting. And,
3. I'm pregnant.
All this on top of regular full-time work, raising a toddler, etc.
Long story short, I have plenty going on in my real life right now and I just don't have time for an online life too. It's nice to be back in the real world 100% anyway.
If things ever quiet down enough that I actually get bored, who knows? Maybe I'll blog again.
I'm siiiiinging in the wind....

Summary

2007-01-24T22:46:00.000+11:00

I've been rather busy the last few days. I don't really have much time to blog, so I'll do it in bullet points:
1. No water at the "tzimmer" (guest house) for 4 days.
2. Sick child with a fever of 39.5 degrees C.
3. Sick and tired MamaWombat packs everything and moves to expensive hotel at Hadassah.
4. Hotel is awesome. Hot water! Clean beds! Towels that don't stink of cigarette smoke! Woohoo!
5. Breakfast is included.
6. Tzimmer owner not only doesn't reimburse for 4 days without water, but wants to charge an extra 4 days because "the electricity bill was really high". I don't even know how to respond, I'm so stunned. Maybe it was high because the central heating didn't work half the time, the roof leaked, and the doors and windows don't close properly, so we had to use the a/c a lot??
Summary: One more week here without hubby will not be easy but now that we're out of the tzimmer-from-hell, and Junior seems to be getting better, it should be ok.

Food, glorious food

2007-01-17T01:01:00.000+11:00

Currently sipping a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, I wanted to tell you about some of the wonderful food experiences I've had here in Israel.
The food in general is just great - simple, but yummy and usually rather healthy as well. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits; fresh, thick pita bread; amazing olive oil.
We were rather disappointed by the food at the Dead Sea hotel. I remembered Israeli hotel breakfasts as huge feasts, but the food there was more like army dining room food. The problem is, there's nowhere else to buy food there in the middle of the desert. And on a Saturday there's no cooked food either!
But on our drive back we stopped at a little place next to a gas station. There were lots of Harleys parked outside. The food at Muza was just awesome and we ate enough to make up for the 3 days of meager fare at the hotel.The other day we had breakfast at Bar BaHar. No, it's not a bar, it's a restaurant overlooking the Jerusalem hills with a few walking tracks in the surrounding forests. The food was sumptuous: freshly baked home-made pita bread, fresh salad, yummy cheese with zaatar, fresh herbs from the garden. The coffee was excellent too.
With all this great food, I'm surprised I haven't gained a few extra kilos!

Trees

2007-01-16T23:33:00.000+11:00

An Ein Gedi tree
Almonds and a weird lemon in Sataf:

Dead Sea pics

2007-01-16T23:22:00.000+11:00

Last weekend I surprised hubby for his birthday. My mom agreed to babysit for the entire weekend and we drove to the Dead Sea for a relaxing stay at hotel + spa.
Here are the Kumran caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found:

This is on the way to the caves: in the centre of the picture you can see a person rappeling down the cliff. Some more people are waiting at the bottom.Here's a view to the Dead Sea with some of the many hot-houses where fruits and veggies are grown.
Driving to Masada:

From Masada, at the top of the cable car ride:
Tristram birds on Masada
The view from our hotel room. The mountains are in Jordan.
The view to the other side from the hotel room.
The hotel's Dead Sea beach. The water was too cold to swim in, but they have a thermal pool of sea water that you can bob around in.
It's not easy being a Dead Sea hotel elevator door!Here's something you don't see much at the Dead Sea: a boat, stranded on the salty sand.
Heavy machinery is more common than boats.

Jerusalem pics

2007-01-16T22:58:00.000+11:00

ok, I know I owe lots of photos, so here we go.
These are from Sataf, where crops are grown on a hillside as they were in biblical times.

There are several springs and their water is channeled to the crops.
And there's Hadassah on the hill! That winding road is my daily commute.

Home?

2007-01-16T22:41:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I took hubby to the airport for his flight back to Sydney.
Junior and I are staying here for another 2 weeks.
I can't help but feel that the only thing that I really miss in Sydney now, is hubby. I would happily stay here for longer if I could. But I have a job to go back to, and Junior has his friends and routine to go back to.

It was hard yesterday, saying goodbye at the airport. But not so much because of the next 2 weeks for me; if they go by as fast as the previous month has, then it won't be any problem.
No, it was hard to see hubby say goodbye to his parents, and his brothers. I couldn't help but think of my own goodbye in two weeks. How old will Junior be when he next sees his family? It's just too hard.

I sat at lunch today, looking at the gorgeous view of the Jerusalem hills on a sunny day. I very much feel that I belong here. With all the good and bad in it, Israel is my home, and it doesn't matter how many years I live in another country.

Too many passports, too many options

2007-01-10T22:55:00.000+11:00

I have a problem.
I'm having too much fun here.

I didn't expect to enjoy myself so much here in Israel. I thought I would miss Sydney. But I don't. I miss the weather, but on gorgeous sunny days like today I don't even miss that.

My work here is 10 times more interesting. The people are genuinely friendly and warm. I'm surrounded by family and my son has all his cousins to play with and his four grandparents to spoil him. I have as much fun hanging out with my girlfriends as we did in high-school. Life is good.

Hubby is going back in a few days, and then I'll have 2 weeks here without him. I'm stressing about that already, and when I think of leaving and going back to Sydney I get all depressed.

I didn't expect this.

Add to this quite a few job offers that we both have already got at several universities here, and it all becomes too confusing.

I think it will take me a while to think things over and come to some sort of conclusion.

Zoo pics

2007-01-04T23:01:00.000+11:00

Since I got to work each day, and hubby mostly goes travelling, guess who gets to take the camera?
So today I have some pics that I didn't actually take myself, from the Jerusalem zoo.
Hanging around: can you do that??

Elephants and giraffes, oh my!

This is an area with some type of gophers or something, and kids can crawl underneath in tunnels, and stick their heads out in these bubbles to see the creatures at eye level.

Taronga zoo is not the only zoo with a view!

Cafe Hillel karma

2007-01-04T22:53:00.000+11:00

I walked over to the Hadassah shopping centre for lunch. There was a plastic bottle on the floor and a man, middle-aged, bitterly kicked it. From behind came a young man, picked up the bottle and threw it in the trash can. I could see from his apron that he's a waiter at Cafe Hillel.

Can you guess where I had lunch?

The salads at Cafe Hillel are huge... colourful and fresh. The country bread is hot from the oven, and the juice is freshly squeezed.

And the waiter got a nice tip.

Teddy

2007-01-04T00:07:00.000+11:00

Teddy Kollek died yesterday at 95. He pretty much turned Jerusalem into everything it is today, and was admired and loved by all.
Yesterday hubby and Junior went to the Jerusalem Zoo - it turns out this was one of Teddy's final projects. The eldest elephant there is named after him...

Hair stylists gone mad

2007-01-03T23:55:00.000+11:00

It had been several months since I got a haircut. My favourite salon in Sydney closed unexpectedly and I didn't know where to go. I was so busy preparing for the big trip, I told myself I'd get a haircut here in Israel instead. I saw a sign in Jerusalem, not far from work, advertising a hair stylist who specialises in short hair. So I made an appointment.

I walked in and one of the junior hair stylists immediately demanded to know how many sugars. Huh? oh. I got a lovely espresso.

I had my hair washed and sat down in front of the mirror. The Hair Stylist Extraordinaire asked "So what kind of haircut do you want?" "Well, I'd like a b.." "No, it doesn't matter because I'll cut it the way I want to anyway, I know just what to do."

And he proceeded to cut for about 5 furious minutes in a frenzied whirlwind of scissors and combs. I nearly fainted when I saw how short he was cutting. He stopped and said, "neshama, I can feel your heart beating. Do me a favor, take another sip of the coffee and calm down a bit before I continue."

My shaking hand reached for the coffee. Soon after he was done and I was sent over to a lesser mortal for final product spraying. Then I was sent to sit under this rotating heater thingy. I nearly fell asleep there until I was told that I'm done and that's it.

Overall it was quite an experience. The cut is shorter than I wanted, but it does look good and doesn't require any special styling, blow drying, or products, which is rare. I'll give it a few more days before I decide my final verdict.

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T20:34:00.000+11:00

On the day that it snowed here, I didn't have my camera with me, so no snow pics.
Here are some other pics instead.
Some bike riders on the road to Bet Shemesh:

A freaky, and freezing, cat at Hadassah. Check out the eyes!
Sunset from the bus stop:

More Old City pictures

2006-12-27T20:06:00.000+11:00

From the Migdal David museum:

On the right is the Old City, on the left behind the wall is the new.
Trinkets in the market
T-shirts in the Old City market: IDF, Palestine, Che. You can get whatever you want, and it's all made in China...

Some more pics

2006-12-27T19:57:00.000+11:00

One photo a day is just not happening here, so I'll post a bunch of photos whenever I get the chance.
Here's my morning traffic jam:
And some photos from the Old City on Christmas Day:
This funky glass sculpture looks like some kind of sea anemonie or something:
Jerusalem bagels with a little bit of zaatar in a piece of paper, yum:
An old man and a boy on an Old City rooftop:

Weather

2006-12-27T19:47:00.000+11:00

Since we got here the weather has been pleasant: chilly, but sunny. Yesterday winter started and there was a fierce thunderstorm all night. We got 100mm of rain. Today it's forecast to snow here in Jerusalem! brrr.
I would enjoy this weather more if our accommodation weren't so shoddy. The roof leaks and we have rain plinking into a pot under the stairs, and the entire bathroom is a rain forest. It even rains inside the fridge but that has nothing to do with the roof. And the heating doesn't work because the gas providors don't want to come out there in this weather. grrr... but the owner said he will be on the roof all day to fix things. I just hope he doesn't slip or get hit by lightning or something.

Shabbat

2006-12-23T03:08:00.000+11:00

Getting ready for Shabbat dinner with the in-laws, and just had to hop online while I had the chance.
Here are some pictures from the Hadassah campus and also one of Bet Shemesh from the car.
Happy 8th day of Hanukah!! Tonight we light 11 candles: 8 for Hanukah, 1 Shamash, 2 Shabbat.

Camera's back

2006-12-21T20:13:00.000+11:00

Yay I have my camera again!
Here are a few photos from last week that I finally got to download. Today I'll take a walk around campus and snap a few shots.
Here are some pics from a Lebanese restaurant in Ein Kerem:

An olive tree:

A nicely striated "upside down" coffee:

Offline with no camera

2006-12-21T03:25:00.000+11:00

It's been a week since we landed in Israel, and we haven't had a moment's rest. We've been running around a lot, visiting family and friends and working.
Hubby and Junior both have a bit of a cold that everyone seems to be suffering from here.
I love my work; I just wish I had more time to actually work. The Hadassah campus is beautiful.
Now we are visiting with the in-laws. We don't have Internet at our place up in the hills, so we take advantage of every connection we can plug our cables into (wifi doesn't work well on my laptop for some reason. I'd blame SuSE, but it doesn't work in Windows either.)
A few days ago we forgot our camera here. I have it again now; I am eager to take photos at the uni.
Meanwhile we are running around quite literally from dawn till after midnight every day, so please pardon the light posting.

Jet lag? What jet lag?

2006-12-18T18:55:00.000+11:00

Ok, the weekend's over and now it's time to get to work. I arrived at the uni 15 minutes early to give myself enough time to park and find the office. I had no idea the Hadassah campus was so huge! There's actually an internal bus service that goes around the campus. It took me a while to find the place so I was a bit late. No worries. There's construction work everywhere.

The people are very friendly and helpful. Some were relieved that I speak Hebrew, others were a bit disappointed that I was not a "real" Australian.
Today I'm getting settled: connection to the Internet, parking permit, desk. I hope to start real work tomorrow. I don't have much time after all!

The weekend was fun, we drove all around the country visiting family. Hubby and I are over the jet lag, but Junior wakes us up some time between 4 and 5 in the morning, demanding breakfast. It's pitch dark and very cold up in the mountains at 4. I suppose it will take a few more days to shake the jet lag.

So far I'm enjoying every minute here.

The last time I was visiting the homeland, 3 years ago, everyone we met told us how they would love to go to Australia (or anywhere else) and how lucky we were. Today, all of my colleagues here at uni told me that Israel is the best place to live and asked what we're doing in Australia. "What's the difference? Over there you have a bigger car, a bigger house, and people don't shove in the queue for the bus. That's it!" Well, it's a bit more complicated than that I suppose.

I promise pictures soon.

Greetings from Kazakhst... uhh, Israel

2006-12-16T00:39:00.000+11:00

Shalom from the holy land.
Sorry for not posting earlier, but our accommodation doesn't have internet, so we have to use whatever we can get when we visit people. And since wifi doesn't really work well with my Linux, this isn't always easy.

Anyway, the flight went as well as 30 hours in a tin can could possible be. We are slowly getting over the jet lag.

I'm very happy to be here and I'm really enjoying it... My feelings for this country are always so strong, whether positive or negative, I can't be ambivalent. I love the landscape. I love the people (most of the time). I love the food. I love that I can call my high school friends after not seeing them for 3 years, and we can chat as if I had never left the country, and I know that they are closer friends than any I will ever have in Australia.
I love that my son gets to play with his cousins and everyone understands him when he speaks Hebrew.

The 'tzimmer' we are living in (sort of like a self-contained apartment) is in a small village. It's cute, but has its "charms": the window that doesn't close properly, the bathroom light that switches off when you take a shower, the fridge that freezes our food. But it's up in the mountains, surrounded by pine forests, with crisp clean air. Very relaxing, but it's hard to get used to living offline!

I have no idea how many photos I owe youse, so here are a few:

From the Sydney airport shops:

Our first plane:
and a Tel Aviv cat:

And a note to my internet friends who I promised to call: I promise to call this weekend!

All packed up and ready to go

2006-12-12T10:21:00.000+11:00

well, almost.
Sorry for not posting any pictures the last couple of days; we already packed the camera's USB cable. Maybe I'll be able to post from the airport, or maybe even from the ElAl plane - if they have internet connection then it will be free of charge! cool.
We have so much stuff to schlep, it's not even funny.
In the last couple of days I've been running around in Headless Chicken Mode, but everything seems to be under some sort of control.
I called to confirm our flights. After listening to about 20 minutes of a recorded message telling me there's no need to confirm, I finally got a human to talk to. Of course, our vegetarian meals were not ordered, but Junior got a vegan meal for some reason. Why not? I only asked the travel agent about, oh, 5 times about it.
Anyway, this afternoon we're off to the airport and 24 hours after stepping on the plane, barring any unforseen circumstances, we will be landing in Israel.
Seeya!

Funky tree

2006-12-09T12:30:00.000+11:00

Stress Control

2006-12-09T09:02:00.000+11:00

Stress levels are high. At work I've been working so hard that at 4:00 I suddenly realise that I haven't left my seat all day. I was going to work today, but decided, after getting physically exhausted, to adopt an attitude of "bugger it all". I did enough, and I will work until the plane takes off. Today I can rest.

My little baby grapes are all grown up! Still not ready to eat. Oh well, the birds will have a feast.

Christmas tree

2006-12-07T07:26:00.000+11:00

2bz2p

2006-12-05T21:10:00.000+11:00

But at least I have time for a quick photo.
Some flowers from the supermarketWine and cheese?
It should have been labled "Parra", oh well. Pretty good wine though.
By the way, if you click on the photos you can see a slightly larger version.

Catching up

2006-12-03T16:36:00.000+11:00

Sorry for not posting any photos the last couple of days. It turns out the problem I've been having with Blogger is a known issue, and clearing the cache solved it. Now I can finally post pictures (having seated Junior in front of the TV so that I have some time to myself).

I went out partying the last couple of nights right after work, which is highly unusual for me. I turn into a pumpkin long before midnight, now that I have my own little alarm clock that wakes me up at 6 every morning, demanding a cup of milk.

I took pictures though.
Here's a little tube of Vegemite, made especially for travelling Aussies. It should last us the trip to Israel.

And here's a small guitar I got at KMart. I couldn't help it... I was shopping for undies (20% off!) and saw this in the bargain bin. It was marked down by about 60% because it had been returned without the box. How could I resist? Junior loves it.
It's been raining the last couple of days.

I don't think the grapes will be ready for harvest by the time we leave.

grrrr Blogger!!!

2006-12-02T18:52:00.000+11:00

Blogger is being annoying again. I can post text but I can't add photos, links etc. I promise to post pictures from the last couple of days as soon as the Blogger team fix things.

Berries

2006-11-29T21:01:00.000+11:00

Red

2006-11-28T19:19:00.001+11:00

Caterpillar

2006-11-27T21:34:00.000+11:00

Bud

2006-11-26T20:46:00.000+11:00

Roots

2006-11-25T22:24:00.000+11:00

This is yesterday's pic

2006-11-25T22:21:00.000+11:00

Gate

2006-11-23T19:50:00.001+11:00

State of denial

2006-11-23T11:00:00.000+11:00

So, you are asking yourself, why so little blogging lately?

Well, several reasons. One is that I am in some sort of denial about the impending trip to Israel. It's not that I'm totally in denial, actually I'm quite looking forward to it. It's just the time-frame that I'm not grasping very well. First it was "in a few months", then "another 6 weeks or so", and yesterday it was "about a month" until I checked my diary and saw that it's in fact less than 3 weeks. That was a shocker.

The other reason is that I'm frantically trying to get a whole bunch of things done before we go. I have a paper to write, quite a lot of research work to do and a huge report to write. And when I finally get my laptop I will have to install everything and make sure all is working. And I want to make sure I have everything working and ready to go so that I can hit the ground running when I start to work at the uni in Israel. Hubby is also scrambling to get a lot done, so that means less time for both of us for doing home-related work.

Also, since we switched to daylight savings a couple of weeks ago, Junior has been jet lagged for that one hour. This means he only goes to sleep around 9:00 instead of 8:00 like he used to. This leaves me very little time in the evening to do any blogging before I collapse in an exhausted heap on the couch at the end of the day.

Lights

2006-11-22T21:26:00.001+11:00

Shower pics

2006-11-21T22:46:00.000+11:00

If that doesn't get some traffic to the site, then I don't know what will.

Bird

2006-11-19T17:48:00.000+11:00

Sculpture by the Sea

2006-11-19T17:43:00.000+11:00

Plenty of uncovered meat at the beach in Tamarama. This sculpture is called Unveiled.

Holey tree

2006-11-17T22:48:00.000+11:00

Gumboots

2006-11-16T21:00:00.000+11:00

Today was cold and wintery. It should be summer! Where's that global warming everyone keeps promising?

Fan

2006-11-15T21:38:00.000+11:00

Let's see how this Blogger beta works. In the meantime, here is a fan.

Window

2006-11-14T20:31:00.000+11:00

Still on a U2 high

2006-11-13T19:50:00.000+11:00

I'm still buzzing from the U2 concert.
It was awesome!! I have waited more than half my life to see them live and now I finally got the chance, and it was everything I hoped it would be.
The tickets said that no photographic equipment would be allowed, and like an idiot, I left my camera in the car. Of course nobody checked. I took some photos and videos on my mobile phone until the battery died.
We were way up in the nosebleed section, which we managed to climb without supplemental oxygen. It turned out that my friend is afraid of heights, and she nearly got a heart attack just getting to our seats. But we got there in the end. Sitting comfortably and watching all the people in the pit crowding, I thought to myself: I'm glad I'm not down there in the crowd since morning!
Then the show started.
All I could think was: OMG I want to be down there by the stage!!
But I enjoyed the show from the wuthering heights instead.
The band were great. The show was amazing. The crowd went nuts and sang along to every word. I was so excited, I cried during "Where the streets have no name", which was very emotional not just for me. At the end of the song Bono said, "Wow. What was that?! Whatever it was, I want more!". The energy in the stadium was palpable.
The show ended with Bono flying a kite tied to some balloons over the audience. For some reason he dedicated the song (Kite) to Cate Blanchett.
The show was over way too soon, I couldn't believe when I looked at my watch and saw that it had been about 2.5 hours...
I used to be totally nuts about U2. Now I am a bit older, maybe wiser, definitely more cynical. And still, at the show I felt like I was 16 again.

The Dalek Tree

2006-11-13T19:46:00.000+11:00

Whenever I pass this tree I am reminded of a Dalek.

For now, photos

2006-11-12T22:21:00.000+11:00

The U2 concert was amazing.
Unfortunately I don't have any time to write about it now.
In the meantime, here are today's and yesterday's photos. Both from the car.
A teacup and the Anzac Bridge.

Kangaroo Paws and a Butterfly

2006-11-10T21:23:00.000+11:00

I suspected that

2006-11-10T16:00:00.000+11:00

Australia in top five livable countries

Norway, Iceland, Australia, Ireland and Sweden rank as the best five countries to live in...

...and of these 5, I reckon Australia is the only country I'd actually want to live in.

The United States was ranked in eighth place, after Canada and Japan, in the report that rates not only per-capita income but also educational levels, health care and life expectancy in measuring a nation's well-being.

Go ahead, entertain me

2006-11-10T12:06:00.000+11:00

One more day till the U2 concert.
Their first Sydney concert is tonight. I'm going tomorrow.

Oh my, Bono looks older, especially with that haircut.

Take a look at the set! It's HUGE!

"I'm very happy to be here, I'm excited," Bono says.

You're excited?!

U2 reunited in the studio last month to record a new song, Window in the Skies. It's one of two bonus tracks on a compilation album, U218, which they're releasing this month.

Sydney fans may be among the first to hear the song performed live when U2 play tonight.

"Have you heard Window in the Skies?" Bono says. "Wow, that's a big song."

Woohoo!!

2 photos

2006-11-10T00:09:00.000+11:00

because I forgot to post yesterday...
By the way, you can click on the photos to see the (slightly) larger versions.

U2 woohoo!!

2006-11-07T21:38:00.000+11:00

In just a few more days I will finally get to see U2 in concert. Oh I am so excited....

You see, I have my tickets for this show for nearly a year now. It was supposed to be in March but it was postponed... and now the fab four are here in Sydney getting ready to entertain me.
When I was a wee lass I was totally, utterly nuts about U2. Absolutely insane about them. I hang onto every word that came out of Bono's mouth as if he was at least some prophet or something.

Now I'm a bit older... and a bit wiser... and I've changed quite a lot, I don't have quite as many hormones rushing through my veins, and I tend to look at the world in a slightly more mature, sometimes cynical way.

So I was really pleasantly surprised yesterday when I saw Bono being interviews by Andrew Denton (it's a weekly interview type TV show). I missed the beginning of it, but from what I saw I could tell that Bono is indeed more than just a dumb celebrity rock star. And I was quite happy and totally fine with the idea of him being one, just as long as he makes good music and gives a good show. But what I got from the interview is this: that he is smart, eloquent, educated, passionate, sincere, and very much grounded. He doesn't try to pretend that he isn't a millionaire rock star leading a millionaire rock star's life. He seemed a bit surprised that it turned out that way, but he embraced it fully. Which didn't stop him being an intelligent, hard-working, well-spoken person who is doing his best to do some good in this world.

Another band that I used to be completely nuts about in the 1990's is coming to town: Pearl Jam. I used to think that Eddie Vedder was the bee's knees when I was a teenager. But unlike U2, Pearl Jam don't seem to have changed much since then, not in their music and not in their politics. I feel I have changed so much and they have stayed the same. I take that back; their music used to be much better. Ten was an amazing album and every album the made since has been steadily worse than the one before it.

It's a pity. Eddie has a great voice and he makes for good eye candy. But I won't be going to their gig.

Horse Feathers

2006-11-07T21:23:00.000+11:00

Today was Melbourne Cup Day, that yearly event that stops the nation for a few minutes as everyone tunes in to the big race. The entire country stops while the horses run.

Personally, I don't see the big deal. But that's probably because I wasn't born here.

Everyone bets something, whether it's $1 in the office sweepstakes or the really big bets made by people in expensive suits at the race.

It's also an important fashion event, especially for the women who strut around in spring dresses and big hats. The latest fashion is to have a few feathers instead of a hat.

I always find it amusing to watch them walking to the races at the nearby racecourse with their high heels in their hands because nobody can walk in those shoes anyway.

Here are some New Zealanders at the race.

From the Quad gates

2006-11-07T21:21:00.000+11:00

TGiM

2006-11-06T19:14:00.000+11:00

Thank goodness it's Monday...
Yes, it's been a hard weekend. I was actually waiting for Monday, all excited about going to work. It's not that there's anything particularly interesting at work, it's just that everyone there is an adult.
It rained the entire weekend and we were stuck at home going stir crazy. Lately I am not handling toddler situations very well and I tend to lose my temper. Also, last Friday hubby took care of things on the home front while I went out to the pub with my work mates. I had so much fun! I'm not normally the pub type of person, and I don't drink beer, but still: I had a great time just hanging out with friends.
It made me think that perhaps, sometimes, you know, I don't actually, you know, enjoy being a mum very much. It's not that I don't love my boy more than anything in the world. It's just that sometimes, it's hard.

Baby grapes

2006-11-06T19:13:00.000+11:00

from the garden.

Bondi

2006-11-05T19:05:00.000+11:00

The things we get used to.

2006-11-04T17:47:00.000+11:00

A conversation I had with a PhD student as I was helping her out with some equipment:

MW: Let's first remove this sample so we can put your sample in.
PS: What is that?
MW: I think it's a rat's inner ear.
PS: Ewwwww!
MW: What? You've got a snail proboscis in a test tube.
PS: (thinks about this for a while). Yeah, you're right.

No Dogs

2006-11-04T14:15:00.000+11:00

Kangaroo Paw

2006-11-03T21:22:00.000+11:00

Yet another "springtime on campus" photo.

The oval

2006-11-02T21:40:00.000+11:00

This is used to roll the grass flat in the centre of the oval for cricket games.

From the graffiti tunnel

2006-11-01T22:44:00.000+11:00

A digger

2006-10-31T19:48:00.000+11:00

for Junior.

In bloom

2006-10-30T20:02:00.000+11:00

These trees are blooming with gorgeous purple flowers all over Sydney. Here's one at the Quad.

Yerushalmi Kugel

2006-10-29T21:17:00.000+11:00

Recipe is here.
Does anyone know how to avoid getting burnt noodles on the top of the pan (which becomes the bottom of the kugel after you flip it out)??

Flightpath

2006-10-28T14:43:00.000+10:00

Yoga on horseback

2006-10-28T14:34:00.000+10:00

The King David Stables. Sounds like a pretty amazing place. And this is very close to where we'll be staying near Jerusalem. (OMG! Just a few weeks left till the big trip!)
They offer good old horseback riding, and if that's not enough then there's horseback yoga and tai chi.
And I thought yoga was hard enough on a mat...

Bird of Paradise

2006-10-28T14:19:00.000+10:00

Today I cannot blame blogger for not posting this yesterday.
What's my excuse then? How about having an opportunity to go to after-work drinks at the pub in Coogee? I haven't done that in ages!
And we didn't even need a babysitter. This must be the only country in the world with family-friendly pubs. One area of the pub is especially kid friendly, with a ball pit and toys and games. The place was full of families with prams and toddlers. And I got to have a glass of my favourite (Strongbow) (because I'm not 100% Aussie and can't drink a whole beer).
The occassion was a farewell party for a good friend who is moving half way around the world...

Today's pic

2006-10-26T18:23:00.000+10:00

I love these freaky gargoyles.

Yesterday's pic

2006-10-26T18:21:00.000+10:00

Happiness is (nearly) instant gratification

2006-10-26T09:52:00.000+10:00

Blogger was being a lemon yesterday so I couldn't post my daily picture. I'll have to snap something new and see if I can download it here at work.
Meanwhile, I'm a happy camper! I finally gave in to my desire to buy an mp3 player. Hubby offered his old iPod by I tried it and didn't like it. It was heavy and clunky, the battery doesn't last long, and besides it has all of his music on it. So I bought an iRiver T30. It's so cool!!!! I plugged it in and Suse recognized it immediately. Drag 'n dropped my ogg files into it and voila! Perfect. And it's small and cute and (if you believe the company) the AAA battery lasts for 20 hours!
Since I could never get my sound card to work on Suse Linux, I have never been able to listen to music at work. So now I can! When you share an office with 4 other people, it's sometimes necessary to be able to tune out and focus.
I just need to get some comfy headphones instead of these horrid stick-in-your-ear thingies.
Oooooh I'm so happy...

Quad Gargoyle

2006-10-24T19:59:00.000+10:00

A Uni intersection

2006-10-23T20:43:00.000+10:00

Where are all the students? Studying?
My bet is they're all at the pub...

363 to go

2006-10-22T21:13:00.000+10:00

Coral at the Sydney Aquarium.

1001 uses

2006-10-21T21:07:00.000+10:00

I have some soda water left over from Rosh Hashana's kneidalach. I don't drink the stuff, so I started experimenting with it in the kitchen. So far I have had success.
As well as making fluffy-as-clouds matza balls, soda water also makes fluffy:
1. scrambled eggs, and
2. pancakes.

365 - I'm in

2006-10-21T20:30:00.000+10:00

Noorster has started a photoblogging project in which, briefly, she posts one picture every day and has also challenged others to commit to similar projects.
Well, I accept the challenge!
I'll have to get used to carrying the camera around, but I reckon if it'll help me post more, and also learn more about photography, then why not.
I've wanted to learn more about digital photo editing and I never had the time to read about it as much as I'd like.
So let's see if I can keep this up. A whole year! wow.
First day: Boats in Junior's bubble bath.

You don't have to put on the blue light

2006-10-15T18:30:00.000+10:00

Lately in Sydney the Electric Co. has been handing out free six-packs of energy efficient light bulbs. You can get them if you sign a form saying that you won't take more than one pack, and that you promise to install them in your home.
Like many people I happily took the freebie. I wanted to change the light bulbs in the dining room anyway because they were rather dim. But after about an hour with the weird bluish light of these new bulbs, I got hubby to switch back to the good old yellow ones. The blue tinted light is just weird, it messed with my eyes. I couldn't stand it.
We replaced the light outside on the porch, and also my bedside reading light, but that's it. The others we keep as spares.
Apparently we're not the only ones who didn't install them. And of course, there's quite a lot of politics and money involved in the whole story, and not just green concern for the environment.
When it comes to reducing carbon emissions and all that, I reckon the best bet is to invest in fusion technology. Australia missed the wagon but is now trying to jump back on, while France and Japan are firmly in the lead.
In the 19th century, people thought that cities reached their population limits because of the incontrollable amount of horse shit on the streets. Help eventually came in the form of the internal combustion engine. I think energy from fusion will one day--maybe in 50 years, maybe in 100--bring about a radical solution to our dependence on fossil fuels. I long for that day both for the political changes that it will bring, as well as the environmental.

Parallel Universe

2006-10-09T12:32:00.000+10:00

I share my office with several other post-docs. One of them is a woman I totally admire. She's my age, married but no kids. I was talking to her when I suddenly got this bizarre feeling that I was talking to myself in some parallel universe.

Here is a woman who has had a similar education to mine, some industry experience like I have, has been in a relationship for about a decade like I have. And yet our careers are totally different.

She does great research. She's published a gazillion papers in the last year. I'm still writing the draft of my first one at this job. She is involved in committees ranging from simple university tasks to multi-million dollar government funding schemes. She does so much and gets lots of deserved praise for her hard work. And she works hard, long hours and weekends and business trips all over the place.

She was telling me about one of her committees, and then she asked me, "aren't you involved in anything like that?". No, I said. I don't have time.

I have to leave at 4:30 every day to pick up my son from day care before I get slapped with a $1 a minute fine. I can't work weekends and nights. I chose a completely different life, and I am a mother first and foremost.

But still, sometimes I think to myself: that could have been me achieving all that.

It would have been nice, but I'm not jealous and I don't regret a thing.

I just have to keep reminding myself that I will have quite a few decades left to invest in my career after the kids (yes, there will be more than one...) grow up enough to allow me the time to work as much as I need to. I guess this is a dilemma lots of working mums have...

Three years ago today

2006-10-09T12:31:00.000+10:00

Today is Junior's third birthday. Much excitement; this is the first year he actually understands what a birthday is and everything that it entails, like cake, balloons and presents. We are having a small party at the day care centre this afternoon, and a big party this weekend. Which is odd because they will both invlove mostly the same kids. But still, I just had to do something on the actual day.

Since last night I've been annoyingly saying every once in a while, "three years ago right now, I was having contractions." I will be like a broken record till this afternoon, then it will change to "three years ago right now, I was writhing in agony" for a few hours, followed by "three years ago, my son, the doctors finally yanked you out since you absolutely refused to leave after overstaying your stay by nearly two weeks."

It was the happiest day of my life... and every day since as well.

Tzom Kal...

2006-10-01T20:40:00.000+10:00

... if this applies to you, then I wish you an easy fasting and blessings for the new year.

Australian Jews don't need to take a day off this year for Yom Kippur, since it falls on a public holiday. I think it's officially Labour Day or something, but essentially it's yet another sports day. I'm not sure if it's the rugby finals, or the footy, or maybe both? They both look the same to me; big men running around in tiny shorts and violently throwing oddly-shaped balls. The tiny shorts occassionally cause other, more hairy, balls to enter the field. I think this is a ploy to get more women to watch the game. I'm not sure, I'm still figuring it out.

Anyway, so last week everyone was telling me about their plans for the long weekend. These mostly involve having friends over to watch the game and also a BBQ and assorted food.

Now, I'm not a religious person. I don't fast, and I don't go to synagogue. But still, having a BBQ on Yom Kippur just seems like a bit too much, you know what I mean? It doesn't mean I won't enjoy the long weekend... just not so blatantly.

So, if you are more observant than me then let me wish you once more, a happy new year and Gmar Hatima Tova!

The Return of the Goth Dentist

2006-09-22T19:35:00.000+10:00

Last week was that time again - time to see my Goth dentist.

She is sweet, gentle, 100% professional, and also has all sorts of piercings, wears black leather boots, and listens to Death Metal while she works.

The Death Metal freaked me out the first time I heard it but really, it's the most appropriate music.

Junior got his teeth checked briefly - 100% fine - and had a ride up and down on the chair. Then it was my turn. I try to be positive and see it as an opportunity to lie back for half an hour without a toddler demanding anything from me. I also get to practice my yoga breathing and relaxation. Always look at the bright side!

Shana Tova

2006-09-22T19:33:00.000+10:00

Hubby has been sick for the last week with fever and sore throat. Looks like I've finally caught the bug myself.

I decided to take care of myself and took an extended lunch today (Friday noon - Monday morning). It's the Australian way!

Happy new year! Shana tova!!

The return of the Jedi

2006-09-19T09:34:00.000+10:00

I'm back from holidays, refreshed, happy to be home and happy to be back at work.

A family holiday is not always quite as idyllic and fun as you might think. It's not easy spending 24 hours a day with spouse and child in one hotel room. I finished off half a packet of Nurofen just for my headaches. But overall, it was really good to be totally away from the daily routine of home and work for a week. And it also makes everyone appreciate the little things that make home so wonderful: your own bed, a piece of toast in the morning that doesn't cost $26, and all those familiar little things that make you feel good.

Next trip will be a big one, half way around the world to the holy land...

PM&D

2006-09-07T14:24:00.000+10:00

Sounds like some "women's thing" doesn't it?

Well no, it's the uni's annual staff performance review.
Seeing as I just wrapped up my first year here, I have the honour of going through this task. What it amounts to is a small mountain of paperwork, several meetings with various bosses, and such general jumping through bureaucratic hoops. Just the thing I need to squeeze in between sick leave and annual leave! Very convenient.

Actually, it's not bad to have an oppurtunity to reflect on what I've done in the last year. You tend to forgot a lot of the stuff and when you are forced to think about it, and write it down, you suddenly realize how much you have done. And it feels good.

(By the way, I am still listing 3 good things that I have done each day before I go to sleep. It's such a simple thing and yet really fun and surprisingly addictive.)

The problem is that I will have to also list my goals for the next year and spell out how they mesh with the university's goals. And all I really want to do next year is get pregnant and have another baby!
I haven't found the section in the form that deals with that yet.
Oh well, I guess it'll just have to be a surprise.

Frequent Flyers

2006-09-06T14:39:00.000+10:00

We're going on holiday in a few days: a week in a nearby tropical island paradise... I can't wait, ah...
When we booked the trip it was damn cold and the thought of lounging by the pool on a tropical island sounded delicious. For the last week, however, we've had one gorgeous spring day after another. So I was happy to note on my ForecastFox that starting from tomorrow it will be cold and rainy once more, and winter has not gone despite the promises of the global warming doom-sayers.
Mean? Maybe.

I really need this vacation.

I have to jump through a lot of hoops at the Uni to get all the paperwork for our trip to Israel. It's all working out though. But, that trip will not be a vacation. I'll have a ton of work to do in a short time, and whenever I'm not in the lab I will be rushing around visiting relatives and friends. All great fun, don't get me wrong, but not exactly relaxing.
Not like spending a week lounging by the pool on a tropical island!

I'm still recovering from that annoying virus I caught, and I'm now at the Ugly Rash All Over My body stage of fighting it off. Oh, I wish it goes away before our vacation... as if I don't have enough to deal with, what with stretch marks and hairs and all the regular stuff.
It's not easy being a woman!

But sitting by the pool with an exotic drink in a coconut with a little paper umbrella will help.

Something that only happens to mothers of small children

2006-09-06T14:32:00.000+10:00

...and probably old people too.
It happens to me way too often: I boil water in the kettle, put the tea bag in the cup, pour the water, and then go do about a million things that need to be done.
Two hours later I throw away a cup of very strong, cold tea.
*sigh*

Steve Irwin z"l

2006-09-05T09:16:00.000+10:00

The man who was the face of Australia for most of the world has died.
He did so much for nature conservation and education. And he represented the "good old Aussie values".
It is indeed a cliche but he died doing what he loved most... and apparently he also died quickly and with little pain.
He left behind a wife and 2 children. His wife was climbing a mountain in Tasmania at the time of his death. I was quite shocked to read in the news reports that she had not been told yet, while all the news shows were running the story. I hope she was told by someone close and not by hearing the sad news on the radio.
Update: I just watched the opening of question time at the Parliament. Prime Minister Howard and Opposition Leader Beazly opened the session with moving words about Steve. John Howard had a close relationship with Steve and you could really feel his sense of grief. He was loved by all.

If only I could run Linux

2006-09-05T09:14:00.000+10:00

then I probably wouldn't have gotten this annoying virus.
Fever, aches, itchy eyes, and now an ugly rash all over. Yuck.
I can't even sit long enough at the computer without getting all dizzy. Oh well, I'll survive.

Post-war and uni politics

2006-08-23T13:30:00.000+10:00

My stress levels have gone down considerably since the cease fire. I'm not so naive as to think that this is the end of the war; indeed it was just one battle. But still.
Last week I met with a new PhD student who just came here from Israel. We talked about his research and the software he's using. Then he told me how his best friend from uni had died in Lebanon. He was the last soldier to be killed before the cease fire came into effect. He left a wife and 10-month old daughter. Then we talked about his scholarship, and a conference he wants to attend.
Later that day I just couldn't handle the whole surreal situation any more. I had to go out for a walk and a bit of a cry.
Here everything is going on as usual of course, the sun is shining and we're getting beautiful weather after a cold winter. Even the Swedish exchange student was complaining about the cold. Now we have a nice, early spring (thank goodness for global warming!) and flowers are blooming.
Things at the uni are also going on as usual. There are lots of "activists" handing out brochures and putting up posters all over campus. Most are by the Socialist Alliance and usually feature rather histrionic vitriol against Israel, the US, and capitalism. Apparently some Jewish students were harassed, spat on and yelled at. This morning we got an email from the Vice Chancellor warning that offensive behaviour agains Jews will not be tolerated. Not surprisingly, there has been no anti-Muslim behaviour.
I must admit that I sometimes feel scared when confronted with these crazy Marxists and their friends in some of the other student groups. I've heard that some Jewish students choose to wear hats over their kippas so they won't be harassed. I don't "look Jewish" so I don't have that problem, and I don't walk around campus all that much either. But it's sad to think that this is the situation here.

Bad thoughts

2006-08-08T17:17:00.000+10:00

Hippy "Peace Now" activist in Tel Aviv: "This won't end till we annihilate Beirut"

I'm usually a very rational person who abhors violence in all its forms. But lately I find myself in a bellicose mood.

Yesterday while watching the news I could only think of one thing: one mushroom cloud over Beirut, one over Damascus, and one disproportionately big one over Tehran.
The war would be over that same day.

I don't like what this war is doing to me. I want to go back to my good old optimistic self.

Comfort food

2006-08-02T12:36:00.000+10:00

Maybe it's the stressful times, but lately I've been preparing and eating more and more comfort food. For example, I bought some semolina and I've been spending quite some time in the mornings lately stirring pots of cream of wheat (I found out that this is what solet is called in English) trying to get a lumpless bowl of yummy cream of wheat, sweetened with cinnamon and honey, or brown sugar and vanilla. mmmm.
It reminds me of my childhood when grandma used to cook solet for me. It also reminds me of the hospital that we were forced to "volunteer" at when we were in high school. We would spend nights there on alert. In case of a chemical weapons attack from Saddam, our job was to wear plastic clothes and gas masks and shower the injured before they were admitted to the hospital. Looking back I'm appalled by the whole thing, but back then it was just one big co-ed slumber party. In the morning we'd have breakfast at the hospital dining room. The solet was lumpy and not at all as yummy as savta's.
Anyway, I've found out that you can make all sorts of things with semolina: bread, cakes and cookies. Yum!

What he said

2006-08-02T12:34:00.000+10:00

An English translation of Ben Caspit's proposed speech for Olmert.

Now it's personal

2006-08-01T13:10:00.000+10:00

My cousin has been called up for reserve duty. My brother-in-law was told to be ready to be called up any day. They both have pregnant wives at home.

It's a tough job

2006-08-01T12:53:00.000+10:00

...being an IDF spokesperson right now.

Making life easy for academics

2006-07-27T10:16:00.000+10:00

I'm writing a paper: a process that is long, stressfull, and fun. Paper-writing also reminds me why I love linux so much, and specifically Latex and Bibtex and all that good stuff that makes life easy for academics. Of course, they work on Windows and Mac too, but Linux is the ultimate enviornment.
I share my office with several coleagues and I constantly hear them grating their teeth, pulling their hair, and complaining loudly about MS Word and such. They spend so much time editing, formating, losing images, changing font sizes, and typing out bibliographies by hand. What a waste of time!
I'm not a Linux evangelist. I don't hide it, but I don't try to push it on people either (mostly for selfish reasons; I don't want them coming to me to solve all their problems if they do decide to try it). But I'm working on another paper that's mostly written by one of our PhD students, and I asked him if he would be willing to write it in Latex. Apparently several other students started looking into it and got hooked. Now if I could only get him to actually sit down and write!
Latex and Bibtex work best with a good frontend. I started out using Lyx, which is nice, but then I switched to Kile which I've been working with for years and really like. (I'm an avid KDE fan so Kile is a natural.) For bibliography management I use Jabref which is a Java Bibtex frontend. It's awesome!! It integrates well with Kile too (ctrl+L pushes a citation to Kile). It can do all sorts of neat tricks, like direct Medline search and import, journal abbreviations, automatic local PDF searches, custom Bibtex key automatic generation, and other cool stuff.
Having the right tools for the job makes life easy. But at the end of the day you still have to write the paper yourself!

Some good news from Israel, for a change

2006-07-26T15:34:00.000+10:00

A heart-warming story about the transfer of two African elephants, Yoki and her son Yitzhak, from the safari in Ramat Gan to their new home in Hungary. Yoki was reunited there with an old friend, Ninio, who moved to Hungary a few months ago. (Sorry, the links are in Hebrew and Hungarian, but there are pictures.)
The Ramat Gan safari has had a huge success with breeding elephants; 19 sabra elephants have been born there. The airlifting operation was not simple but ended with success.
Yay elephants!

Pendant shock

2006-07-26T13:24:00.000+10:00

I was window shopping at a local shopping centre today when something caught my eye at a jewelry store. There were several chains on display with swastika pendants. My heart skipped a beat. I didn't know if I should talk to the salesman or not, I decided not to because I didn't feel comfortable about it. I continued my window shopping and tried to forget about it, but I couldn't.
I went to the mall management and filed a complaint. I was pleasantly surprised at their reaction, since I wasn't sure how they would take it. Well, I had to explain to the lady what a swastika is, but once she got it, she was very understanding of my state of mind. She had me fill out a complaint form while another guy went to the shop to see for himself. They promised me they would take care of the matter.
I didn't stay around to see what they actually did, but I hope they do something.

Small world

2006-07-25T20:54:00.000+10:00

Why am I not surprised to see this picture here and also right at home, here in Sydney.

Lisa has all the background info on this picture.

Tzippi and Condi

2006-07-25T15:29:00.000+10:00

Two women I admire.
Condi for president!
Livni for PM!

We interupt this war and go on with life

2006-07-24T09:55:00.000+10:00

I'm suffering from news overload. I am forcing myself to limit the amount of time I spend reading news because it's just depressing. If you get your news from the Australian media you would probably think that Israel is attacking Lebanese civilians and killing children for no reason other than blood lust. If you listen to talkback radio all you hear is the anti-Lebanese venom coming from Australian rednecks.
So, excuse me while I go back to writing about normal things for a while.