Drowning in a Sea of Lust

Nothing to say, just wanted to see my hit counter spike. Fooled ya. I know, it's not nice, but I'm bored today, ready to make trouble.

Arrivederci Dascha

My gig at the dascha is over. It was indeed more fun than I expected, partly because there were no serious breakdowns (once the gas man came with refills), and mostly because my two charges were delicious and entertaining. Also, because the weather was so fine, I got to meet the next door neighbor as we were both out sunning ourselves on Tuesday afternoon. Imagine a lively and beautiful 82-year-old woman who turns out to be married to a Holocaust survivor; they have been working together for the last 50 years as...Puppeteers! Now they are really busy getting ready for the next tour of puppet shows for Purim. Their circuit is schools, nursey schools, and kibbutzim. She and hubby do it all: building the puppets, making the costumes, designing the sets, writing the scripts, and performing. I think I'll have to go back very soon.

Without Shuki, though. The strain of hiding from three cats wore her out. As soon as we got home at 7 last evening she went to sleep, and didn't really wake up this moning until around 10AM. I wonder whether I'll have to find another vacation arrangement for her next time I travel?

It is so good to be home again, though. For one thing, I have time to read more blogs. Here's a most interesting one I just found, written by Abu Salam, a blogger who claims to be in Beirut, Lebanon, and promises to write about "Cultural Learnings of Israel and the West for Make Benefit Glorious Arab Nation." I say it's about time! Is he the next incarnation of Borat?

Mesdames Defarge*

We three dascha residents resident humans have been knitting up a storm. Literally...it's now thundering and lightninging to beat the band. I finished a pair of socks for my niece and started a pair for Renaissance Woman (she covets a pair just like elswhere's only slightly longer). 15-year-old has finished her first knitting project under my tutelage: a bear hat. That is, a white hat with ears, eyes and a nose. It's just as well that he doesn't have a mouth, don't you think? 9-year-old has completed her patch, which we plan to turn into a small purse this afternoon. Or possibly a cellphone cover. The kitties have been ecstatically battling with the yarn. If I had brought my camera you would have photos to look at, but I didn't, so you don't. Sorry.

The reason I didn't bring the camera is it continues to be too big and heavy. My technical advisor recommended I buy an Olympus 4000z several years ago, simply because he had researched the one he wanted, bought it, and could therefore solve any problems I might encounter. The trouble is, the camera is too good. It has features I don't need, don't understand, and don't use. It is feature-heavy. I just wanted a point-and-shoot, but at the time I bought it, the point-and-shoots weren't as good as they are now. The irony is, in the meantime my advisor suffered a massive burglary during which his camera was stolen. And the one problem he couldn't solve for me, burglary or no, is how to put my camera on a weight-loss program. It occurred to me that if he bought a point-and-shoot, we could trade, but then I would have to go through another learning curve and I am just too lazy for that. I would rather have fine photos when I take them, and complain when I don't.

Note: JenT graciously offered her photography expertise, as she recently acquired the same camera. On purpose! And she even hand-delivered a hard-copy version of the user's manual fron the CD. The user's guide is supposed to be a significant improvement on the reference book distributed with the camera, and if I were a grownup, I would study it and stop kvetching.

I was especially frugal in packing for this excursion to the dascha because I came by train. Not just any train, as it turns out, but the very train that she rides home from work! This discovery was made only when we disembarked, but there was still time to meet Mr. She, and Little Boy She, who came to the station to collect mommy.

Anyhow, having limited myself to a modest-sized backpack and a dog, I trusted I would find suitable reading material in the Professor's home library. And I was right! I am now in the middle of the eminently readable and suitably scholarly The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap by Stephanie Coontz. My children have been my primary coaches in the ongoing redefinition of "family," but Coontz puts it all into a cultural and historical context.

*In case you've forgotten, Madame Defarge is the villain of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is constantly knitting, and uses patterns in the knitting to register names and descriptions of the enemies of the French Revolution. The names she knits are those of the people who must die for the Revolution. Thank you Wikipedia!

Dascha News

After less than 24 hours on the job as resident nanny and house- and cat-sitter, I can report the following bulletins:

Gigi (male) cat, having disappeared before I arrived yesterday, finally returned home this afternoon. Miraculously, despite the many downpours in the interim, he returned home dry. Do you think he has a little cat blow dryer stowed somewhere?

Having promised 9-year old permanent resident a special treat grilled cheese sandwich lunch, which I make by frying the toast sandwich in butter, I discovered the stove didn't work because the gas had run out. Spare gas tank was empty. Treat had to be downgraded to cheese on toast. Gas company was called. Morning delivery promised for tomorrow. Suspense, especially considering possible impact on soup preparation for salon guests.

To end on a cheerful note, homeowner, in response to my request, had engaged cleaning person to perform degunking work prior to his departure. Consequently I could return from morning school shuttle to a clean kitchen and a nap. Yay! (Mystery: could presence or activities of cleaning person explain disappearance of Gigi?)

No Brown Bags for Me

I took my lunch to work today in my new Wizard of Oz lunchbox, and boy were my officemates jealous!

The lunchbox was a Chanuka present from elswhere. On the side it says "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too." Luckily I left my little dog home today, on account of the rain.

From the Salt Mines to the Dascha

I thought coming out of retirement would be interesting, but today gave me two unhappy surprises:

1. I discovered that the database of last year does not match the data of this year, because someone in the Home Office back in the Old Country changed stuff without consulting anyone. So my time estimates are toast.

2. I discovered that getting up early to go to work makes me so sleepy I have to leave at lunch time for a nap. So my time estimates are more toast.

On the other hand, taking Shuki to work with me and having my boss outfit her with a dog bed next to the desk was a great comfort. At least someone gets to sleep at work!

Apparently my stint as a house-, child-, and cat-sitter was successful enough for a callback, so on Wednesday I go back to the dascha for a week while Papa the Professor goes on his international paper-delivery route. It should be much easier this time, because I know where the schools, one-way streets, and water-heater switches are. On the other hand, instead of one house cat there are now three. Shuki might not appreciate these new family members, although she very quickly achieved a workable truce with cat One last time. Tune in next week a for revised version of Conflict in the Middle East.

Special notification to all Soup Salon attendees: Soup will happen at the dascha this Friday afternoon. Email me if you need directions. (Or leftovers on Shabbat.)

No Pain, No Gain, Oy Vey Zmir!

I am loving my fitness class more and more. Tamar, the instructor, has a great music collection. Every lesson we workout and dance to different stuff: Cuban, Tango, French, American. Yesterday we had Charles Aznavour. You have never really felt the burn until you feel it to Charles Aznavour crooning "My Yiddische Mama" in French! (A too brief sample is on track #10.)

(Update) He does a lovely guest spot starting five minutes into the Muppet Show.

Traffic Bulletin on the Information Highway

(Hat tip to Tan Lucy Pez.)