The beast goes by many names

"The infection", "The voice snatcher", "Harold's whooping cough". No one knows its true name, form, or source. All that is known is when it comes, and trust me it will, it shows no mercy to those in its path. It starts as a small tickle in the throat upon waking. That's the first clue. Next comes the mild headache and general tiredness. Then the main course, three damn weeks of coughing non-stop. Finally the coup-de-gras, another three weeks without a voice. The upside for me during the whole experience, I usually don't feel all that bad during the whole thing. The initial throat tickle isn't fun, and the ab workout from the coughing is less than ideal, but it's not anything that can prevent me from doing any of my day-to-day. The one thing that does prevent me from my day-to-day is the constant complaining of people around me. Apparently the cough does annoy people around me.

I bring this up because this winter, I not have officially started my fourth round of this great little sickness of mine. First was after the very first chill of the winter this year, sometime early November. That didn't last too long, maybe a week and a half. Next came just before my trip to Israel. In fact, my preparation for my trip to Israel included massive vitamins, and trips to the gym to keep up my body so I wouldn't be sick in Israel. That ended just after the New Year, a good week before my trip. In Israel, my best friend followed me and struck four days before my trip ended, causing me to return on my scheduled flight rather than taking a few extra days to enjoy Israel for myself. That bout was fun, it lasted the full 3-4 weeks. It even got to the point where I was politely asked to stay home for a couple of days.

Now marks the beginning of my fourth bout, arguably much more tame than before, but not nonexistant. My plan is to still keep going to the gym because it somehow keeps the deamons at bay. Also keep up my daily airborne dose. This weekend will be spent at home mostly as well, besides two trips to the gym and one trip to a Hillel event. Hopefully the bed rest and indoors will help things along as well. The worst so far was this afternoon at work. I'm not sure what kicked it off, but at around 3:30 I just had some random coughing fit. By 4 I just had to leave to avoid the accusing eyes of those around me.

Just like every other blog...

... It never gets updated. Shame on me. Actually I have a decent excuse. During my trip to Israel, I decided to keep a journal for the trip, including experiences leading up to the trip and also as a result from the trip. There's quite a lot of good stuff in there, and a large amount that I did miss. Importantly though, my current mental state for each day is somehow captured in my comments. Unfortunately, dates, times, and places are painfully lacking.

Our first day we landed, we spent the night in "Abu Gof"? and got our speech with Momo about Love and Jewish babies. The next day I spent in Jerusalem, at the wall, on the bus, and at the bar. Then we drove to tel aviv to see the place of rabin(?)'s assination, and also a "tel" in jaffa. That night was pretty lame for me, but everyone else enjoyed a stay at the bar across the street in netanya(?). Then a shabbat day lazing around on the beach, and a nightclub at night, I wish I knew the name. Then a trip to Ceasaria and to Tiberius. A trip around golan heights and a battle ready bunker on the north east border. A drive down south with our new soldier friends to the Dead Sea and an evening in the bedouin camp with my newly acquired cough and somberness. Another bus ride to eilat with the malls and club scene #2. A drive up north to mt. masada (awesome) and a jaunt back west to Jerusalem. Friday night at the wall (also amazing) followed by alot of walking because the bus doesn't run on Shabbat. Havdalah in the hotel bomb shelter followed by tearful goodbyes.

There were additional nature hikes, scenic overlooks, inspirational stories, and moments now fleeting into the past. So for everyone interested in how the trip went, to quote the artist Avraham in Tzfat, it was "AaawwweesoooooooOOOOOooomme" (awesome).

Since then, I've just been trying to evaluate all of the things that are tying me to Reno. Definitely my friends here, all of them I consider family. My job, I couldn't imagine working somewhere with people as smart and as real. My "stuff", of which I have entirely too much of. My "obligations" which I've only recently been able to realize that they're all self imposed.

Over the next little while, my goal is to just talk about each of these things and how my perspective on them has become so much more clear.