The Random Quirkiness of Life

I think blogs are the perfect venue to share when you see, hear or otherwise experience things that are quirky. It is fun to tell your friends when strange coincidences occur, but sharing with total strangers can be just as fun! Here are some of the recent batch of such things:

1) Meeting at an intersection: I was in the car with Elana and she was having a conversation on the cellphone with a friend...I did not know which one. I was in the middle of making a left turn in a busy intersection when Elana started waving and pointing madly. At first I was scared. I thought that I was failing to see a danger coming from a blind spot...But it was her friend Johanna. Johanna was the first car in line at the red light to our left. Elana and she were talking on cellphones separated by 2 lanes of traffic. We all had a chuckle, but I only chuckled after I made the left turn.

2) The TV Tax that won't die: In June 2006, Elana and I left Israel to return to the US. As a citizen, I have to have an address in Israel...the Ministry of the Interior won't let me just tell them I am not there. So I had my address changed from the rental apartment where we had stayed for the year to a friend's home. She forwards important mail when it arrives. (It is really very nice of her to do so. You should buy balloons from her if you are ever in Jerusalem.) For the past number of months, I have been getting forwarded notices from the Israel Broadcasting Authority. They are demanding that I pay the television tax. For a TV I don't own. In a house I don't live in. In a city/country that I have not been in for over a year. I have e-mailed. I have written letters. The fees keep rising. I can't figure it out. I have NEVER owned a TV in Israel. The worst part about it is that I can't seem to arrange to be awake during the couple-hour window that they take phone calls at their office. Any ideas what I should do?

3) Middle-Aged Asian Hello Kitty Trance Music Dance: Elana and I did not go to our recent graduations (mine from law school and hers from Ed School) Instead, we went to brunch with my mom and then on a hike in the hills around Los Angeles. On our trek, we saw and heard a picnic/campground area that was filled with happy people. It was from a distance, but here is what we were able to deduce from the sounds of their voices, their appearance and dress, the smell of the food and the sounds:
a) they were tourists or VERY recent immigrants,
b) they were older (i.e. the youngest was about 45 years old and the oldest went to grade school with Yoda),
c) they were having a non-American Bar-B-Que (whatever it was, it was not hamburgers and hot dogs),
d) they were into music and dance (they had the minivan speakers up full blast and the rear door of the vehicle was open to project the music to the dining area),
e) they liked to get down and boogie in a style of dance that was possibly never seen before in those parts of the mountain,
f) they had an awesome mix sounded like it was made by DJ Hello Kitty (think of heavy trance music that might be composed by a cute animated cat).
Needless to say, I would have liked to take a picture, but my cellphone doesn't zoom enough and I did not want them to stop having a good time.

4) Which Eggs?: Recently, Elana wanted me to start buying cage-free eggs. Then she said we should buy organic eggs. Then locally produced eggs. In essence, all of these are for good reasons. The cage-free eggs are good for promoting ethical treatment of the chickens. The organic eggs are for the protection of our health and the environment. The locally produced eggs are for the promotion of the local agriculture which in turn cuts down on the carbon-miles used to bring the eggs to market. I was at Trader Joe's at the egg display and they had all three...often in combinations. But there was no carton that had ALL three. Elana and I spent 5 minutes debating the relative values of Organic/Cage-Free vs Locally Produced/Organic vs Cage-Free/Locally Produced. This attracted attention of another shopper who was amused and confused by our deliberations. In the end, we went for the local eggs.