12.15.04 - 8:31 p.m.

Starting to get excited/nervous about our upcoming trip to Israel. I'm trying to prepare the best I can, but you can't overplan these things. I made some posts to the Lonely Planet forums and Black Flag Cafe, asking for safety advice. Some decisions will have to wait till we've actually arrived there and talked to people.

The guidebook we're taking is Let's Go Israel 2003, which is the most up-to-date book we could find. According to this thread, Lonely Planet Israel hasn't been updated since 1999! And that edition's out of print! Is the market for Israel guidebooks really that small? Or does Lonely Planet just suck? Maybe I should email them AN ANGRY MESAGE, IN ALL CAPS AND WITH OBVIUS MISPELINGS!!! That'll show 'em.

I'm slowly learning Hebrew through books on tape (which in this modern age equates to lessons on ipod harddrive). The goal is to advance to the point where I can say "where's the bathroom?" and "you call that a sale?"

Ani lo mivi eev'reet
(I don't understand Hebrew, masculine)

At mivinah angleet?
(Do you understand English, feminine)

Slicha
(Sorry)

I think "sorry" is the most useful word to know in languages around the world. It seems like you have a lot of occasion to say "excuse me" or "pardon me" or "my bad" whilst traveling. "My bad" is actually closest to what I mean, but I don't think it translates precisely.... "Sorry I ran over your dog" vs "I ran over your dog... my bad."

On the itinerary: there's this dadaist art colony (or the remnants of one) called Ein Hod, near Haifa-- I want to check that out for sure! They have a Dada Museum. (But what if we go there and the museum is just a pile of 500 umbrellas next to a sculpture of an egg?)

$1 = 4.3 shekels.

Shekels!