Pilates?? Bueller??

Shavua tov, everyone. Hope you're enjoying your lazy Sundays. Here in Israel, it's the start of the work week, and...

You heard me correctly - Israelis work on Sunday!! That is such a hard thing to get used to and I have not yet wrapped my mind around it. I do have a job (and for that I thank G-d every day) but will not be starting it for a few weeks, so for me, it's the normal 'Post Shabbos/Saturday Night Revelry Recovery,' co-sponsored by Acamol/Tylenol and a huge breakfast that hopefully features an omelet.

Part of living the early oleh (new aliyah) life is trying to find an apartment, unless you are lucky enough to have a relative that lets you live in their apartment rent-free (lucky brats). I am not one of those privileged leprechauns, so I thusly have been hopping from friend to friend, feeling like a hobo with a bag on a stick (nevermind that my bag is pink, utterly feminine, completely adorable and has a huge Adidas logo). Everyone has been really nice about accomodating me but of course, I have had to adapt to their lifestyles and be as unintrusive as possible.

This morning, my friend's roomate was having a Pilates class in their living room from 8-9am. Hmm. In any case, it was important for me to be quiet for that hour and let the human pretzels do their thing. I tried, oh how valiantly I tried. I was a quiet little mouse until 9am, and at 9:12 I picked up my Pele phone and got down to business, patting myself on the back for waiting 12 extra minutes to give the roomate time to clean up.

As it turns out, the class went on longer and I was yapping so loudly into the phone the roomate had to ask me to pipe down. I can just imagine what the Pilate-ists thought of my convos. In any case, of course I lowered my voice, and then resumed my apartment hunt with new fervor.

My food intake has also been frighteningly affected by all this hopping about. Now, you all know that I need my food, and massive quantities of it, or I turn into Little Miss CrankyPants (who is a Debbie Downer at every party or random life event). For the past few days, I haven't been in one place for more than one night, and consequently, have to take it meal-by-meal. It's very hard for me not to have a refrigerator I can attack at random intervals, and this morning, I find myself in a stuation wherein it is 11am and I have not yet eaten. (Cry me a river!)

This is unheard of for me of on any day that's not a fast day, just ask any family member/friend/someone who has spoken to me for more than one minute. So I am dashing off this blog entry to you - which sadly is STILL not Part II of my aliyah (sorry Tammar) - and then I'm headed out for a huge Israeli breakfast. Which I will enjoy immensely and during which, I will not think of calories, fat grams, dietary fiber or any annoying nutritional value of the sort.

Hope you're staying warm with chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Swiss Miss hot choco warming up in your microwave.

Lament of the Bathrobe

Uch. Hi.

Apologies that I still have not posted Part II of my fascinating aliyah, but I'm too tired today. You'll soon see why.

So I took a day off today from the fun and exhausting process of setting up my new life, and am skulking around my family friend's house.

Guess what I'm wearing? You'll never guess since you are comfortably ensconced in your WARM, TOASTY and DELICIOUS home (or workplace - condolences).

Flannel pj pants, sheepskin slippers (NOT Uggs) and my favorite robe.

Let me describe this robe to you as it has been so pivotal in my life (so much so that I once had the AOL screen name ComfyRobe). It's a lovely shade of forest green and designed to be uberly warm. It's always come through for me.

However, the American designers (and let's be realistic, Taiwanese manufacturers) did not envision the extreme state of tundra level coldness in Israeli homes. Since Israel is either warm or hot for 75% of the year (yessss!), the homes here are actually designed to cool off air as it comes in.

This works like a trick when it's not choref (winter - I enjoy throwing in Hebrew at random intervals). However, during the time period of December through the beginning of March, it's pretty dang cold.

So my robe is sadly ineffective.

I feel bad for it.

The tip of my nose is cold.

So there.

Gamarnu (finito).