Freaky Friday

Another wacky day. I wanted to register my kid in a religious junior high school, after that last episode of registering him in a local school where they made him feel like half a criminal because he's not a perfectly-behaved clone child. He's a great kid -really. And I need a school to recognize that greatness.

I lost one hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings beginning today. And it was no April Fools joke. I hopped into a cab. I told the cab driver where I was going - to this religious boys' school in an Orthodox Jewish area.

"Had I known you were going there, I wouldn't have taken you!" was his remark. Being in a rush, I had no intention of jumping out of his cab to wait for another one. What a dick. And he continued.

"I remember driving you on the Sabbath."

He was obviously confused.

I told him that, yes, we are not an Orthodox Jewish family, however, it is my 13 year old son's wish that he go to one of these schools and I fully respect his decision.

My cab driver didn't.

"I just got a call from a woman in Vered Yericho (a settlement near Jericho). She told me she wants a cab at 1:00 pm on Saturday but wants a non-Jewish cab driver. She would only take me if I'm a Moslem. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT??? So I told her - yes, I am a Moslem. That's what these rabbis told her. It's ok for her to drive on a Sabbath? But not ok for me to drive her because I'm not a Moslem?" And he droned on and on until I nearly fell asleep in his cab. Fortunately the ride was only 10 minutes.

Later that afternoon Hubby showed our half-bassett hound dog to a prospective adoptive family. It was getting impossible for either of us to fully take care of him. I'm too tired to walk him at night, so it's usually Hubby walking him twice a day and he's resentful. So we decided anyone looking for a dog who looks half -normal, can adopt him. But my son decided to sabotage the entire deal.

Hubby to prospective adoptive family "This dog is gentle, smart, doesn't bark and doesn't bite."

Son: Yes he does, he bites children. He jumps up on the counter and chases cats. He jumps out of the car window and when you take him for walks and let him off the chain, he doesn't come back.

Hubby called me up afterwards, while I was having coffee in downtown Jerusalem frantic.

"That's it. I'm taking away his keyboard. Everything I told these people, he told them the opposite."

I was with a friend, with a Buddhist calmness about him. That calmness was contagious.

"You just have to understand where this is coming from" I told him with great owl-like wisdom. He obviously doesn't want you to give away the dog.

Funnily enough, when this couple and Hubby took the dog for a walk - the dog, as if knowing what was going on, took a whiff of fresh dog crap on the grass, ate half of it and then rolled back and forth on it, smooshing the crap on himself. What a pooch.