Greetings and salutations!

It's been a while, I know - which is because I've been quite busy, primarily with work. But here, at last, is the new post I've been promising. Oddly enough, it's gotten to the point where I really have to force myself to sit down and write one of these entries. Occasionally I get the temptation to go on a complete Web blackout; but I haven't turned down that road yet. I know there haven't been any pictures either. There are a couple up on the album, but nothing much as of yet; sorry folks. I'm wondering how long this chronicle of my journeys will continue...perhaps I'm just in "rut" at the moment.

Previously, there had been some confusion (including my own) regarding my Israeli mailing address. I can confirm that I have successfully received letter mail at this address:

Joe Armstrong
Apt. 9, 17 Ha'Aliya Hashniya St.
Haifa, ISRAEL   35255

Note that (1) the postal code is not necessary and (2) you must be sure to clearly separate the Apt. # from the building #. Ultimately, the apartment number is also unnecessary.

It's now been three months since I arrived in Israel and I have just gotten over a monster cold, but that's not all! Let's review...

The Good:

I'm in Israel; this is incredible and the reality of a dream pursued and of prayers answered. I am excited about what lies ahead and remain committed to exploring positive opportunities. Whenever a goal is achieved, a certain amount of reassessment/reevaluation is to be expected, and that's certainly one of the issues I'm grappling with presently. I'd been working towards being here for some time so the question arises: what now? Only God and time will tell....

I live five minutes walk from the Mediterranean Sea. This is one of the key benefits to living in Bat Galim, an otherwise not particularly impressive neighborhood. There is nothing quite like taking a nightly stroll next to the sea, breathing in the salt sprinkled air and listening to the hypnotic crashing of the waves. It really helps me clear my head of some of the constant noise and distraction.

Aside from the two wedding parties I've been lucky enough to attend since being here, as well as spending Rosh Ha'Shana at my boss' moshav as previously reported, I also won 100 Shekels (approx. $25) on a scratch lotto which was pretty cool. Beyond that though, by far one of the most interesting things that has happened since being here was being invited to appear as part of a prime time Israeli TV show!

Channel 2, one of Israel's major broadcasters, is picking up the Israeli version of Hell's Kitchen. For those who don't know what that is, it's essentially a "reality show" in which teams of chefs compete under the watchful (and generally abusive) eye of a celebrity chef. Anyway, for the initial recording (the show starts playing in February) they wanted to have an audience entirely made up of foreigners. As luck would have it, some of my friends here have connections to the production and got me an invite! I love every chance I get to travel to the Jerusalem area and a free three course, five star dinner is certainly nothing to shake your head at! 

Finally and most recently, I had another unique invitation, that being to celebrate American Thanksgiving with the family of a woman I'd met through work. They all live in a religious community up near Tiberias (the beautiful upper Galilee). The food and the company were tremendously enjoyable and I had some further educational experiences through attending Shul (aka Synagogue) as well as a Talmud study session! Among other things, I also learned that, apparently, everyone in this country is a technical writer and everyone likes folk music. That's an exaggeration of course but it really got to feeling that way at one point.

What else? I got to watch a bomb robot inspect an abandoned piece of luggage a while back (see an example of this below). Also, I finally paid back my car loan which means I have paid nearly 2/3 of the outstanding debts I had following college graduation! See, even though it doesn't feel like it, there is always something to celebrate.

The Bad:

As I learned from my first experience in Japan, the three month point in a foreign country is a crucial challenge. If you can make it through this milestone without losing your sanity or succumbing to crushing loneliness and depression, you should be ok. I remember how I bailed on my first Japan experience, which was very similar to what I'm going through now, and how that fueled my decision to return, and how it was so much better the second time around. The truth is that I am really not elated with my current situation, but I am committed to being here for at least a year. I've been waiting to be here for years so I'm not going to run away just because it involves struggle.

On the loneliness front, one thing I have done is to contact the local AACI (Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel) chapter here. They have a young adults group but I have heard nothing from them as of yet. Speaking of people I've not heard from, that group continues to include my useless landlord who still has to deliver my washer and a/c unit. Of course, something else that has added to the general gloom has been the apocalyptic downpours of late. However, Israel can always really use as much rain as they can get so I shouldn't really complain there but that's what this section is for; is it not?

The Other:

The death of literary celebrity Norman Mailer, earlier this month, sent me on a bit of a scavenger hunt through some of his colorful history. Few things are as rare and entertaining as was the confrontation between Mailer and pundit extraordinaire, Gore Vidal, on Dick Cavett's late night TV show of 1971. Read Cavett's account of the encounter here.

Look at DaVinci's Last Supper in super high-resolution: http://www.haltadefinizione.com/en/cenacolo/look.asp

Watch these poor Mormon guys tangle with a man of faith: http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/132357/Mormons_vs_Black_Israelite.html

The funniest video-game reviews of all time: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2304-Zero-Punctuation-Halo-3.html

Well that's it for now folks; pardon the obvious deterioration in compositional quality; I just can't seem to get excited about sharing my experiences of late. I hope this situation changes and that, in the meantime, you've been able to get some idea of where I'm at. Good night and good luck!

With Hope,
Joseph

Norman Mailer | AACI | Hell's Kitchen