السلام عليكم

While K8's brain is being bombarded with daily tsunamis of policies, acronyms, and bureaucracies, the boys and I continue to explore. That is, when we are not occupied by the pool, playground, or new friends.

On the occasion that I am afforded any real time to do so, I've been attempting to learn Arabic. My efforts in Hebrew are less pressing, as most Hebrew speaking Israelis also speak English fluently. Thus far, my success in Arabic has been limited to a few different ways to say hello and about 20 other words that I have bouncing around in my head, of which, I cannot recall the coinciding meaning.

Being in our nations capital has spurred us to bone up on our U.S. History a bit so we've been watching HBO's John Adams series on DVD. It is a fantastic look into the personalities and realities that led to the formation of this country.

The movie, coupled with my labors in language, has produced dreams that are quite bizarre... especially last night. Yesterday evening Q "captured" an imaginary alligator that, according to Q was skilled in automotive repair and medicine. Unfortunately, this new imaginary friend later fell 4 stories down the apartment's elevator shaft along with my not imaginary belt that he was using as a leash. This resulted in a tear filled meltdown of epic proportions until, "Q, what's that noise? Is there something scratching at our door? Let's go see. Oh, my goodness, it's Alligator. He climbed out. YAY!" Crisis averted but a dream about trying to get your oil changed by an alligator that only speaks Arabic dressed in colonial attire makes for a rather restless night.