Haiku...Gesundheit!

Ans’ring Craigslist ads
Deadly tryst in posh hotel
Girlfriend’s sure surprised!

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Back to the Grind

Well, Passover is finished for another year. We did all of the meals at my daughter Rachel's house. I'm actually glad I went to Israel before the holiday since I lost about 5-7 pounds while I was there. I gained it all back over last week. Once the weather warms up here I will start riding my bike again. I'm deciding if I should grow some vegetables this year. Maybe I will.

Eve and I had Micah all day yesterday since Rachel and David went to New York for a wedding. They took Leah. We had a good time. First the birthday party at Gymjam, then the dog parade at Druid Hill Park, then baseball at Wellwood, a nap (thank God) and dinner at Milk and Honey Bistro. I then got to stay and watch movies at their house until they got back at 12:30 am. I started to watch Zombie Strippers but it was so bad I switched to Frequency. Much better.

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Once a Pirate...

I unfortunately missed the audition for this summer's G&S operetta since I was occupied in preparing for my trip to Israel. Imagine my surprise when, upon my return from the Middle East, I received an email from the director of the Young Victorian Theater Company and was asked to join the cast. As has been the case since the summer of 2001, I can't wait for rehearsals to begin! The Pirates of Penzance is one of my favorites.

There's another bit of summer magic I will be experiencing in July and August. I have been asked to prepare and deliver the cardiology learning module for the next set of several hundred administrative law judges hired by the Social Security Administration. Their basic job, as I understand it, is to overrule the medical opinions that my colleagues and I render. That should be fun.

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My Week on "The Strip."

Well..It all turned out to be a lot more interesting than I had anticipated. I was in Israel for nearly three weeks. I had joined a group from my shul who were going as Sar-El volunteers. Ten of us were stationed at a base outside of Rehovot for a week. We did mostly warehouse work. A fellow from San Francisco whose cousin coordinates all of the volunteer activities was tacked on to our Baltimore based group. He turned out to be a nice guy and quite friendly. I asked him if he could intercede with his cousin and find something interesting for me to do for my next week since everyone else from Baltimore was leaving. I was, therefore, sent to work at a base at the border of Israel, Gaza and Egypt. Our group of 10 guys was tasked with laying a concertina wire fence for several kilometers just inside the Israeli border. The purpose of the barbed wire was to slow down infiltrators coming over the Egyptian border at night. Here are some pictures. Being alone in the desert made an impression on me I won't soon forget. I came as close to the the commandment we read in the Haggadah at Passover-Bachol dor va dor, hayav adam leerot et atzmo, keelu who yatza memitzraiyim -as I ever will. It states: In every generation an individual must see himself as if he (personally) had gone out from Egypt.

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