Under Fire, part 19

Jogging, Fear Factor Style: "To complete this stunt, you must jog the three kilometer loop around the neighborhood of Givat Ram in Karmiel, Israel. You must complete the route before the sirens go off and the rockets start falling. If you are too scared to attempt the stunt, you will be eliminated. If you fail to complete the stunt, you will be eliminated."

Cabin fever gets the better of me, and I lace up my shoes and step outside. It is not yet 7:00 and the air is cool and fresh. All is quiet. Fueled by extra adreneline, I push the pace and am already feeling it by the time I hit the first turn. I run with an eye on the skyline, watching for anything zooming over the mountains. The streets are deserted: no cars, no dog walkers, no one waiting for their morning carpool.

Q: When is a boom town a ghost town?
A: When the booms are ketushot.

I pass several damaged houses and the crater that was once our traffic circle. I complete the loop safely and am inside, drinking a glass of water, when we hear the first boom of the morning. A second later, the sirens go off. Another day begins.

I know who is responsible for the change in schedule: a friend blogged her plans to leave Karmiel by 7:00 this morning to avoid the rockets, which have been starting around 10:00. Clearly, there is some Hizbullah knucklehead sitting in a bunker, reading local blogs on his laptop. Nice going, Marcie. Your blog is really making (dare I say it?) an impact.


Cranky Cats and Un-cranked Music: As Gill and I are forced out of our big bed, Nadine takes advantage of the new sleeping arrangements by walking on us, taking long, annoying baths inches from our faces, and occassionally kicking us while maneuvering for a better position. Cats are nature's reactionaries, disliking any changes in their environment. She is cranky, and she is not shy about letting us know it.

Yet it isn't the luxury of sleeping in our own bed that I miss the most; it is music. I usually have music playing, unless I am engaged in some intense writing or editing. With my somewhat eclectic taste, I can always find something that suits the mood and task. But now, we can't listen to music, lest we miss those first critical seconds of the siren. Instead, we are always listening for the rising wail of the alarm, for that dreadful whistle, and mostly, for the next boom.


A voice of reason: A friend sends me CBC's interview with Retired Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie, who had some very interesting news about the UN observer post hit by Israeli shells. Mackenzie explains that the Canadian peacekeeper killed there had previously told him (via email) him that Hizbullah was using the UN post as cover. The interview is worth listening to.

The sirens go off two more times. Looks like it's shaping up to be another busy day.