The Bearded Wonder

Why do men have beards? There are a multitude of explanations, I’m sure. Freud must have devoted a chapter to it, somewhere. I can only speak for myself, and even then, I am on shaky ground.I think I decided to “sprout” a beard as soon as I was able to grow one. Most likely, even […]

Time according to Facebook

Last week I discovered that I got married in 2007. Which sort of turned my world upside down. How do you suddenly explain to your kids that they were born out of wedlock? And how do I explain the discrepancy between the young man that appears in my wedding photos and the aging soul that […]

Taking the “new” out of New Years

We are already into the third week of the new year and I am waiting for something wondrous to happen. You see, I have this fascination for new years. Somewhat of a childlike expectation. As if something different is supposed to happen simply because of the way we artificially separate time. I can’t help myself. […]

If airplanes were meant to fly

When our first child was three, we took him with us on a trip to Canada.“We are going on an airplane!” we told him, much to his delight.At that time, a bus took us from the old terminal building at Ben Gurion airport and drove us to the foot of the plane, where we climbed […]

Discussions with a Muse

“She never married, you know.”The room was quiet, darker than usual, the only light coming from the glow of the screen. I stopped writing and squinted into the darkness.“Who?” I asked.“S…  You remember S. Your first love?”I remembered. Some things you can’t forget.“Are we using initials now?”“You never know who’s listening,” she answered.“And I thought […]

Are Canadian writers Canadian enough?

“Are you Canadian enough to understand?” she asked.“That depends,” I responded. “What do you mean by enough?”“That’s a relief,” she said. “I thought you were going to ask me what I meant by Canadian.”John Barber, in an article entitled “Are Canadian writers Canadian enough?” (The Globe and Mail – Oct. 29, 2011), bemoans the fact […]

They sell books in Supermarkets, don’t they?

A well known Israeli writer is selling his new book exclusively through an Israeli supermarket chain. There, nestled between the carrots and tomatoes, you can pick up his book and add it to your cart of groceries. How is he doing so far? He has already sold over 50,000 copies of his book – which […]

Walking among the ibex

“Where have all the flowers gone?” my wife asked. “Flowers?” I suddenly remembered the image of an ibex walking past me the day before on my way back home from work, white petals sticking out of the side of his mouth. “Yes the flowers in the garden. All of them. Suddenly gone.” What had struck […]

Why Guinness always tastes better in Tel Aviv

How far would you go for a good pint of Guinness? A 5 minute drive? 20 minutes? How about two and a half hours? There is a quaint little pub in the heart of Tel Aviv, neatly tucked away opposite the Dan Hotel, close to the American Embassy, and just a stone’s throw away from […]

What is an Expat like you doing in a place like this?

One of the best things about growing older is that people tend to stop questioning your life choices. Maybe this is because they don’t see you as having much of a life left. The expiration date has passed, and they figure that you are here to stay. But old expat habits die hard. When do […]