Last night

Last night I had a dentist appointment. I usually postpone these appointments because I shake in dentist chairs. When I came to Israel, I hunted out any Native-English speaking dentists because it's bad enough to have to go to one - but it's even worse having to deal with dentists who have Israeli mentality - not being sympathethic to my fears of drills and and air in my nose. So I go to a very good and respected American dentist who has all the latest toys in his office, outside of laser. I walk in expecting to find some US-type of decorum. Instead, the hygenist's assistant is flossing her teeth in the reception area by the mirror (not in the bathroom where I usually floss). I quickly consoled myself by leafing through a Good Housekeeping magazine with ads of stuff I could never get here. The dentist seats me down and works on me - painlessly - and regales me with tales of his father-in-law who is visiting from the US. "He brought me tuna fish, lots of tuna fish - because it's cheap and M&M, because it was cheap. But you know what they have now in the States? Hershey's kisses with caramel. They are Fantastic!" He nearly exploded with delight. Ah yes, straight out of the dentist and I have terrible cravings for chocolate. why not? It'll surely keep the dentist in business.

If I could have gone home and rested, I would have, but instead my son had a parents/teachers meeting. Those meetings last 3 hours. They're hell. First of all they're all in Hebrew so Hubby doesn't go because his is virtually non-existent. I sat through the teacher going through her routine of their day at school and the subjects and who the teachers will be for the subjects she won't be teaching. The everyone exploded in a yelling and screaming match except for quiet little me. The reason being was that in literature class they were going to take the kids out one by one for 15 minutes and work with them in subjects the kids themselves asked for enrichment in. "THEY'LL LOSE OUT IN CLASS, WHY DO THEY HAVE TO GO OUT OF THIS CLASS? THEY WON'T BE PREPARED FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TWO TEACHERS TEACHING JEWISH LAW? WHY WHY WHY??????" There was only one man who used the modern technique of "I heard you say....and can we...." But then it went back to screaming and yelling which went on for 45 minutes until I slipped out of the classroom at 10:15 pm, much to the dismay of my son. "You didn't see my card I wrote you." "Please have mercy on me" I said to him. I had to leave and go home to watch Will and Grace. "You care about that show more than you care about me." I certainly care more about that show than I do sitting in a screaming match with parents and a teacher.

Today, feeling less fatigued, Hubby picked up Abed on the way to my work and his work. He asked where the salami was and I didn't get the joke. Hubby said his radio wasn't working but Abed had put a piece of salami on the tip of the antenna and the radio began to work beautifully. Should we publish this tidbit of info on household tips?