Going back to basics

Yes...yes...i know theres a war on! Not to poke fun at a very serious situation which has been on my mind for the last 24 hours but whilst im not sure that you could describe what I AM going to write about as light-hearted, I dont have any current plans to cover developments in Gaza and Southern Israel and I find myself returning to my blog as the therupeautic outlet I am beginning to realise it serves as. Suffice to say that if the war does begin to effect my day to day life here in Jerusalem i will no-doubt bring it up. In the meantime, it is interesting in and of itself to note, as if often the case during Israel's recent (geographically) peripheral conflicts, when you live in areas outside of the direct firing line it is a strange fact of life here that if you didnt know from the news that things were going pear-shaped elsewhere in the country, you simply couldn't tell.

So here, we are in the midst of chanukah and I have enjoyed a week of holiday time so far. I have been trying to catch up on a number of the tasks that inevitable get pushed off during work weeks. Such fascinating tasks as getting the kitchen tap fixed, finally meeting sharon (well, actually that was lovely) and organising my income tax situation.

So I guess we'll start with the tax situation...so whilst we're not going into the intricacies of not abundant funds, what I will say is that the experience I had the tax office last wednesday was distinclty un-israeli! When I arrived in the waiting room, facing the pending frustration of the take-a-ticket-and wait-till-your-number-appears-on the big-screen-machince machine like so many thumb twindling mornings at the post office have taught me I was expecting 25 or so numbers before mine...infact there were 4! From ulpan-style chair half-desk waiting position I could see into the office of a jovial chap seemingly of Ethopian extraction with a Rastafarian hair-style and suitably chilled out dimena. I waited just 5 minutes for my turn and.... yesh, he was the one was free when the big red number matched that on the crumpled scrap of paper in my hand. In another 5 minutes or so he had eased me through the process, got me the forms I needed signed them and even sent a relevant and urgent fax for me. Lo and behold, there were jokes thrown in for good measure! So pleased was I that I went to the bakery downstairs and celebrated in seasonal fashion with a lunch of a rivat chalav sufganiyah. Thats the way to do it...

Be Good and if u cant be good.....

Theres lots of things I could write about, afterall it has been over a week since I wrote last and indeed, this has been an action packed one, but more of that in due course. Somehow or another, however, I feel compelled to write this post about my Grandmother who would have been 100 last month.

I cant put my finger on precislely why but I feel her influence very strongly on my life and find myself thinking of her often. This is making me emotional just to write....Im gonna save it for the energy that comes with my first day of Chanukah holidays from work...thats wrote I have virtually a week hyetus from work that began, unexpectedly today, one day early.

So I'll see you tomorrow with good intentions and a completed post (billy)
in the meantime
Chanukah Sameach