J'Lem

The city is much more beautiful than I had expected. I found my apartment without too much trouble and it was a bit dustier than I would have liked, but I soon realized why. Jerusalem is so dry! You feel it in your skin almost immediately. There are metal grates you can pull down over the windows and balcony doors to keep the heat of the day out but the dust comes in anyway. And they don't seem very big on screens! There is a heat wave going on, about 20 degrees hotter than usual. On the Farenheit scale. I don't think I can learn the celsius system now. It is really difficult walking the hills during the day and staying hydrated. As much water as I drink when I come home I still want three large glasses of water.

All of the buildings are made of Jerusalem stone, no more than four stories in my neighborhood. And the building styles are so similar it's hard to tell when things were built. It's also hard to not get lost as the streets curve and wind on the hilly terrain and the names change every three blocks and every intersection practically looks the same! Well, I'm exaggerating a little as it does look classy but is hard on the newcomer.

There are many trees around our apartment which makes it feel quite private and shady. There is a school to the east of us which is closed for the summer with just a caretaker in the basement apartment. To the north of us is a vacant lot and the street to the west dead-ends in a set of steep stairs so only motorists who live on the block drive up it. Luckily out apartment faces the back of the building, not the street. It does get lovely breezes and can be quite cool at night.

Snack Time flight

All of my worries and trepidations about coming to Israel evaporated on the El Al flight. It was like traveling with friends and relatives, assuming your circle runs the gamut from nose rings to sidelocks. At first it seemed normal, except the airline attendants were much friendlier. But every time I got up to stretch I started talking to someone who had a really neat story. We were all the same whether coming to Israel to study, visit family, do business, whatever. There was such a relaxed atmosphere and, as i had been warned, way too much food! I learned not to try and go to the bathroom while they're davenning. But then there was snack time. I noticed people starting to head to the back of the plane in their stocking feet - yoga? - and coming back with drinks and cookies. I investigated and sure enough there the passengers were lined up like little summer campers with the counselors doling out snacks. I was mesmerized! I'll always fly El Al - thanks, Diane. Plus I got lots of valuable travel tips/

Helvetica

Cannot imagine any other typeface that could inspire a movie, and such a great one at that. I laughed, I cried, I thought about how many millions of interesting things there are in the world and how can there possibly be time for them all.

It probably won't make it to many multi-plexes but it should work okay on the little screen too. Netflix rules!!