GRANNY FRANNE 2!

Savta was supposed to go for that exam in Tel Aviv on Monday. His limo (Ford Focus), chauffeur informed him that she would be glad to take him, and pretty much got her head into that groove. Sunday is a reular day here except for Christian Arabs for whom it is The Sabbath. I had pretty much forgotten that I had accepted an invitation from a friend I met through Jonathan to go on a dungeon quest Sunday night. It never entered my mind that it might take a very long time as dungeons can be complicated. Long story short-as I am such a crap priest/healer, I got myself some intense priest training from one of the best, and felt as ready as I could for the challenge of being the group's healer. One of the folks our hostess had invited didn't show up on time, so we invited two from our guild, then, found ourselves in the awkward position of having too many when her invitees arrived. We split into two groups and off we went. I didn't do too crap a job as the healer, but I did get myself deaded about seven or eight times, which is very not good. That made the whole thing go on until very very late and I finally got to bed at around 0430, and figured that I'd wake up in enough time to get Savta to Tel Aviv on time. Yeah, right. I woke up at 1100 in a panic and called Savta to tell him that we could still make it on time, only for him to tell me that he was in hospital and obviously couldn't go anywhere, and that he had tried to call all day long on Sunday, but I hadn't answered the phone. That was because I skipped putting my 'ear' on and connecting it to the phone, so, never even heard it ring. I was not at all pleased that the trip had to postponed for a second time for such a miserable (for Savta) reason. Poor Savta in hospital with a mysterious thing growing under his ear, all infected and painful because it's sitting right on a nerve. I promptly called Mrs. Savta and we made plans to go and visit him on Tuesday after I did my errands. That we did, with no problems at all, and had a lovely visit with both of their sons along for wheely duty! Savta will end up having that 'thing' removed at some point after the infection and swelling go away. It's one of those 'several options' operations.

Option 1: it's a complete success.

Option 2: it leaves him with a damaged facial nerve and a droopy

face.

Option 3: It's a catastrophic failure and he doesn't wake up.

As far as I'm concerned, options 2 and 3 are not options at all. Only option 1 is acceptable to me. The surgeon who does those operations there is excellent according to Homeless, who I trust with things like that, so, option 1 is realitsic. Mrs. Savta and I are going up for a supply run and visit later today.

I made the mistake of thinking that I'd be able to play a little WoW after getting home. Bad bad idea. I should never have even thought that thought. I again went to bed late after one of the more disastrous runs at WoW in the history of the game, but, woke up at a 'normal' time, whatever that is, and went out to do errands, like get my oxy prescription refilled, buy fags, and go grocery shopping. I decided to have the heavy stuff delivered (free above a certain amount) because it saves me the struggle of getting everything inside. The delivery guy brings it inside and puts it on my bed, which makes it much easier for me to handle. That's no cake walk in a wheely. I was desperate for a nap by the time I got home, but had to wait for the delivery that never arrived. At around 2115 I called the store to find out if the had sent my groceries to walk here by themselves, and was told that there had been a problem with the deliveries and that they had just left with them. Does it really matter what the problem was? Will knowing that make them (the groceries) get here any sooner? Of course not, so, I didn't bother asking. They finally got here at 2230, with a very good bottle of wine by way of an apology, and after putting it all away, I got a phone call from my son informing me that I'm Granny Franne again. This time to a bouncing baby boy, who will be named after his paternal grandfather. Thinking that would endow me with super gimp powers, I stoopidly logged into WoW, instead of being smart and going to sleep.Jonathan and I tried to do a non quest, but I kept getting deaded, and eventually decided, after falling off a cliff, that it really was bed time. I fell asleep at around 0230 and woke up today at 0800. Golan wandered in this morning just after I took my morning meds and wrestled my stocking on. He took Peg out, did his computer stuff, brought Peg back in, and I went back to sleep to wake up at 1110 for morning coffee. Now, I am being a good gimp and writing this post. I'll be going out for fags shortly and then, heading for Safad again with Mrs. Savta. I hope I'll be ok to play for a while tonight. In any event, Jonathan and I are going to do that non quest again on Saturday, and you can be sure I'll be well rested for that! Most important of all, was finding Aron's Facebook page. I should have known he'd have one, but never bothered looking. I did hear New Baby crying, and that set me off on a happiness weep of my own. Happiness over just about everything; being alive to savor the day, the ability to play WoW, and hearing from dear 'old' friends, and, mostly just being alive. My body might be a train wreck that already happened, but my mind is good, and my spitits are high. I'm a happy old gimp who is blessedly happy to just be here. And ever so thankful for every day.

PLAYING CATCH UP YET AGAIN

Every single day I promise myself that I will update Gimp House TODAY, then, after the usual morning routine, I go out and get home all anxious to get into WoW, and promise myself, TOMORROW!. It looks like tomorrow is finally here. So much has happened that this might be a little long.

I have described what I have to go through to get out of the house and onto Harley before, but, please bear with me as I describe it yet again, as it is relevant to the sorry tale of running out of fags. As walking out to Harley is now impossible, I go out on, and lock the wheely to a rail on the ramp, transfer to Harley, and go! There's a whole routine before I get to that part, which starts with grabbing my glasses,and continues with picking up mobile phones, hat, bag of holding, and moving the keys to the other side of the door. Once all that is done, I'm ready to go out. One night, not too long ago, I ran out of fags, or so I thought, and decided to run out to the 24 hour store for a pack or two. As it was not a normal morning egress, everything that could, did, go wrong. I got my glasses phones and hat ok, got outside, and realized I had left the keys on the inside of the door, rolled back in for them, and locked the wheely(it gave me no end of trouble and took at least 10 tries before I got the lock through the wheel correctly) to the rail. Only when I was on Harley did I notice that my bag of holding with my wallet were still inside. Uh, oh. After all the trouble with the lock, I decided to skip the chair and 'walk (lurch) back in for it. To do that, I had to manuever the chair and Harley to make enough space to get to the door. That done, and bag of holding safely with me, I had a little weep, brought on by frustration at the mess I'd made over something I do daily with no trouble. The 24 hour store doesn't carry 'my' brand, so I asked for the cheapest they had. They had a super cheap brand that comes in packs of 40 anorexic fags, so I got 2 packs of those, figuring that if I like them, fine, if not, I'll go back to usual brand. I was not pleased in the least to discover an almost full pack, that would have gotten me through to morning, in the jacket pocket of my jammies! I like the new anorexic fags just fine and decided to smoke them at the computer, where I rarely get to finish one, especially if I'm playing WoW, and get my usual ones for in bed, the car and on Harley, where I smoke less anyway. So far the new fag plan has been working just fine, even if my regular fag shop has informed me that the importer is going stop importing that brand. I am busily building up a stock of both brands against the day.

Last week Savta had to go to Tel Aviv for a medical board exam to decide his eligibility for a specific benefit that he should have been approved for years ago. For him to get there, he needs his son to take a day off work, and money for gas. I really do wish I didn't need to accept it, but thanks to the next disaster, I do. So, off we went to Tel Aviv, only to get 10 minutes away and receive a call that the exam was being postponed. Why? Who knows? Who cares? So, about face, and home we went, empty handed, as it were. We did have a good time on the way there, joking and talking silly. They way back was mostly silent with Savta in semi shock, and Don McLean playing softly in the background.

My present cash crunch is a reult of my own stupidity. When Levana left the flower shop, I should have cancelled the auto pay the water bill was on. The new tenants said they had changed it themselves along with the electrickery, which had never been on auto pay. I got an NIS 85 water bill for the period they were renovating, which they refused to pay at the time claiming that they only took possession on 1 January, when they had in fact been there during the time of that bill. Then, I got the bill for Jan-Feb, which proves that they never did sort the water. They also are refusing to pay that, giving me the run around every time I go there. The water company doesn't much care. They got paid through the auto pay. They have things set up so that multiple addersses are paid through the same auto pay order which meant that I had to cancel it at the bank-NIS 40 and then, get a new one for just the house. So, they owe me, NIS 85 from Nov-Dec, 250 from Jan-Feb and 40 for the cancelation for a grand total of NIS 375. Granted, it's not a fortune, but for a gimp living on benefits, generous as they may be, it hurts. I have delayed getting the owner of the shop involved because he is elderly and not well. If it can be sorted without him, so much the better, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. Lavana has been trying through the owner's son, but, not gotten very far that way. When I go out shortly, I'll try one more time and if they still won't pay up, I will call the owner.

Yesterday was Independence Day here and I stayed in cursing WoW for doing server maintenance on Tuesdays. I watched a bunch of sappy old Israeli movies, and rested. I also spent more than a few futile hours trying to track down a friend who has suddenly disappeared in Sydney Australia with nary a word to any of her WoW friends, who are getting more concerned by the day. I don't mind if anyone wants to take a time out, but, just say so, so we won't worry. I have a few more ideas for running her to ground that I will try when I get back from town. Right after I post this.

A while back I asked that any of my classmates who read this, leave a comment, or contact me by mail. I was absolutely thrilled when one of them did just that! And, now we are playing catch up by e mail. I feel blessed to have been in such great class, especially when I hear from friends who were ahead of, or, behind me who are not in touch with any of their classmates because their classes were not as special as mine. Sure, there were cliques in my class, but, above and beyond that, we were mostly very friendly outside of those cliques. Even odd ball loners like me! BHS 1970 is one of the greatest classes of all time. And I am proud and feel blessed to be a member!

AN ODD DREAM

Things got a little strange yesterday. The sleepy sleepies struck again, but in a milder form. The plan was to have a nap, then, get up and go to WoW at around 2100 after the news. The nap part went as planned, then, the phone rang. I must have been having a dream because I remember not wanting to answer the phone 'where I was'. I thought I was napping at a friend's house. Then, the phone rang again and I woke up just enough to reach out for the ear piece-cell phone-and answer it. It was Mrs. Savta calling to ask me to come up to their place for a Pesach BBQ. She said that I sound like she woke me up and asked me where I was. I told her that I was at a fiend's house (I thought I was) and that I didn't know when I'd finish up there and be able to leave. Thing is, I didn't want to tell her where I was napping, because it was at her house! I don't know what I was thinking, or even if I was! After the call, I looked around trying to figure out where I was, and I was at home in my own bed, with my own TV on! Talk about feeling foolish! Savta called a little later and said he'd bring me a plate with a selection of BBQ treats! He and his daughter arrived a little later with a plate holding enough BBQ goodies for at least a whole week! I don't often remember dreams, probably because I am rarely woken up in the middle of one. That one I do remember, even if I have no idea why I was not napping at home in it!

THE DAY AFTER

On the day after the Seder it is traditional that all those who were at the Seder, gather for the noon meal. I was instructed to show up at around 1130, but as I didn't wake up until after 1200, I was a little late. They were ok with that because I did get there in the end. The boys were having a discussion on certain aspects of Jewish law concerning lighting 'fire' on the Sabbath and holidays, and were foolish enough to ask for my opinion on the subject. I was wise enough not to allow myself to be dragged into that one. Then, Savta and I got into a similar discussion that rapidly deteriorated into an emphatic exchange of "Yes" and "No" between us, much like little children. After one of my more emphatic "Nos" I stopped and told the 'boys' to pay close attention to how two grown adults have a serious discussion. At that, we all laughed until we almost cried.

Lunch was left overs from the night before, and every bit as good, maybe even better. I was starting to get sleepy, so I left early. After a nap, I was ready yo play WoW and stayed on playing until close to 0400. I woke up a little late and ran out to get two prescriptions filled that had run out. One was my oxy and I sure did need it. I had been using left overs from one I'd tried before giving up and going over to oxy. I made another cup of coffee to try and stay awake, but got hit by the sleepy sleepies real hard and gave in and had a four hor nap, after which, I had another coffee which didn't help at all, and I was back in bed asleep by 1900, and was woken up at 2230 by Golan taking Peg out. We chatted for a few minutes and I just drifted off to sleep again. I'm not sure what exactly caused that attack of the sleepy sleepies, but suspect that it was a combination of the late nights and taking a double dose of those pain pills. I'm a little better this morning, but still somewhat drowsy. Be that as it may; I'm now going to bring Peg in, then head up to Savta's. It's way too nice a day to not go out and enjoy it.

I have a request. Would any of my classmates who read this, please leave a comment so I'll know who it is? I have a hit meter and have gotten several from Brunswick. I'd really like to know who it was. Whoever you are, I am pleased that you interested enough to stop by and read what I've written. That's what a blog is for after all!

SEDER AT SAVTA'S

Yes, I do have a picture of me in yet another article of clothing my son's sister left here. A dress this time, but you will have to wait until you get to the end to see it, unless you are a masochist and scroll down to it now!

The Pesach (Passover) Seder at Savta's was wonderful. They made me feel not like a guest, but, like a member in good standing of the family. Savta and Mrs. Savta were there, as were their two sons, including the one I brought home from Petach Tikva that night a few months ago. Their daughter, with her four kids were also there. The kids did get a little rowdy at times, but not insufferably so. I have said many times that Pesach is my all time favorite holiday, and, to me, one of the most awesome aspects is that millions of Jews are sitting around their tables and reading the same story with the exact same words, blessings and songs on the same evening, and have been doing that for thousands of years now. The food served at the meal part is probably different from geographic area to area, but they all have Matzot in common and four glasses of wine. The odd thing about those four glasses of wine is that it is rare to get drunk from them. Ok, my brother did once, but he was a little kid then. Each glass is supposed to drunk right down while leaning to the left, after the blessing over wine. On any other night of the year, one glass drunk like that would have me tipsy in no time at all. All I got from this year's was a very pleasant warm glow after each glass. Savta has one of the best reading voices I've heard in a long long time, which made listening to the story of our ancestors exodus from Egypt even more enjoyable than usual. The commentary he added was excellent as well. Then, Mrs. Savta's meal; words fail. It was so good that I could have kept on eating until I exploded, but, felt full way too soon. After the meal, but before the blessing after it, they have a family tradition that everyone at the table tells the story of a 'miracle' that has happened to them personally. I told about my mother's last Seder. Their reaction was one of awe. I am still awe struck when I remember it. At the very end we each took turns telling the others what we hope for them for the next year. I took the safe way out and wished for them all that G-d would bless them with what He felt would be best for them. It was nice to see their eyes get a little damp at that and Savta said that they had never been wished anything so wonderful before. Well, they are a very religious ultra orthodox family. And as such, don't miss so much as one letter in the Hagaddah (the book that tells the story of the exodus from Egypt). I got home at 0330 and slept until noon, and woke with that nice glowy feeling.