SONYA AND WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KIDS TODAY

It's not bad enough that my neighbor Danny has a drug addict brother living in the apartment over his, he has an insane sister, Sonya, who moved back to apartment over Orna and Danny's yesterday with her two kids. The smart money says there'll be a murder up there yet.
It is a fairly well known fact that I detest kids, specifically kids whose parents indulge their own kids at other kid's expense. It's a major miracle that I didn't land myself in the slammer last night, bloody toes and all. Eema Rivka, David, and his sister arrived just as A Team was ending. I had spent the whole day racing around town getting everything we needed for the BBQ, and it was all ready and waiting at Orna's. As dark settled over us, Eema Rivka and I went down to Orna and Danny's yard. Hofit and Daniella were all excited about dancing for us, and all the invited guests were there. Sonya decided that she and her genetic accidents must have been invited by default. Not so. Things were going along just fine until the girls started dancing. Sonya's girl decided that she wanted a dancing outfit too, and Sonya told Daniella to hand hers over. All the while Sonya's brat was throwing a tantrum. I lost it and lit into her, she started cussing me out. At the point where I almost sent her on an unscheduled flight, I decided it was time to cut out. I rolled myself out there and was home in record time. She and her monsters were banished and I was rolled back to my party. Sonya, not able to leave well enough alone launched another verbal attack from the window and threw something at me. Lucky for her I didn't see what it was. Later she came back out and screamed in my ear while I was studiously ignoring her.
Ok, the party was in Orna and Danny's yard for convenience. They have the grill and tables out there, but it was *MY* party and I'll invite who I want. It is a well known fact that I hate kids and for the most part the neighborhood kids leave me alone. Not Sonya and her brood. I have no problem with Orna, Danny, Orly and Haim's kids as they know how to behave and know that if they throw a fit, it's straight to bed. Where does Sonya get off crashing my party, then demanding that one of my guests relinquish her dancing outfit to her kid? I don't think so. This is going to be a long hot summer. All I want is quiet and no kids. I just hope that Sonya figures out that giving me a wide berth is best for all concerned.
Other than my tantrum it was a great night! Eema Rivka, David and his sister had a good time and stayed until midnight, which is really late for them.
I think it's time to take a shower, watch Star World's A Team episode, get my bandage changed and do a few other errands. We are all going to Yechiya's grandson's wedding tonight. While looking for something for Orna wear, I found a nice pantsuit that I forgot I had. Pants are much more comfortable than a dress! Ok, I'm out of here.

HAFLA

The closest meaning I can come up with for Hafla is a mix of party and celebration. We are having a Hafla tonight for Eema Rivka, David and his sister who are coming North today. I already have most of what we need. Orna was supposed to come early and help me get Gimp House ready. It's 0830 already and she still hasn't arrived. I still have stuff to get and I really don't to leave until things are ready here. I really want to get out and back before it gets too hot. it's supposed to be pushing 100 yet again today. I'd much rather stay in, but I need tabouli and beer, and a few other things. The meat is pretty much taken care of. I also have to copy all the stuff stuck on my old computer desk before the second hand guy hauls it off along with a bunch of other junk in the guest/spare room. It would also be nice to clear off the new table. Like mother like daughter; our dining room table always had odds and sods on it, as does mine. Mine has a dictionary or two and a few medical reference books, a bill or two or two or three or four and assorted telephone gear. I think I'll go stash it all, then yell for Orna before it gets too hot. I'm already on the verge of turning on the a/c but Peg is outside and the door is open. No matter, it's time to get a move on.

LAUGHTER AT NIGHT

I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did tonight. The Sprintzak Neighborhood Council had a BBQ at Orly and Haim's with Danny, Orna, Shimon,Natan and Yechiya. Hofit and Daniella, Orna and Orly's daughters belly danced for us and very well. Haim ran the grill, and did no small amount of dancing as well. After what must have been his 6th beer he took Orly's empty dough mixing bowl, filled it with water and danced his way to the path between the buildings where he dumped the water over his head and started banging the bowl against his head. He continued until there was nothing left of the bowl and his nose was a bloody mess. My face muscles are sore from grinning and laughing.
Another such evening is on schedule for Eema Rivka and David Wednesday. I can't wait. This is indeed the best neighborhood I've lived in yet, Shimshon the addict not withstanding.

EEMA RIVKA

I've adored Eema Rivka since the day I met her at the Great Gimp Demonstration Of 1999 in Jerusalem. I spearheaded that takeover of the Treasury building and she was in charge of the kitchen along with Eema Levanna. Something just clicked between us and we've been buddies ever since! Why is it that people who are in a miserable relationship can't accept that some of us can be quite happy on our own and have to push us into relationships too? It's not like they want us to be as happy as they are, because they are not happy at all. Misery loves company? We had a long chat last night and again she brought up the *forbidden topic* of why I refuse to even consider getting involved with a guy. I hate explaining it to her because I think it makes me sound more than a bit arrogant. After my disastrous marriage and the two relationships after that, I'm just not interested in another involvement. This is the arrogant part....It's not easy to find someone who can keep me challenged mentally; not after Gabby and Mark. It's not that I'm so bright, or that men are stupid, it's just that I need more of a challenge than I've found with anyone since Mark, who ended up blowing his brains out. That's usually the point when Eema Rivka starts with "but I'm not smart" and I have to explain that she actually is, but that's not the issue. The issue is men, and the litmus test for them is different to the one for my woman pals. One of my best friends is about as dumb as you can get and still be alive. She also has a heart of solid gold. Of course my last woman friend of great intelligence quit talking to me reasons I have yet to understand. We were on the same mental wavelength and often had idiotic arguments about who was brighter. As she just quit talking to me one fine day for reasons known only to her, I guess I was right and she is the smarter as I can't figure out the reason.
I was talking to Eema Rivka about the coming operation and she informed me that she is coming up to deliver me to the chop shop, take me home after and then, spoil me rotten for a few days. We both know that she's doing it because my ex daughter, who should do that herself, won't. Bless Eema Rivka. The battles between her and Orna should be fun to watch.
I read the hospital approval form from top to bottom and discovered that it's only for the hammer toes, but who wants to bet against me that The Toe goes too?
The Sore has taken a turn for the worse and I'm nervous that a minor infection that close to the op site might cause trouble. I decided to go back to a treatment we used before the present one. The previous one was working, but the nurse decided the sore looked better so we stopped it and it immediately got worse. Dr. Yuri agreed with me and the change was made! As Orna was waiting for me to take her shopping (out of money and not a thing to eat in her house, I skipped getting the X Ray form redated and decided to do it tomorrow. No rush as the sawbones won't be here before Friday. I'll do all that tomorrow and go to the butcher as well. I got a late start because of The A Team. I simply can not miss and episode. That worked out well because my new crutches arrived. It took the three of us to sort them; me, Orna and Danny. One of them has a very narrow cuff and my right forearm doesn't go in. We simply switched the bottom and put my old top in. The other cuff is fine and after we figured out how to adjust the length, I had two crutches. Of course I can only use the one because my left shoulder is a train wreck. Hells, my whole body is a train wreck!
Gerald finally caught up with me today and with any luck the Great Tape To Disk Project will be back on track tomorrow. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get my font color back.

REFLECTIONS

I have the oddest thoughts at the oddest times. Yesterday it hit me that, I raced through the first part of my life because somehow, deep down, I knew that last part would be lived at a much slower pace. Looking back, there is some evidence of this. As far back as 1972 when I designed and built that house in Topsham there must have been a little voice guiding me. I designed the perfect house for wheelchair use. That house indeed ended up as a home for someone in a chair, and I ended up in a chair as well. The fact that I'm no longer there to live in the house is not relevant. Somehow I knew.
I read somewhere that there are two (maybe more, but only these two are relevant) kinds of people. Those who choose a path and stick to it, and those who try many things. at this stage, I'm not sure those are mutually exclusive. Choosing a path of many trials and sticking to it is pretty much what I have done so far. Not for me the same nine to five daily grind. I've tried so many jobs, and had no trouble changing them as and when they were no longer interesting. Of course that drives the nine to fivers like my father mad. The nine to fivers can not understand how we adventurers can trade security for diversity. Maybe it's just confidence that no matter what we'll land on feet, or lacking functioning feet, in a 4 wheeler. The very thought of staying in the same job for years makes me ill. In fact, the only job I'd like to go back to is the last one I had, night manager of the hotel at Cfar Giladi.
There was a comforting sameness about it, while, every night was different. I loved that job and still miss it. It indulged my night owlness and my taste for variety. Every night indeed brought something new to deal with, from the dead tourist to the sex maniac, to terrorists on the lose to the politicians, and the large groups, to the media, and the cast of a play, to the various employees of firms that stayed there, and the property damage evaluators who basically lived there during Grapes Of Wrath when katyushas fell like rain. Never a dull night.
I learned a lot about myself from the other jobs I had before finding that job. Some I was good at, some I was crap at, but I wouldn't change a minute of any of them for long term job security with any of them, except maybe the last one.
I can say at this point, that I am quite happy about my life to date, even though there are things I might like to go back and change, but on the whole, it's been pretty good so far and I'm looking forward to more adventures.

TOE GONNA GO (I THINK)

I just love ambushing my ortho guy. I got to the clinic about 4 minutes before he did and told him "This is an ambush" He laughed and when we went into the clinic itself, he was accosted by one of the clerks who asked him to see this guy who waiting there before his official start time of 1000. Fair enough, Official ambushes take preference over private ones. There were 2 other women already waiting and 1 of them asked why *he* was going in now and Cahalit(the clerk) told her that it was an emergency, and checked the list. She implied that I wasn't on it all. I just smirked. After *he* came out, lady big mouth #1 went in and I chatted with Lady Big Mouth #2 who was going to be late for work. When #1 came out I told #2 to go in even though the doc called me. I then noticed that not only was I on the list, I was #2 on it!!
We discussed the toe situation and he wanted an X ray. Ok, fun and games as I can't get to the X ray place my clinic uses. Lots of stairs and not so much as a hand rail. That means I have to go to a different clinic that does X rays for the local emergency room. Paperwork and time. Got the X Ray and headed back to my clinic. We had previously discussed chopping off my big toe and/or cutting the tendons to my hammer toes. My left foot is useless in any event, and there has been no improvement in the toes, so it's not like cutting the tendons will make any difference. The doc filled out a hospital approval form for the surgery and gave me a list of tests including blood tests. I referred him to my recent blood test and he said fine, also that I have to talk with the anesthesiologist and get a chest X Ray. Ok. I did mention that I'd prefer if he did it with a local as I like to supervise. His reply was to the effect that that's exactly why he wants me out like a light. At this point I'm not sure what we are cutting, the toe or tendons. The toe pretty much requires a sledge hammer to put me out.........I guess maybe I'll ask him next week when we set the date. With any luck, he'll do it all.
Last night my brand new digibox went wacko and I called the cable company. They promised to send a supervisor to check it out between 1300 and 1500. He came and changed the box which promptly went haywire. Called in again and he came and changed the new one. Seems they made some improvements that really aren't. The box before the box before this one lasted 36 hours. The one before this one lasted 36 minutes. I wonder how long this one will last.
My crutch broke last week, luckily, not while in use and the pharmacy said they'd order one for me and it would be in Tues or Weds. I went in today and they said next week. I told them not to bother, I'd take care of it myself. After all the to do with cable I called a crip supply house in Tel Aviv and ordered crutches. Bet they'll be here by Sunday. I really should have done that last week when it broke.
I'm having a hard time wiping the grin off my face.
1) Toes will be sorted
2)crutches are ordered
3) after trying for 2 months to get the clock on the big TV set to proper date and time, I
got it done last night.
4) I'm just chuffed in general
Gin and Tonic, anyone?

MOVIE REMAKES

Why does Hollyweird have to remake movies? I have yet to see one that comes to being as good as the original. An added issue is that, often so many years have gone by since seeing the original, it's often difficult to pin point what exactly was different about the remake. The Harvey remake with Harry Anderson wasn't as bad as some. It actually seems to be the same script and Anderson is quite good, but still can't match Stewart's performance. No one can.
Bye Bye Birdie is another example that shows exactly what I mean. In the remake they changed the story. The original was so much better.
This tirade against remakes was sparked by Babes In Toyland. I saw the remake the other day and while I don't have total recall of the original, I *do* know that the new unimproved remake was way off the mark.
Why oh why do they feel the need to remake what was great to start with, and change things that don't need changing? Never mind the BSG re make, which was a disaster, as well as Charlie's Angels. And now the Dukes Of Hazzard County will soon be coming our way to ruin our memories of a fun TV series. Who needs it? I don't. G-d help them if they try to remake The A Team. Actually I don't much care because I have ALL the original uncut episodes on tape as well as the scripts. It's the sacrilegious aspect of taking something that just fine the first and trying to cash in on the original success by redoing it. I *do* wish they would just leave well enough alone.
I think I'm going to stay in today. I'll do my contortion trick and change the bandage myself and spend the rest of the day trying to straighten myself out from pretzel shaped gimp. Gerald might show up today to connect the rest of the stuff to the computer and there's no reason to go out.
Rivka messengered me this morning before my first sip of coffee even to announce that she has diarrhea. Methinks she's trying to tell me she won't be coming this weekend. A dose of Metamucil, know as Psillium here will take care of that.
This might be a good time to straighten up the mess that is this corner of the house, and sort through the disks Gerald will need.

Hmmmmm

I made a most interesting discovery the other day, no, make that two. The first was that if you want to look for something on the www, it helps to connect to the www first. I made this discovery the other day when I was looking for my bank's site and all that would come up was my IP's home page. After a few more attempts and several choice curses, I figured out that I was getting nowhere fast for the simple reason that I'd forgotten to connect!
The next discovery was that Harley Too won't go unless he's disconnected from his charger. I'll skip the detailed description of how stupid I felt immediately after both discoveries.
On the day to day home front, there's not much to tell. I'm sleepy all the time, but still stay up late, but have been getting up in the middle of the night;around 0700. This usually gets me to the clinic nice and early and home in time for Star World's A Team episode. Today was an exception. Yesterday I decided that the new digibox is worse than the one it replaced and called Cable to ask if maybe they have one that will work 24/7/365 without going all wonky after a week of nonstop functioning. The gal said she'd send a techie today at 1300. He called at 0915 and asked if it was ok to come. Sure, and he was in and out by 1000.
Maybe I shouldn't complain, but do they go out of their way to hire people who can't tell time or figure out a calendar? The phone guy did the same thing. He was supposed to come on the Sunday after 1300, but showed up on the Friday at 1030. That kind of thing does make me wonder.
While at the clinic getting my bandage changed, I asked if my blood test results were back; they were and all is well in that department, including cholesterol which my doc tells me is more a function of stress than saturated fats! Must check that out. He also said that he wishes his cholesterol was as low as mine. Ok, I cheat and drink olive oil out of the bottle daily!! The pressure sore is better, but I'm concerned about keeping it gone if it ever goes away. There's not much that can be done about the cause until a cure can be found for drop foot. Thursday and my appointment with Dr. Sawbones is almost here so we'll have a chat on the subject. I'd also like to get rid of the hammer toe thing. It's only the last 3 toes of my left foot, but a major irritant non the less. And big toe gotta go.
Rivka is coming up on Friday or Saturday for a few days. That should be fun and she'll be here long enough for me to get her addicted to The A Team. We might even go to Nazareth one day so I get Dwight's pressies.

HOT HOT HOT

Ok, so it's going to be a scorcher today, close to 100 F, but inside it will be nice and cool. These are the days I say "To hells with the electrickery bill. Need cool" Of course the heat won't stop me from going out. I have a thing or two to do out today, then back home to the frigid interior of Gimp House. Rivka might come up today for a few days. I hope so. it's always fun to have her here. I'll call her before I go out to get my bandage changed to see if I have to go shopping and what to get.
The computer did a few odd things yesterday. When I came over to check mail, I'd no sooner touched the mouse when it decided to shut down and a notice came up that there was another user logged in and if I shut down, the other user's unsaved stuff would be lost. You guessed it, I shut it right down. This must be investigated and I think I'm going to start using a password for my own access. Must get a hold of Gerald today. It also did an odd thing when I ran Norton;I still don't like or trust Norton, but, I did promise to give it a fair chance. I ran the update that day and after it ran and restarted as per directions, it said to run to update again, then again, then it gave a notice that there's a corrupt file. I not only don't understand Norton, I don't like it. I have it set now to run every day at 0800 and run the other 2 things every other day. This security crap takes so much of the fun out wwwing. Why are there so many jerks out there who enjoy ruining things for us? Right, time to get out of here before the heat climbs too high.

INTERESTING EVENING

It was quite a crowd at Orna and Danny's last night for Shabbat dinner. Orly and Hain and their two girls were there too as one of Morris's(Danny's brother) daughters. For once it was relatively peaceful as the girls didn't immediately get into the usual loud argument about who would clear the table/wash the dishes/do the pots and the usually Friday evening bickering. It was very pleasant. After dinner we all sat out on the back porch and planned today's expedition to The Jordan River. I really want to go but am now having second thoughts because it's a rough ride out there and my back is not happy just at the thought of it. Maybe I should give it a pass, but it's so lovely out there......
Poor Haim, he made the mistake of trying to sell me the CNN/liberal party line on Bush. It is infuriating that the news stations here are little more than Hebrew outlets for CNN and do absolutely no independent investigative reporting. Bush got the US into Iraq for the oil. Period. It must be true, that's what they say in the press. It really is too much. If an Israeli really wants to know what's going on they need to work at it and not be satisfied with the one sided reports from liberal sources only. They still think Clinton was great, and have no comprehension of the insane pro Arab machinations of the US State Department, and how hard, nay, impossible it is to get around the entrenched ideology there. It is simply assumed that because State is so pro Arab and the Arabs have the oil that by extension, Bush is pro Arab/oil and that explains everything. It looks like Haim is in need of The Gimp's Crash Course In American Political Insanity And The Effects Of One Sided Anti Bush Reporting.
My back started screaming that it wanted to come home at around 2100, so I indulged it and decided to start a thorough search for my missing e mail address book. I found it and got it in it's proper place. Computer is running much better, but there are still a few oddities that I'll have to talk to Gerald about later. I also NEED to get the video/tv stuff sorted, but for now, I think it might be nap time. I was up until my usual Friday night bed time of 0300 and got up at 0730 when Peg decided it was time for him to go out. I'm sleepy, and just about decided not to go to the Jordan. Maybe I'll give them a call around 1500 and if they are still there, head out. We'll see. But now, it's nap time.

THE SPRINTZAK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

Last night while I was merrily looking up useless stuff on the www while keeping an eye on London via Sky News, Orna brought my weekly supply of Eggplant delicacies over and informed that the a Council meeting was convened in Orly and Haim's yard and that my presence was wanted. I sent Peg into his room, grabbed a pack of fags, a beer and my keys and headed off to the meeting. Danny, Orna, Orly, Haim,Shimon, Natan, and 2 of Orna and Danny's daughters' were there. I know Orly and Haim from around, but never spent an evening with them. It was great fun and I was allowed to expound on my favorite subjects.
They are heading for the Jordan River tomorrow and want to me to go out there too. Sounds like a plan. Harley Too can do it no sweat as the road is flat. The only trouble is that my crutch broke and they didn't have one at the pharmacy, so getting around there could be dodgy at best. I'm sure I'll manage. I do so many things that are supposedly impossible for one in my condition, that I'm not too concerned.
Today I got up in the middle of the night (0700) and went racing out of here in time to get to the newspaper shop (they weren't in yet) and to the clinic by 0800. The cutter who is treating my ankle says it's better and to continue with the ointment and bandages. It *is* better, but still hurts and I'm concerned about it becoming chronic because there's not much that can be done to fix the cause-dropfoot. The good news is that my sawbones will be back on Thursday and *him* I trust.
After seeing the cutter I went back to the newspaper shop but the locals still hadn't arrived and there were lots of Russians who can't even read them waiting for the papers to get there. I pulled in and had a fag until they came in. Then to the grocery shop to pick up a few things where I discovered that my change pouch was AWOL. I told the cashier to put the stuff aside and went to the ATM. By the time I got back, they'd taken my stuff back from whence it came, so I had to get it again.
A Team started at 1200 and there were 2 of my favorite episodes-Pros And Cons and Bad Day at black Rock. Good mindless fun. After 3 A Team episodes, I came here to catch up on e mails and posts to my blogs. There's not much going on and I still haven't finished the papers, so I think I'll go do that until Top Gear starts at 1800, after which it will be time to go to Orna and Danny's for dindins.

HOW DARE THEY?

The last couple of days have been great. The Health Ministry delegation was here yesterday and indicated that they would be handing a positive recommendation to the committee that decides who gets electric chairs. The committee might decide to visit as well, but that's just fine with me. Gimp House was all nice and clean and ready for their visit thanks to Orna. I was up and in BBC at the computer when they arrived early and Orna was here too. She stopped in after a traumatic experience at one of the house she cleans and I took advantage and had her make me a cup of coffee. She was still making it when they got here and served it before leaving. That kind of stuff is always good in front of Health Ministry delegates!
Having them arrive at 1000 messed up my morning outing so I stayed in and finally got Zohar, the secondhand guy to come over and make an offer on the stuff in the guest/extra room. He will give me what I want for it all by Sunday.
I went out today. I got my bandage changed, raided my bank account, picked up a few things for Orna,Bought a pillow thingy for watching TV in bed[purple,(duh)] exchanged the book that bought for the second or maybe third time, bought fags and came home tp tweak the computer, then caught A Small But Deadly War-A Team, then ended up on Sky News for the attack on London. More of that at A View....
Child Genius came over and we ordered the tickets to the con in Holland. He had to do because I refuse to have a Paypal account or do any money transactions on line. He had enough money in his account, so I gave him cash and the tickets are on order and will arrive by mail at some point. He also sorted my troubles with Thunderbird and got gimphouse.com working. franne@gimphouse.com is up and running, so feel free! News is on in a minute(Hebrew) so I think I'll go see what's up in our corner of the world then, post to A View....

HAPPY GIMP

Yeah, yeah, I know, I usually moan and groan and gripe about nothing of consequence, but today I'm all smiles. What happened? Nothing earthshattering, just nice stuff. I finally got the letter of praise about Zehavit(the detested upstairs neighbor's daughter who is a guard at one of the entrances to the mall in town where my medical clinic is). I printed out a copy for her, one for the company she works for and one for the mall's management and gave them to her to run up to the top floor where the relevant offices are while going in for my annual blood test. After the nurse drained my arm of a gallon or so of blood, I stopped near Zehavit's chair for a fag break and we got to talking. Turns out I was her English teacher in 1994!! It took a while to figure it out as it was so long ago. She was amazed that I remembered her class so well. Teachers always remember their favorite classes and students who stood out for whatever reason. Just now I'm starting to get a picture of her in that class. She was one of the quiet ones and a pretty lousy student. Well behaved but a bit on the dumb side. That was fun and I grinned all the way to the coffee shop. From there I took the video remote to Yehiel, then went on a town wide search for a non electric kettle. I broke my rule about not buying exactly what I want because the one I want costs 350, is cast iron and weights 2 tons. It looks ok, but I really want a pretty enameled one. One day I'll find one and use this one as part of my electricity diet. Electric kettles use lots of the stuff and I'm cutting down where I can.
I rolled in at about 1145 and the phone rang just after TAT started. I answered anyway. Boy am I getting lax. It was from the health Ministry in Safad. They want to come tomorrow for the obligatory home visit for the electric chair. Hmmmm, something must be very wrong in the office. They didn't lose the paperwork yet, and it went really fast. Less than a month after the paperwork was handed in! A new record for the Safad office. I'd better get Orna in to do a quick floor wash, or maybe not...........sometimes a mess is good. I will be on the chair so as to be able to show them how hard it is for me to move it! So, I have a lot to be pleased about.
I was looking through the notes I jotted down while the computer was gone and realized that I forgot to write about the cop who almost got taken to the wedding last week. Monday was the day the settlers set for a quiet roadside demonstration by anti withdrawal drivers. We were all supposed to stop by the side of the road and hold up signs at 1800. We were driving past Rosh Pina when tens of cars stopped and there were cop cars escorting them. The cop cars were in the middle of a two lane part of the road and a cop was standing behind his car. I don't know where he came from, but he almost went to the wedding as a hood ornament! Luck was with me and I swerved and slowed down just in time to miss him. As I have discovered that I can not smoke and drive at the same time, we stopped at Amiad Junction in front of the other demonstrating cars and Child Genius, who went with me, asked "Why?" I told him that it was a fag break and to give the cops time to catch me if they so desired, and in front of everyone so as not to get stuck in the demonstration. Always thinking-that's me!
I'm going to stop thinking now, grab a beer and go out for a Sprintzak Council Meeting in Orna and Danny's yard.

BACK AT LAST

At this point, I'm not sure exactly which day it was that Gerald took the computer away to sort it's insane behavior,but I know when it came home, after a thorough cleaning of viral material. There was a knock on the door yesterday and a tired looking lad hauled it in and deposited it on it's bricks. The mousie decided not to work so I just turned it off and grabbed a book and the TV remote. Child Genius wandered in this afternoon and connected everything except the video stuff and here we are almost sorted. For some reason, purple looks brown. Must figure it out. There we go. Today was a bit nuts. I started that savings account 6 months ago knowing it would be a giant step on the road to financial health, and that I'd get the loan it entitled me to at the start of July. I had a bit of trouble convincing the boss of my money at the bank (Mordy) that he really did want to approve it. Yes, of course he approved it in the end, and wrote the approval out for Tikva who was supposed to do the paperwork on it. I went in today to sign the loan papers only to find out that it could only be done at the end of THIS month. Grrr. I rolled out and decided to get a new black keyboard and mousie, and my brain kicked into gear on the way. What to do? If I don't get the money in my account NOW, I'm going down in flames, and no Holland. What to do? What to do? Aha! Convince Mordy that he really wants to do is give me a bridging loan for a month. YES!! He agreed, so I am now the happy smiley owner of a black keyboard that is very comfortable to use, a new mousie and a bunch of CDs and CD cases, not to mention a bank account in pretty good shape! And I got this to type in the correct color. Yup, life is pretty good.
The only thing I can really complain about is that the video rig on the computer isn't up and running yet, and The A Team and Highlander are back on AXN from the first episodes as is Highlander. I'll get that sorted tomorrow. Ah, heaven. A Team 4 times a day if I want. 0800 AXN 1000 Star World 1200 AXN and 1700 AXN. I've already overdosed on Mexican Slayride, the first episode, which I adore.
It's catch up time now. On June 27 I rented a car to go to a wedding at Megiddo and promptly lost a 3 way battle for the same piece of road. Coming home from the rental place I had to go by 2 schools that always have cars parked on both sides of the street. Some jerk who had just parked opened the driver's door just as huge truck was coming along. So as not to rip the door off the jerk's car, the truck swerved a bit a towards me, and so as not to plow into the truck head on , I swerved a bit to the right and and bunged the mirror on the passenger side into a huge green garbage dumpster. The mirror disintegrated, but I got away from the truck. I enjoyed driving again and other than that had no trouble. The wedding was lovely and it was fun seeing all the folks from Tiberius and Nazareth. The next day I decided to see how it was using the car for errands as I'd paid for 2 days. I left the chair in the trunk and went to the clinic to get my bandage changed. The guard at the entrance helped me get the chair out and I ran into a neighbor who pushed me into the clinic. I really can't make the thing go myself. Then I somehow got down to the floor my bank is on and got some cash for the petrol I'd have to put in the car before returning it the next day. Back up to the top floor, cigarette break and this time we needed help getting the chair back in the boot. Home, rest, TV and next morning off to get petrol and return the car. The mirror cost 525 because the electric that moves it got busted by the dumpster, (sigh) But, ok, it might have been an expensive trial, but I *can* still drive. This is good. And I am feeling up to taking on the British roads in September.
I've been here sorting the computer since about 1500 and it's 2120 now and my back is screaming, so I think I'll finish this update tomorrow with the tale of the telephones. 'Gnight

MY LIFE IS A TV SCHEDULE

Yes, I know I have *all* The A Team episodes on tape and even a couple on VCDs, but there seems to be some kind of law that can not be broken in my head that will not allow me to miss an ep when it's on TV. That totally screws up my day as TAT is on Star World at 1000 which means I don't get out until 1100 and by then it's really really hot. Maybe I'll get around it when AXN brings them back at 1700 on 3 July along with my beloved Sorbo guy as Hercules AND Adrian Paul as The Highlander. TV is looking better than ever for the summer. Hey! It's called entertainment for a reason and I pay enough for cable, so let the entertainment begin. It's fun, and a fair amount of the humor in those shows is actually very sophisticated. I love it. So there.
I just got wheeled home from a very nice BBQ at Danny and Orna's. There were wings, chicken legs, hearts, and my steak. I'm the only inveterate carnivore around and I picked up a great steak at the shop today. There's another one for tomorrow and five in the freezer just in case.
Orna was supposed to give me 100 of the 190 she owes me for a pair of shoes I put on my Visa for her, but didn't. I'm getting nervous bout the remaining 200 for the car I've rented for the wedding on the 27th, but I'll figure it out by then. Renting a car is a lot cheaper than taking a taxi, so not as extravagant as it sounds and Etti and Yaakov's son doesn't get married every day. I still have nightmares about their oldest son's wedding. I took a bus to Haifa and a train to Binyamina and waited for ages to be rescued from the train station by Etti's brother, who took me as far as Tiberius where I again waited forever (or so it seemed) for the last bus up here. That was pre gimp. No way am I going on another such adventure. A rented car for me this time! And Orna's going with me to manage the chair. I'm quite excited about as I haven't seen "the family" for years and they were my family back when we lived in Nazareth Elite. And it's only a week from yesterday. I'm almost counting the hours!

NOT PLEASED IN THE EXTREME

I've had a bad feeling about the computer from the day it came home supposedly fixed, bug free and fine tuned. That miserable trojan horse is still galloping around in here. As evidence I offer the little hour glass that appears next to the cursor arrow at odd times, the list of sites at Explorer that I never went to, not being able to connect to the net-this I fixed temporarily by using System Restore, but it's all still way too hinky. Thunderbird isn't exactly working and Norton is disabled and refuses to change to enabled. Oh, yeah, we got ourselves a nasty little bug.
Bezeq, our intrepid phone company decided to get in on the act too and none of my 7 connected phones-2 on the fax line and 5 on the *use* line just refused to work. No dial tone, and busy ring when I called from the cellphone. I did what the lady at the phone company *it's busted* number told me and disconnected each phone in turn and after a bit, the fax line came back and I used it to call *it's busted* and they sent a fix it guy. He checked the whole system and found that my cordless phone was the source of all the trouble. We hooked up the cordless phone O got with the fax that never worked and at least the phones are working now. The cordless has about 12 hours of charging before it can be used. Now, if Gerald would just answer his phone, maybe we'll be able to get the computer sorted. The list of hinky stuff is getting longer by the minute, but at least it;s sort of working now, so the hysteria is gone.
My pressure sore is almost all better thanks to pending most of my time with it propped up in bed. I really am tired of it, but, now have hope that it will get all better soonish.
Not much else of interest at Gimp House. Irit et al were up here for the weekend and couldn't be bothered to visit. Too bad. Irit? Who?

HEALING AND PLANNING

Keeping my idiot pressure sore propped up in the air is not my idea of fun, but there's not much else to do if I want to keep the foot. It *is* getting better, but still hurts a bit if I forget and let the ankle drop. Oh, the joys of drop foot.
In the meantime, I've been busily organizing my jaunt to Holland. Leia Fee and I decided to change the venue and date of our A Team fan get together to coincide with a con in Utrecht on Sept. 23 and 24. I got my hotel and flight reserved and am planning a hop over to Wales and other places in England before I fly out of Heathrow on the Friday, I think. It's going to be a fantastic week and I can't hardly wait.
Other good news includes The A Team coming back to AXN as of 3 July. Two doses a day. How great is life?
I saw my shyster yesterday when I left the travel agent and he says the court order in the case against Alblilia should be in hand any day now. I told him to march it straight over to the execution office where liens will be put on all of his and his daughter's and business bank accounts. That means that any money in them will be taken and given to me and that he can't use his accounts until he pays me in full. Of course he'll just do what he always does, hold the money, checks and credit card slips until he can use his accounts again. It is next to impossible to run a business without a bank account and the way it works here is that even he tries to open an account in another bank, those funds will be taken. As his beloved cow of a daughter is included in the suit, he'll pay off PDQ. The shyster says neither he nor his daughter have filed objections to my claim, so it's pretty much a done deal. The judge here does not like people who try to swindle gimps.
Things are pretty boring here at Gimp House what with me spoiling my pressure sore and spending most of my time in bed with a book, TV, and planning the trip to Utrecht. Of course as the sore gets better, I'll be able to spend more time here boring you to tears.

SO I WAS WRONG-SORT OF

I got the reason for that odd phone call wrong, but only a little wrong. They were not thinking about coming up on the holiday, rather, they are going to be up north the following weekend and said I could meet them at Amburger. I told her that they could come here as I have no intention of going haring off all over the country when I have a perfectly good home. I *know* she hates my cooking, so I suggested they stop and get what they want at Amburger then come here. What on earth was I thinking? She then pulled out the Romi is allergic to dogs story. Yeah, right, and it makes no difference that Peg is now bald. How much do want to bet that her new story is that they didn't stay with her father because of his cat. Yeah, right. They were at his house for hours on end and there was no problem that I heard of. Maybe I should call him and ask? I'll do that as soon as I turn down the TV volume. No joy there. They aren't home. I'll try later or tomorrow. I'm sick and tired of her crap. Not only will they not come here, she actually thinks I can get myself to Amburger on Harley Too. I really don't think I'm about to even try. Not the way my back is feeling. The last thing I need is a 35 minute ride on the shoulder of a main road each way. I'm also beyond the point where I could manage with just my stick were they to pick me up. I need the 4X4 and there's no room for it in their car, rather, they won't make room for it. I'll just stay home. I suggested they come over after they eat, but, no, Romi goes to sleep right after dinner. The hell with it. If they *do* come up here for the weekend and can't find the time to visit me in my own home, she can just live with the result. It's not like one quick visit would change everything, but it might have been a start. I'm through letting her try to call the shots. I'm a 53 year old gimp, and if she/they can't accept me as I am and come to see me at Gimp House, the hells with the lot of them! Her excuses are just that, excuses. That box of all her stuff is going to find it's way to the dumpster this week, after I sort through the pictures, which will find their way into *my* albums. That stuff has been sitting there taking up room for 3 years and if she can't be bothered to come get it, why should I save it?

OF PROPELLERS AND STUFF

The Danny and Yechiya traveling road show showed up yesterday to install my 'propeller' and I so wish I'd had a video camera to record the goings on. It was great fun and now my ceiling fan is happily whirling away. It will save me many shekels in a/c operating costs, and it looks quite nice, and not a wobble in sight. I've decided to leave the one in the living room as is because I like the way it looks and I rarely use the livingroom, so it's no big deal. The a/c in the *liberry* covers the computer corner and is much cheaper to run, so, I'll just use that one when it gets too hot here.
Now that I understand that my walking/lurching days are just about over and that standing in the kitchen to do more than cut up a few veggies is beyond me, I'll be heading for Danny and Orna's for Friday nights. I missed that while I was mad at them. Of course I only go there if I contributed most of the ingredients. Last night was the first time in ages and it was like I'd never not been going. It was not only fun, but yummy. I can't wait til next Friday!
I am giving serious thought about going to Holland for the weekend Dwight and Dirk will be there together. Seems Leia is too. Maybe we'll shift the Noncon there instead of having it the next month at Heathrow. Considering that I'm on pretty good terms with Dwight, we just might get the two of them to drop by for a bit to our private party? Never know with that lot, and I would love to give Dirk a copy of my cookbook and get his signature on the cover of my copy. We shall see. I'm going to look at hotels in Utrecht and see what I can come up with.
Odd odder and oddest. The phone rang at 0659 this morning and by the time I answered, no one was there. A quick glance at caller ID when I surfaced at around 0900 showed Irit's number. I wonder what that was about. I know that if I call to ask she'll say it was Romi playing with the phone, so I'll not be calling to ask. SHE will have to swallow it and call herself. Of course she could be wondering if I'll be making *the cheese pie* for Shavuot and hoping I'll let her have some if they come to visit. She LOVES that pie, and yes, I *am* making a couple-already have the ingredients! I will be ever so gracious if they do come, and with any luck, Orna will find a few minutes to toss a bucket of water and do the floors, which are in pretty good shape except for my room where propeller installment drilling went on. I'm not holding my breath, but I *will* be ready just in case. It's not so much that miss her/them, but, she *is* my kid, and it does hurt to realize that both are so alienated. The other one is a total loss and I really have no interest in them, but Irit is a different story completely. I never would have made it back after my stroke if not for her. The day we had the raging fight a few months after I escaped from rehab was the milestone that got me out of my somewhat suicidal funk, and back to myself. I really should have a heart to heart with her if and/or when she ever shows up here. Yup-that's a plan!

THE A TEAM IS BACK

Imagine my joy when I discovered quite by accident that The A Team (TAT) is now running on Star World. I can get my TAT fix every day except Sunday at 1000. Of course it completely messes up my morning schedule, but who cares? I DON'T. All that means is that I can get up in the middle of the night and go do errands, or go out during the hottest part of the day after my fix. Yeah, yeah, I know I can shove a tape in the VCR any time I want, but it isn't the same as seeing it "fresh" on the tube. I picked it up about 10 minutes through There's Always A Catch, about half way through season 2. But that's not the point. The point is THEY ARE BACK!! Ok, it just started and Water Water Everywhere is an old favorite.

THERE ARE MOMENTS

I did the most amazingly stupid thing. I've been obsessing about the state of my bank account lately and running the figures daily and having quiet hysterics. Last night I realized that I was forgetting to figure my monthly disability payment into the mess. How dumb is that? I'll be well and truly in the green on 01.07!!! Not just overall when figuring in savings accounts, but no more on the brink of financial disaster. That was one of my more stupid goofs in figuring. Now I just have to decide if I want to bust 4000 out of savings to get my account permanently out of the authorized overdraught zone. I'm leaning towards doing that, now that I've gotten monthly outgoings to several hundred less than my disability!! I'm even considering turning on the a/c, but not quite yet. It's been very hot lately but, I've managed with the small fan so far. Then there's the judgment against Albilia to figure in tentatively. I rather doubt he'll pay it one go, nice as that would be. If he goes for the deal on the fridge, that will be sorted too. I'm feeling quite chuffed and chipper this morning all told. This time it is well and truly over.
My neighbor called a pal of his to come fix the fridge this morning and said pal was supposed to be here at 0700. It's now 0740 and no sign of him yet. I'm *so* glad I got up in the middle of the night to be awake (after coffee) by the time he arrived. (not) I'm going on 3 weeks without the fridge, and I figure I can last until my bank account is sorted, at which time I'll be able to buy the fridge I want. Of course it would be nice if this one would chug along until then. I *do* prefer cold cukes and peppers, but can survive quite nicely as things are. On the off chance that Albilia refuses my deal, I'll go looking to see who can give me the best deal on that fridge. There are 4 stores other than Albilia I can get it from and they are not thieves/con artists. Oh yes, things are definitely looking up. Woohoo. The fridge fix it guy just came and there is hope that it might live until I can get a new one. Turns out the freaking thing is Turkish. Should have known, but the company is Italian, they manufacture the dratted things in Turkey-#2 on my boycott list, right after Germany. Well, we'll know soon enough if it will chug along for another couple of months!!

THINGS COULD BE BETTER THINGS COULD BE WORSE

Ok, so no one promised me a rose garden, but is it too much to ask for a break between battles? I swear I'm going to bash the next the idiot who tries to tell me that there's something wrong with the electrickery for the fridge. Not possible. The baby freezer, and the micro wave are both plugged into that socket and are working just fine at the same time. I don't unplug the freezer when I want to nuke something. The only appliance that doesn't work is the fridge. If I plug the fridge in and it blows the breakers, it ain't the 'lectrickery, duh, it's the freaking fridge!!! DUH. Don't need a doctorate in advanced rocket science to figure that out.
I just might have found a way out of this mess. That jerk Albilia who owes me almost 30,000 shekels can just give me the exact fridge I want and I'll reduce his debt by that amount. I gave instructions to that effect to my lawyer today, and he'll run it by Albilia tomorrow. To make things better here, I'll get Danny in to break down the wall between the kitchen and door, then the fridge can go in the nook where the bamboo bookcase was. That way I'll be able to get in the kitchen with my wheelchair. I'm actually feeling pretty good about having come up with those solutions, but am somewhat skeptical about pulling them off. Maybe for once things will go my way?
I've spent the last few days buried in papers while looking for much needed things for our version of Social Security. They remain elusive and I'll have to go there in person to get copies unless a miracle happens. Don't hold your breath, I'm not holding mine.
I have to go to a wedding on the 27th and it looks like the only way I'll get there is to rent a car. My license stipulates automatic gear and a pommel on the steering wheel. The former is no problem, the latter might be. I'll check it out tomorrow. I'm too hot and bothered to mess with it now by phone and one of the car rental places in town knows me well and just might let me have a car even without the pommel!? I've driven both ways and it's actually easier without. We'll see.

CRAP CRAP AND MORE CRAP

It's just too insane. Yeah, I decided not to even think about getting a new fridge, but I did intend to get this one repaired in the hope of keeping it going for at least another year. What I didn't take into account was that we are at the start of the air conditioner season and all the fridge fixers are also a/c installers. How stupid of me. I *did* clean everything out of the fridge and get it all out of here before things got too stinky. It's also a big plus that I'm lactose intolerant so dairy products aren't an issue. AND I have the little freezer, AND the veggies I like keep outside for two days AND I can freeze individual sized servings of other stuff, so, it's not as bad as it could be. How on earth did people live before 'lecticky fridges were invented?
This staying in to wait for the fixer guy is driving me nuts. I call him in the morning and he says, "later, if things let up" and I just stay in hoping. No matter what, I'm going out tomorrow. Both cell numbers are on the door, so....
I'm also not thrilled with Danny, the neighbor who is making my patio. The bricks were delivered 3 weeks ago and aside from throwing some sand around, no progress has been made. Everyday he says, "Tomorrow" then goes fishing. I think we are going to have a wee chat tomorrow, even if I have to go to his fishing spot on the Jordan! Of course I know where it is and can get there on Harley Too!!

BAD MINISTER BAD BAD

I am in no small state of shock as I write this. I checked the *gimp list* last night and discovered that my least favorite minister is on the verge of signing new traffic regulations designed to keep the users of scooters off the streets and roads in Israel. I don't think so. He can sign the regs, but guess who is not going to obey them? Right first time. Not I! Not a chance. Any cop unfortunate to try to give me a ticket is going to have to give me another for littering, and yet another for insulting a 'public servant' and so on until he arrests me. No way Jose. Hey! Meir Shitrit, your Napoleon complex is showing, you arrogant, supercilious,contemptuous, egotistical, overbearing, know it all, malevolent, treacherous, avaricious, fatuous, thoughtless, wretch. Just who the hells do you think you are? Do you think that those of us who spent our own money on scooters (no, there are no discounts for us and the health ministry doesn't help us buy them) are going to put our scooters on the junk heap and buy cars so we can leave our houses? I am here to tell you, no way. It is mindboggling that a country that produces so many crips can not provide the minimum so we can go out. There are absolutely no ramps at crosswalks or the ends of street so we can't use the pavements or crosswalks. Not to mention the danger to pedestrians on the pavements. It's not going to work and there will be a flood of civil disobedience that will rival the corruption of the government the day you sign that regulation. Oh, what's that you say? There's no money for bicycle and scooter lanes? Too bad, bubba. I will continue to use the streets and roads and you can figure out a way to solve it. I will be toodling along on my daily excursions to town until you sort things in a manner satisfactory to us scooter users.
Am I upset? Damn right I am. Israeli lunacy at it's worst. These new regs are supposedly for own protection. It seems that 5 scooters riders have been involved in bad accidents. I bet they were all the fault of the car drivers, and what about the hundreds of accidents involving bicycles? Are they going to outlaw bikes too? And pedestrians in crosswalks who get killed while legally crossing streets? Who is going to protect them?
This is not going to a good month otherwise. The fridge is still busted and I took everything out and put it all in trash bags that I know have to figure out how to get them out of here myself. Orna is out of commission with her foot. She has some kind of infection and can't walk on it, so I'm stuck with a filthy floor and a pile of trash bags to figure out how to get rid of. I also have to go into town and have a word with Mordy at the bank. I'm in no mood to mess around with him, or anyone else. I also have to get some veggies in. This no fridge thing sucks eggs!

A CHANGE OF NAME

It never occurred to me that I would have to change the name of the *liberry* so soon after naming it in the first place, but sadly, it has now been changed from The Louise And Harry Abelon Liberry to The Abelon Family Memorial Liberry.
I had another of my 'personal someone died notifications' this past week, and as I only check the Old Hometown obits on Saturdays, I only today found out that Michael Abelon died of pancreatic cancer on Tuesday. He was only 58 and Beck never mentioned that he was ill when we last talked so this really came out of the blue. The *Liberry* I designed my after was in his room after all, so it's only fitting to change the name. I'll be calling Beck a bit later as it's way too early there to call now. I am so sad for her. Both her parents, uncle and aunt, and now Mike. Of course they were all my family too, but she was, and still is like the sister I never had, and there were times we were never sure whose house was whoms! We just wandered in and out of each others house as naturally as can be. I have very few childhood memories that she isn't a major part of. Her sorrow is mine.
I had another 'notification' this morning and I'm really nervous about who it might be as it was a very strong one. I'll do some checking later as a 'notification' of that magnitude means it was someone very close to me, and I do not want the jolt of reading about it in the paper so a couple of phone calls are in order.
On a much more mundane note; the local papers are full of complaints that our fearless leader, the mayor of Kiryat Shemonah is enjoying a vacation in the US and Canada while the city falls apart around us. The consensus seems to be that he had no business leaving town while it goes to he** in a handbasket. I beg to differ. If things are so bad when he *is* here, maybe he should just stay there and never come back? Things just get worse when he's here. I'm going to send letters to that effect to all the papers that thought he should have stayed until the worst was sorted! And yes, I'm going to sign it! I hate anonymous (name and address available in office) letters to the editor. People are scared that there might be retaliation if they go public with their opinions. I don't give a damn. Let them try. What can they do to me? Not a damn thing as I am not dependent on them for anything, and if I'm right and they are wrong, it's all over! Been there, done that, and things got changed real quick. AND I worked for them again!! It's just a shame that that organization has somewhat gone back to it's old ways of coercion and duplicity, but at least I'm not involved with them in any way, and can take pot shots at them from afar. I've got some minor maintenance to do on the computer, so......

JUST WHAT I DON'T NEED

After humming merrily, if noisily, along for a week, the fridge decided it was bored today and started shorting the electrickery! I went out to flip the breaker three times, then gave up and unplugged the ungrateful wretch. Why now, when I'm maxed out for the 10 or so months and have other plans after that? Yeah, well, why not? The fridge fixer guy is coming tomorrow and with any luck he'll come up with a way to keep it alive for at least a year. My only objection to buying a new one now or in the near future is financial. No way can I afford the one I want and no way am I spending so much as 10 agorot on one that isn't exactly what I want. That's how I got this one. Grrrrrrrrr.
I haven't quite gotten around to putting the bookcase in here yet, but will start that project in a minute or two. I just wish I had the energy to do it. I don't, but as I have decided, it will be done. As I have to stay in and wait for the fixer guy tomorrow, I'll use the time to try and sort the stuff that isn't quite working here like the video prog, Picassa and Hello. Computer says the vid one is not connected, but I think it is. I guess I'll have to get down there and check it myself. I don't know what Picassa's story is, but it's not working. The software *is* installed, and I saw the wires go in, but they might have fallen out or g-d knows what.

CHECk, WAIT AND SEE

The PT for the electric was here yesterday, so now there's nothing to do but wait and see if the paperwork actually gets to the Health Ministry in Sefad. He was a totally unfriendly type which leads me to believe that Dr. Bad Shit sent him with instructions not in my favor. I'm not sure how he can do that considering the tons of medical reports and recommendations he left with. It's not his call anyway, it's the Health Ministy's job to decide. I've got to get the social worker's phone number today and alert him as he has no doubt that I need one and can bird dog the paperwork which has a tendency to get lost in the Safad Health Ministry office! Igal has been great about the whole thing and without him I never would have gotten my regular chair. The paperwork got lost twice until he went and put in their hands himself! The next stage in the never ending saga is for a delegation from the Safad office to come to Gimp House and pass judgement. That should happen withing the next two weeks according the guidelines. I'll get onto Igal soon, then, call the Safad office on Sunday when Maris, the gal in charge is in. I had a few bad minutes yesterday after the PT left because I thought the electric chair home visit was supposed to be like the one for the regular chair, and include measurements, which he didn't take. Seems that isn't part of it as I found out after I called Zehava to ask if they measured her for her 'lectric chair at that stage. They didn't, so I'm breathing again. I *did* show the most impressive bruises I have on left arm, and the ones that live semi permanently on my legs. He asked all the right questions but showed no interest what so ever. It was just a rote proceedure to him, and nothing I did or said got any human reaction. My antics usually produce a smile at the very least but he wasn't having any. I'll be happy if the paperwork gets to Safad. *He* and Bad Shit won't be if it doesn't. I'm ready for round two and Bad Shit had best watch his step and do his job. At least the first letter of complaint got the desired results, and they should know me well enough by now to realize that I am dead serious about this. We've had several rounds, my insurer and I, and I won them all!
After the PT left I raced out and mailed the letter to my brother and picked up a surprise package at the Post Office. I now have my very own VA minion and am a secret source for the gal who sent it. What a lovely surprise, my very own almost purple minion that now sits in pride of place on my CD rack!
I spent most of the rest of the day with my pesky left foot up, and feel better today.Nethan, Danny's brother strolled in to ask me to decipher his bank statement. Banks here have their own codes that are meant to keep their customers in a state of perpetual puzzlement, but as we use the bank, I was able to figure it out for him! Now, if I can just get Danny to make some progress on the patio, all will be well. I can feel a motivational converstation with him coming on a bit later.
It always takes me a while to recover from a stress filled day, which yesterday sure was!
I just realized that the bamboo bookcase that lives in the nook in the livingroom will fit on the wall behind me, so, I'm in the throws of trying to decide if I want to move that one, or just get another one. The nook is rather useless, and the bookcase fits in perfectly. I'll think on it for a bit, then decide. Of course I could always move that one now, the get another one for the nook! It would solve the mess behind me, which really does het on my nerves. Yup! That's the answer. I'll do it when I get back from my daily patrol!

TIMING IS ALL

After spending hours yesterday getting all the medical stuff scanned and printed, I was woken up this morning by the PT who is coming to do his report for the electric chair I need! Something stopped me from growling at him and I was quite polite. No sense scaring him over the phone. He sounded very pleasant, and with any luck he'll see things my way and this will be the end of it! I've been busy all day trying to get Gimp House sorted for his visit, during which I'll have to use my regular chair, which I am still avoiding like the plague because it hurts less to walk the few feet I need to traverse here than it does to struggle with the chair. How's that for timing? Saved a fair amount of stamps too! I didn't go out today. I just stayed in and did stuff around here, and laundry. Tons of sand have filtered in through the window and invaded my bed. There's only one thing I hate more than a gritty sandy floor and that's a gritty sandy bed. Now I have to make the bed. May I yell OUCH in advance?

HOW I GOT GIMPED

After a quick search in the archives, I realized that I just assumed that anyone who reads this blog knows how I got gimped! Those who *do* know, are invited to skip this post.
The road to criphood started 52 winters ago when my mother let me go skating on our neighbor's back yard rink. That was the start of most of the troubles. She had to wait every day until the neighbor's kids came home from school for them to get me off the ice. I refused to get off and she had no way to get me off. That was the beginning of my passionate love for skating. I spent every minute I could on the ice and at some point actually learned how to skate properly. Not long after Bowdoin College built their hockey rink, I became an instructor at the figure skating school at around 12 years of age. One of my *stay in shape* exercises was to run up and down the bleachers in the rink. Then the college obligingly built a 16 story building practically across the street from my house, so I had 16 flights of stairs to run up and down. The stair running AND the skating were the eventual reason for my knees to be in the shape they are today-ruined. My left collar bone got destroyed by a katyusha rocket in 1992 and because of an idiot doctor at the local hospital, I ended up losing 2 or so millimeters off the end of it and being introduced to the concept of constant pain. Then, in 1998, I had a stroke which effectively shut down the left side of my body and finished off my right knee completely. It doesn't work any more and is a constant pain. My bladder is shot too, and I am thankful daily for my handy dandy anti pee pills. Add that all up and what you get is a degenerating purple crip in a wheelchair. Did I mention all the damage in my spinal column? There are several bulging on the verge of bursting disk's and signs of degeneration and another word I just forgot. No matter, I'm a mess. And that's the short version. It could have been much worse, and I *am* grateful that it wasn't. I CAN still walk a few steps, but not without major pain. It's slowed me down, but not stopped me.

IT'S OFFICIAL!

I was confined to my wheelchair today by my sawbones, because of the results of the Glow In The Dark test AND the various bruises from unplanned landings. I'll have all the paperwork together to send off to the appropriate places, and the form for another "transport exam" this time with correct clause ticked and the letter confining me to my wheelchair. AND just to be contrary I'll wear sandals again and ask them what exactly the issue with that is as I don't walk anyways and it's a bazillion degrees outside anyway, so what do they care if I wear sandals or ortho-boots?
It's a million degrees in here and the a/c will have to go tomorrow, unless I figure something else out. I HAVE to get all the stuff scanned and copied and printed and it's just too hot here, even now at 2230 with the door open. At any rate ole el cheapo gimp will only use the small a/c that blows directly here from the *liberry* as there's no place to plug in my only fan, all the sockets are in use.
Orna and I have kind of come up with a way to get my wheelchair in here close to the computer. We'll take all the paint stuff from the 'other' side of the washer-dryer and move them closer to that wall, which should leave enough room for the rear wheels on *that* side. We'll try it on Sunday.
Poor old Pegasus has gone nuts these last two days. He whines, and jumps on my bed and on all the doors and is just completely unsettled. He's never been like this before, and it's driving me wild. I took him for a looong run in the hope it would tire him, but it didn't. I took him out when I came here and he's quiet out there, but I want to put my foot back up and get the sandal off. Please, let him be quiet. I have so much to do Sunday that I'm afraid to leave him if he doesn't settle down.
The local newspapers war is heating up. The one run by the illiterates published a letter against the new one signed by the Mayor's cheerleaders. Ooops, wrong side. One of those things I have to do on Sunday is to give the new paper the investigative rights to the illegal building on MY shelter roof. That should be fun, as they really don't care who gets got as long as the shenanigans stop. Our city hall is possibly even more corrupt than Sharon's government, but more of that tomorrow at A Gimps View.

IT'S A BLOODY PAIN

The freaking sore on my ankle bone just won't heal, or more accurately won't stop hurting. My sandals might be part of the problem as one of the straps rubs the spot that hurts. The doc wants me to stay off it as much as possible, and let it heal, but that so isn't my thing. The very thought makes me wild. New sandals might help, but I can't get any until next month when my credit card frees up. I still HATE shoes and the worst part of my crippedness is not being able to gimp around the house barefoot. I could if I had carpet here, but that's just not on with Peg. His hair will grow back, so no carpets for me! Damn Hammertoes. Of course I really shouldn't be griping because, I *am* thankful that I can still walk a little, even it is getting harder by the day. The wheelchair is the obvious answer, but it doesn't fit in the kitchen or here, so it's still easier to walk a few meters. I'm restarting the 'Battle For The Electric Chair, yet again. I didn't follow up the last mini barrage of letters because I was too damn lazy to argue with the printer and the computer went off to be legalized and since it's come back, I've just been lazy. Today I'm off to the Sawbones to see if he can justify a 'confined to wheelchair/recommend electric chair note. If he can, I'll dig out all the old ones, copy them and include them with The Letter. It's not like I don't need one, or that there aren't crips out there in better shape who got an electric chair (Bat Chen, for example) It's that freaking Dr. Badshit who still refuses to do his job, and come see for himself that things are not as they were 1998 when he last made a home visit upon which he bases his decision. That was in the previous apartment, not Gimp House. Among others, one of the reasons I want an electric chair, is that the wheels are UNDER it, they don't stick out the sides and will go into the kitchen and here without breaking down walls. It's really getting critical. My right knee hurts like hell all the time now, whether I'm sitting, lying down, or using it, and better it's not going to get! There's also the issue of my shoulders. Because they are both shot I can't propel a regular wheelchair except by pushing backwards with my right leg, which is really not good for that knee-duh. I WILL win this one this time. Ok, time to get moving so I can ambush the sawbones today instead of waiting until next week! Must get dressed, photocopy the glow in the dark test results and get there before 0945.

New table
The camera might not be working but the contraption finally is! After futzing around with it for a few hours yesterday, I put the whole kit and kaboodle aside and waited until this morning to take it back to the shop for an explanation even *I* could understand and here's the proof. See? It really is small here, and I was so frustrated by the camera that I couldn't be bothered to straighten the throw on the sofa, or take the folder thingy off it. But you *can* see that color of the chair (arms only here) is picked up in the throw. I'm still using old tablecloth because I haven't found the exact right one yet and this one will do as it's only for protective purposes. No matter, the right cloth is out there somewhere and I'll buy it when I find it.
After getting a demonstration on how to make the reader work, I took my ankle to the doc because it just won't heal. I've tried everything, including several kinds of antibacterial creams, a 1 layer gauze dressing, no dressing, no shoes, an nothing worked. The damn thing HURTS, so I took it to the doc who gave a sheet of stuff for pressure sores and said to Ilana the nurse put it on. Poor dear Ilana wasn't happy about it and wanted specific instructions-like it's rocket science, so the doc came in and did it himself under the guise of showing her so she'd know how to do it herself tomorrow. It kind of burns and itches now, so maybe it's working. Oh, do I ever miss my barefoot days. Try going barefoot with 3 hammertoes. Can't do it. Not that I walk so well with proper gimp shoes. I manage with sandals but they are part of the problem with the ankle as the rub on the very spot. Aside from the pain, I'm in a pretty good mood, downloading Picassa and Hello without major problems contributed as did getting the card to work. Now all that's left is to get the camera unstuck. It refuses to open and it looks like I'll have to get a new one. I'm not to sure about repairing this one. In any event it can wait.

A GREAT DAY AT GIMP HOUSE!

So, Irit said I'd never get a table in here! Ha! So she said. So what? The new ROUND table is here and fits in just fine. If I ever get the #$%*&^ card reader to work (there's a software hitch) I'll post a picture. It will be perfect when I find a lighter table cloth for it. To say I'm excited about it, is putting it mildly. I *do* love Gimp House;all 62 sq.mms of it. It's far from finished, but it just keeps getting better and better.
I got Orna in this morning to clean up the aftermath of the fridge repair and table putting together and she agrees that it looks fantastic. Of course it(the whole place) looked even better when she was done! She does magic with a broom, rag and squeegee!
There was a quagmire of sticky icky dog hairs behind and under the fridge, which were the cause of the troubles. They got in and covered the compressor and caused it to overheat and short circuit. It only cost 150 to fix it, and it no longer sounds like a strangling jet fighter of one of Jeremy Clarkson's reject cars! I must admit that there was a little corner of my brain that was hoping it was beyond repair because it IS NOT the fridge I wanted, and I have decided that I will not settle for anything other that exactly what I want anymore. The computer is now exactly what I wanted (the card reader excluded) as is the *liberry* (will be when it's finished) the dining table and chairs, sofa (thanks to a throw cover that picks up the exact shade of the chair) the patio is coming along nicely and I've decided to put tons of plants in pots out there and to get a swing thingy. With any luck I'll get around to the kitchen one of these days. Walls have to go and cabinets put in for a hob and built in oven. I know exactly how and where, just have to wait a bit for a few things to be paid off. I also want a new bed to better match the wardrobe, maybe wrought iron. There's a guy up here who does them. By the time all that's done, it will be time to repaint! I kind of like having a couple of 'small' projects going while larger ones are being paid off. The *liberry* and patio are the two smallish ones that don't interfere with the others.
There are times when I seriously worry about my sanity. I can't count the times I've seen Die Hard, but never once did I notice that Alan Rickman was in it, until last night! When looking him up on the www I missed it there. I love cable because movies are rerun ad nauseum which means I'll get to feast my eyes on him often in the neat future. Oh yes, I do like him. Bruce Willis, somewhat less, but he's not exactly hard on the eyes either.
Moshe just left. Who is Moshe? You ask. Moshe is the owner of the shop I buy all my furniture from. No, he didn't come to see the new table and chairs, but he did like them in here and had many compliments for Gimp House. He came for me to help him write a letter to his son in London. Moshe used to go swimming at the pool in the hotel I worked at way back when in 'the good old days' and a few other townies swam with him and we used to have coffee together before my shift started. It was fun talking about the 'good old days' with someone who was there and knows the *crew* Of course, that's always fun because you don't have to stop in the middle and explain everything. Plus he's just a nice guy.
This just into my inbox;I couldn't agree more and hope I can adopt most of these points.
I know there are a lot of beautiful words that get passed around on
the net. Here's some more:

In honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who
lost her fight with cancer. Here is an angel sent to watch over you.
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck

(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the
earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was
stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried
much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the
fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about
his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer
day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more
while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished
every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was
the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later.
Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love
you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every
minute...look at it and really see it .. live it and never give it
back. Stop sweating
the small stuff.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing
what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do
love us.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

After spending a quiet Saturday burning CDVs I decided to take a look at my bank account to try and figure out why my credit card was refused on Thursday. I still don't know why as there is a fair amount still available, BUT, there was yet another charge from overseas. I thought that was all sorted but it obviously isn't. I called Visa first thing this morning and they cancelled this card and will send another that will officially be blocked to overseas internet use. It's most annoying especially when I didn't even think about buying through the net. Visa will be sending their investigators after whoever is doing it and I don't much care who they find. It's stealing plain and simple. I have my suspiscions and it's sad if I'm right, but it's not a good idea to steal from me via my credit card. Never mind me, Visa will deal with them and it's just too bad. My new card will be here by Thursday and then, I'll have to run around and give the new number to the few places that have it for monthly charges. There are only two such places, the dog supply store and Gerald, so not a major problem. Speaking of the dog supply store, I have to call them and order more food for Peg. He's out of food. I also have to find someone to fix my fridge. I am unhappy about that in the extreme. It's the last thing I need right now as I am once again on the verge financially, but with the solution in sight, as Murdy obviosly understands even though he doesn't yet know that the Victor issue is well on the way to it's 30000 shekel conclusion. The ruling in my favor will be handed down today or tomorrow, and one against his daughter who is also involved within the month. I don't expect to see anything from them until Hadass's ruling comes down, but as soon as it does and we file for liens they'll pay up PDQ for the simple reason that Hadass is his darling and he will do anything to keep her clear of liens and other not nice stuff. That 30,000 will go a long way to easing things around here, not to mention being enough for a car.
Done! A nice lad who goes by the name Gaby Kirur or in English, Gaby Cool will be along in two hours or so and with any luck will be able to sort the fridge with minimum fuss. All that's left is to get onto the housing authority about the electrics.
It's just one thing after another, but, I shouldn't complain as one of my mottos is "life would be without taste if not for the challenges, so bring it on"
I think maybe it might be interesting to see if the Electric Company can send someone to check and see if there is a major problem with the power. It can't be legal to not have the ground, and 237 volts are coming in which most likely contributes to my high electric bills.

NEW BELLS AND WHISTLES WOOHOO

Ah, yes! We now have a brand new industrial strength cpu fan and two new ones on the box, a legal XP Pro OS, a new surge protector that is connected to everything except my blood pressure, and a couple of other doo dads. Almost everything is back in place including most of my purples but Seti doesn't want to install, nor does my pale purple firecat paws add on for Firefox. I'll get it one of these days but in the meantime the computer is so fast I'm having trouble keeping up! Whew! I fully expect to spend the next couple of days getting everything back in place, hopefully for the last time in a long while.
Thanks to the surge protector I've discovered the problem with the electric system at Gimp House. There's a major problem with *ground* and if that's not enough, 360 or so whatchamacallems are coming in instead of only 220. That is so not good and most likely what screwed up the fridge which has been disconnected since Wednesday when it repeatedly blew the circuit breakers and generally drove me wild. I connected the freezer, micro and new purple kettle to the same circuit the cooker, washer and dryer are on and obviously am not stupid enough to run more than one at a time. I'll get onto the housing authority and elctric company on Sunday. I've known something was way wrong with the electrics since the day I moved in, but never suspected it was the *ground* My pal Avi was supposed to come today and jerryrig the fridge but his wife's mother died so I told him to forget it and go home. Most of the stuff in the fridge can go in the freezer for now and the stuff that can't, I'll just eat today and tomorrow as it's mostly fresh veggies that are still ok.
There are lots of planes overhead today after my friends in that lovely peace loving Lebanese *political party* Hizbolla shot at Slomi and Har Dove yesterday. Hmm, I almost wonder what that's all about? My nose is twitching and I guess a few katyushas are not out of the question for us in the very near future. Peg is acting like he does before they start landing-trying to curl around my legs and not acting all excited when I want to take him out and getting all whiney when I go out. It's not like thay need an excuse or anything resembling a reason to shoot at us. I think it might be a very bad idea for them to get too rambunctious.
I have a couple more things to do to the computer, then, I'll be back at A View for an update there.

My beautiful fluffy Pegasus is now bald for all intents and purposes. If you look very closely just behind his head, you will see no hair. Of course, I decided that his appointment was tomorrow, but it wasn't. It was today and luckily I managed to throw on my caftan and get out to the car in minimum time. Peg disappeared up the stairs with his new friend and reappeared an hour later with no more fluffy fur. When she (I can't remember her name) came to get us, it took a couple of minutes to get him in the back seat of the car. Not long after that he decided that he wanted to sit on me and climbed into the front to sit on me. Lucky for us, he sat still and we got there in one piece. He stayed in the back on the way home and happily, I was informed that he has no ticks or fleas. I was a bit concerned that I might have given him fleas as Achy's dog has quite a few and I was scared Peg might have picked some up from me. But NO! He's clean and I have some good spray stuff to dose him with on Wednesday. I'll try to take a better picture of my Bald Buddy later, but my daily hour on line is running out quickly and the computer goes bye bye tomorrow morning bright and early. I'm not going to waste time now figuring out how to get rid of the blasted underline that is not supposed to be here. I'll clean things up here when Computer comes home.
Pegasus after haircut

QUICK RAMBLING RUMINATIONS OF NO IMPORT

I'm running a bit over time on line this morning, but I can hear fans running, so, with any luck the CPU won't go into meltdown.
I put out an SOS call to the usual suspects yesterday for the 300 cash I need to cover the filing fee goof on the Great Airconditioner Case. Mara came through and I invited them to come over later to see the new improved enlarged Gimp House later. I was a very good girl and didn't turn the computer on again yesterday. It wasn't easy, but I managed. I have one more thing to do on line, then no more until tomorrow. Best get a move on, heat's building up......and not much else has been going on.

THE DOCTOR SAYS

Gerald was here and the news isn't great, but also not a complete disaster. It seems the CPU fan is clogged from all the dusty stuff that went on in and around Gimp House and if I'm very careful and only use the computer for e mail and quick posts here he will just have to vacuum the crud out and put in a better CPU fan. He's coming by on Monday morning early to pick it up and hopes to have it back all fixed up and legal on Wednesday with 256 more RAM and a couple more bells and whistles. I guess I can just zip through my e mail and post here until then. The other projects can wait.
Ye Oulde shyster was here and the court wants 300 more in filing fees so I'll have to work something out as I'm cash poor at the moment. There are a few folks I can ask for help, and another trick or two if all else fails! It's going to be odd not having the computer at my beck and call as wanted, but, I'll manage somehow. I'm still reading on my 'figure out religion' project and not having the computer for more than an hour a day will give me time to get on with that and hopefully start sorting it in my mind and on paper. It's starting to come clear, but I'm not done the reading yet......Ooops my hour's up!

GIMP HOUSE AS TARDIS

It was an amazing two days! Three wheelchairs on maneuvers in the tiny Gimp House, but fun like I haven't had since I can't remember when! When Chana wasn't sleeping (night owl that she is) we were out showing the good people of this town that us crips can have a good time from our rolling thrones. Zehava is a relatively quiet, decorous well mannered gal, but enjoyed our antics. Now that they've found the way to Gimp House/Tardis, I hope they'll come visit more often.
My new dining room chairs arrived yesterday in the midst of our morning coffee ceremony and Chana and Zehava had to evacuate the scene so the chairs could be brought in. They were temporarily banished to the spare/guest room for the duration and when they were released from exile, they promptly fell in love with the new chairs. After getting organized (I use the word with reservation) we headed for town and a quick swing through the other mall and for the coffee shop, then to stock up on fags. When we got back, they rolled into Zehava's van and left. I *do* wish they could have stayed longer as we were having so much fun. I now have the answer to those who think Gimp House is too small and crowded for 1 wheelchairer! Three at a time managed just fine, so it's plenty big for one! It is a Tardis after all!
I'm still a bit groggy from the late nights but should be back to *normal* in a day or so. Danny sorted the reiforcing steel grid for the concrete we want to pour for my patio, and with any luck it will be done in the next day or so. I'll catch him later to find out what's happening with the concrete.
I still have a few things to pick up in town before Gerald gets here, so I'd best get my butt in gear! It *is* Thursday which is pretty much the end of the week here, and I really should get the things I put off while the girls were here done! Friday is not a good day for any kind of shopping here! Laters!

THREE WHEELCHAIRS IN GIMP HOUSE AT THE SAME TIME

Zahava and Chana finally arrived around 1800 and things got crowded real fast in here! But, Hey! For all it's smallness-62sq mm, we actually managed to maneuver around each other with the 3 vespas as Chana calls our chariots! We sat around and had a great gabfest until about 2230, when the gals decided it was time to show Kiryat Shemonah what it's all about. We ot dressed and drove our trusty steeds out onto the street that leads to the mall. Giggling and laughing we went to find Chana a loo and to see what open for a light snack. We had to find a loo because Chana has trouble moving from any other seat to her vespa as we discovered when she free fell from her seat in Zehava's van when trying to get to her vespa. We had to call in the neighborhood cavalry to rescue her from the floor of the van. My loo is definitely not for her, so, off we went to the fully railed crip loo at the mall. All the eats places upstairs were closed and there were still people at the expensive coffee shop downstairs. The boss man, who adores in spite of my ultimately causing their restaurant to have a name with a huge mistake in it (long story for another time) told us to come on in. So, of course we did, and our waitress was a daring girl who adored our antics, and was more than happy to hang around and talk with us for about an hour after they closed the shop. We had a great time and are now embroiled in a fight to death over who gets to keep Ophira, the waitress. Just for the fun of it, we spread out across the street and were most foolish on the way home until a cop car flashed it's 'bubble gum' at us. We kindly let him through and spread out again. It was fun. I haven't laughed so hard since I can't remember when. At Gimp House again, we sat around and gabbed until Zehava pulled up anchor and went to sleep. Chana and I talked until about 0545 when I pretty much dozed off in front her. They are still happily snoring away, and I'm here with a bucket of coffee getting a head start on myself. This is so much fun! I'll try to get a picture of the three of us on our chairs to post here. It has to be seen to be believed.

At last! The second of the month and the credit card is free to filled up again! I still have 2 cartons of fags from last month, so, could skip the cigarette shop, I did go out the industrial area where Home Center lives to look for a coffee table and to get the electric kettle I saw a couple of weeks ago and some more grow bulbs for my spoiled silly plant. What did I find there? A purple kettle that turns yucky pink (read with snear) when the water boils, a grow light, and a set of purple shower thingys. Back in town, I paid Yehiel the handsome for the Panasonic which he will bring soon, saw a super cheap purple cheched sheet, 3 purple ashtrays and a small imitation flowers in a purple pot. I promptly bought them all and hurried home so as to not miss Zehava. Oh, yeah, Orna came early, finished the dishes, did the loo and floor and I flew out. I sat here from 1230 until almost 1600 when Zehava finally called to say they were in Afula, I then charged out of here to pick up breakfast stuff and milk and made it back by 1700. She should have called by now, it's almost 1800 and it doesn't take that long from Afula to here unless she got lost. Her cell phone is off, so who knows. Zehava on her best days is somwhere out there beyond the charted universe. Ditzy doesn't quite do her justice. If/when she figures out that she's lost, she'll call, I hope. Zehava has a heart of gold, but a 2.1 watt bulb is like the sun next to her. I hope she's not trying to find Gimp House on her own. It's just not possible!
My favorite shyster called and wants to see me tomorrow. He says that as things stand now, the judge will hand down in my favor within the next week or so! Yes!! He mentioned something about a mistake in the filing, so I think I'll get it and find out what he's on about.