Sweet Times

So let's deal with things that are are potentially sweet. I'll swing from personal to something a bit more global.

I. I was finally able to move a bit today after my week in the desert with 38 high school students sapped me of all energy. When I got back to the school Friday, I saw my Klein (mountain bike) had a flat. Fixed that, and headed back to Tel Aviv (about 50 minutes) dragging my tired butt ever so slowly. But (good repetition you think?) 3/4 of the way home, I saw two other cyclists who had a flat and I was able to quickly discern that they did not know how to fix it. Thus, I patched their tire for them and when I got back on my bike, noticed that I had yet another flat myself. By the end of the day, I repaired three flats before getting home. Practice makes frustration.

Yesterday, I dragged my my still tired butt out of bed, however, I was unable to exercise. Eva and I took the aged monster (Candy) to the beach and ate there. I barely was able to make it back home as I once again had to descend into the supine (can I say that?) and crashed for the duration of the afternoon.

Woke this morning determined to get a ride in. Made it to the park by 7 and did a high intensity ride. Times were great but my heartbeat was up a bit from last week. Thus, I have proved conclusively that a week off the bike does impact one aerobic capacity. Polar said it and Polar knows.

II. Read an article about energy drinks: http://www.slate.com/id/2126591/ Kind of funny to me as this strikes home. Izzat, my Bedouin friend and school guide, showed a group of us a week ago a plant that grows here and calms the stomach if eaten and if needed. On our trip last week, he got sick and instead of seeking this medicinal plant, sought out Red Bull. It didn't work and instead made him even sicker. Moral of that story is that one does better with Bedouin cures than they do with Red Bull. Perhaps there is another moral.

Ohhh, bit of a break over the next few days. Lots of photo jobs to complete during this time and perhaps a trip to the traditional darkroom to make a print of Mar Saba for Izzat. To me, the area of in the desert where Mar Saba is located, is one of the most stunning landscapes that I have ever seen.

Shana Tova...