Arrived and Almost Settled

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As with the first trip out in June, the trip was relatively uneventful. We all woke up on a too-early Sunday morning to catch the first flight to JFK. I recall this 24-hour journey being almost painfully boring; tasked with entertaining an infant, the flights seemed more reasonable in length. When his hair gets this wild and he scowls, it always reminds me of my impression of Beethoven. Sorry that all the pictures are infant-related; we'll soon have a more diverse portfolio. We don't intend to make this a Baby Blog, though I'm sure some grandparents wouldn't object.

We took "w" for a dunk in the Mediterranean yesterday; the water was warmer than in June so he didn't cry on-contact, but it was funny how some of the larger waves in the marina startled him just enough to initiate the Moro Reflex with arms flailing and all. He took it all in stride and seems much more mature and emotionally stable than a month or two ago.

Alhough we arrived last Monday, we have not yet settled in to our long-term (4 month) accommodations. There was some trouble with our first-pick hotel regarding cleaning products used in the which induced headaches and rashes in the more chemically-sensitive members of the TTw trio. This initiated a dispute regarding thousands of dollars in claimed losses (due shortening the reservation) countered by a proposal to claim intangible physical and emotional damages due to said chemicals. In the end, we moved to a new hotel without paying exorbitant fees and are currently waiting for the larger room to become available for us next week.

Additional highlights of the past week include credit cards and ID lost in Seattle right before departure, our ATM card being "retained" by a presumptuous Israeli ATM machine, and a mildly poisonous spider bite on a big toe (now slightly bigger). We're a tough travelling crew, but if this keeps up for the rest of our stay we may have to walk away from the poker table.

A poker analogy is most appropriate to this social environment. The dispute with the prior hotel and the daily interactions of work and in-city require a thick skin, a disaffected demeanor, and, ideally, an aggressive launch with some willingness to barter; compare this to the relatively passive, offend-no-one mentality of the renowned PacNW'er. It's inevitable that everyday interactions may at first feel borderline hostile. After this revelation, you learn to put on a straight face, stand your ground, and even charge a few times--for the sake of your wallet, place in line, or just personal dignity. Whatever your personality on-arrival, don't come without a little Chutzpah.