Welcome to Israel

The whirlwind is starting. My parents and Jonathan arrived in Israel yesterday, so most of the day was spent settling them down in their apartment and carousing about in the town's lovely restaurants with the collected Pearson and Siegel families. There's nothing like having the whole family together. Ashira provides us with endless amusement with her boundless energy. Jon and Rachel's brother Dan seem to be taking to each other instantly. Seth and Rachel only become more darling together as the awaited day approaches.

In the evening hours before dinner, I also went to an orientation at the Open House for people who are volunteering for World Pride. Most of it was just going over fairly uninteresting details, however important. But in the middle, we took a break to transport the eagerly-awaited program schedule magazines from street level to the upper floors where they could be stored in the Open House's facilities on the upper floors for subsequent distribution. We formed a great big chain of lezzies and homos around the building's spiralling stairwell, and passed bundle after bundle after bundle of programs hand to hand. It was a blast: a spirit of cheerful camaraderie pervaded the scene. Someone with a video camera managed to record it, and I hope the footage does it justice.

Oh, and if you're waiting for me to start writing about the Nokia 770 that my parents brought me, you'll just have to wait a while. I hope to really put that thing through its paces and report back thoroughly, but that will have to wait until life returns to the slightly more boring routine that allows me to indulge in my gadget-love at a more leisurely pace.

Finally, a status report on the adorable Avishai. On Monday night, we had an amazing dinner at Agas V'Tapuach, strolled through Geulah for a little window shopping, and then hung out at Gan Sacher again, chatting about our favorite movies. He left to visit friends in Ashdod yesterday, so we most likely won't have the opportunity to meet again till after Tisha B'Av, but we have plans this Sunday to go shopping for proper wedding attire for me. I'm hoping we can also get together before that, though.

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