Blog/October 2007/October 19th - Revision history

Ron at 10:17, 30 November 2007

2007-11-30T10:17:25Z

Ron at 06:04, 19 October 2007

2007-10-19T06:04:43Z

Ron at 19:15, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T19:15:22Z

Ron at 19:10, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T19:10:45Z

Ron at 19:05, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T19:05:45Z

Ron at 16:02, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T16:02:27Z

Ron at 15:07, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T15:07:28Z

Ron at 08:32, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T08:32:41Z

Ron at 08:28, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T08:28:14Z

Ron at 08:24, 18 October 2007

2007-10-18T08:24:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:17, 30 November 2007
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	Daniela will be spending shabbat with us, and she's bringing two friends from her school - so we've a bit of arranging to do before then. Until next week, shabbat shalom!		Daniela will be spending shabbat with us, and she's bringing two friends from her school - so we've a bit of arranging to do before then. Until next week, shabbat shalom!
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		+	{{nav\|Blog\|Blog\|Blog/October 2007/October 12th\|Oct 12th\|Blog/October 2007/October 26th\|Oct 26th}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:04, 19 October 2007
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	Good news on the job front: an offer was made by [http://208.106.225.142/ ClassifEye], a small startup in [http://www.hotzvim.org.il/ Har Chotzvim] High-Tech park in Jerusalem, and I accepted it. Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!		Good news on the job front: an offer was made by [http://208.106.225.142/ ClassifEye], a small startup in [http://www.hotzvim.org.il/ Har Chotzvim] High-Tech park in Jerusalem, and I accepted it. Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!
		+
		+	Daniela will be spending shabbat with us, and she's bringing two friends from her school - so we've a bit of arranging to do before then. Until next week, shabbat shalom!

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:15, 18 October 2007
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	I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus. It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park. It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting. Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you. Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot. But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2\|Body odor\|BO}}". Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect. I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really). There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth. Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty. One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm for his potency. There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness… it must have been brewing for weeks.		I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus. It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park. It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting. Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you. Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot. But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2\|Body odor\|BO}}". Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect. I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really). There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth. Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty. One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm for his potency. There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness… it must have been brewing for weeks.

−	Good news on the job front: an offer was made, and I accepted it. Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!	+	Good news on the job front: an offer was made by [http://208.106.225.142/ ClassifEye], a small startup in [http://www.hotzvim.org.il/ Har Chotzvim] High-Tech park in Jerusalem, and I accepted it. Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 It would be nice if everything here were as efficient, but you already know from my previous missives that that's not the case.  This time I went to "fight city hall", literally.  As new immigrants, we are entitled to a major reduction in our property taxes.  The city is supposed to give us a refund.  In fact, we have been waiting almost two months for the refund, and have been to city hall several times to "check up" on the status of our refund.  This time, I went and was told the reason our refund didn't get issued was because there was a "prior unpaid bill" on the account.  It came as a surprise to me, since our prior bill (the one we paid) made no mention of outstanding amounts.  So the clerk made an appointment for me to her boss, who is the one who refused to issue our refund.  The next day I went to see him ... he bears a striking resemblance to {{wiki|Don Rickles}}, but without the sense of humor.  He heard my argument, and looked at our prior bill (which I had brought along just for laughs).  He stared, stony-faced, at that bill for five full minutes - no expression whatever on his face.  Finally, he said to me, "come with me", so I obediently followed him back to the clerk I had met the day before (and several times previously).  He then commanded her to give us our refund (which she had already attempted to do several times), and strode away.  I asked the clerk when she had emigrated from the USSR, and she said it was "a while ago"; I told her ''{{dict|sotto voce}}'' that she hadn't really left, to which she responded with a smile and the statement, "you're right".
-Fun fact: there is a minimum acceptable {{dict|tzedakah}} gift.  The other day we were in Jerusalem, but I had forgotten to load my pockets with coins from our tzedakah box. A fellow came up to me; and as is my habit, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a coin without looking, and gave it to him.  A few seconds later, I felt an object hit my foot and heard a clinking sound -- the rascal had thrown the coin at me!  Now, I know that it wasn't much; but if he really needed tzedakah one would think he would have taken it in any case… maybe it would have been just the extra amount he needed to buy a meal?!?  On the other hand, the vast majority of the people who are begging in Jerusalem are appreciative.
+Fun fact: there is a minimum acceptable {{dict|tzedakah}} gift.  The other day we were in Jerusalem, but I had forgotten to load my pockets with coins from our tzedakah box. A fellow came up to me; and as is my habit, I reached in my pocket, pulled out a coin without looking, and gave it to him.  A few seconds later, I felt an object hit my foot and heard a clinking sound -- the rascal had thrown the coin at me!  Now, I know that it wasn't much; but if he really needed tzedakah one would think he would have taken it in any case… maybe it would have been just the extra amount he needed to buy a meal?!?  On the other hand, the vast majority of the people who are begging in Jerusalem are appreciative.
-Fun fact: the people most likely to exhibit 'perfect faith' are bus drivers.  Who else but someone with perfect faith would zoom around a blind curve, at night, at breakneck speed?
+Fun fact: the people most likely to exhibit 'perfect faith' are {{wiki2|Egged|Israeli bus drivers}}.  Who else but someone with perfect faith would zoom around a blind curve, at night, at breakneck speed?
 I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus.  It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park.  It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting.  Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you.  Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot.  But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2|Body odor|BO}}".  Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect.  I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really).  There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth.  Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty.  One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm for his potency.  There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness… it must have been brewing for weeks.
 Good news on the job front: an offer was made, and I accepted it.  Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 Hi all -
-I meant to tell you last week, that I finally got on my bicycle and rode it to the center of town (a 10-15 minute walk, about 5 minutes by bike).  I could scarcely believe I made it all the way without dropping over from the exertion, but I did.  I even made it back home safely...  Speaking of incredible physical exertion, Sarah had her first Israeli "tiul" - her school took her class to some (dry) river where they hiked around for several hours.  Sarah came back exhausted, and was in pretty painful condition the next day.  But now she's back to normal, I think, and apparently she even enjoyed the outing.
+I meant to tell you last week, that I finally got on my bicycle and rode it to the center of town (a 10-15 minute walk, about 5 minutes by bike).  I could scarcely believe I made it all the way without dropping over from the exertion, but I did.  I even made it back home safely...  Speaking of incredible physical exertion, Sarah had her first Israeli [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D7%98%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9C "tiul"] - her school took her class to some (dry) river where they hiked around for several hours.  Sarah came back exhausted, and was in a lot of pain the next day.  But now she's back to normal, I think, and apparently she even enjoyed the outing.
 It finally rained!  Yes, it rained this Wednesday evening - and not just rain, but a fantastic thunder-and-lightning storm accompanied the rain.  And this just days before we add a request for rain to our daily prayers here in Israel.
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 This week I used my medical insurance, and was again impressed with the system here.  I have several medications I've been taking for a number of years, and the supply I brought from the States is almost gone.  So I called up my {{wiki2|clalit|sick fund}} and asked to see a doctor.  They gave me an appointment the very next day.  I went to the doctor, and she told me that some of the medicines I take aren't used here, but there are similar replacements and she would research the matter and give me a call back.  After my prior experiences with officialdom, I was pretty sure I would never hear back from her.  As it turns out, she ''did'' call me back that very day, and told me what she was able to figure out.  I went in the next day, got my prescriptions: 71 NIS (about 17 dollars) for a month's supply of medication.   Not only was the care much faster than anything I ever received in the US, but is was ''much'' cheaper.
-It would be nice if everything here were as efficient, but you already know from my previous missives that that's not the case.  This time I went to "fight city hall", literally.  As new immigrants, we are entitled to a major reduction in our property taxes.  The city is supposed to give us a refund.  In fact, we have been waiting almost two months for the refund, and have been to city hall several times to "check up" on the status of our refund.  This time, I went and was told the reason our refund didn't get issued was because there was a "prior unpaid bill" on the account.  It came as a surprise to me, since our prior bill (the one we paid) made no mention of outstanding amounts.  So the clerk made an appointment for me to her boss, who is the one who refused to issue our refund.  The next day I went to see him ... he bears a striking resemblance to {{wiki|Don Rickles}}, but without the sense of humor.  He heard my argument, and looked at our prior bill (which I had brought along just for laughs).  He stared, stony-faced, at that bill for five full minutes - the mental strain evident upon his face.  Finally, he said to me, "come with me", so I obediently followed him back to the clerk I had met the day before (and several times previously).  He then commanded her to give us our refund (which she had already attempted to do several times), and strode away.  I asked the clerk when she had emigrated from the USSR, and she said it was "a while ago"; I told her ''{{dict|sotto voce}}'' that she hadn't really left, to which she responded with a smile and the statement, "you're right".
+It would be nice if everything here were as efficient, but you already know from my previous missives that that's not the case.  This time I went to "fight city hall", literally.  As new immigrants, we are entitled to a major reduction in our property taxes.  The city is supposed to give us a refund.  In fact, we have been waiting almost two months for the refund, and have been to city hall several times to "check up" on the status of our refund.  This time, I went and was told the reason our refund didn't get issued was because there was a "prior unpaid bill" on the account.  It came as a surprise to me, since our prior bill (the one we paid) made no mention of outstanding amounts.  So the clerk made an appointment for me to her boss, who is the one who refused to issue our refund.  The next day I went to see him ... he bears a striking resemblance to {{wiki|Don Rickles}}, but without the sense of humor.  He heard my argument, and looked at our prior bill (which I had brought along just for laughs).  He stared, stony-faced, at that bill for five full minutes - no expression whatever on his face.  Finally, he said to me, "come with me", so I obediently followed him back to the clerk I had met the day before (and several times previously).  He then commanded her to give us our refund (which she had already attempted to do several times), and strode away.  I asked the clerk when she had emigrated from the USSR, and she said it was "a while ago"; I told her ''{{dict|sotto voce}}'' that she hadn't really left, to which she responded with a smile and the statement, "you're right".
-Fun fact: there is a minimum acceptable ''tsedaka'' gift.  The other day we were in Jerusalem, but I had forgotten to load my pockets with coins from our tsedaka box. A fellow came up to me; and as is my habit, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a coin without looking, and gave it to him.  A few seconds later, I felt an object hit my foot and heard a clinking sound -- the rascal had thrown the coin at me!  Now, I know that it wasn't much; but if he really needed tsedaka one would think he would have taken it in any case… maybe it would have been just the extra amount he needed to buy a meal?!?  On the other hand, the vast majority of the people who are begging in Jerusalem are appreciative.
+Fun fact: there is a minimum acceptable {{dict|tzedakah}} gift.  The other day we were in Jerusalem, but I had forgotten to load my pockets with coins from our tzedakah box. A fellow came up to me; and as is my habit, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a coin without looking, and gave it to him.  A few seconds later, I felt an object hit my foot and heard a clinking sound -- the rascal had thrown the coin at me!  Now, I know that it wasn't much; but if he really needed tzedakah one would think he would have taken it in any case… maybe it would have been just the extra amount he needed to buy a meal?!?  On the other hand, the vast majority of the people who are begging in Jerusalem are appreciative.
-Fun fact: the people most likely to exhibit 'perfect faith' are bus drivers.  Who else but one with perfect faith would zoom around a blind curve, at night, at breakneck speed?
+Fun fact: the people most likely to exhibit 'perfect faith' are bus drivers.  Who else but someone with perfect faith would zoom around a blind curve, at night, at breakneck speed?
-I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus.  It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park.  It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting.  Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you.  Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot.  But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2|Body odor|BO}}".  Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect.  I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really).  There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth.  Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty.  One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm for his potency.  There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness … it must have been brewing for weeks.
+I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus.  It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park.  It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting.  Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you.  Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot.  But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2|Body odor|BO}}".  Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect.  I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really).  There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth.  Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty.  One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm for his potency.  There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness… it must have been brewing for weeks.
 Good news on the job front: an offer was made, and I accepted it.  Now I have to wait a bit for the "official approval", but expect to be working very soon now, B"H!

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 It finally rained!  Yes, it rained this Wednesday evening - and not just rain, but a fantastic thunder-and-lightning storm accompanied the rain.  And this just days before we add a request for rain to our daily prayers here in Israel.
-I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus.  It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park.  It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting.  Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you.  Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot.  But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian BO".  Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect.  I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really).  There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth.  Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty.  One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm to examine the deleterious effects on civilians.  There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness … it must have been brewing for weeks.
+I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus.  It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park.  It's also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting.  Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you.  Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot.  But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian {{wiki2|Body odor|BO}}".  Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect.  I've even been known to sweat. Normally it can be ignored, but this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really).  There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth.  Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty.  One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by a military research firm to examine the deleterious effects on civilians.  There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness … it must have been brewing for weeks.
 * the job front

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:24, 18 October 2007
Line 16:		Line 16:

	It finally rained! Yes, it rained this Wednesday evening - and not just rain, but a fantastic thunder-and-lightning storm accompanied the rain. And this just days before we add a request for rain to our daily prayers here in Israel.		It finally rained! Yes, it rained this Wednesday evening - and not just rain, but a fantastic thunder-and-lightning storm accompanied the rain. And this just days before we add a request for rain to our daily prayers here in Israel.
		+
		+	I've mentioned before that I like taking the bus. It goes everywhere, is relatively inexpensive, and saves one the trouble of trying to find a place to park. They are also great for people-watching or for reading and so forth while commuting. Of course, there are disadvantages: it only goes where it goes, so if you need some odd destination you may find the bus won't help you. Frequently, the buses are quite packed, so it may be hard to get a spot. But the biggest disadvantage I've encountered so far is the dreaded "Olympian BO". Don't get me wrong: I understand that people sweat, especially in this climate, and that BO is just a normal side-effect. Normally it can be ignored. But this week I sat next to a fellow whose aura caused my eyes to water (really). There was nowhere else to go on the bus, so I managed by breathing through my mouth. Now this fellow had a clean shirt on, and wasn't overtly sweaty. One might expect he would just smell "average" - but I think he was hired by some research firm to find out the effect on innocent travelers. There is no way his stench could have been from a day or two of hygienic laziness … it must have been brewing for weeks.

	* the job front		* the job front
−	* olympic BO