Woke up this morning to find that we had no running water in the house; apparently the main water supply for parts of Central Jerusalem froze over during the night.
No school or work, four days of the Snow Siege and I am running out of projects with which to entertain Raphaela, not to mention food. The events of this Winter Storm have officially qualified me to win Survivor Jerusalem.
I wrote a song based upon a popular tune, called "No School Today":
No Gan today,
the snow won't go away.
It's one big icy plain,
I'm going to go insane!
We may actually leave the house today, first time since Thursday, to see if the bakery on Palmach is open. It must be warmer there than the ice box that is our home.
(No phone, no bikes, no motor cars, not a single luxury. Like Robinson Caruso, it's primitive as can be. And damn cold.)
Showing posts with label Survivor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survivor. Show all posts
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Monday, August 6, 2012
Bob the Builder
Raphaela recently discovered the television programs, Bob the Builder and Thomas and Friends, and we watch it every day for all of its ten minutes before bath time. I have several observations as an adult and a parent as to its so-called educational value, as well of some questions:
One, are Bob and Wendy dating? Is Bob turned on by the fact that Wendy has as much skill in construction, or does he find it threatening as a man?
What is the general phenomenon of talking vehicles, such as the trucks in Bob the Builder or the trains in Thomas and Friends? As an adult, I find it odd and at times scary, especially the expressions on the face of the trains in the Thomas and Friends. (I am impressed, however, that they convinced Ringo Starr to narrate.) Perhaps the reason that every show features a crash or injury due to negligence is because trains are not supposed to talk unless they are possessed a la Stephen King, and cement mixers with ADD are not meant to be left alone to finish the job.
What kind of message does Bob the Builder send to children with the scarecrow character Spud? This individual in the show, in every show, plays pranks, disobeys instructions, refuses to do his job and holds back the group with his lack of consideration and carelessness. Instead of teaching him, it becomes a joke, and it tells children that you can misbehave and not experience the consequences of your actions. Every show has Spud saying, "Sorry Bob, I won't do it again." And lo and behold, he has forgotten his promise by the next show.
Spud is like Gilligan, vote him off the island and their little world will be a better place.
Random note to the politically astute, Barack Obama poached his campaign from Bob. "Yes We Can!" is a trademark of Bob the Builder, and I wonder if the President had any qualms about stealing from a children's show.
Yes, both Bob the Builder and Thomas teach teamwork and some version of socialization and morality, but I do feel the need to watch it with Raphaela, and make sure that the better lessons are understood and stated clearly.
Quite frankly, I would rather introduce Raphaela to classic Star Trek episodes, we would both enjoy it more.
One, are Bob and Wendy dating? Is Bob turned on by the fact that Wendy has as much skill in construction, or does he find it threatening as a man?
What is the general phenomenon of talking vehicles, such as the trucks in Bob the Builder or the trains in Thomas and Friends? As an adult, I find it odd and at times scary, especially the expressions on the face of the trains in the Thomas and Friends. (I am impressed, however, that they convinced Ringo Starr to narrate.) Perhaps the reason that every show features a crash or injury due to negligence is because trains are not supposed to talk unless they are possessed a la Stephen King, and cement mixers with ADD are not meant to be left alone to finish the job.
What kind of message does Bob the Builder send to children with the scarecrow character Spud? This individual in the show, in every show, plays pranks, disobeys instructions, refuses to do his job and holds back the group with his lack of consideration and carelessness. Instead of teaching him, it becomes a joke, and it tells children that you can misbehave and not experience the consequences of your actions. Every show has Spud saying, "Sorry Bob, I won't do it again." And lo and behold, he has forgotten his promise by the next show.
Spud is like Gilligan, vote him off the island and their little world will be a better place.
Random note to the politically astute, Barack Obama poached his campaign from Bob. "Yes We Can!" is a trademark of Bob the Builder, and I wonder if the President had any qualms about stealing from a children's show.
Yes, both Bob the Builder and Thomas teach teamwork and some version of socialization and morality, but I do feel the need to watch it with Raphaela, and make sure that the better lessons are understood and stated clearly.
Quite frankly, I would rather introduce Raphaela to classic Star Trek episodes, we would both enjoy it more.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Yom HaShoah 2011
As I type this, my little girl sits on my lap eating cheerios and trying to play with my Palm Pilot. Harry wants attention as well, now that the working day has started. My daily worries center around moving to a new apartment, making enough money to support us, and hoping that Raphaela's allergies pass soon, so she can start breathing fully again.
Here in Israel, we are surrounded by Arab countries, enemies who want to wipe us and our people off the planet. At least they are upfront about their intentions.
Here in Israel. There is an Israel, controlled by Jews and sworn to protect Jews and Israelis around the world. Despite all the beaurocracy and the internal conflict, we Israelis know how to pull ourselves together when threatened from the outside.
Watching the ceremony for Yom HaShoah, I can't help but be affected by the stories of the survivors, those who made it out of Europe and re-built their families. I can't help but play the scenario in my head, how I would go to any lengths to protect my daughter, and how agonizing (if there are even words) it must have been for mothers and fathers to take their children onto the trains and into the camps, knowing what awaited them.
Thank G-d there is an Israel, and I thank the Universe every day for my daughter and our life. Strip away all the toys cluttering the living room and the sleepless nights, and I have a beautiful healthy girl. We are all of us, all Jews living today, lucky beyond measure.
Here in Israel, we are surrounded by Arab countries, enemies who want to wipe us and our people off the planet. At least they are upfront about their intentions.
Here in Israel. There is an Israel, controlled by Jews and sworn to protect Jews and Israelis around the world. Despite all the beaurocracy and the internal conflict, we Israelis know how to pull ourselves together when threatened from the outside.
Watching the ceremony for Yom HaShoah, I can't help but be affected by the stories of the survivors, those who made it out of Europe and re-built their families. I can't help but play the scenario in my head, how I would go to any lengths to protect my daughter, and how agonizing (if there are even words) it must have been for mothers and fathers to take their children onto the trains and into the camps, knowing what awaited them.
Thank G-d there is an Israel, and I thank the Universe every day for my daughter and our life. Strip away all the toys cluttering the living room and the sleepless nights, and I have a beautiful healthy girl. We are all of us, all Jews living today, lucky beyond measure.
Monday, February 25, 2008
So Who Knows? (A Sampling)
Quite a lot of people actually, many of whom will be mentioned in later blogs. The idea of the pregnancy and the single parenthood simmered inside me for almost two years, and once I made the decision with joy and faith, I had no choice but to share it with those who I knew would give me love and support. And even with those who have a peripheral connection to my life, because Israel is one large extended family. My business will become every one's business, and being 6000 miles away from my blood relatives, I must create a new family for the child I will bring into the world.
EG: My upstairs neighbor, a married woman from my home town in the States , with one very expressive child. An acquaintance who is fast becoming a friend.
DB: A friend who married a widower with two girls and had trouble getting pregnant, she herself had IVF and after five years gave birth to a boy.
MS: A friend who found her husband through the Internet and had a difficult pregnancy herself. When I first told her, she reacted by the following slipping out of her mouth, "Oh, you are going that route?" And quickly corrected herself by saying that she and her husband would support me in any decision I make. We share the same gynecologist.
TC: My cosmetitian who is in a committed relationship but has no desire or intention to have children, her partner three dogs are enough for her.
ME: An old friend from the United States, a lesbian in a long-term committed relationship, my Survivor buddy and currently recovering from breast cancer.
YL: My youngest brother, with whom I have an exceptionally close bond despite the difference in years and having not grown up together. He spent almost every weekend in my house when he was studying at a program in Israel, and we get each other, without speaking, and accept each other without condition or judgement.
SC: My massage therapist and spiritual counsellor, she has stepped up and is already calling herself "Savta" (Hebrew for grandmother) and wants to help me on this path, in any way that she can. She is already planning day trip with my child.
YO: A client who once offered to donate sperm to the cause, and has consistently told me that any child will be lucky to have me as a mother.
LC: A single mother in Jerusalem who lives in a building complex that happens to house five other women (four of them Orthodox) who are single mothers by choice. She has helped me understand the personal and bureaucratic maneuvers that face me in the months ahead.
KB: A distant cousin and adopted brother who lives down the street from me, he and his wife have pledged their full support to me, and have even offered to be there when I break the news to my parents.
I do of course wonder what some of my clients say and how they will react, especially those who come from the Ultra-Orthodox community. Would they discontinue to utilize my services because I have made a choice that goes against their personal and communal value system? Will I become a pariah and the fodder for gossip in my own neighborhood?
That is not in my hands and not my problem, each person must act in a way that is true and consistent to their inner voice, and my inner voice cannot wait to meet my future child.
EG: My upstairs neighbor, a married woman from my home town in the States , with one very expressive child. An acquaintance who is fast becoming a friend.
DB: A friend who married a widower with two girls and had trouble getting pregnant, she herself had IVF and after five years gave birth to a boy.
MS: A friend who found her husband through the Internet and had a difficult pregnancy herself. When I first told her, she reacted by the following slipping out of her mouth, "Oh, you are going that route?" And quickly corrected herself by saying that she and her husband would support me in any decision I make. We share the same gynecologist.
TC: My cosmetitian who is in a committed relationship but has no desire or intention to have children, her partner three dogs are enough for her.
ME: An old friend from the United States, a lesbian in a long-term committed relationship, my Survivor buddy and currently recovering from breast cancer.
YL: My youngest brother, with whom I have an exceptionally close bond despite the difference in years and having not grown up together. He spent almost every weekend in my house when he was studying at a program in Israel, and we get each other, without speaking, and accept each other without condition or judgement.
SC: My massage therapist and spiritual counsellor, she has stepped up and is already calling herself "Savta" (Hebrew for grandmother) and wants to help me on this path, in any way that she can. She is already planning day trip with my child.
YO: A client who once offered to donate sperm to the cause, and has consistently told me that any child will be lucky to have me as a mother.
LC: A single mother in Jerusalem who lives in a building complex that happens to house five other women (four of them Orthodox) who are single mothers by choice. She has helped me understand the personal and bureaucratic maneuvers that face me in the months ahead.
KB: A distant cousin and adopted brother who lives down the street from me, he and his wife have pledged their full support to me, and have even offered to be there when I break the news to my parents.
I do of course wonder what some of my clients say and how they will react, especially those who come from the Ultra-Orthodox community. Would they discontinue to utilize my services because I have made a choice that goes against their personal and communal value system? Will I become a pariah and the fodder for gossip in my own neighborhood?
That is not in my hands and not my problem, each person must act in a way that is true and consistent to their inner voice, and my inner voice cannot wait to meet my future child.
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