friday nights all right

As you can tell from the cheesy title to this post tonight im in a much better mood than when i last wrote. Not least because so many of you wrote comments on my blog, (its lovely bein' in luv when your 8n'half) thankyou and if i havent written back yet its because untill the wee small hours tonight i was finishing an essay for university, and now thats done too another reason to be happy!

And then there was the unexpected pleasure of Friday night dinner. I was invited to Abi and Stephanie's for dinner. Good news enough i hear you cry, indeed but improved no end by two unexpected presences at the table. First, Gemma a very old school friend who i havent seen for ages who i didnt even know was in the country or was friends with Stephanie (Stephanie's from Atlanta, Gemma's from Gants Hill- who would have guessed). Second the returning Navit Robkin. For those of you who have been paying anykind of attention to my rambling's you'll find that surname familiar. Yes Navit is daughter of Judy and Shai Robkin with whom i stayed during my teaching in Atlanta. Im sure i dont have to remind you what superb people they are and what a wonderful time i had with them (if you feel you need refreshing see below - the 'MR Saarrraalaway' post). And of course, navit is lovely in her own right and i had the good fortune to get to know her when she was first at pardes in early 2004. The surprise of spending time with two unexpected friendly faces was just what i needed to cheer me up after the depths of despair that is ulpan.

So obviously i spent some time catching up with both Gemma and Navit. I checked in with whats going on with Navit's parents, dog (i miss kishke- crazy dog)and her 'true southern' grandma, who, for a women in her mid 90s is in pretty incredible form.

In the course of the conversation it turned that Shai (Mr Robkin to you) has a new israeli music radio show in atlanta. I dont know whether hes keen to have a cult following in anglo-Jerusalem and amongst people who associate with me (am somehow i doubt it) but if youre interested the link to listening to the show (Sundays 10am local time, 17:00 jerusalem) is here: http://www.am1160.net/talent.html ill certainly be tuning in, next week sad as i am. Im just in that kind of mood

go on sit back and enjoy some cheesy israeli classics all served with grieeets and biscuits and gravi- dammmnnn that tasts guud!

its ok im going to bed now...when i come back i promise to be sensible

ahhh!

Just to start my proud uncle collection:

Joshie

Yoda! - significantly cuter and just a little less green

back and emotional

Blimey these are confusing and emotional days here right now. Its a good job i have the opportunity to begin my return post with some lovely news...

Any one who read the previous post will recall that whilst i was back in england i was due to be made an uncle...and so it proved! I am know uncle Ben! to a perfect and pretty large nephew Joshua Harry Soloway, Harry for my maternal grandfather harry liss z"l, His hebrew name Yehosha Heschel ben Doniel has resonance on both sides of the family, Heschel taken from the name of my mum's father and yehoshua heschel was also the name of great-grandfather Soloway. He and my great-grandmother had 8 children, so you can see that the name Yehoshua Herschel has a proven track record in the Soloway family and their are people carrying it in London and acro ss America.

I cant believe that i was seriously going to leave to be at ulpan on time and thus miss little Joshie's Brit Milah. Obviously i extended my stay to be present, im so glad i did, emotional family events such as this dont come along too often and ofcourse it was naturally where i belonged. However important learning Hebrew is, and by extension, how important my MA is, it can never be as important as this! My brother spoke so movingly about the importance and significance of Joshua Harry's Hebrew and English names that there simply was not a dry eye in the house. Josh also carries the responsibility of being the first baby of our generation of the family to carry the name Soloway, something not lost on my dad amongst others.

Moving on i have to admit something that may sound strange. I hate summer here! I've got into the same routinre of last year where my day consists of 4and a half-hours of ulpan, followed by homework, sleep and then ulpan again. Oh and of course this year theres the added joy of University essays to write, Hurrumph!. Add to that the fact that all of last years pardesers have left, jo is in england till september and miriam, a close friend of mine, from the educators programme has left the programme (for at least a year). No ones on skype, MSN and no one puts comments on my blog so i have no idea of knowing whether anybody is reading this, apart from some irritating git who managed to 'spam' a comment onto my blag, muppet!

So in short if your reading this and you know me, remember that i still like you and even though i know im guilty of not picking up the phone or writing doesnt mean that it wouldnt be lovely to hear from you. In fact ill make a deal. If i know you and you post a comment on m'blog i promise to write you a personal email/phonecall/skyping in response.

cant say fairer than that.


Anyway before i disappear in a puff of egotistical self pity ill go, apologising that watching the disengagment all day on the news is not good preperation for writing a cheerie post. I dont have the emotional agony to write about that tonight, ill save it for another time..