I drank last night which is not a good idea, but my rationale was that it would make me feel better. It did not.
I was up a bit after noon, though, and packed small things and had coffee etc. I was able to carry the small things without using the bike trailer, and smuggle out some trash too. The chute at the post office was jammed but that's why I only go there during hours when the counter's open so I was able to drop off the packages OK.
I went over to 99 Ranch and got some things, not much, only about $15 worth, and got $100 cash back, and then went to H Mart. H Mart is selling the kind of beef I like to buy, fatty ribs which are cheap and flavorful, but in big packages so it means spending $40 or $50 at a time. I found a $30 package of slightly more expensive ribs, and will cut those up and freeze them.
I got lots of veggies too so I hoped to not run across any bums, and I didn't encounter any of the bike-riding bums that I worry the most about, but over by this place that often throws out "Rev-A-Shelf" boxes that I use, there was a guy leaning against his car across the street. He called out to me, first "Hey!" or something then "Can I help you?" then he asked for a cigarette a few times, "Gottaciggrit?" and I finally called out, "I don't smoke, sorry!" and got back into the complex here.
I mean, who even smokes any more, other than the underclass?
Luckily the guy didn't follow me - he probably knew I had some hidey-hole to get into. I got back to the shop here and got the bike in as quickly as I could without looking like I was in a hurry. I noticed the dirt bike a guy's been riding around here, parked by a couple of pickup trucks.
I cooked up some scrambled eggs and more of that "eh" beef, and the motorcycle guy(s) rode a different bike around, and then as it got dark they did this thing where they set off fireworks and the guy rode the bike around them. I was thinking, all they need is a pair of ramps then set off the fireworks between 'em while the guy rides the bike over the top of the fireworks ... but I think the Mr. Softee guys didn't appreciate all this motorcycle action around their trucks, and called the cops. I just hope they don't think it was me, calling the cops.
I learned something interesting last night. I already knew there are a lot of accounts by Holocaust survivors on YouTube, but I realized that in a lot of cases, they're speaking Hebrew with English subtitles, and the Hebrew is generally clear and it's good exercise to pick out the words I know. Very often, these are people who got to Israel as soon after the war as they could, had studied Hebrew and then had decades to perfect using it, and there's a certain purity in their speech, like the way 1940s and 1950s radio announcers spoke so clearly.
At my age I can't hope to become a "native" Hebrew speaker, but if I can learn "school teacher" Hebrew I'll be very happy. Being able to get by without having to fall back on English is what determines whether people who move to Israel are happy there and stay there.
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