January 6, 2012 All I want are silly comedies - it keeps my mind off the politics - but i don't seem to be getting even the distractions I need. TV has become too junky even for me - and reading is too demanding now while we're waiting for a meeting for an appointment for a bone marrow harvest. The woman in charge of scheduling was on vacation and now had to take a few days to reorganize so we're finally going to see her on Sunday. Then we'll find out when this procedure will be held, even though we can't make any plans because who knows how Ezi will recover from the procedure. So I need good tv. And I'm not getting it. The news is too irritating for words. The movies are old and grade B at best. The reality shows show how empty we're trying to be. And quiz shows have always made me sick. Last night, however, there was an interesting program about the history of terrorism. It started with 1945 - WWII being the first time civilians were the subject of attack rather than soldiers, and terrorism as we know it now being aimed at civilians. The names were familiar to me from the sixties - Regis Debray, Frantz Fanon, and the rest - were the subjects of much discussion back then, but I had forgotten their influence on our thinking, and how important they should be to our understanding of how we got to be where we are and how we forgot where we were. Not that I think that French revolutionary philosophy influences terrorism today. I don't even think one eighth of the people who wear Che Guevera t shirts ever read him or knew what he was up to. But I understand just a bit why some of my old friends in the US stopped talking to me when I moved to Israel...
January 7, 2012 When was the last time you contributed to a left-wing organization? I'll bet the New Israel Fund or the Palestine-Israel Journal could use some contributions right now. Even if you don't go left, you believe in democracy and you want to hear all sides, right? That's one reason that I don't like the internet attacks - from the 'Saudi' or from the Israeli government or wherever. January 8, 2012 We started the day in court. Five neighbors maybe 330 years old all together sitting on the defense bench because we built a canvas roof for our cars without a building license. Apparently a neighbor was upset about one of us and complained to the city. The case will never hold, but in the mean time we're tied up in court and the court is tied up with us. Today was the day we pleaded not guilty and were dismissed until June. Stupid stupid. After court we walked over to the hospital, where things are more serious. Ezi's getting his bone marrow harvested next week and had to do tests. Somehow the procedures there seem more serious. January 9, 2012
= Even though Noam Shalit (Gilad's father) and Yair Lapid (actor, tv newsman, son of Tomy, etc.) have moved into politics today - the statistics say that the right will win. Don't you think this can't be true? I must say that it comforts me somewhat to see Noam Shalit enter the public sphere. He is quiet, thoughtful, and yet extremely determined and ethical. And Yair Lapid is intelligent and wise, even though I always worry about something possibly childish in his character. January 10, 2012 Childish. Hmph. I can't think of anyone with a more childish personality than Bashir Assad - and he seems to be a rather successful politician. This has been one of those record days. In the morning I learned how to give injections, in the afternoon I gave one myself, after that I changed a baby's diaper... and tomorrow morning i have a radio interview, just after my gym class. Women seem to see more of life than men - they really should be ruling the country.