Dot Co Dot Il

Update

2007-11-10T23:10:00.000+02:00

Yakira is 14 months and nearly almost walking. She has a lovely set of 14 teeth and takes every opportunity she can to use them.
Mrs. Dot Co Dot Il has started her own business called Week-1 Gifts. They create baby gift baskets for those who have just given birth and you should check it out.
Especially those outside of Israel who want to get something for someone in Israel who has just had a baby.

Two Thumbs Down

2007-08-20T14:51:00.000+03:00

Last night, Mrs Dot Co Dot Il and I watched the Simpsons movie. I can't tell you how disappointing it was. Stale, one-dimensional, flat, uninspiring and dull are just some of the things which come to mind.
Too much of the movie was focused around the idiocy of Homer who when he gets like that, is a terribly unsympathetic character. I don't understand how this movie can do so well from at the box office.

For mind, the environment is a ridiculous notion to base the movie around notwithstanding the fact that it has been done several times before by the show and as early as the second season.
Your thoughts? Anyone actually like it?

Potting Around

2007-08-13T14:05:00.000+03:00

Just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I enjoyed it, especially because it was like the Harry of old. I found Books 5 & 6 to be quite disapointing.
While I was reading it, I didn't dare tell anyone I was for fear of them spoiling it but all is good now.
Feels kind of sad that there will be no more books. What JK did was nothing short of phenomenal and you can only generate that much hype and excitement about a book coming out if the book is really special.

*Spoiler Alert- so look away if you want to read the book*

The parallels of Voldemort's run world to Nazi Europe were obviously very strong. I was as freaked out reading what was happening as I have been watching other Holocaust related material. For some reason, the way JK wrote it really made it seem real. When Harry said Voldemort's name to trigger the spell and they were captured, I was scared and my heart was beating so fast.
It just wasn't that. It was the purebloods who were dobbing in muggles and half-bloods for money, it was the pure-blooding of the institutions.

Agent Zero

2007-06-29T15:07:00.000+03:00

An update on my progress.......

Have emailed a bunch of agents in the States - three of them said thanks but no thanks and nada from the rest.

It's a curious trait agents have be they in music, film, television or literature.
Don't you owe it to yourself to at least hear what everyone has got to say. What's the point of being in that business if you just let the next Beatles or J.K. Rowling go? Not that I'm comparing myself to them but both were famously rejected; The Beatles by Decca and JK by 12 publishers.The ultimate is to buy dirt cheap and sell sky high which is only going to happen when you discover someone from off the streets.

Have an outstanding contact in Australia who is a successful author who can directly approach publishers on my behalf. The way I'm heading that looks like the way I'll be going which isn't a problem at all. The only issue if any, would be that I'm here and they're there.

Yakira is good and starting to develop a personality of her own. Had a metapelet come watch her this week for the first time. She went from crying when I left on the first day to crying when the metapelet left on the second day! So that's a good start.

She is crawling more proficiently now and her diet expands every day.

After four months we find out about Mrs Dot Co Dot Il's ankle on Monday.

Time Out

2007-06-04T10:32:00.000+03:00

So looks like for the most part this blog has run its course. Don't want to be one of those blogs that stops/starts but it looks as though it is what is has become.

And I may have other fish to fry. Last year had an idea for a novel. 15 months and 120,000 words later it's done. Now begins the task of making it happen.

Their Shout

2007-05-30T10:15:00.000+03:00

The news that sponsors have pulled out of Lindsay Lohan's party is puzzling.

Why does a person who can more than afford it need sponsors?

And if the type of people are the party are the ones who don't pay for anything what will sponsorship achieve? Surely you are better off sponsoring people who will actually pay for something.

When they live in such a surreal world, no wonder their lives are like they are.

BirdCage

2007-05-27T08:50:00.000+03:00

Had some pigeons nest in our mirpeset-type area. Got rid of the birds and closed it up with chicken wire only for a bird to be left under the air-conditioning unit and trapped. It was squirming and trying to get out while its friends on the outside where holding a vigil.
Today the guy is coming back to grant it freedom.

This afternoon have a wedding. It's not in Jerusalem which isn't easy but thankfully they've hired a bus for us.

As for cricket; two catches, two wickets and five runs. Had them on the ropes until this guy exploded and that was that. We're still improving though.

Let Them Eat Cake

2007-05-24T12:01:00.000+03:00

All cheese-caked out. Well maybe I could go for a few more slices but not sure my waistline could handle it. Was a wonderful Shavout - ate, slept and prayed. What more could you want from Chag?

Didn't stay up. Don't have the constitution for that like I used to. Instead stayed in and learned where we had lively discussions on pertinent matters like whether it is better to be a good irreligious person than a bad religious one and can you have you cake and eat it too?

Answer to the latter is definitely yes.

Big cricket game tomorrow. Playing the top side and have we will have to be at the top of our game to have a chance. Don't want to make it a cakewalk for them.

Chag Sameach

2007-05-22T11:11:00.000+03:00

Everyone have a wonderful Yom Tov/American Idol finale.

Think Jordin will win.

Enjoy the cheesecake!

Angelic Gabriel

2007-05-21T09:16:00.000+03:00

Last night went to Gabriel to celebrate the birthdays of both myself and Mrs DotCoDotIl. As is always the case, was a magnificent dining experience.

This came on the back of her surprise party last Thursday night which went well. She was totally surprised.

Power of the Web

2007-05-20T09:50:00.000+03:00

Spider-Man 3 has been blowing everything out of the water but it hasn't had any competition for two weeks. That changed on Friday when Shrek-3 was released. This Friday, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 comes out by which time you should already be able to buy your Spider-Man DVD's in Thailand.

For those interested in what's going to be released around the corner.
Looking ahead we have:
June 1 - Knocked Up (2007 equivalent of the 40 Year Old Virgin)
June 8 - Ocean's 13
June 15 - Fantastic 4 II
June 22 - Evan Almighty (Sequel to Bruce Almighty)
June 29 - Die Hard IV
July 4 - Transformers
July 13 - Harry Potter V
July 27 - The Simpsons

NB: Have added trailers for all the movies listed to get you into the mood.

Change The World

2007-05-15T09:46:00.000+03:00

We had a lot of change lying around. Can't tell you why we had that much change but we did.

So after a year of saying I would, I finally lugged it all to the bank yesterday.
Luckliy, it was already sorted into bags of 5, 10 and 50 Agarot pieces.

They have a scale at the bank which knows the weight of the various coins so you tell it which denomination coin you are plonking on it and based on that it can tell you the value.

There was a 2.50 shekel commission on each 100 coins. By the time we were done that was 77.50 in commission.

The final tally was exactly 250 shekel in 10 Agarot pieces, 24 shekel-something in 5 Agarot pieces and 109 shekel in half-shekel coins.

Made me think, there must be billions of shekels in coins floating around out there; sitting between sofa cushions and rolling around washing machines which are lost to the economy.

The five agarot coin is hardly used so do away with it and round up/down. For intents and purposes this is what is done anyway.

Rolling Around On The Floor

2007-05-14T13:05:00.000+03:00

Had requests for more pics of Yakira so enjoy. Here she is.

To Love Somebody

2007-05-13T11:24:00.000+03:00

If you've been watching American Idol then no doubt this song is still buzzing in your head; for not only Jordin sang it but Barry Gibb sang it as well.

Some songs stand the test of time and as this clip shows, its been doing so for 40 years.

Of course those hard-core Idol fans would be feeling a sense of deja vu because four seasons ago both Clay Aiken and Josh Gracin sang the song.

Here is Clay doing it:

Josh does a country version...

Both of those guys got great feedback from the judges which proves my point about Idol or any singing competition for that matter. That you're chances of success are much higher when you sing a great song that everyone knows and loves. A lot of times they pick some obscure song and it simply doesn't work.

Good luck now getting the song out of your head!

Coming Home

2007-05-10T10:10:00.000+03:00

Sorry for the lack of post-age but been busy with the house. Moving, unpacking and schlepping. Last night we had a sale of a bunch of stuff and it's still going for those who may be interested. Email me and I can forward you the list of items for sale and their prices.

Apart from that, we made it out of the house on Tuesday night to win a trivia night. Was a flawlessly run event and lots of fun so kudos to the organisers. Of course one never tires of coming home with a trophy and some prize money.

Big thanks to R who was Yakira's first ever babysitter. Things really have come full circle - from being babysat, to being asked to babysit to now calling up looking for a babysitter.

Turning the Heat Up

2007-05-07T10:27:00.000+03:00

It is seriously hot here now. For good measure, you can toss in some mugginess and stickiness.

They talk about Mad Dogs and Englishmen going out in the midday sun but I think the heat is making everyone here troppo.

You have the uni students striking and then last night there was a soccer riot because the team won!

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-06T11:22:00.000+03:00

It is Lag B’Omer. We had to decline all celebrations last night in favor of unpacking boxes. In any event, the Chag doesn’t hold the same appeal to me as it did when I was younger and had pyromanic leanings.

Last night and again this morning the stench of smoke was thick in the air.

So have done about 40% of our boxes and it’s a slow and steady process. Hopefully by week’s end we will have finished and settled in, so it feels like home.

PSA Part II

2007-05-02T13:04:00.000+03:00

In my What's Hot list in the previous post, I forgot to include Second Life.

If there is anyone out there who can explain how exactly this thing works, I would appreciate it.

PSA

2007-05-02T12:03:00.000+03:00

Sorry for the lack of activity here. Been busy trying to pack and hopefully move which takes up a lot of time and focus.

As an aside, seems as if there is a general drop off in buzz in the blogging world. Like the B-Sharps, it has drifted off the pages of What's Hot and found itself in What's Not territory. In its place is Facebook, the Car of Tomorrow and the latest in mobile phones/PDA's which always seems to be something new.

But everything comes back in style - you just have to be patient. So I should be ahead of the game once Pet Rocks, Yo-Yos and Slap Bracelets are again in vogue.

Good Day Sunshine

2007-04-29T10:59:00.000+03:00

Nice and sunny today. Beautiful spring weather.

Have now packed 66 boxes and aim to move by the end of the week. Hopefully this time next week we will be esconsced in our new residence.

Yakira could be teething. Has symptoms of fever and isn't her usual affable self. At eight months of age, she has developed her own personality and does her best to communicate her feelings to us, notwithstanding her non-verbal self.

Her development at this stage of her life is exponential although watching her at such close quarters we don't get to appreciate it as much.

Meating Up

2007-04-25T10:30:00.000+03:00

Did the Mangal thing over the national day. How could you not?
Perfect weather for it.

My question is, how the powers that be know how much meat to have ready? How do they know how much the supermarkets and butchers up and down the country will need? In turn, how do the supermarkets and butchers know how much they will need.

However they work it out, there was more than enough. Every event I heard back from had the same response: There was waaaaaayyy too much meat.

Men In White

2007-04-22T14:06:00.000+03:00

It was a nail-biter with us just going down to Kiryat-Gat by one wicket. We scored 260 and in response they made 9/261.

I scored 21 courtesy of 2 sixes, 2 fours and one.

This photo below is me smoting one of my sixes out of the ground.

The Week That Is

2007-04-22T10:43:00.000+03:00

Spring has sprung here with blue skies and warmer weather emerging. Nice to be able to be outside with short sleeves.

This week sees the back to back occasions of Yom Ha'zikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut. In a country where the military is so prominent and maintains such a large hold on the national psyche, no surprise that the former is a big day here.

Not just for the family of fallen soldiers but the victims of terror.

The joy and happiness which you witness on the latter is equal to the grief and pain felt on Yom Ha'zikaron.

This juxtaposition of sorrow/happiness is part of the unique character of living in Israel.

Batter Up

2007-04-19T17:01:00.000+03:00

Tomorrow is the opening day of the 2007 cricket season here in Israel for our side.

Looking forward to it. Due to a rejigging of the format, only two divisions and eight games instead of three and 10 respectively.

Some new faces in the team to complement the old ones. Our third year together now.

We take on the Kiryat Gat side who are traditionally fierce rivals. We are yet to beat them and there would be nothing sweeter than starting the year by thumping them on their own dung hill.

Right Back Where We Started From

2007-04-17T20:53:00.000+03:00

Feels a bit surreal but back here.

Was worried if we would make it given the torrential rain in the North-Eastern USA but it was all ok in the end.

Were meant to leave Newark at 11.30 Monday morning but didn't board till about 12.30. Then spent about 45 minutes waiting on the runway. Does time ever tick slower than when you are waiting on the runway doing nothing?

Hour later touched down in Toronto and then had three hour wait till our flight to Tel Aviv. Was worried about this long flight but karma must have played a part because this flight was 1000 times better.

We were able to sit in the middle row of three with Yakira between us in her own seat. She slept 95% of the flight.

Each seat had its own inflight entertainment.

Watched four movies before nodding off.
1. Flushed Away - Cute.
2. For Your Consideration - Ok.
3. The Holiday - Tolerable chick flick.
4. Some movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman where he plays a banker who steals from the bank to fund his gambling problem.

Flight was 97% filled with frum young married Canucks and their brood of screaming, hollering kids. Had no idea there were that many Jewish folk in Canada.

Mrs Dot Co Dot Il badly injured her foot so she had the use of a wheelchair in and out of all three airports we were in. Made the impossible, possible and thanks to all the kind airport staff who pushed in back and forth.

Going Home

2007-04-15T17:00:00.000+03:00

Been fun (and cold) here but our time here has wound down.

Another interesting flight awaits us.

See you on the other end.

Still Got It

2007-04-08T20:28:00.000+03:00

A lot of people are excited for The Simpsons movie which is coming out in July.

Frankly I think The Simpsons jumped the shark or lost the plot about six years ago. Conversely South Park which doesn't get the credit it deserves is on fire.

In the latest season they have already parodied 24, the Michael Richards incident and kids getting head lice.

The latest episode is a parody of the Da Vinci Code and its sharp pointed satire aimed directly at the Catholics doesn't miss the spot.

For anyone who wants to see what I'm talking about, you can watch the episode here.

Cold as Ice

2007-04-08T16:49:00.000+03:00

It's really cold here. Like absolutely freezing. Some parts of America are receiving snow.

Not the short sleeves weather you typically expect at this time of the year.

So just one day of Yom Tov to go and then we are done and can close the book on Pesach for another year.

One Day Wonders

2007-04-05T18:20:00.000+03:00

Pesach was good and was a treat just being able to keep one day.

Was asked if it felt strange to be sitting in the room next to people keeping Yom Tov while I was filling in a Sudoku.

Bottom line was no. Didn't even think about it. After all, Yom Tov isn't like Shabbat which is set in stone.

And just like one person can be eating ice-cream three hours after eating beef and another person can't. So too, can be Yom Tov for some and not for others.

Speaking of which, interesting to read that some Rabbis have now done away with Kitniyot for those Ashkenazim who live in Israel.

Minhagim are very powerful given the esteem some people hold them in. My Rabbi loved to say that the 10 Commandments should have been called the 10 Minhagim - that way they would have more likely be kept.

***********************

One of the major differences between being in the States and Israel is TV. Here you don't have to worry about streaming or downloading things because you have the ability to see them when everyone else does.

Watched American Idol and the Sanjaya phenomena keeps on gathering steam. It's as if he isn't even in the competition anymore. Rather he is in his own world and it doesn't matter what he sings, wears or looks like because people are going to vote for him.

The judges may feel their hands are tied but they are the ones who put him in the competition in the first place.

Also saw the season finale of Prison Break. The show seems to have headed down the Lost, X Files and Alias path. Instead of tying up loose ends and providing some closure, the finale provided a plot which was an absolute mishmash.

To keep the show going for a third season they have established a storyline which is non-sensical.

Looks like it could have turned itself into the small screen equivalent of the Matrix

11th Hour

2007-04-01T19:50:00.000+03:00

Just over 24 hours to go before Pesach and we are in full swing of things. Kitchen has been switched over and the marathon of preparations is gathering steam.

Still coming to terms with jet lag. Part of the problem is that our ability to acclimatise is correlated to Yakira's ability to do so. Thus far she hasn't slept through the night and but we are getting close.

Got to the airport on Thursday morning and it was predictably hectic. It looked like a freaks convention or just about your normal day at the DMV. Next to as was a flight heading towards Antalya and if it is not too late, have to warn all those in Southern Turkey that there was a bunch of weirdos heading your way.

Our flight to Toronto was packed and part of the reason was that it was a small plane. We were in Row 38 and this was the second last row in the plane. Just 39 rows and a configuration of 2-3-2.

It was packed with Israelis and this rendered it somewhat of a circus. At all times of the flight around two-thirds of the passengers were standing up and milling in the aisles. Also everyone seemed to know everyone.

The in-flight entertainment was appalling. No personal screens for each passenger; rather just the ones which dangled in the aisle. The movies were nothing special and the highlight of the three was Diamonds Are Forever. Is a sorry state of affairs when a 35 year old movie is your best bet.

Eventually got off in Toronto and what should have been a quick hop, skip and a jump to Newark became the waiting game as the plane which was ours still hadn't arrived.
While waiting around was sitting next to a family of three who were chatting to this elderly couple. The family of three had a kid who was about 11. The funny thing was listening him blurt out stuff family-only information and the dad had to act all cool even though you could see him seething. Inevitably the kid would say something about the dad and everyone including the dad would laugh at his expense. Hope the kid didn't suffer for his innocence after.

The 8.25pm departure time ended up being 9.30pm. Eventually we departed and then landed on US soil. So now here.

The trees which shone with their golden leaves six months ago are now sadly barren and bare. Weather is a bit schizophrenic - warm sometimes, wet and cold at others.

A good Pesach to you and all of your families.

Exodus

2007-03-28T09:52:00.000+02:00

We're out of here.

Heading to the States tomorrow for two and a bit weeks.

Will try and blog while over there.

Chag Sameach to you and your family.

Concrete Jungle

2007-03-26T15:20:00.000+02:00

Ventured out to Malha last night for a 7-Blessings.

One thing is apparent about the mall. 14 years down the track it is well past its prime. Outgrown about 100 fold, there is an astounding lack of elevators, escalators and parking.

It is simply too small and badly outdated.

It opened in 1993, the same year as the renovated Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv which is in even worse shape than Malha.

The thing about Malha is that no matter when you go there, there seems to be a sizable crowd present. Word of warning for those reading this. Do not venture out to Malha towards the end of this week or during Chol Ha'Moed unless it is absolute necessary. During this time of year, it becomes like a jungle.

Much Ado About Nothing

2007-03-25T09:44:00.000+02:00

That's the thing about soccer/football. It can provide the most spectactular entertainment ever witnessed or it can bore you senseless, making you want those two hours of your life back.

The big match between Israel and England fizzled out to a insipid 0-0 draw. All the acres of newsprint questioning ex-Pat Brits who they would support in the match was all for naught.

Maybe like King Solomon they should have answered that the match be cut in half and both teams given a point.

We are into the full swing of Pesach cleaning except this year there are two complications. We are flying to the States on Thursday for Pesach. Also we bought an apartment in the neighbourhood which we will move into a couple of weeks after we get back. So much of our stuff is now in boxes.

How does it feel?
It feels exciting to be a landowner in Israel but on the other hand, I think all traces of youth are snuffed out of one and you become a fully-fledged adult the instant you become saddled with a mortgage.

So if anyone is interested in renting the place we are currently in, drop me a line.

Sick Bay

2007-03-22T12:34:00.000+02:00

Sorry that it hasn't been much of a week for the blog but have been crook the whole week.

Knew it wasn't my week when the shampoo I bought just wouldn't lather. Turns out I had mistakenly purchased conditioner. At least my hair is nice and shiny now.

Came in to work on Sunday and Monday when I probably shouldn't have.
Left early on Tuesday. Skipped Wednesday and now in today although not 100%

Mrs Dot Co Dot Il and Mini Dot Co Dot Il aren't in the best of shape either.

Things haven't been helped by the fact that we have entered that Twilight Zone which is otherwise known as the week before Peasch. The supermarkets are already decked out with all of the K"LP labels.

The wedding earlier in the week was nice although couldn't last the distance. And the table was good.

The most noteworthy news of the week is that in a week and a half we watched 40 epidsodes of Prison Break and are now up to speed with it.

Wedded Bliss

2007-03-18T11:52:00.000+02:00

Ventured to the hills of Efrat for Shabbat. Good friend of ours had his Aufruf so we joined in the festivities.

For those of you who havent been to Efrat, it's the place where the hills are high and the clouds are low so you are walking through mist and fog. The wind also blows strong there and you can feel it especially when you are walking into it.

Unfortunately Mrs Dot Co Dot Il has shredded the ligament in her ankle so is walking around rather gingerly and with a cast wrapped around it which she affectionally refers to as Robofoot.

At lunch, everyone was standing up and giving speeches that gave it the feeling of a cross between a 21st and a roast.

There were the mandatory let me prove to you why the couple to be were beshert as well as a couple of speakers doing their talking under the influence.

As it was making its way across the room, I wanted to get up and say something but alas, like George in Seinfeld, I could only think of what to say in the shower this morning. So maybe at the Sheva Brachot....

The wedding is at Ramat Rachel which is where we got hitched. Always nice to go back there.

Will be interesting to see on whose table we get placed. Not true to those who say that it doesn't make a difference where you sit and who with. Makes a massive difference. Last wedding we were at, we were on a shocking table.

Will keep you posted.

Chocolate War

2007-03-15T09:40:00.000+02:00

Every week a guy at my work places a container full of chocolates on his desk for everyone to take from.

The bite sized versions of Twix, Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way Midnight.

And without fail they are eaten in that order relegating Milky Way to be the black jellybean of the quartet.

Found it interesting and thought I would share it with you.

Public Property?

2007-03-14T13:14:00.001+02:00

Apparently there was a bit of a dust up between Leonardo DiCaprio, his bodyguards, Israeli police and paparazzi.

I understand that he is a big star and all but give the guy a break. He is visiting his girlfriend's homeland and just wants to be left in peace. It's hard enough to deal with the girlfriend's parents without being hounded by the press as well.

He won't get any sympathy from the public though. It's their demand for photos of him and other celebrities in their glossy magazines which fuels everything in the first place.

Is this complete lack of privacy worth the eight figures he is paid per movie?

Break Out

2007-03-12T11:35:00.000+02:00

After resisting we are now into Prison Break. In two days we have watched 10 episodes.

There are only 41 episodes to date so we are catching up.

Good show and the writing is very sharp.

Don't think it would have been made though, had Shawshank not been made.

Best and the Brighest

2007-03-08T11:10:00.000+02:00

Good to know that the people of Chelm are alive and well in the echelons of the Israeli civil service.

Went to the famed Misrad Hapnim (Interior Ministry) to register for a Israeli passport.

There was a slight problem with my passport photos as I had had a haircut since the photos were taken.

Interior Ministry Lady: You'll have to take new photos.
Dot Co Dot Il: Why?
IML: Because it doesn't look like you?
DCDI: Because I had a haircut?
IML nods

DCDI: But what about when my hair grows back? Then I won't look like how I do in the new photos.

IML shrugs shoulders and then calls over another crotchety old lady.

(Either they they breed them or clone them there or you have to be one to get the job. Nobody under 50 whose face isn't one long furried brow.)

Other Interior Ministry Lady: He'll have to get new photos.
IML: You have to get new photos.

DCDI trudges downstairs and outside to get new photos.

The Day After

2007-03-06T10:56:00.000+02:00

And so it is over for another year.

Here is the final tally:

*3 Seudot
*5 cab rides
*220 minutes waiting in traffic
*73 times fireworks go off and think its a gun or an explosion
*1 lost cell phone
*98 times heard a person say a variation of I really don't want to be here.
*43 best dressed awards won by Yakira.

As you can see, she dressed up as Third Base-person for the New York Yankees. She was higly praised for her outfit, especially for hitching up her pants so it looked like she was wearing stirrups.

Both that and the black lines under the eyes were her suggestion.

Happy Half Birthday

2007-02-28T10:39:00.000+02:00

Today Yakira turns 1/2.

Born on August 31, there is no February 31 and in the absence of February 29, today is her half birthday.

It is incredible to think of how many different ways our lives have changed since she entered the world six months ago.

Amazing to think how much joy and happiness this little soft delicious thing could bring.

Just to bring you up to speed with some of her achievements:
*Now starting to eat real food - pureed Sweet potato.
*She is rolling over.
*She loves to play with her feet and she loves to rub them together. She also loves to test her levels of flexibility by placing her foot in her mouth.
*She has three teeth emerging.
*She sleeps through the night.
*She makes numerous baby noises and is probably not too far away from saying some real words.

Here are some recents photos of her.

Happy Half Birthday!

Face Space

2007-02-27T10:01:00.000+02:00

Last year I wrote about the Tipping Point and Crocs.

Maybe I'm way late, like a year or two late, on calling this one but I only connected the dots last week.

Social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook have clearly tipped. When you start getting friend invitations from people you didn't even know, knew how to turn on a computer let alone have a MySpace page then you know things are out of control.

We had seminary girls over for Shabbat and I joked to them that Yakira had her own page and even had 200 friends. They were actually disappointed when I explained to them I was joking.

Truth of the matter is that I have known about MySpace since around 2003, around the time when it started which is why I probably have never given it much thought.

But for some reason they have taken over the world. Obviously it helped a great deal when News Corp bought My Space because the American Idol contestants having pages and the like gave it a great deal of publicity.

Having a page though, can prove problematic when a person has one and then becomes famous such as an athlete. Similarly there were reports of prospective employers checking out the MySpace pages of interviewees to see what they are really like.

But when you hear that everyone around has a page is when you feel the power of the Tipping Point and just like seeing that everyone has a pair of Crocs induces you to buy one or starting your own blog, so too is the pressure to have a page as well.

Another reason is that having a page is the only way you can view their photos and while I couldn't care less about having my own page, seeing someone else make a fool of themself - well that's a completely different story.

Where do I sign up?

Oscars Post Mortem

2007-02-26T13:50:00.000+02:00

In the end Ellen was a non-entity. Jerry Seinfeld got more laughs in five minutes than she did in the entire night.

For instance with Jack Nicholson sporting a shaved head, there was a Britney Spears joke crying out to be made. How hard could it have been to make the connection?

I thought from start to finish the show was pretty flat. Much of this probably has to do with the opening which was non-existent.

Those dancers were cute but who really needs that?
Ditto for the Michael Winslow choir.

As for the actual awards, Eddie Murphy was the only upset of sorts and I guess that was due to the number of people in Hollywood who don't like him.

I think the show needs to be sped up especially the early awards like art direction, costume, sound and make-up.

Live from the Oscars

2007-02-26T02:55:00.000+02:00

Just woke up. Still feeling a bit tired and lying on couch with the computer on my lap. Not sure I can write for the next four hours.

We'll see....

PS: It's over now. I'm off to sleep.

And the Winner Is.........

2007-02-25T11:46:00.000+02:00

Tonight is Oscars which is always pretty big news.

Not going to make predictions because I hardly ever get them right.

Nothwithstanding that, all the good money seems to be on the foursome of Mirren, Whitaker, Hudson and Murphy who between them have won all of the lead-up awards.

And I would be very surprised if Marty doesn't finally take out the big one. I checked the recent celebrity deaths and I wonder if this guy made the deadline.

The show is meant to be a long one so sit back and enjoy it.

And we will be live-blogging it here.

Meet My Dad, Panasonic

2007-02-22T10:46:00.000+02:00

Was watching Dr Phil the other day. Interesting discussion they were having about this person's personal problems but why would they come onto TV to discuss it? Why let the whole world know your issues and subject yourself to such an experience?

Guess you could ask the same question about why a person would go onto TV to lose weight or go onto TV to get married.

Seems like TV has become the onestop destination for solving all of our problems.

And while we may criticise it, we lap it up, the voyeurs which we all are.

The Running Man may have been science fiction but it's pretty close on the money now.

Maybe this is the trickle down effect which came as the result of parents dumping their kids in front of the TV. When your tired or have stuff to do, what could be easier then to give them two hours of Dorothy the Dinosaur and Blue's Clues.

So wouldn't seem natural that once these kids became adults, as soon as they were in need they would turn to TV for help?

Supper Time

2007-02-20T09:21:00.000+02:00

Made the famed Spinach Filo recipe which has been passed down like a family heirloom from generation to generation. Thought I would share it with you.

This is all the filling after it has been mixed together. You have 500g of spinach in there, grated yellow cheese, a sauteed onion and some beaten eggs.

Some of you may note the blue tape around the knife. That is to tell me the status of the utensil. We have blue tape for milchig, red for fleishig and green for pareve. Without the tape or color indicator I would have no idea what is what.

This is the filling in the dish on top of half of the filo pastry.

This is it taken out of the oven.

This is it after having taken a slice out of it. As you can see, it was delicious.

Times We Live In

2007-02-18T16:15:00.000+02:00

The Academy Awards are just one week away.

After the success of the liveblogging of the Australia-Croatia World Cup match, I will be liveblogging the 79th Oscars from the Dot Co Dot Il mansion. Last few year's ceremonies haven't been that good, but with Ellen at the helm anything could be possible.

Do you think that Anna Nicole Smith will be included in the dead people montage on the basis of her work in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult?

It is a crazy wacky world we live in and along with ANS, Britney Spears shaving her head didn't do much to alleviate those thoughts. Who would have thought that Kevin Federline would have emerged as the more responsible parent?

Then you have Ralph Fiennes joining the mile high club on a Qantas flight.

Maybe being a celebrity isn't as easy as it seems.

Simon Says

2007-02-15T15:02:00.000+02:00

The final 24 of American Idol has been set which means that the competition has now begun. Idol is undoubtedly the King Kong of reality-shows.

While the others may become stale, Idol keeps on keeping on. It has become a powerful entity especially in the notoriously fickle music industry. Whereas it may have snubbed its nose at it in the beginning, now it embraces it.

Let the singing begin.

Queen Bee

2007-02-13T15:33:00.000+02:00

After forever and a day, the Jerusalem Post finally got round to revamping their blog section.

That's good because it allows me to blogroll the one and only Queen of Katamon.

If you don't know who she is, do yourself a favor and check her out. You won't be disappointed.

Many blogs come and go but there will only ever be one Queen.

Ball Bearings

2007-02-11T10:21:00.000+02:00

So the Ball is over and done with for another year.

I was suprised that they were actually going to go ahead with it in deference to the passing of Anna Nicole Smith, but then again what better way to celebrate the life of a person whose life was one long party?

On the whole the evening was good and props to the organizers for doing such a fine job.

There were some fashion crimes committed on the night but then again you had some girls hit it out of the park. To protect the guilty, I wasn't allowed to take photos of the offenders.

Other observations:

*Most girls can dance quite well, most (Jewish) guys can't dance to save their life.

*Apart from Yakira, every other female present was wearing black.

*There were quite a lot of people smoking. More than I would have thought.

*Food was so-so. But then again most people weren't there for the food.

*There was an engagement at the Ball. Is it like being born in an aeroplane and any kids they have will get free entry to any Ball they attend?

Here are some photos of my two girls....

Having A Ball

2007-02-08T11:29:00.005+02:00

Yes tonight we will be part of the cast of thousands who are heading off to the Jerusalem Winter Ball tonight.

In what is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Jerusalem social scene, I would have loved to have been able to liveblog it all for you - maybe that's an innovation we can introduce next year.

Anyhow, if Yakira isn't awarded:
*Rookie of the Ball
*Best Dressed
*Queen of the Ball

then something is dreadfully wrong.

Rest assured you will have plenty of photos of Yakira at/from the Ball.

After having to choose between Marchesa, Vera Wang, Valentino, John Galliano and a few others we finally settled on something that demonstrated the best use of pink.

Ad Nauseum

2007-02-06T10:52:00.000+02:00

Last night watched all 51 of the Super Bowl commercials with Mrs Co.Il.

For the most part they were thoroughly unimpressive.

The USA Today rankings are a bit dubious with Budweiser/ Bud Light taking seven of the top 10 spots.

First of all many of those ads were hopeless (Stray Dog, Gorillas, Wedding) and second of all, have you ever tasted their beer!!

Which ones did you like?

Third Time Lucky

2007-02-05T15:04:00.000+02:00

It was time to renew my Australian passport.

When I received it in November 1996 and saw that it lasted for 10 years, to me that was as good as forever. But eventually the 10 years came and went, so it was time to get a new one.

Renewing meant printing off the forms, filling them in and sending them off to Tel Aviv. The Embassy in Tel Aviv doesn't accept appointments.

So sent it off and a few days later received a phone-call.

There is a problem with your passport photos. You're mouth is open and you're smiling.

Security reasons was the reason I was told why.

So I send off some more photos taking care to keep my mouth closed.

Another phone call a few days later.

There is a problem with your passport photos. The distance between your head and chin is 29mm and it should be between 32 and 36. Please resend.

Took further photos and this time checked the size of the photos after.

Got the passport back and suffice to say, the photo doesn't do me much justice at all.

Super Size Me

2007-02-01T13:21:00.000+02:00

It's the Super Bowl this weekend.

A surreal experience here in Israel as you go to work the day of the game and then have to stay up to 1.30am to watch it.

Like many big sporting events these days, there is so much hype and build-up to it that you tend to forget there is a game at the end of all the pizzazz and hoopla.

I didn't really want either side to make it this far and now that these are the only two left, have to say that I prefer if the Bears win.

Of course the real highlight of the day is the commercials which will get as much exposure as the game itself.

Happy 5/12 Birthday

2007-01-31T10:08:00.000+02:00

Today Yakira is 5 months old. Time has flown by and has been pretty cool watching her grow up and develop.

Hard for us to notice them all but everyday she is doing something different, adding something else to her bag of tricks.

****************

It is amazing how quickly the wheels of the media turn. Last week, these two guys were randoms auditioning on American Idol. This week they are special guest interviewers for the Jimmy Kimmel Show down in Miami at Super Bowl XLI Media Day. You get the sense the media are desperate for another William Hung but something like that is never going to happen again. Lightning like that only strikes once.

Hard Stuff

2007-01-30T10:51:00.000+02:00

Yakira has started on her first real food. A couple of times a day we complement her feeding with this rice cereal which fills her up and more importantly sees her sleep through the night.

Apart from that, not much else is going on. We have been watching a number of movies in order to familarise ourselves with all of the nominations. We watched Happy Feet which was ok as well as the Pursuit of Happyness which was quite good.

Mrs Co Il's foot is slowly on the mend. Really no other news besides that.

Splish Splash

2007-01-28T15:34:00.000+02:00

Days Like This

2007-01-24T17:27:00.000+02:00

The last 24 hours have been pretty crazy - makes me feel somewhat what Jack Bauer may feel minus the bloodshed. Additionally his daughter is incredibly annoying.

Let's take it from the top:

Mrs Dot Co Dot Il injured her foot and it has a hairline fracture rendering her immobile.

I took today and will take tomorrow off to look after her and Yakira but this morning woke up with some stomach bug and spent most of the morning being up close and personal with the toilet.

Took Yakira to Tipat Halav and she had a vaccination and was pretty brave and courageous. I, on the other hand, almost passed out.

Dropped her up and then took the cab to Yad Sarah to pick up a pair of crutches.

Given all this haven't had much time to dissect and analyse the Oscar Nominations so just a few quick points:

*So Dreamgirls didn't get the Best Picture nod - would it have won anyway? Doubt it.

*Leo gets nominated for the wrong movie but think Best Actor will go to Forest Whitaker.

*Helen Mirren for Best Actress. Saw Little Children recently and Jack Dawson would be thrilled to see how Rose turned out.

*Meryl Streep gets nominated again?!?!?!

*Speaking of which how many Kate/Leo/Titantic references are there going to be?

*Best Supporting Actor and Actress are wide open. Will be very surprised if Eddie gets up.

*And if Abigail Breslin gets up, things are going to get very very ugly between her and Dakota Fanning. Fanning owns that cute little girl role.

*How exactly does Borat get nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay?

*Favorite for Best Song is clearly Henry Krieger. He has three of the five nominations.

Peer-Less

2007-01-23T09:37:00.000+02:00

So in the end she went down and possibly should have even won the match but she played out of her skin and can be extremely proud of that.

Serena Williams is no pushover and has won more majors (seven) than any other active female player.

So obviously she had a huge edge in experience over Peer and it ultimately was the difference between teh two. But for Peer to get as close as she did means she is not that far away. If she continues as she has been doing, she should be Top 10 by the end of the year.

She can take more from this loss than she could from any win and that could hold her in good stead for the rest of her career. Now she is off to Tokyo for a pretty big tournament. Will be interesting to see how she regroups from this loss.

PS: Oscar nominations come out later today. Expect Little Miss Sunshine and the Departed to do quite well. As for the acting categories, it has been such a weak year that don't be surprised if Rob Schneider and Pamela Anderson twins get nominated. It may not be that easy to tell the difference between the Oscars and the Razzies.

PPS: Originally I wrote the Olsen twins and then replaced it with Pamela Anderson without deleting the word twins. But think it's fine the way it worked out.

Peer to Peer

2007-01-22T10:36:00.000+02:00

Good news from Melbourne for Israeli sports fans - Shahar Peer is in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

The 19 year old came into the tournament as the 16th seed as has done well, only losing one set of the nine she has played.

Blocking her path to the final four is Serena Williams who will provide stiff opposition for the teenager. If she wins, it will be the greatest of her career by some way.

I've been following her career quite closely since she won the junior girls title at the Australian Open three years ago.

Since then her climb through the ranking has been steady - first entering the top 100, then the top 50 and now the top 20. Against the elite players like Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardene and Martina Hingis she struggles and is quite lucky that most of them are coming to the end of their careers.

This is why the match against Williams is so important. It's a litmus test to see if she right up there with the best or if there still is a gap between her and the top players.

All of Peer's hard work has set her up nicely. She will be seeded for most of the tournaments she plays in and get through to the pointy end of most tournaments she'll play in without too much difficulty.

Nice to see she has vocal support from all the Israelis in Melbourne. They shouldn't be too prominent though. The Department of Immigration watches the telecast too.

Blame It On The Rain

2007-01-21T09:53:00.000+02:00

Absolutely bucketing down in Jerusalem today. As soon as Shabbat finished last night it started pouring and the rain and the wind hasn't stopped since.

Was a lovely Shabbat. We had friends of ours stay over which was nice. We also had some blogging friends over which was lovely.

On Friday stopped to Emek and once again went to buy a few things at Super Moshava. Funny how a few things there can total more than the rest of your Shabbat shopping.

This tiny little foothold has become a veritable goldmine and as hard as you try not to go back, you find yourself being drawn in by some sort of tractor beam.

Holding Your Head High

2007-01-16T13:58:00.000+02:00

Lucky Number Six

2007-01-15T10:43:00.000+02:00

Busy time in TV/Movie land with many series such as 24 and American Idol returning while other shows such as Lost, Guy Penis and Grey's Anatomy come back from their winter hiatus. Also Golden Globes are tonight and Oscar nominations are announced next week. So it's all happening.

As I mentioned yesterday, I saw The Departed over the weekend and for those of you who haven't seen it I would highly recommend it. It is actually a direct rip-off of a Japanese movie involving the Japanese police and the triads which I would love to see, to see how it compares although I'm sure that the Japanese version would be far superior.

I would think Martin Scorsese would have to be an absolute certainty to win the Oscar for Best Director - his first win in six tries. Not only would it be his third nomination in five years but if he didn't win he would join Clarence Brown as having the most ever Best Director nominations without ever having won.

End of an Era

2007-01-14T11:55:00.000+02:00

Very sad weekend for a lot of people with the closing of Sugarhill. It was a bar in town which was owned by friends of ours. It opened in the summer of 2005 and quickly became the local hang-out. Literally, everyone did know your name there.

Mrs Co.Il who used to waitress there, went for the big bash last night, while Yakira and I watched The Departed.

Apart from that was a nice weekend. Went out to friends for nice Friday night dinner. Then friends of our just moved in nearby which is really nice. Will be great to have them so close. Started playing this game with them called Settlers which looks quite interesting.

City of God

2007-01-11T10:21:00.000+02:00

Went to the Kottel yesterday for the first time in some time and noticed two things.

The amount of beggars there has expanded exponentially. As you enter, you see a row of them lined up shaking their hands. While you're davening you are swamped by guys. It's impossible to know who is genuine and who is looking to buy a hamburger for lunch.

They renovated the bit on the left side of the male section and it looks incredible. Female readers may not know this but on the men's side you can keep walking inwards. They've cleaned it up and it looks amazing. Saw a plaque thanking Lily Safra for her contribution. Googled her and its quite a story. Check it out....

More Photos

2007-01-10T14:44:00.000+02:00

Snowsuit Yakira
Asleep Yakira
Awake Yakira

Wonderwall

2007-01-10T10:57:00.000+02:00

Been here two years and you can count on two hands the number of times I've been to the Kottel.

Pretty miserable.

Have the chance to go today so going.

And due to popular demand will be posting more pics of YM later.........

Photo Evidence

2007-01-08T14:56:00.000+02:00

Rain Man

2007-01-07T13:54:00.000+02:00

Wet, cold and windy weekend.

So didn't venture much out of the house.

Wedding was nice. Then had the convenience of going to straight to our room.

Yakira was just pipped by the bride of being the best dressed person at the wedding.

Valley Girls

2007-01-04T09:09:00.000+02:00

Last night Emek was buzzing.

For a regular Wednesday night it was as packed as you could imagine with every man and his seminary girl there.

Didn't have time to walk up and down and take a census because we had reservations at Olive. Thought maybe we would go the night without seeing anyone we know inside the restaurant but in the second room was friendly face which kept the streak intact.

Tonight we have Craig's wedding. Now I know it's only been three and a bit days, but right here and now, you could already have your social event of the year (With apologies of course to the Jerusalem Winter Ball)

I have already gone on at length about weddings in a past post so won't do that here.

The folks are actually in town and are coming to the wedding as well. For a treat they decided that all of us could stay at the hotel tonight. That's always fun.

Two Thumbs Up

2007-01-02T13:27:00.000+02:00

Here in Israel, one of the movie channel's is showing a selection of features from recent Sundance Festivals.

Last night, we watched Murderball which is all about wheelchair rugby.

Each of the characters is worth their own movie. To hear their story about how they came to be in a wheelchair and then looking at how they are dealing with life, given their circumstances.

Wheelchair rugby just isn't a game to them - it gives their life meaning and significance.

If you can see it, do because its an excellent film and one that will change your perspective on life.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T11:27:00.000+02:00

What a great New Year's Eve last night.

Went to be at around 11pm and woke up at 7.

Then had a work breakfast this morning at Cup of Joe, which is where Mulan used to be.

Fever Pitch

2006-12-31T09:21:00.000+02:00

Wasn't so much a crazy Shabbat as a crazy lead-in into Shabbat.

That twilight hour before Shabbat is always hectic - maybe this has to do with what went down on the first ever twilight before Shabbat .

Mrs DCDI hadn't been feeling so flash the whole week and had a cocktail of ailments including bronchitis and fever with a temperature of 104. Some of this had been transmitted to Yakira who began not feeling so well or being her playful self.

Come Friday, she didn't want to feed anymore which is a real problem as it can lead to dehydration and a bunch of other not-so-good things.

At 4pm we decided to take her to the Wolfson Medical Center of which with most of Jerusalem we are loyal customers. Want to catch up on all the gossip? Then sit in the waiting room there.

There was one doctor still there and we got there like the wind. Only problem was that the cab couldn't drive in so we had to get dropped off at the top and walk down through the spiral driveway.

The Doctor looked her over and prescibed us Kiddie-Nurofen. Off we went to Derech Hebron and the only pharmacy open on Shabbat. Apparently they rotate as to which one stays open over Shabbat for emergency situations such as this.

Go inside and there are two people ahead of me. Unfortunately the pharmacist is working at whatever the oppositie of the speed of light is. The speed of dark maybe?

His movements were exaggerated in a slow way that was infuriating. He would pick up a plastic bag, put it down, lick his fingers, pick up the bag again and open it, put the item inside and all this took about two minutes which in the scheme of things is an enternity.

Ask for the Nurofen, then wait and wait and wait and wait.

Finally get it and get home around 5.

Over Shabbat, Yakira fed better and we alternated between giving her the Nurofen and Acamole. She seems to be somewhat on the mend - we will see.

For all of you out there who are going to go crazy tonight, hope you feel ok in the morning. For all of those of you hoping to leave the party with a different person who you arrived with, hope it happens. Best though to have absolutely zero expectations about tonight - New Year's Eve is the most overhyped occasion of the year and in many instances the most over-rated. Staying home, playing Boggle and drinking hot chocolate could be more rewarding and enjoyable.

In any event, here's looking forward to a great 2007!

Snow Job

2006-12-28T10:51:00.000+02:00

The snow has stopped, is melting and now everything is getting back to normal.

But while it was happening you would have thought that it was something far more menacing falling than little white snowflakes.

Like I mentioned yesterday, if you wanted a cab the wait was at least 30 minutes and more like 75 in reality.

We tried to order food for dinner and no-one was delivering. It was as if they were petrified to go outside. And North American and Europeans would laugh because this was no blizzard we are talking about. Ultimately it was just a couple of inches.

I guess it is a true indicator of Hashem's presence because it boggles the mind how a country who is brought to a standstill by snow has the wherewithal to not only withstand but defeat a number of hostile neighbors.

News Update V

2006-12-27T20:28:00.000+02:00

As you are all probably aware it's snowing in Jerusalem and the Maginot Line theory is just about the only thing holding up.

Everywhere else it is utter chaos. You can't order a cab for love or money. Traffic is horrible.

How can something that looks so pretty and elegant cause so much havoc?

News Update IV

2006-12-27T16:47:00.000+02:00

No snow there yet. Notice how the lights are starting to take effect. Looks like they may struggle to get a minyan there tonight....

News Update III

2006-12-27T16:18:00.000+02:00

Still snowing here but not at the Kottel where just a few hardy souls are at the moment.....

News Update II

2006-12-27T15:34:00.000+02:00

No snow there yet...
Will keep you posted.

News Update - It's Snowing

2006-12-27T15:22:00.000+02:00

It's snowing. Pelting down.

This should get interesting.

How long till the first picture from the Kottel? Give it about nine minutes.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

2006-12-27T10:47:00.000+02:00

The first real rain of the winter came bucketing down yesterday and hasn't stopped since. Additionally there was hail as well.

As for the snow, they keep talking it up and it doesn't appear which I think is a good thing. The authorities may think they're prepared for if/when the avalanche comes, but they remind me about the French and their bragging about the Maginot Line.

On the homefront, one of our neighbors is doing renovations which means noise at all hours of the day. Last night they were still going at 10.30 which really isn't cool.

The builders are like the unwanted guests from hell. They leave their trash and debris everywhere, they smoke in the lift causing it to stink and they don't wipe their feet when they come in.

Winding Down

2006-12-26T13:36:00.000+02:00

The rest of the year is now in holiday mode which isn't the case here. All just regular as usual and truth be told, it does feel a bit weird to come into work both on Xmas Day and Boxing Day.

So when much of your work involves overseas people, it's a bit quiet.

At home Mrs DCDI isn't feeling well so looking after her and hoping she will improve soon.

Anti-dentite

2006-12-25T09:50:00.000+02:00

You can tell a lot about a country's situation based on their attitude to dental care and dental hygiene. Call this another Big Mac Index which compares social values.
If dental care is a priority then the country has a pretty good standard of living.
It is funny how a person opening their mouth and not saying anything can speak volumes about them. All you have to do is look at their teeth.

Here in Israel you see some shockers. There are some smiles which would make many hockey players proud or even blush and then there are those which would make you cringe.
When I was single, can't tell you how off-putting it was to see a girl smile and reveal teeth that look like a pile of dominoes have been thrown onto the floor. Conversely there is nothing sexier than a mouth full of white, straight teeth.

In any event, dental care in Israel is expensive. Given that, there is a propensity to overlook it and only go to the dentist when you're writhing in pain which is even more expensive.

Call me a snob, but I don't go to an Israeli dentist. Funnily enough, every Anglo I speak to does the same.

You would think, given this, the water would be flouridated in Israel but it isn't. They used to do it then only some places did it and now they've stopped everywhere.
Ironically it seems as though only the countries where dental care is a priority such as USA, Canada and Australia is the water flouridated.

Don't get me wrong - there is a lot of controversy about the practice but despite any opposition you have to it, I can guarantee you that dental decay would dramtically fall if it was introduced. I have never had a single cavity or filling but coming from a country of flouridated water to one which doesn't, my chances of getting one or some or even lots has gone through the roof.

The Concrete Jungle

2006-12-24T09:22:00.000+02:00

When I first arrived in Israel I was given a few simple rules which I was told never to break. The same rules I pass on to newcomers when they ask for advice.

1) Never agree to mind someone's bag for them unless you know them.
2) Never drink the local alcohol.
3) Never buy anything from a guy called Ahab who only has one leg.
4) Never go to Malha Mall on a Friday.

Guess which rule I broke?

I was in a dire need of a haircut and a friend of ours was going to the Mall for one as well so I figured I might as well join him.

It was the typical Friday scene which greeted us when we arrived. Cars everywhere - on traffic islands, on the sidewalks and virtually triple-parking. Taking any space they could to park.

We decide the only way to get a spot is to play Waiting the Leader which is a combination of the Waiting Game and Follow the Leader. What this entails is to try and locate a shopper who is walking to their car, whereby you follow them to their car, thereafter taking the spot as soon as they exit.
Possession is 9/10s of the law so it is critical that you make an early spot because the sooner you spot the person, the stronger your claim to the space is.

So we get a nice and early spot on this lady to the extent that she even waves off other cars where they ask where she is parked. There were a few obstacles on our way to the spot but we arrive there just as she is pulling out.

It's all co-ordinated like clockwork: She waits to see us before pulling out. We drive past letting her pull out and as soon as she does we start reversing in. Crisp, clean and perfect execution of Follow the Leader.

One problem. As we start pulling in, a girl jumps into the spot and is safe-guarding it for her friends.

The unwritten rules for parking may not be set in stone but there is some basic carpark etiquette and at the top of the list would be that you don't contest someone else's spot when it is clearly theirs.

Right under that would be the section of minding a spot for someone. Sure if no-one else is around you can mind the spot for your friends and wave away everyone else but you simply can not run into a spot which you see someone is about to enter.

After a few choice words she moves and as far as everyone was concerned that is the end of that.

As we make out way towards the mall, the friends in the car turn up and ask the girl what is going on. She tells them that we tried to run her over (Rachel Corrie anyone??)

The girl in the car then decides to show off her sparkling vocabulary which consists entirely of four-letter words. Some of them were personal which make my friend go back and stand up for himself.

Inside the car was a guy and a girl. My friend tells the girl that that isn't distinguished speech for a lady. Then the guy gets out of the car and want to get involved to show what a man he is. Only problem is that when he opens his mouth he reveals this incredible lisp which somewhat deflates his image. Think being threatened by Steve Urkel.....

The interesting thing was how he went up to about two inches away from my friend, baiting, goading and provoking him. As if he wanted him to do something stupid.

Then being Israel, everyone has to stand around and watch, as if they had nothing better to do on a Friday afternoon. Followed by the security guard playing United Nations and wanting to have his two cents worth.

I'm pleased to say that after all that we got our hair-cuts. I'm even happier to report that when we got returned that the car was in one piece.

I Miss ShopRite

2006-12-21T09:06:00.000+02:00

Was in the area so went to the Supersol yesterday. You know the big one on the corner of King George, across the road from the Kings Hotel.

This has always been a popular shopping haunt due to its central location but was a bit of a mess. Recently though they have fixed the place up and it looks a lot better.

After picking up a few things I went to go pay. But you know how it is 6pm on a weeknight - 14 counters available but only two cashiers open. So stood in one and then when I could, plonked my things down on the conveyor belt.

I forgot a few things so quickly ran around the supermarket to get them. I had time because the 90 year old lady in front of me had a lot in her cart.

Come back and then it's my turn. The 14 year old check-out-chick whisks everything through including the bottle of wine which belongs to the people standing behind me. She has to reswipe it to take it off. I then have a look at the bill and something doesn't seem right.

You know how it's not enough that the supermarket is filled with millions of things to buy - that they have to have these wonderful bargains situated behind the cashier which you might want after doing all of your shopping? This week's special was Toblerone which somehow got mixed up with my things and she'd rung up.

DCDI: This isn't mine (holding up the Toblerone).

So she has to call her supervisor and take it off.

I thought all the excitement was over and done with but it was only beginning.
I start packing all the stuff into the bags and notice that the breadrolls are missing. I look around and the only explanatation is that it got mixed up with the old lady's stuff while I was running around the supermarket.

I found her sitting outside the supermarket while her son brought the car round.

DCDI: I think my breadrolls are somewhere in your cart?

Old Lady: What are you talking about? You weren't behind me.

DCDI: I was behind you in the checkout but then I had to go get something and I think you have nmy bedrolls.

OL: Take a look.

I ruffle through her bags and find the breadrolls.

OL: Those aren't mine.

Old Lady's son appears.

OLS: What happened?

OL: His breadrolls got mixed up with our stuff.

OLS: And he paid for them?

OL: No we did.

DCDI hands Old Lady 10 shekels.

With that wearing me out completely, I cross the road where I wait outside the Kings for a taxi. One pulls up and I get in. Be wary of getting into taxis when you are standing outside a hotel because they assume you are a tourist and don't know better.

Taxi Driver - Where do you want to go?

I tell him our address.

TD: How is 25 shekel?

At this time of day it should cost a maximum of 17-18.

DCDI: Just put the meter on.

Just another day in paradise................

You Tube Songs I Like Part V

2006-12-19T09:28:00.000+02:00

Today a seasonal selection which should bring back alot of memories for some people.

22 years ago a group of English musicians got together to record Do They Know It's Christmas Time? in order to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief.

The singers are a who's who of the English scene. Namely Duran Duran, Bananarama, Spandau Ballet and Big Country.

Some things to check out a very young Bono and a very 80s looking George Michael.

Maybe the equipment they used wasn't very good because everyone seems to be holding up their ear when they sing.

This song is dedicated to everyone in Israel who Christmas seems to pass by.

My First Chanukah!

2006-12-18T09:09:00.000+02:00

Season's Greetings

2006-12-14T09:31:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year again so enjoy :)

Have a great _________! (choose one of the following)

Chanukah
Channukah
Channuka
Chanuka
Chanukkah
Channukah
Hanukah
Hannukah
Hanukkah
Hanuka
Hanukka
Hanaka
Haneka
Hanika
Khanukkah
Khanike

You Tube Songs I Like Part IV

2006-12-13T09:34:00.000+02:00

In honor of TAFKA PP's recent post, have decided to dedicate this to Queen.

The first song is Flash's Theme which is the theme to the movie Flash Gordon.

The second is You're My Best Friend.

This song has actually appeared in a number of movies and TV shows.

The third is We Are The Champions

You can't really listen to this song without thinking of some victorious team marching around the stadium, waving some trophy up in the air, while confetti is everywhere.

Check out the shorts as well as those teeth! They don't make them like that anymore.

Lost In Translation

2006-12-12T09:26:00.000+02:00

What is funnier - American comedy or British?

I think those with a sense of humour would say British.

But the only objective way to tell is to get both sides to perform the same routine and judge based on that.

You can do that with The Office.

This was a smash hit British series which they then tried to adapt for the Americans. After a few early teething problems where it appeared as though it might get axed, it looks as though it has found its feet and a following. It won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series beating off Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs, Two and a Half Men and Arrested Development for the award.

Try as they might though, the American version of the show doesn't hold a candle to the British one. Steve Carell is no Ricky Gervais. The way he played David Brant was sheer genius. And forget about finding an equivalent Gareth - you just can't do that.

There have already been 38 episodes of the American version. The British one only had 14. This instantly draws a connection to Fawlty Towers which only had 12 episodes but whose legacy is larger than many series which last 10 times longer.

Weekend At Bernie's

2006-12-10T09:22:00.000+02:00

Nice weekend. Went to Tal Bagel's on Friday for brunch which has now become somewhat of a minhag. Is nice to have a routine like that - like the girls did in Sex and the City. Apologies to the voyeurs out there - there are no salacious conversations to report back.

Friday night dinner was just the three of us and finished eating by around 6.30 which is always fun.

After we played the new Trivial Pursuit 80s edition which was fun. The six categories are Headlines which is basically news then sports and wild card. The traditional pink Entertainment category has been split into three - movies, television and music. So if popular culture isn't your strong suit, you could be in trouble.

For some strange reason they have changed the board which was consistent with most if not all of the previous editions.

Shabbas lunch we had a bunch of people over and heard the good news that Benny Sela was caught. Finally somes good news :)

You Tube Songs I Like Part III

2006-12-07T09:40:00.000+02:00

When it comes to Elton John, his songs need no introduction.

I just love Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

Take simple lyrics, add catchy tune and big glasses and you have yourself a Number One Hit.

Here they are in 1977 at Wembley

Some 20 years later at Madison Square Garden they've still got it.

And here is the original very basic video clip if you want to check it out.

You Tube Songs I Like Part II

2006-12-05T09:51:00.000+02:00

For all the hype and pizzazz about the Rolling Stones, facts are they are one of the greatest of all time and if they didn’t have bucket loads of ability and talent they wouldn’t be around today.

You Can't Always Get What You Want is one of my favorite songs of theirs. It came out 37 years ago today on the Let It Bleed album and sounds as good as it most likely did then.

I love the clip as it shows a very very young Mick Jagger strutting his stuff. The haircuts, the fashion and the choir all add to its charm.

Advertisers love using the song in campaigns because of its catchy tune but more importantly the message its bringing as well.

Bottoms Up!

2006-12-03T14:12:00.001+02:00

Nice weekend with the in-laws around. Been shepping Nachas and doing alot of kvelling with the granddaughter.

Had a nice Shabbas and the conversation around the table was quite interesting ranging from Borat to Bo Diddly and everyone inbetween.

Call me naive, but part of the discussion had me in shock. Still getting over it.

The subject at hand was dating in Katamon and what was going down in the hood.

Female Guest: Apparently the trend today among girls in Katamon is to ask the guy to go through the back door and not the front so she retains her status.

DCDI: WTF? This can't be right can it?

Another Female Guest: I heard that as well about the Upper West Side.

Is this rumour urban legend joining the likes of the hole in the sheet or is this actually what's going on?

Full House

2006-11-30T19:48:00.000+02:00

Sorry about the recent lack of activity here but in between searching for the rapist and work and Yakira just haven't had the time.

Yes, it's been one of those weeks here in Israel. In between the strike and the in-laws arriving for a week, not sure whether I'm coming or going.

Also adopted a couple of extra-curricular activities which are keeping me busy.

To make up for no You Tube song this week will have two next week.

Where There's Smoke There's Fire

2006-11-28T10:28:00.000+02:00

It might be the 21st Century but in some ways Israel isn't there yet.

One of those ways is smoking. In most of the world, while smoking many people still smoke, it isn't socially acceptable to do it in certain places namely restaurants or in the work place.

Went out to a Sheva Brachot last night and it was at a restaurant in Talpiot. There was some imaginary line down the middle of the room which separated the non-smoking section from the smoking section. Unfortunately no-one told the smoke.

We were sitting right on the Tropic of Cancer and this smoker was sitting on the other side of it, meaning the smoke was going directly into Yakira's pram/carriage/עגלה. Thankfully our good friend Yoav intervened and managed to convince her to stop smoking.

I have no problem with people smoking per say but I shouldn't have to come home reeking of it which is what happened.

We got home and then watched Borat with our good friend, Pnina. Interesting movie....

%^&$@(*!

2006-11-27T14:21:00.000+02:00

Just lost the whole post I was writing.

Somewhat taken the wind out of my sails.

Will try rewrite it later tonight or tomorrow.....

You Tube Songs I Like Part I

2006-11-23T14:33:00.001+02:00

Not sure if if you noticed but I stopped doing the One-Hit Wonders posts. The main reason was that the true definition of a One-Hit Wonder became a bit too blurry and complicated. The difference in definition of commercials versus artistic success was just too messy.

So I am starting a new series which is songs I like which I've found on You Tube. You Tube is an amazing jukebox - all you have to do is type in the song and more often than not it is going to appear and you can listen to them all day long.

What better way to start then a song which I used to know as the Bom-Bom-Chick-Chicker-Chicka song but which is actually known as Oh Yeah. It comes from a couple of whackjob Germans in a band called Yello.

You know it better as the song from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and you can't lay claim to being a child of the 80's unless you recognise and love this song. The video clip is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen.

Oh and by the way the real lyrics to the song are:

Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah
The moon... beautiful
The sun... even more beautiful
Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah

Beautiful
Oh Yeah... Oh Yeah...

Good time

Enjoy!

Great To Be A Kid

2006-11-22T13:48:00.000+02:00

Heard a cute story about one of my nieces which I thought I would share with you:

My brother-in-law gets a call from one of the parents who has a kid is the same class as my six year old niece.

Parent: Would you mind picking up all the kids after the upcoming birthday party of one of the other kids in the class?

Brother In Law: Let me check with my wife.

BIL goes to check with my sister.

Sister: I don't know about any birthday party! Was she even invited?

Goes to ask the niece.

Sister: Were you invited to the party?

Niece: I was given an invitation but didn't want to go so I threw it out.

Can't think of any other response other than to laugh.

What Next?

2006-11-21T10:09:00.000+02:00

Now it appears that the Wedding of the Year wasn't actually a wedding.

If this was the case, why would you have let this news come out?

If it is a sham, how long are they going to keep it up?

With Ian Thorpe retiring today, are those rumors going to resurface again?