Strange Day

Strange Day

Lots of ups and downs today.

On July 27, 2004—Tishah be-Av of that year—my refrigerator broke down. I posted the following:

I called the repairman and described the problem. Getting up my courage, I asked him: What could this problem be, and how much will it cost to fix? He replied that it could be anything from a minor repair to one that would cost approximately two thousand shekels.

Last night I noticed that my refrigerator was making strange sounds. This morning, I noticed that it was no longer cold inside. The Seventeenth of Tammuz is around the corner, so I guess that my refrigerator has chosen to mark the Three Weeks with a broken compressor pump.

Two years ago, it was the inexpensive repair. This time it’s the two-thousand-shekel one. The good news is that the part is guaranteed for one year.

On the other hand, I may have some freelance work coming in, which will be nice, particularly since one of my jobs is about to end. (More on that later.)

Finally, today’s 4:00 p.m. Israel Radio news report included a prediction of a slight drizzle up north. Rain in Israel is highly unusual during the summer, and to add to the feeling of strangeness, the announcer’s voice, which is usually trained and laconic, reflected his surprise ... but professionally, of course.

I find myself wishing I could be up north for that drizzle.