"Birllaint....
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe."
This thing has been passed around so much, and yet I can't seem to find where it's originally from, so sorry about that... Leaving for Young Judaea
"Winter Extravaganza" in a bit, should be fun...
Shabbat Shalom!
Police investigate gunshots, 911 calls"Shots were fired early today on an Ann Arbor street, and police were looking for a possible victim and the shooter, authorities said... Several 911 calls came in at about 6:20 a.m. from residents on Wilmont and Elm streets reporting shots fired, Lt. Mark Hoornstra said.
One neighbor said she saw a man get out of a BMW and shoot a weapon into the air, Detective Sgt. Richard Kinsey said...
Officers found a live round and shell casing in the area that appeared to be fired from an AK-47 assault rifle or similar weapon, Kinsey said. "
Kinda crazy...And more crazy since the "one neighbor" is Dina and the "shell casing" was in our driveway. Roth & Debra woke up to the sound of gunshots, Dina woke up and saw the guy, Melissa was literally on her way out the door to the library (we're talking coat on, here) and
baruch hashem decided not to go. And me? I slept through it. Through the gunshots, through the call to the police, through Roth attempting to wake me, through the police coming to our door to ask questions... A little nuts. The whole thing has put us on edge. So not typical for A2...
On a happier note, had an amazing time visiting Katie in Austin. She has this amazing apartment, and some great roommates... Even went to her Hebrew class with her. So sweet...
Sitting on our couch at 517, listening to
Guster on our "new" stereo system (thank you, Bethany!) and thinking about how it's been way too long since I've been to a Guster show. Long enough ago that I can't give you a date.. We're talking a few years. I should just fly to England for their May shows... (with all my extra income...right...)
Watching Roth attempt to make the horrible, ugly, lamp in our living room
not horrible & ugly.
"Why can't I make it pretty??!!!" she lamented.
"Whatever, we're keeping it. You can throw it away when I'm...dead." Oh Roth... So now we have a really ugly lamp with a pretty lampshade. Oy.
On a different note, my ankle has turned a gorgeous shade of green.
I know you can't fully see it, but that's the best I can do. It doesn't really capture well on camera, but trust me, it's pretty. I'm starting to put pressure on it though, so it's doing way better, and I have my amazing new camera to keep me company and overprotective roommates who are afraid to let me do anything on my own, so it's all good.
Shabbat Shalom!!
This is me attempting to make it to services at Hillel on my crutches. We'll see how that goes...
Stairs: 2
Me: 0
Well there you have it. Stairs and I are officially in a fight. After my fall down a flight of stairs at Necto last week, I had hoped that I could learn how to walk without falling. Apparently that was too much to hope for... walked out of the house this morning on my way to a meeting, and my heels met with fresh snow on my front steps and down I went. My ankle swelled up immediately with this scary looking lump on the side. Back into the house, showed Dina my ankle, & she immediately drove me to the emergency room. Jake met us there since Dina would have to go to class at some point, and after 3 hours in the er the doctor informed me that despite the scariness of my ankle & the ridiculous pain, it's not broken, only severely sprained. So there you have it. As if it's not hard enough for me to walk ever, let's add some snow & crutches.
Awesome...
'AN END TO VIOLENCE'
"We must all announce here today that violence will not win, that violence will not be allowed to murder hope," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced, in an emotional speech closing Tuesday's summit at Sharm e-Sheikh. "We hope that today we are starting a new period of tranquility and hope...Only actions and not words – this is the only way to attain the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and tranquility."...
"In his emotionally charged speech, Sharon devoted a personal address to both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. "To our Palestinian neighbors," he said, "I assure you that we have a genuine intention to respect your right to live independently and in dignity. I have already said that Israel has no desire to continue to govern over you and control your fate. We in Israel have had to painfully wake up from our dreams, and we are determined to overcome all the obstacles which might stand in our path in order to realize the new chance which has been created."
" To the citizens of Israel, I say: we have passed difficult years, faced the most painful experiences and overcame them. The future lies before us. We are required to take difficult and controversial steps, but we must not miss the opportunity to try to achieve what we have wished for, for so many years: security, tranquility and peace."
Can it be that easy? Say "no more violence" and all the hostility and anger goes away? And when did I become so cynical that I hear such amazing news and my thoughts are automatically that it can't last? I guess we just have to wait and see, while I sit here praying that no one
god forbid does anything to prove that this won't work... And yet it's too powerful to me ignore that only hours ago I booked my plane ticket and now I hear this... Like P.A. was saying to me yesterday, "Isreal's pull is so strong." I'm off to Mrs. J's
shiur--it's going to take some time for this to sink in.
I'm going back to Israel!! Just booked my plane ticket for Pesach...
Soooo excited. Can't really afford it, but
man, so excited. And speaking of things I can't afford that I just bought, I bought a new camera. The beautiful, tiny,
Casio Exilim Ex-Z40. So cute...
Me, the internet, a credit card & 2 a.m. can be a dangerous combination...
