Everything, Nothing, and I'm a Middle Child

I say this is out of context because of the tragedy our world has just witnessed. I'm simply not going to comment. You can read the news, you can talk to friends and family, you can read other blogs that have felt the effects perhaps more personally and profoundly than I have. I'd feel like I was leeching on the catastrophe to comment. That is not to say my brothers are incorrect to comment - Nathan is in Edinburgh, so feels this much more than I do, and Mendon has friends closely effected. I understand that they saying something is more appropriate than me doing the same.

Wow, that was quite the disclaimer.

I'm currently listening to Jolie Holland, a singer Mark recently 'discovered'. He's described her as melancholy, dreamy and bioluminescent. You decide.

We'll be hosting a BBQ this evening for some friends - both staff and pilgrims. It's kind of interesting, as we have no gas. It has forced me to step back and do less than I ordinarily would. I can't prepare a pasta salad or make yummy channa (an Indian chic pea dish) or heat up the kitchen by baking dessert. So, Mark, of course, is taking care of all the barbecue-related activities. Other friends are bringing all the sides and dessert stuff. We'll see how long it is before I actually feel restrained by not having a stove, heheheh.

The lack o' gas story: most Israeli homes have 'gas balloons' (tanks of gas). You get two at a time: one to use, and one to use when the other runs out and you're waiting the few days it takes to get a replacement balloon. When the gas company brings the tank, it also checks to make sure all your valves, regulators, etc. are in good working order. Typically, the system works.

So, a little over a week ago, I was cooking scrumptious pasta dinner (with shrimp, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes & garlic sautee as the 'sauce'). Mmm - a favorite I recently invented. Yeah, so I was cooking that when - poof - all gas was gone. We switched tanks (after we'd gotten ourselves an alternate dinner) and went on our merry way. Now, I took my good sweet time calling the gas company. I thought, "what's the rush, I have another huge tank?" I procrastinated for about half a week I think. Then, I was cooking another yummy dinner of soy hash, potatoes & green beans when - poof - it went AGAIN!!! Fortunately, that dinner was far enough along that we were still able to eat it. But no more gas.

And, unfortunately, to my disappointment, when I called the gas company it turns out that two years ago - probably when the gas tank first went empty - they had said that some repairs needed to be made before they'd install a new tank. And somehow that didn't happen. So no new tank. Hence our current predicament. I think we, unknowingly, had the problems fixed of our own accord, but I can't be sure, so we have to wait for repairmen to come out and check it. Except, err ... we forgot to leave our door in the particular manner necessary for our repairmen to be able to enter our flat (the BWC has its own repair people). So, umm, they weren't able to get in on Thursday. Which means they couldn't make the repairs and tell the gas company to come out. We probably won't have gas again until at least Monday, and quite probably later than that. Oops.

What I wouldn't do for a toaster oven. Over the years I have missed a toaster oven on a number of occasions. We should have put it on our wedding registry :-)