the call

highlight of the day:
...maybe even of the year:
pushing the envelope containing my paper and my undergraduate transcripts into the graduate advisor's mailbox. i cannot express how much pleasure that gave me!
the sunset supported the sensation that at that moment all was right with the world :)

low-points of the day:
a) the section idiot, both in the morning with his completely warped and fantastic understanding of our political situation and his general lack of culture that was demonstrated in the evening
b) i got "The Call" today. or one of them. in another week i'm gonna go have a nice, friendly chat with someone who informed me on the phone that "most importantly, we want you to be satisfied".

i don't think we have the same idea of what will bring me satisfaction.

i went with nystire and his wife to jerusalem tonight, to see the "city of light" display. there were lots and lots and LOTS of people... but they were all bleeding miserable. there was one interesting item, a model of one of da vinci's works, but everything else was boring and uninspired.
for this we pissed away five hours?!
also, we went to a restaurant near the old city enthusiastically recommended by nystire's TL. the service was sub-par (which is embarrassing by anyone's standards), the decor was... bland and disconnected (bull-fighting paintings? in an italian restaurant?), and the food, while apparently quite good (i didn't eat), was stupidly expensive.

and here i find myself very, very happy with all the places i frequent in tel aviv, where the service is good, the atmosphere great, the food wonderful, and the prices very reasonable. i don't get "restaurants" in this country. waste of time... and one misses the wildlife!

the drive back was wonderful, though - i can't recall sleeping that well, and i even had a half a packet of twizzler's nibs to get me on my way. smooth roads, excellent suspension and the quiet droning of the engine behind my very comfortable seat...

back to the day's blah-blah:
1. bubbles! in the office! my team-mate brought them in without any provocation from me :)

2. my SC reported to our unit commander, and i don't know what he said but it definitely made me come out as an asshole. bastard sod.

3a. some woman in jerusalem walked past, and called me "constable". i was offended.
3b. we walked past the place in jerusalem where i first got my ear pierced... and i was reminded of the next day at the western wall when our rabbi noticed and i was forced to remove it on pain of being sent back to south africa...

4. i handed the shuttle guys my exemption, which seems to have upset them. when the shuttle didn't arrive and a couple of us left, their parting words were less than friendly. i think my emails may just have had an effect.

5. another unit lecture on sexual harrassment.
5a. apparently there's a minimum amount of sexual harrassment that needs to occur.
5b. the woman opens her speech with "so many people! i feel like madonna!" - i really wanted to jump up and ask "have you produced a pornographic picture book of yourself too?"
5c. something she said reminded me of my 10th grade english teacher. she came to class with a cold sore on her lip, and that night when i went home i hit the internet to find out about it. the next day in class someone mentioned it, and i raised my hand:
"did you know that genital herpes can be transmitted via oral sex?"
her response? standing up and angrily screaming "YOU GO AND TELL MY FOUR YEAR-OLD SON THAT I GOT THIS FROM GIVING HIS DADDY A BLOWJOB!" - the rest of the class was just as stunned as i was.
she never spoke to me again. a pity, she was my favourite teacher :(

and not-so-blah-blah:
1. SxS called, and aside from the pleasant catching up he informed me of an extremely distressing story. to summarize: a couple of friends in one situation have been pushing another of our friends who's in a VERY different situation to act the way they would, and it's completely inappropriate and unfair.

2. i just got back from mmf's birthday bash - it was great seeing them again! and if everything goes well i might even be studying with his wife next year ^_^
he is very uncomfortable with the shirt i made on friday. i explained that in almost every respect except sexual preference, i'm totally gay :P

3. i just read about the ponzi scheme my cousin got taken for a ride by... very unpleasant news.

yay! less than three hours of sleep... and dream theatre in the evening!