Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2024-04-03
Hi. I'm Joseph Zitt. I moved from the US to Israel in 2017. This is my newsletter about more-or-less daily life in my city in the shadow of war. You can select these links to subscribe or unsubscribe. There are more links at the bottom. You can also read this email online here. Here we go...
The bench on my way to work, where the man in the truck found the hat, is now covered with children's books, clothes, toys, and shoes. Maybe a child has grown out of them. In my family, these often went to the next younger sibling or cousin. Here, the hand-me-down family includes the whole neighborhood.
Other stories could also explain why they're all on that bench. I choose to believe this one.
I listen to a podcast on the way. My phone and earbuds keep annoying me. While the sound is clear most of the time, it often cuts out from one or both ears when I cross streets or walk past large driveways. It feels like something is confusing the Bluetooth waves (or however it is that the earbuds and phone communicate).
Most of a lifetime ago, transistor radios used to do the same thing. It's as if some atavism from the AM era has crawled up the evolutionary tree and popped out again when least expected.
The bollard outside the supermarket is close to upright. It still tilts a bit. The bricks are back in place.
An SUV there, however, has found an even more annoying way to park. As usual, three cars are in the ad-hoc parking spots in front of the market. Since this SUV can't fit beside them, it has parked behind and perpendicular to them, blocking all three. No doubt, the driver has some emergency that could only be solved by running in to the supermarket for just a moment, like all the other three.
The drivers will probably have a loud confrontation when they emerge. I'm tempted to stay and watch it, but that would ruin my chance at actually getting to work on time.
In the supermarket at lunchtime, I spot a can of Coke Zero in the cold drinks fridge. I double-check to see if it's marked as legal to buy as a single can. It is.
This throws me off my pattern. I tend to drink the soda as dessert. I'm usually frustrated that I can't get it, and pick up some other dessert to compensate for it. I've gotten used to being frustrated. Now that I'm not, I'm off-balance.
The sun is setting when I head out from work. I can still see by its light. I risk taking the shortcut home. I haven't dared to since I fell down the steps in the dark a few weeks back.
When I get there, I see that the streetlights are working again. Good. I have to duck around dangling branches and a yipping dog on the way, but I get across safely. I can start taking the shortcut in the evenings again.
The children's things are gone from the bench. I hope one or more families found them and can use them. A young woman sits there now, smoking and writing in a notebook. I nod to her as I pass by. She doesn't notice.
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Here’s an archive of past newsletters.
You can find me via email, Bluesky, Mastodon, Facebook, and, just out of inertia, X/Twitter. There's more about me and my books, music, and films at josephzitt.com.
The newsletter’s official mailing address is 304 S. Jones Blvd #3567, Las Vegas NV 89107. (I’m in Israel, but if physical mail comes to me at that Las Vegas address, it’ll get scanned and emailed. I don’t expect that to happen much. If you want to send me physical mail, ask me for a real address.)
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L'hitraot.