Outrageous Genie in a Toxic Bottle Hits Me Baby One More Time

So, I haven't blogged for a few days, because the thing I really want to blog about is the disengagement, and my feelings/thoughts/opinions, and how confused and worried and upset I am on a lot of different levels, and yet still somewhat hopeful, how I'm so glad that Gesher has set up a tent near the central bus station in Jerusalem as a safe place to come and talk about it all this week starting each day at 10 am, and how as soon as I have a couple of hours free I'll go there to meet people and try to figure out what I think, and oh, by the way, for those of you in Israel, please be aware that tomorrow (Wednesday) there are going to be more protests against the disengagement all over the country, including people blocking roads and highways, so don't plan on going anywhere important in a hurry. I heard about it on the radio today.

In other words, I want to write something coherent and meaningful about a very serious issue, but I'm so mishkabobbled about it that I don't know where to start. Maybe soon.

But what I can tell you is that today I went to Tel Aviv to interview someone about whom I'm writing a profile, and it was a very nice lunch interview, but ran an hour longer than I expected. (By the way, it was in Tel Aviv today that I saw, for the first time ever, a poster supporting the disengagement. It said "Sharon, the country is with you." Across the street were two posters that said "Disengagement rewards terror" and "We support Gush Katif." I did see some orange ribbons, but nowhere near what we've got in Jerusalem. More about that another time.) I took a bus home, and on the way I suddenly knew that I am definitely going to be sick. The food at lunch had been a little too greasy for me, and the air conditioner in the bus wasn't working properly, so it was hot, and I could feel my seat vibrating hard from the effort the bus was making to cool itself, and of course the entrance to Jerusalem is very hilly and curvy. Motion sickness, people. Bad.

When I got off the bus, I sat on a bench to try to relax and not throw up, but some dude started smoking right in my face, so I got up again.

I won't bore you with all the tiny incremental ways that I got myself to feel better over the next few minutes. The point is, I was tired, dehydrated, nauseated, and stressed both about the amount of work I have to do and the disengagement, and not incidentally how much I want to write about the disengagement but don't know what to say. So what did I do? I did what any normal person would do. I went into Tower Records and bought a copy of Christina Aguilera's first album, and a Britney Spears greatest hits collection.

Because, you know, no matter where you live in the world, there is no problem that some bubble gum pop music can't solve.

PS I also bought an Ofra Haza album. I hope that redeems me.

PPS Will the person who has my double-CD "Best of Billie Holiday" album please return it to me?