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Reboot

Dead readers and friends,
  My last post was more than two years ago.  During that time, a lot of stuff happened, some good, some not so good.  Blogging and writing and home hospitality were unfortunate casualties of those years.

I am now back and going to reboot this blog. I thought about starting a new blog, but I like the continuity and history that this blog embodies.  I also am very attached to the concept of hospitality and I want to maintain that thread.

I plan on covering the following topics (listed in no particular order of importance).

  1. Hosting and entertaining guests and family
  2. Kidney Disease
  3. Cooking
  4. Dublin, Ireland
  5. Israel
  6. Family ties
  7. Education

Hosting and entertaining


I love to have guests and to throw dinner parties (or lunch parties).  Few things give me more joy than to prepare an event and have it go smoothly.  I enjoy meeting new people and making new friendships.

Kidney Disease


I have been gifted (sic) with kidney disease, a degenerative disease for which there is no cure, but there is the possibility of a transplant.  The disease shows very few symptoms until very late in the game and hence, you would never know that someone who had it was ill.

The main challenge until such time as you need a transplant or dialysis is to try to reduce as much as possible the systemic load on the kidneys. That translates to maintaining hydration, eating less protein, avoiding stress and heavy exercise and keeping blood pressure under control.

Cooking


I love to cook.  The act of creation, generating tasty food from raw materials, and satisfying peoples tastebuds is amazingly powerful.  I also enjoy the engineering aspects of food preparation, from materials to tools to chemistry and physics.  Check out Cooking for Engineers for sample approaches to this challenge.

I love to experiment with recipes and will post them as I try and learn.  Given my issue with Kidney disease, expect many of my recipes to be low protein.

Dublin, Ireland


I have lived for 19+ years near Jerusalem, Israel, but I am moving to Dublin, Ireland in the next few weeks to start a new job with a Fortune 100 firm.   I can't talk about my job too much, but I can write about my experiences as an Ex-pat in Dublin.  I look forward to sharing, commiserating, and celebrating this move.

Israel


My heart will always be in Israel.  My immediate and extended family live in Israel along with many of my close friends.  Perhaps being in Dublin will let me explore an insider/outsiders view of the country, its challenges and successes.

Family Ties

I am part of a large extended family.  Unsurprisingly (to me), we are very close and supportive.   Through thick and thin, good times and bad, we are always there for each other.  I am frequently reminded of these ties and will try to use this blog to highlight the messages and lessons that we have learned.

Education

I have earned a Phd in Computer Science.  I decided get this degree because I am passionate about education and about computers (who would have guessed).  I hope to get involved in some education initiatives and will tell you about them as they progress.


In short, stay tuned and have a great time
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