Kav Imut, part 15

What we fear: Sometimes the real insights don't come from the so-called experts. "Cease-fire? A cease-fire isn't peace. It isn't even a truce. A cease-fire is simply an agreement to take a break in the fighting. In this case even that modest goal has not been achieved in its totality. Hizballah is still shooting at Israeli soldiers, they have not ceased to fire." So writes Forest, our chiropractor's talented daughter. You can see the rest of her blog here.

Woman loses toes to frostbite: OK, not quite, but why do the trains have to have their AC cranked up sooooo high? My ride to and from Tel Aviv yesterday for an STC meeting leaves me shivering and cranky. OK, I was probably cranky before I got on the train, but...

We miss the 20:13 train back north and have to wait another hour. Larry (aka Our Fearless Leader) herds us over to the mall's food court, where we sit at sticky tables and try to block out the noise of suger-hyped kids. As we nurse our ersatz Thai food, the conversation inevitably turns to our favorite stories about Israeli attempts at international cuisine. Larry reminds us of the time he debated ordering a dish with mushrooms, for fear of getting the crappy canned kind. "Are the mushrooms fresh?" he asked the waitress, and was encouraged by her assurances. But when his dish arrived, he was dismayed to see the same rubbery slices of tasteless, processed shampions. "You said the mushrooms were fresh!" he accosted the waitress. "They are!" she insisted. "We opened the can today!"

Our ride back passes quickly with an animated debate about politics and world views. The trick to stress-free traveling on public transportation here is to be the ones making noise. Though I do recall one train ride with another technical communicator, where our discussion of French spacing and em dashes become so lively that someone told us to be quiet.

And you thought we were bad drivers! This breaking news story is giving Nadine ideas.

Techno-geeks rock! Nerds to the rescue...

Demand your rights: In a bizarre twist of marketing logic, Wrigley's, an American company, does not market Airwaves gum in the States! At least, this is what my family tells me. I have to send them care packages. It could be that the flavors, such as menthol-anis, are popular in Europe but don't go over well with American palates. On the Wrigley's site, I find a link to Airwaves. Das icht über gum!