A Time to Love, and a Time to Hate

Hate is a very strong word. I really seldom use it. But I just paid something called an "excise tax" for owning a car in the state of Massachusetts. I really HATED paying that. I don't understand what the tax is for, and I am getting rather tired (to the point of great perturbation) of all the nickel and dime taxes! I love living here, truly, but people are correct when they say it's expensive to live in Massachusetts! Expensive housing (a base just for a room would be about $500-$600 - just for a cheap, not very nice room - at least $1200 for a whole apartment), expensive utilities (and no AC), expensive gas, and a whole load of expensive, inexplicable taxes! So, there's the hate part.

Now I will try to rid myself of these negative feelings by offsetting my rant with an ode to the lovely summer evenings in Massachusetts. They truly are Heaven-sent. The heat subsides, the bugs aren't too plentiful (but beware when riding your bike at twilight - somehow they all find your mouth, you'll end up with a lot more protein in your diet than you planned), and generally the humidity is just comfortable. It demands a nice walk, or even a lengthy bike-ride, despite the unavoidable bugs in the teeth.

Oh, I suppose I should mention that I am now the proud owner of a bike. Not a new one, but a refurbished one, and I love it! In just a few minutes, I'll be on my way to purchase a bike rack, so that I can take it with me to Vermont to enjoy nice long bike rides there! This is all part of my weight-loss efforts (which really need to step it up a notch!). Boston, it is worth mentioning, is a running town, but also a biking town. As a driver, you have to be constantly aware of the runners and bikes sharing the road with you. And as a runner or biker, you get to be king of the road! It's loads of fun! I wonder how it will be in the tiny town of Middlebury, Vermont. I'll let you know.

Actually, I will let you know eventually is what I should say. This is the last post I'll be making for about 2 months. I'm headed out in two days for my Hebrew program in Vermont, and will be unable to write or speak to anyone in English. And likewise, I'll be unable to read anything sent to me. It will be total isolation! But it will be good - I'll be a much more capable speaker of Hebrew once I finish. I'm looking forward to that. That's also why the bike rides will be such a delight - my escape when I'm about to explode from the overload of Hebrew. So, to all my readers (though few in numbers), I say, "Have a fantastic summer! I'll catch ya on the other end of it!". Shalom, vekaitz tov!

Did I complain about cold, rainy weather?

Silly me! But don't worry - now I have something new to complain about: heat. Humid, merciless heat. I know, never satisfied. Actually, I feel very satisfied when I'm in an air-conditioned building. Just not when I come home to my sultry, AC-less house.

So, in answer to your inquiries, yes, I'm back in Boston. And in case you haven't heard, the East Coast is experiencing a heat wave. Record temperatures. And I am lucky enough to be here for it! Yay! If one has a fan, it's not too bad, really. I learned on my mission to sleep with nothing on (except garments, of course), and that skill serves me well now. Boy! We've come a long way since the frigid days where I wanted nothing more than my heating blanket, eh? But I don't mind it, really. I'm like my dad - he could always handle the heat better than my mom.

I have been working on campus getting ready for a conference on Israel happening next week. I'm kind of excited for it! It's a big deal, and I get to meet a lot of really interesting and important people. And the building is air conditioned, so that's nice too! I'm told that the school where I have my Hebrew program in Vermont is not air conditioned. Yikes! And the food isn't too great. This may be the best weight-loss program ever! Bad food, heat that makes me not hungry (and this is true!), and a bike that I'll ride all over the countryside in my down time. I'm not allowed to read, watch, or speak English, so that may be my only escape.

I would like to end with how much I enjoyed my visit home. I saw so many friends, and had such a nice time with my family. I got to see several dear friends married, and wish others well that I won't be able to be with when they are married. I feel, and have long felt, very blessed for such wonderful friends. And for my beautiful family. I still believe that one of the greatest evidences of God's mere existence is the unexplainable phenomenon of love.