Thank you. Thank you all, actually - your support does help me to feel better in all of this mess.

Meanwhile, we're optimistic about a rumor that while my sis might not be protected by her pass, she's protected from being called in by the fact that she is a pre-med student. Word has it that they doesn't call for med and pre-med students, because doctors here are on reserve duty as is.

I'm really hoping it's true. Most of the people she knows were already called in.

Not really here, but wanted to send my love and concern to Shir and Nilly and Israel.

Tonight, after watching some Life of Mammals, Ryan informed me that he was a marmoset, and he liked to eat insects and gum. (I was apparently a spider monkey. Biyi got to be a clam-eating capuchin monkey.

Apparently Ryan gets his gum from a tree with bumps on it, and it's very good for marmosets. I asked him what he would do if other little monkeys tried to take his tree. He thought for a bit and decided that they wouldn't try to take his tree, because it was his home and they would have their own homes.

This groupon deal may be of interest to some buffistas.

I was on my way to the dog park with my dog when the sirens went on in Jerusalem, in a street I don't really know, so I didn't know where to go and looked around for a place I can take shelter in. After ~10 seconds a door opened, I walked towards it. Turns out it was a synagogue (now, that was after Shabbat entered). So I walked in there with my dog while I'm talking on the phone with my family and getting updates for all of the orthodox folks. All were very friendly to me and to my dog, and it was actually kindda nice. At one point, someone asked if we have Iron Dome here. After learning that the answer it negative, he asked what is suppose to protect us. I replied, quite dramatically, "God". Everyone laughed. This neighborhood is pretty great sometimes, and I'm deeply amused; Guys, a synagogue saved me on Shabbat's night.

Popeye's is totally a holiday tradition in New Orleans.

Shir, I'm glad to hear you are safe. My cousin, who is currently in Israel (not sure where) with his BF was really freaked out by the sirens last night.

They're alarming, I admit. But that's their job, to alarm us to safety.

I absolutely understand that, but it was the first time he had heard one, and he has been in Israel for a while now, so his response was to freak out a bit.

I understand. That was my response when I was 13. I had the experience of the Gulf war in 1991, but I was too young to understand that during that war. I can only say that you do get used to it.

Is he OK now?