This evening’s loot, in ascending order of importance:

3. Multivitamins. Not the ones for veggies that I’m used to, but a local brand. I hope they will agree with me.

2. Four tops, bought in E’s method: find something that looks about right, try it on, then pick up a few more of the same model but different colours, and go to the till. Minimum effort, maximum simplicity.

1. Five new CDs, bought using gift vouchers I received for my birthday from friends who know me very well. In more details:

1. Beck – The Information
2. The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
3. New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
4. The Dresden Dolls – Yes Virginia…
5. The Streets – The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living

The shop assistant was very excited to help someone who comes into the shop with a shopping list that includes, in addition to the above, some more music that is unlikely to be found in an average Israeli shop. He kept complementing my taste of music. It was quite amusing.

All in all, a very productive evening.

Those of you, who know me, know that my cooking skills are limited. Those who had the chance to taste anything know that even the little I do cook isn’t very good. However, I do try.

For my birthday, E. gave me a voucher for an Italian cookery mk workshop. Knowing what the present was going to be (yes, he did consult me), I insisted that he joins me for the day.

This morning, we braved the early hours of the weekend, and went cooking. I had a good time, and I think I learned a few things that I might even try to repeat at home. The food ended up mediocre, but at least now we know what not to do. I doubt my cooking skills have improved significantly, but at least I try to do something about it.

Four years go by so quickly, and it’s that time of the year again: the Deviant Brainwave Birthday! Yes ? I have been blogging for four whole years today, believe it or not!

Well, some might say, rightly, that I’ve been slacking. My writing recently has been sparse. Is it lack of inspiration or lack of interest in my life? I don’t know. One thing I do know – for the first time in many many years, I have been enjoying my job. I am busy all day, so if I think about something I should blog about, I often forget about it by the time I can log into Blogger.

What am I going to do about it? I’m not sure. One idea is to carry a notebook around, so if ideas come flowing I will be able remember them easily. On the other hand, I will still have to avoid writing about work, so I’m not sure it will help.

Either way, Happy Birthday to me!

We had a good holiday. Mostly because it was pure relaxation. I was asked for a specific story to tell, but there isn’t one. Just generally good, peaceful time, travelling in beautiful sceneries and enjoying our time together. We did take a lot of pictures, and I will start posting some in the photolog soon.

Most of the time we avoided the big cities, and preferred the smaller towns and the countryside. The only exception was Florence, where we spent almost a day, but got away quickly, disgusted with the overcrowding of tourists and beggars. It was a disappointment, as we both had good memories of previous visits.

I will tell the stories of all the other places when I post the pictures, as they are usually worth more than just words.

The bad part is that I got sick on the second day. It was just a cold, but it hit me badly, and I am still coughing and sneezing constantly. We didn’t let it disturb our holiday too much, not even when E. got it too, but it did change some of our plans, and we had to give up on some of the further locations that we wanted to visit. The worse of it was flying back with a cold, which caused my ears to HURT SO MUCH during landing, it was agony. My ears were left useless for the rest of the day. I’m getting better, though, so I’ll be back at my best soon.

Now it’s time to start a diet and get back into shape. It has been about a month since I was last at the gym, and since starting my new job I added a bit to my waistline. I need to be able to get into my cloths again, and E. promised to help by dieting with me. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

We’re back. Still drowsy and unpacked.

There will be stories and photos soon, but first we need to get a little organized.

We had a good time, and didn’t miss home at all. The cats seem to have missed me, though, and are now behaving strangely with what seems to be the aftershock of lack of attention.

More soon.