Month: October 2003

Local Elections 2003

Only about 40% of the people voted. No final results yet. I voted the first thing in the morning. I don’t have big problems telling who i vote for in local elections — for the mayor i voted for the Greens’ Avi Binamo and for the council — Shinui. I considered the Greens, but they didn’t have a website and didn’t even answer my email, so there — they lost my vote. I don’t know almost anything about the candidates in either list. I really hope Shinui pass the barrier, they should have ran together with the Greens.

As i write this, i realize why 60% of the Israelis find the elections so boring. It’s still a shame, though.

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Eilat 2003

The flights were incredibly cheap — 95NIS (1 person/1 way). Thank you, Arkia.

Caesar hotel is OK, not 5* and without the wonderful omelettes like in Orchid, but who cares about the hotels, when there is the sea, the desert, and the restaurants.

And the tax-less shopping — i bought myself a Hohner chromonica and i’m gonna learn it (420NIS), Ray-Ban sunglasses (450NIS, usually it’s 900NIS, and strangely i don’t hate myself for buying sunglasses…) and also Rockfour’s “For Fans Only” and Led Zeppelin IV (it’s about time).

Made a quad runner (“tractoron”) trip in the desert. Expensive (150NIS) but fun. Now i want a motorbike.

Restaurants:

  • Eddie’s Hideaway — hidden in an actual Eilati neighbourhood, it is a real hideaway, worth seeking out! The food is mostly French, big selection of big steaks. When there, don’t miss the appetizers. Great service.
  • Santa-Fe — Mexican/(Native) American, whatever, very good. Bean soup, wonderful pork osso buco, amazing smoked chicken (a complete one), and Isla De Mujeres — profiterolles with ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

On the last day we won another free weekend in Caesar. Thank you, God (and sorry about that osso buco).

Sam Rockwell, ya mama

Weekend — two films with Sam Rockwell, mostly memorable as the obnoxious Wild Bill in Green Mile. Both good.

First — Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Howard Stern’s Private Parts meets Beautiful Mind. I didn’t know what it is about, which is good, that’s how i love my movies — surprising.

The second was Matchstick Men whichs was also a good surprise. A little more than an average Hollywood sympathetic con-artist movie. The welcome bonuses include the very charming Alison Lohman, and some great acting by Nicolas Cage, who takes a few hints from Monk. Very much a Hollywood movie though, but good fun.

TooMuchStudlyCapsWillKillYou

More about my Italian studies — and language studies in general. In some computer magazine (it was printed on paper!!!) i found a link (which i couldn’t click!!! ok, ’nuff) to this site: My Language Exchange. The article said that this site arranges (virtual) meetings between people who are interested to learn each other’s languages. Well, i tried the search feature and when it immediately found a few people who are willing to teach me Welsh (!) in exchange for Russian, i was extremely happy. But there was a catch — to initiate contact, one has to become a “gold member” which costs 12$/year. I couldn’t stand the temptation, and i paid!!! Ya mama, i was so excited. I already spoke to a few Italians, and received great compliments, none of them could believe that i studied just two months (i blush). I hope they’ll give me a discount for the membership for the next year for the great PR i’m doing for them…

This morning i went to the University, to sign up for the courses next year. I wanted to take Lithuanian and Slavonic, but they changed the hours since the last time i checked, so i can’t take them both. Maybe i’ll take Latin, or Catalan, or (as i hope) Latin and Lithuanian together.