If I Stop Promising to Post, Maybe I'll Actually Post

As always it seems, it's midnight and I have no interest in going to bed. I actually just talked to Rachel about the ancient belief among many people that the soul leaves our bodies at night. I suggested to Rachel that maybe the reason I can't fall asleep at night is because my soul doesn't want to leave my body and keeps me awake, and the reason I can't manage to get myself out of bed at any decent hour is because my soul is out there living it up, so to speak, and does not want to return to my body and wake me up at what many would consider a normal hour. Interesting idea, worth some future thought and writing.

I have so much to catch you up on. I have a list of topics, and I intend to write posts about all of it during the next few weeks, or hopefully sooner. Rachel is now on week #2 of school, studying Hebrew intensively and slowly but surely learning how to be a student again. It is weird being alone a lot during the day and sometimes all day and evening, but I am finding things to do. I walk a lot, I go to the shuk a lot, I participate in some services and programs at HUC. Today I spent several hours cleaning and organizing and doing laundry. The apartment is very tidy and looks much cleaner. It appears to be impossible to actually thoroughly clean the floors. Windows are left open pretty much 24/7, so there is constant dirt and dust coming in from outside. But the floors do look a lot better so it was worth the effort. I'm gradually establishing a meaningful existence here. I will soon get around to signing up for ulpan, and I hope to go to Hebrew University to inquire about a social work class. I haven't decided if I will take formal classes on Judaism. I think I'd rather learn in other ways that are more informal. Crossroads begins recruiting volunteers for the school year in late August so I am anxious to get started with that. I want to start painting again, reading the many books I brought with me with such good intentions and do a lot of writing and photo and video taking.

Monday at sundown begins the holiday of Tisha B'Av which commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples, among other things that happened on this day. I do not know much about it so am looking forward to participating in services and educational programming at HUC. It is a fast holiday -- Rachel plans to fast, but I do not as health problems prohibit it. Apparently we will be walking on the walls of the Old City and will join the throngs of people at the Kotel Plaza where the Western Wall is, the only piece of the 2nd Temple that survived. It should be interesting and exciting, and I hope to take photos and videos to put on DropShot.

We think it is an Israeli phenomenon to never really make social plans. I can't count the number of times since we've been here that supposedly intact plans were changed or dismissed. I guess we need to start adopting that method or else we are going to be continually ticked off.

I redid the blog a bit, and thanks to Jen Gubitz you can now subscribe to receive new blog posts as I post them on the blog. This will pretty much do away with the need for me to send update emails. I will do one more tonight, and after that, people will either keep up with our lives or not. We of course would love it if you all kept up with us but understand that we are all busy in our own ways. The link to DropShot will always be to the left of your screen, so click on it whenever to look for new stuff. There are some new photos in the "City of David" album.

Well, I'm happy to say that I feel tired, so off to bed I go. I'm not going to say that I will write tomorrow, because I won't. So, I won't write tomorrow, but hopefully I will,