Rescue Me

Pictures of my (formerly) lovely dining room.

On Sunday morning I received the following e-mail with the subject line, "Please don't be mad."

Hi mommy,
So on Friday night there was kind of a small fire in the house. The dining room floor got burnt a little. Everyone is okay . . . I'm very sorry . . . We're taking care of everything . . . so you don't have to worry. I just thought I should let you know. Again, I'm sorry . . . Ariel put out the fire, but we called [the fire fighters] anyway just to be safe. I miss you and love you. Soooooooo sorry.
-Leorit

About 30 minutes after I received the e-mail I received a call from Leorit. She sounded fine, albeit very contrite. She told me the smoke alarm woke up Ariel and he woke her up. She did not hear the smoke alarm. As for me, I was concerned but mostly I was relieved that Leorit and Ariel were uninjured.

Later, when I saw the pictures Ariel had posted on his Facebook page, I almost barfed. Apparently Leorit's idea of "kind of a small fire" and mine are somewhat different. Obviously if the smoke alarm had not been working the outcome could have been much, much worse. I'm eternally grateful that neither of them was hurt.

Excuses, Excuses

I haven't written anything on this blog lately. I have no good reasons, but lots of excuses.

1. Jetlag;
2. Extremely busy at the USO;
3. Nothing interesting to report;
4. Getting used to a new schedule -- now working days;
5. Hurt my knee so
A) I can't go to gym
B) I'm not sleeping well
C) I'm having temper tantrums
6. Too engrossed in the "Twilight" series. (3 books down, 1 to go);
7. Still don't know when I'm going to Kandahar (See 5.C above);
8. Don't feel like writing;
9. Nothing interesting to report.

Really sorry.

-o0o-

While I was away there was an appreciation ceremony for the workers at the Camp Virginia DFac. Most of our workers are from Sri Lanka or India. Every single one of them is nice, kind and helpful. My favorite worker is the one with the dark hair and the mustache . . . or maybe it's the guy without the mustache. We are lucky to have them working with us.

-o0o-

We had a 3 on 3 basketball tournament the other night. I did not participate at all, but I did happen to be in the right place at the right time for a picture.

Apres' Wedding; Tatoo You; Bunches of Bette

The days after Leorit and Ariel's wedding were almost as busy at the week leading up to it. Jacqueline, Fannie, Alice, Shani and I went to the Camarillo Premium Outlets on Monday, visited Toby on the way home and then returned in time to attend one of the Sheva B'rachot dinners honoring Leorit and Ariel.

On Tuesday Shani and I went to KY&L and then Shani took her first limousine ride to lunch at 555 with Skip, Marilyn, Justin, Lee and Carrie; later joined by Kellie, DDP and Jodi. That evening Shani and I caught our Jet Blue flight to Las Vegas.

We stayed at Treasure Island, which was actually much nicer than I had expected. On Wednesday Shani went shopping and I walked across the bridge to China Town to get some permanent make-up. With my temporarily swollen lips I ended up looking like a cross between Angelina Jolie and a baboon. That evening we saw Bette Midler, which was actually the main reason for the trip to Las Vegas.

Our one-hour return flight was delayed three hours so we missed the Thursday Sheva B'rachot dinner. Shani went back to LAX for her return flight to Israel on Friday.

I had been staying at Beverly's place for the entire two weeks. Unfortunately, my timing was way off because on Tuesday after the wedding Bev entered Good Samaritan for a scheduled heart operation. Luckily, Bev's mom Pam stayed with her while Shani and I were in Las Vegas. Two days later Bev was home from the hospital to continue her recuperation. Next time I hope I can be more of a friend than a hotel guest.

I got to spend a little time with Bevie and Pam on Saturday. That evening Beverly, Pam, Toby, Bo and I had a delicious dinner at Tratoria Limone and then went to Ariel and Leorit's for dessert and coffee with the family.

Sunday was back to LAX for the long flight back to KWI and Camp Virginia.

I'm thinking: No more airplanes; no more airports -- at least for awhile.

Exhausted

I apologize for not returning your call or e-mail, for not walking with you, and for us not getting together while I was in town. This is what I did do:

Sunday, 27 December - work from noon to 17:00. Have fabulous Italian dinner with Camp Virginia co-workers. Get dropped off at KWI and take flight to LAX.

Monday, 28 December - arrive LAX. Pick up car and go to Hotel Beverly. Pick up Leorit at work. Dine with Trader Joe.

Tuesday, 29 December - shopping in Seal Beach with Jacqueline (Ariel's aunt) and Fannie (Ariel's mom). Go back to pick up Bev. Head to Penny's and Macy's at Lakewood mall to look for dress for wedding. Then to Nordstrom's at Cerritos; found dress. Hang out with friends in evening. Dinner at CPK with Bo and Bev.

Wednesday, 30 December - Los Alamitos for doctor's appointment, then to lab for blood test. Breakfast with Trader Joe. AAA to obtain new International Driving Permit. Go to Batia and Aleeza's in Beverly Hills for haircut and color. Meet Toby at Bev's then pick up Leorit at work. Try to buy shoes and earrings at Penny's, but their computers are down, so we can't. Dinner with Toby at Hof's Hut.

Thursday, 31 December - Annual check-up at doctor in morning. Mammogram after that. Go back to Penny's to pick up shoes and earrings we couldn't pay for last night. Buy groceries at Von's. Lunch at Bake 'n Broil with Anne and David, then go to David's dental office for X-rays and teeth cleaning. Take Leorit to Mikva. Drive to New Year's Eve party at Bev's friend's house.

Friday, 1 January - Wait for prescriptions at Walgreens. Pick up Shani at LAX. Her plane was on time, but her luggage wasn't. Walk to USO @ LAX to get something to eat. Walk back to AA terminal. Take Shani to surprise Leorit. Get Shani unpacked. Attend Shabbat dinner with Shani and Leorit.

Saturday, 2 January - Get manicure and pedicure. Go back to pick up Shani and drop her off at Lakewood Mall. Hang out with friends. Pick up Shani then drive to Jenny's to get Leorit. Walk to Sybil's for lunch. Walk to the Shabbat Kala reception for Leorit. Toby drives us back to Jenny's. Havdala at Jenny's. Take Leorit for manicure and pedicure.

Sunday, 3 January - Take Shani to Bo's in Los Angeles. Pick up remainder of my prescription. Go to Lakewood mall for hair styling (big mistake) and make up. Drive to AJCC. Go to apartment to pick up Ariel's family for wedding. Drive back to AJCC. Get changed and take family pictures. WEDDING!!! Take Ariel's family and gifts back to apartment.

Monday, 4 January - Take Shani, Alice, Jacqueline and Fannie to Camarillo Premium Outlets. Stop by Trader Joe's and Toby's on the way back. Walk to Sheva Bracha dinner. Take Shani to Bo's in Los Angeles.

Tuesday, 5 January - Pick up Shani at Blue Line station. Go to KY&L for visits and meeting. Take limo to lunch with Skip, MAW, Justin, Lee and Carrie at 555. Go to LGB to take Jet Blue to Las Vegas. (Delayed 30 minutes.)

Wednesday, 6 January - Walk to Fashion Show Mall. Walk to China Town (Little Saigon?) Get permanent make-up. Watch "Inglorious Basterds" on TV in hotel room. Walk to Cesar's Palace for dinner at Forum Shops and Bette Midler.

Thursday, 7 January - Walk to Fashion Show Mall then down the strip a loooonnngggg way to Excalibur; limp back. Take cab to airport for Jet Blue flight to LGB. Delayed 3 hours, causing us to miss Sheva Bracha dinner. Stop by apartment so Shani can say good-bye.

Friday, 8 January - Drop off Shani at LAX. Back to David's office to get two teeth filled. Hang out with friends in evening.

Saturday, 9 January - Hang out with friends in morning. Drive home then walk to Shul on Atlantic for Sheva Bracha luncheon and discussions. Dinner with Bev, Pam (Bev's mom), Toby and Bo at Trattoria Limon. Coffee and dessert at apartment with Leorit, Ariel and friends and family.

Sunday, 10 January - Pack. Stop by apartment to bid farewell to family. Return rent-a-car. Take flight to Frankfurt, then, after 6-hour layover to KWI. Arrive back at Camp Virginia at 02:00 on Tuesday, 12 January. (Monday, 11 January was lost.)

Tuesday, 12 January - Begin work at noon.

Really sorry I missed you.

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Shalom Get Married

Leorit and Ariel's wedding was beautiful. As expected, it was very traditional, with the men and women completely separate. Leorit did not see Ariel for a full week before the wedding. It was quite moving (yes, I cried) when all of the men came with Ariel to put the veil on the bride, checking to make sure it was actually Leorit, not Leah or Rachel. The guys took a while building the chuppa, but eventually got it to stand up long enough to have the service.

After the ceremony we retreated to separate sections of the social hall at the AJCC, although some of us cheated, spying on the opposite side/sex. Everyone danced and celebrated for hours. The guys might have been a little more boiserous and a tad louder, probably because Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo and Capt. Morgan hung out with the men.

Leading Up to the Big Day

My trip home began with an uneventful flight from Kuwait through Frankfurt to LAX. I rented a car and then headed to Beverly's house, where she graciously put me up for two weeks.

As Leorit's wedding present I arranged for Shani, her cousin from Israel, to come to the wedding. Shani's plane arrived on time at LAX; unfortunately her luggage was on another flight. We were hungry and tired and had about an hour to wait so we headed over to the USO @ LAX to get something to eat. Of course, everyone on duty was welcoming, gracious and very nice -- and they gave us some food.

After collecting Shani's suitcase I called Leorit and told her I'd like to come talk with her. She sounded a little aprehensive. When I arrived I asked her to step outside; now she was really worried. As soon as she saw Shani she started to cry and from then on it was all good. We all thought having Shani at the wedding was a great present for Leorit. We then took Shani to meet Ariel and his family at my apartment. Of course she got along great with everyone there. Shani also made a special friend in Beverly's granddaughter, Annabelle. Shani then joined us for all of the pre-wedding activities including dinners, lunches, receptions and parties.