Flotsam and Jetsam

Interesting and thought-provoking post over at Treppenwitz about land-grabs and readers' prejudice.

My cough was going away, but now it seems to be back. My voice was lost, then it was found, now it's lost again. Time to go to the doctor. Time to wish I'd gone on antibiotics a week ago.

My apartment is one-quarter cleaned for Pesach (Passover), at least in terms of space. I'm very proud of myself. Unfortunately, the one-quarter that is done was the easiest one-quarter. Time to tackle the kitchen and my main eating area . . . ack! . . .

My sister has a new baby, but I have a new vacuum cleaner! It's a nifty hand-held thing with four different attachments, perfect for sucking up the dust in between my bookshelves, which I haven't quite been able to get at properly for the past three years. Every crevice, every nook and cranny, is being sucked up of dust! My suede boots: Dust free! My mattress and box spring: Dust begone! Very cathartic to watch that dust being sucked up into the netherworld that is the inside of a vacuum cleaner, let me tell you. Even the sound is extremely satisfying.

FYI, Israel put its clocks forward one hour last Thursday night. My understanding is that the US did the same this weekend. Therefore, we in Israel are still 7 hours ahead of the East Coast, and 10 hours ahead of the West Coast. Please bear this in mind when calling your friends and family.

I'm almost done reading Robert Jordan's Knife of Dreams, which is Book 11 of the Wheel of Time fantasy series, and it's terrific. FYI you won't understand it unless you first read books one through ten. Jordan seemed to be "slipping" a bit into slow-moving plotlines in the last few books, but he recovers here. Several plotlines get a boost forward. I'm reading that Jordan has promised to finish the series in Book 12, even if that means the book has to be 2,000 pages long (which it probably would be, if he really wants to wrap up every plotline properly). Personally I'd rather have two more shorter books, but as long as everything is wrapped up, with no loose ends, I'll be happy. Personally, I'm dying to know what the heck is up with Verrin (v'hamayvin yavin- those who understand, understand). And, less seriously, will the women ever stop "sniffing" condescendingly at the men? What does it mean for someone's dress to be "slashed" with color? How do "patience" and "indignation" smell any different from "calm" or "anger"? In a war of personalities, who would win: Aes Sedai, the Sea Folk, or Aiel Wise Ones? When will these people figure out that to save Moiraine, they just have to bring musical instruments, iron, and weapons into the Tower of Ghenjei (or whatever it's called) and "break the rules," just like in Snakes and Foxes? Does anyone care anymore?