Little Update

Nothing much new to report, but I know that some of my friends (and some of my "virtual" friends") abroad are worried about me, so I'm just checking in.

Still NOT THINKING ABOUT FIGHT CLUB, alright?

(This reminds me of one of my favorite books, which includes two postcards one can mail out to an ex-boyfriend. The first says "not thinking about you." The other says "STILL not thinking about you."

That is one of the best books ever.)

I very much wish I lived in a place big enough for me to host a couple or family from the north. I have been told by people who work there that there is a "tent city" on the coast, near Ashkelon, where 2,000 -- count 'em-- people from northern Israel are living in tents. I wonder how close they are to the Gaza evacuees who, last I heard, are still there too. Crazy stuff, crazy stuff.

By the way, my landlady changed her mind, and is raising my rent after all. However, she's still installing a new air conditioner, after about a year of my fighting for one. I did some research and concluded that the new, higher, rent is still worth it. In fact, I'm now signing a two-year lease. My goal is to stay where I am for a while and save up money to buy an apartment. If I rent a bigger place, I'll be more comfortable but a)I'll have to move, and moving is awful and b) all that rent money I could be saving toward a down payment will be going out the window.

David just wrote a post about how the war is affecting his vacation plans. Me too, David! I'd been hoping to go up north in a couple of weeks . . . now it seems I'll be heading south instead, or maybe to the southern coast. Luckily, there is this wonderful site, to help me choose a cute place to stay, with a pool. Is it self-absorbed to go on a vacation when there is a war going on? Well, what else should I do? How would it help anyone if I stay in Jerusalem, feeling claustrophobic, hot, and dusty? How does my staying stressed help anyone? I'll give blood, maybe I'll let someone stay in my apartment while I'm away, I'll keep thinking about all the people in Israel and in Lebanon who are being hurt . . . . but I just gotta get out of here. I feel very grateful to God that I have the financial resources and freedom to take a vacation when I want to. It's a privilege, one I do not take for granted.