Kav Imut, part 6

It's deja vu all over again: In a parallel move that caught at least four people on this planet by surprise, Hezbullah retakes all of their launch positions (and a few new ones), and Kofi Annan makes it clear that UNIFIL troops will basically stand around with their thumbs up their proverbials. Well, like we didn't see that coming. And this morning, Iran tests a surface-to-surface missile, just to make things a bit more interesting...

It is clear to almost everyone with a higher-than-room-temperature IQ that we are perched on the brink of another war, or perhaps just the continuation of this same war that has been raging on and off since before our independence. All the chest-beating and finger-pointing in the world is not going to stop Hezbullah from firing rockets at us and crossing our borders to kidnap people, or stop Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups from firing rockets at us and crossing our borders to blow us up. Unfortunately, discussion, negotiation, and diplomacy haven't worked yet, so why do Rice and Annan think that it is suddenly going to work now? What is different? What has shifted in the universe?

More ketusha-peepers: Hundreds of residents from the center of the country come north for the weekend to tour ketusha strike sites. Home Command issues stern warnings (to the effect of, "What, are you knuckleheads stupid or something?!") but this does not deter the tourists. When I mention to Gill that I need to assemble a birthday package for my sister, he suggests including a piece of shrapnel as an interesting gift. I'll pass, thank you. I'm delighted that our mayor has the crews working top speed to fix all the damage, though I do hope that our kikar habonim sculpture is allowed to remain in its slightly battle-scarred condition.

Big is back: Big Center, the largest shopping complex in Karmiel, is back to normal, with jam-packed parking lots and long lines at the cafés this motzei shabbat (Saturday night). We go see the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which proves to be just the ticket for some delightful escapism. (I can't help grinning when I think of the Disney executives who almost wet their pants when they first saw Johnny Depp's interpretation of a pirate.) After the movie, we grab a bite and enjoy sitting outside. The conversations swirling around us are still flavored by the war, as people relate their own stories, but things are definitely getting back to normal.

Nadine is using her Death Stare on me, a feline mind-control technique that usually results in tuna. I am a slave to my cat...