I love this shirt!

A cousin of ours took this picture of one of his students. I love it!


Especially speaks to me, since I'm so much younger than most of my co-workers (26 to their mid 30's-50's!). I often get self conscious about it. I'm willing to admit that I'm ageist, but hope that I won't be when kids half my age start to move quickly through the corporate ladder.

My diamond fell out

No, not the one on my finger. That one is secured with six gold prongs, so nervous was I when we got engaged. Rather, the one I had in my nose has gone missing.

When I got my nose pierced again last year, I didn't want any of the dinky nezemim (nose rings in hebrew) that they sell here on every street corner. I also didn't want the big clunky and annoyingly ugly ones that they sell at most piercing stores here. I wanted something tasteful and solid, and also not cheap. If I'm going to wear jewelry, it may as well be good.

So after doing some research, we ordered a few online from the US, including one with a cubic zirconia that was not like $3. It wasn't that expensive either, I mean it's teeny. But it had a gold setting, matches with everything, and was really comfortable. And I really really loved it.

And now one year later, I came home from work to find that the stone fell out. It could be anywhere, and its just not worth looking for it. I've looked in the stores around here, and there is nothing but the little dinky ones that keep falling out. Granted, I haven't yet been to the piercings stores in Tel Aviv or Jlem, so I may still find one I like there. But I think that its a little silly that they aren't sold or made as quality jewelry. I'm thinking about commisioning one. How 6th century would that be?

It seems to me that nose rings just haven't entered the realm of classic jewelry. The kind you buy at the nice regular jewelry shops. I wouldn't mind paying for a good piece, and it's annoying that I can't. Especially in this country where every fourth woman and her mother (ok that's not scientific...but there are a LOT) has her nose pierced. I feel like I run into just as many people - women and men! - with facial piercings as I do pregnant women. That ought to be reflected in the market also.

I think I'm on the lookout for a jewler who works with stones and gold.

I bought crocs

Oh! The shame. The lost glory! Oh how the mighty have been brought low.
(I'm currently reading Colleen McCullough's Antony and Cleopatra).
I went out tonight and did something I really didn't think I'd do, nor did I ever want to do. I bought crocs.
When I worked at home today, I didn't wear shoes all day. My feet and ankles felt allright until I sat at the desk for a couple of hours to get some serious work done - and after that, um, ok, I can't put sandals on anymore. I wore my flipflops to go get Eden, but really didn't like the idea of wearing them to work tomorrow.
So as soon as Eden was in bed, I went down to the mall to buy some crocs, seeing as they were the only shoes I could imagine feeling comfortable, providing support, and maybe looking decent? Two out of three aint bad.
Turns out, nobody sells crocs anymore. The only places I could buy them were toystores, which of course don't really have mirrors, so I bought them blind. I think that for a while, they were really in style, and so everyone was buying them, even though they looked horrible. Now, the style is a little old, so the only people who buy them are those who know exactly what they want - they have 3 pairs at home - or are people who are clearly not wearing them for looks. That's me in the last category.
It's not that I don't think they look great, I think they look terrible. I'm going to have to wear pants every day now, since they cover most of them. I actually bought black - how depressing is are black crocs?! - because I want to be able to wear them to work without standing out too much. And I like looking nice, and red or green just doesn't go with some of the nicer things in my work wardrobe. That's not to say I won't buy a pair of red or green in a month or so, just for variety. Seeing as I'll probably be wearing them for the next 3 months or so. Or rather, just not wearing anything else.

After all this, I must say that they are comfortable. After my sandals that I couldn't get into, these are a different species of shoe. I feel my hips sitting differently, perhaps the baby even sits differently with my feet feeling nicer. Maybe after a few weeks of wearing these, my feet will shrink back down to size and I'll be able to wear my regular shoes....

Just googled "black crocs pregnant" and found a bunch of other pregnant bloggers who did the same thing - black crocs to wear to work. Glad to know I've got company.

I'm Hooked

So, to follow up on my question from last post - is it worth it? I guess you all could tell me I told you so, but, I'm hooked. Despite a sprained ankle and many boutiques being closed by the time they got there (damn the sprained ankle!) we had a really good time. And it really does make a difference to go away.

Some cool things we saw:

• A cow running away from home down to the river, as we ate dinner (steak) across on the opposite bank. Can cows swim if they fall in?
• Lots of junk art galleries. What is it with artists who make things out of junk? Its a cool idea, but it gets a little tiring. I do like the wallhangings made of old plow equiptement though.
  
• The best humus and pita in the north. Ben had my salad, I couldn't get enough servings of hot fresh pita. The guy thought I wasn't so normal....
• Mt. Tabor. Wow, now that is a mountain. Very impressive.
• Lots of beautiful Arab cities. Call me sheltered (bigoted? I'm really not..), for some reason I thought Arab cities were run-down shanty towns. Maybe except for Abu Gosh. But some cities up there were really great. What an eye opener.
• Great place names. Mutzmutz! Lots of inspiration for our baby name, and lots of driving time to discuss it. No, its not Mutzmutz.
• A very not-cool thing we saw: Multiple parents (could they have been teachers!??) smoking on a school trip. Very uncool. Ben reminded me that 30 years ago, it would have been the middle schoolers smoking instead.
• Yummy jams and jellys for decent prices.
• The Kinnerret. Some day, when we make a million, I'm going to buy a beach house on the Kinnerret.
  

I can't believe how little I've been around this country. After spending 4 summers here, 2 years in seminary, and almost 8 years since then, I'd never been to Afula. Why would I ever need to go to Afula? But we got lost in Afula and I'm so glad that we did. I've seen a lot of mountains, trees, deserts. I want to see every more Afulas.

Now I'm torn with bringing Eden next time and just going ourselves again....I want to show all this to her also!

As could have been expected, Eden had a great time at her grandparents. They had a pizza slumber party with Sarah and Hila, I guess you can't beat that.

Completely separate note - recently, pairs of pigeons have been visiting me on my windowsills at work (perks of a corner cubicle). They look like they are so in love, and it really brightens my day. Their twitterpated! I love to watch them, and wish I could hear what they are saying. I sometimes think that I have a tendancy to get depressed in the spring....twitterpated birds do make it better somehow.

Crisis Here, Crisis There, Crisis Crisis Everywhere

Lately I feel like I'm at that arcade game where the alligators (Ben says they are hedgehogs) keep popping up and you need to bob their heads down.

There!
And There!
And There! Ooh there! Quick there!

No sooner do I finish dealing with one thing - or actually before I finish - up comes another one. I'm not going to talk about work on a blog where everyone knows my name, where I work, and some of my coworkers even read this. And I'm not going to talk about Ben's work either. But there is too much drama in my life. And too many things at once, and just simply not enough time to even think through them straight. I guess I just feel really overwhelmed, and then I remember that there is also laundry to do and that I don't have anything that I want to wear tomorrow.

We are taking a day up north this week, spending the day in Rosh Pina and staying at a guesthouse near the Kinneret. Should be fun, relaxing, just what I need. Best of all, Eden is staying with Ben's parents, something that will be good for her and good for us. Then why is this just stressing me out? Why do I feel the need to plan every minute of it, lest we have a bad time? Why do I resent the one less day I have this week to complete my work...surely it's worth it?

You could say its hormones, and I'll be the first to blame it on the hormones instead of take responsibility for the angry glares I've been giving, the times I've burst into tears in the middle of traffic, and my general snappiness. If only it was that easy.

Wouldn't it be nice if all a pregnant woman had to do was sit back and feel her baby kick? And think of names and maybe do a little decorating.....