Happy Birthday MC!!!

Wow, BZ, that was awesome. I davka like that park, except that our presence is clearly unwanted there...
I thought the cake came out really good, if I may say so myself. Actually, last time I made it it kinda got messed up..
Oh, lord, I am SO jealous of Yoni, Yonatan and Natanel. Their musical talent is beyond amazing. The worst part is that if I had taken music seriously I wouldn't be so bad. Hey, it's not like I'm tone deaf or anything, I could master an insrument. I read somewhere something like "A mathmatician looks at a math problem, and it makes sense-- so they can figure it out. A musician looks at the piano or guitar and it makes sense to them..." So I was thinking and I guess that the piano does make sense to me. Like, I tried playing something the other day and it worked. My fingers are clumsy though, how can I get over that? The guitar doesn't work that well 4 me though. I mean sure-- if u really think about it then it will make sense, but in the meantime... Playing violin was cool, it's just a little confusing, I felt a bit disoriented-- there's no border between the notes, so I was just estimating (and going completely off-key). I guess once u play it 4 a while it comes more easily.
Darn it, I have too many interests. Not enough hours in the day.

Proof-- the play I'm working on..

My neighbor Pnina Shechter is directing a play for JEST (Jerusalem English Speaking Theatre), and she asked me to help. It's really cool. She called me in the summer, saying she needed an assistant-- odd jobs and stuff, but it's theatre so of course I said yes!
The play is called "Proof", written by David Auburn. It's a drama, not a musical, and it's been on broadway. There are four characters: Catherine, Claire, Robert and Hal. It takes place in Chicago, today. The basic storyline goes like this: Catherine is the main character, she's 28 years old (in the original script she's 25, but we made her older, I'm not sure why...). Robert is her father, and the actual story starts after he dies-- but there are flashbacks and stuff. Robert was famed for his brilliance as a mathmatician, but in his late twenties he went crazy. Catherine has spent her recent life taking care of him because her mother died (this isn't so relevant to the plot) and her sister Claire lives in New York. Basically in the play we're trying to figure out if Catherine inherited her father's mathmatical ability, or his insanity. Hal used to be one of Robert's students, and after Robert's death he spends time looking through some notebooks that he wrote in while he was crazy to see if there's any trace of the math he used to do-- hoping to find a proof or something. He does find a notebook with a mathmatical proof, but Catherine insists that she wrote it. It's complicated, but it's a really cool play. I read the script before we actually started working on it, and it seemed interesting, but since I've been watching it performed by the actors it really came to life-- I can tell u that Pnina is excellent-- it's a gr8 play.
My job is basically anything Pnina needs me to do. When they reherse I sit there with the script and give them lines they forget and correct them and stuff. When Pnina is working with only a few of them, I run lines with the others. Rehersals are usually in Jerusalem, so we I have plenty of time to talk 2 Pnina on the ride back-- she asks me what I thought of rehersals and stuff. It's really neat-- I really feel like she values my opinions, so I tell her about things that don't look right on stage. See, she spends her time telling the actors where to stand onstage to make sure they're not too close to each other, and they're not going to knock over the set, so she wants me to look at everything that goes on other than that and tell her what I think. I have other odd jobs too. The other day we spent the ride to JM making a list of problems to work on. There are tons. There's no room to move backstage, the set builder is senile, there's no place for rehersals, the actors have no time to change their costumes, stuff like that. Up until last week there was no one doing sound, but she found a teen ager from JM. I dunno if there's some1 doing lights-- but at least there's someone setting them up beforehand. I'm ending up with a ton to do the nights of the play: I have to take care of preparing the stage each scene-- moving chairs around etc., I will have a CD player backstage-- hopefully connected to the sound system-- and I'll be playing the background music on cue, I have 2 set up ppl's costumes so they can throw them on on time-- and then clean up the mess they make when they throw their clothes all over in their rush. I also have 2 sew velcro onto someones costume so u cant see the other costume they have on underneath, and help paint the sets. But that's a post in it's own.
The play is on Wednesday Nov. 15th, Thursday the 16th, and twice on the following Wednesday (the 22nd). Until then there are rehersals four times a week....

Woah, I'm really glad this blog is virtual and not printed on paper-- I mean, the page could be the whole width of the computer screen, but the posts come out so narrow, u know what I mean? Like, this blog could be so much shorter! What a waste!

My Trip Up North :-) (Part II)

Continuation...

So after that we went 2 see the Banias waterfalls. I discovered I can take black and white shots on my camera!!

We went to a really nice fish restorant 4 dinner called Dag Al HaDan. Recommended.

Tuesday morning we went 2 Canada Center, Metula, 2 go ice skating. We got there right when it opened at 10:00am, so the place was completely empty-- for the first hour my family were the only people on the ice. At the beginning I could hardly let go of the railing, but by the time other people started showing up I was skating pretty well. You have 2 go around the rink counter-clockwise-- I spent like 2 hours trying 2 figure out how 2 cross my right foot over my left 2 make the turn-- eventually it worked!! Guys, we havta go there sometime, It'll be so much fun. We were there 4 about 2:30hrs, then my dad decided he wanted 2 try out the shooting range, so we all went 2 watch. It was really neat-- he got 25 bullets and they all hit the target, very close 2 the middle. One bull's-eye. I don't have any really good pics..

It's like a 4hr drive down from Metula, so we took a few detours 2 make it interesting. One was 2 the very edge of the city-- looking out over lebanon. Then we drove down 2wards the Kinneret. On the drive down you could still tell that it had rained the other day-- part of me wants 2 say that everything was green and beautiful, but thats not exactly true... One reason is that everything got dried up over the summer, like it always does, so it'll take about a month or so for it 2 be green again. Another reason is that every once in a while we would pass a clump of trees that were all dried out in a mixture of orange and black... scars from July.

We stopped at the Kinneret around 4:00, near the Luna Gal east of the lake-- the sun was almost setting. While my family went swimming I stayed in the car and tried 2 do my math HW. It didn't work. So I joined them-- gosh it was amazing. The water was so clear, but the surface looked orangy-blue from the light, I just wanted 2 keep swimming until I got 2 Tveriya. I'm still dying 2 swim across the Kinneret-- the plans kinda got messed up this summer, so I'll go next year. We watched the sun set behind the Arbell mountain/cliff and we could see every colour reflected in tha water. :-)


We got home at about 8:00 and had chinese 4 dinner... Yum!
So that's why I wasn't in school this week.

My Trip Up North :-) (Part I)

It was really cool.
Here's something I wrote on sunday morning..

The first rain of the season gets even the weather reporters psyched. The Yor'e. It's beautiful out now, everything looks clean and fresh. I'm in Tzfat in a parking lot looking over at Hat Meiron, which is partially covered in clouds. Walking through the old city, there are hardly any people-- the chagim are over, people are settling back into their daily routines, I guess.

I took some really neat pics of Yaira:

We stayed at HaGoshrim, which is... Somwhere. Like 20 minutes southeast of Kiri'at Shmon'e, I think. The sky was pretty cloudy on the way there from Tzfat-- not too cloudy, though, just enough to make the sunset absoloutly breathtaking. My sis took the pic of me, I took the pic of

the sunset.
On Monday we went 4 a tour in Emek HaHula. The birds are migrating through the valley, like, now, so there must have been a million people there over the chag. They have a designated path 4 tourists and you can either bike it or take these golf-car thingys-- my family was debating between the two. Actually, the biking had a few options too: we could all rent seperate bikes, or we could rent bikes for more than one person. The coolest was this 7 person bike-- oh, it was sooo awesome! Check out the pics-- the seats are arranged in a circle, and one person has control of the steering wheel. You pedal towards the middle, but it's set up so you go wherever the steering person decides. They said there are only 6 bikes like it in the world, 3 of them are in museums. In the end we decided to take the golf car thing though, because I'm not sure the bike would have worked with my grandmother... It was a lot of fun!! They weren't sure if it would rain, so they had us take along some really... um.. cute storm coats. C pics, lol. Besides for the birds, we saw a peanut field-- really neat, and some dried up sunflowers-- the seeds weren't that bad, and some charuv trees. There are also hay fields, with those big bails all over-- we saw one right next 2 the path so we all jumped on a took pictures. Then we tried 2 turn it over-- so

it was like standing up, and I got splinters in my hands but we were laughing like crazy!!

Sunday Mornin'... Rain...!

I just got back from a really fun trip with my family-- we went up north for 3 days. My grandmother's here, that's the occasion, and we decided 2 go after that chag cuz during the chag everything would have been PACKED.
I'll write about it later, cuz it's really late now. I have some gr8 pics 2 post.
Good Night!!

I just remembered a poem a saw once. It was about 3 years ago, when we still learned in Nocham and Chana was our bat sheirut. She had this wall she used 2 hang stuff on, and one of the things was this poem-- I don't remember who wrote it, and I don't exactly remember how it went, but I'm gonna try 2 remember. It was in Hebrew, BTW.

Sometimes a friend will call me
and the first thing they'll do is ask "am I bothering you?"
So I just want to tell you--
you're never bothering me, it's never a bad time to call.
You can call me at any time of day, weather I'm eating or studying,
or with family or other friends,
during the day, or at night.
And if at night I don't answer--
I must be asleep.

I like it.

Ray's Sweet Sixteen II

Guys, it was awesome!! Thanx so much 4 making it work!!! I especially want 2 thank all the guyz who came dressed up, it was so nice! And everyone who cleaned up afterwards-- I was all ready 2 stay over after everyone was gone and spend the rest of the night cleaning and all that, and u guyz are soo amazing! Girlz, you looked beautiful.

...When can we do that again?

;-p

Ray's Sweet Sixteen

Yeah, I'll post final details here:

Sarit's party will take place on Wednesday evening, from 7:00pm until whenever ;-) Location: Gabi's home, Reuven Sheri street #11, Ramot 06, Jerusalem. Backyard+Succa.
Gabi has a beautiful garden, and we will match it in glamour, or in Sarit's words: "Dress to Impress." That is, formal yet fancy outfit for the girls-- I'm wearing a long turquize dress from a shiney material-- and long sleeve, button-down shirts and dark pants for the guyz. Preferably black and white. Comb your hair.
I had invited all the girls over for hair and make-up do's in the afternoon, but I WONT BE HOME, so I'm gonna have 2 cancel that. I'm really sorry. I'm going somewhere with my family and from there-- right 2 Jerusalem. But I still have all this neat make up and stuff-- if any1 wants 2 borrow, maybe meet up by some1 else... I'm sorry.
We're having a light dinner and dessert, so I'd like everyone 2 chip in 8nis 2 cover the costs. I said 5 before, but it may be more. I hope not. Sarit's mom may help with the technical stuff. I'm going 2 try and tell everyone 2 bring 8 at the ampi 2night, but if I can't get thru 2 u all then it'll probably stay 5nis. wtvr.
Yoni-- bring your guitar, ok? If you can, that is. Sarit's putting 2gether a mix of good music 4 the evening.

There, I think that covers everything, hmm?

Can't wait 2 c u all there!!

Oy, c'mon

Please, you have no idea how much I hate being pissed off. It happens very rarely so it's not such a big issue, but right now i'm not in the best of moods. Look, I'm trying 2 put 2gether this party with some people but I still can't read the minds of everyone else, right? In the last few days I've SMSed and emailed about 30 people, about 12 of which cared enough 2 reply. I hardly even got responses from the people I called. All right, I know that SMS's cost $$, but could you please find a way of reaching me?? Seriously, telepathy doesn't work. I mean, after a few responses I got the idea that tuesday was ok, so c'mon-- if you really want it some other time you have to tell me!! Friday afternoon I was making phone calls and moving it 2 Wednesday, and only now-- Sunday afternoon-- do I discover that that wont work, because half of the invitees can't make it. Tuesday is soon, guys. So what am I to do now, make another thirty phone calls?? And just 4 the record-- I despise phone calls. Stick me in a torture chamber, someone.
So here I am, bending over backwards (not literally, literally would be ok...) so this party is sucsessful, because I really want it to be.
Just communicate, that's all I want. This is driving me up the wall, and I feel like crap being pissed like this.

Also for the record (and since the only people who might read this are girls (Mim, Avital, and Gabi-- this isn't aimed at you, I just have 2 get it out of my system and I'm sorry 2 make u the victims))-- if ur that keen on pissing me off, try to do it at some other time of the month. It's not wise 2 do it when I'm already edgy. It's like pouring salt over open wounds, it just multiplies the pain a few thoudsand times over.

Maybe I'll delete this 2moro.

My Prime Excuse

The one I use all the time... Wait for it... Ein Li Zman. And I feel so stupid writing it, cuz it sounds like "I don't have time 4 u". But I promise that's not true. Maybe Kash'e Li Limtzo Zman Pnai. That's better.
Sound familiar? And it's even true sometimes. I want 2 dedicate this post 2 Yonatan and Gabi specifically, because they hear the excuse most often.
Actually, don't bother reading this-- I'm warning you-- anyone, because it'll just sound like a bunch of complaining, and who needs that? I just feel the need 2 explain myself.
I'm writing it anyway. Why I don't spend my life hanging out.
Every day I leave 4 school at around 7:30, which means I usually wake up at 6:30, I dunno y it takes me an hour 2 get ready, but it does. And I never wake up on time, 2 be honest, and since there is a direct connection between the time u go 2 sleep and the time u get up, I should go 2 sleep before 10:30, ideally.
So Sundays I end school at 5:ish. It's supposed 2 be 5:15, but sometimes the physics teacher starts class early and lets us out earlier. So at 5 I go 2 gymnastics, and I work there with the group from 5:10-6:10, and then there's my own class till 7:10, so I get home at like 7:30 and then I eat dinner and clean up till around 8:00. That leaves me with about 2:30 hours on Sunday, yes? And I need time 2 get ready 4 bed and stuff... That takes away at least half an hour, usually more.
Monday is the same, but no gymnastics. I get home around 5:45/6:00. Dinner. Guess I sort of have time on Mondays.
Tuesday school ends at 2:30, get home around 3:30, cuz it takes 4ever 2 get on a bus around here. And I'm working on Tuesdays too, I believe, from 6:10 to 7:10, which means I'm actually out from 5:45 to 7:30ish. And I go jogging with Mim say around ~8:30-9:30. I'd like 2 go more than once a week.
Wednesdays I'm putting gymnastics on hold until the end of November, because of this play I'm working in with Pnina. Rehersals are at 7:00, and sometimes in JM, so that's the whole evening. I don't get home until around 11.
Thursdays we get out at 4:30, so I'd be home at like 5, I guess.
And Fridays are 4 sleeping in and Shabbat preparations.
Ok, that's not so different from anyone else's schedual, but combine that with HW and the rest disappears: English is actually very little work this year even tho it's 3 she'elonim, but there are bagruyot in 6 other subjects (at least), and one of them is math. Math is a lifetime of it's own: The teacher warned us that it would be work, and that if we spend less than 5 hours a week on homework we might as well throw the bagruyot down the drain. But her HW takes more than 5 hours, I can tell you that much.
Truthfully, this really is just like any other 11th grader's week. So why am I being forced 2 feel guilty wherever I can't go 2 town on a Thursday night?

God only knows what I'd be without you...

I spent Shabbat at my cousins in Chashmonaim-- it was gr8! I rediscovered what I'd been missing for those 12 years I lived with no relatives (other than my immediate family) in Israel. Like-- we all share this weird sense of humor and stuff. Inside jokes. We spent Friday night dinner telling blonde jokes and talking about people who walk into bars. Ouch. And laughing our heads off. :-D
I love my cousins!!
And of course it's always fun hanging out with my darling Chashmo friends, who I really don't see that often. My sis came with me 2 Judi's this afternoon, but hey--though she may be only 14-- she's fun 2 hang with too!
When I got home from Chashmonaim I met up with Mim, Batzion, MC, Yonatan and Shmuel at Mercaz HaPizza and we hung out 4 a while. Didn't do much, but it's gr8 2 be with people I love.
I got home from Mercaz HaPizza about an hour ago to find my parents and sister watching "Love Actually" (SUCH a cute movie!!), hence the title of this post.
See? Love actually IS everywhere. And G-d only knows what I'd be without u all!