Blog/March 2010/Mar 26th
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Mar 26th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!
What a tense week! Preparing for pesach (Passover, this coming Monday night) took up most of our energy. Work was unbelievably tense, since we had to get products released before everyone went on pesach vacation (we still have one more day, Sunday). The popular and democratically elected Prime Minister of Israel was treated like a pariah by our closest ally. An unpopular and potentially disastrous piece of landmark legislation was pushed into law in the US. Two (!) of our electric wall switches in the house needed replacement before shabbat. One of my (dental) crowns began to disintegrate further, necessitating a quick trip to the dentist. I stole a grocery cart. And we had to be at the airport at 04:30 to pick up Daniela.
In fact, we were much better prepared for pesach this time around than in any previous year. By the beginning of the week, we had almost no chamets (leavened grain products) in the house. We had already purchased the wine and meat for the holiday, and were only awaiting the matsah our friends were bringing (they brought it, it's safe and dry now). Still had to get fresh vegetables, so we made a trip to the shuq and met another four of our fellow Judean Desert Dwellers there.
At work, we have been "underwater" for a few weeks, since our software requires manuals be written, and "drivers" from the factories which manufacture the cameras. For various reasons, the manuals and drivers kept getting updated this week, giving me a huge workload. Of course, all of it "top priority". Additionally, I had to support the effort to get some "test" software out to potential clients. Besides that, an old client of mine has asked for updates to what I wrote him almost six years ago, so I'm giving that time as well. I am really looking forward to the pesach week-off!
Like him or hate him, Binyamin Netanyahu is the popularly elected (and quite popular) Prime Minister of Israel. Ostensibly, Israel is a "close ally" of the United States of America, and has a "special relationship" with it. This week, Netanyahu found out just how special that relationship has become. He also got a nasty surprise from another English-speaking "ally". The calls to squeeze Israel by cutting US aid are growing; personally (as I've written before), I think that is a really good idea. But first we need to strengthen our ties with India and those Eastern European countries who were stiffed by the current President of the USA.
The most disturbing thing to happen this week, however, was the quite possibly unconstitutional, and wide-ranging health-care reform bill passed by the Congress of the US. If this bill stands, which is pretty likely, the US will soon enter a period of hyperinflation as it attempts to pay for all the pork in that barrel. As a result, the US will be forced to pull back its military presence worldwide. Everyone should be concerned about that eventuality, as the world will quickly become a much more dangerous place once the Pax Americana no longer obtains. We should know by the end of the year whether or not there is a serious challenge to the law. If there isn't, I strongly suggest you invest your money in places other than the US, as it becomes less and less stable and its currency devalues further.
It was weird when two of my wall switches 'gave up'. These were a brand our electrician had said were 'very good'. Well, both gave up within a week of each other. So rather than call the electrician, I went to ACE and picked up some replacements and installed them. I hope they last longer than the previous ones did!
Odds and ends:
- You know you really cannot trust anybody. Just in time for pesach :(
- I used to work for this company, and was laid-off in the third round of layoffs. I guess they're doing better these days.
- Only in Israel: in the checkout counter today at the supermarket, the man in front of me (who was not outwardly religious looking) was told by the (also not outwardly religious) cashier that he had a credit coming to him. The guy says, "I'll get some gum". Which he does, and returns to the checkout. The cashier starts and says, "Wait! That gum isn't kosher for Passover!". The guy says, "It isn't? I don't want it then".
The same grocery store (the infamous "Mr. Zol" here in town). Daniela and I went there this morning to fetch supplies. The store had recently relocated to a different part of the mall, and I had only been in it once before in the new location. Anyway, the shopping carts used to be inside, and I didn't see any carts there. But I did see a lonely cart, which I promptly grabbed and started rolling away. At that instant, the unhappy "owner" of that cart turned around and said, "hey! hey! what are you doing?". I murmured my apologies and moved on. Daniela pointed out the carts were actually outside the store. And I was this close to getting away…
Daniela is home! This is the best thing (by far!) to happen this week, in the Aaron household. She went via Zürich, where she had a 12-hour layover. After some delays, she landed this morning at about 04:50, in time to watch sunrise over the Judean Hills as we approached home. It doesn't get better than that!
Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!
Have a kosher and happy Passover! פסח כשר ושמח
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