700 soldiers have died since the beginning of this war that Hamas began.  The number of people evacuated from the north, displaced from the south, is more than a quarter of a million – but many more have gone abroad on vacation and who knows if they will return.  And if and when school starts next week, we have no idea if the teachers are going on strike.  No wonder we’re jumpy.  

At the pharmacist today I asked for Xanax, and Mahmoud said, “We’re out.”  “Lots of nervous people around,” I said, but he doesn’t know me, and doesn’t know how to react, so he smiles and looks down.  

It’s not only that I have a weird sense of humor that not many people connect with it, it’s also that lots of us don’t know how to react to each other – we’re really all on edge.

That xanax would have been nice.

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