November 18, 2012

At last I had a full day to just relax and practically do nothing. I had to deal with the leftovers first and a kitchen that looked like a disaster zone, but then it was time to get back to my computer and put together another presentation, this time on the topic of using pictures to teach English as I need to present at the Forum Association in just two weeks.

Snow is predicted for  this evening and then for the next three days and I have failed to make it to the second hand shop to see if I can find a thick sweater to wear under my elegant coat. By Wednesday, the temperature is expected to drop into the low teens. I might have to wear my sweatshirt under it for now as I cannot motivate myself to go shopping.

Watching CNN has become such a frustrating experience as the company has chosen to focus only on the Israeli side of the conflict while completely ignoring the huge casualty toll on the Palestinian side. One half hour program spent its entire allocated time, about 25 minutes, in front of a sidewalk where a rocket had landed in an Israeli village without causing any property damage or injury to those living nearby. One can immediately tell where their bread is being buttered as not one single correspondent was reporting from the Palestinian side much less providing images of the carnage there, especially the gruesome one of children being massacred by the dozens.

It was great to have a chance to skype with my sister and brother-in-law as they always manage to cheer me on and leave me more relaxed knowing everything is all right on their side of the world even in my absence.

I had never heard of the film “Melancholia”, directed by the hugely talented Lars Von Trier and including an awesome performance by Kirsten Dunst. I was simply mesmerized by it even after realizing that this wasn’t a film about depression, but a much bigger question. I wish all my friends and relatives got to see this one. What a gem of a film!