Back in action...

I know, I know, it's been way too long....

So let's get caught up, shall we?

The trip I'm staffing, Canadian Young Judea Kadima Bilouim, is absolutely amazing. There are 124 campers from across the country here and all are great kids...Most campers went to Poland for 5 days before landing in Israel, but I flew with my co-staff Maya and about 30 campers who came directly from Toronto. We arrived in Jerusalem for a couple of nights stay, then I went off with 30 or so Kadima kids up North. There was a lot of volunteering (painting a school, chillin' with new immigrants at an absorption centre, and running programs for a group of Israeli scouts). Then we travelled all the way south to Eilat and met up with the rest of the campers. There was scuba diving, snorkelling, serious beach time, pool time and a really nice Shabbos. Also, that's where I bought the new Potter book...crazy story. There were no books for sale as they were all reserved, but it took me about 20 minutes to convince the peeps at the book store to let me call the parents who reserved the books to let me take their copy. The 8th person I spoke with, Marina, laughed at me for about a minute and then gave in and let me purchase her copy. After blessing her with a long life and many kids, I started reading the 607 page monster. 2 days later, once I finished the book, I almost cried...those of you who'll read the book will understand.

After Eilat, we headed north, back to Jerusalem, where we spent 5 great days at the Caesar Hotel, including Shabbat. On the way there, we spend a night at a Bedouin tent, and then ascended Massada at sunrise. Needless to say, that was a helluva long day. Once in Jerusalem, we visited Yad Vashem, Har Herzl, went on an archaeological dig and had an all around sweet time. I am presently in Jeru on my day off, and I'm going to Sde Boker tomorrow to join the kids at Gadna (5 day army experience for 16 year olds).

As for other things going on, I got something pierced....it's true. I've also decided, at the urging of most of my campers, to try and quit smoking. As of last Thursday, I have not smoked than 4 cigarettes in one day. I tried going cold turkey, but I only lasted about 26 hours, and let me tell you, those 26 hours were probably the closest thing I will ever feel to actual PMS. So I decided then to first drastically cut down the # of cigarettes I smoke a day, thereby slowly weening myself off this nasty habit before I kick it for good. This shows that while I feel my campers have a lot to learn from me, they have already proved I have lots to learn from them too.

You can check out pictures from the trip at www.canadaisraelexperience.com under the Biluim Kadima link.

Really though, I got something pierced.

The best news of 'em all.......hockey's back!!! Unlike the baseball '94 lockout, I think this time away from the best game on earth will change the sport for the better. The salary cap, the new rule changes, the shootout and finally, Sidney Crosby, will improve the game for fans all across the world. While it would have been unprecedented if Montreal got the first pick in the draft and chose Crosby, I am very satisfied with the 5th pick in this years draft, and if we can re-sign Theo, Ryder, Ribiero and Kovalev and maybe add a couple of fresh faces, Les Canadiens will provide me with the hours of entertainment I have so sorely missed. And then there's the fantasy pools....

So I guessed that's it for now...I will do my best to update again sooner, rather than later.

Seriously, I got something pierced, but I guess you'll have to see it to believe it!!!

Schwartz