sunday, again?

hello, again, children of israel. how is it going? i cannot believe it's already sunday. february is flying. just like ME. that's right, i've been hopping on sheiruts like a madwoman getting to tel aviv as much as humanly possible. actually, i've been thrice in the past 11 days. honestly i'm on another level there. even before i get there, actually.

the minute the sheirut (what is a sheirut, you ask? a sheirut is a "service taxi," which holds about 10 or 11 people, and the place to pick them up is literally down the street from my apt. - much more convenient than leaving from the central bus station - which is also down the street from my apt. - but 15-20 minutes instead of four to six. And this 15 to 20-minute walk takes you down the other side of yafo - which is currently a HUGE construction site (they're building a train) - the narrow "sidewalks" are packed with people and strollers and charedim and barriers, which make the "sidewalks" super narrow, so the walk can actually take a half-hour if, say, you aren't israeli-style PUSHY. after this walk, you reach the central bus station, hooray! but instead of feeling relieved you've finally made it there, past all the creepers and through all the masses, there's always a crazy "line" (we've discussed these) just to get through security JUST to enter the building to put your bag(s) through the machine, to go up stairs and find where your bus leaves, and lucky me, i ALWAYS see the bus i want pulling away just as i walk up and i get to wait in the crowd for the next one. and it smells like hot dogs and body odor. and about 20 minutes later when the bus pulls up, you walk outside to this enclosed area, which, instead of feeling and smelling "fresh air," you enter a pool, and are swimming in a sea of cigarette smoke. before you can grasp that you're swimming, people PUSH. hard. so it's like you're treading, trying to stay alive. you feel their sweat and taste their cigarettes and sometimes get hit by purses or baby bags or baby spit or (hopefully unloaded) guns worn by the soldiers, as everyone's yelling and trying to knock you down to get on the bus. once i make it through, somehow alive, i always wind up sitting next to someone coughing that HORRID throaty, mucusie cough or sneezing and wiping their nose with their arm, and if they're not sick, they're generally eating tuna fish sandwiches with onions. BUT if somehow i find the perfect seat, i'm asked to move by a girl younger than me carrying her child and stroller who needs the room more than i do. then i end up next to the crazies who like to take up not just their seat, but 75% of mine, as well. i like the window, but i don't wanna make out with it, thanks. oh tangent.)...

yeah. so i like sheiruts. they hold 10-11 people and run 24 hours (the buses do NOT). people generally give me crap for not taking buses, since "they're so much cheaper," and more environmentally-friendly, but i just don't mind spending the extra three shekel (about 75 cents) for a shorter walk, less chance of catching the latest virus, faster arrival time, and skipping out on all the mishigas listed above. so... back to the original sentence: the minute the sheirut gets out of jerusalem and i start seeing beit zayit or mevaseret, my nerves have escaped my body and an enormous wave of relaxation starts to settle in, starting at my shoulders, slowly moving all the way to my toes. magically, i feel calm. (most of the time - unless the sheirut driver is on the phone or driving 600 km per hour, which HAS been known to happen). my ipod keeps me entertained, and bam, next thing ya know, you're in tel aviv.

the weather right now is amazing. i actually got sunburned walking around last week. really sunburned. to the point where i had a white circle on my skin from where my necklace was. the water is still a bit too cold at the beach. butttttt who cares. ok i have got to clean my room. perhaps ill write another chapter later? hugs hugs.

all it took was some therapeutic baking

yo. happy, happpy valentine's day lekulam. i'm at sushi rechavia because i've found it's my favorite place to get stuff done. weird. and i'm not really getting too much done right now because there's a table next to me with 2 guys speaking english. and they're purty obnoxious, i must say.
in general, this is a really fun place to people-watch. and the food is amazing. and during the day there's pretty good service. and they never, ever try to kick you out. in fact, in israel they do not even approach you. you literally have to hound them to get them to let you pay. so european. at least that's what i hear. someday maybe i'll go. anyway. love this restaurant. even though it is absurdly overpriced. the tempura mushrooms make it all worth it.
uh so i just found out why it smells so good in here: the soup of the day is tom yum!!! which is quite possibly my favorite soup EVER. and i haven't had it in so long. argh. i have GOT to come back for that! on a sunday perhaps. although i probably wouldn't realize what it was cause the waitress is calling it marak toomya. so cute. such an interesting mix of people around here. and it's an absolutely gorgeous day. some police dudes just trotted by on horseback - no joke - and they were both talking on their cell phones. and they were kind of cute. i wish i could get myself some training to become a police officer on horseback. or just date one. no not really.  alright i think it's time to go home. i shall write more later skater. and i'll tell you all about my chocolate cheesecake cupcakes. i might've turned myself into a chocolate person. oops.

AHEM said the tiger

my fam is amazing. we are a little crazy, but i love it that way. i guess probably every family has key words and little memories that only they understand; things that wouldn't be funny to anyone else. lately i've had some alone-time, which may or may not be causing me to talk to myself and throwing around little family-only-style inside jokes. to myself. and emailing my mom, dad and sister about it after i crack up aloud for like 4 minutes. i wish cappy had an email address.

sheshbesh is really big here. there's this area in the shuk, past the arab part and past vegetable corner, where there will always be at least 20 old men sitting playing backgammon. i kind of want to play sometime and take their money. no just kidding. but it would be kind of funny.

rabbit rabbit rabbit

i don't understand how it's february.
i'm kind of sick and my throat hurts and i've been in bed all day watching movies and eating soup.
actually the soup wasn't so tasty so i wound up just eating the soup almonds.
don't worry, they aren't really almonds.
i need juice.
and a hug.
but i shall eat a pomegranate instead.
ttfn.