About My Christmas

It occurs to me that with all the spirit/no spirit posts, I have not actually blogged about my Christmas day yet. It was extremely nice. My sister made it in from Pakistan, which we were keeping our fingers crossed on as it looked like she might have her leave canceled. She has been staying with Mom and Dad so Christmas Eve I loaded up everything I could think of and drove over there (next town 30 minutes away) We followed all our traditions. We had pizza and watched a Christmas movie and then went to our traditional 7 p.m. mass (because we all get tired too early to go to midnight mass) and then drove around looking at Christmas lights and caroling and playing Christmas trivia. During the light looking, we cruised by my house so I could give the cat her meds (insulin and Prozac - gotta love the kitty) and pick up all the gifts that wouldn't fit in my car earlier and the various things necessary for an overnight visit that I had forgotten. 4 bags to spend the night. Sheeesh!

Christmas morning I was awoken by the traditional sound of reindeer bells and we went down and opened all the gifts. There were so many that we had to take a break half way through and have our traditional German breakfast and go back for more. Then, after a short nap, we prepped for Christmas dinner. Mom's table was set with her Christmas Spode china and Christmas Crackers and decorated eggs for everyone she brought back from Salzburg. I have two close friends who are single and they came over and joined us for the afternoon and dinner as did my cousin who lives in town. Around 8 p.m. everyone left and and we finished clearing up and I headed back to my house (because kitty needs her meds) It was a lovely two days and I got to have both friends and family there. I was truly blessed.

The semester that finally died

I think my earlier supposition about why I wasn't in the Christmas spirit was true. I kept having work to do. Now that I have put a moretorium on work activities (except for responding to a handful of grad students because it would really be cruel to make them sweat it out through vacation) until Jan. 2nd, I am getting much more festive. And since I am a firm beleiver in the traditional 12 days of Christmas (which begins on Dec. 24th and goes until Jan 6th) I still have some time left to enjoy (despite the fact that XM stereo removed the Christmas channels from my tv today....I'll have to break out the ipod and cds now)

Today I am picking up the photos I ordered to make my Christmas cards and I will try to write the first draft of my Christmas letter. Tonight I am going out with a close friend who recently moved away but is back for Chiristmas. Meanwhile, I am playing around on my computer trying to figure out how to do some stuff on itunes so that my sister can steal all of my music before she heads back to Pakistan on Saturday. Not a bad 3rd day of Christmas (or is it 4th?)

Well this is the last day. Christmas is tomorrow. I have about 3 hours to finish whatever needs to be done before Christmas day. (Due to the bizarre time lag here I only have a few working hours today. I am a night person and my family are all morning people. This results in some time challenges. For example, I have to be at the family domicile at 3:30 for the Christmas Eve activities. But I went to bed at 3 am and just woke up at 11a.m. So not alot of "day" in my day!) I'm not even sure what that is. But since I give myself until the end of Christmas (Epiphany Jan 6th) to get all "not in this location" gifts and cards sent, it shouldn't be to crazed! Happy Holidays to anyone who reads this blog!

Slow posting

Well, I haven't posted since the last day of class. Apparently, not having to post twice a week to keep up with my students has severely limited my posting! Of course, the fact that it is FINALLY VACA might have added to it. I have more time to post but much less inclination. I did hand in all my grades on time and have been alternating between Christmas parties, Christmas shopping and doing the work tasks that I put off the last couple weeks of class. In fact, I was going to entitle this post "The Semester That Wouldn't Die." I am not going away this Christmas, which is very rare for me, so I have had all this extra time to get ready for Christmas. And yet, I seem to keep having work stuff to do. Usually, the day I hand in grades, I am done working until prep week before classes start. But this semester there seemed to always be one more little thing, meeting, report to be done. I have to say, I think it has sucked alot of the Christmas spirit out. I don't feel bad, I just don't feel like Christmas is the day after tomorrow. My new plan is to not do any work until Jan 2. To give myself an actual break. I have found in the past, if I don't get a break, I don't come back refreshed and I burn out much faster. So now it is Christmas!

Last day

I thought this image expressed what it feels like to be a prof at this time of year. I of course, am the man fishing and the cats are my students. "Have you graded my paper?" "When will you post the grades?" "Are you in your office?" Now I totally sympathize. It hasn't been THAT long since I was a student and I was a student for a long time so I remember the anxiety as you are waiting to find out how you did on the projects you put so much time and effort into. I also remember the anxiety of please let me pass this course. BUT. Sometimes it does feel like being stalked by hungry cats. The pressure when you just want to chill for a minute and watch your TIVO and the cat is eyeing you with that stare, willing you to get up and fill the food bowl. Or the roawrrrs of the cat who will NOT SHUT UP until you feed it. So you sigh, get up, and do your duty.

But today is the last day. I just have to go to school to get one more paper slid under the door and then class number two will be done and I can submit those grades. And class number three ends tonight and since i am dong portfolio grading in class, that will be graded and done before I leave. So when I leave school tonight I will be done, free, finished for Christmas. (okay what that really means is free to work on my research and finish all those little department projects that got triaged to the bottom of the to do stack but I am not thinking about that now. In fact I am so overwhelmed with grading, that that stuff is looking good now!)

We gotta have a meme

Okay, we can't cover blogging in our course without doing a meme.

THE RULES:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


I can't find the blog who tagged me now but if I do I will link to it. It was one of the ones I read regularly that said, "If you haven't done this yet then I tag you."

1. I broke my arm once because I forgot I was in a tree house and walked off the edge.

2. I have had 24 broken bones...and no I do not have soft bones and only two of them took place from the same accident.

3. I have traveled all over the world and lived in two countries other than the U.S.

4. I earned all the Junior Girl Scout badges.

5. I saw a ghost once and remembering it now still freaks me out.

6. I sing in the car when I drive, with the radio turned up really loud so I can't hear my own voice.

7. When I am feeling insecure I sometimes pull out my GRE scores and look at them.

I tag my students...and since all the other blogs I read have already done it I will have to stick with those six.

Early Vacation

My mind has left for Christmas vacation, even though I keep telling it that vaca doesn't start until next week. I started finals going strong. I had nicely spaced out all my assignment's so I wouldn't get hit with several big ones at once. My first day of finals, I followed my plan and went to Starbucks, and once *bucks had closed moved to IHOP. But I didn't go home until everything was graded and final grades entered into the computer. But the next day...the plan was the same but when I got the Panera bread to read my students final papers. I. Did. Not. Want. To. And there is only so much you can do to make yourself grade. You can make yourself sit down with the papers. You can make yourself hold them. You can even force your eyes over the words. But if your brain is unwilling to process the words, what can you do? So I have been circling the pile of papers since Wednesday. There aren't even that many. circle. circle. I am going to try to do half today and half tomorrow. Otherwise I will be panicking on Monday, trying to get ready for my next class and totally stressing out. IT'S NOT VACATION YET. Do you think my brain heard that?

How do you know it's finals week?

It's beginning to look a lot like finals........

1. You get in the shower and think, "When was the last time I was in here?"

2. You wake up and the clock says 11 and you don't know if that is a.m. or p.m.

3. You start having nightmares about forgetting to hand in grades for a class. (A variation on the student nightmare of forgetting you were taking a class.)

4. It's becomes evident that no one else knows where their shower is either.

5. Students compliment you on how well you're dressed because you have no clean clothes to wear and are stuck wearing you best things.

6. You forget how to spell and punctuate as well as the words to your favorite songs.

7. You start fantasizing about shopping in a busy crowded shopping mall and it looks GOOD to you.

8. Students you have never seen before show up in your office asking what they can do to improve their grade.

9. The people at Starbucks feel sorry for you because you spend so much time there working.

10. Getting free treats at Starbucks becomes the highlight of your day.

11. You are able to offer a thoughtful and incisive critique of Starbucks holiday drinks even though you misspell your own name.

Final thoughts.

What a professor feels like at finals.


What students think we feel like.

This ones for Miss Kitty at Educated & Poor

finals

Things are going pretty well as far as finals are going. I mean I have stuff I have to do but I have enough time to do it all. In fact, I believe I will achieve a goal I have only ever achieved one time before - grading my finals and submitting thier grades the day they take the exam. I can't help but think I have forgotten something important!

I do have a life

Turns out what I needed was not a life but a good nights sleep! (And thanks for the post about the value of both my life and a good nights sleep!) Friday I went up and helped my Dad decorate for Christmas and then he took me out to dinner. We walked around the neighborhood that night with our after-dinner coffee and looked at the neighbors lights. On the way home, I checked in with my friends who were at Starbucks grading and went over to hang with them. We closed the Starbucks and stayed outside talking for about an hour more. I thought on my way home how that day was answer to my previous post. I am so lucky to have my parents healthy and living close by. and that I have some good friends here and that I am even luckier to work with them so that I see them everyday and that going into work is like hanging out with friends. (Actually- it IS hanging out with friends). Today I went up to do the Victoria Park home tour which I have been wanting to do for years. It was well worth the effort to get up there in time (I had slept in a wee bit late - til 2pm!) I stopped by another friends house on the way back. Now I have my Christmas tree up (although not yet decorated) and I have some grading to do while watching Will & Grace. Life is pretty good.

hmmmm

Bloggedy blog blog blog. One thing that is becoming apparent as I blog about my life is that...well...I don't have one. Not that I don't do anything. In addition to...you know...work, today I went to a conference on leadership through the arts. It was actually quite a cool conference and I enjoyed it. And I had a table where I was selling my photos and I got quite a few complements. Didn't sell any, but I like a good ego stroking as well as the next person. But the conference was, after all, part of work. And last night I went to a literary magazine launch...in part because they were publishing some of my photos. And I really enjoyed it. But it was actually for work.

Now on a good day, I would say, "Isn't it great that part of my work is doing cool things like going to art conferences and literary launches." But today it just feels like...I don't have a life.

But that may well be due to the fact that the semester is ending and we all are a bit tired out. I do get to sleep late tomorrow (which is an exciting event in my life) and then I am going down to help my Dad decorate for Christmas and out to a tasty supper with him (Mom is out of town) so that should be fun. I'll check in tomorrow and see if a good night's sleep makes a life appear.


Meanwhile, another cute photo for your pleasure.<

There is no mercy shown from students (I wonder where they get that from) so here I am posting again lickity split.

Had much fun last night. I left work a bit early (4 p.m. - okay - that's way early for me) and met my parents and some friends for Christmas at Los Olas.

We had a tasty dinner (Big City Tavern) and wandered around looking at all the decorated stores, listening to the live music and soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.


I even bought a Christmas present. One down, 47 more to go!










When it got too crowded to have fun, we retired to the Starbucks in Wilton Manors and had tasty beverages and much good conversation.

Bad blogger

Bless me blogosphere for I have been a bad, bad blogger. It's been one week since my last posting.

You would think with the holiday that I would have MORE time to post but that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, I got distracted by holiday merriment (and some migraines) and next thing I knew a week had flown by and I hadn't posted a thing. I read recently in an article on what makes a good blog that you should post daily. While my students are only required to post twice a week, I think I will attempt daily postings. I am more likely to remember something I am supposed to do every day. Not necessarily more likely to DO it - but at least to remember it. And that's a start!




As my penance, I will post this totally cute picture for your amusement.

Fun Weekend

Well I am getting my second post of the week in by the skin of my teeth. I have been having a fun weekend and have no time to do any work. A friend of mine has been in town visiting. We have been having much fun hitting various art venues, parks, resteurants and doing some cooking. Let me clarify - he has been cooking - I have been eating!

I have returned

So I am back to blogging. My students are required to keep a blog and post at least twice a week in my media techno trends class so I guess it's only fair for me to hold myself to the same standard. I don't have much to say at this piont. I am more of a blog reader than a blog writer. But I enjoy reading my bogs every morning over coffee so much that I will endeavor to be as interesting or witty or insightful as those other writers are. Right now I am just writing to an empty universe so that makes it a bit of a challenge. Is this just a journal online or am I writing to someone?

Blog humor

Okay, if use the word blog in your blog and spell check - the blogger spell check program doesn't recognize it as a word! Technology....sheesh

Comments

Does anyone know if it is possible to reply to comments on the blog? When people make comments (and so few do which is a bummer) it would be nice to be able to post a reply so they know you're reading their comments and if they ask a question you can answer it. Does anybody know?

Why am I majoring in computer science

So I followed the teachers instructions to upload my movie and it doesn't work. I burned the movie using idvd and it doesn't work. The whole point of majoring in CIS is so that these things won't happen when I am more knowledgeable about the computer....But if the teacher doesn't know why it doesn't work...What are the chances I ever will? Am I just wasting my time...Cause I could major is something easy like communications! ;)

multiple posts

Crap- I need nine more postings. I thought I had done many more of than that. Maybe I was thinking of worrying about it rather than actually doing it! What have I learned? That I really hate writing. If I could just talk and blogger recorded what I said I could do this every day but writing it.....this may explain my lack of publications!

lame blogs

Since I had some free time in class after I uploaded my movie, I thought I would get caught up on reading other people's blogs. I have to say, most of them were totally lame. Several people haven't posted anything and others just a sentence or two. There were a couple where people did real posts. I enjoyed those ... it was interesting to hear other peoples perspectives about what we were doing in class. I even commented on a couple - but not all blogs allowed comments. A couple people uploaded graphics - those were nice.

End of the semester

What I have learned recently is that you might get older but you don't really change. It's the end of the semester and I am frantically trying to get everything done...just like when I was first an undergrad lo so many moons ago. I did learn today how to find files on my lap top. That is going to be a big help. It's amazing how one little piece of information can make such a big difference in your regular use of the computer.

Word

In the beginning was Word...Well actually in the beginning was screenwriter which was the word processing software I first learned on the Apple II. Man have times changed! I enjoyed the Word lecture...I learned several important things...The most significant was how to make the table lines reappear as that is something that irks me to no end...And how to make the columns isolated to one section of the paper. Very important tools. I didn't learn why the border always disappears off the bottom of the page...But then I didn't ask.

Movie Creation

imovie is fun. I particularly like it's possibilities for Christmas and birthday presents. Being an underpaid academic, I am always on the look out for low cost yet extremely cool, personal and appropriate gifts I can give to my family and friends. imovie offers great possibilities for that. And since these will not be posted on the internet, I can use illegal music to make it even more special and appropriate In fact, my movie for this class is a gift for my best friend. I am making a movie of photos from our various roadtrips of the last few years and putting them to a Jimmy Buffett song (because we go to the keys a lot!) Although we have gone to the mountains quite a bit also...Maybe I should be doing it to Country Roads? :)

40 more years slipped away

Well, the first thing I have learned is how accurate Jimmy Buffett is...as he says in He Went to Paris...time just slips away. Each week I keep meaning to post and I get caught up in different things and just this once, I put it off til the next class and now it's half way through the semseter and I havn't posted! YIKES.
Another thing I have learned, and this just recently, is that class starts at 1:40! Who knew? (Well, apparently everyone else) I thought it started at 1:55 whidh explains why I was late each day. grrrrr
But all kidding aside, I really have learned alot. I have been wanting to learn about podcasting for ages, and in fact include it in my own classes, and just havn't had the time what with all the emails n stuff. And now I know!

New Purpose

Since I had already created this blog to chronicle my trip to Israel, I thought I would go ahead and use it. Also, it demonstrates my impressive abilities since I had already learned this. I thought it best to demonstrate impressive abilities while I still could. So far in the class, I have learned about alternative blackboard style software. I will be checking to see if I like it better and want to switch. Later. During the summer. When I have more time.

Dead Sea

My last day in Israel. Deb and I headed out to the Dead Sea. The scenery was amazing, giant rolling cliffs of stone. Its kind of wild driving through the desert to get to the Sea. And then all the dry rock will be punctuated by spots of greenery. The coolest we passed were several Palm tree forests. Evidently they harvest something from the palms but we don’t know what. But it sure looked cool. Deb had a fit when I tried to take a picture of the check point to the West bank. When I had gotten back yesterday and told her my adventures, she said I had pretty much done everything they are advising American tourists not to do! And taking pictures of security sites is another one. Poor Deb, I’m sure she thought I was going to get her fired. Especially with my navigating! They have only recently gotten permission to go to the Dead Sea by the direct route and if we got off the highway at all and got caught she would immediately be fired and deported, so she was on pins and needles worrying that I was going to inadvertently navigate us into Jericho.
(photo: Palm forest)
We passed camels, goats, donkeys; we even passed a herd of Camels! We stopped at Masada but it was to hot to take the cable car to the top so we only did the bottom part and then we went to the Dead Sea. Very cool. Everyone has said you are very buoyant because of the high salt content but I didn’t take it very seriously. I mean I am pretty buoyant as it is. But it is really different. (photo: Shade & Showers at the Dead Sea) You have a real struggle to get your legs under the water. Lots of folks were covering themselves with black mud but we just floated around in the slightly slimy water. The shore and floor are stone, not mud as I had (photo: Me in the Dead Sea per Gloria's request) envisioned, and all in all it was very cool. On the way back, we stopped at the Elvis diner. There is a dinner here that has the world largest Elvis memorabilia collection. How wild I that. So I have as a souvenir, my Elvis placemat all in Hebrew!

Once we made it home, Deb went to bed for a few hours while I finished my packing and at 3 am she took me to the airport. A trip not without its own excitement. Deb didn’t want to get lost so she went to get directions. In order to get to the airport which is Southwest of us, you have to go North on 20. To get back you have to take a totality different road! Deb just kept saying over and over, who ever heard of a place you can go to but can't come back from. (Imagine being told that you could take I-95 south to the Ft. Lauderdale airport but you had to take 595 and I-75 back) After a bit of wandering (okay we were lost again), we managed to make it. Deb dropped me off and I began the arduous process of going through Israeli airport security. You stand in line with all your bags (checked and non checked). For some reason they pulled me aside. I don’t know if it was because I was suspicious as a woman traveling alone or if it was because my flight was leaving soon but they moved me to the front. First they send all your bags through and x-ray machine then they tag the ones that need further inspection. Then you wait in the next line which is the further inspection. (Nothing by the way is labeled.. Nothing!) They wanted to check my laptop so they ran some swabby wand all (photo: The Dead Sea & the Mountains) over it. I was just glad they weren’t opening my suitcases because they were stuffed so full of souvenirs I thought they might turn into projectile draydels if they were unzipped. Then you take all your bags and check in. Only there was no Alitalia counter. So I asked the security guard. He told me to wait and left. Finally he came back and pointed me along a corridor toward another security guard and me to walk toward shim (I felt I was in a border crossing prisoner exchange) I went down and it ended in a little unmarked backroom was the 4 Alitalia check in counters. So I checked my bags and then went through another security checkpoint where they check your passport etc.. Down a long escalator to another security checkpoint where they x-ray your carryon bag (again) and you go through the metal detector. They once again swabbed Baby but this time also my shoes and bags. Evidently I had no GSR or whatever so I was allowed to go the passport checkout line. From there you go through ANOTHER security checkpoint where you get to your gait and they check your passport yet again. At this point I was exhausted (and feeling very safe) I made it on the plane and feel asleep. When I woke up, I had a horrible feeling that I had gotten on the wrong plane and was not going to Milan but some other place (especially since when I woke up it was already past the time for my connecting flight out of Milan and we were flying over some mountains) I checked with the flight attendant and I had in fact boarded the right flight and were delayed on the tarmac but I had (Photo: The desert drive to the Dead Sea) the slept through the announcement. But he said they would probably hold the Miami flight. I made it through more security in Milan and despite the fact that my Miami flight was not listed on any boards, I am now on the plane for the last 8 hours of flight time. Baring some major excitement like a high jacking or plane crash, this should be the end of my Saga, Mom will pick me up at the airport (all of my luggage WILL have arrived) and I will post this last entry when I get home.

I hope you have enjoyed The Andreas Chronicles – Andrea in the Holy Land. Feel free to make a comment so I know someone was reading them!


(photos: Bathers at the Dead Sea and part of the drive from Tel Aviv to J-town - so you know it's not all desert!)

Friday

I can’t believe I go home tomorrow. It just doesn’t seem possible. We are going to the Dead Sea tomorrow, so today I spent most of the day getting ready to go to the U.S., doing laundry etc… I did spend the morning meeting with Shmulik, the Israeli scholar. Again, great conversation. I got lots of information about Israeli cinema as wells a better direction to go on with my article. I also assured him than everyone has trouble motivating themselves to work on the dissertation, that that way perfectly normal! Much like the student evaluation horror, the dissertation trauma is universal! At the end of the day, our last order in from the brasserie and more Angel.

Palestine

(photo:Church of the Shepherds)

Thursday
My wake up call did not happen and it is nothing short of a miracle that I managed to get up in time for my 8am pickup for today’s adventure. I admit to second thoughts this morning. Nasser couldn’t make it, so his partner took us and as I was getting into a car with two strange men to head to Palestine and no one I know knew where I was going, I did wonder if this was the smartest move I was making. But the opportunity was too great to pass up. The other passenger was a young Irish guy named Allen. Our guide told us all about the areas were passing and the political history. Traffic was a nightmare due to the demonstrations but after we passed the Israeli checkpoint (more machine guns) traffic disappeared. Because of the current political situation in the West bank, tourism, which was the areas major industry, has been destroyed. Many of the shops are closed and there are half built hotels where the construction just stopped. Apparently a lot of the people living in Bethlehem (primarily Christians) had relatives in other countries and have just left until things get batter. It was almost eerie, the deserted nature of the town. There WERE people there (more than we saw in Be’er Sheva on Shabbas!) but so few compared to the bustling area we had left (the two towns are about 5 minutes apart - think Hollywood and Dania or Provo and Springfield,) and one is crammed full of people and the other deserted.

(photo: Olive trees on the side of the read ready to be transplanted)

We went to the church of the Nativity which is supposedly where Christ was born. Like many churches in Jerusalem it is divided among the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, the Coptic’s and the Armenians. Because these groups can’t agree on how to use the space (or have Mass) the buildings are divided up and there is no crossover. As a tourist you can visit all the areas but the Catholics for example cannot have mass in the main church because that is the Greek Orthodox area. They have Christmas mass in the Catholic area which is side church. In the church of the Holy Sepulcher (also divided) the groups of Christians were fighting amongst themselves so much about who should have the key, that the Caliph at the time gave it to a Muslim family and it has remained with them to this day! So everyone shares but no one is in control. The church of the Nativity is one of the only original churches to remain from the 300 AD era (and not be destroyer and rebuilt by the Crusaders) because when the Marmalukes came from Persia and took over, they saw the depiction of the three kings dressed like their own Kings (being from the East) so they did not destroy the church. It was very beautiful and moving, and you can tell immediatly which section you are in from the décor used in the church. We also got to see a bit of an Armenian orthodox service. It was very cool and different from the Catholic one. We also went to The Church of the Holy Milk. Our guide explained that the during the time of Christ, the basement areas of the buildings were used to store goods because it was cooler. When Herod ordered the killing of the children in an attempt to kill Jesus, Mary was said to have hidden here with members of her family (until they could flee to Egypt) So close to the Nativity is another building where she was hiding. While there, she is said to have been breast feeding and a drop of milk fell to the floor and turned the rock white. There is a Franciscan church there now, and it is said if infertile couples drink milk with the powder from the rock and prays to Mary, they will be able to conceive. The church has hundreds of letters from people all over the world with photos of their babies, who have been healed this way. The Franciscan priest said it works for Catholics, other Christians, Muslims, Jews – all that matters is your faith. And the letters are from people of all denominations as wells nationalities. I thought that was cool.

We also went to the place were the Shepherds heard the tidings of great joy. I think that was my favorite place in Palestine. There is a beautiful little church with lovely gardens and in the cave there is a smaller grotto and memorial. Apparently the shepherds would herd their sheep into the caves at night and light a fire out front to keep the sheep safe. The roof of the cave is still blackened from the shepherd’s fire. It was peaceful and beautiful and I could easily envision the shepherds seeing the heavenly hosts. The guide also took us to a friends shop (as they always do) for Turkish coffee and the opportunity to purchase goods. I was enjoying my coffee and determined not to buy anything else (I had bought a carved manger scene yesterday and that was all I was going to get) when I look up and see….a carving of Joseph Smith. I nearly fell off my chair. I asked the store owner who it was and he said Joseph Smith, for the Mormons. I told him I was Mormon and he got very excited and showed me his carving of Emma, Joseph and the angel Maroni and some other Mormon figures. Of course it makes sense since there is a BYU Jerusalem and all, but all you hear over and over are about Catholics, Greek Orthodox , Coptic’s and Armenians...After awhile you just don’t expect to see stuff from other denominations. So to look and see (and recognize) Joseph Smith ...while drinking coffee… was a trip! The owner said he thought we weren’t supposed to drink coffee and I told him I was going to hell. He laughed and insisted I have another cup (I think to show he hadn’t meant to chide me for breaking my churches law not to help me get there!). I ended up buying the bust of Joseph because I couldn’t resist, even though it was more than I would normally spend.

As we headed back, our guide said that since we were the first customers of his newly formed tour company (4 of them had just finished incorporating the company the day before) he would take us to the Mt. of Olives for a view of Jerusalem and the Garden of Gethsemane, no charge. So we went there and it was breathtaking. Afterwards, Allen the Irish guy and I were talking and I was telling him about Mom's research into our genealogy in Ireland. He asked about our family and I told him we were Crofts and Loftuses and he flipped. Turned out he was a Loftus from County Mayo (where we are from) and it is a very unusual name in Ireland...so we are probably related if you go back far enough!

By the time I made it back to the hotel, I had been gone on my 1 hour tour for 4 hours! Given that half day tours are usually 150.00 and this was 23.00, I felt I had made out like a bandit! At that point I had to check out and was pretty exhausted so I decided to abandon the rest of my Jerusalem plans until my next trip and head back. This time I took a Sherut taxi. Which is basically a taxi van. I’m glad I did for the adventure of it, but next time it is back to the regular bus for me. The van is crammed totally full so its less comfortable than the bus and a few shekels more! I made it home and this time we ordered Chinese and watched Angel.

Jerusalem

(photo:View from Mt. of Olives)
Wednesday
Today was my big trip to J- town (Jerusalem) I decided to brave the bus for the hour or so ride to town. I had not been taking any buses. Deb is not allowed to and had been pretty much sticking to the rules that the embassy staff have to follow just to be on the safe side (i.e. no buses or public transport, no nightclubs, avoid heavy crowded areas etc…) But I was starting to get he hang of it here, and while I still prefer the taxis to the regular bus (okay that may have more to do with convenience than safety) I decide to risk the bus. I managed to maneuver through the gigantic bus station that is more like an indoor mall with some buses and made it on the right bus – only 17 shekel (about 4 dollars) Nice big air conditioned bus. Yes, several off duty soldiers with their ubiquitous machine guns were also on board but I am beginnings feel safer when that happens instead of disconcerted. Nice ride and a great view of the area in between the two cities. I arrive in Jerusalem and ate yummy lunch at an Arab restaurant in the (Photo: Garden of Gethsemene) J-town bus station. I didn’t recognize anything so I told the guy to just give me something he thought was good. At first he was a bit discombobulated by this request (imagine going into McDonalds and saying that) but the he got into it and I got a tasty lunch. And then the adventures began.

(photo: Wailing Wall) Deb had made reservations for me the at the EL Dan hotel. The taxi driver said there were two of them. I had no address, just the name of the hotel. I knew mine was near the old city so I said to take me to that one. After hitting on me for awhile (from now on I am just going to say I am married) he asked if I would like a tour of the city later for 100 shekels (about 25 dollars). I mumbled okay – since I wasn’t quite sure what he was saying (his English wasn’t that great) and I figured I could always cancel after I got to my hotel. He keeps talking and after a bit I realize he is taking me to the Mt. of Olives. I said I wanted to go to the hotel and tells me he is giving me the tour I asked for! He said the hotel was in the other direction and we were almost at the Mt. of Olives. At this point I know I am going to get ripped of big time. But in my usual confrontational manner (said sarcastically- I am the biggest wimp around when it comes to this stuff) I was like fine whatever, take me there and then to the hotel. I had learned my lesson after that and every time he asked if I wanted to see something, I just kept saying no thanks just take me to the hotel. All in all, the taxi drive when I finally go to the hotel was about 75 dollars! But I was so happy just to get out of the taxi and into thee hotel I didn’t care and just gave him the money and chalked it up to experience. Then go to check in and they don’t have a reservation for me! So they call the other Dan hotel and they don’t have a reservation for me either! I try calling Deb but just get the answering machine (she has a shindig at the ambassador’s house and won’t be home till late) so I ask if I can book a room now. Turns out I can and I end up staying there. It was a great location, right across the street from the Jaffa gate to the old city and it would have been fine except when Deb finally was able to get back to me, it turns out she had already paid for my room at yet a third Dan hotel! After paying for two different rooms, I could have stayed at really swanky hotel!
At any rate, I didn’t want to waste any time in town because I only had to days and it was already the afternoon of the first day. I called a guide the hotel had recommended and arranged to meet him in an hour. Nasser took me all around the old city…I t was extremely cool. Jerusalem is very different from Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is really like any big city. A bit more European that American, but very modern. Jerusalem, especially the old city but really most of it, is what I had imaged all of Israel to be like before I came. Old low building made out of giant blocks of stone, twisty streets, and even the many of the new building are built in a similar architecture and style to the old ones so the town looks like a biblical town. The old city was amazing. Having seen the Passion, I think Mel Gibson did a great job recreating how it actually looks. Walled cities are very unusual in that when in the streets/corridors/alley ways, you are simultaneously inside and outside. It is an odd feeling. (Photo:Jerusalem) There ware narrow streets that were lined with vendors selling all kinds of things from clothing, carvings food and souvenirs to luggage - looking very much like what I imagine it did 100 years ago or even 2000 years ago. The items may have changed, but that’s about it. The streets are narrow and somewhat crowded and most of the buildings date back to the era of the crusaders with some going always to Jesus time. The streets are cobblestone, sloped and filled with stairs. Nobody who lives there needs to every join a gym! Nasser took me down the Via De La Rosa and we hit many of the Stations of the Cross. It was weird to be standing in the middle of a bustling market and looking at a marker showing that this is where Jesus dropped the cross (the stations are marked by signs and a pattern in the street stones put there by Helena, the mother of Constantine, in 300 AD when whey converted to Christianity. Most of this dates back to that time period, when Helen came and identified the significant Jesus sites and established churches there. Many where torn down later as various groups fought over the city but the crusader usually rebuilt over the original ruins so the sites remain the same places since 300 AD with various layers of churches and styles. These often includes Muslim stuff because, as I learned from my guide, Jesus (and Mary) are extremely important and Holy figures in Islam so many times the Muslim invaders would just convert the sites to a Muslim holy place. In addition to the stations, I visited Mary’s tomb, Jesus tomb, where he was anointed where the last supper was,(photo:posters calling for Sharon's death)the Wailing Wall (the only part of the old temple left after it was destroyed in 70 A.D.) We also walked though all the quarters of the city (the old city is divided into Arab, Christian, Jewish and Armenian quarters.) We only walked around the Armenian one because you aren’t allowed inside) (photo:Protesters) We often had to take a circuitous route because there were huge crowds staging a demonstration because of the upcoming disengagement from the Gaza strip. 70,000 people came to the Wailing Wall to protest that day. They were arriving in droves (carrying orange or wearing orange streamers, bracelets etc...Orange being the color of pro-settlers) as we were leaving. It was quite a sight. We finished up around 8pm and I can tell you I was exhausted. I had thought I would go back at night with my camera on my own and do some more shooting but it was all I could do to get to my hotel room bed and collapse. But as he was dropping me off, Nasser said he was taking one other person to Bethlehem tomorrow and would I want to go, it was only 23.00. I didn’t think we were allowed go but Nassar said it you weren’t Israeli you could go, so tomorrow morning Palestine!
(photo:Desert that Jesus went into for 40 days)