so i watched the lunar eclipse last night.. unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as convenient for "us israelis" as it was for "you americans." :)  i had to haul my ass up out of bed at 2:45am and stumble up to the roof -- it's so cool that i can watch the moon from my rooftop porch-thingie!  i have to admit it was pretty awesome to see.. the moon was totally full, the night was really clear.. except for all the damn neighborhood lights, it was flawless.  although around 3:15am, it got a little cloudy.. but that was ok, because i was ready to go back to sleep.. :)

in other news, i managed to secure for myself (or rather, a friend at the jewish agency managed to secure for me) a highly sought-after appointment with the misrad ha'pnim (ministry of interior).  this, my lay friends, means that i will, as of 8am tomorrow morning, have officially begun the process of getting my identity card and securing my israeli citizenship.  i am beyond excited.  i hadn't realized how in-limbo i was feeling until i was faced with the prospect of actually not being in limbo.  as soon as that appt. is over, i will run to the bank to give them my new identity number (here in israel, all that matters is that number -- name, birthdate, social security, etc. be damned).  then i can finally order checks, which means i can finally start paying my already-overdue bills!  as you can tell this is all very exciting.  and then, if i have time, i will try to go to the misrad ha'klita to get signed up for my MONEY.  all very useful in the scheme of things. :)

needless to say, i'm excited.  now all i need is my stuff that is still SITTING IN A WAREHOUSE IN NEW JERSEY!!!  just as soon as the ports open again, i'm going to send that damn lift if it's the last thing i do.  with my luck, the ship will probably sink.  oh god, i shouldn't even joke about that. :)

what else.. oh, so i should be in bed already because i'm pooped from the eclipse-watching, but i'm up because i'm waiting to hear back from a woman who wants me to be a foster parent for a puppy.  see, i'm on this listserv called Janglo (jerusalem anglo protexia, meaning all the anglos in jerusalem read this thing, ask questions, get and give advice, etc.).. and i saw a posting a few weeks ago mentioning a dog who had been abandoned and who would be put to sleep if they couldn't find anyone, etc... so i emailed the woman but never got a call back.  but TONIGHT, the night before my big appointment, the week that jon is coming, the week i'm supposed to be studying harder.. they called to ask if i could house a puppy for a week or so.  who am i to refuse?  i don't want this little guy to die because i wanted to get some extra sleep.  but they want to bring him tonight, which allows for only a few precious hours for sava to get used to him, and then i have to leave them alone all tomorrow morning.  i know i shouldn't be so paranoid, but you hear stories like this.. "i left them alone, and when i came home..." i mean, hell, i don't care about my furniture (what furniture? my mattress on the floor?), or about pee on the floor, but if anything happened to sava.. ugh i can't even think about it.  so needless to say, i would prefer if they could bring him tomorrow and then we could have the afternoon to get to know each other.  i don't know, they're going to call me back.. hopefully sava is ok with this.  i think it might actually be fun for her.. but who the hell knows how they will react to each other.  i read a posting on janglo from a woman who brought her two dogs here, who had lived together for years.. and now, after making aliyah, they are fighting so much that she has had to bring them both to the hospital multiple times.  what a nightmare.. that's just so sad.  i'm so looking forward to ultimately getting a second dog -- sava needs a playmate so bad.  i was thinking about bringing a cockapoo puppy back for her the next time i go to the states.. but i have to remember that it won't be easy.

it's weird.. i keep noticing that i keep thinking of my life here as a vacation.  i know it's new and all, so i'm hoping that wears off (probably when the bills start rolling in).  but it pervades all my decisions.  when i think about buying a car, i think, ahh just buy something clunky for 3,000 bucks.. i bought a cheap microwave and toaster oven.. and i keep thinking getting a second dog won't be as hard as i thought it would be in the states.  i don't know why.. i don't know if it's because i just still think of everything as being easier here because i'm HERE.. or because i'm still not working, not really worrying about money yet, not in school yet.. it definitely feels like a vacation.  i mean, let's face it, it's the first time in my life i haven't worked at least 3 jobs at the same time!  it's positively luxurious, going to ulpan in the mornings, getting out at 1pm, coming home, getting on the internet, going out with friends, etc.. i mean, i'm busy, but it's NICE busy.  i caught myself wondering the other day, how in the hell am i going to pay for school when that starts?  how will i go to school full time and still pay my bills?  i have to believe this stuff will take care of itself.. but i don't know how.. so i imagine the vacation feeling will wear off sooner or later.. i'll keep you posted on that. :)

for now.. i'm having a blast. :)