IT'S OVER

Woohoo! At last, my bank account is sorted. I just came back from dumping 5000 into it and opening a savings account that will let me buy a new Harley in 6 months! The Sakal mess is over except for the Victor bit. And that should be moving into the courtroom soonish! I even have a small cash stash, small being the operative word. IT'S OVER. Now I can relax and not get hysterical at the end of the month. Happy happy gimp. Of course I can't go wild buying, but, the end is here. No thanks to Striar. He is far from out of it with me, but I pulled myself out of the morass he left me for broke in 2 years ago. HA! Before coming home, I went into Traklin and bought the printer scanner, copier I want for 500! Trust me, that's cheap. It will be here on Sunday!!!!!!
Right, enough blathering. It's Friday, 4 Dark Angel episode Friday, so off for a rest for this gimp.

HARLEY UPDATE

Papa laddy and of his lads were just here on a search for Afikim phone numbers. It seems my diagnosis was 100% correct, but even worse than a few burnt wire ends. It seems they need to change the whole *braid*, which is NOT a new hair do, but the main bundle of wires that connect everything to the batteries from the switches. Oops. Now, did I mention how great these lads are? Pappy laddy has taken full responsibility for it and I won't be charged for that part of the surgery. Of course I might not have him back until next week, but that's ok as the only thing I need is the Friday local papers and there are plenty of people who can bring them. I'm not too upset by this news and that is probably partly due to the good news about Kiri/Cab!

GIMP DETECTIVE

What a lousy week! Harley is now paralyzed from the neck down! Larry from Afikim was here on Monday and more or less pronounced him dead from a broken neck, and tried his very best to get me to buy a NEW one for 15,000 shekels. We couldn't come close to agreement on how to pay for a new one, so I very carefully took him(Harley) to get a second opinion from the local *clinic*. They said that they could weld his neck, and he'd be just fine. I took him in for the operation yesterday, and it went just fine, but he woke up paralyzed from the neck down (his wiring got fried during the welding) They are working on putting his central nervous system back together and he just might be ok by tomorrow.
There *is* some good, no, fantastic, news. I spoke to the English First UK office and Kiri/Cab is NOT on their missing person list which means she is ok and accounted for. The down side there is that Sky is yammering bout a new earthquake and tsunami threat, this time from the direction of Australia which is not good for Borneo, if that is where she is. Soooo back to the worry corner. At least I now have the all important phone number and web site for finding out what's going on with EF people. I think maybe I'll wander on over to the Sky site and see what I can find out about this new threat. I'm not sure I can take much more of this.

ULTIMATE CONCEIT

I'm going to scream if I hear just one more TV hotshot ask if the world's weather is out of control. Excuse me, but since when was it ever subject to mans' control? Ok, so we can seed clouds and make a little rain, but that's it. Control hurricanes, typhoons, tornados and other natural manifestations of weather like heat waves, have never been in our control. So just who the hells do those people think they are asking if The Weather is out of control?
I'm not quite sure how that mini tirade leads into one of my pet theories about the weather here. I have noticed that when our leaders go in the obviously correct direction, we get just the weather we need.......lots of rain in winter and not too hot summers. When we get all soft and try to do as others (Europeans, Americans, UN) would have us do, things go to crap, like this winter. We've had very little rain and the summer was hot as hell. Granted, I haven't made a proper scientific study of this, but I have been keeping track on my own. When Sharon was elected after promising not to pull out of Gaza unilaterally, we had a great winter and the Kinneret filled up. Things turned to shite the minute he went along with the very reason that as**ole Mitzna was defeated.
Oh, and BTW, we are not, repeat, not, occupying Gaza and the West Bank in spite of what *they* and many of our own think. There is one and only one reason that our troops are there and that is to prevent *them* from blowing up in our midst and to try to stop *them* from firing missiles at us. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Our people should not have to leave their homes unless *theirs* do too. You know, the triangle, Um El Fuckem and that lot. I'd personally like to see Nazareths Muslims go too so the Christians can have their city back. Bethlehem too. It distresses me that the Christians have pretty much let *them* get away with it. There *was* a bit of a flap over the mosque *they* wanted to build in the courtyard of the church in Nazareth. Get real here people. There was absolutely no reason for *them* to build a mosque there other than that they *could* and that reason just doesn't work.
I'm wild with worry over my pal CabAret who is working in Indonesia, but supposed to be on holiday in Borneo. Phone calls aren't going through, and this morning I did something I NEVER do. I turned the TV over to Sky News first thing. Well, Cabbsie *is* from the UK, Wales to be exact, so of course Sky is the channel of choice. I'll go out of my damaged mind if I don't hear from her soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates today! I hope that next year you will stop giving in to all the jerks who want to secularize it. They don't deserve your consideration, you, however, deserve theirs. For the life of me I can not understand why they feel so threatened by 90 % of Americans exercising their right to practice their religion as they see fit. It would be another story entirely if they tried to stop others from exercising the same right, but hey, guess what, they don't! Are so many people that insecure in their beliefs that they feel threatened by those who believe differently celebrating their beliefs in public? If so, they have the problem. I always thought the ACLU was an organization that defended everyone's civil rights. I just never realized until recently that their method of defending those rights is by denying them to everyone. Something is very wrong with that. I hope you get it sorted soon.
It's almost time to start making my annual Christmas calls.
It is also time to take my semi busted foot to bed. Yesterday's x rays show no broked or fractured bone, it's the ligaments that are a mess. I'm supposed to stay off it and take it for whirlpool treatments. I'm also supposed to the wheel chair which doesn't fit in this corner, so, don't be too surprised or worried if I'm not here in the near future. It starts to really hurt after an hour or so.
I'm still sad that Dark Matters is off the air now. I am so going to miss my personal prophet. I've been moaning and groaning to myself for ages that we need a prophet, not fully understanding that Dwight Schultz actually was fulfilling that role almost every week. He truly has a brilliant grip on what is going on and has a special gift for expressing it. It's too bad that his audience was limited to the 100 or so Dark Matters listeners. He'd probably freak if he knew that I think this about him, but I do and hope that he will one day have a forum that will get his message out to more people.
Time to put foot up.

NO TIME TO FIX THE WORLD

Where does the time go? I barely have time these days to read and answer my e mail, never mind keep up with things here. For some reason I decided to stay in on Sunday, and try to get caught up. Finding out that Dark Matters is going off the air took the air right of me. Yes, I DID cry at the end. Life just won't be the same without them. I was so sad I didn't even feel like reading, never mind writing.
On Monday when I finally decided to go out, Harley went and exploded his front tire right on the ramp. The lads came and changed his tire on Tues. morning and I went to check my mail box and get groceries. Just at the bump from the street to the path, he stopped in his tracks. Already knowing what was wrong, I got out the cell phone and called the 'guys' They said they'd be along shortly, but never showed and there I sat in the street, freezing, but with a book. If I have something to read, I can be stuck in a corner forever and be perfectly happy. I finished the book at around 17:00 and decided to ask the next person to push Harley up onto the path knowing full well that his wheel would fall off. Sure enough, just in front of the entrance to the ramp, his wheel fell off! Even at a time like that, there is great satisfaction in saying " I told you that would happen" I went in and called and begged the lads to come get him as he couldn't stay there like that all night. They finally did. They came this morning to take me to get him, but as I wasn't dressed, we decided they'd come back in hour. I got dressed and went out to wait for them. No show. Back in and at 16:30 called again. We'll be right there. They finally arrived and I got Harley home in one piece. I, on the other hand, am still cold and have developed a whole bunch of new aches and pains, among them, I suspect a fracture in my foot from dropping the computer on it this morning! I'll take it to the quack tomorrow.
As to fixing the world..........I'm not sure it's worth bothering. Sharon has lost his mind, and is really going to do the one thing he swore he never would. The rest of the world is throwing itself at the so called Palestinians and promising them everything it can think of, with out making sure the keep agreements. Been there, done that, don't need another T shirt.
And over in America, the me me me crowd is trying to kill anything to do with Christmas, as if Christmas is a personal affront to them. Come on, people, it's a holiday that over 90% of Americans celebrate, how in the world can it be an insult to those who don't? I rather enjoy it, admittedly, from afar, but sending and getting cards is fun. When I was a kid, I used to go to the Dagget's every Christmas morning for the tree and opening presents. They always had few for me, and I always had for them. Isn't that what it's about, sharing? The little Jewish girl at the Christmas tree was neither a threat nor in danger of losing her religious identity. I loved it, but knew it wasn't mine. There are a lot of people in America who should just get a life.
Irit, Guy, and Romi are on an airplane on their way over there for a month. Irit called at 07:30 to tell me they're on their way.
I think it might be time to get up, undressed, make some soup and try to warm up. Achy called to tell me that the computer guys at his news thingy want to talk to me. I can talk to them from bed! It's about time this AOL thing hits the news.

THE GIMP AND GRAPHICS

One of these days I'll figure out to save stuff from Publisher as JPEG or something like that. It only took all day to get the poptart thing done and it's prtty crap. I'm hoping I'll be able to fake the computer out and get it posted here. I'll try a little later. Right now I want to rant a bot AOL. They still don't have their act together, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if it's all Netvision's fault. I've stopped hating them as much as I used to, but if AOL isn't sorted PDQ, they will be back on the target for practise.I think it's time to go fight with the pic prog. You'll know if it works because there will be an awful picture of a popTART here!

AOL WARS AND TEADRINKER'S INTRO TO HI TECH!

I do not deal well with frustration, as anyone walking by Gimp House this morning is now able to confirm. The emails that were sent to AOL were all unceremoniously bounced. After an hour spent attempting to decipher the gobbledygook they send with the bounce, I realized that *my* server is somehow at fault, so I called them and the techie said they are working on it and that using Yahell or Hitmail might work. In the end that's exactly what I did. I used the hated Yahell and it got through. I hope they sort the issues soon because I really don't like Yahell, and I don't like Hitmail even more! I'm getting quite used to Thunderbird and the only complaint I can think of is that it doesn't have an automatic signature feature, but I can live with that and have even figure a way around it involving Ctrl-C and V!
Teadrinker got her digicam and PSC yesterday and the insanity and curses started. She *did* get the camera to work with a minimum of fuss. Then, this morning we moved on to the PSC (Printer Scanner, Copier) and the real fun started. She had much trouble getting the ink carts in and spent ages on the phone threatening dire injury with a hammer (to me, and/or the PSC) while simultaneously cursing me in several languages. After bellowing right back at her, she called HP support here and they really pissed her off, and we were at threats involving hammers and other implements of destruction. More Gimp bellowing and she calmed down, put the torch (flashlight in her mouth and got the ink carts in AND PRINTED A PICTURE! She has now gone off to recover.
No matter how many times I tell her that people of average or above average intelligence often have trouble with these devices because we have a hard time grasping that "yes it can be that easy" she refuses to believe it. I'm starting to dread the day she gets a computer! So is she. She remembers the good (not) old days when I was just starting out with my first one. The fact that she is without a doubt smarter than I am will only hinder her, but, on second thought, I might enjoy watching (listening) to her going through what I went through not so long ago!
I've been sitting here for 7 hours now and my knees are most unhappy. I think I'll take them for a rest even though my topics list for the blog is getting quite long. Blame AOL!

SLOW SUNDAY

As usual for a Sunday morning, I was up at 05:45, had the computer booted and a coffee to hand by the time Don and Dwight came on for another 3 hours of glimpses into the twists and turns of their brilliant minds. I *am* thankful every day I wake up, and even more so on Sunday because it means Dark Matters will be there once again to get my mind into gear. Their shows are brilliant and I wouldn't miss them for anything.
I managed to get Scrabble sorted at last and can already see that it is going to be dangerous and that not much else will get done around here. I spent way too long playing against myself while listening to Snoopy Christmas at full volume. I can get away with it because absolutely no one here knows English or American culture well enough to know what it is! I love that song and it gets me all bouncy and happy smiley.
I should have stuck with that instead of going to watch the news. Those kind peaceloving so called Palestinians dug a tunnel under an army post in southern Gaza and set off over 100 kg.......That's over 220 lbs of explosives under the post and blew it shy high. Sky News was reporting 3 dead, I was watching Israel 10 and Teadrinker had Sky on and me on the phone. These are the people everyone is so excited about us making peace with. Excuse me a minute here, but wouldn't it make more sense for them to lay off the attacks as a gesture of good will as Sharon is moving ahead with his disengagement/suicide plan? Something is very wrong here. It won't be long before they have a system of tunnels to rival the North Vietnamese, if they don't already.
I'm also getting good and sick and tired of OUR media using THEIR terminology. We have a perfectly good word in Hebrew, but they are all using the Arabic Houdna-cease fire and it drives me wild as does using the word Intifada. Must we give them linguistic credibility while they are trying to destroy us?

SATURDAY NIGHT CATCH UP

Why is it that I always get lost in the item of the moment and what I had planned to do remains undone? Of course, in the end it does get done. What brought this on? Nothing earth shattering, that's for sure! I've been looking for a scrabble download that I wouldn't have to pay for, not because I'm cheap, but because I don't have a card that works outside of the country. Today, the solution hit me. KazAa Lite! A good 3 hours after downloading KazAa,which took over an hour to find, I finally had Scrabble, and could not stifle the urge to play. The original plan was to play until the news came on, and hopefully to exercise enough willpower to stop and get today's post written. No such luck. I just kept playing. The psychic of the universe struck again today, this time in the form Joel who brought up the subject of movie remakes. Poor man, it earned him quite a tirade. I've been pondering the subject for several days now. I do not understand how the high mucky mucks in Hollywould can be so egotistical and incredible stupid as to think that they can take a great movie and improve it. They can't, as has been proven time after time. At least a few haven't been totally twisted like the new Harvey with Harry Anderson (it would have been better with Dwight Schultz) but at least H.A. didn't ruin it. James Stewart WAS much better. The new Bye Bye Birdie stinks in comparison to the original with Ann Margaret and Dick Van Dyke. They changed too much and ruined it for me. The all new updated Charlies Angels also stinks as does the Starsky & Hutch remake. And while I'm on the subject, there's Galactica with Starbuck as a woman. Really. And now it seems Cannel is threatening to do a new A Team movie and his remarks about prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had no idea what the original was about. Why can't they just leave well enough alone. If they MUST meddle why can't they leave it at just adding color to old Black and White? I have NEVER seen a remake that comes close to the original. Are there no original ideas out there in Tinseltown? Oh, yeah, not to forget Alexander the Gay. Huhn? That wasn't covered in any history book I ever read. Have they lost their minds? That's just TOO much. Starbuck's a girl and Alexander's gay? What next?
Irit managed to infuriate me yet again today. Last week she said I could go visit them tomorrow. I told her maybe, and in any case I can't leave until after 09:00 because of dark Matters. She called today and asked what's up. She said they are going someplace in the afternoon and I'll have to leave early. Does she really think that I'm going to go though all the performance of getting on a bus, going there, then turn around and go home again? Seems she does. But, I'm not. Looks like it will be a good long time before I see that kid. She is not going to play Pat Tal with me. I have a life too and her brat's iron clad schedule is not my problem. I'm not young, and I'm in a wheelchair to boot. Just who does she think she is? If/when I get a car........we'll see. But for now, if she can't make the effort, f***k her and the kid. She bitches that they are staying here only until I kick off. Yeah, well, when my mother had cancer, I postponed my plans and moved closer to her so she could see the kids the easily. How things change and I NEVER made her feel that I was just waiting for her to go, never mind said it to her face. Am I feeling hurt? Damn right I am.
Looks like it's time to set the cellphone alarm and settle in for Sue Thomas F.B.Eye. I like that show, which reminds me of another mini topic.
There's been a lot of liberal talk about the moral principles crowd and their TV viewing habits. They seem to think that watching *immoral* shows is hypocritical. Well, it isn't and they don't necessarily watch for prurient reasons. The fact that I watch CSI and NCIS and Law and Order doesn't mean that I have criminal tendencies. In fact, if anything, it influences in rather the opposite direction. There's not much those liberals won't say to try to keep on the moral high ground, no matter how stupid.

SCARY BLOG STUFF

I don't scare easily. Hey! I live in Kiryat Shemonah for crying out loud, and regulary use the intercity buses, but, yesterday, I was a bit freaked out when I saw that someone from an anti conservative blog had been here. After sleeping on it, I realized that the poor guy hadn't had an original though in his life and his vocabulary is limited to Liberalish. His favorite word is neocon and I wonder if he even knows what it means and where it came from. Neocon is short for 'new conservative' which is totally a Liberalish concept. It's used as a derogatory term for conservatives, which leads me to wonder how long one has to be a conservative to lose the prefix 'neo' Obviously I have almost as much contempt for *born into it and never questioned it* conservatives as I do for those whose favorite word is neocon and use it for everyone who is not a liberal. I just don't know about those people. I've mentioned several times that it annoys me when bloggers just reprint articles they agree with rather than make the effort to take the general premise and explain why they agree with it. I *have* used selected portions of articles to support things I've written, usually after I wrote it. But never have I just reprinted an article and let it stand as my opinion. Intellectual laziness, or inability to think independently? Only they know, but I have my suspicions. A trained parrot could get the message across in a more entertaining way.
I don't mind at all that those of other opinions read my blog, it *is* in the public domain, after all, and it just might start someone on the road to independent thinking. Everyone is welcome to read the twisted meaderings of my damaged mind.(got the CT and MRI scans to prove it!)
It stuck me last night how similar in sound (and possibly meaning) are the Russian word Czar and the Hebrew word for minister- Sar שר. Of course my dictionary-the Hebrew one doesn't go into the etymology of words beyond the root. I must remember to ask one of the many teachers I know, who just might know, or maybe Achy.
Yafit is busy washing the floor after doing the mountain of dishes and turning the stove around. The fridge door now opens all way! See? I really am smarter than I look. Yafit was amazed that it actually worked. Sooooo, I really don't have to go the 'built in' route. I've also decided to keep the dog's food and water in the loo. Peg is back in dog bog for trying to escape while I was leaving to get the turkey. I caught his tail just as he was about to squeeze out of the broken lower glass part of the screen door. Ooops. Yafit is almost finished, and I should be able to get the turkey in the oven by 15:00.

A DOGS LIFE

Ragamuffin and Pegasus are still in 'banishment' to the door handle in the loo...or dog bog, if you use Britishisms! Ragamuffin, the brainless wonder keeps getting her lead all twisted and I have to untwist it frequently. Keep in mind that the loo in Gimp House is in scale size wise.........it's small. That door is at the very edge of the shower area. The last time I untwisted her lead, she had gotten it so that she was almost in the air and held quite close to the door that is practicaly in the shower........same wall the water control thingy is on. Oh, yes, while struggling to sort her lead without strangling her in the process, I turned on the shower. Brrr cold. It did get me to reconsider the banishment. I just might give them another chance at freedom tomorrow. It is Hanukah, after all, and the banishment is only temporary. If they go back to their evil ways again, it could become permanent.
I've finally pretty much gotten the general idea on how to get along with Firefox and Thunderbird and een like them. Try them, recommended.
Oh dear, it sounds like Raggy has gone and twisted the lead again. Gimp to the rescue.

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE

Hasn't 'Azam 'Azam been through enough? I came in from my morning expedition to catch the last few minutes of an interview on my talk radio channel with some spoil sport whinger from Israel 2 TV. He was whining that selling this story is a dangerous precedent and that a new law should be passed forbidding news companies from buying stories. The assumption is that Israel 10 (Israel 2's competition) bought it. They are only upset because *they* didn't get it. While I tend to agree that NEWS should be bought, this is much more than news. I hope he can cut a deal for a book. Small minded people drive me wild, and even though I really don't like the left slant of Israel 10, they *do* have the best people working for them. They hired the best away from Israel 1 and 2. Enough already, leave the guy to get on with his life and stop acting like American Democrats.
Happy birthday to me! Turning 51 for the 3rd time is fun. I was not thrilled when Irit called and instead of wishing me a happy birthday, she asked what I want to get Romi for Hanukah. Uh, ok.......but sheesh. I of course ordered what she wanted, then, went out hoping my turkey would be in. It wasn't He promised me tomorrow. If it's raining, as predicted, they'll deliver it. I'm going to try a new stuffing........wheat, onions and garlic. Should be interesting. Turkey isn't exactly macrobionic, but it *is* on personal ok list. There's not much more that I love more than turkey and I *do* do them well.

SHE SAID -HE SAID-SHE SAIDor WHERE HAVE I HEARD THIS BEFORE?

I quite enjoy finding things I've already written about here being picked up by the big boys.....aka..... the crowd at Jonathan Garthwaite's daily news letter. The one below started out as a commentary on news as speculation, then, went on to talk about his speculations from last year. I hope the link works.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/matttowery/mt20041207.shtml

These days, "news" is old by the time you read it. People don't want to know what happened anymore -- they want to know what's going to happen next. In our quest to feed this obsession, and to seem smarter than everyone else, columnists and pundits make a lot of predictions, especially at this time of year. You'll likely see a lot of "what happened in 2004, and what's going to happen in 2005" columns very soon. In fact, you're reading one now.

And this by Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Putz.......aka........the newspaper that caused me to learn to read Hebrew!

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuestColumns/Glick20041206.shtml

The only way to fight these people is to refuse to play by their rules. We must be able to look in the mirror and realize that indeed we are the good guys here. And we must be willing to look at the rotten evil that characterizes the ideology of our enemies and say that defeating them is the mission of our generation

It really is time that people learn that armies in combat situations are where they are, and doing what they are doing for reasons of national urgency, and that they are not day camps. Soldiers kill and get killed, and and and painful as that is for those close to them, without their sacrifice, we would not be living the lives we are living, thanks to them. I know that sounds hard and cold, but war/combat is not warm and fuzzy. It is cold and hard, for everyone. When dealing with combatants who are not regular armies and work under the assumption that all is fair, including booby trapping the wounded, dead, and using ambulances and mosques for cover, the whole thing turns into a moral dilemma of nightmare proportions. Do the recognized armies violate the sanctity of holy places, hospitals, and ambulances, thereby violating international agreements the other side is not party to....Geneva Conventions etc? Or do they continue to play/fight by the rules the opposition doesn't even recognize. War is not civil, or a nice children's game with clear rules that everyone agrees to play/fight by. It is a dirty, nasty, painful, deadly business, without which, we would long ago have gotten used to living under intolerable regimes. The above segment of Glick's article sums it up nicely, but I'm sticking with the Hebrew papers. The Putz still drives me wild, even though they have her now. Not that the Hebrew papers are that much better. At least I'm not limited by language.
Ok, now that I've ordered Romi's Hannukah gift, It's time to go get my turkey. Better late than never, right?

RABID PRESS

I could not believe my ears while listening to the headlines on the 17:00 news show. They actually had the nerve to ask if 'Azam 'Azam is going to sell the story of his imprisonment to the media for money. Bloody hells people, the man hasn't even been home for 24 hours yet and already you are questions like that as if he owes someone something. He was arrested for absolutely no reason other than that he was an Israeli with Tefron connections in Cairo. He was locked in a prison cell when not at hard labor, and when they finally got him out after releasing 6 Egyptian students who had planned to steal a tank and do 'lord knows what' (nothing legal is a safe bet) instead of all the political big shots going to Mrar to greet him there, they dragged him from Eilat to Tel Aviv. Excuse me, but there is something very wrong here. Sharon is at Mrar now. Why couldn't he go there yesterday? And now the media in the form of Moshe Shlonski thinks it's wrong for 'Azam 'Azam to sell his story for money. The man had 8 years taken from him through no fault of his own. He lost 8 years of income from work. Why the hells shouldn't he sell his story. For the highest amount possible says *I*. This is getting me as riled as the Southern Lebanese mess Falul Face created. Leave the man alone. He's going to have enough to deal with after being unjustly imprisoned for 8 years. Crikey, let him do what has to be done in peace and quiet.

OVERNIGHT

Waking up to the latest news is always an experience. This morning was no exception. 'Azam got home at long last and I'm still furious that he had to wait until the politicos were through with him, but I guess that's just the way things are. The poor guy must have been more than a bit befuddled by the whole thing. The important thing is that he is now home and the whole country is happy about it.
The so called Palestinian elections are coming up and last week Barghouti agreed not to run for P.M. Surprise, surprise, he changed his mind and now intends to run. He must think that if elected, we'll have to let him out of prison where he serving several consecutive life terms for terror related murders. Of course we will let him out. If he *is* elected, the whole world will be screaming at us. After all, Arafart was just as bad and we let him become the 'head' of the P.A. I can but hope that we learned our lesson, but, somehow, it seems we never do.
I'm enjoying the Mozilla browser and e mail apps, with one exception. The e mail one doesn't have an automatic signature feature, but it does have a nice purple default page and text option. I still can't figure out how to get rid of the attachment paperclip that shows up on all the incoming mail, whether or not it has an attachment. I'm beginning to think it might somehow be connected to the new AVG prog.
It's time to get dressed and go out. I might be back later, I might not. I just can't seem to have a consistent time to post here. I post when I have something to say, or just want to ramble. Apologies to my 2 faithful readers.

'AZAM AZAM HOME AT LAST

One of the saddest most frustrating episodes of Arab intransigence ended today and I keep getting all teary. 8 Years ago a Druze from Mrar, who worked for Tefron in the Krayot area went to Cairo Egypt, where a relative was in charge of the Tefron factory there. He was arrested as he entered his hotel and was tried, convicted and sentenced to 16 years at hard labor for espionage. The guy was just there on a visit and because of some kind of business things that no one really understands, he paid the price. Everyone involved knew that he was innocent, but in prison he stayed, until today. After 8 years and 1 month, 'Azam 'Azam was returned to Israel in exchange for 6 students who were caught and held here for planning acts of terror. Fair enough. At least he's back. It upset me a bit that he was delayed in going home for photo ops with all the politicos who were involved with his release. *I* think he should have been taken straight home after the medical check up and security debriefing, but the political mucky mucks decided that having their mugs photographed with him was more important than reuniting the man with his family. Even as I type this, he is on his way home, by car. What? All our addycookers (helicopters) are out of service? Get the man home already. Everything else is secondary.
I'm just waiting for Pollard to start squealing. Now, there's one who can rot in prison as far as I'm concerned. *He* was guilty of espionage and is a traitor to his country. I can not comprehend our giving him citizenship when he never so much as set foot in this country. Ok, so he spied for us, but as far as I know, at his own instigation. He and Va'anunu can both rot. I'm just glad that 'Azam is finally out of that Egyptian prison and on his way home. Talk about a miscarriage of justice; it was more like an illegal abortion.
I only heard bout it after I got home from my Sunday errands. Sony paid for, meds and fags bought, Christmas cards for the A Team lists bough, signed, and addressed, ready to go. Groceries tomorrow, and back to TV now until I fall asleep.

FOR MY TWO FAITHFUL READERS

I hope my two faithful readers will forgive me for being so lazy over the weekend. That's pretty much why I didn't post. Another excuse (you decide how good it is) is that I've been messing around with browsers. I decided to try Firefox because IE *is* annoying. I love Firefox for the simple reason that it has a lovely purple skin with paw print buttons. The problem is moving everything from IE to here. In the end, I gave in and reinstalled IE, but as it is possible to choose which browser to use, I'll probably be with Firefox most of the time. I also downloaded their e mail app, but I think I'll be using OE more. Thunderbird just doesn't do it for me and it doesn't seem to have a signature option. Spoiled and lazy pretty much cover it.
Nothing very exciting happened over the weekend. On Friday I made a quick trip to town and on the way home lost 6 of 10 packs of fags. Go ahead and laugh. I'll just be replacing them today! The rest of Friday was spent reading the local scandal sheets and falling asleep in the middle of TV shows I wanted to watch, or being woken up by Teadrinker (who no longer is Spike) Saturday was spent messing around with Mozilla and looking for ways to get rid of those trojan horses. No joy there. Gerald says he can come sort it(the THs) on Thursday afternoon. He still likes IE and hasn't read any of the nasty things being said about it. It annoys me to no end that Firefox is hyped as the best alternative, but doesn't support many things and IE is still needed. If he can sort the whole thing out, fine, if not, I guess I'll just have to use both. Can anyone see me not using a browser with a purple skin? Not likely.
Irit called and said that if all goes well I can go visit next Sunday. They are leaving for a month in the States on the 22, two days after her brother gets here. I'm not sure that leaving us on our own is the best idea, but he has a habit of doing things like picking dates that conflict with her plans. The whole wedding mess with dates and now, coming here, while she's there. Teadrinker is on alert. And I am working on myself to remain calm.
In about half an hour I have to go out and pay Yehiel for fixing the Sony and convince him that he wants to bring it here and set it up on it's perch, buy more fags and Christmas cards for the A Team lists, and do a few other things, like try to get the scrips for the next 3 months on the worst day of the week to go to the clinic. I also have to sort the log in issue with my bank. AND arrange to make the last payment on the Skalal mess by credit card. I also have to pop into Traklin and tell the guy that Teadrinker wants to buy a digicam and printer, and other boring stuff .

COATS, CUPS AND CRAP

At last.......a purple parka coat to call my own. I just love it, and the fact that store was having a 2 for the price of 1sale didn't hurt. I got a nice purple turtle neck sweater too. The other purple things in the other mall were gone by the time I got there, but as I don't need them for any other reason than that they are purple, no big deal. I HAVE THE COAT. AND I found some cigarette lighters that I don't have yet. 3 for 10 shekels. I also found out that I was correct about the light fag question. Same fags, different name. Light is now blue, so I can keep on smoking the same fags. I decided to treat myself to an ice cream at Mac Donnies and discovered purple thermal coffee mugs similar to my Puffin Stop and LL Bean ones. You guessed it. I bought 1. I'll probably get more next week. I also paid the butcher bill, and went to get Harley's front tyre changed and to pay for the gas they brought last week. My butcher is building an addition to his store and I can't get in now as the ramp is gone. I hope they finish building it soon. Tomorrow I'm going out early to get the local papers and to start building my supply of fags for the month. Groceries can wait until next week. No way am I going grocery shopping here on a Friday, without a list yet. There's plenty to eat here so that can wait.
I have the feeling that a recurring theme here is going to be the news media as speculative predictors of the future. They just can't wait for things to be done, they have to ask all those 'what if' questions that turn the news into a long list of *maybe* instead of a factual report of what was. 90% of tonights news was speculation on what the new cabinet will look like now that Shinui is gone. Will Labor join? What about Shas (barf)? And the other ultra religious party, and the far right? The speculation is enough to put you to sleep permanently. It's also pretty clear that the newsies have preferences and what they are. Shades of the U.S. I really only watch for the weather these days. Summer is back but it looks like I'll be getting a great birthday present in the form of a storm. Of course pre winter started suddenly. One day it was HOT, the next, cold and stormy. No transition at all. Then, back to summer, almost. We'll see next week. The more storms, the happier I am. Shimon the butcher promised me a turkey for Monday. I'll roast it for a birthday dinner. Maybe Achy will come.
The banishment of the dogs worked for that one day only. Ragamuffin peed on my duvet and Peg crapped on the floor. They were both immediately banished to the door handle in the loo. Peg opened the door and crapped on the living room side. They'll be banished for a good long time and no amount of pathetic whining will help this time.

GIFTS, DOGS, BLOGS, PROGS AND POLITICAL SUICIDE ON PRIME TIME

I just learned another life lesson. After working on today's post for over an hour, spell checking and(goof reading) looking for my usual grammar goofs, and being pretty satisfied with it, the whole thing got lost in cyber hell. And it WAS good, even if I say so myself. Now, the challenge is to try to remember it!
Spike, aka Teadrinker, called to say that she got her gift and that it was one of the best she ever got. Several years ago, she told me in passing that she wants a poster with the Hebrew letters, in order, with the names of each. While in Jerusalem, with Wallygator, I saw a place mat with all that stuff on it (that's what the big secret was) and bought it on the spot. She got it today and was almost crying from joy when she called. I enjoyed every minute of the torture I put her though by not telling her what it was and making her wait. It was well worth it. Even though she knew something was coming, she had no idea what it was until it was out of the bag. I'm not sure who was more amazed that I remembered that off hand comment of hers, her, or me. I *am* brain damaged, after all!
She WILL go ballistic when she gets the envelope the pictures are in. Oh, she will! It's so much fun.
There was an unexpected benefit from the dog's banishment to the loo. Ragamuffin started her pathetic, "I'm miserable" whine, so I took pity and let them out. They both went the whole night without 'going' on the floor. I was so proud of them when I got up. They are put out every morning for an hour or two unless it's raining. If that's the case, I take them walkies with Harley when the rain lets up. Sometimes, I'm just too lazy to let them out again at night, so if they wet and/or mess, I can't complain, and don't. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts.
I had a great scream up at the TV last night during the news on Channel 10. They were going on about the soldier who was killed in tunnel under Philadelpi Road in Gaza, the route of preference for so called Palestinian weapons smugglers. How is it IDF's fault the tunnel collapsed? The so called Palestinian smugglers built it. IT'S THEIR FAULT. I got over most of my wrath during the Personal Opinion segment with wass'isname. He was talking about the suffering so called Palestinians go through as a result of roadblocks. He pointed out that the West Bank and Gaza have been 'occupied' since 1976 when the Jordanians and Egyptians lost them (ever wonder why they refused point blank to take them back?), and, that until the second intifada there were no roadblocks or troops in the towns or cities.They were allowed unlimited entrance to Israel to work, shop and visit(and plan).Roadblocks only started when they began blowing up buses, pizzarias, coffee shops, and using ambulances for weapons transport. It's hard for them to remember that with the P.A. media spouting anti Israeli hate messages constantly. Even *we* forget it.
What I don't get is, how on earth can they have elections before sorting out what they want- a democracy or any other form of government so the candidates can have something to campaign for? Daniel Pipes had a really good piece on that yesterday about Iraq, and to make it about the P.A. all that had to be done was change the names.
It was absolutely thrilling to watch Falula Face (Ehud Barak) commit political suicide on TV in front of his whole party. He's finished, thankfully. No way can he come back from that.
I enjoy Hercules so much it's almost indecent. I just adore the foolishness. Hercules lived so long ago that it's a real giggle to catch all the modern references to things that hadn't been dreamed of back then. Of course the Sorbo Guy is easy on the eyes, even if he doesn't have much of a butt. I just enjoy the foolishness of it.
They called from the store today, and my coat is here. I'll go get it tomorrow. I have lots of stuff to do tomorrow. Get the coat, and sweater poncho, pay the butcher, get a turkey, groceries, and a few other things. I don't need fags yet, so I have another day or two to decide what to smoke if the new law really means my fags are a thing of the past. They, in their infinite wisdom (not) have outlawed 'light' fags, so the question is, will they still be available, but not as light. Do They really think that smokers think that light fags are healthier? Yeah, they probably do. That's why They are They. Ok, this is saved. Let's see if it posts?

FIRST SHOT FIRED

I just staggered in from firing the first shot in the great War With Egged, or WWE. The letters of complaint were mailed, along with one full of pictures to Spike who you might know as Teadrinker. She is having major renovation construction work done in her mouth and as of yesterday has a row of front spikes where her teeth used to be.......hence the renaming. And, yes, of course that's how I addressed the envelope! Spike, Gill, Lexie, Tonto, and Bronco B***! It's so much fun messing with her that way, and it keeps 'Cohen The Mail' in constant confusion. I sent her the pics of my new haircut, and the Aga box on the roof near Gimp House. After stuffing those 3 letters into the post box outside the post office, I went to get some bottled tap water, better known here as Neviot. Gotta support the local employees at the expense of City Hall!
Then, I caught Natan and asked if he can fix my gas stove top. I'm conflicted. It will be cheaper to fix than replace, but I saw a cabinet that is just the perfect size for "built ins" and will allow the frigging fridge door to open all the way. That's what I really want to do, and most likely will, one of these days. Until then, I guess I'll just get the old hob repaired.
I also took a swing by Sari's shop and got a new indoors only wind chime. You guessed it, purple dangly things! I got it hung on the ceiling fan opposite the a/c and it has a very pleasant chime.
Someone stole the big outside wind chime, and on Thursday I'll get a new one, some chain and a padlock. This is the 3rd one to disappear without a trace. Bet it's 'them' upstairs.
Not trusting the smart asses at the forum at Kiryat Shemonah on line, I swung by the Zafrani's looking for a proper notice. There Wasn't one, but Albert and everyone were outside putting up a tent and chairs and stuff. So, sadly it's true. I'll go there during shiva.
STL called earlier and said he's going to Jerusalem tomorrow or Thursday and should have an answer about the money then. I'm getting really itchy about buying a car.
I'm from Mars! Let's see if I can copy it here.Well, it sort of copied.Let's see how it posts.

You Are From Mars

http://www.quizdiva.net/bt/mars.jpg">%20/>You' a > <><><>What'>http://www.blogthings.com/planetquiz.html">What Planet Are You From?

ZAHARA ZAFRANI

Here I am rabbiting mindlessly on about purple coats and TV actors, only to go the Kiryat Shemonah site to learn that one of the warmest,kindest, friendliest, women in this town is no longer with us. Zarhi reminded me in many ways of my own mother. I never saw her when she didn't have smile, a kind word, and time to chat. I really really liked her and am sad that I didn't know her better and now will never get the chance to. Albert must be devastated. We have lost a wonderful person and it makes me sad and puts stuff like purple coats in a whole new perspective.
Baruch dayan haemmet. Zarhi, you will be missed.ברוך דיין האמת

ODD DREAMS AND PURPLE WINTER COATS

How stupid can I get? I had most of this post written, then lost it when I went to another site to check how to spell a name. Serves me right. I had an odd dream last night. I don't usually remember dreams, but this one I did. I like to watch Highlander-Adrian Paul is the best looking guy I've even seen on the tube or off. Good grief, there should be a law. Of course the Sorbo guy from Andromeda and Hercules runs a close second. I also like to watch Relic Hunter. Never claimed to have sophisticated taste in TV shows, now, did I? Anyway, I hunkered down to sleep with AXN showing Relic Hunter, and somehow Mac Cleod and Amanda were there with Sidney and Nigel mixed up in the search for DeMoley's sword. I was all confused when I woke up. Those shows seem to use lots of the same shots of buildings and locations. Things got a bit clearer when I watched a rerun of RH today. Mac's barge was in it, as was the Watcher's headquarters and a woman who looked a lot like Amanda, but wasn't the same actress. So...that got sorted.
While all that confusing stuff was wreaking havoc with my sanity, I went through my morning routine, coffee, e mail, meds, dressed and out to look for the coat I decided to buy this year after 13 or so years of the old one. First stop, cash point. Second stop, store where I got the purple sweater coat, where I found a dark purple sweater/poncho/cape with a turtle neck, which soon will be mine. I love T necks. Then off to the other mall, where I found THE COAT. I asked if they had any purple coats like *those* black ones. The answer was "no". Then I turned around and saw IT. Exactly the coat I've been yearning for since forever. A long light purple parka with a hood. Of course it wasn't my size. I left the shop, got a few things at the grocery store, checked to see if my book was in, then went back to find out about getting that coat in my size. I stopped Harley in the middle of the store, dug in my heels and announced that there I would stay until they found *my* coat in my size. 6 phone calls later, they found it. It will be there by Thursday, at the latest! I can't wait. This is going to be the best winter yet and I have sneaking suspicion that I will never buy another winter coat again! Happy happy gimp. I just love it when a purple plan comes together!

BACK TO NORMAL?

I think things are pretty much back to normal-for me, that is. Yesterday was a complete waste except for Dark Matters. I was up on time and the connection held for the whole 3 hours. I took the dogs out and washed the floor (shelter guys were coming). At 09:30 the power went off, grrr. No computer, no TV, no radio, no heat. When will they come up with a way to run things with candle power? Being used to having to flip the breaker here, I went out and opened the box, it wasn't here, and Yad Sarah was dark too. Sooo, I took a book and went out on the ramp with the wheelchair to read in the sun. At noon, I decided it was time to go in, open the shutters and read in bed until the power came back. 'lectric company said at 15:00. I backed the chair in, got the the dogs and let them off their leads. I went into the living room to open the shutters and discovered that I had done it yet again. I left the other door wide open and Peg and Ragamuffin went straight out again! I immediately shut and locked the door and resolved, yet again to NEVER forget to close and lock it. By the time I got the leads, and off the ramp the ramp with Harley, Muffin was back and easily captured. Peg was horsing around and Muffin and I went after him. After half an hour of high speed chase, her lead had chafed my wrist to the point of blood, so back in the house she went, secure on a door handle. about 45 minutes after that, I got Peg by the tail and he joined her on the door in the bathroom, where they still are. I got into bed and waited for the 'lectricity, fell asleep and woke to power at 06:30, got the TV sorted, and checked the inside temp. I have a smart TV. It tells the date, time, and temp. It was 15 C in the house and around 5 C outside, so a decision was made to turn on the heat. HA! I got it done all by myself. I crashed on the bed to watch mindless TV and at 08:30 or so, there was a knock on the door. Aaron Milman came to collect the stickers I made for him by taking a picture of the address in Denmark, then made into stickers. He thought it was brilliant. I sort of agree. He left most pleased. At that point I realized the shelter guys never showed up and decided that if they don't show by 09:00 today, I'm out of here. I have tons of things to do that didn't get done yesterday, like send Teadrinker her present and get stamped envelopes for the complaint to the bus company and some whole wheat roll thingies. A proper shopping with a looooong list will wait for Thursday when the Visa clears. I'm still playing e mail catch up from yesterday. I'll go get caught up there, then get out of here.

Purple lunch 

Elise and Franne Purple in Jerusalem 

WHATEVER

I love traveling, and just about any excuse to go out is good. It's even better when it's to meet an old friend.....even one I've actually never met in RL before. I will go just about anywhere in the world to meet a fellow/gal VAer. For those of you who don't know, the VA is the Virtual Asylum for A Team fans. One of the VAers from the States has been in Jerusalem for a conference, so of course, I went to see her. The report I just posted follows.
Middle East Wing Meeting-Nov.24 2004
A report 1/1
By: I Franne Golan
Warnings: None. It might seem like a total fabrication, but it’s not. This is a true to the facts report.
Disclaimers: All characters are real people, not fragments of my imagination, and are free to correct any mistakes.
Publisher: Purplegimp Publishing Ink


06:30 The alarm cell phone rang at Gimp House and an arm appeared from under the tousled covers to turn it off. A vision in purple (nightgown) struggled to sit up only to discover that her sandals were still wet from the previous night’s shower, but that Billy and Fred were perfectly dry. After a quick pit stop in the loo, a coffee, and 12 pills later, the gimp of purple was dressed in her favorite suit, and ready to go. The cab arrived just as she was pushing the wheelchair down the ramp, and the guard at the bus station let them in with no argument. The bus to Tiberius left on time, after a soldier slung the chair into the baggage compartment and arrived at Tiberius on time.
The bus to Jerusalem also left on time (a rare enough occurrence to warrant comment). This is a new route. The old one went through the Jordan Valley and took just over 3 hours from Tiberius to Jerusalem. The new one use a newly built road through the center of the country and cuts an hour and a half off the old time. Safely in the Jerusalem bus station, the gimp promptly got lost (happens every time), but finally found a short flight of stairs that lead to the street, and did the gimp butt slide down the stairs while yet another soldier took the chair down. (now you know why we have an army!) Just as the gimp was getting into the taxi to go to Wallygator’s hotel, the cell phone rang. It was WG calling to check on the gimp’s progress. Less than 10 minutes later the first meeting of the Middle East Wing of the VA was in session. Two very happy MCBA members dressed in purple,(see picture at VA site) were happily nattering away about many topics, which very soon had Mr. WG dozing off. WG gave the gimp lots of beautiful fridge magnets with pictures of Murdock (see picture of MCBA official fridge) A festive lunch was had by all (Mr. WG woke up for lunch) in an appropriately purple (upholstery, menus, etc.) restaurant at the hotel. Replete and happy WG and PG continued chattering and Mr. WG soon drifted off to dreamland once again. Suddenly it was almost 17:00 and time for the gimp to head out to the bus station, in order to be on time for the 17:30 bus back to Tiberius. After getting slightly lost, yet again (it’s a huge bus station) the gimp found her platform, a soldier, and was soon safely ensconced in her favorite front seat. In Afula, the town before Tiberius, the gimp made her first really stupid mistake of the day. There was a bus there going to Kiryat Shmonah and even though the driver offered to help her transfer,(it turned out that the driver knows the gimp’s daughter and son in law) she decided not to, as her left leg was too unsteady to get to, and on the other bus. She decided to continue to Tiberius and wait for the next bus to K.S. from there. Big mistake. The driver of the next bus was running a bit late and had no patience for a gimp. In the end heated words were exchanged and an official complaint sent to the bus company. In the end, the gimp arrived home, happy, tired and a bit sore, but mostly happy. While bringing the chair inside, Pegasus, the noble keeshond escaped and had to be captured and returned home with the help of Ragamuffin, the westie and a piece of steak. At 23:00 the gimp was happily in bed with both dogs safely at home. It was a wonderfull day. WG and PG had a fantastic visit and it was as if they were old friends, not two people meeting for the first time.

It really was fun and I felt like we had known each other forever! The only bad part was that idiot driver from Tiberius to Kiryat Shemonah, but he'll get his. He was talking most of the way with a cop, and managed to say several times how powerful his father is in the bus company. Well, so is my son in law's family and Guy told me exactly how and where to file the complaint. I will take a lot of crap from a lot of people, but not from 27 year old pisher of a bus driver. I had had 3 different drivers that day before that one and they were all most helpful with no connection to my *free ride pass* They just were. Then, this jerk. "if you can't get on, don't ride the bus" Excuuuuse me? I can get on easily enough if you pull the bus close enough to the platform, that's YOUR job. I haven't had a good fight with the bus company since 1999 when I took down the clown who was the driver I had the misfortune to run into on the way home from from the demonstration in Jerusalem. I learned a lot from that battle and put the knowledge to good use this time. His rudeness and attitude could well cost him up to and possibly more than 1000 hours of pay. The bus company is working very hard on it's image and my daughter doesn't like it when anyone is mean to her mother. Guy REALLY doesn't like it.......Let the fun and games begin.
I spent yesterday resting from the trip and composing the letter of complaint, so, didn't get to the blog. I went through my e mail at warp speed and deleted most of it. Of course it's raining today, so I'll be in, I guess, unless it lets up a bit. I really want to get today's local papers but, I don't want to get wet. I also have a bunch of stuff to mail. I got Teadrinker a present in Jerusalem. Something she mentioned that she wanted years ago. I saw one, and bought it, and now I'm having fun torturing her with it. She'll never guess what it is!
I woke up this morning at 06:30 (that'll teach me to not cancel the alarm on the cell phone) to no electricity. I called the power company to find out if it's them, or me. It was me, so I went out and flipped the breaker switch. It's irritating to say the least. I must get a lock for my meter box.
The guy from Homefront Command called on Monday and said they want to come on Wednesday to fix a few things in the *liberry* I told him I wouldn't be home, and asked him if the lunatics upstairs can build on *my* roof. A delegation is coming on Monday, and we'll sort that then. I'm pretty sure they can't and the more the they build, the more fun it will be to see it torn down. I can wait. There are several laws being broken and the mayor will most likely try to make it legal after the fact. He's going down hard if he does!
I had an interesting conversation with Irit. She says that as something can't be changed, why bother. My response was along the lines of, "Things will for sure not change if we don't try, but, might, if we do try therefore, I try." That pretty much explains why I often feel Don Qui........the windmill guy. The one time I really did get something changed, it got pretty much undone not long after. Does that mean I should stop trying? Not on your life.
Irit also informed me that her brother is coming over next month. My first reaction was to start planning a quick trip out of the country, but after a few minutes I decided that neither he, nor his bitch of a wife will run me out of my own home. He'd just better keep her away from me.
The talking heads are blathering on about a peace initiative from Assad of Syria, passed along by Larsen. Yeah, right. After the Europeans went a gave Iran what is essentially a green light on continuing their nuke program, Assad is trying to get attention off his control of Lebanon and focused on us. If only the Europeans had let the US continue without interference, Bush could have brought the Iranians, Syrians and other baddies to their knees at Khaddafi's side. They will do anything to make us look bad. The Europeans just never learn that appeasement is a bad idea and NEVER works. The rest of them can just ask the Dutch. They are beginning to see the light. Of course things will only get better here when the Mukata'a parking lot is full and paved with marble! I think I'll go out, rain or not.

WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE

I just checked my bank account, AND the nightmare is over! All I have to do is not go overboard for the next few months and things will be great. I couldn't believe my eyes when I ran the numbers! That's two loans later and even if STL doesn't pay me back (he'd better).
The other miracle was a phone call from Irit. I'm not the only one who doesn't check the mail box frequently. Guy got the mail and told her what I sent her. She seemed pleased. All was well except she told me that they had been sending pics of Romi. I didn't get any. The reason I didn't get them can only be that they have a virus that the 3 layers of protection didn't let in. She started to get upset and said they do not have a virus. Considering her level of computer knowhow.......I can state with confidence that they *do* have a virus. Knowing her, she'll go home and tell Guy that her idiot mother is casting aspersions on their computer, and he'll check it out and find one! Guy is no fool. I have AVG and my server's anti virus prog and another AVG trap! Not much gets through. Of course I have that nasty trojan horse that I'm waiting for Gerald to get rid of. I'll give him a call later today.
It's off to Jerusalem tomorrow to see Elise. Thankfully there's a bus that use Road 6 and gets there much faster than the Jordan River Valley road.
The weather has cleared a bit and I think I'll take advantage of the break in the rain and take the dogs for a walk. Their food finally arrived........more later on the Marine hero from the mosque in Faluja and Raful, who drowned yesterday.

UNBELIEVABLE MUSICAL HOUSES

I really should restrain myself from making *curiosity* searches. The house I loved the most in Brunswick, for many reasons, is now owned by (are you ready for this?) Jakey Aldred! Longfellow Ave is a family affair. We moved from # 10 to 22 in 1954. The Leiths lived to the left, in the house Sandy and Chuck Morrell Rooney live in now. To the right we had the Brownes, next to them were the elder Aldreds, who at some point moved to Harpswell, they bought OUR house when we moved to Mere Point when I was 16. In fact, Happy, Mrs. Aldred Sr. returned the pearls that got lost down the heating baseboards years before, after they were found by the furnace crew from BCL, now, Downeast Energy, and owned by Sandy Morrell Rooney's family. The Aldreds Jr. lived on Mere Point until they bought the house the Srs sold to move to Harpswell. NOW I find that Aldred III has bought, or inherited *my* house. I wonder why Sandy never mentioned it. I *do* feel better knowing it's in the hands of an Aldred. Aldred Jr, Paddy, still lives in # 18. When we lived on Atwood Lane, the Aldred daughter also lived there. Almost incestuous, no?
I forgot to mention in my previous post how great the weather is going to be for the next few days. RAIN and SNOW! It's for sure not cold enough yet, but they say it's going to get cold overnight and I can already feel it! Woohoo. Weather.
Another bright note is that my bank account is getting healthier.
I am a happy happy gimp. I think I'll go see who has the other houses on Longfellow Ave! This reverse directory is great.

IT'S WAR! DA GIMP vs. THE LUNATICS!

Here we go again. I've known for a while that the Lunatics from upstairs are doing something on my *liberry* roof. Today I got the proof. A nice picture of the wall they are building up there. There's just one little problem! IT'S MY ROOF, and they don't have my permission. Ok, so, maybe legally it's the Housing Authority's roof, BUT, that doesn't mean they can just start building on it. No how, no way. I called Shula and sicced her on them. If she doesn't have an answer tomorrow, I know just who to talk to about it. These are the same people who announced that no way would I move into this apartment, then, went and got an illegal stop work order on my ramp. At the time 3 members of Knesset and Shimon Peres' daughter explained to city hall that the law applies to them too. That's never been known to bother them before. In the end I got Gimp House, ramp and all. THEY ARE NOT BUILDING ANYTHING ON MY ROOF! I've been patiently waiting in my corner for them to try something. The law says they need planning permission and that part of the procedure is for them to get approval from all the residents in the building. RESIDENTS, NOT OWNERS! If the planning board even thinks about trying to claim they have those approvals, they're all going down. The corrupt city hall people think the law is for everyone except them. The difference with the ramp is that a law was passed back then that says that as long as the ramp is for a gimp/crip and it doesn't obstruct anyone else's access to the building, resident's permission is not needed. It doesn't say anything about waiving that requirement for building additions! I've been waiting for years to take down the City Hall Mafia and it looks like my patience has been rewarded!
The day started off with a wonderful Dark Matters show, during which I discovered that my watch was dead. Yup, the same one I got a new battery for not long ago. As soon as the show was over, I charged over to Yochanan's and ended up getting a new battery for that watch as well as a new one.....picture of new purple watch to follow.
I've been wondering what it was I did that pissed off Teadrinker. I know why just about everyone else is pissed off at me, but had not an inkling of why she was. I found out last night why.........no reason at all. The phone rang once, no one there, then it rang again and a very tentative Teadrinker voice asked if I was going to hang up her. I said "it all depends on what I did to piss you off" She said "Nothing, I was just in a mood" Go figure. I'm the one who is always hanging up on her, but for a reason. Here I am with no one talking to me and SHE hangs up for no reason. All is well until next time.
The bloody Europeans are at it again. They are now trying to appease the Iranians. They are going to give them nuclear material in return for their promise to stop their military nuke program. How stupid are they? These same geniuses who think Americans are stupid for reelecting Bush? The same Bush who brought Khaddafi to his knees, knocked Iraq and Afghanistan out of the terror game (pretty much) and if only the Europeans had stayed out of it could have knocked the stuffing out of Iran, Syria and Hezbolla with just a few well chosen words. Don't they realize that Iran has rockets that reach Europe? Or, is it that realizing that, they hope to sweet talk them out of using them? Haven't we seen this movie before? And wasn't it called WWII with a sequel called The War on Terror. Who the hells do they think is going to pull their asses out the sling this time? Has everyone forgotten that the EMP will knock the whole world back to the stone age? And possibly even farther back than that?
Things are heating up on the other side of the border here. Our Shelter crews were checking the bomb shelters in town and there's tons of military traffic up here. Shlomi had a near hit from a katyusha last week, which means they'll be moving east towards us.
Dwight and Don also talked about genetic manipulation..........animals with human DNA and vice versa. Shades of James Patterson (When the Wind Blows and The House On The Lake) and Dark Angel. Patterson claims that things are already pretty far advanced in the field. Wouldn't surprise me abit. I think I'll go post there now.

MATERNAL MUTTERINGS

I figured out a long time ago that I have been a total failure as a mother. Aron, the same child who, while in High School, read a story in the local paper about a single mother who was having trouble financially, and pompously pronounced that the older son should leave school, go get a job to help, yet, refused to the same when in the same situation himself, did everything in his power to keep me way from his wedding, is long lost to me. His sister has taken a different route. She didn't call to thank me for her birthday gift, of the cards Peg and Raggy sent. Fine. She saved me the cost of the anniversary/Hanukkah gift I had planned for them. How the hells did she end up so rude? She is the daughter of a woman who stills sends proper thank you notes by snail mail. Not even an e mail from her. Her defense will be that *I* should have called *her*. Sorry, but that's not the way it works. After all the fights and no talking periods I had with The Philmore, I was one the one who broke the brogus barrier. That's the way it works. The role of martyr doesn't sit well on her. By the time she figures out that the problem is that we are too much alike for her comfort, it will be too late. Of course, what goes around comes around and she will have as much trouble, if not more trouble with her kids. She just won't see it until it's too late. But that's the way things work.
I'm having a grand old time with the rain, lightening and thunder. I took the dogs out for a quick walk and it started raining just as we got back home! I hope it lets up enough for me to out for a quick newspaper run in the morning. The forecasts say Friday night and Saturday will ne wild. Yippee.
Mr and Mrs. Wallygator will be arriving in Jerusalem on Monday. I can't wait. When I find out what day they have free, I'll call Zehava and see if she can put me up for the night and to come visit. If not, then maybe Savta Rivka? Or, I can just come home that home night. Round trip Jerusalem in one day is not my idea of fun, bit it will be well worth it to see them. I've been sitting here for 4 hours and my knees are protesting with picket signs! It just might be time to give them a rest.

HAPPY SMILY GIMP

I'm so happy. It's been raining off and on all day and it just rumbled thunder! What a great day. I really do like this weather. In fact I love it; until the power goes out. Yeah, so, we're a modern country, or so we like to think, but just get a little fun weather in here and bye bye power. I have more than enough candles though. At last count 150 purple candles scattered all over and ready for action. The only real problem I have is that candles refuse to power the computer! The only solution to that is a battery powered lap top, and I don't really want one. I *do* want a PDA, for several reasons. They are good for traveling and whole books can be downloaded to them. Ah, well, one day. That twit of a daughter of mine had better call soon. There's no way her gift didn't get to yet and to not call and say thank you is just plain rude. Peg and Raggy sent her an e card earlier. Both should be icebreaker, each on their own. This not talking crap has gone on long enough. It's about time she realizes that she will not change the old gimp, just like the old gimp will never change her and just stop being so superior. She's only got one mother and I won't be around ever, much as she'd like it if I popped off tonight. Not for her or anyone else........Aw well, her loss. In fact I'm a lot happier not having to negotiate the mine fields that are her phone calls. Wonder what she'll tell Romi when she asks about 'her other grandmother' Who needs it?

WINTER APPROACHES

I made a point of catching the weather forecast on two different channels AND checked Yahoo. Winter will be here tomorrow! I'm so excited. Cold, wet, and, with any luck noisy with a natural light show. I'm ready. My Billy and Fred slippers are brushed and ready. My purple house coat is washed and dried, as is my down quilt. The fun part will be putting it in the quilt cover. There's a quilt under the flannel sheet. Yup, I'm ready.
Some poor corporal in the army got busted for making 'gloating' comments about Arafart dying. Does that mean they'll come get me next? My comments were far from P.C. Ha!
George W. nominated Condoleeza Rice for Sec'y State and there's been talk that she might have a tough time with the entrenched old timers there. It makes me wonder if George W. remembers our conversation about the State Department old timers. Wouldn't surprise me a bit. Powell ended up, as I feared, being sucked in by them. I think Dr. Rice just might shake them up and get them off the pro Arab band wagon. If anyone can, she's the one, and if any place needs shaking up, State's it. I wish her luck there.
Have you noticed that the good folks who are supposed to report the news AFTER it happens seem to spend more time speculating on what they think WILL/might happen? I guess there's nothing wrong with that other than that their speculations can and possibly *do* skew the actual events. The world has gone nuts. So, I should fit right in, right?

FRUSTRATED GIMP

I'm driving myself wild. I finally got a desgn I can almost live with, but I can't get it into a sendable format and my knees are screaming loudly from sitting here way too long. I'm going to try and get it on here somehow. Not that it's so great, but it's not doing what I want it to do! Grrrrr.
Other than that, things pretty much suck. STL is still messing about and I won't have enough cash to go to Jerusalem next week unless he comes up with something. An A Team list friend is coming over, and I want to go meet her. One bright note. I found a gorgeous purple sweater coat very similar to my old brown one and bought it on the spot! There's lots of purple this winter, so lots of money will go on new clothes. So far nothing is working. I'd better go and give it my undivided attention.

THE GIMP IS TIRED

It might sound ridiculous, but I'm tired tonight, and it's not like I overdid today. I went to the post office to collect the money I sent to Val, but she never got. It only took almost an hour to get it, then a half hour wait at the bank to dump 500 of it into the bottomless pit. After that, I went to the big mall to get Irit's birthday present, then to the little post office to mail it to her-registered. I got home just as Charmed was starting, then after Highlander I tried to have a snooze, and STL called, so end of snooze. I'm trying real hard not to watch the news, here or on Fox. This whole Arafart croaked thing is just too much and I'm sick and tired of hearing what a wonderful leader he was for the so called Palestinian people. He was nothing more than a terrorist and such, burial in a parking lot is too good for him. I'd plant him in the toxic waste dump with appropriate warnings.
everyone is getting all excited about the possibility of peace now that he's gone, but they seem to be forgetting Kadoumi. I love his name; it means 'primitive' in Hebrew and is spot on for him. He has already said that he has no objection to talking, but armed struggle must be kept as an option. Same old same old. Maybe he'll kick off next and they pave the Muka'ata parking lot with dead leaders' crypts.
Last weekend I saw a 9/11 movie on Hallmark that put Moore's leftoslander flic in the dust. There were a few great shots of Bush juxtaposed with portraits of the first George-Washington, and then one with Lincoln. It is a pretty factual portrayal of that day and has the ring of truth. I will tape it next time, if I can stop crying long enough. That movie is sure a tear jerker.
I was weepy a lot today;Veteran's Day. A piece about Bangor Maine and the way they welcome planes full of soldiers returning home got me all teary first thing, then there were a few more tributes to vets.
I've managed to mess up the computer yet again. Paintbrush and powerpoint have disappeared. I'll have to call Gerald tomorrow. Photoshop has gone too. How do I do things like that?
The really good news is that even if STL doesn't pay me back, and he probably won't, my account will be in a health plus by the end of January!!!!! Don't worry, I'm not letting off the hook.
Tomorrow night is Dark Angel marathon night and I had better get a good nap before. I'll be getting up early because I have to help Richard with cable and do a bit of shopping shopping at the other end of town.

BACK TO NORMAL(?)

Normal for me, that is. Except, not really. Something is very wrong, indeed. For some unexplained, unfathomable reason, I simply can not keep my eyes open after midnight, even if I had a nap. I am back to Reshet Bet, my all night talk radio. No more Fox at night. That is definitely not normal for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, not really. The up side is that I wake up early and get even more awake with my first coffee. This is good because I can go out early and get back in plenty of time to catch Charmed.
They are taking their sweet time to disconnect Arafart. The P.A. hot shots are going on about euthanasia being against their religion. Suicide bombers are ok, but freeing up machines for a really sick person is not. By all accounts he's deader than a doornail, but, still hooked up. There's been speculation that they are waiting until the so called Palestinians have been properly prepared for the news that their hero is gone. Like they don't already know? And Souha is still playing her game. Bet we never know what that's all about. It does look like she's trying to guarantee her financial future and is holding things up until the new bosses agree to her terms. There's been some talk that no one really knows where all the billions are stashed, not even the financial guys.
Looks like it's time to get dressed and go to town.
STL is still stalling and telling fairy tales. More on him later. Until then, put aside the cash for that bridge!

SOUHA'S DEATH WARRANT?

She actually does look stupid enough to be doing what she's doing. Yeah, so by force of a piece of paper that says she's Arafart's wife and therefore his next of kin and the only person (other than his daughter, who is a child) who can legally act in his name, she is playing power games with the PLO. How stupid is that? I should start a betting pool on when they'll *do* her. It is somewhat fun that this is all going on in France. Of course Chiraq insulted whosit from Iraq and tried to visit a terrorist in a coma. So.......who is stupider, Chiraq or Souha? The French are welcome to both of them.
The bank was open for a change, so I dropped the 500 into the bottomless pit, then sent flowers to Susie (the card worked, TG), came home and did my vegetable imitation until 18:30 or so and came here to see if there are any interesting conventions coming up in England. I found one in Feb. and STL had damn well better have things sorted by then, because if I'm still upset about not getting to Collectormania, it'll be nothing next to what is coming.
I'm in a really weird mood and am not sure why. Part of it is STL, part, I need a break, and part, I don't know. Just feeling off somehow.
The weather changed today and at last it was cool enough to wear long sleeves and pants. I couldn't find the shirt I wanted, so will have to organize a proper search for it tomorrow.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but it was quite a wake up this morning. Yvette (Avigdor to you) Lieberman was being interviewed by Dovi Gilhar on Israel 2 this morning and what he said actually made him me forgive him all the crap from '92. At last...and so simple! He says that we have to give up land and move settlers, there is no reason that Israeli Arabs who identify with the PA shouldn't be made to do the same. Dovi tried to make him sound like some kind of racist, but Hey! It's easy, right, and why not? Two States for two peoples. No Jews there and no Arabs here. Fair is fair, but it makes too much sense for it to ever happen. Too bad.

AND ON AND ON IT GOES

This whole Arafart thing is dragging on and on and they can't get their stories straight. One brilliant spokesperson actually said that the only person authorized to comment on Arafart's health is Arafart himself? Like he's capable of doing that while in a coma and braindead. There are actually reporst that he is not in a coma. Go figure it out. And I thought election night was bad. The only thing I can think of that is as nervewracking is waiting for STL to pay up. Today's fairytale revolves around one of the Jewish charities ending money to Edith or someone else they trust. *That* actually makes sense, except it could and most likely is just another lie to delay the day I send him to ICU.
This morning's Dark Matters was great. Dwight was in a fantastic mood from the election results, as was I. I enjoyed every minute of the show.
The minute the show was over, I charged into town to deposit the cash I have in the bank and to see if that Yank Mara wants me to meet was there. He wasn't, but Aaron Milman was. We had a nice visit, then I went to the bank which was closed. Discount Bank closed on a Sunday morning? Odd to say the least. I asked the guard at the entrance to the mall and he said they are always closed on Sunday now. Hmmmm. Somehow the top brains here can not get their minds around the concept that a 5 day work in other parts of the world means that the business is open 6 days but the employees get an extra day off. Not here! Here they close the business. I'll just have to pop in and make the deposit tomorrow, even though my account is in relatively good shape, but only because Gerald again forgot to redeposit that check. The 500 I have to throw into the bottomless pit will help alot.
Aaron Milman stopped by with some stickers he wants me to design and print up for him. He is such an interesting old geezer! 80+ years old and still walks all over town. I could listen to his stories for hours. My facial muscles hurt from smiling at all his stories. I wonder if I could get him to let tape and then write the story of his life. He was born and brought up in Egypt, and had many experiences that are worth the effort to preserve. I just might start something using the stories he told tonight. It's almost 20:00, news time and I want to go see/hear what's going on with Yasser.

RANDOM RUMINATIONS

Knowing me, I'll probably be sorry I did this, but, that's nothing new! I downloaded a new browser, Maxthon, and so far far, I like it ok. It will take a while to learn, and I *do* love a challenge.
The other thing I most likely will regret is my Saturday splurge. I decided that I deserved a treat, so off I rolled to Burger King to try their 'new' tortilla wraps. Ok, but nothing I'm likely to get addicted to. I'll try the Micky D's new thing next week.
For my next trick, I think I'll try to get Zone Alarm to work for me. I really do not like being without a firewall. That project will wait until Monday. I'll be starting the 'lectric chair thing then, so won't be going out too much and will have tons of time to mess around here.
I've been meaning to rant about a couple of election related subjects I just haven't gotten around to yet.
This whole 'pending' (or whatever they call it) ballot thing is a crock. I see absolutely no reason that anyone who is there (as opposed to out of the country and eligible for an absentee ballot) should be allowed to vote any place other their own precinct, after showing proof of identity. Excuse me? There are laws, no? Anyone who is of age and a citizen must be allowed to register after showing proof of both. Non citizens should NOT be allowed any of the rights and privileges of a legal citizen. It's real simple, people. Either you are or aren't. Not a citizen or legal resident? No voting, welfare, or anything else. You want to vote? Go back to your own country and if it's not as good as the U S of A, work to make it as good, or better. And to all you poor losers who want to run away...if things are so bad and you are so right, stay and convince the rest of the country that you are right. As the absentee ballots are being counted and the par is widening, you might want to rethink your position on the issues, and look for ways to work to make things better.
Another, admittedly minor irritation, has been some of the blogs I've visited. I admit that I am far from being an influential blogger, BUT, my thoughts are my own, not pasted reprints of other peoples. I also freely admit that I read a conservative newsletter every day, and am somewhat influenced by it, but I at least try to express MY views in MY words and not rehash anyone else's. It could be that I'm just being bitchy here, but there are a lot of people who just *glue* a whole article they agree with into their page and leave it at that.
Moving right along to Arafart; despite conflicting reports, it looks like he's pretty much gone and just the machines are keeping him going. There's lots of speculation that Souha is waiting for things to get sorted in the P.A. before she pulls the plug. I've read some interesting opinions as to what will happen next and most of them pretty much agree with me that we are a few more deaths away from a so called Palestinian leadership that will be able to do the right thing for their people. The old time PLO leaders have to die off so the moderate ones will be able to take over. It's not enough that Y. Arafart dies. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
I have half an hour until news, so I think I'll play around abit with the new browser, then go watch news, set clocks and cell phone for Dark Matters. I'm really looking forward to Dwight in the morning.

MANIC DEPRESSIVE

That pretty much describes my moods today. I'm very sad about Susie's sister. She died yesterday and Susie sounded so forlorn in her post that my heart literally aches for her. I'll call her later and let her talk. If anyone in the world DOESN'T deserve the pain of losing a sister, it's Susie.
I usually run through the channels to see if any of my favorite movies have by some miracle appeared on the schedule. I forgot today and had a little snooze in preparation for the Dark Angel marathon tonight. I woke up to discover that I missed most of Bye Bye Birdie. The original 1963 with Dick Van Dyke and Ann Margaret. DAMN I love that version. The update just isn't as good. I alternately roared with laughter and cried through to the end. I also sang along with the songs. I bet the whole town ran away with their fingers in their ears. I would have too, but I was having too good a time. They usually run movies a few times over several days but I can't find another listing for this one. I WILL be checking for it every day and have a tape ready to go.
Pegasus deserves a medal and has been getting doggie treats all day. Last night, I went into the loo and stepped solidly on his front paw. The poor sweety didn't move a muscle except to let out a rather loud whine. He waited until I got my foot off him and found my balance before he flew out of there. It's scarey to think what would have happened if he had done what ny other dog would have done. I'd still be trying to get up from the floor. Peg is so special. Imagine having 200 pounds come solidly down on your foot or hand and not moving until it was gone. Yes, dogs DO know.
I tried to call STL at 11:40 and he said he'd call me back in 10 minutes. It's 17:55 now and I'm still waiting. As it's already Shabbat, I'll try him again tomorrow night and if that doesn't work he can expect a visit on Sunday. Time for a coffee and to read the olde home town online newpaper. I still don't know if Y.Arafart has popped his clogs yet or not. I hope it's soon. Part.......er.......funeral arrangements are moving ahead.

DEATHWATCH

All Arafart has to do now, to die is just that, to die. Reports have him more or less braindead,(but, then, that's not exactly news, is it?), on life(?) support supposedly so that his disciples can prepare themselves for his death. It has been interesting to note that while he was ill and still at home, very few so called Palestinians kept vigil outside the Mukata'a, and even fewer turned out to see him off on what can only have been his final journey. European security types should take note of the crowds hanging around outside the hospital. To me it looks like the rank and file so called Palestinians just want to get on with it and really don't care all that much beyond perfunctory lip service, which is how it should be.
The P.A. spokesmen seem to be in denial and refuse to admit to themselves, or anyone else, that the old terrorist is all but dead. Press releases have stated that the old araFART is on life support in order to allow the P. Authority to get ready for a smooth transfer of power. There has been speculation about an outbreak of violence when he's unplugged, but our lads seem to think that is only likely if we refuse to bury him where he said he wants to be planted-on the Temple Mount. We have already stated that it just isn't going to happen. *I* think that one of our toxic waste dumps would be just fine, and Hiriya, close to the airport with a guarantee of constant noise gets my vote! It's going to be interesting to see how long the quacks leave on life support before they decide that the equipment can be put to better use and that those in denial have had enough time to get over it. What a lovely victory gift for Bush. He won't have to deal with AraFART any more. THE DEATHWATCH continues, as do the part......er funeral plans.