It has been, I admit, a rather long time since I last wrote here. That doesn't mean that nothing happens in the station – far from it.

* Keren stuffs me with good food. This comes as a total shock to my system, which is used to rather bad food. It's a big effort, but I'm handling it.
* Keren takes me to buy some new garmets. This comes as a total shock to most of my companions and comtemporaries. It's a big effort, but they'll handle it.
* Keren and I buy a new set of dishes and cutlery. This comes as a total shock to Steven, my housecleaner, who proceeds immediately to break a new glass and hide the remains. This last event, however, doesn't shock anyone.
* The Universe In A Pita project continues – the album is in the final mix stages. Idan, the Funkapella drummer, was chosen to do the job with me. We're going to sit here through Yom Kippur and finish it.
* Also in the Pita – a videoclip is being prepared by Keren and her friend Ruti. The former will do the computer work, the latter is a classic animator. Deadline: next week. It seems, therefore, that not only I am going to work during the holiday.
* The Funkapella recorded two songs at the Tomix studio (Fridge and Goldfish Blues). It's the first time I recorded in a studio not my own since 1999 or so. The recordings might have turned out nicely, but we don't know since they're stored on digital cassettes and nobody's able to transfer them to computer files. What the studio people don't know is that I've no intention whatsoever to pay a dime till I got the files stored safely here. That might solve the problem.
* The Distinguished Mme H. (also known, to some of her friends, as Huttie) was ceremoniously nominated as Pita Production Assistant. The Pita Production Team wishes the Mme. all the best in her new job, and also a very quick healing from the Jellyfish burns. Film at eleven.
* Hadar returned from a week at Club Med, Turkey. If by Sunday I don't see any real progress with the Pita script, heads will fly. Or at least be banged slightly.
* The Tenth Dimension is a publication of the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy. I have a column there, called "Mad Nir". For the coming issue, a new Mad Nir article had to be written in the record time of six (6!) hours. Then I was asked to write an Editor Note, since the Editor flew away to Budapest just in time for the closing of the issue. I settled for writing a Non-Editor Note.
* I was also asked to write some text for the opening event of the coming Israeli Science Fiction Convention – ICon2001. The event will be hosted by Gidi Gov, who rejected my first draft of the text due to overusage of special effects. My second draft was sent yesterday, though I'm not sure it'll fair better than the first.
* I managed to write two short stories for the contest held by the Society. The second one was quite a surprise to me – it started nudging me at work and didn't let go until it was written, about an hour and several disappointed customers later.

Consider the hour in which I write this. I spent most of the night at the supermarket, and some more of it creating a Pita Presentation Page on the web. Keren spent most of that time (after returning from the supermarket, of course) making food.
I might die soon from some fat cluster somewhere, but at least I'll die a happy man.

• שונות