10 things we've done since I last wrote

I haven't written in a while. So one jumbled post of stuff we've done these last two weeks:

1. Sent Christmas packages out in hopes of beating the rush of military packages which can take weeks in December.

2. Put our NetFlix account on hold because of the dreadful mail in December.

3. Wrapped Christmas presents in very non-Christmas wrapping paper because we can't find it here.

4. Made reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at Uri Buri a restaurant in Akko (Northern Israel) that was highly recommended to us - I think Stephanie mentioned salmon with wasabi ice cream.

5. Read a lot (but not all of) my book group's monthly selection - Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. He is the neurologist who wrote "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" and this was a collection of anecdote/cases of the brain and music and I just didn't care.

6. Celebrated Thanksgiving early with our Dinner Club - with a turkey and all of the fixings. We unfortunately burned our stuffing (which neither of us realized you could do) but the pies were tasty and the salted caramel ice cream (a copy of the Berthillon recipe) was scrumptious. Thank you blogger/author David Lebovitz. It did however trash the kitchen multiple times since you make caramel twice (which I can't do without getting it all over the stovetop) and then make the custard base. My ice cream maker also failed mid-way - I think the motor+ transformer combination was a bad one - so it was literally "hand-churned."

7. Figured out how to watch iTunes videos on our television (which will help with the NetFlix absence)

8. Called home to find out how my Dad was recovering from his broken ribs - which he earned in Costa Rica.

9. Served as the control officer for Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Unfortunately, her visit was cut short by the need to dash back to DC to lobby for automakers.

10. Bought stocks that we thought were really cheap but then managed to fall further.