Scorcher!

Wow, what a glorious day! We, with what seemed like half of the country, descended upon Tel Aviv beach...just a shame I didn't pack my thong coz it was definitely 'get 'em off' weather. Of course, with the heat comes the irritated, angry locals, who think they have been waiting longer than you for a table, when of course, they haven't (and quite why they think that their daughter's purchase of an ice-cream is evidence that they have been waiting longer is beyond me...)...Get the f**k outta here!

I've added a couple of new links, galleries and far east travel blog - check them out on the right. The galleries include pictures from Israel last year, my Christmas trip home and the famed honeymoon in the Far East. If you come across any pictures that appear to be missing, please let me know. And the travel blog is a work in progress, I'll try and add to it whenever I have the time, so apologies in advance.

UPDATE: Our beach mate 'M' has requested the following picture from today's outing be posted. He's on a hunt for the perfect woman, so if any of you think you are up to the job, let me know...he's very sexy, as you can see.

Poll results are in!

Well, to my surprise, the majority of my readers are from outside Israel. I know 2 or 3 of them, but the rest are unknowns...so if any of you fancy making yourselves known, feel free via the comments. Also surprising was the number of ex-Brits amongst the immigrant population, heavily outnumbering all other groups put together. The exact figures are a little dubious because of my mid-term effort to please everyone - my bar chart simply couldn't handle the changes in mid-flow and screwed up the numbers a little - but the 'I don't live in Israel' category was the winner by a mile...

That means we have a new poll - "Which location inspires you most?". The Golan Heights took my vote, simply because of its beauty and great memories for me...I'm expecting the Zionists amongst you out there to place Jerusalem firmly in first place, but please vote according to the location that really gets you going, for whatever reason...

Cut and slice

Nice to see that Israel has joined the modern world and has now recruited its own cut and slice nutter. This guy decided that his estranged wife was his destiny and that she belonged to him, so he decided to entice her to Thailand, cut her into pieces, put the body parts in their suitcase and then threw the suitcase into Bangkok's main river. Like you do. N-U-T-T-E-R. There are some instances when you can understand the circumstances that lead towards murder, there is a thin line that sometimes people just lose sight of and lose all rational thought...but to actually cut up your ex-wife (they are still looking for the head...) and throw the body into a river - that, to me, is a seriously disturbed individual who needs some serious capital punishment handed his way...

Giants and dwarves!

Ha, ha! I've just been learning about a traditional kids game that they play in Israel at this time of the year called Giants and Dwarves (it's 'Purim' next week, time for costume competitions and sweets).

So, to celebrate the festivities, my office has decided that everyone will be a Anak (Giant) and a Gamad (Dwarf). I'm not sure as to the reasons for these names, but basically it means that I will be drawn a name from a hat, and that person will be my Anak for the week (I will be their Gamad...ok then...). This means that I have to treat them to something every day, usually sweets. That same person will also be given a name, and so it goes on throughout the office...The trick is to keep it all secret, so nobody knows who is giving who treats. I've already promised O - the vodka-toting Ruskie - some mini-vodka bottles if I get her name, so not too sure this secrecy bit is a goer...

First time I've ever heard of this game: there I was thinking I had to go and find a height-disadvantaged person in the office (I'm a fairly lanky bastard so presumed I was a Giant...) and take them out for a beer all next week...actually that sounds like a MUCH better idea...

Grrrrrrrr...

No rest for the wicked - next month (March) I shall be frequenting my corridor every day. That's right, every single day. We have a big deadline at the start of April, so I reluctantly agreed to help my boss out - there is a ton of documentation to get out and a load of online Help to finish. Of course, if the software had been developed according to the milestones and there weren't so many bugs to fix, I might just have managed to handle the load part-time. But the lethal combination of Hi-Tech and Israeli slackness ("forget about it until the next version, nobody will notice...") has struck again. I'm not putting this down as a particularly 'Israeli' thing, it's just that I've worked for companies in Israel where the professionalism has been exceedingly high, even stiflingly high, but you could count the native Israelis amongst the workforce on one hand. When you are the only English speaker in a company of 80 in downtown Tel Aviv, you see the difference...worst thing is, my own professionalism has taken a [huge] dive as a result: "You want that by this afternoon? Tomorrow mate, tomorrow..."

Anyway, that means that my progress into the English teaching world will be fairly limited in March, though I'll continue with the paying students I have by taking 'long' lunch breaks...ahem...

Family Ties

Yesterday was Family Day in Israel, at least that was what mrs. anglosaxy led me to believe...personally I don't see the point of having a Family Day when they are so close anyway. And isn't every Saturday enough? Obviously not - though the bright spark that came up with the idea of making it a weekender deserves his neck wringing...

So off we went last night to get a little something for mama and papa anglosaxy. They had also looked after Z while we'd been up north over the weekend so we felt like we should splash out on some ice-cream (yep, I know how to live in style...) - "but make that the smallest box you have guv'nor"...

Papa anglosaxy was in a wine mood, so we sacrificed a bottle of something Australian before getting down to the nitty gritty of the Arab/Israeli conflict - always an entertaining topic after a few glasses...eventually Eli Yatzpan (BIG talk-show host/comic over here) took control of the living room and was actually quite a laugh (we have Yes satellite TV so don't get to watch him). Aaah, the in-laws, nothing like a quiet night in by the fire with 'em (that'll be the wine talking)...

Continuing in the family vein...Sis, I shall never forgive you for your buying of Devil Woman and Carrie(?) Cliff records, especially now he has been crowned the ultimate UK pop star. I shall have to take a long, hard look at your record collection next time I'm over...*big sigh*

Gastronomic success!

In short, that's how I'd describe the weekend up north. The weather and the social complexities of 4 people sharing a car and the same room kind of dampened the fun a little, but the food did the business...

You remember I told you that we were going 4x4ing? Well, the trip did start in a 4x4, but we only got as far as Herzliya (15 minutes drive from Tel Aviv)...leaking brake fluid and trying to get it fixed on a Friday lunchtime meant that we spent an hour waiting in a garage before giving up (with no pressure from the female side of our fearless foursome...ahem...). We then continued in my car, but unfortunately, its 4x4 capabilities are the equivalent of wearing high heels on an ice rink (not that I would personally know, of course...), so the male side of the fearless foursome was feeling a little down. Out popped the first beer.

The drive up north is always a pleasure, especially when you start hitting the Lower, then Upper Galilee. There are numerous villages, even towns, that you come across and fantasize about living in, especially when you live and work in Tel Aviv. The contrast is just amazing, the pace of life seems so much more relaxed while the fresh air and fields of anemones take you momentarily 'abroad' - this surely can't be Israel? But it is. And all just over an hour away from the mad central hub that is Tel Aviv...

Anyway, our target was Bet Ja'an, a small Druize town near Karmiel. We'd booked a room for the four of us - this trip was strictly economy class - at Rami Hamud's - he is apparently recommended in some Hebrew tourist guide, otherwise I'd never have thought of going there...We eventually arrived around 7 and were soon rubbing our hands around the fuel stove that was in the room:



After a piping hot shower and some more alcohol (for medicinal purposes) we drove up to Amirim, a moshav that is totally vegetarian, but according to our restaurant expert, holds one of the best restaurants in Israel - I'll be darned if I can remember the name, but our expert knows her onions, so we weren't worried. The restaurant was cute, nice open fire burning away in the middle if the room, and no pissed Englishmen rolling about on the floor, not yet anyway...The food was great, though the fixed menu kind of limits your choice - soup, starter salads, a main course and then dessert. And more alcohol of course...we were the last to leave, at something around 1...I don't remember ever eating so much and not feeling indigestion, guess that must say something for the vegetarian way of life...but time for some zzzzzzzzzz...

Saturday morning back in Bet Ja'an. Recovering from the banging steel drum band marching around in my head, there probably was an authentic Druize breakfast - all home produce, including the paper-thin Druize bread - I'm glad mrs anglosaxy took a picture, otherwise this might have slipped my memory (too much alcohol = limited memory capacity the morning after):



I then took mrs. anglosaxy for some picture posing - it's always recommended to bring your own sexy model - around Bet Ja'an. This is about the best of the lot (any references to Gaza have been deleted from this post...):



We then checked out and were on our way. We basically drove around the Maalot area and sought out anything that looked like a surging, raging river, as most of the other Israeli 'tourists' in the area seemed to be doing (strange what a few centimetres of rain can do to the people in this country...). After a successful river-hunt, in which we also came across what seemed to be the same herd of goats at least 5 times - including the 'on the knees' goat who'd obviously been in a long relationship with a female Israeli goat, see below - we were getting hungry and a little homesick (not me, the other half...).



So, after driving for what seemed hours amidst the various pitstops along the way, we stopped at Ramat Yishai, a smallish town near Yokneam. The restaurant: Limousine. Our restaurant expert insisted that this be our final port of call before heading home.

Now this restaurant, despite not being too fancy, is one of those places where you need to make a reservation, or end up waiting half an hour for a table to clear...we called in advance when we were on our way, but still waited half an hour...< clenched teeth > If there's something that makes my blood boil it's waiting in line for food or alcohol. I'd rather go to MacDonalds than sit and wait, however delicious the food. It always amazes me when I see Israelis queuing outside a coffee shop or a fancy restaurant - these people are legendary for their impatience, yet are prepared to wait half an hour for a cup of coffee?? What, the coffee is so much better than the coffee shop two doors down? Yeh, right...it's all about being seen in the 'right' places...excuse me, but that is such utter f**king bollocks...< /clenched teeth >

But here I was with 3 Israelis, 2 of whom were hungry females. If there's something that I've learned in my time in this country, you don't mess with a hungry Israeli female. So, much like the goat in the picture above, I had to behave myself and shut the f**k up like the good husband I am..."On your knees, Ashley, on your knees!!"

The food itself was great, the meat fantastically tender - apparently the restaurant raises their own livestock - though if a little tight portion-wise...but good enough to chill out everybody and even raise a guttural snore from the back seat (sorry Rino!) during the drive home.

Not a bad trip, though the food will be remembered more fondly than anything else...

UPDATE: The restaurant in Amirim was HaSauda Aharona - loosely translated as The Last Meal.

Another bomb...

The start of the working week in Israel has yet again been shattered by the loss of innocent lives, again in Jerusalem...I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't delve too deeply into these incidents, however sickening they might be. My blog is about living around these moments of horror...

Take a whiff...that'll be the weekend on its way!

Thursday afternoons are extremely tedious affairs, especially around this time (4.15 pm). You know it's the end of the working week, but it's still not quite within grasp...the only thing that gets me or any of my corridor inmates stirring in our seats is the fortnightly cake affair. Today's effort was from N, a rich, oozing chocolate cake that demanded another slice be taken, for medicinal purposes of course...the weekly departMENTAL meeting that accompanied it was completely forgetable, as always. My input in the meeting was, as ever, inspirational (why, oh why, do I have to attend these meetings?...):

"Would you be interested in going on a VB (Visual Basic) course, Ashley?"

"Er, not really, thanks", I replied, flashing my toothiest smile...

Tomorrow we're off 'up North' for some 4x4ing...just hope that our friend isn't one of those legally blind drivers (see Feb 11th's post). I'll probably be back on these pages on Sunday morning, so until then, have a nice one...

Repollenization

In response to public demand, I have decided to add a couple more categories to the current poll. We aim to please at anglosaxy:

Israeli-born, now in Israel.
AND
Israeli-born, currently abroad.

Due to size limits, I can't make the first option here any more descriptive. Hopefully now all bases are covered. Feel free to vote again, though if you do, maybe you can leave a comment telling me how you voted originally, just to keep it accurate. Cheers guv'nor.

Award fever!

This week in Britannia they have been dishing out the gongs like hot cakes...two 'big' ceremonies, the BAFTAs and the Brit Awards, celebrating the movie and music industries. How interesting, I hear you cry...well, I wouldn't normally be enthusing about these kind of showbizzy bullshit nights out, but I was pleased to see a couple of my favourites get a deserved gong or 2...

Of course, us Brits, never ready to lose out to Americans, decided a couple of years ago to switch the BAFTAs to just before the Oscars, so as to bathe in a little of the hype that is the Oscars...probably a good move, if you're in the movie bizz - to us others, not too sure there are many that give a f**k...Stephen Fry, the BAFTA MC for the night, came up with a great line when warning winners about their lengthy acceptance speeches: "If you carry on too long my breast might accidentally pop out." Anyway, Lost in Translation got 3 gongs, including Best Actress for the cute Scarlett Johansson. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It has some great moments - try this "Lip my stocking" clip - and will ring true for any of you who have ever struggled to comprehend the locals in a foreign land...

Awards for the music industry? Not sure it deserves any with the amount of crap out there today. However, if there is one band that have captured my ears, and the ears of many others, it is The Darkness. Now I never claimed to be a metal-head or rocker, but this band make such a refreshing change, you can't help but fall for the rocking guitars and falsetto yelps. Their songs are instantly catchy, yet musically astute, pomp pop-rock. And as a result, I can't keep their CD out of my car's CD player. Awaiting Tel Aviv tour dates, boys...

Forced vacation

My office has decided to close down over the coming Passover (Pessah) holidays. So we all get an extended vacation, while they steal 3 days from our holiday allowance. Very nice of them. Well impressed. As I work part-time, I'm not sure exactly how many days they should be taking from me, but it definitely shouldn't be 3. I think. Anyone know the law regarding this? Now I get a vacation forced upon me, while mrs. anglosaxy will be going in to work...so it looks like I'll be playing a lot of PlayStation or waxing down my surfboard, if the weather picks up...

For blog's sake

Got a day off from the treadmill today, or the 'corridor' of power...so I'm working on bits and pieces, including a few lesson plans and my travelog, which seems to be taking forever.

I've added a couple more links to my 'top blogs', two blogs that I regularly look at, though they are probably limited in their appeal as they are a tad 'specialist'...

arseblog: a daily blog about Arsenal, written by a 'gooner' English teacher living and working in Spain. Watch out for the 'effin and blindin'...

mango sauce: a blog about daily life in Bangkok, written by a Brit...takes me back to my Thai days back in 2002...a bit laddish this one, but good.

And for any of you still thwacking the penguin, this is the latest version...my best is a weak 379...

Even colder out there...

Hard to believe - this is Israel, after all - but, yes, it's been snowing in Jerusalem and up North. I always used to believe it was only camels and desert here, but those dreams were shattered in my first couple of winters here (wow, that must be back in '90, '91...). Then again, 'winter' here in the Holy Land is never really winter as us Brits call it...I always compare it to an English summer, 2 or 3 days of great sun-blasting, t-shirt, shorts and flip flop days, then 3 or 4 days of cooler, wetter weather.

What makes me smile most is the Israeli attitude to cold, or even snowy weather. Out come the scarves, overcoats and woolly hats...and that's when it drops down to a lowly 16-17 celsius. These guys are f**ked when it snows, they don't have a clue...I was watching Channel 2 this morning and sat bemused while they decided to have an outdoor fashion session, with the latest designs in snowboard and ski suits. This is perhaps relevant for 0.05% of the population. Never mind the poor bastard who had to hold an umbrella over the hostess as she sat holding her microphone - can't remember her name, Yarden Arazi? - as it began to hail down...of course, switching over to Channel 10, the only alternative to local breakfast TV, yielded similar results...

Having said all that, I really miss snow and will be the first to drive up to Jerusalem to take some shots and throw some snowballs at mrs. anglosaxy...this weekend we're heading up North with our friends and their 4x4, hopefully some snow will be still be around to initiate a 'battle of the sexes' snowball fight! Bring it on, girls, bring it on...

Cold out there...

Today was one of those days when it was better to stay wrapped up indoors. So, of course, we went out and went garden nursery window shopping with friends...after 20 minutes of jumping between rain showers, we - that is, the masculine half of our 4-person entourage - managed to convince the feminine half that it might be better to go home and watch the Manchester United/Manchester City derby on TV. This didn't go down too well, but we called it evens - they carried on with their 'window shopping' while we went on home. The rest of the afternoon was a little ladish, lots of beer and dishing on the other halves, like you do, before a rerun of 'Lost in Translation' (accompanied by the other halves of course). That's the second time I've seen it, but it's still good...

Market tour 2004

Last night: Carmel market, Tel Aviv
This morning: Rosh Ha'ayin market

I actually enjoy going to some of Israel's markets, in particular Tel Aviv's fabled Carmel market. Last night, on the way back from my English lessons, I stopped off there for some beers and vegetables (of course, the beers were priority No. 1...). The range of colors, smells and noises culminate in a senses overkill - just don't go down the backstreet meat section when they're hosing down the roads...the stench is repulsive and, hey, watch out for those floating beaks and chicken feet...y-u-m-m-y...I've actually cut down on my visits to the local supermarkets and regularly visit the Carmel market instead, it's so much cheaper and the experience is more enjoyable. Where else could you get cursed at by the market seller for daring to pick out his ripest, juiciest tomatoes?

This morning, mrs. anglosaxy decided she wanted to see the market in Rosh Ha'ayin, so off we went. I think it was the second time we'd been, but it's not bad, if not quite on a par with the Carmel market. What caught me off guard today was the number of people who just barged into both me and the missus, without even blinking. I know it was very crowded, I hadn't forgotten I'm in Israel, AND I know people are doing their Friday shopping. But when mrs. anglosaxy gets to comment on the range of pointed elbows prodding into her, I know we are really in trouble...

Thinking about it now, could it be that the Carmel market is a watered down version of an authentic Israeli market, catering for tourists and those soft Tel Aviv yuppies (you can probably count me as one of those...)? I mean the food and clothes are the same, but the people are different - both those selling and those buying. The people in Rosh Ha'ayin seemed a little rougher, 'we take no bullshit' kind of people...or maybe I was just being too sensitive? Maybe I don't really experience the real Israel in Tel Aviv? Who knows...

Anyway, Mr Tuborg is calling my name and he's brought his brothers with him...

Calling Mr C...

I've just come back from the forest with Z (wonderdog) for the second time this week, so thought I'd post a couple of pics for the nature lovers out there. Ahhh, how sweet...it is nice out there though, especially when you don't have to worry about slinking into the office.

Later this afternoon I've got 3 English lessons (all in Rishon Lezion, about 30 minutes drive, traffic allowing, from Tel Aviv), so don't think it's all play and no work - I also have to put in a fair bit of preparation work since I'm still fairly new at this teaching malarky. [At this point I'd like to extend a big thank you to THE INTERNET, without which I'd surely struggle to come up with good, solid material. The amount of good materials available on the Web is simply amazing!]

For those of you missing Mr C, you know as much as to his whereabouts as I do...maybe he might have charmed the socks off some poor, unfortunate Londoner and is now happily preparing for his nuptials...and look at that big, fat sow flying past my window...Anyway, come back Mr C, my bank account and laugh lines have been feeling a little down without you!

Israeli drivers

So, my shouts of "You need glasses, mate!" as some bastard cut me up, were fully justified. This is f**king unbelievable...

Quake!

Wow, did you feel that? That was amazing! My first earthquake...
I thought it was a lorry going past at first, coz we're very close to the La Guardia freeway junction and often feel some vibrations from HGVs, but after a few seconds, as my corridor inmates began to look a little apprehensively at each other (and one or two dived under their tables while donning waste paper baskets on their heads) and the shaking didn't stop, I knew it was something a little more serious...I would not have appreciated being on the upper floors of the Azrieli towers during this little 'rumble'...

Poll results

Well you healthy lot, you have crowned Schwarma as the food of champions, the outright dribbler inducer...it managed to grab 33% of the vote, just pipping Humus into second place, while my personal favourite, Jachnun, was a lowly third. I can assume that some of you have therefore perfected the 'wiping-of-grease-from-your-arms-as-it-runs-down-them' routine...while desperately trying to remain poised and collected. Nice one!

That means there is a new poll, as you can see on the right of this page. My new question is "Who's reading this blog - where are you from?". Us Brits are overwhelmingly in the lead at the moment...ahem...we have 100% of the vote! You have the power to change this...

Feel it hot, hot, hot!

Yep, it's scorching out there, even my weather pixie has gone for the vest, shorts and flip flops. Aaah, the joys of an English, er, sorry, Israeli winter. Don't worry, it's storms ahead this weekend...

This might be a little late, I only just found it...but nice to see that the Superbowl had some REAL culture. And, no, I'm not referring to the oh so scandalous Janet (for f**ks sake America, it was a boob! This nutter is already suing for serious injury - maybe I should sue for cricking my neck when trying to spot the offending nipple), I'm talking about classy British streakers...

Nature boy

Today was my turn to be at one with nature... I didn't have any students and wasn't supposed to go into the office, so I took Z (wonderdog) to the forest next to Rosh Haayin. I think I was the only human around as I didn't spot a single car in the various pit stops throughout the forest. Wow, what a glorious day, eh?! My weather pixie (on the right side of this page) was talking about 21 degrees, though it felt even warmer...and so many flowers in bloom, it was quite a sight - carpets of rakefot and kalaniot (if I'm not mistaken, cyclamen and anemones).

Continuing in the nature vein, we had a prickly little buggar come and visit us earlier this evening, and I'm not talking about one of the in-laws...

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Last night we got to see the very cute Scarlett Johanssen in Girl with a Pearl Earring. Not bad, though more of a girlie movie, with the slow pace and emotion-charged love story that isn't quite a love story...

Yakuza!

Yakuza - the Japanese mafia for those of you who didn't know. Appropriate name really, after yesterday's events...

Well, I had it all planned...I settled for Yakuza after looking at their website and reading something nice about them in some review piece. I booked a table for 4, though mrs. anglosaxy didn't know that 2 of our friends were going to join us. Then the phone rang. It was mama anglosaxy, the matriarchal commander of the in-laws.

"What? So when will I be able to see my daughter?" she cried in response to my revealing of my plans for the evening. This I could understand if they saw each other once a month. They work in the same family business and see each other every day...

"Er, well, maybe sometime during the day, or even on Friday?" Mama anglosaxy wasn't happy, though I was sticking to my guns. The conversation closed with me feeling guilty but victorious. For 2 minutes. The phone rang again.

"How about if we join you at the restaurant, everyone can get to see her and everyone pays for themselves?" How do you respond to such a tempting offer? I caved...I'm sure mama anglosaxy could out-persuade any Yakuza honcho...

So, rather sheepishly, I phoned the restaurant to increase my table to 12 (!) and then phoned our friends to let them know...and give them the option to withdraw from the battlefield, but, to their credit, they agreed to join my coalition. The scene was set.

The evening started well, we were the first to arrive, as planned, and mrs. anglosaxy was all mine, at least for a few minutes...then our friends arrived, much to her surprise, and we had a laugh at her expense, telling her about my plans. At this point she didn't know that her tribe was on its way, as the restaurant, much to their credit, had given us a small table. She's since told me that she was very surprised at our friends turning up, but was shocked when her family joined the melee. When they did turn up, we were all ushered to a big, long table and I suddenly had a thirst for copious amounts of saki...

Five saki jugs later I rubbed my eyes, but they were still there..."Waitress, another jug please!" Resigned to the fact that the saki wasn't hitting the right places, I accepted a few sips of some contraband whiskey that papa anglosaxy had smuggled in under his coat...that did the job!

So, assisted by a whiskey-induced haze, the rest of the night passed by with me smiling and nodding at the various 'hilarious' stories they went through (forgetting that my Hebrew isn't 100% and so I invariably miss the punchline)...at least mrs. anglosaxy was happy, that was the main goal, right?

I have to say that the restaurant is GREAT! The place has a great atmosphere, one of those places where you can feel intimate as a couple and still not notice the rowdy tribe of 12 in the corner. The waitresses and owner/manager were very attentive, the food very tasty and in good quantity. I heartily recommend it, though would recommend not caving in to your own mama anglosaxy if you plan on a nice, intimate dinner.

I'd also like to thank those who gave me their recommendations, nice job! I have added your favourites to the list and they will be visited, especially Sushido...

Dropping off...

Matchsticks, that's what I need. To prop up my eyelids. I've just come out of a very boring meeting. I'm sure my eyes look like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, all bloodshot and bulging. At least I wasn't the only one struggling...when one of my corridor inmates was asked a question she struggled and admitted she was falling asleep. Got to admire the honesty! Me, I kept thinking about all that Saki I'm going to down tonight...It was also the fortnightly cake baking extravaganza, with O, the vodka-toting Ruskie, treating us to an apple pie. Not bad, but my cake from 2 weeks ago has set the benchmark, ha ha!

Sushi?

It's mrs. anglosaxy's birthday tomorrow so I plan on taking her for some Japanese/Thai food tomorrow night...anyone got any dead-cert recommendations for the Tel Aviv/Herzliya area?

Newbies

Picked up a couple of new students last night, while another newbie cancelled this morning...slowly business is taking off, not enough to jack in the day job just yet, but hopefully to a point where I'm making more than I was as a full-time Tech Writer (I'm only part-time these days, as I try and make a go of the English teaching). The major reason for bunking off from the Tech Writing was the lack of job satisfaction (there are people who absolutely love this profession, but I think you've got to have a special kind of mental constitution to survive more than a few years!)...and, though it ain't easy by any means, there's something mighty rewarding when somebody grasps something new in YOUR language.

Take last night for example - I had a lesson with 2 kids, complete beginners. We went over the alphabet on my portable board - within 20 minutes the older kid (he's 9) had got it! He even told me he was going to tell his English teacher at school that she was useless because she'd been teaching them for 3 months and he could never get past 'G'...kind of makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Rock star

There I was, stood before an enthusiastic crowd of 200-300 teenagers, ready to strut my stuff...my guitar in hand, my bandmates just about to launch into our anthem that was guaranteed to get the crowd going...but 'doooiiinnggg!', one of my guitar strings decided to detach itself and spoil the party. I tried to carry on, but being the professional axe-man that I am, it couldn't last. Eventually the four of us just sat ourselves down on stage and launched an acoustic session, much to the delight of the crowd - boy, were they hungry for music!

Shame it was only a dream...

Skype

It's not often that I get impressed by the latest 'hot' application apparently destined to change the world as we know it, but I have to say that Skype is damned fine (there was a time when I used to follow all the latest 'killer' tools, but those days are gone). Skype uses the Internet to make free calls between users, wherever they are in the world, just like a phone. There is no actual need for a phone, the only requirement is that both users have Skype installed and are online at the same time (plus of course they'll need speakers and headphones or a headset to speak and listen). I've tried it and it works nicely, though full-duplex it's not (talking at the same time is a bit iffy)...but BIG savings can be made on international calls...

February and family...

Welcome to February...that makes anglosaxy one month old!

< pointless trivia >
Hope you all realise that this month is a leap February, and for all of us who love to turn up at work on a Sunday morning, there are going to be 5 Sundays this month...the first time that has happened since 1976. And I thought February was a short month...
< /pointless trivia >

Israeli families, love 'em or hate 'em, they are here to stay...I really don't know how they stand it, but my in-laws, love 'em as much as I do, really cannot get enough of each other! They not only work together in the family business, which means they work (and fight) together 5/6 days a week, but they seem to love spending time together at the weekends as well...Yesterday was a classic example, though the get together was magnified out of all proportion with invites extended to some uncles and aunts...a quaint, little gathering of some 40 people.

Now, if this was once every couple of months, I would say OK, I could understand the want to get together, but this happens A LOT. I know it's not just a 'Jewish thing', as I have a couple of immigrant friends who are regularly looking for reasons to bunk off from the Shabbat tribal gatherings, and they came here for largely Zionist reasons...Maybe I need to have a couple of kids to appreciate the values of this close-knit family unit idea or maybe I was just unlucky in falling for a Iraqi-Iranian sex goddess...whatever the reason, I can't see these gatherings as more than a waste of a whole Saturday, as they invariably end up taking up most of the day, despite mrs. anglosaxy's assurances that 'we'll go after an hour or two'.

For those of you looking for a way out, I think I might have stumbled upon a solution...yesterday I mentioned to 2 of mrs. anglosaxy's nephews that I have a few new games for my PlayStation, including Dragonball Z, an apparent hit with the kids in this country. So, thanks to their hysterical enthusiasm, I 'forced' myself to take them back to our place (5 minutes drive away) and show them the game...Total time with the extended tribe: 1 hour...be warned, this solution has been copyrighted...