shabbat shalom 07.08.09

Hi everyone, I just got news that I have two new publications: first, a research article on ten years of monitoring in desert oasis on the Dead Sea, and second, some of my recipes will be published in a cookbook.  Give you three guesses which will be more attractive to most people….chili con carne wins over redundancy analysis any day, I'm sure.  Not complaining except I have a galley proof to read and a grant proposal at the same time, plus trying to get my budget balanced on my current project…….after a brief lull, it's back to full blast here. I took time out to have dinner with the new deputy head of the American consulate here in Jerusalem.  He's an old guy, a Quaker who looked me up via the London international Friends office.  Rather interesting not just talking about the Quaker way of life but our various travels.  He's been even more places than me, and that says a lot.  We ranged from Africa to Latin America to Central Asia to the Far East….There is a thread of great curiosity about the world running through Quakers, who do tend to be travelers for some reason.  They are open to other points of view and observe the world with relish and humor.  As for me, I ramble all over but still return to take my "old familiar seat" (as Whittier wrote) when among Friends, like the compass needle always returns to pointing north.  There is a familiarity of thinking and attitude that is as comfortable as old clothing….. What remains of the summer is settling down.  My Dutch student is writing his reports now, and planning holiday trips to both the Golan and Sinai.  That's fine, since he always gets his work done.  I've never seen any other people with such an appetite for sustained work as the Dutch. I asked this young man what he did with his leisure time at home, and he gardens!  Or hikes or bikes or runs.  Not much in the way of intellectual entertainment; it's all physical.  This alternates with dry scientific work.  It's a life that wouldn't appeal to many Israelis, but I know many Dutch like that.  I mean, they LIKE to work and are horrified at the idea of an idle life….Calvinist to the core… Dry hot summer now.  I'm making every effort to conserve water at home, especially since our water rates went up this past month.  Every drop of water gets used twice.  If not fit for the garden, it goes to flush the toilet.  I haven't used the tank on the toilet all week; just pails of shower and laundry water.  Hopefully this shows up on my water bills.  Somebody could make a good amount of money figuring out a simple way to recycle water in typical homes.  I like the idea but schlepping around pails of water is a pain. Other conservation efforts: the American dollar has nosedived here in the last week.  I was anxious since I'm going to Prague in September and all my savings for the trip are in dollars.  The dollar fell with a thump this week; the Bank of Israel bought dollars to bring the value up again (since a weak dollar is bad for our trade).  This shored it up a couple points but the Bank of Israel warns it can't do this much longer.  I expect another crash in value, so I'm converting my dollar savings to shekels today.  How bizarre to think of the Israeli shekel as a stronger currency than the American dollar, after our decades of funny money here. But such is the case today.  One hardly knows how to dance among the currencies with all that happens these days. Meanwhile, it's August, for heaven's sake.  Nobody takes life seriously in August.  Half of Israel is on vacation and the other half wishes it were.  It's hot.  Kids are on vacation.  As for me, I'll be flying to Prague on the first of September and it is too late now to start anything new.  Just paddle along and wrap things up.  Get stuff in order.  I'll spend a week in Karlovy Vary after my conference, and look forward to a week of relaxed living in the famous spa town….. Shabbat shalom, Linda