Living Life In The Fast lane part 3

it is 3:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  we have another 4 hours left to this fast.  I am feeling better than I thought I would but I still haven't made it out of the house.  I've been in bed for most of the day.  I did manage to wet mop the kitchen and dining room areas plus the two back bedrooms.  I have been watching holocaust survivor documentaries all day.  I just turned off a documentary about how the nurses and doctors of the third reich murdered so many innocent people with physical and mental defects.  I had had enough.  at least, the survivor stories are hopeful in spite of the immense brutality.

I can't wait for this fast to end.  I am thirsty and a bit hungry.  it is too hot for me to travel to town to go to the yeshiva.  I don't feel like taking a taxi, either.  I left food and hopefully it is enough.  the manager can put out cakes if any are left from Shabbat.  let him improvise.  I am staying put.  I think last year the other manager called for pizza.

I didn't catch a Shabbat nap yesterday.  I was afraid of being up all night, fasting.  I usually can't sleep on Saturday night.  I finished my novel about a knitting club and the main character succumbed to ovarian cancer.  definitely a bummer! but good to be in sad mode before the fast of Tisha B'av began. I couldn't fall asleep and looked for a good holocaust film.  I settled on Spielberg's, 'Munich'; the one about the Mossad's revenge murders of the masterminds who killed the Israeli athletes at the '72 Olympics.  I finally hit the bed before 3:00 a.m.  I stayed in bed for a good while this morning.

 I have my blueberry cornbread and a salmon steak ready for me to break the fast.  last night I had a tuna sandwich on a whole wheat roll with humus for my pre fast meal.  I could have had chicken but I didn't feel like eating any.  I didn't have any for lunch, either.  I stuck with the salon steaks.  I gave most of the chicken to my dog.  I finished off the package of kale.  I really love it.  I hope they still have some left at the supermarket.  I am tempted to run down to the store now but I don't feel like getting dressed.  perhaps it would be good to take a small walk.  every inch of me hurts.

tomorrow night is the first night of the three day klezmer music festival. I think that the daughter-in-law might come with the grandkids.  I wish I was already on vacation.  I can't wait to return to the outdoor pool.  it's been 9 days already.  I want to jump in the water right now.  these last three hours are going to be a killer.

8:00 p.m.  fast is over. yahoo!  don't know which was harder; not eating and drinking or not watching videos and regular broadcasting  all day.

Living In The Fast Lane Part2

 it is 6:05 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  it is an hour before Shabbat candle lighting.  I have already washed the floors for the coming of the messiah.  there is a custom to clean the house in the afternoon of the big fast on sunday.  I will never have the strength to do such a task then so I took the liberty of doing it now.  I will probably be in bed for most of the fast, watching holocaust movies.  I believe it is an 24 hour fast.  this one hurts.  I'm sure most women washed their floors for Shabbat but I figure that it can't get so dirty by sunday.

I stayed late at the yeshiva yesterday preparing food for the 20-25 guys to break the fast.  I made vegetarian patties with chick peas, cracked wheat and split peas.  I had a lot left over from the stuffed peppers that I made for their supper.  I also made rice, carrot kugel and vegan corn bread.  perhaps, I should have made more but I had been cooking all day long preparing: couscous and veggies, tabouli salad, quinoa salad, pasta salad, egg salad, and tuna salad for their Friday breakfast and lunch and a pre fast meal on Saturday afternoon. the fast starts before 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night.

we have not eaten meat or chicken for the past week but can indulge on Shabbat.  it has been a lot of frying patties and chips and falafel for me.  and of course, cooking a lot of pasta.  I even made a shepherd's pie with tuna fish.  it actually, was very yummy.  I covered it in mushroom sauce before I added the mashed potatoes.  I also made breaded fried eggplant several times and the guys loved it. it will be great to start cooking chopped turkey and beef dishes on Monday.

I made grilled chicken for myself for Shabbat.  I only made two chicken quarters.  one is for each meal.  I also broiled salmon steaks.  I have been eating quite well while I do my intermittent fasting.  I had a kale and blue cheese platter for breakfast with green grapes.  I just had a salmon steak for lunch and a hunk of freshly baked blueberry corn bread.  I remembered the corn meal this time but didn't have any flour.  I was thinking non gluten anyway, and found a packet of ground almonds in the pantry.  it worked but I didn't have any baking powder or soda.  luckily, a neighbor was watering her garden so I got some.  I only added a couple of teaspoons of real maple syrup.  it isn't sweet  at all.

I bought some fruit to break the fast.  I couldn't carry a half of watermelon home so  I will have to survive without one.  I need to step up on my water consumption.  I haven't really been drinking enough.  I hope it doesn't get hotter on sunday.  the evenings have been fine with lovely breezes.  I slept with a comforter last night.  I think that I have done okay today.  wishing everyone a good Shabbat and an easy fast.

Pretty Lazy

it is 4:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  I am having a pretty lazy day.  I can't do laundry because we are in a traditional 9 day period of mourning for the holy temples.  I couldn't go to the pool for the same reason.  we are not allowed to swim for pleasure.  if I needed to go for therapeutic reasons, it might be allowed.  it is hot but not deadly.  it cools off at night.  I didn't need to wash the floors because I did them during the week.  my good friend came to safed for a couple of days.  I wanted to take her to the pool for night swimming but she was too beat from travelling.  I made us some salmon for dinner and we had some baccardi breezers and chatted until about 1:00 a.m.  the following morning we went to the pool.  it was a real scorcher that day and the pool was incredibly refreshing.  I had to leave for work at 3 :00 p.m. but she stayed until 5:00 p.m. with our mutual friend.

after I made dinner for the yeshiva guys I bought some special rolls and salads.  we were having a barbecue that evening.  my other friend was manning the barbecue.  she's from California and barbecuing is second nature to her.  I thought by the time I returned home, the food would be on its way or nearly done.  no such luck.  they had a late start and we didn't eat until nearly 9:00 p.m.  I defrosted everything the night before and marinated the food before we left for the pool.  I didn't realize the amount of food I left out for her to cook.   there were two types of kabobs, a package of hot dogs, two packages of  boneless chicken thighs, a package of chicken livers, 2 packages of steaks, and two packages of chicken wings.  I decided not to take out the hamburgers.  the steaks didn't get done because we ran out of hot coals.  I broiled them on my electric grill but they never got served.

I invited my married friends who live in the neighborhood.  I practically go there every Shabbat for lunch.  they live across the street from the big Sephardi synagogue.  my friend goes to bed quite early.  she is not a night owl like the rest of us.  she is hell bent on getting thin and doesn't eat anything after 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.  she is the one who told me about intermittent fasting.  she is happy to go 14-16 hours a day without food.  I am at 13-14 hours now but on some days I do only the usual 12 hours.  it is truly an easy way to diet.  and the more I read, the more I am convinced that is a healthy way to live.  it was quite an ordeal for her to be up until 10:00 p.m. and to eat so late.

there were tons of leftovers so every one got a nice size doggie bag.  none of us had to cook shabbat meals today.  the steaks just needed a bit of tweaking so everyone got a couple.  I broiled the little remaining liver and a couple of small steaks and with the salads I bought, I'm all set for Shabbat. I made a salmon fillet for Shabbat lunch and some boiled eggs.  we do not eat meat during these nine days except for Shabbat so no one really wanted to cook a whole chicken.  it's not worth it.  it is a bit strange having little to do on friday.  in all honesty, I'm truly beat so I should just enjoy being lazy.  I feel a bit lonely. afer having company this week it is hard to readjust to being alone.  it is what it is.