WWW.RIDESIDE.NET

Posted by MF DU on 2007-01-09 17:18:52 +0000

welcome Back, Kotter

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-09 19:46:15 +0000

Looking forward to seeing pix -- starting a Flickr account would be a great start.

Posted by bizquig3000 on 2007-01-09 21:09:07 +0000

Wow.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-09 22:32:31 +0000

Thanks. Hopefully the blacklung I picked up in NOLA will end soon...the "doctor" I saw in the Sfat Hospital thinks the fact I can't breathe all that well and can't stop coughing is all in my head. Um, yeah...he said it in Hebrew to the people I was with, while doing the finger twist to his head. Nice. By the way, can't stop listening to Hadag Nachash (The Fish Snake), an incredible Israeli band. Y'all should check them out. Saw them in Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday night as part of our propaganda tour. (The day started with speeches and photo ops while planting trees in the Naftali Mountains we'd cleared brush from for a few days prior, then more speeches and music, and lunch, followed my more speeches, a short break to shower and changes, and then a long night in a hanger that was torn down on Thursday after the concert and festival in it. That was where I met a fireman from Kiryat Shmona who decided I should marry him. I laughed. Maybe I shouldn't have. He was a professional soccer player, and pretty cute. Oh, well. Wouldn't be a trip to Israel without a greencard-driven proposal.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-10 00:36:50 +0000

Didja hit that shit?

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-10 08:19:23 +0000

OK, now I know who you are.

Posted by G lib on 2007-01-10 13:45:50 +0000

Welcome back! And ditto on the Flickr.

Posted by MF DU on 2007-01-10 13:57:23 +0000

Hear Hear. Please for all that is holy stay away from that Kodak friends / share thing. Very hard to use and incompatible with everything else. Flickr is the way to go. glad yr back!

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-10 15:21:25 +0000

Didn't even make out with the fireman...but there was someone else. I'm making plans to go back during Pesach (Passover), and he's coming to see me in June.

Posted by mr. mister on 2007-01-10 18:54:13 +0000

you are one tough cookie to go over there.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-10 19:19:02 +0000

Yow!

Posted by G lib on 2007-01-10 19:40:24 +0000

Do tell!

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-10 22:44:23 +0000

Will have to do it over the phone. Don't think any of you will approve; not sure I approve. Very cute guy. 34. Israeli of Morroccan descent. Funny. Plays guitar and sings. Tall. Bought me stuff (chocolate, bracelets, brunch). Made me a mix cd of an Israeli band you have to check out: Hadag Nachash. They played the propaganda tour on Wednesday night in a hanger that was torn down on Thursday. Haven't heard from him since I left, but I know he was working in Eilat, then planning to go on vacation to Egypt or South America for a couple of weeks. Trying to be cool and not put much of my head into it, but I miss him, and being over there. If you want details, email or call me.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-10 22:51:40 +0000

Not so tough. The people who stayed during the summer where I was for the past two weeks are tough. And traumatized. In front of the kibbutz gates where I was staying, a ketusha rocket hit a platoon of artillery reservists, guys with families, and killed 12 of them. The rocket shells and an informal memorial are still there. My "friend" knew two of them. The guide on my bus has a brother that's still in the hospital critical care unit after stepping on a landmine in Lebanon this summer. One of my roommates has worked with Magen David Adom (Israeli "red cross" and ambulance service) on several bombings and the collapsed function hall a few years ago. She's tough, and one of the most alive people I've ever known. Very lucky to know her and count her as amongst the best of the people in the world. She's also a brilliant bio-chemist and gorgeous to boot! Next time you look at a map of Israel, check out Kfar Giladi; that's where I was staying. We worked every day in Kiryat Shmona. We cleared brush along Tel Hai and the Naftali Mountains, and looked across to Lebanon, Syria and a snow-capped Mount Hermon every morning. I'm not tough. Being there this summer with the threat of another war would be tough. Who knows, maybe I'll be there for that, too.

Posted by tgl on 2007-01-13 14:32:55 +0000

Miriam, have you considered moving to Isreal?

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 17:00:14 +0000

Considering it more and more every day. But, I'd want to live in the North, where everything's green and it's only a short drive to the coast...and danger. Would have to invest in a helmet and a gas mask. Currently weighing my options: go back to school (where and in what); sell everything and move to a kibbutz; sell most everything, rent out my house and move to a kibbutz; stay where I am, buy that car I've been talking about for months and maintain status quo; other. The fella I met is still surprising me with attention I didn't expect. It's nice to have that kind of attention. I forgot.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 17:05:45 +0000

Check it out: Here! These are out of order, but I think the dates on the photos are there. Will try to post more soon. If you want to see NOLA photos, go to this and click on the slideshow. Enjoy!

Posted by virtue on 2007-01-15 17:31:08 +0000

Excellent pics, Miriam, thanks for posting them. Were there any shots of your young man?

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 19:03:42 +0000

He's Shlomi. There are two of us; one from one of the first nights, in the crusader castle party...an arms-length pic, and the other is on the street in Tel Aviv after the trip was over. He tells me I should learn more Hebrew. Guess that's fair. Maybe I will if he quits smoking!

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-15 19:10:50 +0000

If you wanna chat about dropping your whole life to move across the globe for the most amazing man you've ever met, someone who is everything you didn't think was possible... ...e-mail me. Or call. :-) Conspiratorily, pamsterdam

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 20:04:17 +0000

Slow down there, sweetheart. Not sure he's the most amazing man I've ever met. Don't get me wrong, he's great, but has a real schmuck streak, too. He's just showing me attention I forgot could be so comforting and nice. He warned me that he's all about his freedom, but he's making overtures that he's full of shit on that count. Either way, it's nice. If I decide to move, it wouldn't be because of him. He's made me no promises, and I've made none to him. We'll see where it goes. Regardless, my ego is boosted, and I'm not opposed to stroking his.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 20:05:52 +0000

His what?

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 20:08:15 +0000

Ego, of course! Tee-hee.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 20:13:50 +0000

Just admit it.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 20:46:54 +0000

I admit nothing...on the internet.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 20:51:26 +0000

The internet = forever.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-15 20:55:01 +0000

Got that right, and I'm afraid of commitment.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 21:20:23 +0000

You and me both, sister.

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-16 07:27:30 +0000

Come on, Israel's closer to Holland than Tennessee. We'd be neighbors. :-)

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-16 14:17:16 +0000

Four hour flight, right? Or is it five? Still weighing the idea of buying a car or moving overseas. There's the problem of what to do once I get there, though. Don't want to be a sponge, or a nuisance to anyone. Or destitute. Not that cool with destitute. Malbert was bad enough.

Posted by tgl on 2007-01-16 14:20:09 +0000

...and not just geographically.

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-16 14:52:28 +0000

It's about four and a half hours on a direct flight. Check out expat forums for the area(s) you're interested in. I'll try to find one (or a few) for you. You may need immigration advice, but I got mine for free and in English just by checking expat sites. So far, the most helpful link I've found is this.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-16 16:11:37 +0000

Met a VERY nice couple on my trip who live on Malbert Road with their kids in one of the houses across the street! Talk about a small world.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-16 16:12:35 +0000

Uh, oh. Couldn't open that link.

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-16 16:27:44 +0000

Weird. Lemme look some more...

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-16 16:36:27 +0000

Here's a cached version. Does that work for you? They may just be having server problems, as it's not working for me now either.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-16 19:59:47 +0000

Very interesting. Thanks for forwarding.

Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-01-16 20:07:50 +0000

There are other forums (fora?), job sites, etc, but that site seems to contain basic legal info on immigration, etc. I don't want to be pushy or anything, I just know that the expatica website has been a huge help to me since I first started considering moving abroad. And I like looking for stuff online. In any case, I'm delighted that you're safe & sound and had what sounds like both an eye-opening and - dare I say it? - enjoyable time.

Posted by Miriam on 2007-01-16 21:49:31 +0000

Thanks, babe! Good to have friends who've been through it before. Of course, my brother made Aliyah (took on Israeli duel citizenship) several years ago, and he's hoping I go for it, too. He lives in Nashville now, but I know he misses being there.