I haven’t been 100% all week. I’ve been schleping myself to work, but besides the bare necessities I’ve been surreptitiously doing crosswords (the easy ones with the little arrows and the photos of celebrities) and sudoku (can’t do the hard ones - I manage up to the medium level). The only one who noticed was our 84 year-old volunteer. He never misses a trick. The sharpest one in the office.

Yesterday on the way home, I saw Mariano Edelman. He’s a very talented Israeli comedian and mimic, one of the stars of the Eretz Nehederet light satire TV show. In Israeli terms he’s pretty much a megastar these days. To give you an idea about being a megastar in Israel, he was crossing the southern part of Hayarkon Street with a very pretty girl, carrying a computer. There was something about the springiness of his walk, the twinkle in his eye, that gave you the feeling that he knew full well that all eyes were on him. This is called acquired narcissism, I believe.

It made me sad. What happens to him when his walk becomes less springy, his eye less twinkly? When his audience tires of his particular style of humor and moves on to the next brilliant youngster? Does he forever chase after his lost fame and success, becoming more and more bitter and dissatisfied, or does he let go, learning from the experience and growing as a person?

Youngest just left for school, wearing silly little shoes that are completely unsuitable for the rain expected today. No coat, but she did agree to take an umbrella. Such a silly age.

And seeing as we’re on the weather, yesterday we had a little visit from the sands of Sinai. The whole of the country was covered in a yellow haze. Well, as they say, if Imshin can no longer come to the mountain…