Jelly?

Today in West Jerusalem Scott tried to buy a Jelly-filled doughnut from a stand in the open air market. It went like this:

Scott: Does this doughnut have jelly in it?
Man: Jelly? Yes.
Scott: (skeptically) Jelly, really?
Man: Yes. Jelly. Strawberry. Very, very good.

So he buys the jelly-filled doughnut. Then, instead of walking away, Scott stands in front of the man and begins to eat the doughnut. The man nervously looks at Scott as he slowly takes one bite, then two, then three. Still no jelly. He keeps biting the bread, all the while looking directly at the man. And then he says, "there's no jelly." "No jelly?" "Yeah there wasn't any jelly in the doughnut."

So the man says something in Hebrew to his friend and they both start examining the remaining pile of jellyless doughnuts. They pick each one up, look at its bottom and set it back down. After they've touched every single one, the man says, "no jelly," and he shrugs his shoulders. Scott just looks at him, not saying anything. And finally, in a huff, the man opens the register and gives him half of his shekels back.

So funny.

This is a random picture when we went into West Jerusalem and listened to the street music and ate the street food. Best crepe I've ever had. Love it.

Gnawed

As you know, my basketball career was pretty much stifled when Kristin backed into the basketball hoop that used to exist in Mom and Dad's driveway. Ever since then (2008) my playing days have been over. Until now.

In the center there is a gym where the boys usually monopolize the basketball court.  A court which is now overrun with teams from the  "No Boys Allowed, Powder-puff, Jerusalem Center Basketball League."  The league consists of eight teams, each one having a girl who played high school basketball. My team is good.

Yesterday was our first pre-season game and if you think that these games are "just for fun," like everyone says, you are wrong.  They are competitive to the death.  Yesterday, the competitive tension was rampant and its peak came in the minutes before halftime.  Catie Legro, our only opponent who had actually played basketball in high school was at the height of competitiveness.  She was playing her 'A' game running around, shooting baskets, and yelling at her team to "GET THE REBOUND!"

In a crucial moment, less than a minute before halftime, I ran to guard Catie as she had the ball.  When I reached her, her back was to me and as she turned around, she was already charging at full throttle. I put my hands up, leaned back and screamed, but it was too late. The front of her face slammed right into my open mouth. Teeth are sharp.  And my teeth literally cut a gash right in the middle of her eyebrow, and her head began gushing blood.  Suddenly there was a puddle of blood on the court and people were screaming to get the doctor. He came and took her downstairs to mend her bleeding head. My teeth were a little tender but still in place.



I felt awful. Obviously.  My teeth were the cause of a serious head injury. 



After the game, which we still finished, I found the doctor and discovered she had five stitches and felt relatively decent.  And she didn't hate me.  I was very grateful for this.  My only injury are the abundance of biting, vampire, hungry Lizzy jokes, which I have to endure. And seriously, people are witty, so it isn't so bad.

The moral of the story?, Never play basketball with your mouth closed because if I had, we both would have stitches, according to Dr. Chapman.  Second moral of the story, play more basketball because it is SO FUN.  Who knew?

Today

i woke up to find my inbox full of three wonderful emails from family and friends! Oh happy day.