Yo Blair!
May is Arthritis Awareness Month! Yay!
When most people hear “Arthritis” they think of old people with creaky and swollen joints. This is called Osteoarthritis, which is most likely caused by general wear and tear and of course, aging. However the vast majority of arthritis cases affect people far younger. These are Rheumatic diseases which causes the body’s immune system to attack the joints. It is most common for symptoms to show up in your mid twenties.
I first showed symptoms when I was 22 but my disease wasn’t full blown until I was 26 or so. It started with foot pain when I was in the army. I saw my first orthopedist towards the end of basic training. I was told that the pain is due to my flat feet and stress fractures. Throughout my army service I saw numerous orthopedists and was misdiagnosed each and every time. My pain continued, grew worse, yet I persevered. Once I got discharged, I took it easy physically, yet the pain persisted and worsened. It wasn’t until I saw a foot and ankle specialist that I was finally pointed in the right direction. After examining my numerous x-rays and bone scans as well as a physical examination he concluded that there is no evidence of stress fractures, that I don’t have flat feet and there is nothing mechanically wrong with my foot. He recommended that I see a Rheumatologist. I had other symptoms as well but never made the connection with my foot pain. The minor pain I was experiencing in my hand wasn’t due to my daily guitar playing. I didn’t even notice the red spots on my head. I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. And that was the day my life changed forever.
I was put on anti-inflammatories and a disease altering medication. Neither helped and my condition deteriorated. My foot got so swollen and sensitive that I couldn’t even put on a sock without experiencing excruciating pain. Driving was out of the question. I couldn’t apply pressure on the pedals. My left foot started to hurt as well. Then my spine, my neck, and eventually every joint in my hips. Before I knew it I could barely walk without the assistance of crutches. I received a few steroid injections in my feet that enabled me to walk. Yet life continued to become a challenge. Sure I complained a lot, but I’m not sure my friends realized exactly how much pain I was in - physically and emotionally. Being diagnosed with a life altering, painful chronic disease that has no cure is a lot to deal with. It didn’t help whenever I mentioned arthritis I was the butt of all too many jokes. I know my friends just didn’t really understand what I was going through, but it was hard not to ignore them…
Look up more.
Dear Arcaffe, you disgust me and your customer service sucks.
Dear Arcaffe,
Nearly every morning on my way to work I stop at the Jerusalem branch for a cup of coffee. I am always satisfied and your employees are always very pleasant and make a customized outstanding cup of coffee. However today, I am sad to say, I had a bad experience.
I received my cappuccino and after taking a sip I noticed it was lukewarm - barely hot at all. I don’t know if this is because the barman didn’t steam the milk properly or used an espresso shot that was sitting around for a minute or two. I mentioned to the barman making the coffee that it was not hot at all and he said sarcastically “not hot at all, huh?” and “he will warm it up.” He took the cup and used the device that steams the milk to heat up the beverage. I was in complete shock. Not only is this completely unhygienic and disgusting but it completely ruined the taste of the coffee.
There are no shortage of options for good coffee in Jerusalem, but I pay a little extra for great coffee at Arcaffe. I know the standards at Arcaffe are incredibly high and you pride yourselves on a great product and service. Please inform your management at the Jerusalem branch about this practice. I will not be returning to Arcaffe and will tell my friends not to patronize your establishment until I hear from someone that this problem has been remedied.
Thank you.
Sent to Arcaffe via their website on February 28, 2008. I have still not received a response.
Crossposted to Jerusalem.net: The Jerusalem Culture Guide.
My baby likes public art.
At the Com.vention
I am currently at the Com.vention at Airport City. It’s Israel’s largest Internet convention. I am twittering here and there…at least until my battery dies or hopefully I can find an outlet.
Tanks, Kubeh, Bourekas and Babies: A Personal History of Immigration to Israel
It turns out that Israel takes on different appearances depending on whose eyes it’s viewed through. An early twenty-something steps off the plane and sees through wide eyes a sun-kissed land filled to brimming with young olive skinned honeys filling out olive-toned uniforms in all the right places, deliciously greasy buckets of shwarma meat seductively rotating on their spits, glistening bottles of Goldstar and milky glasses of arak, and idyllic kibbutzim whose apparent main agricultural product isn’t exactly found in the SuperSol, all set to the exotic high-velocity throat music of modern Hebrew. A thirty-something longtime resident of Israel sees exactly the same thing, except it’s through the windshield of a somewhat sensible sedan as he drives his toddler to daycare. It’s all about perspective, and to understand how one perspective slowly but surely evolves into another, you have to understand how one falls in love in Israel and stays there.
• 1974. Was born.
• 1982. The son of my chazzan (cantor) visited my synagogue while on leave from the IDF. I was somewhat in awe.
• 1984. When I was ten a friend returned from a summer trip to Israel. I recall asking if there were any amusement parks there. She asked her father, and he said there was one called “Ferris Wheel” in Rishon Leztion. Israel had suddenly become an appealing place for me to visit. I enjoyed Dollywood, so I figured I’d enjoy Israel too.
• 1986. Mrs. Osmon, my Israeli Hebrew teacher at Hebrew school, had it in for me and became one of my childhood enemies. She did not endear me to Israel.
• 1987. Two Israeli students visited my Hebrew school and brought with them a cassette tape of Israeli rap. I ran like DMC.
• 1986 - 1990. Through my involvement in USY, my connection to and knowledge of Israel grew. Fought incessantly with leftist teachers at my high school about Israel. Digested every book possible about Israel to use as ammunition, Exodus included. Saw movie. Had crush on Karen Hansen Clement. Worried about Israel and was glued to CNN during the Gulf War. The chazzan from my synagogue went to volunteer. Was in awe.
• 1991. Visited for the first time as a participant on USY Poland Seminar/Israel Pilgrimage. Holocaust bad. Israel good. Refused to wear sandals. Drank a lot of Kinley. Was in awe of the IDF.
• 1994. Ms. Carmel, my Israeli Hebrew teacher in college, had it in for me and became one of my adulthood enemies.
• 1994 - 1997. Became heavily involved in pro-Israel activism on the campus of SUNY Albany. Many debates with Anti-Zionists and Israel-haters. By the time I left they were still Anti-Zionists and Israel-haters. Started to hate myself. Was in awe of all of friends who made aliyah and served in the IDF. Decided that I too want to serve in the IDF.
• 1997 -1998. Made Aliyah. Got drunk a lot. Ate kubbe soup for the first time. Rejoiced. Enjoyed hummus as a meal. Naomi, my Hebrew teacher at ulpan, did not have it in for me. Left ulpan early to be drafted into the IDF. Served in the Armored Corps. Learned to love, then hate and finally respect tanks. Got dirty. Wasn’t as a good shot as I thought I was. Spent Israel’s 50th anniversary on guard duty. Thought that was cool. Lost 30 pounds. Began a life long relationship with baby wipes. Gained perspective. Listened to Berry. Met my future wife.
• 1999 - 2007. Bourekas, majadra, meorav yerushalmi. Cremshnitz, za’atar, Golan apples. Lahmajun, sabich, samboosak. Hummus. Worked at a myriad of start-ups. All failed. Not my fault. Got married. Strong relationship. Worked in print journalism and then ISRAEL21c. Learned that Israel is hi-tech and cures diseases. Started business. Business succeeds. Had baby. Was in awe. Baby succeeds. Named her Tzofia after my favorite line of Hatikvah. Am in awe.
• 2008. Hate the politicians. Left and Right. Secular and Religious. Frustrated with the leadership. Demand change. Understand why they don’t but wishing our greatest minds would run this country. Love my family. Love my friends. Love my country. Want to help fix it. Hummus still delicious.
The 60 Bloggers project is co-production of Jewlicious.com and the Let My People Sing Festival. It is published daily for 60 days to celebrate Israel’s 60 birthday.
Come shit on us Ian Brown! We love it!
In the great tradition of artists such as Roger Waters and Erykah Badu, once again Israeli producers will be inviting a musician who will come perform in Israel, take our money and then ignorantly criticize our policies (granted, some of our policies suck, but we don’t need no education from performers who know close to nothing about the reality on the ground).
Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown who once took a vow never to perform in Israel, because “he doesn’t agree with the government’s regime” will be coming for one performance in the end of May.
The former STONE ROSES frontman is close friends with Israeli pop star Nimrod Levy (editors note: who?), who advised the ONE LOVE hitmaker to stay away from his homeland.
Brown says, “Nimrod has told me it isn’t safe to me to go over there. Nimrod told me that it isn’t safe to be in a club, in a city or in the country.
“Palestine is the biggest open-air prison in the world.
“Israel is a brutal regime, but if I didn’t play countries where I didn’t agree wit the regime, I’d never have played a show.
“I can say that without worrying. Let’s put it this way, I haven’t noticed any Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) agents outside my front door.”
He followed last year with this gem of a song called “Illegal Attacks” which featured these quite silly lyrics which could have been written by a undergraduate poetry major with an anti-war fetish at a bad liberal college:
So what the fuck is this UK
Gunnin’ with this US of A
In Iraq and Iran and in AfghanistanDoes not a day go by
Without the Israeli Air Force
Fail to drop it’s bombs from the sky?How many mothers to cry?
How many sons have to die?
How many missions left to fly over Palestine?
‘Cause as a matter of facts
It’s a pact, it’s an act
These are illegal attacks
So bring the soldiers back
These are illegal attacks
It’s contracts for contacts
I’m singing concrete facts
So bring the soldiers back
What ever happened to metaphors and allusions in tunes? You can read the rest of the lyrics and watch the video here. And yes, that is Sinead O’Connor singing background vocals. Sinead of the famous “Sharing Jerusalem: Two Capitals for Two States” debacle of 1997.
I love the Stone Roses as much as the next guy (really, an incredible band), but I will not be attending Ian Brown’s show. First of all, Ian Brown is not the total sum of the Stone Roses and if the lyrics above even remotely represent his current body of work, I think I’d find listening to the sounds of my own bowel movements more appealing.
Blue and White homegrown Israeli Grindhouse flick
Oh yeah. YouTube is full of gems. Long lost rock videos, cool concert footage, comedy routines, etc. But nothing, NOTHING compares to this incredible movie trailer I came across today. NOTHING. This is what the internet was made for.
AN AMERICAN HIPPIE IN ISRAEL. Apparently seen by a few people in a few late night showings in Tel Aviv in the seventies. Never released beyond that.
Yes, an American Hippie in Israel. Horrific dialogue, horrendous direction, LSD soaked scenes….oh just watch it.
But be warned, there is nudity, violence and killer mimes.
And robots being hit with a giant sledgehammer.
Seriously.
Please clarify, does he say “A push of a button and we are turned into wild animals or wild dynamos? Because wild dynamos would be that much more awesome.
DVD release is coming soon. Viewing at my house.
What is your favorite line from the trailer?
Tzofia: Year One
She may not have manifested any powers yet, but Batman did just fine without any. Thanks for making this Ziva!
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