Peace and Contentment

September 4, 2008

2008-09-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin as Republican savior? Good God help us!

April 29, 2008

2008-04-29T06:57:00.001-07:00

Oh dear! Another outlet crying for attention and content

UNC, Chapel Hill 78-9

2006-09-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

August 26,1978

Dear Family,

A hearty uptempo greeting to all! I am two days into classes and greatly enjoying myself.

On Wednesday, my flatmate, Erwin Jarvis, moved in. He is a 25(?) yr. old, radio-TV majoring senior. He has a working car and stereo. Objectively he has displayed relatively desirable characteristics: He works full time as a cook at Pizza Hut and is thus rarely here and never uses the kitchen. On Wed. I also registered for my courses and as of now it is basically geared to achieve the first goal: passing the first year general exam. My courses are Micro (ECON 200) and Macro (ECON 202) Economic Theory, a Decision Science (BA 300) course dealing basically with linear programming problems, and probably a 2nd year course on Financial Institutions and Markets taught by Willard Carleton.

Wed. night I attended a "get-together" given by 2nd yr students Dave and Pam Peterson. I had gotten the mimeographed invitation that morning. They had magnanimously offered to supply popcorn and soda "(limited)." They are both in Finance and each ride their own motor cycle. This party was for the (new) finance people.

I met there all the other new people, including my officemate, Larry. There are 4 new finance Ph D students. Larry and Jeff (?) are both 5 years out of high school coming from Acctg, Larry at U of ND and Jeff at SUNY Binghamton. Neither is particularly well adjusted or qualified. Nick, the other 1st yr student, is 30 and is coming from a state regulatory agency in Florida. Thus far he has not demonstrated any particular competence. Larry is in Graduate Student Housing and Nick and Jeff and his wife arrived at the last minute. The 2nd year people seem a little more credible, as do the 3rd yr students. The faculty have their valuable members. I am currently slated to work for Aging (69?) star Henry Latane. The relationship will require finesse on my part in addition to the sophisticated programming ability that I will have to develop.

Wed I also acquired a third Brown bookcase (for my bedroom) and a Gray 1’ x 3 " X 5' utility shelving unit for hallway space by the bathroom intended for a washer/dryer. I also have 6 bracketed she1ves and a bracketed plywood surface that I hope to use for study, though, I am currently using the kitchen table. Also at that time 1 purchased a Four wheeled deluxe model Sear's shopping cart which made Thursday’s “large" ($52) supermarket visit manageably tolerable.

I have been riding my bicycle to campus, barely a 10 minute effort. The problem is that the campus is as advertised, on a hill. I'll probably ride it there in the morning: and take the bus home and back for lunch and then ride my bicycle home in the night when the buses have stopped (after 6 PM and weekends). The Taxi service is good, with nightly and Sunday reserved faires 25-75¢. The campus is fairly large and a bicycle is a real necessity to shrink it to manageable size. Next to the campus, Shoney's restaurant has a $1.60 all-you-can-eat salad bar lunch. ($1.80 after 3 pm.). I can hardly beat this and may abandon my salads.

Thurs. night I attended the orientation meeting of the student run radio station. I was very enthused to hear that they are trying to broadcast 24 hr per day and are looking for D.Js. The hassle is that they enforce the FCC mandate that all DJs have a 3rd class FCC licences. I am motivated enough to study for the FCC test and maybe (dreamlike) I'll have that career awaiting me in radio broadcasting. They have a complete and strong rock library, good equipment, and high ranking Jews.

Last night I attended the first Hi1lel shabbat Supper of the year and walked away with the phone number of Paula. a 1st year Med Student and a dinner commitment from Nadine, a freshman.
Be well.

August 27, 1978

Another day has passed and as I have still not mailed this, another page seems in order. Let me begin with the most recent past of last night. The Hillel mixer began at 9:00 PM.. It lacked the intimacy of the Supper and as such was less rewarding. I had also been invited to a "wild party in the country," but lacked the motorized transport. I made a big salad for the event and determinedly I finally met someone at the mixer who was also ready to try the party, 2nd yr Med Student, Mark Shapiro (?) from Queens. We picked up my salad and arrived around 11:30 PM. The affair was actually quite tame and I befriended an interesting woman, Leslie, leaving with my empty salad bowl at 2:45.

This week I got a basket in the gym and have begun a running schedule. I am gradually learning the available dirt paths through undeveloped neighboring land. The track is a wide newly resurfaced 400 meters and the numerous proximate humongous intramural playing fields are so lush and clean that one can run for long stretches with eyes closed, quite carelessly. It certainly has the potential for helping concentration. A basket is defined here as a total gym outfit and towel less shoes. All the used clothes are washed and replaced with each request of the basket from the basket room. I have a little extra room in the basket for shaving and shampoo needs and talc. My only complaint is that not a single sauna exists for the University community and the brand new Phys Ed Intramural Complex will not have one either. At least in the summer, my storage shed doubles as a sauna here.

I have been meeting many pleasant and interesting people. Eli, the 2nd yr Fin PhD student from Israel is from Haifa and his wife from Naharia. He too is worried about a job. People seem happy and reasonably successful. The Sunny lush climate helps.

The Jaynes Book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bi-cameral Mind1 has had to be abandoned with the onslaught of classes, but I do plan to return to it at the first available moment. It is quite profound and reasonably relevant.

Tomorrow the “C" bus route (Carrboro) begins again. The net effect to me is that I now have two alternatives to choose from when traveling to and from campus by bus. I’ll probably end up leaving my bicycle on campus, utilizing the bus and taxi.

My only available reading list as of today is from ECN 200 and I have thus far read the first 100 pqges of articles for it, most of it dealing with Milton Friedman's conception of "Positive Economics." I am very anxious to get the Sunday NYT back on my breakfast table. The :Washington Post does draw very interesting columnists to their Op-Ed page. The free campus daily, The Daily Tar Heel, should be adequate for local news (and Doonesbury, should I give up the WP)..

I am getting Pita Bread from a local natural food store, where I also purchase my Almond-molasses Granola, fried cashews, and barbeque flavored dry roasted soy beans. Vegetarian restaurants and dishes abound, though no one I have yet spoken to thinks highly of the town's dining establishments. I have certainly tasted good light chocolate ice cream here, a far cry from the Israeli Strauss Choc Chip or Mocha. The habit that Reuven did inculcate in me is Hershey's Syrup and whole milk.. The produce price and quality is good. but at this seson of the year I would not expect much less.

Almost all of the UPS packages have arrived but three days have passed and I am waiting for a few more. I have not heard yet from Greyhound that my stereo got to Durham.

Judy arrives here Thurs. night for a 10-day stay. Her ride will hopefully return with my stereo for her. I greatly look forward' to the time that we will be able to spend together.

September 6, 1978

Dear Family,
.1 greet you with the heavy heart that. befits my deep sense of bereavement over the loss of our dear Grandma Emma. The void of our loss can only be born by the memory of her purity and goodness. With this loss love, we again become less total.

My classes have begun and they seem acceptable thus far. Micro Econ Theory looks to be neither particularly rigorous nor exciting. Macro Econ theory should be the opposite. Both classes are about 25(?)students, largely the same, 1st yr Econ students. The Grad. Library's back periodical holdings are proving barely accessible.. My. Oper Research course should pose little difficulty in the foreseeable future. In the Fin Mkts course, I am to deliver a critique of a paper tomorrow, 1 of 3 students (5 total in the class).

I will be working for Dr. Latane this semester. His first request of me was to write a program to employ fundamental decision criteria on equity selection, an ironic assignment as I too asked this of my research asst at Morris. My RA gave me no results. I will obviously have to perform much better.

By now you should have noticed the cleaner type of this letter. This is due to -the fact that I am using Judy's electric typewriter. '1 also utilized it to type requests to session participants of the. recent AEA/AFA/ES meetings for copies of their papers. The convention was held last week in Chicago and I certainly would have enjoyed attending. This year's other major meeting (even more important as it occurs later in Oct), of the Fin Mgmt Assoc, will be held in Minneapolis.

More importantly, I introduced Judy's typewriter to evidence her stay here. We are having nothing but the best of times together, physiological ailments, aggravated by hay fever, aside. I bought her a pair of Brooks Villanova and Bierkenstock sandals. We have been running quite regularly. We attended the opening Ph D in BA reception and there I met the fifth entering Fin Ph.D student, Dick Stimpson. He is over 45, and coming from Fla. I. have not seen him around because he teaches full time at High Point College, 70 miles away. I have difficulty envisioning his successful completion of the program.

Judy and I saw the movie "The Buddy Holly Story," and agreed with the generally quite favorable reviews. His life became more real to me. At the shopping center I also picked up LaFayette and Sears catalogs for R&E and aquarium supplies for myself. Sat. morning. we attended a nearby farmer's market for an interesting if not particularly "fruitful" endeavor.

Today we joined the Labor Day festivities at the nearby NC Botanical Garden The pristine and lush 340 acres border the campus and should prove to be a year-round resource. The elevation and geographical location allow the Gardens to support a whole host of native and imported fauna. The absolutely litter-free trails were an immensely pleasing experience. We also encountered Barry and Renee Greeneberg and a few other people that 1 recognized, there.

Last week I mistakenly thought that Don's name is "Jeff". His wife is Sue. Tomorrow, Ann Rakes, a senior in English from Winston-Salem, is eating supper with Judy and I. On Wed. Judy and I will hear a lecture on "International Accounting" in Carroll Hall, preceded by supper at the Hillel Deli. Thurs. night Leslie is joining us for supper and on Firiday Judy leaves for NYC.

She is getting along fairly well on my raw vegetable/ highly cut up salads with an occasional hot dish. She is quite adventurous with my cookbook and came up with a delightful buttermilk-wheat-raisin coffee cake.

We are managing to get around fairly well with the bus system and shared-ride-taxis (SRT). Our time together has been only too short.

September 10, 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings on a hot and muggy Sunday afternoon. Life here is beginning to take on a routine nature. I am well and in good spirits.

Judy's visit ended Fri. morning as she parted with a ride to Wash. D.C. and the Natl. Gallery's East Wing on the way to NYC. We had dynamite times together and I realize that all it would have taken for you to have shared the good time was a cassette recording unit. I'll not let this thought passed unfulfilled.

She got to know the town, my trailer, and routine fairly intimately. Her running capacity was quite impressive for a woman in her circumstances. We swapped many stories and philosophies. The guessted supper went as well as the Hillel Deli. Importantly, she was able to finish her grant/independent study project and it emerged as a very credible piece. I was glad to be able to offer some last minute payroll tax info. We had few formal cultural inputs, but suffered little for it. I will be able to provide her with a business library, stereo, and curtains.

My classes are progressing well. Micro Econ and Bus Dec Meth are proving not to be too stimulating or challenging. Macro Econ and Fin Mkts will certainly be challenging, if not overwhelming. I will not be suffering from a lack of textual course material to read. My Officemate is getting the daily WSJ and I try to buy the daily Wash Post, in addition to the acceptable Dairy-Tar Heel.

Dr. Latane has left for 9 days in Europe, so I am on my own. I have a few all ready written programs that I am trying to run. I have an inordinate amount of programming to learn ahead of me. I received my first paycheck on Fri. and on every subsequent second Fri I'll get this check of $222.22.

Enclosed you should find two maps, one of UNC and the other, of the N C Botanical Gardens. Franklin St. is the town’s main drag and between Columbia and Henderson alone I can conduct 90% of my intown commercial transactions, from products to services. A path exists all the way from the Garden trails to the campus border of undisturbed beauty. Within 45 minutes I can ride from the gym, in my locker-room issued clothes, to the Garden paths and run around there and return. As you know, the Bus. School is in Carroll Hall.

The Hillel is proving to be a real enjoyable source of food and potential friendship. This morning’s brunch, the one out of four that features the sumptuous all-you-can-eat bagel and lox, featured Mark Halperin speaking on Jerusalem's roots. I am meeting new men and women at every occasion. I expect to attend the Wed night Deli, Shabbat Supper and Sunday brunch fairly regularly, though I will probably not repeat wed night's Kosher Corned Beef, as the meat, the first in a while, was not particularly well received and left me feeling tired and sluggish. I'll stick to the Gefilte Fish.

I have not made any truly deep friendship's since arriving, but I am far from discouraged and am having problems only in managing to fit social time with study time. I'll have to develop a more disciplined schedule.

Rick Grossman came over earlier this evening with what he was kind enough to bring down gear from Cleve. We had a good time catching up with one another's summer and we should be getting together, if not regularly, at least sometime soon.

Thursday night I am to have dinner with Nadine.

September 18, 1978

Dear Family,

A day's late greetings! I simply ran out of time last night and an 11:30 P.M. 45 minute talk with Judy got the community in me.

The week torrid pace of Monday is over. Last week I resolved to drop Micro Econ and-take Dr. Latane's Capital Mkt (Finance) Theory, Bus Adm 380. My rationale is that the Micro, an uninspiring course, is barely related to my general exam at the end of the year. Dr. Latane's course will require only marginally more effort, as both 380 &388 have the basis of a grade, the term paper. I expect that the same paper will serve both, hopefully something in the area of 'Depository Interest As a Cost of Money'. More fundamentally, banking represents an Israeli marketable skill.

Other aspects of my existence are progressing in varying rates. Socially, I have associated with most of the Jewish circles and nothing particularly exciting has occurred. Saturday night was the Jewish Singles Group pot luck dinner. a 35 person affair at the home (apt) of Jane Gavin. My salad represented one of the few wholesome forms of sustenance brought. I did meet an interesting clinical psychologist working with Children in Durham, Rick (?) Roth, whose first book is to be published by McGraw-Hill in Jan. The manuscript is an elaboration of a test he performed on children to determine their degree of societal adjustment with his results highly correlated with the children's teachers. The test was a simple one, asking a child to recall its earliest memory. The three factors to be recorded and valued are: how the child felt, how the incident was resolved, and most importantly, how the parent (superego) figure felt.

Friday night I cooked supper for the Hillel. The following was served to 17 people: A casserole of 4 cans of tuna, 3 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup, 2 cups of assorted beans, 1 pound of rice, cashews, and fresh mushrooms and string beans; a humongous PCL salad (with a broiler pan full of leftover); 18 half ears of corn; 3 cans of apple juice; bananas; and a watermelon cut into quarter slices. (Paranthetically, I suppose this is an appropriate point to thank my knife and Mrs. Ko for making unbelievable salads possible.) Most people were pleased and I was able to do it, including shopping in under 3 hours.

Last night I attended a Jewish Graduate Student open house at Hillel, a very uninspiring affair, as far as nubile young women went. Preceeding it I saw Lenny Bruce in a New York 1964 Night Club Act, an hour length flick that I had previously caught at the Hts Art Thtr. It rang as true and beautiful as ever.

My trailer existence is satisfactory. I have a working aquarium with 5 fish and this past weekend I fumigated my kitchen and bathroom (water sources) to combat the roaches. Recommended Diazinon has a fairly good kill rate with only a fraction of the population remaining. I also lost a significant portion of my living room plant to aphids before I exterminated them with Diazinon.

Saturday the basket room was closed so that I had to run in my bare feet. Earlier in the week I had lost my left contact down the drain and I cannot run in this hot weather with my glasses on. So I started on the track and it took only one lap for the track to rip patches of skin off the bottom of my feet, which are finally blistering over. A new contact lens has been ordered.

Father has kindly offered to pay for my ordered portable cassette recorder, digital watch/stopwatch/calendar, and briefcase.

The only real disappointment of the week is that I have not gotten my programming act onto the road.

******************************
Sept 24, 1978

Dear Family,

I trust that this output finds you all in the best of health. My assistantship duties entail mastering of empirical data analysis on computer. To that effect I have been at this terminal often this week. Unfortunately most of what I have learned will go to naught, as I have the wrong mode and language. I am beginning to understand what I will have to learn.

Otherwise the week has passed uneventfully. The big news, which was really quite unpleasant was that the cat hanging around my trailer had both his back legs broken, presumably being run over by a car. As with all natural evolution, the weak die and thus did this cat. The gross aspect was that he died under our trailer. When the smell became intolerable and rank, Erwin, who used to work with a man who cut up dead horsed, fished out the remains (‘Nothing but a furry bag of maggots by this time) and placed it in two plastic bags for the garbage. On the whole, a distinctly unenjoyable affair.

This week i was able to get into something of a study routine, staying...

******************************

October 8, 1978

Dear Family,

I trust that this type is heavy enough for everyone to read. This means of communication and duplication appears to be useful and feasible. I am in good spirits and health and I trust that the new year finds everyone else likewise.

The weather has beome quite cool here, with nights dipping into the upper 40’s. Running is quite pleasurable under these circumstances and so my times and distances are improving measurably. This week I managed 3 miles in 20:54.

My social week was not as active as originally planned but pleasurable nonetheless. Marinella Dado, an economics peer, joined me for a salad supper on Thurs. Between illness and the new year, Robe, a Duke resident, could not make it over. Dina, a physics majoring senior, had her sister’s wedding, which precluded her dining with me. I expect to entertain these ladies in the future. This area has so many intelligent and enthusiastic women that I look forward to my nightly cab rides home for the opportunity to meet some.

And then there is Nadine. After the shabbat dinner on Friday we went to see and hear the Paul Winter consort, a jazz and mime troupe. We both had a good time and enjoyable conversations throughout. She replies with a very endearing “and you?” to my virtually incessant probing of her. The problem that I see with the relationship is that 4 hours a week does not define very much. She is desirous of this commitment level, so this is where it will stand until she deems otherwise.

I am headed for NYC on Wednesday 10/11. I will be taking a 4:00 p.m. bus to Wash DC where I will be spending Thurs at the FCC taking the third class license test, the Amer. Bankers. Assoc and the Fed Reserve hdqtrs seeking information for my research and at the Hirshorn (for the Saul Steinberg exhibit) and National Gallery. Wednesday night, Donna Potempkin, Ellen’s cousin, has kindly volunteered to put me up. I hope to be in Brooklyn by Thurs. night.

The Washington Post is proving to be an adequate daily substitute for the NYT. They are currently featuring many interesting pieces on Israel. Additionally I can read daily of Cleve, teacher’s strike capital of the nation and now the new capital of Saudi Arabia. This week I also finished reading Nora Ephron’s latest collection of Esquire columns on the media, entitled Scribble, Scribble. I find her quite enjoyable.

This week I began writing fiction and managed to produce a page a night. I imagine that this first effort will end up as a short story. I am reasonably pleased and may try to do something with the work.

I again wish you a healthy happy and peaceful new year.
Be well.

October 12, 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings from one of the greatest citys in the world (actually, one subway stop away) NY, NY. The trip up has also been exciting. Before that were 3 quite intensive days in Chapel Hill.

On Mon. and Wed. in 380, I discussed a paper and I was supposed to discuss one in 388 on Tue, though, we never got past Dr. Carleton's paper. On Wed, I also had a big problem set due in Macro. A busy three days. The papers were no problem but I am less confident about Macro. I did not crunch a lot of matrix algebra before his eyes as others did.

I trust that on that Wed., everyone had a sanctimonious, meaningful, and fulfilling Yom Kippur. To me, the holiday's essence is a cyc1ical purging of the soul. Nevertheless, I traveled to Wash. D.C. That evening, leaving on Trailways at 4 and arriving at Donna's apt at 1752 Corcoran (at NH, by the Dupont Circle Red Line Metro Stop) by 10:45. She and David were very hospitable to me and her carpeted living room floor was quite adequate. They both love DC, and I can see why, it is a bureaucrat’s dream.

On the trip up I had read the FCC 3rd Class License handbook and in the morning; I reviewed it and tried the sample questions. 75% correct answers on a multiple choice, 80 total questions, examination were required. At 10:30 A.M. I passed it. I then proceeded down 19th to Constitution where the Fed Res is located. On the way I profitably stopped in at the IMF and World Bank Hdqtrs, my discovering them having been unexpected. The Fed Reserve Bank Hdqtrs proved to be something of a gold mine, if not something of a mother lode. From here I walked away with books as well as material to be mailed to me as at the WB & IMF.

At the IMF I discovered the employee's exercise room. Crossing the street to the mall at 12:30, I was literally besieged with lunchtime joggers. Dad would have had a field days pointing out the various species. The mall itself befits the nations capital and right now as the trees turn color, it rivals London and Jerusalem for inspiration. The only truly manicured garden I saw was at the Smithsonian with an exquisite Victorian format. It did have smellable roses, always a refreshment to my senses. It also had a plant bearing the first copyright (patent) infringement warning on the asexual reproduction that I had ever seen.

Awaiting; me at the Hirshorn were the ink and other media of Saul Steinberg. The collection was inspiring and along with I B Singer's Nobel, one can never stop quite wondering how much fuller the world would have been if any one of a number of others ( let alone 6,000,000 ) could have lived to enrich us ( The mind particularly longs for a more mature Walter Benjamin ). The standing gallery with permanent collection works is always interesting. The postcard selection was not particularly fruitful.

I cannot ecall having ever been in the main building of the National Gallery, so I tried it today, after the Hirshorn. Three rooms of French Impressionism and the two Garden Courts were about all that I could stomach. The Museum's stock of postcards and reproductions were quite adequate. I closed the sightseeing at the NG East Building where I heard the day's first Hebrew conversation and thankfully had a few galleries closed to me.

Leaving DC on the 6:10, I pulled into Penn: Station at around 10:00 and into Grandpa's apt shortly thereafter. The weekend ahead should be grand

October 17, 1978
Dear Family,

My time here in NY is about to end and so I would like to savor these last few hours here and share them with you. The weekend was fun-filled, educating, and enervating.

Friday morning and afternoon I toured the Avendon exhibit at the Metro (Newsweek 10/16) and dashed through the Whitney. I have decided to throw a pre-Halloween Toga (optional) Party and at the Met I was able to pick up postcards of toga clothed statues that will make perfect invites. The Whitney had quite an extensive exhibition on early Abstract Expressionism as well as their credible standing collection. I rushed out at 2:15 to make it to Supper at the Grandparents in Rockaway at 4:00, and barely making it. Their ocean breeze and kindly hospitality are always refreshing.

That night I again returned to the Upper and Mid town East Side as I cruised through the 15 recommended Singles' Bars around 1st and 2nd Ave between 59th and 86th St. It turned out not to be such a choice time, as the Yankees are currently locked in battle with the Dodgers and a World Series game on TV (at virtually every bar in screen's up to 7 ft) attracts EVERYONE's attention. I had spoken to my friend Neal Lucas, a systems analyst with Arthur Anderson & Co., earlier in the evening and met him at a bar. Afterwards we strolled up to his new apt at 82 and 2nd and listened to the new Neil Young on his new stereo.

I have read in a work of fiction that the best place to meet single nubile women in this city is at the cookbook counter at Bloomingdales. In desperation I tried this locale and predictably, the joke was on me. Strolling down the E 50's, I purchased some prints and Decent Interval at Barnes and before I had to pick up my contact lens prescription and bring it downtown to be filled. (It fits fine and I am back to the confidence-enhancing (vain) glass-less reality.

Sat. night I remained in Grandpa's apt. with him as we celebrated his 85th birthday. We talked and saw a BBC special on Israel that was well done. I only hope that I can report at 85 that life has not neglected me.

On Sun. at 2 I went to a computer flea market at 49 and Lex. It was not much of a bargain for the dollar admission fee. I did find out that Radio Shack is coming out with a FORTRAN compiler next spring for their home unit. In the morning while taking a walk on the Bkln Eesplanade with Grandpa, local labor star Victor Gotbaum came jogging by in a "NY needs Vic" sweatshirt. After the flea market, I took in the MOMA. Their current exhibitions of PROJECTS, Russian Art 1917-27, and works by an architect and a landscape photographer (both of whose name I forgot) were all interesting. The showcase for me was their standing second floor of Post- Impressionism. It rivals any collection of that period (Leaving the museum in high spirits, I cruised through Central Park and saw my true superstar of the day, Chevy Chase. He was nattily attired like the other young professionals in the park, in denim jeans, tweed sport coat, and sweater. He was naturally accompanied by an attractive young woman.

Yesterday (Sun.) evening Neal and I were to see jazz pianist Keith Jarrett at the Lincoln Center Metropolitan Opera House. We did not buy tickets in advance and the concert was sold out when we arrived at the box office 2 hours before the show. Neal treated me to a crepe dinner and then we browsed through Marlboro Books, where I made some stupendous buys. Following this, we saw Bread and Chocolate a pleasant if somewhat lifeless Italian ironic comedy. The evening closed-with a Black Russian at the Hilton cocktail lounge.

Today the pace slowed quite considerably as I read finance most of the day. During the afternoon I got Grandpa out for a meal, though it was the predictable Chock-full-of Nuts. My flight home is in 6 hours at 7:30 A.M. Back to the grind.

October 22, 1978

Dear Family,

I am doing well and I trust that all of you are likewise. My week was somewhat typical and usual, so I suppose anything that I might relate pales by comparison with the joyous news from the holy city. A New Life! Noa Chen Levinson (Noa Levinson)

A New Beginning' Oh, how blessed are we. I am overcome with rapture. I could not imagine of a better couple to bring into this world a crucial part of our future. My joys and thoughts are with them and the longing to share these moments poignantly heartfelt. Next year in J'm.

Grandpa kindly footed my airfare bill so that I was back home Tue. morning at 9:45. The week progressed well academically. I discussed a paper in Carleton's BA 388. I have read about 150 pages for my term paper in this course and I am pleased that in selecting my topic I did not "bite of more than I can chew", my topic might not have enough of a literature to support a full-blown survey paper. I might have to introduce empirical testing. For my assistantship and research paper for Dr. Latane, this week I got some honest-to-goodness output, a very small first step. In BA 300, my test score was raised from avg. to above avg. because I successfully brought to the Instructor's attn. that it was his statement that supporting work must be shown only "If you think you are wrong" that convinced me that I need not demonstrate the second-order conditions, for which he had previously docked me points. In Bcon 202, Macro, I got my first problem set back with a 29 and a class avg. of 32.9, not so hot, Quite passable and above what the other Bus Adm Ph D students are doing, but obviously nothing "to write home about."

My social life is not fairing so well. While I do not wish to sound whiny, complaining, or depressed, it could be better. I have not really established a dialog with anyone in particular. While I really respect and enjoy Nadine's purity of emotions and beliefs, our level of intimacy is zilch. Alas, I fear the ultimate femme fatale, passivity.

In an effort to rectify the situation, I am throwing a toga party next weekend. Oct. 28 unfortunately happens to be a very popular night for parties. I can only hope that I catch people in a party hopping mood. I have made a fairly substantial effort to generate a decent crowd by distributing invites to all the graduate housed single women and to the single women in a nearby apt. complex.

The weather has been enjoyably temperate. Days get into the high 60s and the trees are alive with color. People take off for the mountain on weekends in significant numbers. Today I finally got the 3 miles back under 21 minutes and weight to 137 lbs. I am soaking up as much time as I can spare at the Botanical Gardens. Even my main southern-exposure kitchen window borders on panoramic Technicolor.

Sat. night was a Jewish Singles Group (JSG) party in Durham. Ervin kindly volunteered a ride (actually after being asked) to me, the 7 mile distance. The affair was thoroughly congenial and pleasant. Party and general name solicitation went well and I departed to Mr. Harvey's Bistro afterwards with two psychologists and two law school students (f,m,f,f).

The prices were outrageous (we had just coffee and dessert as they were closing at midnight on Sat), atmosphere thoroughly cosmopolitan, and the owners Jewish. They joined us and we schmoozed away an hour.

Today I heard Neal Murphy speak of his year at Tel Aviv U in a visiting fellowship in Banking. I asked him for specific topics to study and he could only speak of the radical difference between the US and Israel1 systems. I'll have to be there.

I am thrilled about yesterday's final breakthrough to a foreseeable Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. Everyone has so much to gain.

The depressing renewed realization this week was that if I desire a Zionist wife, she is probably in Israel; fairly certainly not here.

My plants and fish are doing well and send their regards.

October 29, 1978

Dear Family,

An uneventful mid-term greeting to all of you. The week had many lively encounters but nothing particularly notable in retrospect. I'll try not to bore you with routine.

A highlight was certainly the acquisition of a pair of Brooks Vantage Running Shoes. That day, Fri., I broke my two mile record, clocking 13:10. They may be a triffle large and the adjustment process was painful for my left heel, they are a real improvement though, and overall I am quite pleased. The price was $24, 20% off retail. I would even consider hard surfaces with these.

My party last night went reasonably well for the 18 guests who showed. The crowd was quite tame except for Sue (Don's wife) who consumed more of the "special" (1.e. grain alcohol) mixture that her husband brought along with other delicacies and they thus had to retire early. The other colleagues and wife showing were: Dave and Pam Peterson, Eli and Tsipora Talmour, and third year student Steve Sears. No previously unknowns appeared.

I was satisfied with my spread, as I limited the baking to quickbreads (banana and ww/btrmlk) and choc chew-ies and served cheese and crackers as well as salad and half pitas. I bought a gallon of Chablis, which is still 60% full, a six-pack of Shaeffer, and a four pack of Guiness Stout. I kept one Stout at the correct 60oF and it came in handy as my BA300 Instructor showed and expressed a preference for it. Barely 1 loaf of each bread was consumed. Only one other person, Carol Sherman, came dressed in a toga explicitly for this party.

Rick Grossman was in attendance and I attended a pumpkin carving party at his home on Thurs. His party was very interesting in the sense of a sociological study of a 3rd yr law school class. He relates that: "..interestingly, most people are going back home". A fairly closed knit society, at least it provides some sort of community.

Rick, a friend since 1969, is headed back to a job in Cleve and will probably arrive with girlfriend of 2 years, Janet Benson. He will probably live somewhere near C.H., though possibly in Lakewood.

This was the week of fall for Chapel Hill according to all the lay "leafologists" that I have encountered. The mammoth, massive, and majestic trees are so colorfully vivid as to make an indelible impression on the memory. The Minnesota tundra pales by comparison to the splendor of fall in this scenic environment.

Professionally the week went passably. I completed the first part of my initial work assignment for Dr. Latane. Seven Balance Sheet and Incomr Statement criteria (as devised by Ben Graham) were applied to a sample of 3,000(?) of the largest companies for the period 1956-75. 50 stocks passed all 7 tests, 30 coming in 1974. I could go on and on and. I am hoping that there is an article in this (for possibly Better Inv.). The academic paper for him is not progressing as well. I am moving more expeditiously on Dr. Carleton paper. I have a problem set due in Macro on Wed that is under reasonable control and a test in BA 300 on Fri.

This coming Thurs. I am invited to a Coat and Tie dinner and reception for Andrei Voznesensky, a visiting Russian Dissident Poet. Getting invited merely entailed signing up and I am enthused.

In preparing for the party I vacuumed the living room rug and “goomied" the remaining floor space (though with a sponge on a stick with a remote control squeezer) as well as put up the posters acquired in NYC and DC. The Chagall "Rabbi of Vitebsk" looks solemnly and mournfully across the corner of my bed to the street map of J’m.

Be well.

November 5, 1978

Dear Family,

How are you all? I sincerely and truly would like to know. A posterity perspective is an unfortunate side effect of duplication. Similarly you read of a version of my reality that is censored to "PG" standards. But I am thinking of you singly and collectively. You folks give me a vibrant and relevant set of values that I turn to. Most likely, as with much of my reality, fantasy plays a role here. This contention is supported by the recent written empirical record

Despite my cantankerous opening, I am in relatively good spirits. Physically, I am finally over a chest cold that I caught while toga clad. My running speed and weight have not changed radically, being practically the same person I was since last week.

My classes are under control and while superlative performances are few, competency and progress are being registered. For my finance seminars, I have begun punching the data onto cards and hope to employ the SAS canned regression procedure shortly. The Carleton paper is the more ambitious as I'll be looking at 15 money market interest rates with a particular interest in Federal Funds. The feedback from BA 300 and ECN 202 is unfortunately of a passing mediocre competence.

The best professional news is of the recent write-up that I made of the Ben Graham criteria research that I do for Dr. Latane. Basically I employed the test offered in Better Investing June 1978, the article after mine. The generally poor performance warrants comment in those pages, I hope. Tomorrow I will have it duplicated and submit it to Dr L and maybe some others for comment.

My two finance seminars will become less demanding in the classroom for the semester's remainder, while BA 300 will stay the same and ECN 202 increase its demand on me. This week was something a relative maximum. By Thurs. I was ready for the Voznesensky dinner and reception. Ironically, he did not make dinner for the reason that I think concerns the mistake I made last week in describing him. He is not a dissident and made no for-the-record political statements while here. He evidently spoke much at his demanding book store schedule and agent planned appearances for he was fatigued at his abbreviated stop here.

At any rate, I was at the dinner (of approx. 15 students) because I had filled out the 6 line request. This was in response to a 2 week long notice in the Daily TH early in the semester. I elaborate on this solely because I was the only student in 20,000+ who had tried. I missed the actual performance as I fell asleep in my office after the processed dinner.

The reception following was fairly high brow and urbane, if not cosmopolitan. I befriended Pam there, and she is expected for dinner here on Wed. I drank Teacher's Scotch and dipped raw cauliflower in an avocado spread. My ride home was a philosophy graduate studying Comp Scl.

Fri. night a Hillel "dinner minyan" could not be raised, even though (because?) I volunteered to cook. I skipped the meal and later finished the salad in my refrig, which I then defrosted yesterday and today. Last night I attended a congenial and rowdy party near campus and befriended Melanie, who is to have dinner here Thurs. On Fri, Rick and Janet are expected and tentatively so is Ellen Siegel, a Hillel member from Durham. Despite this seemingly busy social schedule, I still await truly interesting and interested sincere dialog from CHers.

November 11, 1978

Dear Family,

I trust that this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits. Per usual, I take this on faith, having no written confirmation.

My week had a number of highlights, which I am pleased to recollect. The notable physical endeavor is easily summarized in my three mile time of 19:42 (6:22,6:36,6:59). This was achieved on Tue. and I rapidly returned to the acceptable 20:40. I have scaled the heights and expect to be back.

As expected, I submitted my manuscript" The Empirical Record and Implications of Ben Graham's Investment Recipe, to Profs. Latane, Carleton and Rice for their comments and they all reacted quite favorably. I therefore, sent the piece to Thomas E. O'Hara, editor of BETTER INVESTING. I of course hope for the best and expect the worst.

Coursework and term papers are progressing satisfactorily. For my Federal Funds paper, for 388, I punched the weekly rates for 15 money mkt instruments for 223 weeks.. Having the data and something of an interest and an idea as to functional form, I seriously lack the econometric expertise to tie all these loose ends together. Something credible will inevitably coalesce into a coherent statement, however profound. For 380, I am to present my paper development thus far in class on Wed. I expect to deliver a credible presentation of Robert Merton's "Firm Investment Under Uncertainty". I am to have a dress rehearsal on Mon. BA300 Instructor, Lou Moore went out to LA for a week's conference. A problem set is due on Thurs. in ECN 202.

Typically, the week's social events proved to be less meaningful than hoped (fantasized). Pam was here on Wed. and stayed a tota1 of 1.75 hours. Melanie called today and left a message with my roomate that she would be unable to attend, unbeknownst to me as I asked my neighbor Lenka for a rose from one of her many and still blossoming bushes. She graciously responded with 8 pink Victorian Buds. Lenka was out transplanting her geraniums to pots for indoor life through the winter. I may take these beauties to my 380 presentation.

The social highlight was Rick and Janet for dinner last night. Having another eater (i.e. male) at the table was in and of itself enjoyable. They came with spinach quiche and burgundy. Incredulous as I find it, they are truly bound for Cleve. They were sincerely heart-warming and inspiring company. Janet's approval of my fictional effort thus far will hopefully help motivate me to finish it. (What remains to be plotted are a convincing sexual encounter between the male and female protagonist, a subject in which my literary prowess has no values to draw on, and an ending (purpose) to the tale. I am on the verge of solving the above problems and hope to wrap it up soon.

This weeks cultural highlight, and for most weeks hereinafter, will come tomorrow around noon when I purchase the Sunday NYT. Civilization. The daily NYT arrives here 1 day late and is 1 mile further and 7¢ more than the WP so somewhat shockingly, at least to myself, I may stick with the Post, The "SUnday NYT on Sun is incomparable, at even 175% of the WP.

Fall is still here in Chapel Hill. Green leaves on trees are still quite common and we have had only 1 night of frost. This week has been wet though, so I expect a turn for the cooler soon. Sobering fun fact of the week that I discovered about Chapel Hill is that its residents are No 1. in the
USA (#2 in the World) in per capita. beer consumption. (86 gallons per capita per year)

I am currently reading Metropolitan Life by Fran Lebowitz, a. hilariously zany collection of pieces originally appearing in Mademoiselle and Interview magazines.

This week I got my satisfactory $2 (+$1 tip) haircut.

On Wed. I will be preparing dinner for Hugh McGiaughlin, a 4th yr. student now an Asst. Prof. at Indiana, back to "wrap up" his dissertation.

November 19, 1978

Dear Family,

Time flies as I am here again with you and have transcended so much in the past week. Though I have not heard much from you, you are always with me. I trust that your thoughts are stress-free and that I occasionally enter them. Currently I have no other tangible motivation for life.

Progression has been made on many fronts. I gave my presentation for the semester in DrL's 388 on Wed. He was impressed. The level of abstraction was great and my mastery of the material barely specious so that I lost most of the class early in the discussion. In my 3-piece blue suit with shirt and tie red dotted with white and Lenka Victoriah Rose in my lapel I felt confident. The best news from the course is that I have completed virtually all that will be required of me. The work is proceeding satisfactorily.

On Tue DrC broke the news to me that I'll be teaching BA 186 next semester, the undergrad Investments course. This is quite a coup as the last PhD student who did not have to teach 180 (Fin Mgmt, a required course) is now an Asst Prof here (Mike Rice). My year in the field was evidently quite well received. The rub is that it meets at the same time as the 2nd semester Micro Econ Thry, a course fairly integral to my education (though a course I have had many times before) and the maximum enrollment is 75. I am also in something of a quandary for a text, but I will probably go with the familiar Fndtns of Fin, over the currently used Invstmnts by Wm. Sharpe even though it is more dlfflcult.

My performance otherwise has been satisfactory plus. My 380 paper is beginning to coagulate. I hope that I have come up with a meaningful and testable hypothesis. The key data should be arriving next week from the St. Louis Fed and I hope to run the tests after I return from Thanksgiving break. I think that I performed satisfactorily on the last ECN 202 problem set.

To make up for the missing course next semester, I'll probably sign up for a Research Seminar (BA399) with Harold Black a new Prof from, most recently the Office of the Controller of the Currency (OCC). The course will be something of an institutional study and the class size will probably not exceed 3. It has great pre-dissertation possibilities.

The social side of life advanced passably this week. On Tue I attended a staff meeting for WXYC and there befriended Janet Harvey, a freshman interested in TV communication. We shared (I paid) supper on Fri at a neighborhood organic eatery, Pywackut and both had the specialty of the day, Manicotti in crepes and split a carafe of Paul Mason Chablis. Dessert was ice cream at Babes. The evening was pleasant, down to the traditional parting half loaf, but I have give up predicting how my love life is going to go.

More tangible evidence arrived last night at the Jewish Singles Group party in Durham. I met Rose Shalom, a 1st yr Med Student at Duke, and we rescheduled previously postponed dinners for 12/2. I also saw a 2nd Yr Duke Medical Resident in Family Practice, Jessica Schorr (Daniel's niece), as at a previous JSG affair and hope to entertain her for dinner shortly. The rest of the crowd was generally uninspiring, down to the near group watching of the show that everyone's talking about, Saturday Night Live.

Culturally, THE TIMES IS BACK, bigger and better than ever, of course. I am in a real quandary about what to do, the NYT is a block further, and a day later, and 7¢ more than the Post, but even with sucha handicap it is practically tied. The logical result is that I have been buying and reading both papers, a situation that cannot last. If the daily NYT gives one a 15th Century man's knowledge of a lifetime, you can imagine my reaction to today being Sunday.

Two of my mainstays, running and eating, were performed satisfactorily this past week as was the more mundane watering the plants and feeding the fish. I am still hovering around 20:30 for 3 miles though my weight is creeping slowly upward. Temperature in daylight ranges into the 70s and the night is a mild 50. I have been running less at the Botanical Gardens because the paths are leaf covered and I have strained my ankle more than once on hidden roots.

December 3, 1978

Dear Family,
I have been back from the Cleve Hts homestead for a week now and still its traces linger on. Encountering lifetime values always seems to distort my immediate present. I expect that I have overcome any residual listlessness and will be able to finish the semester with a flourish.

What remains to be done is 1 final in Macro Eoon and a term paper in Carleton's class. I got my first above average (40/40) score on a Macro problem set this past week and answered the two Quant. Mgmt. mid-term questions correctly. I am hoping that I am virtually through with my active association with Dr Latane, as instructor and employer. The paper is beginning to shape up as I have 10-15 pages worth of notes for the institutional (historical) and functional aspects of the Federal Funds and Repurchase Agreements Market and hopefully an empirical hypothesis worth a few pages of discussion.

The weather remains quite hospitable with daytime highs on the low side of 60 degrees F. It has taken me a week to get my 3 mile running time back down to 20:30. The N.C. Botanical Garden provides a pleasant path as usual, but the leaves camouflaging irregular ground surfaces prevent reckless abandon when running so my enthusiasm is naturally dulled somewhat. Fall is still arguably here, though the rain has definitely come.

Socially the week was fairly active as I shared meals with two charming women, Zoe Widdell and Rose Shalom. After dinner Sat. Rose and I attended a surprisingly lively JSG party. This is basketball country, though, and so a UNC-Duke game followed by the irrepressible SAT NIGHT LIVE drew many potential "socialites".

Be well.

January 3, 1979

Dear Family,

I am back in touch with you by mail after a wonderfully reaffirming and reassuring visit (with the sad exception of the crucial link) together. I cannot begin to express my gratitude and affection to you for making an enlightening vacation enriching.

After a sincerely painful airport send-off of Judy and Ellen, New Year's (Gregorian calendar) weekend in NYC was somewhat anti-climatic. The exhibits that I saw before Chanukah, notably Matisse at the MOMA and Stiglitz photographing, O'Keefe and a particular curators (whose name escapes me) collection effort at the Met, dwarfed the Broooklyn and Jewish Museums. I made some pleasing purchases in a collapsible luggage carrier ($9.95), Arnerlcan Food. Processor at A&S ($37 w tax), sweaters and corduroy pants for $4 and $5 at habitat, 120 postcards (qualifying for a 10% discount) at Untitled, and Grandpa Moe gave me a tie to travel home with to keep my neck warm.

Sat. night with Neal Lucas and I saw the movie "We Are Arab Jews in Israel.' Canby had. given it a rave review in the Thurs NYT. and the small theater sold out. I got there early, to my good fortune. The interview documentary style evocatively revealed the underutilization of the country's majority Oriental Jewish population in its relation to the Arabs. An enlightening yet sympathetic portrayal of the Israeli dilemma. The following dinner in Chinatown and cruising of Upper East Side singles' bars was less fulfilling. A wet New Year's Eve viewing the Central Park fireworks and Martin Steinmetz's video game attachments to his TV /( a decidedly CHRISTMAS gift) in his Upper West Side Apt. (closet) was also less than overwhelming. The trip's pleasant conclusion was an apt.-warming dinner at cousin Ronda & Ronnie's.

Returning is always something of a letdown. I really did not want the moments to pass. I have one week to prepare for the next semester's onslaught, particularly my 45+ Investments students.

The course that I was most worried about, I will receive an acceptable P (only because P- is not available); this being Macro Economics. I have evidently still not learned what it means to be a student. My courses for next semester are still tentative, though Research Seminars in Time-Series Analysis, Fin Inst. and Mkts., Multivariate Stat, and Fin Mthds in Fin seem likely.

The big bombshell dropped in my lap is a 2d year Fin Student peer, Abolhassan Jalilvand, an Iranian. His wife is leaving him and I did not object as the logical choice for him to lean on. I have thus been spending lots of time with him.

As I am sure you (USA) have experienced, winds from the NW have caused a temperature plummet. I cannot seem to put up enough polyethylene insulation. Otherwise the mobile home is in good shape. I hope to have the roaches routed shortly and keep the mouse a past memory.

My upcoming social calendar should be pleasant with Jewish parties the next three weekends. As always I approach these events with both skepticism and hope. I used my food processor this evening to make a weekly salad. The resulting mixture is much too finely chopped and dense for my tastes. I evidently overused it and will have to learn the appropriate utilization.

Upon returning, all my fish and plants were intact and alive. A chore that I must soon undertake is the changing of the dirty aquarium water.

I will be changing the art in my office as well as bringing in files to fill the recently acquired file cabinet. The machine typing this will probably now permanently move there.

Be well.

January 9. 1979

Dear Family,

Greetings on a Tuesday night, probably the last one for the next four months. Tomorrow it's batter up! No mind. I am with you now in a peaceful and expansive mood as I eat a festive tuna kiche and Zuchini in Lenka's trailer. She has one semester to go until her MBA and has recently discovered that her dream job is unlikely to be offered to her because of Realpolitik Yugoslav (her nationality) Worldbank relations. She feels depressed about ending up in NYC or Chi. I should be so unlucky.

Last night I ran out of heating oil. Today, following an outlay of $86.71 and some wrench turning the trailer temperature is again under control. No sweat, only cash. I have toyed with leaving and am somewhat unsettle1 by Erwin’s continued absence since my return. though his mother did call here today looking for him. Plus I am just not prepared to move. I still have Erwin's deposit and a commitment to May. Bills do amount inordinately. I am content to sit here on line at a desirable location, Glen Lennox. (I keep trying to end this paragraph at a line's end. Ah! Done

I am very enthused about this semester and yet have that pleasant vacation-induced ambivalence. I tave about polished off two Chi Mercantile Exchange Fellowship applications (Grad Student Research and Grad Stud Summer Intern), due next Mon. Socially I have been satisfied The dance last Sat was fruitful and enlightening.' I will be attending next Sun's birthday celebration of Israeli returning Debra Kay with J,' Gale Hashar, an IBM employee on "Rape Call" that night whom I met at the dance. This Fri I will be attending Stephanie Carleton's gallery opening with Joan. Plus parties galore on the horizon.

My previously mentioned courses are fairly set, though I just have to drop one, what with teaching and the Ph D qualifying exam. 75 students have enrolled in my Investments (BA 186) course. It will certainly not be an intimate gathering. I do have high expectations all around; typically easier resolved than accomplished.

I do so enjoy the turn of the calendar year, particularly in these inflationary times. Price level increases always get me thinking higher. I cannot imagine what life at "0" will be like, having experienced only 2, and the last one so long ago. Also amazing are rising prices with every….

My grade report was an acceptable 2 "P”s and 2 "H” s.

In general I have enjoyed this past week enormously. I read Teddy Kolleck's To Jerusalem, a pleasantly engrossing saga. As a group, Zionists certainly do make a remarkable group identity "leap of faith". Psychologically. As always, however, Viva La Difference! I have resumed a daily 3 mile run. I am still days away from the pre-vacation 19: 42 at today’s 21: 18 My minimum 20 minute intensive cardio-vascular exercise is as always gratifying when completed. Rain and cold prevent straying from the track.

It is now 1/10 and classes begin in a measly few hours. I must leave your fate in doubt.

1/11

Thursday night; the week's major efforts completed.

Classes have assuredly begun. As of now, I will be switching from Psych 132 to Ecn 272. They cover similar topics but the later is closer to the orientation that I wish to have. I still may not add one of my research seminars. Routine has still not yet set in. Next Tue is the WXYC semester planning session and I expect to secure a slot at that time.

And now for the BIG news. Having not heard from Thomas E O'Hara since I submitted my Latane research results write-up, I ca1led the Natl Assc of Invstmt Clubs. O'Hara, editor of their BETTER INVESTING, answered and responded to my query that my manuscript was published in the January issue and my complimentary copies were on their way! I am extremely pleased about how easy the whole operation went, particularly my editing.
I have recorded 3 new enjoyable albums since returning with my new tapes, Neil Young "Comes A Time". Rolling stones "Somre Girls". and Talking Heads “More songs...M. Jagger's tribute to NYC is touching.

January 16, 1979

Dear Family,
Surprisingly, greetings on a Tue. night. The hour is late and I am “academiced” out, having begun my day at 6:00 A.M. I am in the throes of a demanding schedule with tertiary demands also of my time. Actually, I am typing to you because I am also recording the new Elvis Costello off of WXYC and I can do little else while listening to conscious demandlng music.

The notable adverse recent development is that Erwin has split out on me. Flat mate prospects are dim. A rate structure reflecting bedroom size may solve the problem.. He has yet to pick up his gear and settle his debts. He said to me when I called his home in Ashevi11e that he is not desirous of making a second trip here for his stereo, so we may bargain over it

The 8:00 A.M. Investments (BA 186) course that I teach probably has less than 60 students because of the hour (and/or rigor?). The crowd is still formally large and unwieldy. People fall asleep on me left and right. A seating chart will help me benignly note these offenders and kindred souls. Today was an institutional and statistical introduction

The tentative schedule of my classes will probably be reduced. I am not sure" yet what I will drop but I have plenty of time to decide. All of them are enjoyable and relevant.

The fiancée of Larry, my office mate, graduated from UND in December and moved back with him before New Year's. She was in Computer Sci and today landed a $16,000/yr job at GTE in Durham, their SE Hdqtrs. I will be entertaining them for dinner on Sat. night.

I have given up on any national daily other than the free and mailbox delivered WSJ. After digesting the weekly Sun NYT I do not feel too much the worse for wear. Doonesebury comes in the Daily Tar Heel. Events in Iran (and France) do not bode well for the future of the West and particularly in these turbulent times, the barometric Jews. The Shah's first exile step to Egypt seems appropriate, as one Moslem leader on the margin to another

As usual, my social life this past weekend was more fantasy and disappointment than reality. Stephanie Carleton's gallery opening was moved from Fri night to Sun afternoon because of inclement ice. Even finding out the hard way, with Joan, the evening was pleasant, if not productive. Gale Hashem came down with a flu and last-minute stand-by Ruth Miller copped out because she just learned. to drive and the 30 miles from Raleigh was too formidable. Debra Kay has a male friend, Henry, a Jewish Assoc Prof of Comp Sci, no less. So, once again I am alone and disaffected. Fear not, love breeds eternal.

I am somewhat eager to view this Sun.'s $300,000 /minute annual personification of the U. S. psyche, --- THE SUPERBOWL. I trust that this year' contest will not arouse me to the point where I leave because of the uncomfortability. I have urged my students to view this marketing extravaganza.

By using the slicing bla1e of my American Food Processor, the weekly salad preparation has become easier. The resulting slice size allows the vegetables to retain their water and distinguishability. I am generally eating less and enjoying it. Even after consuming 1/3 of a Choc chewies recipe, my weight today, after a 20:30 3 - mile, was 134.25 1bs.

1/18

Another week is through and nary a moment too soon. Tomorrow I commence my regular WXYC slot, 9-Noon on Fri. I am quite enthused and hope to input some creative ideas, notably a quiz show.

In this land of the casually attired academics, I am generally dressed quite formally. Positive notice is finally and appreciatively being called to my attention, particularly by the desired opposite sex.

Tomorrow is also the first Hillel Shabbat supper of the semester and I am in charge of the salad, up to $15 worth. Optimally I will assemble and prepare it in my kitchen with the AFP. As it must be Parve, I may can the idea. The expected crowd size is 25.30.

Today I ran a new cross-country course with Lee Adler, a new Med-student friend. Afterwards I shared my standard salad lunch with him. The weather has been quite pleasant with daytime temps. lingering in the 50s. As with most wooded areas around here, the net effect was quite relaxing.

I have parties to attend, unfortunately unescorted, both tomorrow and Sat

Be well.

January 23, 1979

Dear Family,

I guess that I spoke too early, as once again I am writing you from a Tue. night. A "186" performance at 8:00 A.M. virtually drains me for the entire day. By 10:00 P.M. I can concentrate no longer. Ditto on Thurs. At any rate, I trust that you are well and weathering the winter in good spirits. Life heah in the South is real f-i-i-i-ne. Temps. are quite civilized

Preparing the Hillel Shabbat salad was a gratifying experience. I decided to donate a Chinese knife (cleaver) from my inventory to the Hillel and used it to prepare the $9 salad. We (Jim Meyers and I) purchased the vegetables at a nearby produce retailer, Perseverance. I'll be purchasing my produce there, henceforth, as their selection and price compare favorably.

Notably Banananas are 19¢/lb. Suprisingly (?) 25 people did not get through 8 lbs of spaghetti, 4 gallons of sauce including 5 Ibs of meat, and a salad of 3 heads of lettuce, 2 of cauliflower, 1 Ib of carrots, and assorted lesser quantities of other vegetables. The salad was well received. The meal was free to the public and cost Hill about $l/person.

Afterwards I attended the best party of my NC tenure. It was best because the large, boisterous, and reasonably intellectual crowd stayed until the booze ran out at 1 AM. An oz of #s helped. My hosts were Jerry, Alan, and their roommates of 231 McCauley, a residence I have had my eye on since I arrived. Its central and proximate location and their academic friends and community members drew in many fringe types. I made many new acquaintances, and received future party invites.

That Friday started well with my first regular DJ slot. I was technically quite sloppy but otherwise satisfied with my effort. The station is a step up from KUMM because of the many people involved. I miss collecting, editing, and announcing the news, and having weather dials of current conditions. More staff, particularly in production, and a wattage increase from 10 to 400 more than compensate. Their library is slightly more complete though a room away as opposed to at my back at KUMM. One less platter also does not help. Still, this Fri I have a date with a kindred "freshman", jock Martha Greene. Nothing in Morris was remotely interesting.

As you might have surmised, I spent most of Sat. recovering and putting forth a marginal academic effort. The JSG party that night was generally uninspiring. I left early with Jon Amdursky in the rain to attend another party that I never found. Jon is 29, from Rochester, and Mktg Mgr for GTE in Durham. He is one of the closest relationships to friendship that I have here. The two "oh" good life is his with his condo and Volvo.

Sunday's Superbowl was overall a disappointment. Subliminal seduction in advertising was notable in its absence it seemed. While last years ad rate was prominently noted, I found no reference to what sponsors paid this time.

Today was fulfilling. From 12:30-1:30 PM an Israeli visiting prof offered to lead a discussion group on Israel. Today was the first meeting. In addition to the prof and his wife and me, Ron Meir the Hillel director, Harlan, a 1st yr Grad History student, Nadine, and Debra Kay showed. I am not too expectant as the structure is unorganized and the participants knowledge of the subject limited. The encouraging development was that Debra's relationship with Henry is becoming increasingly tentative. She is quite remarkable from her counter culture awareness to her Zionism. I am also not alone in bearing witness to her attributes. Currently any delusions of intimacy that I harbor are, as usual, fantasy. This afternoon I ran a 19:48.54 three-miles. Continual effort from the first step makes all the difference.

Recent new music acquisitions include the "CA Suite" jazz theme album and Ian Dury's "New Boots and Panties". I greatly appreciate the station production room's cassette deck. Felicitous editing is greatly facilitated.

Entertaining Larry and Kim for Sat night dinner was uneventful. I found out that Larry's parents live in a double-wide mobile home.

No news to report on finding a flatmate. Erwin is presently here and leaving soon. We have yet to settle.

January 28, 1979

Dear Family,
A familiar Sunday night greeting. I would rather start my week with a clean slate and my letter on its way to you. I am in good spirits and trust that you are likewise.

The big news of the week is that Erwin is moved out as of tomorrow and Avraham Shupeck is moving in. Tue. Erwin settled all his debts and I acquired his Harmon Kardon 330B and 2 small Advent speakers notably for Judy. He is departing to a possible Pizza Mgmt position. Avraham is practically off the plane returning from a 4 year stay in Israel. The last 1.5 with his parents who made aliyah to Netanyah. He will be directing the Purim play at Hillel and plans on a sustaining wage through FORTRAN tutoring.

Last Wed. after the Hillel Deli I attended the initial organizing meeting for the UNC Student UJA campaign led by scholarship recipient Debra Kay. Zionists cannot afford to remain cynical all the time, I perceive the probably effort of 6 hrs training and 10 hrs on the phone as a worthwhile effort. Mercifully the time demands end at the end of Feb.

186 is moving and passably manageable. Class size is down to 36 and I moved us to a smaller room. A permanent seating chart should help. On Fri. I received 40 lbs of requested information to distribute to them from the Chi Merc Exch. I am planning a Fri. afternoon reception for them in a few weeks. It can fair no worse than my personal social affairs.

My other classes (the ones that I take) are all still interesting and demanding. Of the four in the Time Series Seminar including my office mate Larry, my background is weak. I am relatively better prepared in Introductory Econometrics. The demands of my Finance seminars are more elusive. Dr Carleton' s Quant Methds is exciting and dynamic. Dr Black’s Issues in Bank and non-Bank Competition suffers from the informality and lack of structure. It may have to go.

My Fri morning slot went reasonably well with only one major faux-pas. lifting the needle off of an album cut being broadcast. Fortunately I can do my gig and split, abstracting from station politics and to a small degree, responsibilities.

That evening I made supper and spent the time with fellow DJ Martha Greene a junior in English Ed. from Winston Salem. She has good taste in music, a dynamic presence and a capacity for my abrasiveness. A pleasant evening of conversation ended too soon.

Sat after studying, I shopped and baked. I forgot the baking soda in the banana bread and undercooked the chewies, not a particularly efficient effort Gale Hasher never made it here and so Jon and I attended a local party, where I befriended Shirley McMillan. Afterwards for variety, I spent the night at Jon's condo for a taste of the good life.

Today I marked student papers, studied, ran, read the Sun. NYT and cleaned up some for Avraham's arrival. He professes to be quite neat and plans on using this as his base for operations. I desire to start out as concerned as is reasonable over order, neatness, and cleanliness.

My colleague Don Chambers has set his wedding day for April 14. Larry will be married at the end of this semester in Bemidji. Minn. A fellow 1st year PhD student introduced his newly met fiancee to me Fri. I am truly happy for all of them.

I ran 16 miles this week with today's 3 mile clocking at 20:57. The weather has been varying greatly in temperature depending on whether or not clouds are present to retain some of the air heat from rising. The clouds unfortunately generally bring precipitation with them. I ran through the NC Botanical gardens this week for the 1st time since New Years. While wet in spots and wintry barren, the experience was still soul gratifying. Be well.

February 4, 1979

Dear Family,

A Sunday morning greetings. The day ahead will be demanding and my departure imminent so a letter's commencement if not completion is called for. I trust that you are well in health and spirit.

The academic week progressed uneventfully. Two class sessions were cancelled because of the Instructors absence. I am starting slowly but not far from the norm. Basically I have to get paper topics together and start generating some ideas. I am enjoying everything and will be strapped for enough time as preparation for the 1st yr. Qualifying exam gets underway.

My 186 class has stabilized at 34. Interestingly, the women chose to sit disproportionately in the front and back rows and below random in the middle. Drop-Add ends on Thurs. The potential topic coverage is broad. The text covers the theory adequately so that I can feel comfortable about lecturing on the institutional and empirical. Some of my students have more “hands-on" experience and. market savvy than I do. Most have lived the insulated sheltered existence as expected. The faculty reception is scheduled for a tentative 2/1

The social end of my week was a mixed endeavor. I lost a friend through a common PCL flaw, sticking my ego in my mouth, bypassing the brain and preempting the foot. A selfishly adolescent intonation was sufficient to motivate Martha to walk out of my dinner. My shell-shocked inappropriate express of being "impressed” probably destroyed any hopes of a future relationship, let alone intimacy. I'd like the easy lesson of embitterment and rationalizing a projected over sensitivity on her part, but of course life's lessons are not as accurately characterized as they appear and occur. .

On a. positive note, my friendship with Debra and Shirley registered positive notes. Debra and I shared a conversation in which I learned how another Penn graduate of 1975 (from Birmingham Ala.) could have lived a more fulfilling existence since then than I. We lived 1 block apart during the summer of'73. I am most enthused about our mutual Zionist convictions, though another veteran of Hospitable Acctg. always comes in handy in a funding pinch. The UNC Student UJA campaign for this year more or less kicked off for me tonight (it is now 1/5 12:56 A.M.) for our solicitation training session. Parenthetically, I was pleased to add Nadlne Honigberg to our understaffed corral. This morning at the Sunday Hillel brunch, I was asked by Rock, the director(?) to make the post-brunch announcements and introductions. Bruce Baer, my student T.A. is student Pres. of Hillel. Also I knew the UJA campaign plans and the SE Regional Rep. from the UJA, having met her this morning (Naomi Plotkin). Her 10 minute spiel was historical and dispassionate, not at all inspiring to me, though she was integral to this evening's effort. I added a more emotional plea as well as a. personal expression of skepticism, justified and borne out by tonight's bare minyan.

Last evening I offered standard PCL fair to Shirley McMillan, an electronics student at Durham Tech. She has a rare combination of graciousness, sensitivity, and fulfillment befitting an artist turned scientist. I cannot remember the last woman out side of family who ever gave me anything of lasting tangible value. I look forward with anticipation to next Sat. and her version of Sweet N" Sour Chicken.

Physically, I am quite close to peak condition as I hit a post-junior high weight low of 133 Ibs on Thurs and my fastest time of 3 miles, 19:43.18, today. I fear that feeling healthy and fit may be at the expense of feeling productive, the currently more germane measurement of accomplishment. I could lose another 5-10 Ibs and barely feel it mentally in a detrimental sense by eliminating the nuts and soybeans that I keep in my desk. I'd also have more effective study time as the blood would not have to leave my brain to go to the aid of stomach digestion. Speaking of office productivity, a 5¢ copier was placed 50 feet from my office making this communication and dissemination to you an easier process. Carroll Hall is dry and I now realize why I have trouble keeping my eyes open, particularly at the weekly seminar: my contacts dry out. Prof Mike Miles is also a contact wearer and pained to keep his eyes open. An additional impetus to removing the contacts would be to utilize the ever-present cup of coffee or tea.

Be well.

February 12, 1979

Dear Famlly,

A late night greeting, a fitting gesture to this laborious week. I trust that you are well and committed to surviving the dead of winter. Conditions here are at a 9-year low, with a 5 inch snowfall that the city has barely recovered from 5 days later. People around here are for the most part not prepared to deal physically or mentally with the snow.

It has cramped my style by increasing the variability of service schedules and keeping the ¼-mile track snowed over. The inability to run for 5 days has contributed to my full 138 lbs. Only today were the paths clear enough to bicycle on.

The UJA campaign is in full swing. Tues. night the fliers and pledge card were sent out. Wed night was the Hillel Deli. Thurs night was our keynote speaker, Rev. John Grauel, a history-making walking UJA campaign. I shared dinner with him, Debra, Henry Fuchs (decidedly still her male friend), Paula Kreitzer andJon Amdursky. He was a commander of the Exodus and has raised 25 children in his J'm home. The turnout was relatively abyssmal, with 8 campaign workers, 3 Antagonistic Arabs and a Methodist sympathizer, 4 Christians who ,walked out during the presentation, and an assorted 9 others from whom we got 2 potential campaign workers and a small sum of money. His speech was extemporaneously topical and political which at times implied military, antithetical to the UJA fund usage, for which Debra registered formal criticism at tonight’s session. I enjoyed his remarks. Next weekend is the phoning effort and a closing celebration is being tentatively set for the last weekend in Feb.

Classes are manageable though I am behooved to commence my paper topics for the Time Series Seminar and Quant Meth in Fin. I am fairly certain that Harold Black's Issues in Bank and Non-bank Competition will be dropped. I cannot conceive of getting motivated for it. Currently I spend more time on Econometrics than anything else, though I could easily up my study time on any of the courses.

I spoke to Fritz Russ, the Asst Ph D Dean and in charge of the 1st year Qualifying exam. I feel comfortable with our conversation and his assurances that a lowest common denominator is looked for and an expectation that student will pass, as evidenced in last year's 13/14 doing so. Tentative date is approximately May …

I am spending more of my "free" time talking with people, mostly students, though also with a wider circle of acquaintances. Effective studying time has dropped, with no correction on the imminent horizon. A memorable low in hours slept AND productivity accomplished was garnered this past week.

My Investments course is proceeding smoothly if somewhat disjointedly. As I received pleas for sympathy on an overloaded test week, I moved my 1st mid-term to one week later, next week. The academic reception will be held Fri. afternoon, 2/16, 3:30-5:00. Quite an assortment is expected including Mother and Father, who will be here until Mon.

After 2 weeks of life with Avram, a working relationship appears possible. Hts lonliness borders on schizophrenia at times. He is clean enough but he is unemployed and expectant that a "break" will be "cut" his way. He has rounded up a barely sufficient cast for his Purim play.

My social life is back to the drudgery of reality with the realization of how ephemeral and intangible most of my current relations are. The only possible exception is Shirley who cooked a literal Chinese feast for our supper last night. She was snowed in most of the week and ended up making egg rolls and almond-mushroom dumplings in addition to the sweet N' sour chicken. The result was the most tasty Chinese meal this side of London. Emotional closeness does take longer and for this I am willing to work and wait for. (I was also reminded of London dining on Thurs when I had the House (Aurora) specialty; Curried Fish)

Other excitements in store for next weekend are a Bus. Ph D party, and a JSG party. With the parents stay, your next issue maybe late.

February 20, 1979

Dear Family,

A hearty greetings from a renewed existence. A weekend with the folks has come and gone, with an extra night to boot.

The earlier part of the week is something of a blur as a torrid and debilitating 5 inches of snow hit Chapel Hill on Tues. night, curtai1ng all running. By Fri it had all melted and I picked up the parents in 56° weather. The reception that afternoon went passably if only for my academic peers and friends. Both the faculty, because of a rescheduled meeting and my students for various unknown reasons were notable in their absence. It was somewhat reminiscent of the second mid-semester respite that I gave at UCLA. The spread was adequate, focusing on shredded cheese and Cleve Bagels. I have resolved to give up trying. to befriend my students. Collectively they have no respect for me, so I am afraid that the feeling runs two ways. I'll try and do my job well, but that is where my efforts end.

On Erev Shabbat we had a Hillel dinner of Fellafel and a mousaka-like spread and heard Joel Amon, the Israeli consulate general of Atlanta, speak. He was sobering and realistic if somewhat depressing. His English was reasonably eloquent. The news out of Persia is certainly discouraging.

On Shabbat we walked around the campus and watched the gymnastics team work out. The pace was leisurely and the stops liberal in number. Dinner at the Aurora was tasty and reasonable; the hassle being a 40 minute wait until seating. Two parties that evening were fun. The first, a Bus PhD group, was predictable and congenial. Jon Amdursky also hosted a party, for the JSG. Mother and Father were greatly interested and impressed with Jon's condo. The crowd here was also as above. Saddening to hear was Rose Shalom's expression of pessimism as to a medical profession for her in Israel. Otherwise she enjoyed her Israeli tour.

Sunday launched our UJA telephone campaign and also witnessed the worst snowfall here in 52 years. The temperature dropped to 11° F and we were blanketed with 10 inches of snow. I made it to the Bell offices with Nadine and Avram and met Jon there. The campaign is going fair, with pledges above $2,000 collectively. As a first effort I am pleased. I just may get to Israel next winter as the CH representative of the Univ. program. Arriving back at 2:30, I stayed with the folks in the Trailer until Mon. morning.

We made it into campus yesterday and got a good workout at the gym. Mother learned how to use a Universal and Dad suited up in issues from the basket room. Shirley joined us for dinner at the Peking Gardens for dinner and the movie "Renaldo and Clara" (2 hr version) afterward. She kindly chauffeured us around as we turned in the rented car. All of us agreed, along with 7 of 8 Village Voice critics, that the movie was an artistic failure. His ego and contempt for women glare blatantly. The concert footage was only fair as he did not even play his most powerful tunes.

This Monday night togetherness was sponsored by the snow grounded airlines, I trust that all memories of the weekend will glow and linger. Good times were had all around.

It seems that I will be here over spring break as my academic assignments and research interests will not permit otherwise. I may have come up with an empirically oriented topic for 387. Today I got got something of an anxious shock when I encountered resistance from Dr. McEnally in my request to drop Issues in Bank and Non-Bank Competition. The Time-Series seminar looks to be manageable. Econometrics is demanding and interesting.

Father kindly purchased for me a toaster-oven baker-broiler and some new fish and plants for my aquarium. Life here is quite comfortable, though Avram is at times an unmanageable drag. I'll keep smiling and I hope you do too.

Be well.

February 27, 1979

Dear Family,

As the enclosed card attests, I was set to forsake you this week for convenience and self doubt. However, uncertainty worth nothing has been resolved. I trust that the two delayed days were no more than suspenseful.

My new Pinto is so far, so good. Having an enclosed carriage on a highly mobile motorized driven four wheels is a "Godsend." The attractive brown exterior is virtually immaculate. On my first night, last, I drove with Shirley to visit Jon and Rick Grossman. We also stopped in on her father. One chore to be done over break next week is to tune it up and change the oil and filters. No fuss, no muss. Just press on the gas and go.

Academically, I was permitted to drop H. Black's course. It took the moral weight and presence of Dr. Carleton to get Dr. McE. to acquiesce. The only remaining cloud is deciding on a paper topic for DrC's course. The material is enlighteningly enjoyable but more rigorous than last semester. At times the accessibility of its mathematical essence is strained. I will probably be analyzing the Treasury bill rates price movement for the Time Series Seminar for potential profit as well as fun and professional interest.

The UJA campaign is basically wrapped-up here at UNC for 1979 (5739?). At $3,000, we are all pleased. Jon particularly shone with $l,000 of pledges garnered. My efforts were administrative and telephoning and was fairly integral to the campaign. Debra was undeniably charismatic, though in the end, not the marketer that Jon was. The greatest hassle was the flack received from individuals whose consciousness (or lack thereof) was pricked by our unprofessional less-than-soft-sale methods. Hillel people received the complaints. It seemed that out-of staters (FL and NY-NJ) and Grad. Students were the better givers, as expected.

Retrospectively, a crucial uncertainty resolved was my relation with Shirley. Sat. night I was invited to dinner by Stephanie and Bill (“Dr") Carleton. The repaste was sumptuous and the company delightful, artists and academics. Shirley and I arrived on time and took in their inspiring deck view. The appetizers began with homemade sesame crackers and Homous. Of the 13 total in attendance, the Petersons and H. B. were the others in Fin. The meal began with celery and cashew soup and spinach hors d’oeuvres in a layered dough. Entrees (buffet style) of brussel sprouts and cashews, spinach noodle and pecans, and tomatoes with bread crumbs were topped off by fruit and yoghurt cake, and tea. The only disappointment was the huddling around the tube for the The NC Basketball "crucial" final game by all the non-joggers present. H.B. left and Stephanie and I chatted in the dining room. Shirley and I departed at that point and talked awhile.

I am more sure of my feelings for her at this time. Sincere appreciation takes awhile with me as I am wracked with mutually non-exclusive values, goals, etc... She is interested and interesting, kind and intelligent, not to mention graceful and attractive. Tomorrow we are to view part of the Hillel film series, this week on "Israel and the Middle East" and we will be having dinner together a fair amount.

The Tues. Israeli discussion group luncheon has deteriorated to Yehoshua Gitay and his wife, Ron Meier, an elderly woman student of Gitay, and myself The Gitay's are thorough source people and our topics over the past two weeks have greatly aided my understanding of Women and Art in Israel.

Carolina is finally becoming Carolina again. The sun's effect of tanning and lightening my hair are becoming evident. Running shirtless is a pleasure. 3 mile time and weight are 20:15 and 137 Ibs. The neighborhood paths will hopefully be sun dried for some of my vacation time next week.

Next week I also plan to read the three back issues of the NYTBR that have piled up. I would also love to do some casual periodical reading. '

Today in the mail I received from Dr. Weston a thoughtful congratulation on my second article and an expression of hope for the fruitfulness of my studies.

March 4, 1979

Dear Family,

Vacation has begun! I trust and send you a hearfelt hope that Spring has come your way. Carolina in March is m-a-a-ghty pretty. Purple and yellow buttercups are springing up around my home door and kitchen window. Bird- chirping fills the air and we saw the first black Monarch butterfly of the year today. Spring is on its way'. Life does begin anew.

I am in good spirits and health as I find my way into an academic, physical and psychic groove. The two tall order/requests of this coming week are to begin reviewing for the May 22 comprehensive and to make some significant progress on my 387 (Carleton) paper. The warm weather draws me to the trails and track with appreciable pleasure and results; unfortunately nothing publishable has come from my running zen.

My psychic condition is reasonably robust and content as Shirley and I fit into a groove with one another. Wed. night we viewed the Hillel series of flicks, these on "Israel and the Mid-East". Of the three 20 minute films, two dealt with Israeli's coping with the death of war and the realities of its aftermath, not a particularly light or joyous subject. I was moved to tear-filled eyes. The third was a lighter general intro to Israel. Attendance was a sparse 7. C. H. er's are evidently motivated to stay for the Deli ("Nitrate Special") only. Thurs night we viewed the current offering at the Center Gallery, an Intl. Postal Art exhibit, where one woman solicited entries via magazine ads. Most of the responses came from SF, LA and NYC. Most of the exhibition was local people supplying entries. It was only fair and would have benefited from a loan of my postcard collection.

Last night I cooked us dinner and experimented with a fruit-and-rice pudding and a "Savory Onion" Quiche. Both were out of the Small Planet recipe books and were something of an unmitigated success. The homemade quiche crust turned out well as did the swiss cheese filling. We had them again this morning as we hosted Rick Grossman and his womanfrlend Janet Benson for breakfast at Shirleys. This afternoon the four of us took a pleasurable stroll through the NC Botanical Gardens.

This evening Jon Amdursky invited me to his condo for a steak and wine dinner. Not having eaten steak in about 2 years (?) I decided to give it a try and while it could not be called "savory", it was gratifying, though tiring to digest as expected. Tonight I was able to get some Fin reading and NYT reading done. I am almost caught up with the NYTBR!

This weekend the radio station was on a volunteer basis and I felt like getting on the air, so I put in 6 hrs yesterday, including 9-Midnight with Shirley. Virtually all students have left for the week break or were transfixed to their TVs for the ACC tournament championship match between UNC and Duke (won by us, 71-63 insuring us an NCAA championship berth). Regardless, as always, I had tons of fun and with Shirley's assistance managed to record 3 albums that I sought.

My Pinto is doing OK as I spent Fri and Sat tuning it up. A self-service garage type of organization exists here and I will probably take my car in tomorrow to raise it on their lifts and use their tools to time it. I hope to get it truly road worthy so that Shirley and I can gallery hop in DC, Phila, and NYC and meet Judy in NYC the weekend of 3/15-18. My art appetite is whet with anticipation. The art offerings here are simply not cosmopolitan.

In the estate aggrandizement sphere, I received my mail order from Spencer Gifts (appreciatingly LL MC financed) this week with my 88¢ gifts: house socks/slippers, printing sets (see the return address (?), suitcase wheels, drawer divider, magazine filer (for my modest collection of published pieces), and cassette racks. These will be used and distributed at whim.
With the UJA campaign well over, thank you notes to workers and telephone suppliers should have gone out by now with Debra derelict in this duty, I may have to take the initiative.

March 11, 1979

Dear Family,

Vacation week is over and I am unambiguously older; wiser and enriched only slightly more doubtful. On the professional front, I added three paragraphs to my 387 paper of last quater and submitted it for a student session for the Fall Fin Mgmt Assoc meetings in Boston, 10/13-6. The available $259 UNC subsidy is motivating. I have settled on a Topic, Mgrl. Compensation, for Dr. C.'s course. Progress is slow and I will be broaching the idea to him tomorrow for the first time. For the Time Series Seminar, I have employed the two subroutines that constitute the course. The first subroutine identifies the process (moving average, auto-regressive, or some combination thereof) and via the Yule-Walker eqtns, the parameters. The second subroutine utilizes a non-linear least squares iterative process (?). My particular series is the weekly price quotations of the 3 Month U. S. T-Bill rate. In the futures mkt, this particular contract requires only a frighteningly small margin, $800 to control a $1,000,000 contract. It's now empirical testing time. This week’s effort on Econometrics and Qualifying preparation were disappointing.

The Pinto took a good share of my time as I tuned it up, changed the filter and oil, and scouted out some radials. I also became officially legal as the owner which in NC means a minimum of liab. ins. Rates are fixed here with traffic offenses playing the major impetus for higher rates. I am with Aetna and paying $162/yr. Most of the "futzing" with it was done at the cooperative garage in town, Manifold Destiny. I would have been totally lost w/out the advice of people there. It's owner, Randy Danzinger is heir to a measurable amount of Chapel Hill and is in Avram's play, which is why and how I found out about MD.

Most immediately pleasurable of the moments I spent last week were with Shirley. I never part from her having regretted the time spent. Her consciousness and intellectuality continually facilitate my questioning of my values. As the first relationship of any value in quite some time, I was ill prepared for the seriousness of her response. Differences of religion and 7 years leave me trepidatious of a 50+ year commitment. I nevertheless hope and expect to retain an intimate friendship.

I ran 20 miles this past week, 3 days on the 4-mile trail thru the NC Botannical Gardens. My times 3-mdle time was barely under 21 minutes, due possibly to my 136+ weight.

Last night Shirley and I ate dinner at the trailer of a Colleagae, Don Chambers, His wife Sue served Welsh Rarebit (basically a cheese sauce) over an English muffin and slice of tomato. The salad was sincere, as were they.

I also spent some time last week looking for a new place to live. With a car and a parking spot, I can be more flexible in both undertaking a move and my abode location. My landlady called today with the announcement of a $5 per month rent increase arising from C. H. realty charging her that much more. Avram's abrasiveness and inconsideration are intolerably grating. At the least, I will raise his rent $10. I should find out this coming week whether I got the summer internship at the Chicago Merc Exch for the smmmer.

Tue. is the performance of of Avram's play, and I have a non-speaking role as an evil-plotter (what typecasting you must be thinking). The performance lasts one half hour and is one act basically telling the megilla of Esther for Purim. I am frankly more enthused about the cast party.

As always with Mid-East developments, I am cautiously reserved on judgment at this time, of Carter's bold undertaking. I thought it was a typical JC, half-baked, half-brained, half-assed undertaking, but he may salvage that elusive peace out of it yet.

I am sure that you are all well aware of my disdain for basketball, but today I was doubly glued to my car radio as I listened to the favored UNC Tar Heels play the UP Quakers in the NCAA Eastern Regional semi-finals. Gol derned if the Quakers didn't hang on to a one point victory, 72-71. St. John's upset Duke for their semi-final upset.

March 19, 1979

Dear Family,

A hearty late night greetings to you! I trust that your spirits and health have perked up with Spring's arrival. I am hoping that Chapel Hill has seen its last frost of the year, with today's high of 65°F. Considering the excess that I have put my body through in the last 24 hours, I am well.

The week's highlight was the play. Enclosed you will find. the only review. It appeared in the daily Chapel Hill paper. As an evil plotter, I wore my blue sandals and suit, my purple bow-tie and shirt, and gray double-breasted trench/rain coat. The script in copying the Original biblical version called for two plotters, but an insufficient cast precluded a cohort for me. My bit part consisted of unobtrusively slipping behind a chair with a sword and a scene later of being dragged upstage by two guards and skewered to death. Thereafter I was dragged to the edge of the stage and rolled myself "dead" down the three foot drop to be dragged out the door.

The cast party was held at Randy Danzigar's cavernous abode. He has put a lot of time and money into his "country" home and the result appealingly shows with lots of exterior wood beams and glass. Ira owns and manages a natural food store and brought cheeses, crackers, and Tehini, made by watering down a butter that he sells. I am now hooked on it. The only unfailing assistance that Avram got from HiIlel was $25 for the party. We also had champagne, beer, and pizza. Afterwards, I drove Barbara back to Duke and she got us lost en route. She must have been very trying for Director Avram.

The audience of 50 was mostly Christian. Avram has unfortunately few friends in the Jewish community. The problems associated with living with him increase unabated. The play never underwent a full dress rehearsal. Stage lighting and props were still being assembled by Randy and the volunteer lighting technician Tim as late as 5 minutes to showtime. The extensive spotlight system hastily and laboriously constructed went for naught. Avram has radio or TV recording hopes for it.

The social news of the week is dismal at best. Shirley has broken off all but written communication between us amidst a sea of ambiguous emotions and some not unhealthy self-assertiveness. I can no longer accurately assess how fluid or tenuous our friendship is. Debra has broken off all but oral communication between us. In brief, she is very interesting, but not at all interested. If the commitment and response that she gave me was at all indicative of her concern for her boyfriends, I can understand how and why they all were unfaithful. CH remains full of interesting women; nubile prospects are another story. As always, dinners and parties remain on the horizon.

The academic week progressed satisfactorily as I tested more US T-Bill data for my time-series project. I also started amassing notecards of information and quotes for my Carleton "Managerial Incentives" paper. Econometrics was somewhat slighted during the week. I may be able to make a presentation of my T-Bill work at the NC Investment Institute meeting held here semi-annually With the conference meeting one month away, I may be dreaming. I called the Chi Mere Exch about my summer internship and research funding as the Ides came and went with no word from them. Evidently, absolutely no decisions have been reached. I will call again in two weeks.

This past week I jogged 22 miles, four days on the track and three in the Gardens where the ground is finally drying. I anticipate Spring's foliage with intense longing. My times and weight were mediocre.

Friday night I attended a party whose whereabouts I read of on the WXYC bulletin board. As at my similarly advertised party, no other staff person showed. After Friday's uninspiring agglomeration, I can understand why. The hstess was a tall and attractive Catholic student, Maura. My cheese and
3G wheat thins were the only refreshments provided other than the kegof beer.
Last night and today was WXYC's second birthday. I attended both the fillel coffehouse and concert at the local Mad Hatter last night. At 5 A.M.
I made it to station manager Gary Davis' apt for the celebratory champagne
breakfast, returned. to my bed at 7 relatively inebriated, and made it to the
Hillel brunch at 11 A.M. I was compensated for staying awake today by the fact that Penn made the final four in the NCAA basketball playoffs.

Be well.

March 25, 1979

Dear Family,

Greetings from a new typewriter ribbon and a renewed resolve. I am well and enjoying the amenities of spring. Everything is coming into bloom. from the buttercups to the women. I trust that this season brings you spring's renewed sense of life. NC does.

Academically, progress was made in studying for the Ph DQualifier and on DrC's paper. I started reviewing my Micro Econ, specifically Henderson & Quant's Micro Econ, an old friend.. I hope to begin Org Beh and Mgmt this week with the book of readings (and its most important objective test bank and answers) that I used in Morris. For the paper, I assembled 6 notecards and have some ideas. Thus far the material Is positivistic and institutional, marginally the desired orientation. As for the Time-Series course, the week’s progress was intangible. Instr Lou Moors is narrowing his employment choices for next year to a $20,500 Asst. Prof. here and a $26,000 to $28,000 offer with Gen Dynamics in Clearwater/Tampa FL. I motivated our four student class to down a few pitchers of beer with him in a congratulatory gesture. I would like to see him stick around as he is accessible and easy to work with. Econometrics is under control as I am in the middle of a not-particularly-difficult problem set with a test 2 weeks away. Per usual, I enjoy the subject matter.

DrC obligingly read my Federal Funds revised manuscript and advised me against submitting it for consideration for the student session at this year's Fin Mgmt Assc meetings. Since I have copies all ready made, I leafed through the general Periodical Index under "Business and Economics-Banking and Finance" and will probably submit it to the magazines (all monthly): Tarheel {NC} Banker, Southern Banker, and Independent Banker. None of them has circulation over 6,000 but they all sound credible. I concur with DrC's recommendation as the paper is highly descriptive and theoretical works are being sought.

On the inter-gender relational picture, few details were sketched in this week as two nubile prospects shattered their candidacies upon close scrutiny. Fri. night's dinner of soup and salad with Holly Riddle was a veritable stereotype. As with most of the Christian women I have dated here, she has dated many Jewish men (from Lon gIsland; no less). She felt comfortable about chatting and I felt comfortable listening. She has sincerely altruistic motives in pursuing a Master's in Special Ed, but a total lack of theme or purpose in life. Last night I had Laura Kreindler here for leftover soup (with 8 oz. of yogurt added) and a new batch of salad, plus Banana bread both nights. Laura, a WASP I met at the Israeli discussion group and Sun Hillel brunch is from Chappaqua and the daughter of a Wall Street Law partner. A 1979 Volvo-driving junior transfer from Skidmore majoring in Art, she is bright and attractive. Again though, a themeless pudding,

After dinner we went to this semester's second party at 230 McCauley. This one will also be indelibly etched in my memory as a "famous" affair. The hosts spent $110. including 52 zs. Misplaced values left them short of food by midnight and the selection was fairly scanty generally. The 80 or so dynamic people more than compensated. I have made lots of friends through these guys. We arrived at 9:40 P.M. and I left at 2 AM, head buzzing with the dance floor and merriment blazing away.

I guess the really big news of the week is that Avram moved out. He courted Cathy Hess for two days and then gradually moved in with her. I am still uncertain as to what my summer plans are, but I may move into a summer sublet with a fall apt. opening expectation. I will call Chi Merc Exch tomorrow if the mail brings no" decision.

On the first day of spring I went bicycle riding with a friend, Terry. He bikes seriously for exercise and showed me much beautiful surrounding countryside. I was also able to run 5 days. My only source of health disappointment is the Good Life, which finds me currently at a blimpie 140 lbs.

April 1. 1979

Dear Family.

An April Hello. with a dosage of the seasons to come I trust that you are well, up and about and contentedly adjusted to our warmer weather. The elements are never very far from me here at 26 RBTC.

A recipient of a few of these letters queried me as to their formulating process. I conceive of them as a two way process. I write them for personal foresight, insight, and hindsight. I also write them because you folks are relevant to me and I desire for you to remain so. The "lon1ies" certainly hit me, possibly because of my single purposeless status, but I imagine they may grab you also. If my thoughts touch you and make life at all more enjoyable or fulfilling, I am honored. At any rate, even if I do not hear from you (the point of this paragraph). you'll continue to get these.

The week went passably well. The biggest academic event was the test that I gave my students. Out of 50 possible points, the average was 25 and S.D. 10. I imagine that I will be giving out 15-20,% "A" 30-40,% "B" and the rest “C" and "D"s for final grades. Sadly, somewhere between the time they "learn" basic statistics and my tests my students have forgotten it. In no way did I intend for my test to drive one woman student to tears.

The courses I take all passed fairly uneventfully. I am trying to get a summary of my US T-Bill work together to send to the Chi Merc Exch Ed. Dir. as it could be consequential in securing the summer fellowship and the choice of 8 from 72 applicants wll1 not be made for another 2 weeks. Lou Moore the Instructor who wl1l be here as an Asst. Prof. next year is helping but we are currently stymied by an inability to duplicate the actual empirical forecasting (as opposed to fitting) equation from the canned program's results. The pace of progression on my DrC paper was unacceptably slow. My Econometrics "mid-term" will be 4/10, two weeks before the term’s end.

On Wed. I did manage the year's 3-mile record of 19:45. That night, I befriended Elli Luski, whom I am to have for dinner on 4/5, while sending off pledge bills for the UJA campaign concluded. Suprlsingly, she is the cousin of friend Rose Shalom. I hope to go to the UJA campaign coordinator conference in Atlanta 4/27-9. We shall see.

Sat. night as usual was the week's social highlight. I was invited to dinner by Mary and and Dick (Prof. of Chem.) Buck, a couple I had met when dining at the Carletons'. I was quite flattered to be informed that my presence was the go/no go of the affair. The Carletons and two other couples were the other invited guests. The meal was a tasty buffet of green beans, scalloped (?) potatoes and roast beef. The table wine and music were impeccably classical and the conversation and hence evening was enjoyable throughout. We did not sit down until after 9 P.M so I was late in leaving for the party of the evening at 11 :30.

The party was 5 miles out into the country but enjoyable once arrived at. A campfire and pond were both present as well as the requisite loud music. The crucial element of nubile young women was less present. On the drive back at 2.30 A.M. as I pulled into my driveway a sheriff stopped me on drunken driving suspicion. The incident was resolved with a warning. but I'll take it in good stead.

Spring fever comes pretty hard to NC. The temp reached 80°F this week as thoughts drifted elsewhere. Reassuringly. I discovered that mine were not the only with such inclinations. Still I must buckle down quite seriously these next two months. I am going to try cutting down to 6 hours of sleep per night.

Life alone in the trailer is fairly comfortable albeit expensive. Last week’s local classifieds were not overwhelming in their offerings of alternatives but I will keep trying. I have applied for a group living situation at a few very acceptable houses and am keeping my fingers crossed. I do enjoy being able to come home to a quiet home in the evening for a relaxing meal before returning to the office for some night’s work.
Be well.

April 8, 1979

Dear Family,

A full-fledged and nearly final Spring greeting from this once railroad-tie-capital-of-USA. Trees are in bloom, all the birds are back and so the time has come for me to fly this coop.

Yes, I have found a house and possibly even a temporary home. I will be sharing a 2 bedroom house (with adjacent apts. added on) with Chip, a 30(+) yr old beginning PhD student in Poli Sci. He has been paying rent for 6+ year's but on the road quite a bit in political campaigns. The second floor consists of his bedroom. The first floor is my bedroom, a living room, ktch, dining room/currently unruly storage area, and storage/utility room equipped with washing machines. Chip's assets parallel my own with my stereo complementing his dishwasher. The first floor also has a screened in porch.
The address is 46 Circle Dr.. Chapel Hill NC 27514. (919) 929-7635. It is situated on 6 acres of Pine forest 2 miles south and 1 mile west of my office. I have now married my car but the engagement has been short and sweet. A bicycle is not a viable alternative as the “Hill" and narrow pavement make for an unpleasant fairing. I'11 probably begin moving in in two weeks but will be paying rent here through May.5. This is an inopportune time for me as everything is beginning to become due and I have less and less time for personal matters so I am not exactly sure of when I wl11 spare the time to relocate my physical presence. The housing market has no heart and deems now the time to trade residence opportunities. So. I move. Overall I am very enthused about the situation that I will be going to.

Spring is in full swing here with leaves returning to trees and the wilted daffodils replaced by red and yellow tulips outside my kitchen window. The wooded runs are becoming green again. We had a frost though, two nights ago. Ir may rent a city garden plot of 25 X 50 ft.

For the Passover Seder this coming week, I helped kosher the Hillel kitchen and shop with another volunteer for implements and food. The crowd is expected at 130, down from a 200 norm.. For the 3/30 Shabbat dinner, I made two Onion quiches and salad to 7 there. This past Shabbat the fish casserole was baked by a woman community member. These dinner's are notable only insofar as they are the first two of the semester after years of them occurring every week.

The academic week went well with effort devoted to sending off my preliminary Time-Series analysis to the Chi Mere Exch in consideration of my internship application. The day after tomorrow is my Econometrics mid-term and from now until then will be high gear in that direction. I am not overly..

Socially the week-turned out surprisingly pleasant. Elle Luski forgot about our dinner engagement. On Thurs. Hugh McGlaughlin gave his dissertation defense and a reception was held for him afterwards at the home of the Carleton’s, he being the committee chairman. Interpretations of the propriety of their presence was varying among the Fin PhD students. I, possibly beause of my relationship with the Carletons, felt no qualms about attending with Martha Greene. As always in their presence, the time spent was delightful. They have an uncanny capacity, facility. and inclination to extend a sincere hospitality and warm regard. The document passed the actual formal ritual relatively benignly but not without apt DrC "If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything.” I was unable to attend the entire unfortunately.

I had expected the weekend to be a dud, not so much as all studies as no parties. Thurs., Larry invited me for dinner for Sat. Fri morning while on the air, a new friend, Paul Feldblum, from Long Island was visiting me and invited me to a party that night. It was fairly tame, but he is a controlled enough zany to make the effort enjoyable. Dinner at Kim's (Larry’s fiancée) was pleasant and sincere. I have only sympathy for their dearth of social graces. They will be married around July 4. Don Chambers is to be married next weekend in upstate NY.

Classes end here 4/26 and my one final is 5/7. Pre-registration is this coming week. Next fall I may take: Ecnmetrics, Theory of Finance (as a Research Seminar) and two Israeli oriented courses, Intl Economics, and an Intl Fin Seminar. If I am here this summer, I may take a L Moore Simulation.

I took a nasty bicycle spill on Mon that I am still nursing.

April 15. 1979

Dear Family,
A final greeting from 26 Rocky Brook Tr Ct. The move is tp be next Sun. Friend Randy Danzigar and colleague Bob Might both have pick-up trucks and acquiesced in my requisition of them kindly and willingly. The major bulk consists of the bookcases I assembled that I am loathe to take apart. Otherwise, as comes with the life of a wanderer, my reality can be boxed in and into my Pinto (which incidentally gets 18 miles/gallon in city driving). I am still excited and enthused. 10 days ago I-ran out of heating fuel oil and have not refilled the tank. Waking to a cold house is not all that bad as I do not linger or dally in the morning.

3 weeks to go until my Ecnmtrcs final and my papers in BAJ99 and 387 are due. Ideas are starting to gel and study is progressing adequately. This week I outlined Mktg Mgmt onto index cards by reducing chapter and subject categories to their crucial first letters, a la Harry Lorraine. I was immensely aided by Abol, whose book it is and who had underlined critical passages. I also filled up about 6 more index cards worth of info for my 387(DrC) paper. In my Investments course I gave out the culminating computer assignment, a mutual fund risk evaluation. I also handed out mailing labels to the top MBA schools and Fortune 500 companies. I also decided to have the class over for dinner on the last day of class, 4/26, 4 sessions from now. Student evaluations should be rolling around any day now.

The first night of Passover I was at the seder at Beth-El Synagogue in Durham, catered by yours truly in part and other UNC students, and, served basically to a Duke and Beth-El audience. Preparation was more enjoyable than the event itself. The Hagaadah was a 1966 Conservative edition with all the inherently troubling group and individual values and identities. The Duke undergraduates at our table were JAPS and emasculated males.

The power structure at Hillel is in a shake-up as Rock and possibly Jim will be leaving this year. The problem seems to lie with Director Ron, who is somewhat unimaginative, generally absent, and demandingly abusive of his employees. He is a strict "company man."

I am still unsure of whether I am going to Atlanta 4/27-9 for a UJA SE college campaign chairperson conference/retreat. At the Seder, the Duke chairperson Anne Sloan related to me that they had collected $2500 and that she was not going and no one had exhibited interest in being next year's chmn. Deborah is also not going. I am fairly confident that I will be heading the effort here next year with the joyous reward of a tour to Israel for 3 weeks in Dec/Jan.

This week the Student Union sponsored the showing of the BBC production, "The History of the Beatles", an hour long collage of concert and other film footage. It was on the latest-technology 6 foot screen and so fabulous that I sat through it twice. As every week, I heard and learned of some good new music through WXYC. I’ll certainly DJ through the summer.

Also as every week (on Thurs.), the Graduate Library gets a wall-full of new books that are a pleasure and luxury to browse through. I am amazed and impressed that every week topical Judaica-arrives.

The week's social highlight was a typical party Sat. night. It being a Sat. night party was the typical aspect, not the people in attendance. Most moving was the relating to me the hell of taking shrapnel from the knee to shoulder in a North Vietnamese ambush of an l8 yr old GI with his helocpter flown in paratrooper unit. The ambivalence induced by anti-war protesters repressed this cold-sweat inducing memory and it was only after reading Dispatches that this could be vocalized and discussed with a wife and now me. The unifying thread was today's Cosmic Croquet match.

Participants came from as far as Wash. to play croquet like billiards, using the head of the mallet. The event was camp and spacey and enjoyable to a point. Most of the out-of-towners are journalists by trade.

I ran 25 miles this week, albeit generally at a lackluster pace. Wt=139.

Be well.

April 23, 1979

Dear Family,

Greetings from a new typewriter in a new setting. Alas, I am not in Jerusalem but as with you, my spirits are. Actually I am sitting in my new living room working at a Smith-Corona Coronomatic 2200. I trust the type is large enough. My new Shangri La has its limitations as well as attributes, notably sound proximate neighbors with a taste for beer and rock n' roll (i.e. volume). The 6 wondrously beautiful acres is worth it. The dishwasher needs repair.

The move went well and quickly as Bob Might showed with his large pick-up and I borrowed the Carleton' s Station 'Wagon "Boat, and we basically hauled it all in one run taking about 1½ hrs of his time. As you could imagine, I have devoted the better part of a week to the task and I am not yet done. My four bookcases are in my bedroom and stacked on their top shelf are all my boxes of books. Evidently the only books that suffered marked damage were, predictably, my art books. Filling up the shelves will have to wait for an academic break.

This past weekend was an active one for Chapel Hill with the Springfest Concert drawing 18,000 and the Apple Chill Fair drawing 25,000, not to mention the ACC Track & Field Championships, a local 12,000 meter run and numerous bands jamming. With one week of classes left, my excitement was the numerous yard sales and a party Sat. night. I acquired numerous bargains including a floor vacuum cleaner, a gigantic carpet, 6+ pairs of perfectly fitting pants (from 3 different owners), a radio, assorted other clothes, and a Raoul Dufy print. Sat. night's party was again courtesy of Paul Feldblum. He is getting an MPH and this affair, like the other, was that crowd.

In the end, I'll not be going to Atlanta as the conference was cancelled.

I have still not heard from Chi. on the decision of my internship application. I will call later in the week if nothing turns up. I am not hopeful only anxious for a disposition of my case.

I am making progress on my DrC paper and may have it done by the end of finals. Qualifying preparation slowed because of the moving time demands. In Ecnmtrcs I got my midterm back with a grade of ½ standard deviation below the mean. My tentative final grade is a "P.”

My 186 Investments course is also winding up to a conclusion. We will tackle Ch. 8 tomorrow and not get to Ch. 9. I am pleased with their progress and I hope that some of them are also. The farewell dinner is still planned for Thurs. night with my guest lecturers Eli, Pam (and spouses), and Gary Parr, also slated to eat with us. I handed out the general student evaluation form last Thurs. and tomorrow I hand out the important one, nominating ballots for outstanding teaching Doctoral student, a $250 award.

The weather has finally turned truly warm staying above 55°F, at night. Flowers and bushes are exploding in blossom all over the place. Pine Tree shade keep our house nice and cool.

I had a good Passover as I trust you did. During it, Rick invited me over for supper dining on Matzoh Bry, Latkes and other assorted goodies. His lease of the bottom half of a Shaker Hts duplex began last week. The owner lives above him. It is right on the rapid line. No definite job offer has yet materialized for Janet, but I expect that something will be offered and she'll be living with Rick. (What I interpret as) Ominously, she bought him a puppy. The evening's conversation with Rick's roommate. another Jewish peer, and Rick's sister was unmemorable.

April 28, 1979

Dear Family,

Greetings from a relieved and unburdened Paul. I trust that this (U.S. Spring Daylight Savings week finds you rested and enthused. My sense of relief comes from the perennial ending of classes. My first year of Doctoral courses are over with.

The week went fast particularly as I spent all of Thurs. preparing for my class's arrival for dinner. I provided Kosher chicken (purchased from and cooked at Hillel), corn on the cob, cut strawberries, and other assorted food. Around half the class showed as well as guest speakers and spouses. A mass quantity of beer was brought and consumed. Everything worked out quite well. The news of the evening was that Eli's wife Zippora is pregnant with child. They are ecstatic and I am happy for them.

My students also enjoyed my last lecture on PCL's philosophy of life. Unfortunately it was delivered after all the ballots were in and I won no teaching award. I have still not heard from the CME (speaking of awards) and hope the expected nix will come this week.

My new residence is working out well. Chip (Adon Smith III) has been putting in long hours on some voter computer analysis and travels to Wash DC so no friction has arose. He is close to a political job on Florida Sen Dick Stone's reelection campaign, which means' for me that I may very well be looking for a housemate in the fall. The prospect should be worldly different from previous attempts. The living room picture window views a manicured lawn with picnic table and behemoth Pine trees in the front yard surrounded by brilliantly white and red azalea bushes. I hope to get the Sears repairman out here this week to look at the dishwasher.

Next year's entering Finance PhD class looks to be very similar to this one, with 4 White males, one Jewish. As the day for this year's Qualifying approaches my colleagues are growing more apprehensive. My study is going OK but the subject matter expected to be mastered is diverse and nebulous so I too am somewhat worried.

Life goes on here. With the end of the school year I am saying farewell to some relatively intimate acquaintances. Notably my TA Bruce got a job with the Memphis Hdqtrs of the Off of the Controller of the Currency as a Trust Examiner. I am very happy for him. In a different and more tragic dimension, my former roommate Avram is not getting along well with his girlfriend, with his unemployment exacerbating their relational tensions. The reason Avram came here was because of Ira Levin, a fellow HU Mechina student. This week Ira was in a horrid auto accident and emerged with only a crushed left ankle.

This past week we wrapped up Hillel affairs for the year and planned for fall. The diffident nature of the UNC (& USA symptomatic) Jewish experience truly transcends any plans we might formulate but we'll try anyway. I may be attending a summer training institute, partially subsidized by the local chapter, in late August. Today we interviewed a candidate for Rock's position and over my reservations a generally favorab1e consensus on him emerged.

My planned housewarming party is still on schedule. I attended two parties this weekend to drum up a crowd. Friday night's was loud and boisterous as Sat.' s was dull and uninspiring. Around here the caricature of Undergrads at parties as drug-addicts and Grad students as dull is not far wide the mark.

This coming week I will turn in my Time-Series project, which has not much advanced since I sent the results off to Chi. My Ecnmtrcs final is 5/7 and I would like to have my DrC paper done by then so I can sprint into the Qualifying 5/16-7. At that time I will probably head for DC and then Ohio before returning east for 5/27. These plans are still highly tentative. On Fri 5/4 I will be attending a Gallery opening with Shirley of Stephanie's work, among 11 others. Shirley and I are to have dinner together beforehand and I am veritably ecstatic

The weather here has been highly variable but no real cause for complaint. What has limited my time on the track has been all the meets here this past week. With green in full bloom the paths take on a unique dimension, so I have been somewhat mollified. My weight hovers at 138 but at least my daily 2 sets of 25 push-ups seem less of a burdensome strain.

I have basically moved all of my gear out of the trailer with the finishing effort to come this week and rent paid through 5/6. Existence in it now seems like a somewhat stranger-than-truth dream-memory. I'll miss little of it.

Be well.

Monday, May 7, 1979 5:40 P.M.

Dear Family,

YAHOO! YAHOO! Yahool yahoo' Phew! Finished.

My academic summer partially begins. I finished the Ecnmtrcs exam 2 hours and 20
minutes ago and a subsequent 4 cross country miles rid my system of the day's caffeine.
I feel so invigorated. Unfortunately I have also missed the day's post. Sincerest apology. The DrC paper remains to be written though I am confident it will be done well before his July departure for a 5 month London author-editorship sabbatical. Otherwise everything is OK. Yet to be encountered lay the 2-day PhD qualifier, next WED and Thurs. Review begins tomorrow. The rest of today I will catch up on my NYT and other periodicals.

As you know, four days hence is my party. I have distributed over 200 invites. I'll hope for 50 and expect 25. A good time is planned for all. The living room may be the dance floor with LOUD music if the demand seems apparent. I'll rig up additional lighting for the front lawn with the keg and food. The backyard is adequately lighted. Food will include: Twice-food-processed mixed cheeses, tahini butter, a yogurt dip, various crackers, cauliflower, carrots, celery, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. A good time could and will be had by all, from ages 18 - 60.

Last weekend's two exhibition opening's attended with Shirley were enjoyable. Stephanie was in both as one of 12 and one of 3. Her work is quite impressive for a Carleton third year student. This summer I hope to sketch some of the views here around the house. Shirley is as inspiring and fun to be with as ever. Considering the one-way minimal communication we have had since we last spoke, our rapport was sincere and intimate.

One of the big leftovers that I had from the party was a lot of salad, 14+ meals worth, which is what I solely ate for the next week. I also prepared 16 8 oz. yogurt servings, incredibly easily by boiling the water then adding the milk powder and cooling it to 117° F, then adding the yogurt culture and dividing into groups of 5, 5, and 6. Combined with ½ priced apples (because of their aged softness) and an egg in the blender, this concoction is healthy filling and relatively cheap.

On the last day of class, I offered to race any challenger from my 186 class for a grade difference up, if they won, or down, if they lost, on their final over a neutral or my cross-country preferred 2 to 4 mile distance. I had no takers. The final that I gave them last Friday was difficult and lengthy (I guess). Not too many particularly excelled. Quite a bit of that must result from my ambitious but confusingly unorganized teaching. In the end I gave out 4 “A"s, 12 "B”s, 12 "C"”, 3 "D”s, 3 Passes, 2 Incompletes, and 1 Absent. The letters could and did have suffixes of “+" and "-“. 1 of the Passes was worthy of failure but I just did not have the heart. From this class I now have friends
in London and Tanzania.

This past instant I have gotten off the phone with Jean Wright. She is evidently not going to refund any of my deposit as the roach fumigation and the refrigerator clean-up of mold done by her mother (while I was still renting it and intending to do the final clean-up) combined with mowing the grass was deemed by her as valuing $165. Oh well.

Travel plans commencing 5/18 are beginning to shape up as follows: 5/18 Chapel Hill
to Columbus; 5/21 to Cleve Hts; 24 to NYC 28 to Phila and 5/29 back to Chap H with a possible stop in Wash DC. The brevity relative to standard PCL agendas is due to the 5/21 commencement of summer school. Unbelievably I still have not heard from the CME.

The front lawn bordering azalea bushs have wilted in the rain. Exquisite purple
and yellow iriss have compensated. For the party I will set out standing trays and chairs. During the warm days, as today got into the 80's, this house hovers around 65 thanks to our shady pines.

Today I received my second rejection of my Federal Funds piece, coming from Ind. Banker. Earlier Southern Banker did likewise. My third choice, Western Banker, as it turns out, did not exist. I will try one more round of send-offs, this time to Tarheel Banker and NY Banker. If they too give it the ax, it will die an ignoble death.

This coming summer will probably be much like the academic year just past. During
June and July I plan on doing reading in finance and possibly move some data around in addition to the above mentioned paper completion and Lou Moore's course. I imagine that
the social life will not be as great as Hillel is formally closed and the town informally so.
I my travel some weekends to the mountains or beach or DC, but I will save most of my
vacation urge for August when I have the first three weeks off and will probably be with you folks at that time. In any event, I will see you soon.
Be well
May 13, 1979

Dear Family,

Greetings from my calm before the storm. Three days until TEST time.

I trust that Spring is in full bloom with you, the winter’s ravages a distant memory. The woods here are alive with winged chirping visitors. I put birdseed in the feeder in front of my living room window and gratifyingly today I had my first diner.

On Tues. Rick came over for a final conversation; (and lunch). He is far from overwhelmingly happy about returning to Clave. What he is grateful for is a job. A Wharton grad in his class with decent grades still has no job offer. It will be the Shaker rapid every morning for him.

My party went fairly well. I offered ½ keg (15.5 gallons) of beer, ½ case (20 Ibs) of bananas, 1 gallon of topped strawberries, grated cheeses, tahina butter, homemade labaneh (Israeli "white cheese" made by draining yogurt through cheesecloth for 3+ hours), assorted stoned ground crackers, salt-free Sea Toast (a la M.H.L.), whipped cream, and chopped carrots, celery, and cauliflower for eating and dipping. A little wine was brought. The crowd flow was probably around 50, with 30 here at anyone moment. Most of the attendee's were predictable, either from my program or Hillel. Of the faculty, only Chris Handel, the prof. I am working for this summer, and
Dr McEnally showed. The leftover bananas and other stuff does not bother me as I'll eat it all. The mis-estimation I do chide myself on was not getting a "pony" (7½ gallon) keg as I emptied t of the 15.5 gallons afterwards. Lots of disappointing no-shows, but far from unusual. Attendance by virtually all my colleagues was gratifying. Disappointing was the party’s movement
into Chip's bedroom and an NBA semifinal game on the tube at 1:15 A.M.

The week's major hassle was foreign matter on my right contact lens. In unsuccessfully trying to move it off, I irritated my eye and ultimately ripped the lens. My NY optician, Group Contact Lens, went out of business with my record and so I had to go to an optometrist for an examination.
While there, the optometrist noted to me what may be distortions of my cornea to adjust to the contacts. I am going to have to go "cold turkey" for three weeks to let my eyes regain normalcy and then return for another exam.

Speaking of examinations. the time spent this week on activities not covered above were fairly forthrightly directed toward my exam 5/16-7. Each day the session is two three hour halves, broken by a 1 hour lunch break. This week I tried to brush up on all the areas, Organizational Behavior, Operations Mgmt, Quantitative methods, Acctg, Finance, Micro and Macro Econ, and Marketing. I feel prepared but could always use another week.

Travel plans are- still as itinerated (?) last week. Everything seems to be go with my NYC and Phl1a hosts. I have more or less been in Chapel Hill for the past six months and am quite enthused about this vacation and seeing you

Today at Hillel a second candidate for the programming job here was interviewed. He is Jerry Rosen, current director of the CWRU Hillel. I, and the general consensus, was even less favorable toward him than to the previous candidate. He berated the Clave Jewish community and I am afraid he is in for a big disillusionment if he thinks this place is less apathetic.

Somewhat amusingly, two hours before the party began, impending-storm winds must have felled a tree around here .somewhere as a power line went down. Other than refrigeration I was most concerned about the music. Fortunately power came back at 8:20, just in time.

Today was UNC graduation and tonight Bruce Baer and sister (who wll1 be here in the fall) came by for a farewell chat. He starts his GS-5 OCC road job 6/15. He is irreplaceable to Hillel.

June 3, 1979

Dear Family,

I have returned to you with a renewed vim and v1gor. Nothing compares with a touch of the “real" world and loved ones in putting seemingly intractable questions into a manageable perspective. I take it as a personal effort to see our family reunited. Returning always highlights how mundane my basic life is.

Judy returned with me to NC. On Mon. Memorial Day, we caught the show and galleries at the MOMA and host Neal treated us to a crepe lunch. We split for Phila. at 2 P.M., following a post-lunch saunter through the Marboro near Neal at 86th and Lex. I was unable to reach the party I sought in Phila so Judy and I consoled ourselves on Cheesesteaks w/onlons at Jim's. I drove all night, pulling into a rest area for a 3-hour nap. Arriving back here at '7 A.M. we slept until noon.
Her time here was spent quite enjoyably as my life here is quite enriched since the Sept. visit from a car and house to a generally more fulfilling existance. For practically the first time in 5 years, my summer is not being spent on worrying about where I will be in the fall. We were able to hear some local live music and enjoy the natural beauty of the Chapel Hill environment. We dined at the exquisite Chez Condoret, a first for me.

She repotted some of my plants and combined with the accompanying mess, I was inspired to do other repottings and hangings and generally cleaned up the screened-in porch. I daresay it was long overdue. Today I carried that spirit into my bedroom and made a credible effort at organizing the haphazard randomness. Task completion is in sight.

As for the professional reality that I returned to, the first year comps have not been graded. I felt that I did satisfactorily. I was most pleased that I wrote and read and re-read fairly continuously throughout the available time. Breakfast and lunch both days was a yogurt-raw egg-apple blender concoction and a 10 minute session of standing on my head. I demonstrated competence and a possible streak of brilliance as was expected of us.

My grades were as expected, 3 Passes and an Incomplete, DrC's paper. Having no "High Pass’s” is not a particularly good sign. I should finish the paper within two weeks as I am virtually through reading and have merely to write. I am hopeful that the topic, Managerial Compensation, is of interest outside Finance, with a concomitant journal audience. I am pleased and content with the effort thus far. My Fed Funds piece is now officially dead.

I have still not received notification of a decision from the Chi Merc Exch so I am into the academic summer here. I am to be research asst. to Chris Handel. He is still working on his dissertation so the demands on my time will not be excessive. Much to my chagrin and reservation, I will be taking 386, Investments on the PhD level, with Dr Latane this summer. I have many reading interests in the field but the current order of business is to finish my pending paper.

The weather has taken a drastic turn for the warmer and generally more humid. The effect on my running in the form of heat dissipation inhibition has reduced my three miles to a lumbering lethargic 22:30. Nevertheless, returning to a familiar turf and going over 500 miles for the academic year thus far made running tolerable this weekend.

As of now I am scheduled for two DJ slots, Mon and Wed morn 9-Noon. I expect a replacement to be found for one of the shifts. I hope to add some livliness to my show by referring to and citing the day's historioal inoidents.

Stephanie and Bill Carleton will be in Charleston SC tomorrow night thru Wed and I will be "Manning the(ir) fort" in their absence, mostly to watch over a son with Mono. I am honored and it should be pleasant, as well as remunerative.

It seems that Chip got the coveted staff job with Sen. Stone and will be leaving 7/1 or 8/1. He is currently on a two-week fishing-drinking vacation.

So far I am not singing the social-life blues but stay tuned.

Shorewood WI 87 - 88

2006-07-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

January 14, 1987

Greetings from Shorewood (Milw.) Wisconsin,

We left Jerusalem November 30 and have since been happily ensconced in the home of Lisa's parents. The kids took the 18 hour journey rather well. We have all enjoyed good health since we arrived.

Deember now seems something of a blur. My first goal was to write an article on the Tax Reform Act and its effect on Milwaukee area real estate activity, reasoning that this would help get me the entry-level CPA job that I was seeking. The resulting piece is now scheduled to appear next week in a local business weekly around mid-month, I interviewed with and was offered a position by Seidman & Seidman/BDO, the country's 12th largest and worldwide the 10th largest CPA firm. They even have offices in Israel affiliated with them. They hired me knowing that I am here only through April 1988, at which time I expect to return to Tel Aviv to try a practice there (maybe even at a BDO affiliate). During the month I also flew into NYC for a day with Yehiel to visit my mother's parents and I spent two days in Minneapolis lecturing on the Israeli economy. Both trips were predictably fun. New Year's eve was tame.

January 4 I began my formal S & S -career with a week's training at the Houstonian conference Center and Hotel, with another 125 new staff accountants from around the country. The facilities were opulent and the food excessively tasty. I ran, ate and took saunas to my heart's content. I also made my first mistakes on the company's time. I also spent a few night's with my sister-in-law, who is soon returning to Israel.

I started real work 3 days ago and so far it has been tolerable. So far I have not done much more than bookeeping, but I expect more interesting work before my career is over.

Lisa is currently home with both kids. Yehiel, who turned 2 a month ago, will start an 8 AM -noon program/ 5 days per week, in March. It has the most Jewish programming of any daycare offering, which, though it is offered by the Chabad Lubavitch, is not all that much. He definitely needs that structure that he got from daycare in Jerusalem. It is a real effort in frigid suburbia to find other kids for him to play with. Our five-month old daughter, Orly, has a very agreeable disposition, cooing at everything. She has begun to turn over. Yehiel can count to 10 and has a growing vocabulary.

One of my major worries about our sojourn in the US, that I would get hooked on US speculative markets is proving unwarranted, so far. With the latest stock market surge, I have been content on the sidelines, in mutual funds. Becoming an accountant has increased the conservativeness of my financial practices.

Overall, returning to America has been remarkably void of culture shock. I am back to reading the NYT daily. Lisa's parents and family have bent over backwards to make us feel comfortable, supplying us with a 1980 AMC Concord, not allowing us to pay for utilities or rent, showering us with clothes and other gifts, and not letting the massive amounts of clutter that we generate bother them.

I did have a little thrill for awhile with the Cleve. Browns. Their demise gives me that much less that I have to read about and that much less identification with the city.

The diet here has a lot more beef and poultry than I have been eating the last few years. So far my weight is under control, but an inactive winter might not be what the doctor ordered. We joined the Milw. JCC and I do hope to work out reasonably regularly. Running may have to wait until spring.
Be well.
.
May 17, 1987

Dear Family,

A summery greetings to you from Milwaukee. I am embarrassed to recall that the last time I wrote, it was practically winter. We are all doing reasonably well and trust you are likewise.

As for the kids, they grow and get cuter daily. Orly now sits up quite well, scuffles along furniture edges with aplomb, nurses no more, likes solids (especially meat based baby foods), has tried eggs, holds her own bottle when lying on her back, sleeps soundly from 7 PM to 7 AM, has endured a variety of baby sitters without constant crying, laughs and smiles a lot, can still cry like an infant when not in her mother or father's arms, looks more like her mother daily, climbs up stairs, turns over garbage pails and gets into cabinets, usually has two naps, still often enjoys her pacifier, has been wearing a few dresses (and looking darling in them), has balanced herself without support for a
few micro-seconds, currently has a black eye from sources unknown, does not object to baths, has gone through various stages of congestion over the past few months and is generally adored by various and sundry friends and relatives alike.

Yehiel is, alas, still in diapers and regularly drinking from a bottle at home. We regularly expect and work for his leaving these two baby habits, but we are not panic stricken yet. We do continually hear that he is a favorite among the girls at his gan because, among other reasons, he is shy and smiles a lot. His verbal skills grow daily, though his diction, pronunciation, locution and grammar are still primitive. Just as he is finally getting his name down exactly, his mother is growing tired of having to explain her life story every time she introduces him, so we really may use the name" Eli." He still does not yet peddle his "big wheel" tricycle, but we can push him in it with Orly in the stroller, and he does keep his feet on the pedal. He enjoys immensely blowing soap bubbles and we pass hours outside in that activity. We bought bicycle seats for the kids and regularly take him to a nearby elementary school to play there. He only recently began enjoying the swing. He is generally a good eater, though his protein staples are milk, hot dogs, yogurt or eggs. His sleeping patterns are not good, as he occasionally wakes up during the night and we have difficulty getting him back to sleep. He usually sleeps 8:30PM to 6:15 AM, with a one to two hour nap after he comes home from gan and defecates. We generally stay in his room with him until he falls asleep at night.
He is at the Lubavitch gan 8:15 M_ to 12:15 five days per week and he seems to be enjoying it.

Lisa has her hands and time full with the above two. She is expecting to at least audit an a intro acctg course at UWM this summer, employing a babysitter for Orly during that time. She also regularly checks the classified ads for a part-time bookkeeping position. This weekend an old friend of hers got married and the gang of four of them were back together, like old times. In the next two months, two first cousins of hers are getting married here.

As for me, I am doing only OK. My class is really more work than I have. put in and the resulting flak is not great for my ego, but I expect to survive it and emerge $1,000 wealthier. Even more significant, I expect that I will be leaving Seidman & Seidman by the end of June. The post-tax season work load thins out greatly, our team is overstaffed, the person whose clients I have been working on returns this week from a five-month cancer-recuperation leave, and I received a less-than-favorable work-performance review this past month. I am currently job-hunting
and expect to be able to report good news to you by the next letter.

Sunday May 31, 1987

Dear Family,

A hot and humid spring greetings to you. We are all in good health and not sweating excessively, and trust you are likewise.

The kids are definitely grooving on summer. While Yehiel can't really be unsupervised outside, he can and does find lots to do on the grass and propelling himself along the sidewalk on either his
four or three - wheeled vehicle. His favorite outdoor activity is blowing soap bubbles and this he can do often in the day and it takes quite a while before he tires of it. He has become proficient at bubble making and the only problem remains that for one reason or another the bottles spill. Anyway we just bought a little plastic pool and we hope that mother and children will be able to cool off and play outside this summer.

Orly has begun to make a few consonant sounds, like "n" and “d” ...Yehiel now drinks only water from a bottle and he knows that for anything else, he must drink from a cup. Hopefully, during the summer we will be able to leave him without a diaper to toilet train him on occasion.

While we have not seen Aunt Sammie a lot recently, she does seem to be adjusting well. She does have lots of family comforting her and she recently confided that she was only half-way through with writing the 300 cards/responses to messages of condolences that she received. We did share an evening with her and some two dozen others in the immediate Rotter family at a barbeque at her younger son Billy's house, last week. She tentatively accepted my invitation to become a bridge partner at the JCC Tue night game. After my class ends I trust I will have time.

Lisa and I have not been going out a lot, for a variety of reasons, inertia among them. Additionally, Yehiel stays up till after 8:30 every night and we can't really impose on her parents or hire a sitter. He also awakens with daybreak, before 6 occasionally. We do go out at least once a week and expect some improvement. Orly sleeps straight through from 6:30 PM to 6:30 AM. Last night for our anniversary, Mert and Dottie took us and Aunt Lillian and Uncle Max out for a prime rib dinner that was tasty and fun. The babysitter who charged a typical $2/hr) finally got our son to sleep at 9:30 P.M. We do belong to a video club which entitles us to a free monthly VCR movie. Last week we saw" Sid and Nancy", a flick about punk-rocker Sid Vicious, at my insistence, and needless to say it was mildly disappointing. There are no movies at theaters that we are dying to see.

Yehiel is going to the Lubavitch day camp this summer; the question is just for how many hours per day and week. I expect we will settle on a schedule similar to his current 5 day per week routine. Lisa will probably be taking an acctg course at UWM this summer, starting June 22. The only offered time is an inconvenient MWTh 12-3, so some sort of regular baby sitter will be in order. She
is also looking into Hebrew school teaching in the fall at a local synagogue...Speaking of which, we have been trying Sat. morning prayers at a few locations and have yet to find the no-frill intimate minyan where our son can also have a place to stay occupied.

Today we had plans to get to a small lake for some sand activity for the kids, but procrastination and intermittent incremental weather confided us to the JCC pool and some shopping. We'll try again next week
My class is going OK, as is my job search, but I have nothing definite yet to report. I am not yet desperate or totally disheartened.

Be well.

June 22, 1987

Dear Mom and Dad,

Greetings from Shorewood and a borrowed ADAM word processing system. Lisa's cousin Joey lent this to us and I hope to learn how to master it with this first endeavor. With luck, it could help my professional writing efforts in the immediate future. As things currently stand, I will be going freelance next week. No application has yet panned out, though today I had a second and final interview for an exciting CPA newsletter writing position. Other efforts are still in the slow germinating phase. Yehiel has been home from nursery school last week and this one, so my presence at home has been helpful. Next week he starts the pricier (and ostensibly better) summer camp, also run by Lubavitch. We are still uncertain over his hours and days of attendance. Much depends on what sort of sitter arrangement we get for Orly while Lisa is attending her UWM acctg class over the next eight weeks.

Both of the kids are doing well, though Orly has a slight but persistent diaper rash. Yehiel almost comes up with sentences, though he also grunts a lot when he wants something urgently and normal channels are too frustrating. His mastery of alpha-numeric symbols continues to mature. His grandma recently bought him his first real tricycle and he is beginning to get the hang of it. Orly remains cute and cuddly. She can now maintain her two-legged balance for seconds and is about to move beyond the lunge to her first real step. She drinks out of a cup reasonably well and I am sure she will be off the bottle in not much more than half the time it took Yehiel.

The Rotters are doing well and remain as giving and hospitable as when we arrived, though I know our presence frustrates Dottie at times. Aunt Sammie does seem to be up and about and in good spirits. Our next family affair is an August marriage to a non-Jew. Our Jewish neighbors just sold their house to an O'Brian family for around $175,000 imputing a value of at least $220,000 to this residence. I do manage to exchange an occasional Hebrew sentence with our Yordim neighbors across the street.

It has been so hot and dry here of late that I have not had to mow the lawn for over two weeks. Fortunately the heat wave has at least temporarily broken. We bought the kids a little pool for the back yard and in the front, the ripening fruit of the mulberry tree agrees with Orly's palate, if not Yehiel's. So far the best kiddy pool we have found is at Shorewood High, though it is open only from 1:15-2:30 PM and in the evenings...The kids are sleeping and napping well...This coming Sat. night we will be entertaining a number of other couples in our first social hosting endeavor. On Fri we will be at the Keller graduation/reception and Sun we may attend an S&S summerfest cookout, so our weekend will be full.
Be well.

July 1, 1987

A final free weekday afternoon greetings to you. I am returning to work (actually I never stopped). The public accounting firm of Scribner Cohen & Co. offered me a junior staff accountant position at $18,000 per year, doing essentially what I had been doing at S & S. It is a medium-sized local Jewish firm and they have more than an inkling that I will be leaving in one year. Still, after they did lots of interviewing, I evidently emerged as the best buy. They are located slightly closer to our home, along the same route that Mert travels to his office, so commuting will be no strain as I will continue to travel with Mert. The overall working conditions and benefits are not as good as at Seidman, but I am grateful to find work, with no lapse of employment.

Lisa is enjoying her accounting course at UWM, though not always the demanding homework. The lecture and discussion group meet from 12:30 to 2:30 Mon, Wed and Thurs. Because of this we decided to send Yehiel to summer camp on Tue and Fri mornings and leave him with the sitter when Lisa is at class. So far we are less than thrilled with his summer camp setup, so I don't envision our increasing his frequency of attendance. Orly is not thrilled about not having her eema around all the time, but she will have to get used to it.

Both of the kids are growing nicely and remain as cute as ever. Yehiel pedals his tricycle on walks and refuses to be pushed. His three-word sentences are almost routine, though his enunciation remains primitive at times. He takes a daily vitamin supplement and he eats lots of vanilla yogurt, but the rest of his intake is only fair, and I can't really blame it on him, as food preparation has not been our strongest suit lately...Orly remains as sweet as honey and gives us few problems other than her diaper rash.

Tomorrow night I will be playing my first bridge game with Aunt Sammie, here, against Mert and his brother Manny. Maybe we will make a duplicate game someday. Manny' s daughter Bobbie, whose wedding we were looking forward to in August, has been “postponed.” We entertained three other married couples here last Saturday night and everyone had a good time...On the previous evening we attended the Keller Grad School of Mgmt graduation, an OK affair. (I am now totally through with Keller and don’t expect any more teaching while I am here in the US this trip.)

I am avidly reading the press for news on Israel, with mixed emotions. The longer this national unity government lasts, the worse it looks. Of course, Ronnie R doesn't look much better these days. The paper carried the sad news of the 28-year old mother who lost her foot to a floating bomb on the Carmel beach. Ugh! more worries

July 7, 1987

Greetings from a hot and humid Milwaukee. The dry spell is at least temporarily past and the torrents are here. Our household is healthy and happy and we trust you are likewise.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and it went OK. I have a small office to myself with bare wood paneling. The office administrator next to me is the wife of a retired partner and has a son and grandchildren in Ramat Aviv. So far everything seems to be going OK as I have been doing routine year-end closing compilation work.

Lisa is enjoying her accounting class and responding to its growing complexity with more preparation time. With luck, she may be able to work a few hours per week in the fall at Mert's law office. Orly is still uneasy with the babysitters.

We expect to get to Chicago at the beginning of August to see Ralph and Ruth and Amy and David who will be in to celebrate David's parent's 50th wedding anniversary. We are still expecting to get to Phila. around Labor Day and to Madison in mid-August for a family picnic that is to replace the cancelled wedding. Lisa's Uncle Max and Aunt Lillian celebrate 25 years together in August and we expect to get them something nice.

While at home I was able to complete another article, though editing it in this word processor is proving painstakingly slow. It is on my favorite theme of investment guidelines and I expect it will find a home. Before I begin my next article on accounting software, I had better catch up on my audit exam preparation and homework. I am really out of an exercise routine and I hope to be able to get back into an early morning one. While at home I was able to cook up a batch of rice and vegetables which when microwaved with egg and cheese (and seasoned with soy sauce) also make a tasty repast for the kids. The key to keeping it reheatable is not to add the proteins until ready to serve. Last night I made some Gazpacho. Shorewood has a city parade on July 4th and we walked in the last part and then had dixie cup ice cream with wooden spoons at the celebration at the high school. Yehiel on his tricycle was just the right speed. Orly took it all (including the ice cream) in from her carriage vantage point. Yehiel enjoyed waving the flag around while Mert and I edged his double-corner-lot lawn later in the day.

The bridge game went well and I expect it may become almost regular. Mert displayed a hitherto unappreciated prowess and analytical bent.

Be well.

July 12, 1987

Greetings from your friends in Milwaukee.

We are still on and off in a heat wave, though is now at least temporarily over. We all wake u p with sweat-drenched linen. Lisa and the kids have it the worst as I am in air-conditioned surroundings all day. Thundershowers today did bring some relief.

I have now been at work for one week and everything is going well. Hopefully I am into a routine. The work has so far been mostly compilation and payroll taxes for clients, similar to what I was doing at 8&S. I have been introduced to most everyone and the people seem nice enough. The pace, professionalism, and DEC mini-computer are a touch below S& S, but maybe this is for the better. The absence of any acceptable eateries in the proximity has motivated my preparing a batch of rice with vegetables that I dole out for lunch portions to be reheated in the microwave (at which time cheese and an egg are added). My small office is between that of two of the three partners. Another neighbor is Harriet Steinberg, the office internal bookkeeper (and wife of a recently retired partner), who has a son teaching at Tel Aviv U and married to a sabra. She takes a beginning Hebrew and we have something to talk about.

I have completed my investment article, but the editing is going slowly so I probably won't get around to submitting it to various magazines for awhile. The last few days have been devoted to catching up on my Becker audit review homework. So far that is going OK. Lisa's accounting course is also progressing satisfactorily, though it is getting no easier for her.

While we are satisfied with the babysitters, we are growing less enamored with the Lubavitch program and are considering sending Yehiel to the JCC nursery school in the fall. No final decision has been made. We have tentatively decided to fly to Phila/NYC over the Sept. 6 Labor Day holiday weekend. We wi11 be staying with my friend Vivian in Phila and hope to see all the family (particularly the grandparents) at that time...Orly is having some tough teething times these days and nights. So far there seem to be only two teeth to show for it. Her diaper rash is better, but not gone. She should be walking on her own any day now. Yehiel is beginning to babble sentences. He generally prefers running to walking. We have been taking in a number of local parades and fairs, most of which everone hass enjoyed.

July 20, 1987

Greetings from a sweltering Milwaukee. Tonight the low is expected to be 76 degrees F and in the stuffy second floor here, we will all be sweating. We trust that the climatological warming trend of the earth is not making your summer unbearable. With the heat is coming the predictable ozone alert watches.

This weekend we cooled off by going to bodies of water on both Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday we tried a nearby suburb's man-made pond and today we traveled to Pike Lake State Park with.Peter and Anya and their kids for a pleasant few hours. Yehiel still stays generally on dry land, but Orly puts up no fuss when we get her wet.

The kids are generally doing well. Orly's isolated steps are almost systematic and a source of encouragement for further two-footed adventure. She is up to 3 steps in a row and it won't be long before she is a "walker.” She still has only two teeth (on bottom) but the signs are for more to break through any day now.

We also went to some house sales this weekend and got our usual assortment of children's clothes and toys. With the aid of a Fisher-Price magnetic easel/chalkboard acquired yesterday, Yehiel spelled his first word, "r-a-i-n"… We shop this way because as we pass the one-third mark of our stay here, I am disappointed with what we have saved (especially compared to the $25,000+ that we will need upon our return to buy a better apt. in the Tel Aviv area). So we (I) decided that we will not be getting to the east coast over Labor day weekend. The $800+ that it will run is just beyond our budget.

My job is going well. My article has made no progress since I last wrote because of the time constraint...The Becker audit CPA review course is also going passably, though I will have to increase my homework time somewhat...$200 into Lisa's accounting education and I think we are coming to the limit. She has gotten her resume together and is beginning to look seriously for part-time work, hopefully finding a job she likes by the fall.

On Friday night Lisa and I went gallery hopping and ate some sushi, having an enjoyable evening in the process. We will probably go out to eat for her birthday this week...On Sunday is the Jewish Jubilee at the JCC, an all-day extravaganza that Dotty is active in. The following weekend we hope to have a barbeque here and after that we are off to Chicago to see Ralph and family and then Madison in mid August, so our weekends will be busy at least.

1 August 1987

It has been ages since we heard from you and I am concerned that everything is OK with you. What is happening wi th you folks?

We are well and gearing up for the fall. Lisa is looking for part-time work and we are exploring various day-care options for Orly. This may entail moving Yehiel to a secular day school, about which we are less enthused.. .Yehiel is improving his communication abilities and mental faculty. He will now actually say "Yechiel tired,” but of course not act upon it. Actually, he and Orly have been sleeping very well. He enjoys having books read to him and he plays with his magnetic letters. He increasingly can amuse himself in a non-destructive fashion...Orly remains adorable and easy to entertain. She is happiest with familiar faces. She can take as many as eight steps at a time and stands up by herself without holding onto anything.

Last night Lisa and I finally had our dinner out to celebrate her birthday. The food was fair, but most of the pleasure was in being able to enjoy each other's company peacefully without children around. We did get a VCR tape of "Hannah and Her Sisters." this week and thought it was OK, more than we could say for the brief part of "Purple Rose of Cairo" that we saw on TV the night before. For me, Woody without hilarity is not much. His existential angst is forgettable.

Tomorrow we are having our big barbecue here and I suspect it will not be a recurring event as it is really just too much to impose on Dotty, though we are doing all the work. In addition to family, we are inviting the yordim neighbors from across the street. He is a professor of architecture at UWM. I will be trying my hand at mass open hearth cooking of hot dogs, bratwursts and chicken patty burgers. [the barbecue went well]

The weather here has been hot also, with little relief in the last few weeks....I do manage to read most of the Wall Street Journal daily (during lunch), but the NYT remains more of a time commitment than I will likely be able to handle in the next year...I am also in need of time to exercise regularly as my usual summer slim-down did not occur this year.

My job is going OK. The people are a little easier to relate to, though the work is less challenging. I do lots more keypunch/data entry.

9 August 1987

Greetings from your family in Milwaukee. We are well and trust you are likewise.

We have had a reasonably enjoyable and productive week. . . Orly now says "Hi". The big event was the drive to Chicago yesterday where we saw Uncle Sol, Ralph and Ruth, and Robin. The weather was rainy, but otherwise we spent an enjoyable 2 1/2 hours with them (and passable 4 1/2 hours on the road). Everyone was in good health and spirits, awake, alive, and busy. Ruth has practically no ticket business any more, as ticketron is into everything. Sol is comfortably settled into Buffalo, with a very minimal activity routine. Robin had the big news - she is leaving P & G to go work-for Pepsi as a technical consultant, principally to the Northern Indiana and Madison bottling plants, based in Chicago. Her condo is very nice, adorned with Rose Weinberg paintings and a water bed. Ruth's Buffalo family is also well.

Today we went to the State Fair and had a good time. The kids enjoyed the rows and rows of farm animals and we consumed lots of free-sample and purchased foods. The culminating merry-go-round ride was a. treat for both of them. Dairy products were in abundance, as WI produces 35% of the country's total.

Next weekend we have Lisa's long awaited 10th year high school class reunion and a big family dinner here and family picnic in Madison in lieu of the cancelled wedding. An elder sister of Mert's is staying with us for half of this week and the children and I are getting to know her.

At last the heat wave seems to have broken here also. We attribute it to Mert and Dottie's air-conditioner purchase. The lawn grows unabated. I have also gotten more mosquito bites and slimmed down less this year than I can remember.

My job went well this week. Mostly I compile monthly financial statements for assorted non-manufacturing clients. Apart from entry posting, trial balance, general ledger and financial statement preparation, it entails creating neat, orderly and helpful working papers, something foreign to nature and thus a skill I am learning with some pain.

I bought two paperbacks this week, on the advice of the NYTBH: 'The Chronicle of the Lodz Ghetto 1941-44’ and Slaves of New York, by Tama Janowitz.. What with studying for my auditing exam (let alone finishing my articles), I don’t envision getting to them soon.

17 August, 1987
Dear Ellen, Reuven, Noa, Liat and Nadav,

Greetings from a slightly less balmy Shorewood. We are (only) slightly less stifled. We trust you are over the worst of the summer heat. Similarly just as everyone here is well and in good spirits, we trust you are likewise. We hope and trust that you had the happiest of birthdays. Any words of wisdom on the occasion? We will settle for any words at all!!!

We had an active family-oriented week, with lots of relatives in town for a wedding that was cancelled. An elder aunt of Lisa's stayed with us for 7 days and during that time she got to know myself and the kids and vice versa. Bernice, an older sister of Mert, is charming and affectionate. Friday night Dottie entertained more than a dozen Rotters here for dinner and on Sunday we trouped up to Madison for a picnic at Uncle Roy's house.

Saturday night we went to Lisa's 10th year high school reunion at The Bavarian Inn. I had a passable time as went with a high school friend of Lisa' s and her husband, a couple we find compatible.

The real big news here is that Lisa starts work the day after tomorrow as a half-time accounting clerk at a law office. Her salary is over 3/4 my hourly wage (w/o the benefits) and the work is really ideal, starting in accounts receivable and data entry and expanding into the entire bookkeeping function as she learns more. The location is downtown, so the commuting isn't far, but the parking will be probably $3 per day. Other than a new wardrobe, the remaining quandry is day care for Orly. We will probably have to take Orly out of our home or pay most of Lisa's salary for in-house care. Until school starts, we will have a high-school sitter for both of them at a bargain rate. Yehiel will definitely be full-time mornings at the Lubavitch day school starting in the fall.

Orly now says "hi" and "bye" and is into her second pair of shoes (going from size 2 to 4). She has a voracious and indiscrirninating appetite and remains generally easy to amuse and please. Yehiel is getting to be a better speller with his magnetic letters. He also has found the first love of his life, the six-year old Tracy O'Brian, the new next-door neighbor. He is spending time with her and her four-year old brother Cory regularly and clearly benefiting from their company and as of yet they still seek out his company.

Tonight I got my fill of the fab four, in a broadcast entitled "The Compleat Beatles," which I recorded on the VCR. The show was good.

Work is going well and while I don't think I am making money for anyone yet, I am beginning to get the hang of the clients I am assigned to. People remain personable and the tax season remains distant on the horizon.

24 .August 1987

Greetings from a cool Shorewood. Today was pleasant and the outlook is for more of the same. Sandal-wearing is out for now. It was good to hear (from the folks) that you are also past the stifling heat

We are all well and busy. Lisa is enjoying her job, which so far has been learning her law firm's software and inputting billing hours and codes. She also, somewhat willingly, has much clothes and shoe shopping to do, to be able to go to work properly attired.. .Tomorrow is the first day of our new regular morning sitter for Orly. In the end we had something of a choice for this $2.50/hr position in our home and we have confidence in Terri, a widowed 29-year old hairdresser (w/o her own kids). She is vegetarian and macrobiotically conscious. Hopefully, Orly will stop being traumatized after the first few days and Yehiel starts 5-day per week half-day nursery school next week.

The kids are quite darling, as I trust you will see from the latest enclosed snapshots. Orly is already a confident and competent walker. Lisa started holding her bangs back with barrettes as an alternative to a haircut. Tracy and Corey from next door spend a lot of time with Yechiel and Or1y and he even goes over to their house to play. Over there he is forced to overcome his aversions to dogs, as they have a terrier.

This past weekend we sampled "A taste of Milwaukee," at the zoo, an extravaganza where city restaurants set up booths with hor's doerve size portions of their wares. :Finally, after a number of such events, Lisa has realized that the, kosher palate is out of place here. Otherwise the ha1f-day went well as the kids enjoyed the animals as usual.

I have managed to finish my investing article and hope to get it out this week, though probably to be submitted only to Better Investing. Life at the office is going OK, with some days better than others.

Otherwise, not much new here. I am hunkering down for a defensive Ronnie Reagan in his last year. Paul Molitor of the Brewers has hit successfully in 38 straight games, and that is the daily local headline. Most sport pundits are expecting the Browns to capture the AFC this year.

1 September 1987

Greetings on the first birthday of our daughter. We are well as the summer draws to a close. The raspberry bushes in the backyard and the mulberry tree in the front yard will have no more fruit for us. Our kiddy pool is about to be put away. Hopefully the grass growing will slow down a bit (though having had the wettest August in Milwaukee's history (9+ inches) is a big impetus). The mild winter and hot summer brought out the flying insects in legions. The mosquitoes and flies are bad enough, but the yellow jacket bees are intolerable. Both Orly and Yehiel were stung this week. Other than 5 minutes of crying and some residual swelling, both came away only slightly worse for it. Jeremy (Lisa' s nephew Yehiel' sage) was stung by a hornet while family camping this week and lapsed into a near critical coma before he got adrenalin and other medication at a nearby clinic.

Yehiel started nursery school today and Lisa will probably be car-pooling with other mothers for the ride home because it is otherwise very difficult for her to manage the delivery, pickup and 4 hours at the office under the time constraints. He is playing a lot with the neighbor kids. He did urinate on his potty for the first time this week, but he is still a long way from leaving diapers. He has yet to use a pronoun. We are teaching him the Hebrew alphabet and numbers. Lately he has not been taking naps.

Actually, as you know, yesterday was Orly's birthday, but Sunday was the convenient time to give her a party. Peter's family and the Kleiman's came over and we had pizza and homemade and store-bought ice cream and cake. The party was festive and lots of fun and Orly got some nice toys and a cute sailor outfit dress. She was predictably oblivious that the affair given in her honor. She is walking up a storm and her vocabulary is up to: Hi, bye, ball, and car. We are very satisfied with Terri the babysitter.

Lisa's job went well this week, and mine went OK. I have managed to finish my investment article and hope to send it out to Better Investing early this week.
Sat. night Lisa and I ate dinner out at a. Thai restaurant and for the first time in years, had food spicier than we could handle.

7 September 1987

Greetings from Shorewood. We are in the closing hours of our Labor Day weekend and the burden of eking out an existence will soon again be upon us. At least I will have a few quiet moments with you.

The weekend was both hectic and not all that productive, but fun nevertheless. Fri night we saw the favored home team Shorewood Panthers (on which cousin Mark Kleiman starts at outside linebacker) get trounced by the neighboring Whitefish Bay Dukes 33-0. Saturday night we got the - VCR tape of "Children of a Lesser God" and saw this powerful and moving flick in the comfort of our den. Yesterday we visited Milwaukee's botanical gardens and I came away very impressed with the broad splashes of color, wide variety of species and cleanliness of the place. Alas the mosquitoes gave us little respite. Today we had Peter and his family and the Kleimans over for a barbecue and the evening was reasonably pleasant. We also had a block party here, though the affair was subdued because of intermittent rain.

Our routines seem to be going well, though I m coming to the realization that public accounting, in this country at least, just may not be for me. I am presently probably not worth the $32/ hr that I am billed out at and I really will have to get better fast. Oh well, this realization isn't really all that much of a shock and I am closing in on my major objective of our stay in America: passing the final, auditing part of the CPA exam in Nov...I now have official confirmation that I will be able to take the exam in Milwaukee on Thurs Nov 5 from 8:30-Noon...My studying is going OK but I still will need a push at the end to cram it all in. I have two more review classes remaining.

Our childrens’ development continues apace. Now that Orly is walking with some competence and confidence, we and she are into new roles. She is much more aggressive about wanting to be put down at times. More profoundly, she now grabs toys that Yehiel is playing with and. scurries away, pleased with herself. He, of course would like to knock her over and grab his toy back, so we are now into what will clearly be at least a decade of refereeing. But on the positive side, we can now watch them less than every minute

As Orly will walk about the first floor into the den where Yehiel is playing and he"ll say: "Look Orly, ... and then in his simple English explain to her what the farm animals are that he is playing with (she loves to grab his favorite, the horse, and call it cow) and the noise each one makes...Yehiel is making real strides in his toilet training

Next weekend we'll spend a night in Madison and we will attend a benefit concert for the Lubavitch day school and I will be attending the symphony as Aunt Sammie’s escort (Incidentally, she fractured her e1bow today in a fall).

16 September 1987

Greetings from Shorewood, Wi, where all is well, wet and not cold: We trust that your fall onset is a pleasure to the senses. Here, with massive trees all around, each day brings brilliant flashes of color anew, though two friendly and mammoth (alas diseased) Dutch Elms across the street were recently reduced to grass-high level stubs. The drive to and from work by Lake Park is beginning to blossom into a -spectacle of yellow and red.

Last Friday we drove 70 miles to Madison and spent the night at a room in the student union. The weather was pleasant and we had a good time. Sat morning we took in the farmer's market, held on the sidewalk round the state capital bldg. We purchased some tasty garlic cheese. For me the trip's highlight was Fri night after Lisa and the kids retired for the evening and I got to sit in the union rathskellar and soak up and eavesdrop in on campus life while quaffing a few dark brews. Ah youth! Ah freedom! Two sets of tables around which intellectual activity focused were chess games and discussions of high-energy physics.

Sat. evening I attended the opening of the Milwaukee Symphony's season as a guest of Aunt Sammie. The main event was Mussorsky/Ravel's "Pictures at an Exhibition," performed well and quite enervating. Sunday evening Lisa and I attended a solo performance by Marvin Hamlisch, composer of the musical score for 33 movies (notably "the Way we were" and the play Chorus Line) for a benefit-performance for Lubavitch. He was brief and at times in poor taste.

Yesterday we attended a Lubavitch day school picnic with the kids. Other than the mosquitoes, everything went well. For the first time, Orly took off on her own and wandered about quite independently for a while. Lots of women commented how darling, cute and well-behaved our son is and how the girls all want to mother and kiss him and how he has so many friends.

My manuscript was rejected by Better Investing (principally because of its length) so I will be submitting it locally, to avoid having to bury it.

Work is going OK and at this particular moment I assume I will last until our planned May-June departure. The new Milwaukee JCC opened this week and Lisa went swimming tonight. Hopefully I will be able to get into an exercise routine for the winter. It has a. 1/4 mile outdoor track and an indoor 13-lap-to-the-mile track, along with the transplanted Omni weight lifting machines.

Yesterday a partner of Mert's won a $1 million liability suit (of which 33-40% goes to the plaintiff lawyer and his firm) so everyone here is feeling a little more secure.

Be well.

22 September 1987

Happy New Year to you!! We hope you wi11 be inscribed for another healthy joyous year. Hopefully the enclosed pictures will bring you cheer. Orly is the doll that she looks like, but her mischievous mind does create problems. She is developing the propensity to want the toys Yehiel is playing with precisely for that reason. He is developing a belated terrible-two stage. He is throwing temper tantrums like none I have ever seen. Orly is a little more irritable of late and we are attributing it to her insecurity over Lisa’s working, which we hope won't necessitate her leaving her job. .Progress in toilet training Yehiel is slow. He went apple picking with his class last week and we hope to go as a family, soon, in addition to a scenic Sunday train ride through the fall foliage at a nearby state park.

Last Sunday we paid our first visit to the new Milw JCC, located in the suburb north of ours, Whitefish Bay. It is located in what used to be University School, similar to Cleveland's setup. The Phys Ed facilities are sparkling clean, modern and adequate. The pool is gigantic and boasts the US’s first non-chlorine filter. (its got a European ozone filter system). Hopefully its late open hours will enable (Lisa and) me to frequent even during tax season. I am up to a semi-blimpish, sluggish 147 lbs.

My big news is that my manuscript on investing, entitled "Acaaem1c Advice" was accepted for publication in the Milwaukee Business Journal, the same non-paying people who published my January piece. Oh well, if not elated, at least I am relieved it found a home.

September28, 1987

We had a pleasant New Year holiday. We took off work only Thursday (my day off was paid) and attended prayers at the Lubavitch synagogue on Wed evening and Thurs. Yehiel had friends there so the time went easily and we will probably return there for Yam Kippur.
This past Saturday was busy. We viewed the sand sculpture competition results at a nearby Milwaukee beach (including a lively “Persian Gulf Mine Sweepers") and then went on to the Schlitz Audubon arboretum, where we were awash in color and non-mosquito insect life. The crunchy leaves and distinctive smell make this a memorable season. We are also experiencing temperatures still getting into the 80s. In the afternoon I worked out and Lisa swam at the JCC while the kids slept in the car. In the evening we took Dotty and Mert out for dinner in honor of their 29th anniversary and while the food was uninspiring humongous hunks of prime dead cow, the setting overlooking a lake and the company were fun. The restaurant was in Oconomowoc (Indian for "I-can-no-more-walk"), a wealthy, picturesque and quaint little town 45 minutes west of here that I would not have otherwise seen...Sunday and again tonight we got back to the JCC for swim/workouts and our establishing what I hope will be a frequent routine has come nary a moment too soon, as hubby is turning into tubby, almost breaking the scale at 150lbs...I will probably start dieting.

Yehiel is beginning to take to the water better and we will probably enroll him in a swim class that starts in Jan (if we are still here). Orly likes the frolicking about...He has taken a fondness to Lisa' s one-inch heel black patent leather shoes, particularly because we discourage his playing in them. Tonight he took a tumble down a few stairs attempting to walk in them...Orly seemed better with the babysitter Terri this week.

10 October 1987

The weather has become very cold here suddenly. We hit a record low of 29 degrees F the other day and everyone is into their winter jackets. Within a few weeks, the screens will be replaced with the storm windows. So far we have not suffered any colds because of unpreparedness.

We are almost at the peak fall foliage color time. Tomorrow we are headed for the train ride through the woods. Yehiel enjoys stomping on crinkling piles of leaves.

My Yom Kippur fast went easily and we were again at Lubavitch for prayers. At the sumptuous breakfast we heard of Uncle Max's recently arriving Russian relatives who are not adjusting particularly well to the capitalist U.S.

We have been going to the JCC fairly regularly to work-out/swim and I am: afraid our son has little left to try in life. He has exercised on a number of the weight machines and had dips in the 104° F whirlpool, both of which are technically administratively forbidden to him, so I don't know how much more he will do. While not afraid of the water, he is not serious about learning to swim and mostly clowns around. He dreads showers less.

Because Orly starting pulling her barrettes out, Lisa trimmed her hair and she looks quite cute in bangs. Her vocabulary develops a single word at a time.

Last night we spent an enjoyable evening with a married couple friends of ours sipping Guinness stout and chatting. Lisa and I have not been going out all that much alone.

My CPA. exam studying is going on schedule, with less than four weeks to go. I will probably take the three days prior off from work as an "insurance" cram.

The campaign currently underway to discredit Supreme-Court nominee Robert Bark has been shocking and shameful. It's really war... The one- by-one self- immolation of presidential candidates has been no less curious... We have little invested in the broad US equity markets at this time and I expect we will be buying US bonds before we return to stocks.
Be well.

October 18, 1987

Our big hews is that we are expecting our third child in mid-June 1988. If our late April return holds up we will probably stay in J' m at least through mid-June for the birth ...In fact since I last wrote of successful cases at Lisa’s father's firm, the senior partner won a $15 million blockbuster DPT vaccination liability case in Kansas which I expect you will get the clippings of.

On my birthday night we went gallery hopping and out to dinner with Lisa's parents. Yesterday Amy and David Brenner drove in from Chicago where they flew into for a wedding. They still enjoy southern CA and expect to stay for a few more years. They looked good and sounded :happy.

Orly's verbal development continues apace. She is a year ahead of her older brother and is capable of two-word expressions like an unprompted "good cake." Most of her teeth are in, she waddles with a degree of stability, and her bangs make her quite a talked-about beauty. Both of the kids are generally quite happy and reasonably well behaved, though Yehiel has his bully/aggressive traits.

Today we went to the JCC and had our usual swim/workout routine with the kids. It is not optimal or particularly relaxing, but at least both the kids and us have a reasonably good time. I expect the routine to be regular.

We have been shopping around for a 220 V microwave to take back with us. There aren’t a lot of models to choose from with our requirements (600+ watts,, .7+ cu meter capacity, digital)but I expect we will still be getting a better buy at $300 + maybe $100 shipping plus maybe $200 tax than had we bought there. Can you make any suggestions on the relative servicing ease and cost of Amana vs. Litton vs. Westinghouse vs. Toshiba?

Next weekend we are to hear the symphony play Gershwin.

My big CPA auditing test is in two weeks and I expect to pass. I have been studying enough, though not enough to classify for insurance.

All the fannly here is well and in good spirits. Marshall and Sammie’s younger son is getting married to a Jewish woman from Beachwood, Ohio next March so we are looking forward to that.

For my birthday Lisa has made me a 4,000 calorie per slice chocolate cheesecake that will deservingly increase my currently low 141 lbs.

I also forgot to mention that Orly now drinks through a strawed-cup at least once daily.

6 November 1987

I know that I have not be doing any corresponding in the last few weeks as I have been cramming for the auditing part of the CPA exam which I took yesterday and I think I passed. Of course I did not study exactly the right things and could have done better, but I am reasonably confident I did well enough. Our sojourn here is thus proceeding according to schedule and things are going reasonably well.

One adversity this week did provide, though, was the stock market's recent crash. While not actually as bad as the $1,200+ economic loss we suffered, the fall-off meant that Milw Bus Journal magazine editor revised her Personal Finance supplement and my piece no longer had a home. So now I will have to take it back on the road, revise it, and hopefully find a new home before the tax season onslaught.

Lisa's pregnancy is evolving reasonably well, though much more expensively than in Israel. She has her share of the first trimester nausea and blahs. While her weight is stable (as she alternates between ravenous hunger and overstuffed illness in a matter of bites), she has thickened slightly at the midriff. Work outfits are becoming problematic, particularly because of her fear of the adverse consequences for her employment if her female boss catches on that she is pregnant.

Anyway, the bountifulness of America means that we continue to shop at rummage sales and we now have a wardrobe and library for at least an army of Levinsons. We are already bundling up to ship back kids clothes and books.

At one such sale (of a nearby parish) I picked up a $3 am/fm radio and new wave music to bookkeep by at the office. While listening two weeks ago, I also won two contests: a round-tip and entrance to a Chicago play and an admission to a Milw Art Museum benefit Halloween party. The one-day (Thurs) bus sojourn to Chi-town with Lisa was fun (though we walked out on the play) as was the party. On both occasions I saw some exquisite modern art.

With the approaching winter chill, the cold, season has hit my children. First Yehiel got a cold from school and then he gave it to Orly, who after a week, is only now beginning to recover. Both kids are otherwise in good spirits, cute and progressing. Yehiel does interject an unnerving and pointless "Why?" of late...He is to start getting a hot lunch at the day school, starting next week...Orly' s vocabulary continually gets better

I did get the VCR tape of Woody AlIen’s Radio Days last week and I was basically unimpressed. I think the recent release "Tin Men" will be next on the agenda Another bit of civilization did begin to reavh this household with today's commencement of daily home delivery of the New York Times. It is here by 6: 30 AM and for only $4.50 per week (for the first 13 weeks), I am ecstatic.

November 21, 1987

Things are going reasonably well here. The kids are healthy, happy and growing. Lisa recently attended the parent-teacher conference for Yehiel an came home with glowing reports, e.g. he is everyone’s friend, he picks up toys when told to, eats well and is very strong on identifying with animals. We worry that his speech development and toilet training are slow, but the assurance we receive is that he is within the realms of normalcy. I guess he also takes after his father in that at home at home he manifests aggression towards his sister and general unruliness when he wants to.

Orly remains a cheerful doll (except at 8 AM when everyone else leaves and Terry the babysitter arrives), though we are saying “no” to her a lot more. Fortunately she is still intimidated enough by the word to obey. She eats a lot and drinks lots of milk from her bottle. Since Yehiel gave up drinking from a bottle he has not drank much milk. Orly seems like she is going to be susceptible to the cold weather so we'll have to bundle her up extra well.

Lisa is well and in generally good spirits. Her job is not challenging, but at least we are starting to accumulate some savings. It is unclear at this time how long into 1988 she will stay with it. She is accumulating through purchases and borrowing a loose fitting/maternity wardrobe...It only took her first visit to her ob/gyn physician to be examined and tested for her pregnancy to reach our insurance-imposed $200 deductible medical expense threshold. Through house/rummage sales she has acquired lots of nice clothes for the kids at least through 1988.

Usually twice on weekends and I during the week we are getting to the JCC to exercise. I have even started doing a little swimming. With the truly cold weather finally upon us, entertaining the kids on weekends (and for Lisa the rest of the week as well) is growing more challenging. Partially for this reason and also maybe to give them an employable profession) we will be buying for them for hannukah/his birthday, a 32-key electronic keyboard (on sale for $33). While above the kids' level, with all the gizmo features, it should be fun for all.

My days are filled with work, family and then the New York Times. At least I can boast of knowing most of the Saturday News Quiz answers...We will probably let our J'm Post Int'l edition subscription lapse when it expires next month as I am the only reader and with tax season coming, I simply won't have time...Work has good and bad days. Currently I am immersed in a very fun LOTUS software electronic spreadsheet creation of journals and ledgers for the yearly activity of a $1.7 million pension and profit sharing trust.

31 November 1987

Greetings from the close of November. We are in good health and spirits as we keep warm from the initial cold onslaughts and trust you are likewise. I hope the weather there has remained warm.

Our latest big news is somewhat disappointing. Terry, our babysitter for Orly, gave us (begrudgingly) four days notice of her quitting. Since we are not comfortable shipping Orly out to daycare and the search and adjustment process to a new babysitter feels daunting, Lisa also gave four days notice at work. She is looking forward to getting other things done and being with Orly.

Healthwise the kids are OK, but the house's dryness leaves Orly with almost a perpetual runny nose. While their diets are not as balanced as I would like, at least Yehiel takes a daily children's vitamin supplement and I am starting Orly on it...Yehiel is making strides with his language development...The latest "toy" I bought them is a truly amazing 32-key 2 lb electric piano with a battery of gizmo features. To date, they have not reacted as child prodigies should, but I will give them until New Year's before I book them into the Waldorf Astoria...We haven't yet finalized what we plan to do for Yehiel's birthday, but I suspect the affair will be subdued and limited to kin.

We had a pleasant Thanksgiving, with the Kleimans and Peter Rotter family over for the 26 lb bird, which came from the store cooked and sliced. I almost ate myself sick.

With the cold weather, we are into a Sat and Sun routine of of pool activity with the kids at the JCC. I have begun swimming laps, given the time constraints.

Work is going OK. Another bookkeeper is leaving so I am feeling secure. Most days I have my portion pre-prepared rice-vegetable medley, while reading the WSJ.. Of late, I have been using a Wehani brown rice, a $1.09 lb bargain at Pic-N-Save.

12 December 1987

Greetings from a chilly Milwaukee. We are all in the best of health and spirits and trust you are likewise.

Yes, winter is just around the corner and the thermometer flirts with freezing daily. The kids do not play outside much, but at least they haven't had any colds of late. Each morning when I arise at 6-6:30 to read the NYT I plug in our car's heating coils and so far it seems that we will be able to finish our tenure here without further investment in the vehicle, as it moves OK after this priming. I think we have also bought our last winter coats for this season at least.

Our world, of the kids, is a happy one. They play together and in parallel well and continually come up with new signs of maturing. Orly's vocabulary is notable and she can even put two words together. Of the words she first learned, her favorite (somewh.at) non-utilitarian is "downstairs,” which she can blurt out without prompting in almost any situation...Yehiel is developing a drawing capacity as his pictures become more than random scribbles. As his language abilities mature, a faint hint of a personality is emerging. (nevertheless we are actually getting a more frequent occasional tantrum). He seems to be enjoying his (new) hot-lunch at schoo1. We are disappointed that we have returned 100% to diapers with him and await any sign of progress...Finally, Orly is truly comfortable with Mert and Dottie. She does unfortunately have a slight diaper rash that never seems to disappear for long.

Lisa and I are definitely into our returning to Israel mindset. It appears that prices for all airlines go up around April 1, so as of now our expectation is for a March 28-30 return, in time for Passover. Our last major purchase is a microwave oven and we expect to snap up a post-Christmas bargain (though the dollar's continual fall does not bode well). We are still not certain whether the appliance will be 220V/50hz or 120V/60hz but the convenience of the former and the fact that airline baggage specifications are spatial dimensions and not weight seem to outweigh the $140 price and 25+ Ib shipping weight differential. I also expect to purchase a good new or used receiver to bring back with the tape deck I bough t.

I received the multiple choice question answers from the exam I took and found that I got 48 out of 60 correct meaning I need 25+out of 40 on the essay questions (which I won't know until Feb). I am still confident that I passed, but at least in the back of my mind I am bracing myself for the worst...CPA life goes OK professionally as the office gets psyched for tax season. Our Christmas party is 12/21.

Dottie is beginning to prepare for our departure with Sunday brunches with family members. Tomorrow Sammie and her son and soon -to-be (March 19) daughter-in-law will be here.

One of my disappointments is that I have not found the time or desire to assemble a post Oct. 19 market crash investment article. I have been diligently collecting relevant input but the will and the time for the product have not been found. I do hope to overcome my lethargy.

26 December 1987

The weather here has hovered below the freezing mark for the past two weeks. The day before Hanukah began we got one of Milwaukee's worst snow stroms ever, with some 7 to 12 inchs of accumulation in the morning wee hours alone. Even work was cancelled, but as Mert went in, so did I (and staying longer than any of the other three dedicated worker bees who showed up). Yehiel is at the tail end of a congestion-cold that has been afflicting him for the last five days. The house temperature ranges from cool to roasting, but the air is always dry so we are always on our guard. The snowstorm did allow Yehiel to get one good playing in. We also utilized Mert's snow blower, though Shorewood does plow its sidewalks when 4 or more inches accumulate (the least Mert can. get for his county second-place property tax rates)...Our car seems to be weathering the winter OK and hopefully we will escape without further significant investment in it.

I took my last sick day of 1987 and Lisa and I drove down to Chicago where we bought a 700 watt 1.2 cu ft. 220 v 50hz Amana microwave oven. Afterward we tried for lunch near my old haunts but the Mexican restaurant was closed for the holidays, the whole-food cafe around the corner from where I lived was closed on Tue and Fritz-Thats it, with its luscious dessert bar closed for good on Nov 1. Yes the Christmas (Hanukah) season is big business in the US. We have been buying and buying and getting and getting gifts. I am certain I have enough sweaters for the next decade. My kids have more toys than they know what to do with. We did have a nice pool party with Peter's family and Mert for Yehiel's birthday. we might routinize the endeavor.

I have all but given up hope of getting an investment article published and of even reading a book before we go. The NYT takes up practically all of my free intellectual time. I took out The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes from the local library and while it is enjoyable I finished only 30 pages in a week and will have to content myself with buying it and some others in paperback to take back. With tax season starting imminently, I will be lucky to continue my regular exercising (which now consists of swimming 250 meters).

Work is going QK. I am certainly growing more competent. Last week was our office party at the Milw Athletic Club, a formal but fun cocktail/dinner party which Lisa also attended. It looks to have been our only adult affair of the season.

January 14, 1988

Dear Family,

Thank you very much for your recent letters. We are generally well and in good spirits and trust you are likewise. Our major exception is our littlest one, who underwent vaccinations yesterday and is still disabilingly sore. She also has yet to shake the diaper rash that has afflicted her all winter, but of this I am less concerned.
The winter is certainly upon us in full force with temperatures around 0 F for the past week. I have even donned an overcoat for the few seconds I am exposed to the elements. At least the snow has been avoiding us, beyond the initial blizzard.

We are settling into something of a tax-season routine before our departure. Today I put in a 10+ hour day and expect more of them before we go. Saturday work days are imminent. At least I am busy and the work, while somewhat routine, is not only tedius.

Our social calendar has had some highlights and our weekends until the end of March are beginning to fill up. Last Shabbat we attended a delightful bar mitzvah anniversary service of Lisa's Uncle Hanny. I unfortunately arrived too late for my aliyah. That night we enjoyed the company of Sarah and Mark Fiorita, our only real (if infrequent) friends here this year...In a week and a half, my high school friend Greg Malkin is coming up to visit for the weekend, an event I am looking forward to.

I am still plodding through the daily NYT and WSJ. I am chock full of "Valleygirlistic" "totally awesome" cocktail chatter and have even continued to build on basic beliefs and foundations but I expect to return the same skeptical libertarian - conservative type I was when I left.

Lisa's pregnancy is proceeding more-or-less without difficulty. She'd prefer to skip the varicose veins (worse the third time around) but otherwise she is managing.

Like a year ago at this time, I am psyched for the Browns-Broncos AFC championship game on Sunday. I am sure the Browns are as ready as I am.

Despite (because of?) my best efforts, my weight has been creeping up and so after working, eating, and fulfilling some of my family responsibilities I am exercising to shed pounds.

As something of a final stocking-up act I ordered some 60 worth of new-and-noteworthy paperback books to take back for all the intellectual interested types.

Be well.

January 25, 1988

Dear Family,

As usual, thanks for your letters. We are generally warm, well and in good spirits, despite the frigid winter about us. Hopefully we are suffering the last major snowfall of the winter, but I doubt we are so lucky. Yesterday Yehiel had a great time "digging" the snow. As he saw the most impressive results of his efforts in moving the piled snow from the grass into the entrance door vestibule, I was unable to impress upon him the counterproductiveness of this endeavor. Needless to say, he cried when we had to go in and preferred his ensuing hot chocolate cold.

We are in both a slow and hectic period. We are about to commit ourselves to the 'I'WA March 28 return and so we are doing a lot of thinking and packing. We sent our first box of clothes back. Predictably, parcel post to Israel can neither be insured nor sent return request notification.

'I'wo weekends ago I psyched myself up for the Cleveland Browns AFC championship only to see them lose a heartbreaker. Oh well, again I can tune out team sports until next January. This past Saturday my dear high school chum Greg Malkin came to visit. I had not seen him since 1981 and we had much to catch up on. He is an extremely successful entrepreneur, the exclusive distributor of AUTO-CAD, a software template for engineers, designers and anyone constructing anything (like LOTUS 1-2-3 for accountants). I can't get over his diligence, industriousness and absence of self-destructiveness. Reminiscence was kept to a minimum as we showed him the domes (Milwaukee’s enclosed gardens) and the JCC. The variety of micro brewery dark beer he was able to imbibe has not yet reached Cleveland. I suppose we will meet again when he comes to Israel in a decade or so with his wife and only child (4 yr old Shana).

Tonight I prepared my weekly rice dish and I must comment how bean sprouts ($0.79 per lb) are cheaper than the green peppers($0.99 per lb), let alone other peppers ($2.29 per lb.). What a changed world!!!

We will probably be having family-related events each weekend till we go. In two days we are to attend a symphony dress rehearsal with Mert and Dottie and this weekend. is a friend's surprise 30th birthday party.

Lisa's pregnancy is progressing more-or-less without problems...I will probably check into a dermatologist this week as my eczema is blossoming...The kids colds appear to be over for know and we may all actually go swimming next weekend, for the first time in ages...Our luckless niece Talia has her second cast of the winter, from a sledding fracture in her foot (following an earlier jungle-gym fall arm fracture).
Be well.

February 2, 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from the home stretch. Things are well here as I begin my last full month of work. We trust you are also in good health and spirits.

The kids seem to be over their colds for the time being and Orly's diaper rash is almost actually gone. Yehiel can talk (babble) up a storm and now constructs dialog among various play toys. Orly is also becoming an effective communicator. This past Sunday we tried the family hours at the JCC and they had tons of fun on the mats, balance beams etc., -so we'll hopefully do it regularly.

Saturday night we attended a 30th birthday party for Mark Fiorita at a restaurant and had a good time. Meeting different types of people was fun, and the world really is small, even if you're not Jewish!! Sunday night we attended the S.J. Perlman comedy "The Beauty Part '" but it was uninspiring and we walked out at intermission. I won the tickets on a call-in contest on the Milw commercial classical station, where I also won tickets' today for the Milw Symphony Orchestra's presentation of a Bach evening (featuring the Brandenburg Concertos) a week from Fri. The dress rehearsal rendition of Beethoven's 7th symphony by the MSO that we heard last week courtesy of Dottie and Mert was inspiring, even if flawed. Before the play Lisa and I dined at an Italian restaurant, which was fair, confirming to us our preference for east Asian food. Anyway, at least we are not totally without cultural stimulus.

Right now it is tax time here in the cold US of A. Our return clutters up the desk in front of me and must be attended to this week. At work, I am doing a lot of real estate partnership returns as well as the usual monthly and annual compilation stuff, so I am busy. It seems I won't be wading through any of the drama and tragedy of individual returns, at work, this year.

Last Saturday I did visit a dermatologist because the cold, dryness and my near-nightly whirlpool baths ,(draining the skin of necessary oils) fostered a rash of atopical dermatitis (my old-friend eczema) on my arms, chest and waist. I learned that it is connected with my assumed inherited asthma and an allergy unbeknownst to me. Hearing my son clear his throat in the mornings to an excessive degree leads to the inevitable assessment that he too has it. I am currently taking antidotal antihistamine at bedtime, but mostly, I’ll just have to live with it. This coming weekend we will be taken out to dinner and host Mert's brother Manny and family for Sunday brunch.

February 16, 1988

Dear Family,

A cheery greetings to you from snow-covered Shorewood. We are well and in good spirits and trust you are likewise.

My big news is that I passed the final part of my CPA exam with 4 points to spare! The results came last week. Now all I need is another .1+ years of apprenticeship and the title will be mine. Then it will only be another 35+ years of hard labor and I may then actually get to retire with a modicum of dignity. Meanwhile each morning the coal mine beckons.

The other big news last week was that Yehiel is now out of diapers except for sleeping. We got him some new underwear and for whatever reason, that seemed to do the trick, with few accidents so far. He is otherwise his usual charming and earnest self, usually almost an overeager helper. He continues to get rave reviews at school.

Orly also demonstrates an appealing and friendly personality, even to strangers, whom she will engage in one-word conversations. She did take a nasty fall a few days ago that has left her with a black eye worthy of an Israeli army beating, but otherwise both kids are healthy.

Lisa is also surviving this pregnancy in generally good health. Of course her legs, veins and back pain her at various times, but she is generally a tight-lipped trooper as long as the kids play nicely and her day is not too draining. She does have a persistent sore throat which I suppose we will have to look into.

We have a little under 6 weeks to go before our departure. I expect to give notice at the office shortly. Lisa is reasonably well packed and I really must get started...Dottie had the third (and final?) Sunday family brunch for us last Sunday with a pleasant time had by all.

Lisa and I attended a Bach "go for Baroque" chamber concert last Friday with promotional tickets I won on a radio call in show and the performance was pleasant, if not quite the Bach we remembered. Today we shared lunch at a health food restaurant shop, Beans and Barley, near where I work. We spend much time discussing our return.

The weather here has been almost unremittingly cold and snowy, unlike last winter. My last letter's hopes were evidently premature but I now do hope and expect the worst is over. Don't misunderstand, snow blowing is lots easier than lawn mowing.

Next week Dottie and Mert head to FL for an 8 day vacation and then we gear up for the excitement of cousin Bill Rotter's wedding... We are also looking forward to social occasions connected with our departure.

I finished our relatively uncomplicated tax return and expect to be rewarded with a state $110 and federal $6 refunds.
Be well.

February 28, 1988

Dear Family,

A happy greetings to you from Shorewood. We are in generally good health and sprits and trust you are likewise. We had a brief warm spell today in between sub-freezing weather. With the temperature approaching 40 degrees F, though wind-chill brought it way down, I seated Orly in the carriage and Yehiel rode his tricycle for an abbreviated walk. A local TV cameraman passing by filmed us and we were famous for 15 seconds on this evening's weather report and we taped it for posterity.

The real news around here is that Yehiel's chicken pox is 5+ days old and he appears over the worst, which wasn't even too bad. Hopefully Orly will contract it soon, if at all, so as not to endanger our departure. Yehiel should be back at school tomorrow, crusted-over pox and all.

Our departure grows more imminent. I gave notice at work 8 days ago and the news was not shocking or devastating. I will try and work on the most interesting projects I can over my remaining 3 1/2 weeks. I have yet to start packing or shipping acquired books. We also have the bulk of our shopping yet to do.

Last Saturday Dottie and Mert gave us their Milw Symphony Orch tickets and we heard some Mozart, Shoenberg and Rachmanoff's second piano concerto for our last classical music before we go. The following evening we took them and the Kleiman' s out to Ko Am a Korean restaurant where the food was typically ample, tasty, fun and reasonably priced.

Today was the Purim carnival at the JCC and a good time was had by all, with crown making providing the most fun for Yehiel. Lisa made Humantashen this evening and we will be delivering them on Thursday. We expect to hear the megillah reading Wed night. Thurs I will call in sick and do some shopping for computer software to take back.

Rotter family activities get into full swing next weekend for cousin Billy's wedding. Dottie and Mert return from a week's Florida vacation with Aunt Sammy on Wed and on Friday Mert's sister Bernice arrives for a two-week stay with us. Next Sunday we have an aunts' brunch for the couple.

A lot of movies have been coming our way on Cable TV and on VCR tape, all of which I considered forgettable after no more than 20 minutes. I do hope to see John Houston version of Joyce's "The Dead" before we go. It has gotten great reviews... Actually, "Amadeus" was mildly entertaining.

Be well.

U of MN, Morris 77-8

2006-07-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

September 4, 1977

Dear Family,

As we prepare for the new year, I hope the cyclical resolution and enthusiasm pervade, your environment. I am filled with hope and anticipation.

My first full week in Morris has been quite pleasant. My office phone number is: (612) 589-2211 Ext. 403. You can reach me at that number only during office hours. Calling out through it will be awkward, at best, so I am having a phone installed in my apt. on Fri.

I have established something of a routine. An invigorating 2.8 mile square on. dirt roads exists by the gym, so my daily run is enjoyable. The campus library receives three of my favorite periodicals, WSJ, NYT, and TLS, so I am not lacking for intellectual stimulation. Their professional journal subscriptions are skeletal but the loss is not mine. Dr. Kahng has informed me that my library ordering budget is fairly large and I should not be impeded or intimidated in ordering books or subscriptions.

My office is pleasant and functional. I have already covered most of one wall with my art-postcard collection. Though only one secretary is here and only a student looking for summer employment, she has been helpful and efficacious in typing correspondence and lecture notes. Rapidly and somewhat involuntarily I am becoming privy to the existing academic intrigue and politics.

The furnishing of my apartment is nearly complete. At a house sale I bought two studio couches (which open into double beds) and 3 wooden chairs. The swatch of mater enclosed covers the couches and a chair. (The material cost $1.17 /yard and the bolt was 60 inches wide!) The carpet is gold and the walls, white plaster. My bed consist of: 6 8" X 10" X 16" cinder blocks supporting a 54" X 76" 1/2 inch plywood board, on which rests a 4" foam mat. The arrangement is quite comfortable and inexpensive. All I lack is a bedroom dresser and a dining room table (I am currently using a spare card table lent by the Grohs's). The curtains given to me by Roy and Maggie fit in nicely. The rear derailleur (a cheap Shimano) has bent out of shape on the bicycle I am using, so I will have to see about getting it fixed; no small task in a town of 54

Yesterday I had supper at the home of Dr. Kahng. Though I do not really know the Kos, I would hypothesize a similarity, all the way down to his wife's mother, who lives with them and does not speak english. They straddle a somewhat spacious plot and have the desire and enthusiasm to garden. Thus I left them with a pail of cucumbers and other assorted garden grown vegetables. They are quite gracious and charming and I hope to entertain both them and the Grohss for supper soon.

My lecture preparation is progressing adequately. Classes start Mon, 9/26 and I expect to be ready by then. Last year's graduating class had only 15 Bus. Econ, minors (as you cannot major in the discipline) so I do not expect to be overwhelmed with, student demands on my time.

I am 2/3 of the way through After Auschwitz, by Richard Rubinstein and given to me by our Richard. I am finding it stimulating and enjoyable and considering its date of publication, 1966, tremendously prophetic. One of the most articulate and eloquent thoughts of his is the theme of Jewish "Supernaturality", a concept also discussed by Bellow In To Jerusalem and Back, though there, at a more manifest level.

September 11, 1977

Dear Family,

A hearty New Year's Greeting to you all! I trust that everyone is sharing this radiant and majestic fall with me.

The past week was fun and fulfilling, as has been most of my stay here thus far. On the gastronomical side, I went shopping at the local supermarket (Supersaver) with an upstairs neighbor, a local high school teacher. I also went to a "farmer's mar-ket with Roy and there purchased 11 lbs. of tomatoes for $1 and a humongous cauliflower for $0.50. Roy and I also harvested part of the vegetable plot left by Hilme Elifoglu.

Hilme is an Asst, Prof, in Economics here. His father is in the throes of death in Turkey and so Hilme would like to be with him this year, nothing very unusual. The rub is that only two weeks ago did Hilme express his desires. Last week an acceptable individual's name was found in Sun's (DrK) resume file. He was interviewed by us last week on a conference call basis. The complication arose because the UMM has a visiting philosopher (J.L. Mackie) coming this fall and the; philosophy dept. has been negligent in securing for him adequate quarters. Thus the academic dean, Gordon Bopp, who naturally has a vested interest in Mackie?s comfort had to pressure (a verb the dean is well noted for around here) Hilme into a three month lease for Mackie and the balance for Hilme's replacement, Changnee Chae.

The conference call itself was an amusing affair. Present were: Bopp, 0. T. Driggs (Divsion chrmn. and a History Prof.), S. K., R. G., and myself. No real. politics "were present but the air was nevertheless filled with intrigue. My stay here could conceivably be more than one year, though this prospect is slight. A short run result is that I will be living one floor below Mackie, as Hilme and Iare in the same apt. building. I have requested recent articles by him from the librarv, and 1 look forward to stimulating dinners and discussions.

My health and overall body condition are good. I have been running a different course which takes me 3 miles into Western Minn, farmland. Though most of the harvest is in, the colors and mood are still overwhelming for a city boy like myself. Golden fields and rustic trees evoke shades of Impressionism in their beauty and innocence. This week I averaged 4 tomatoes and pears/day.

My progress on course preparation is satisfactory. I have the basic outline reading list, and lecture content settled and the process is now one of polishing and possibly reducing the course objectives, depending on the class size and background of the students. The course pre-registration was a scant 10 which people here feel will end up around 15.

On Friday, a phone was installed in my apt. the number is: (612) 589-2139.

Yesterday I attended a football, game, pitting Last year's Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) champs, the UMM Cougars, against the NCAA Dvision II (the size of our school) 1976-7 Champs, the St. John Johnnies (complete with their beheamoth 6'7" 270 lbs. defensive tackle). Morris creamed them, 16-3. I have great expectations for this team. It seemed as if the whole town turned out as I recognized many faces.

I finished After Auschwitz this week and am back to the usual TLS, NYT and WSJ faire. Rubinstein was quite clear in his elucidations of the lack of US residents appreciation and awareness of the trajic in life. CClearly we Jews are uniquely qualified and will be until the end of our days on this planet.

One of the more productive means by which I can favorably enahce the prospect of being asked back is to make Gordon lood good via my publication in the Minnepolis paper. I do not think the task is insurmountable and since I cannot sing or dance, I had best get my publication track record rolling. I have an idea brewing that I expect will reach print. More details when (dn if) success appears.

September 25, 1977

Dear Family,

Though I have not really heard from anybody out there recently, I trust that this letter finds everyone in the best of spirits and health. I am doing well.

The quarter begins tomorrow and I am prepared enough to face it. My first week’s lectures are now fairly complete, the reserve readings (3 copies) are at the library, and course syllabi are mimeographed and ready to be handed out. As of Fri., less than 5 copies of the text had been sold, but that’s not my problem.

This past week has certainly had its share of festivities, formal and otherwise. Tuesday was the annual faculty-staff picnic at the home of Asst Provost Steve (wife - Arden) Granger, 1009 W. 4th, on the north shore of Lake Crystal. True to form, though unlike my previous 22 years, I came overdressed in a Sports coat and tie. The gratuitous refreshments provided to the 100-person crowd was quite standard picnic faire: hot dogs, potato salad, beer, etc. I brought some of my whole wheat bread, which was naturally quite well received. I had a fun time and am quite confident that I was my usual "charming" self (Sincere sorrow was expressed to me when I declined to join fellow faculty joggers and their wives for further comradeship at a local bar afterwards) Of all the single women I met, only one (Sue Brower) appears to warrant consideration as a friend. The shallow lake freezes in the winter providing year-round recreation opportunities. At the close of the affair, I conversed with John Mackie for the first time and rode home with him in a ride provided by Phil. prof. Howard Wettstein (whose wife is Orthodox and on the Univ faculty also). (Wettstein left Wed. for Minneapolis and a hotel room near a Schul.) To date, I have enjoyed all our conversations. My hasty ascriptions were corrected by him and he subsequently gave me an illuminating article that he is refereeing on the subject of prudence vs. morality. I have also borrowed from him a copy of his latest book which has not yet been published in this country. It is entitled Ethics.

On Wed morning the nine new faculty members were given ten-minute presentations by various administrative department heads. Gordon organized and ran the meeting. The amusing highligh was when opeing speaker Steve Granger in response to Gordon, who had answered a question asked of Steve about the policy of “Incompletes", steamed, "Oh! He just doesn't want me to say anything liberal!”

On Yom Kippur, the Provost held his cocktail party, as expected. I arrived in the affair's only three piece suit and presented the hostess with some banana bread. The most interesting person I met there was another Phil. Prof, Peter French. He is currently being funded for research in financial philosophy and some day I may even get in on it. At the reception I also met another of my neighbors, Joan Demaretsky, Apt. 103, who is also a new faculty (along with Gregory Page of Apt. 104) (1, as you recall, am in 102). As Joan and I were talking background geography, we started talking about Long Island where ,Joan is from .As 1 revealed to her my Seaford origins, she related of a great new jazz club that has sprung up there. Peter overheard us and came over to own up to his Long Island roots.

The week also saw my asset holding expand further with the acquisition of a walnut and glass coffee table. It is my most expensive piece of furniture to date, but at 20% ($10) under. material costs, I am not complaining. I also purchased two end tables and a shoeshine kit at house sales. At hardware stores I got ¼ inch wooden mats for my prints along with shellac and a paint brush.

I hooked up a speaker to my stereo last night and low and behold!, out came music. My joy at its functioning is overwhelming

As of now, the prospect of an apartment-mate looks bleak. As I am truly enjoying my privacy, my sorrow is minimal.

BBefore I forget again, Morris has TWO stoplights, both on Atantic Ave. One is at 7th and the other at 5th. Also, the town’s three-storey building limitations is only indirectly from the height of the water tower. Apparently the fire engines cannot battle any higher blazes.

My weight is down to 134 lbs.

October 2. 1977

Dear Family.

The first week of classes has coe and gone and I am surprisingly virtually the exact same person that I was a week ago. How about you folks? I trust that you kept your cool under the fire of the week's revolutions.

My class ( Business Economics 3200, Financial Management) has 10 students. 5 are juniors and one ( a senior) is a female. My planned lectures appear to be palatable and convincing enough to maintain attention and attendance. My mastery and control of the material are sufficient to foster respect. The feedback that I have gotten thus far in the form of text problems as homework and a multiple choice quiz demonstrate that the class has an adequate competence with the material.

Thursday night I had J. L. Mackie over for dinner as planned. The faire was my standard, the "House Special (see enclosed invite). The conversation went well enough. Most of the conversation initiatives were my own. I had finished his latest book, Ethics and was able to offer some reasonably intelligent comments. I think we both came away with an enhanced respect for the other. He is leading an inter-disciplinary seminar on "The Nature of Causation" (or some-thing to that effect). I attended the first session and think I'll attend no more due to its abstract and (perceived) esoteric content. That evening (Wed) He joined Ron (Imperial Apt. 301) and I in our weekly jaunt to the supermarket. ( I naturally took twice as long as them and bought three times as much.).

Friday night I was invited to the first "party" of the year at the home of Rob Lavenda. a new Anthro prof. The party capped a feeling that had been brewing all week, that a Bus Ecn teaching position at the UMM is not a viable goal. That scarcely a nubile candidate exists is assumed. The intolerable lack is that of community. The prerequisite of fitting in here is to belong to that 99.9 % subset of the U.S. household population that owns a TV and to acquiesce in the resulting lethargy.

The conversation among the women instructors ranged from projecting what life as an M.B.A. must be like to the sad recollection that the recent removal of "Star Trek" from reruns limited the prime amusement of a Soc prof. (It seems she got stoned and was enthralled by it, a habit that I passed through and outgrew at Penn). 16 faculty showed, not one of whom was tenured. During my hour and a half stay (with a hasty departure with the introduction of a TV into the main conversation area) I enjoyed my chat with only Howard (phil.) and his wife Barbara (secondary ed.) Wettstein. They are from Brooklyn and products of CUNY. (his undergraduate days were at Yeshiva U.)Howard was reticent about discussing their potential future at UMM because of his uncomfortableness with the thought plus the inherent leariness of revealing anything personal in a small town.

My athletic routine is down fairly pat with favorable results. My weight is still around 135 lbs. and I am running 5—10 % faster than when I got here. Here, for the first time, I can enjoy a dip in the pool after my sauna. On the days of inclement weather ( with the future addition of impassable roads) I lift weights on a Universal.

Another irksome manifestation of the provinciality of the town is that in spite of three supermarkets, yogurt without sugar and stoned ground wheat thins (made in every civilized country but this one) cannot be found. A cue of names must be formed and then the natural food co-op buys a case.

Last night I went to see 'Old Times,' a play by Harold Pinter performed in the UMM Fine Arts Center. As a highlight of my cultural week. it was worth the $1 admission.

This coming week I will be entertaining the Grohs'. Kahngs,' and Prof. Mackie again.
Judy should meet some. if not all of these people. when she arrives.

My first (and subsequent) pay check was chomped down a whopping 30.1% by taxes. Minnesota's highest-in-the-nation income tax more than makes up for its second place standing in "quality of life" ( CA is 1st).

October 9, 1977

Dear Family,

A hearty greetings from the annual "Introduction to Winter" weekend, here in frigid Morris. Even now, as I gaze out the Division windows, the mammoth trees forlornly (?) lose their leaves, one by one.

The past week was generally quite pleasant due to sister Judy's presence. Her .arrival was by no means unexpected, yet the skepticism of disbelief made her actual reaching of Morris (ahead of the expected time and w/o expected notice) all the more thrilling. Haim, Judy and I had about as much fun here as the environment would permit. Their basic goal of maintaining and sustaining health was also met. Haim successfully recovered from his cold and Judy just as resolutely staved off another bout of cold symptoms.

They arrived on Mon. afternoon. Tue. night I had Ray and Maggie (Grohs) here for dinner; The evening went quite well with the basic awkwardness being that of too much food (the teamwork preparation had proven too efficient). A significant amount of the time and mental concentration was spent on planning their future itinerary. I dare say my assistance was of more than moderate significance. Thurs. night we celebrated their stay here with a night "in town," highlighted by a visit to my bank (which was celebrating the official opening of its new building) where we received free cups and funnels (bearing the imprint "funnel your money with...") and dinner at the most highly recommended restaurant in Morris, The Diamond Club (under the Met Lounge). For the tab ($25), the food was barely adequate.

Their departure Friday was accompanied by sad farewells and an all-day cold wet frost that turned Fall into Winter. (I heard from them last night and they had safely arrived in Rocky Mtn Natl Park, bypassing Denver because of a late arrival.) Friday night I went to my first student party here. It was an enjoyable enough affair as the 4 male hosts are all good people. The evening's mood for me was one of cautious familiarizing and deja vu. No nubile candidates emerged, but at least I see a reason to maintain a glimmer of hope. The journey homeward at 3 A.M. was highlighted by passing the revolving temperature/time sign atop the Citizens Bank Building at 6th and Atlantic. The notable aspect of this routine occurrence was the temperature was 0° C (32° F). Winter has arrived. Even during the party, new arrivals spoke of falling snow.

This past week was one of the more difficult for is finally through with review and accounting and is now progressing onto topics on which I can intelligently comment. My class size has stabilized at 9. Everyone seems to be making passable progress.

Preparation for next quarter is increasingly occupying my time . Already I am beginning to sense that my efficiency and productivity are impaired as I cope with self-imposed loneliness and isolation. I am filled with my share of general confusion and getting older certainly does not help.

The week's irritating aspect centered around my dropping of my contact lens down my bathroom sink. I fear it is lost. I called my Cleve. optometrist to have it replaced. Since it will cost $40 and I recall a NYT ad for soft lens at $99,. I'll wait until I get into the city and then make the purchase of an old replacement of new soft lens. Other than my vanity the most critical effect is that of my veritable blindness in the sauna. (1 am exaggerating as I can still read and quite distinctly make out shapes and forms.

Please note that 1 have made a reservation for the 11 of us to visit the Barnes Foundation Art Collection in Philadelphia on Friday morning, 11/25. The gallery is small but exquisitely tasteful and illuminating. I do hope that you all can, and desire to attend with me. I am hoping to catch a 5:55 PM out of Minn. on 11/18 and an 11:00 A.M. out of Phila. on 11/27. These flight plans may be altered as the schedule demands.

Life as an instructor is generally quite easy and somewhat edifying. I particularly enjoy receiving free books. My take to date, here at Morris, is about 8 books. The accompanying respect and other secondary benefits are also quite pleasant. I am to meet with the main faculty benefits officer this week where I will inquire about my high-option Blue Cross surgery coverage. I also expect to receive a travel subsidy to NYC around new year's ostensibly to attend the Amer. Econ. Assoc. meeting.

October 16, 1977

Dear Family,

Greetings on the anniversary of my birth! This yearly date is rarely a particularly intense experience, probably due to familial socia1ization, yet the potential for searching introspection exists. I-can only hope that today marks a truly serious effort. Needless to say, I trust that the health and well-being of all of you, depending on your status in the life cycle, has at least not deteriorated appreciably. I look forward to the upcoming wedding with great hope and anticipation of, among other things, seeing everyone in good spirits (or not).

I dwell on the future because the present is so mundane. One definition of a provincial environment is that virtually all mental stimulation is internally generated, a description of Morris. The highlight of the past week's social enlightenment occurred at the Kahng's home on Fri. evening when the annual Econ. faculty get-together took place. By now, you should already know who was there, the Grohs', Wangness,' Mr. Chae, and I. The local High School football team was having its homecoming, so absolutely no babysitters were available. Thus the Ryans (He teachs 1 section of Acctg and is a full time CPA) were unable to make it, the Wangnesss left early to retrieve their sons at the movie house, and the Grohss brought their son Michael. The evening was not really too much, though I had a good time.

As recorded last week, the trees are still losing their leaves as I gaze out the window. The rate is faster, though, and by next week I am confident that this limited view will be quite desolate and forlorn.

Teaching is progressing adequately. Class attendance is dropping precipitately, though, and I am thus fairly concerned. My lectures are quite advanced, somewhat abstract, and usually disorganized. The homework demands are also substantial, so I can empathize with their frustration. I stop short of sympathy, because my presentation is drawn from practical and useful coursework that I have encountered. They are to an extent getting premium quality at bargain prices.

Three weeks of classes have elapsed and I am beginning to brew plans for a mid-quarter "respite." I hope J. Mackie will consent to being the guest of honor, thereby insuring the affair's success. My circle of acquaintances is relatively small, but I think that I could muster a credible showing.

I will probably purchase two speakers this week. My patience with the current state of affairs is rapidly decreasing as my savings is increasing. I have been shopping for ages (elasticity is greater over time) and am thus pleased with the prospect of two EPl 100s at $59 each.

In line with my increasing awareness that UMM is not a viable goal, I am preparing to either re-enter the world of graduate study or enter the commercial world, either in the States or Israel. To present myself adequately I am in the process of rewriting my resume. The problem is that I do not really have that much new to add.

Thus, the first step is to get an article published, as realized and noted previously. In this case, though, realizing the problem is far less than half way to successful solution. Currently I am placated by the rationalization that course preparation takes up all my time. Something by early Nov. would seem imperative; though.

Nothing new, physical-wise. My weight has creeped up to 139, but I am far from concerned. Beans and cheese- continue to dominate my diet, if not my dreams.

October 23, 1977

Dear Family,

Allow me to greet you with a sincerely felt regret at the increased impersonality of my correspondence to you. The switch was unavoidable and the substance will be virtually the same. In other words, please stay tuned.

The past week moved by in much the same manner as does all time here. Interaction and general movement are on a generally slow pace here.

Last Sunday I culled some relevant facts from various articles on "Understanding the New Futures." Roy Grohs's opinion of the effort was that it was "Much” (his emphasis) too technical and it needed a great deal of expansion and a more sophisticated clientele than the popular one that I had planned. I started this week on a more accessible topic, stock market investment, and I'll duly report any progress.

Wed. night was a philosophical colloquium with papers delivered by J.L. Mackie. His observations and comments were highbrow and enjoyable. The recent overlap of theoretical finance and philosophy, in the form of alternative state-world methodology, leaves much room for ponderance and thought.

Thurs. night I had Steve, Dave, and Tim over for dinner. These students are 3/4 . or the household that hosted two parties that I have attended (the second was yesterday). Everyone had the "House Special. Good times were had by all. All of them are good people and consequently there house is generally buzzing with more people than can be found elsewhere. Dave and I have many common interests: Patti Smith, vegetarianism, stereos, etc..

This weekend was homecoming. Naturally the cougars won with a trouncing 20-0 over rival St. Cloud (they are 5-0 in NIC competition). For me the climax was the above noted party on Sat. morning. It was to be a pre-game champaign breakfast but I personally was in no mood or condition to remain an immobile viewer of any outdoor athletic competition. Through a misunderstanding, I also missed the Provost's post game reception. A party last night at the Apt. of a T.A. was quite dead and uninspiring.

The most enjoyable aspect of the breakfast was my meeting of a sophmore, Laurie. We are to see "Seven Beauties" here at UMM on Tue.. I have been quite desirous of seeing this unique Wertmuller film for some time and I look forward to the evening with great anticipation.

My plans are progressing adequately for a mid-quarter respite. It will be held Tue. 11/1 at 7 P.M. J. L. Mackie will be "co-hosting" it with me, so I expect a goodly crowd.

BuEc 3200 was reasonably enjoyable this past week. I have given up worrying about attendance and homework as most of the people show up most of the time and most of the students turn in the homework due.

The town of Morris was a feature in the Minn. Tribune last week. Among the relevant facts were that the Univ. is the largest employer with 305 employees. Storage and processing of grains, mostly corn, are also a major source of employment.
The library is proving to be the major savior of my sanity and production ability. All the periodicals are shelved together in an accessible frontal location. Thus through reading at my apt. I am able to stay current in: the NYT Book Review, NYReview of Books, New Statesman (British), and a whole host of other general and specific interest magazines. The small nature of the library is much more limiting in all other aspects, though. The hours that it is open are basically adequate for me.

My athletic endeavors were given a jolt when I broke the plastic sppedo laces on one of my running shoes. I have still been unsuccessful in mending it.

Less than one month remains until the big event. Note that I am enclosing a copy of the confirming letter to our Barnes Foundation admission.
Be well.

October 30, 1977

Dear Family,

I trust that this letter finds everyone in the best of health, happiness and spirits. I am in a generally joyous mood as the week's productive efforts were substantial and I have many pleasures to look forward to in the immediate and distant future.

On a professional level, Roy liked my second piece and though we had trouble thinking exactly what was the most efficient choice for publication, I submitted to the Minn. Tribune, Business Editor as a Sunday Free-lance piece. The article contains a substantial amount of paraphrasing of previously published material (mostly from the WSJ) and though I duly give credit where due, I am not particularly proud of it. In any event, as usual, I hope for 'the best and expect the worst. I am pleased with the 500 word essay that I wrote yesterday, thoughts of a Post-Nixonian Ex-Democrat. It may go somewhere other than the circular file.

Last Tue. I went to see "Seven Beauties" with Laurie, as planned. I agree with the critics who for the most part share reservations about the films message. It was certainly. packed with the brio that I usually associate with Wertmuller’s flicks. The social aspect of the evening went passably, if uneventfully. The evening's festivities prompted 8 lines of verse which are replicated below. The lines are not my best, but credible and sincere nonetheless.

This past Tue. was also a division meeting, the purpose of which was to ostensibly debate the merits of retention for next year of two junior history faculty. The event felt like a reverse purge trial as virtually all the history people and others bubbled over with good and pleasant things to say about the candidates. After two hours of this thorough and appreciatory expression of "sincere" sentiment, I offered my one comment for the day (the meeting's last) of my appreciation to Mimi for her subscription to and deliverance to my mailbox of a daily NYT. (I offered this as a "summary of the discussion" thus far). The whole affair was instructive if somewhat boring and inconsequential. (We don't even vote on them until next week.)

The net result of this coming Tue. (11/1) mid-quarter respite will be to alienate me from my Soc. Sci. colleagues, rather than ingratiate myself to them as originally planned. This misfortunate eventuality results from an oversight by me because 11/1 is also the date of the quarterly inter-disciplinary Soc. Sci. seminar. This combined with my unbelievable Sept. photocopying bill ($100 compared to discipline norms of under $15) reinforces that I will not be here next year. In a way, this information coming so early an liberating in that it permits me to wholeheartedly orient myself to maximizing my opportunities.

As previously lamented, I still feel that most of my colleagues are "turkeys,” though I do expect to see them after Thanksgiving. With a smaller turnout Tue and a more desirable one at that. I'll still have a good time. Other minor hassles have cropped up in relation to it, so I have resolved to avoid week-night affairs if possible.

On Thursday my speakers arrived. Attaching them led to the revelation that my pre-amp was badly malfunctioning. I then practiced a little "Zen and the Art of Stereo Maintenance" and received very positive vibes (images of self-worth) when the system subsequently performed flawlessly. I am content with the sound and do not anticipate any further additions this year.

The routine of teaching is becoming easier. This basically stems from the attitude of students and the fairly high level of competence and attention that my lectures demand, actualities are virtually the same as last week.

I received approval this week for the standard 50% of my proposed budget ($360) for attendance at the AEA meeting in NYC 12/27-30. I may be hard pressed to spend that much, The 50% subsidization comes from (through?) the academic dean.

I am currently reading From Oedipus to Moses: Freud's Jewish Identity in addition to the usual. The author Marthe Robert has written other works on Freud that I have read.' This: one was published only last year and I have previously never been exposed to any systematic or substantial analysis of the subject. It is very illuminating as Freud's infantile relationshlp and disdain for his semi-alienated religious father and the catharsis provoked at Jakob Freud's death prompted Interpretation of Dreams and ultimately psychoanalysis. His subconscious torment as a Diaspora Jew is also a notion that strikes a resonant chord within me. His second (and last) catharsis resulted partially from the onslaught of old age (specifically an excruciatingly painful jaw cancer) and of course, the rise of Nazism. . His motives in offering Moses as an Egyptian was to a absolve his ancestral “handicap” and “guilt.”

November 6, 1977

Dear Family

As we approach the momentous occasion, I trust that everyone is savoring the experience and experiencing heartfelt joy. Life here this week was generally boisterous.

My Tue. “Mid-quarter respite” was a pleasant affair. About 25 people showed, mostly faculty and wives. Unexpected guest was Donald Davidson a notable philosophy Prof delivering a colloquium here at UMM. The food spread was typically opulent, if somewhat bloated on the carbohydrate-calorie scale. The disappointing absence of nubile prosects was not from lack of trying. Only one of my students, George Hinderacker showed.

On Tue. I also scored (what I hop is) a significant victory in my battle against the cockroaches. In a moment of pursuit and cunning, I recalled J. Bronowski’s remark of the first known man-made painting. It is on a wall in a cave (in Western Spain? ) and is thought to have been painted in this dark spot so that when a hunter flashed a light on it, he would be able to picture the hunting scenario as it would unfold, an act of present transcension for future thought. I dusted critical spots that I hope they transverse with Ajax which would kill them if they in fact walk on it, ingesting the poisonous compound in their routine cleaning (licking) of their legs.

I attended Davidson's speech Wed. night: entitled "Is Psychology. Scientific?" I had also read his recent J of Phil article earlier in the day, which dealt with a related topic. The whole venture seemed to lead nowhere. Not once was the idea of unconscious brought up and when I approached him on it later, he regarded it as only one of many competing theories. I felt that his only point is that the unconscious is unquantifiable. After his talk, a party was held at Howard and Barbara's home.

Last night. I briefly stopped in at a party upstairs in Marvin and Ron’s apt. That the sing1e women present were almost all pedantic schoolteachers made the atmosphere slightly depressing and so I had to leave.

Not much new to say on the professional level. I have gone through several drafts of “Ruminations of a Post-Nixon Ex-Democrat" and hope to get, something off this weak. Unfortunately I am at a temporarily (hopefully) lull in the process of idea germination.

I will probably not attend very many division and campus assembly meetings from new on. Quite simply, their lack of relevance is the major reason.

The BuEc 3200 class is over 2/3 of the way through the text. And thus suriving the quarter seems quite imminent. Plans for the Thanksgiving "mid-term" and guest speaker are progressing well. I take delight in making personal embellishments as juicy as possible. .

I saw "The Conversation" on Fri.. night. Other than its predictability and blatant attempts at psychological play on overt fixations, I enjoyed it. Gene Hackman acted well.

After a state of temporary repair, the top left Speedo lace on my jogging shoe (L) broke for good. My running has been so mediocre, though, that I think the overall effect will be marginal. I am lifting weights on a more regular basis and thus hope to show improvement. People still comment to me on my shaving and reading the NYT in the sauna but it has long since stopped phasing me. I have stopped my dip in the pool due to concern with my right ear.

Preparations for next quarter are moving slowly. This week I selected the texts. I expect 7 students in Investments and 45 in Acctg. I will probably only have 1 T .A. with experience in Acctg. I am authorized to hire 2 T.A.s for 8 hrs per week for 2 qtrs (each). The problem is finding eligible and capable students as most of those who do well also transfer to the main campus shortly thereafter to pursue Bus. Admin.

I have been fairly successful in routinizing my sleep to get 6 1/2 - 7 hrs per night.

The Student run radio station KUMM is quite enjoyable, if a little to "progressive" for my tastes.. I generally prefer it to casettes. The hourly UPI dispatch is enlightening.

Be well

December 4, 1977

Dear Family,
Greetings from frigid Morris. I have been back a week and fortunately I am to leave in four day's time. With so much movement on the horizon for this body, the week has virtually flown by.

The Thanksgiving Vacation mail pile-up was not overwhelming. In fact within 24 hours of return, the aura here was like a Dave Mason song, “lt's like you never left.” The air was filled with some sense of finality and climactic anticipation as classes roll to a close. The social reaction is pervasively jubilant euphoria.

My social wind-up started with dinner for John Mackie. The affair was informal and efficient and the mood was pleasant. The next night, Fri., I was invited to dinner at Ray and Maggie's. Last night was a two-part party beginning with a pre-concert cocktail party and followed by a more typical student party. Both were instructive, if somewhat destructive physiologically. Tonight I am making dinner for the student who proctored my mid-term. Tuesday night is the culmination when I will make dinner for my class, attend a huge bash on the other side of town, and frantically tie up last minute affairs and packing for departure on Wed morning.

Planning for next quarter has progressed adequately. I have been derelict in preparing for Investment Fundamentals but the motivation for correction has been surprisingly short and late in coming. I hope that two weeks at the homestead will be facilitative. The major preparation of Mgrl. Acctg. is complete. With the overwhelming abundance of Accting aids for the text, all I need are a few good jokes and a modest degree of competence. I expect enrol1ments of 40 in the Acctg. and 4 in Investments.

I expect that I will be a Disc Jocky next quarter with a weekly three-hour radio slot. The station is totally student run and I am on very good terms with almost all the executive staff. All parties encountering the idea have been enthused about it.

The big news of the week arrived with Monday's mail and a letter from Chase Manhattan V.P., Dennis S. Soter. He invited me to lunch and a visit with Chase Financial Policy on Thursday 12/22. I will forward some of my writing to him so that we can have something to talk about. I am trying to be as rational and calculating as possible in the use of my time in NYC. I will send a copy of my resume and "Guide to.. academics as well as executives that I expect to see in the banks and at the convention.

As for my deeper thoughts of the week, they were mostly of an uplifting nature. One of the more pleasurable aspects of coming back was the pile of periodicals that demanded my perusal. My current belief is that a big step between me and long term growth is long term facilitation. Experiencing some of the joys and beauty of the recent matrimony. Their noble Zionist attempt and humanic passion of beauty, truth and justice has kindled within me longings for stability, community and a fulfilling future.

This week I started jumping rope as the winter alternative to the daily jog. My weight-lifting prowess deteriorated only slightly with the break. I expect that Dec. will see me running a lot more and lifting less.

My professional library is already quite substantial. I have enough material now to keep me interestingly reading for a year. I look forward to some day catching up with the rate of inflow so as to at least stop falling further behind the accumulation.

On Fri. I got a tour of the UMM art gallery's current display by the artist, my 'neighbor, Greg Page. What I found striking was the degree of subtlety and sophistication with which he had synthesized his various motivating factors and desires. His art deals mostly with structure and texture and transcended the overt psychological identities that I feel plagues most of the artists in the area.

Be well.

January 3, 1978

Dear Family,

How fast 1700 miles does travel!! I can barely believe that I am here for the next six months. My joy at the previous six weeks of experience with all of you is unbounded. I cannot describe the profundity with which I view our time together and the joy and concomitant humility with which I view you folks, my past, present, and future. The myriad of sensations and feelings of emotional security and attachment inspire me greatly. The memorable treasure of this simcha shall last a lifetime. For this, I am eternally grateful to our holy couple in Jerusalem Ellen and Reuven Levinson. Their (your) lifelong perspective, bespeaks a dignity and morality that I find truly heartwarming,

On a professional level, I took ½ step out of Morris. I made lots of contacts (one of whom called here today before I arrived back) but nothing definite has materialized. 1 have returned and refreshened anew. Realistically, I am beginning to appreciate that my resume entree: University teaching experience in:... will be taking a lot more time than has been devoted thus far, so my advancement in the next six months may not be as tangible as I would have preferred. Still I claim competence so I should at least offer it.

The final leg of my journey here (from Cleve to Morris) was the most fraught with hazards. Checking in at C1eve Hopkins, I splurged and tipped the bellman $1 to check me in, while I shared parting thoughts with Mom. The move turned out to be the best of the day, for when I arrived at the gate (5 minutes before takeoff) only 1st class seats were available. The flight was 1 hr late into Chicago so that I missed my intervening connection. My original flight ended there but by the time it arrived, I was too late for the only 5:40 bus to Morris so Northwest Orient Airlines put me up in Minn. for the night, with dinner. Since I rode 1st class all the way and I did not use my Chi-Minn. ticket, I felt OK about the whole deal (plus I am getting a half subsidy of the whole faire from the U).

Nevertheless, I missed my opening classes today. Inv. Fundamentals (BuEc 3205) has 5 students, none of whom I have heard of, and Intra to Acctg has 53! My forte was last quarter, so you can understand my trepidation. My planned night course does not seem to be eliciting the expected demand, so I will have time to try a weekly DJ slot, as planned. It will Probably be either a morning or weekend 3-hr spot.

I look forward with great anticipation to the next half year when I can see you all again on the 8,000 mile journey eastward. As you can see, it will never leave my thoughts.

The most amusing aspect of the conference was knocking on the door of a noted Professorts Hotel room and encounter him recovering his composure in the midst(?) of sexual activities. Ah well! to each his peccadillo.. Some of it was inspiring and even ennobling with my intimate connection to a whole host of attending participants. The whole east coast was, as usual, facilitating and efficacious. I got intellectuality in Boston, family and commerce in NY, and a flash of the past in Phila.

This coming week of settling down will entail a lot of ego definition. First on the agenda are cleaners and the grocery store. The temperature here drops below 0 degrees F at night and I need all the clean coats that I can muster. What I found amusing over this past break was that my commuting time is not significantly different from the avg. American 15 minutes, and that the consumption of Television on average doubles for a man after he gets married.

I do hope to hear from all of you in the coming months, though you'll keep getting these even if I do not. Feeling and knowing that all of us can and desire to share our future realities is the essence, if not the ultimate, of life

Be well

January 9, 1978

Dear Family,

Morris is downright inhospitable this week as I experience a low of my life, -60 degrees F. I find that in anything below –20, I have pretty much the same sensation that it is only a matter of a few short minutes before frostbite of the nose strikes. As I lost my ski cap I purchased a new hat at Gibson’s. It was a comical $1.99 as it conjures images of both Moscow and cops bu it is warm, and I am not looking for a wife in this climate, so I wear it.

Otherwise, my second quarter is proceeding adequately, Acctg is leveling off at about 45 and my investments course is practically down to 0. I am enjoying the acctg as it is a new pedagogical sphere. Suprisingly, it represents the most likely job candidate for next year as Dr. Donald Cell of Cornell college (Mt. Vernon, Iows 52314) who I spole to at the ASSA mmeting infomed me that I am a leading candidate for an Asst. Prof. In Acctg. As a tenure track spot, I could have time and ability ( U of Iows is 20 miles away) to get the PhD. I am following up other leads made at the convention as well as typing up PhD (and DBA) applications this week. What a hassle, the whole experience is enough to dread. I got a rejection letter from Chase Financial Policy on Thurs.

My DJ slot on KUMM (“89.7 on your FM dial”) is Sat. 10 AM to noon. I have had some training and will get more this week. Last Sat. night I was at a party at the home of Steve, Dave, Kevin and Tim, 4 DJs and senior exec of the station….I have been hanging around with this crowd since I got here, so my slot is no news.

One of the few pleasures awaiting upon my return was catching up with my literary periodicals, particularly the TLS. I am coming to a profound appreciation for the different mode of literary criticism as between Freud and Marx, who stand apart from the novelistic creative process while concentrating on the psychopathology and V. Woolf, who veritably shines as a literary critic whith her avocation for retracing though processes and her empathy with authors.

I am slowly getting back into a physical fitness routine. I expect to play paddleball this quarter on a faily regular basis. Rope jumping, weight lifting and head-standing will continue to represent the stable elements of my athletic endeavors.

My Hebrew studies are progressing, if somewhat slowly. Nightly I try to say the Birkat Hamazon. I use a kippa and siddur from the wedding. I do so want it to be more than just a memory.

January 15, 1978

Dear Family,

As we approach the most formidable and inhospitable days in the Morris winter, I have great motivation and time to pause, ponder, and introspect. The musings of ths week brought conviction to the belief that my status as a husband and father is much more intrfgal than as an academic (successful or otherwise). Furthermore, I am always redrawn to the statement of Jeff Jaffe (Wharton Assoc. Prof. PhD U of Chi) that a correlated variable with successful completion of the PhD was a married status. I can certainly see living the next 5 years easier without a PhD than a wife.

Such are the predictable lamentations of this anxious and lonely Jew, ballting alienating and absurd existentialism in his trajic quest for commitment and engagement.

I had my first DJ slot yesterday morning. The event was hectic and undeniably fulfilling. Hearing my voice on the air is of course, a "trip," but the rest of the details are what add life and meaning to the effort. I will start recording my show and send them to any interested parties out there. I will now have both reason and motivation to keep my musical tastes current.

Friday we received the student evaluations of last quarter. Disappointingly, the BuEC 3200 students were "neutral" towards me. I do not know what this means as far as my future here is concerned. The Econ Dept. is having an extremely difficult time finding a PhD replacement for me. Expansion of the business program here is on the horizon and as a first step, consolidation of 5 part-time taught classes into one 2/3 MBA equivalent position could occur. This position would probably pay $10,000 for 2 Qtrs (4 courses) per year. The expansion would be to a full time MBA. My interest is only the sort-run in that I could then spend next summer and fall in Jerusalem looking for a wife and generally checking out the Israeli scene, come back for two qrts,. and then be ready for life's next adventure (PhD enrollment?). It is an option that gives me thought, compared to next year identical or radically different from this one.

This afternoon after a tri-weekly weight-lifting session and a dinner of Whole Earth Legumes, I will indulge in the US annual cultural event,…The Super Bowl. I expect some memorable sex and violence for the $200K+ per minute advertising cost. I will watch it upstairs with Ron and his Principal and wife.

I played some exciting paddleball this past week and hope to continue regularly.

Virtually all the job and academic applications and transcript and recommendation requests have been sent. This week in the mail I received a follow-ip letter of interest from St. Martins's college in Olympia, WA and an unsolicited application invitation from Ill. State Univ. for positions in Finance. I responded to them both that I would consider only an Asst. Prof.

Be Well.

Jan 29, 1978

Dear Family,

The week that has passed by since I last spoke has been for the most part, the frustrating trade-off between wisdom and knowledge. I have tbe wisdom to know where I should be and what 1 should be doing all the way to peaking out as a $56,000+ Washing technocrat (PhD, JD) in 15 years, but the knowledge that I lack could tragically take a whole lifetime, and obviously more, to acquire. The "pristine" Morris environment only serves to enhance these feelings.

The upcoming "Mid-Quarter Respite," (invitation enclosed) could just as well be entitled "Aspiring Technocrat's Debut" in the fluid viscous Washington environment. I am hopeful and expectant of drawing a larger percentage of my class and more faculty, as a am not alienating my Division colleagues by holding it on the exact same night as a formal Division I function. Still, my main draw last quarter John Mackie (and with him world famous Donald Davidson) is long gone. I am planning on the usual unprocessed nutrients, baked carbohydrate concoctions, juices, and brewed and fermented alcoholic beverages.

The weather here is, of course, unbearable. I have saved the observation until the third paragraph because I am getting an overload of it from everybody, here and there. Our daily temperatures are –10 degrees F and with wind chill, ~40 degrees F (or C). I have taken to wearing a sock over my nose and mouth until I can buy a specially constructed foam
(washable, reusable, and therefore $4.95) or paper ($1?) construction. I am waiting
for my next shopping trip (2/1) or milder weather, as even the short walk from my office to the apt. leaves my nose severely windburn.

I am acquiring specific competence in a number of areas. I am finally and inevitably reading my texts for next quarter. I am choosing then both, so I am comfortable with Business & Society by George Steiner and Management Classics, edited by 2 U of Houston Profs. Steiner's office was next door to Dr Weston’s, so I know something of the man. The book almost puts one to sleep but it provides a very directed path and loads of supplemental possibilities for classroom discussion. With the impending commencement of the course I am increasingly less motivated to question the worth or meaningfulness of this format The Mngmnt text has 40 contributed papers, which makes for a nice 2-per-class session. Both books have multiple choice questions for chapter / article which I plan to give them to add to the reward motivation of reading the book. I will heavily weigh classroom participation. As Dr. Steiner said to me, "Get them talking." I will feel quite accomplished if I can do that here.

The Acctg. is going well. We spent practically all of last week on Chapter 7 "Differential Costs and Revenues," or some such, and I think everyone was ready to move on. I had little attendance loss through the first three weeks, but the expected exodus is beginning to take place. I expect to give final grades to 39/52 names on the final roll (75%, the SS norm). Investment' Fundamentals is virtually in limbo. I therefore am reading the text, for the first time, at a less than frantic pace, and should finish it within two weeks. The book, Fundamentals of Finance by Eugene Fame, is both eloquent and concise. I am learning a real skill of efficiency testing from it and sincerely expect it to ferment into publishable ideas. My reading in econometrics per se is temporarily suspended. After my reading for next quarter is done, I will get back to this necessary statistical underpinnings. My last sustained intellectual endeavor of Hebrew is continually progressing if at what seems an intolerably lethargic pace.

I received frustrating news from U of TX, as they finally sent me forms which are due 2/1 with three supporting recommendations. Reading yesterday's UPI with the news that Brownsville TX with 73*F was the warmest spot in the continental U.S. and that horrendous weather had hit NC made the realization that Austin TX was probably going to be the only warm school that I picked. I am still expectant and hopeful of "warm" receptions everywhere.

The radio show yesterday was technically adequate. My projection still needs worka though. The whole process is lots of fun and I really enjoy my slot. A party the night before at the home of a zany fellow DJ only slightly impaired my motor and neurological functions.

Be well.

*****************

****************

February 12, 1978

Dear Family,

I can now extend you greetings from the longest winter in the history of Minnesota. Since December 12 when the termperature had the audacity to reach 35° F, we have been below freezing, a record 58 days, that show no sign of abating. This week was mostly in the teens and twenties and it felt like a heat wave. Acclimation to this climate after a year in balmy L.S. has been one big chill, but I suspect that the worst is over and spring should be here within a month. I trust that you are sharing similar sentiments.

The past week progressed fairly well. As there were no particularly unifying themes, I will recall the event in a fairly chronological fashion. Tuesday night after the KUMM meeting I had 4 DJs over (including 2 Acctg students) and we polished off two more gallons of the remaining keg of beer. On Wed. I returned the keg after emptying the remaining three gallons down my drain.

Thursday was my second Acctg mid-term. It should prove to be an overall less traumatic event than the first one. My second T.A. graded them, so my burden was certainly lighter. Afterwards while partying at the home of two accounting students, an officer of the law arrived and served them with a summons from their landlord for failure to pay the rent and general damages. The whole complaint has the appearance of a rigging as one owner's wife works at the courthouse and the other notarized their complaint. Ah well, small town drama.

While speaking with Howard Wettstein later in the afternoon, he related to me his saga of having received daily unsigned notes for the past month from an evangelical. This past week the author finally identified herself as the wife of a Poli Sci Prof. The incident certainly spurred my desire to leave.

I did not have much progress this week as far as my future goes. I am sending about 3 applications per week to advertised teahing jobs…. I heard from DrW twice during the week, with the net result that he kindly sent recommendations on my behalf.

Fri and Sat. were spent mostly recording albums on cassette at 609 W. 6. I added over a dozen to my collection. My DJ slot was as enjoyable and uneventful as expected.

Only now am I beginning to utilize the division secretary in an efficient manner for personal accumulation. This process basically consists of requesting photostatic copies of articles through our library system and requesting papers from people who present their ideas at the ASSA convention. My personal aggrandizement of my library continues unabated. I expect the process will begin to decelerate as my convention requests finish arriving.

I played Eliot and Howard in paddleball this week, resoundingly defeating them both. I will seek tougher competition so that at least I will recall what defeat feels like. The weightlfting is progressing adequately, though occasionally I get terrific headaches from it. I suspect the pain arises from lack of oxygen or humidity.

As usual, I have only myself to chastise for not having my intellectual "act" "together". My progression for the week was minimal and the new week brings the typical resolve to be more efficient and effective.

My roommate moved out awhile ago and I kept on forgetting to write you this fact. He found a cheaper place (5 blocks farther away) and I suspect by now he may even be back with his wife. He paid his rent and we parted friends. I am not expectant of finding another and with less than 4 months to go, I am resolved of the current situation.

The tentative end-of-quarter plans are for me to leave here 3/10 and return 3/26. As of now, I will spend most of the time in Cleve. With a probable side trip to Columbus a 2-day stop in Chicago visiting Esther Shaira. Fri night, 3/10 I hope to see Dylan's Ronaldo and Clara at the movies in Minneapolis and Sat. 3/11 to get a free comprehensive ($65 value) medical check-up before departing for Cleve. More definiteness will be established as the time approaches.

February 19, 1978

Dear Family,

The cold continues. This observation about wraps up the news from Morris. We are 10 days beyond the record of 54 days in a row below freezing and no sign of abatement exists. My health has remained unscathed by the winter's brutal forces, but I expected it to. The climate has certainly made me into a tougher individual than if I had remained in L.A.

The real event of the week occurred Wed. afternoon when the two candidates for my position were given a telephone interview… Both candidates exceed my own qualifications only in that they have their PhD. Be Uzaro, choice #1, will probably not come here as his asking wage of $23,000 at the Asst Prof level is about $5,000 more than Provost Imholte will spend. Suk-Mo Ku has impeccable references, diligence and determination. He know no Acctg, Bus and Soc, or Mgmt Theory, barely speaks English and has taught only 1 Qtr of introductory econ. Before I vehemently plead my case I will let a little time pass so that I have a better idea on my future options. The people who will benefit least from these 2 PhDs are, of course, the students. Both candidates are truly economists and are far removed from the business questions and interests that the students have and raise. Predictably, as the two-hour session digressed and prepared to disband, personal and professional digs and jabs were voiced, not the least of which was an unflattering comparison of the Ibo tribe of Nigeria (presumably Uzaro's tribe) to the Jews.

I am developing competence and efficiency in the expansion of my professional article collection. The efficiency is coming from overcoming my disinclination to burden the division secretary with my requests. I do not care too much about anything around here anymore, least of all the opinions of my colleagues and secretaries. Textbooks are still flowing in. With all of this intellectual capital, leaving academia becomes a harder and harder decision.

On Thursday I witnessed the legal skirmish of Dick and Eliot. The event was quite anticlimactic as their landlord dropped the specific complaint in return for their vacating of the premises by March 1. Damage charges may still follow.

That night I went to the Globe, Morris's only disco/bar for the first and probably last time. It is very close to my apt. and I am glad to report how little I have missed by not going there sooner.

Last night was a fairly undistinguished party. It's only notable aspect for me was the possible befriending of a woman student. The women here are so unimpressive that with each one I meet, my desire and inclination for friendship is less and less. I would have to label this a continuing disillusionment of expectations.

This evening I will be hosting Barbara and Howard Wettstein for dinner. Her being kosher naturally complicates the whole affair, but at least I know what it means and can attempt to logically deal with it,. A rarity she is grateful for. If any dialog occurs, it will certainly be the intellectual highlight of my week.

With about 3 1/2 weeks of class remaining in this quarter, everything seems to be under control. I am not looking forward to handing out final grades because I may have to give "no records" to students who have taken the exams and occasionally show up to class. I expect that a few of the students will take me up on my standing invitation for dinner.

The response to my two spring qtr courses should be substantial with at least 12 students per class. Preparing, thinking and worrying about them is taking increasing amounts of my time. I still have a substantial amount of reading to do in the texts before I can begin to integrate outside material and plan a course format and lectures.

My two T.A.s are working out well. The funny and ironic aspect is that I am having them gather information that I did as a T.A. and should have retained. Of course my salary was 3/2 theirs, but no matter as they are just as capable as I was.

Nothing new to report on the food consumption of weightlifting endeavors. As with my general intellectual advancement, progress is slow, if somewhat steady. In an effort to overcome my anemic-looking skin, I am going back to a daily 15-minute sun lamp exposure. Significant results will take awhile.

I have been submitting my manuscripts of "Ruminations…." And "A Guide to…" to numerous periodicals for some time. According to the signatures, I have gotten personal rejections from Norman Podhoretz and Bill Buckley, among others. I remain undaunted by this initial failure.

February 26, 1978

A March greeting to you all! I trust that for all, this month will go out like a proverbial lamb. That it has come in like a lion, there can be no doubt.

The future is beginning to take form and definition. On Monday I received notice that my manuscript "A Guide to Profitable Equity Investing," was accepted for publication by the National Association of Investment Clubs in their 75,000 copy monthly Better Investing. On Tue. I received notice from Merrimack College in North Andover MA that they want me to interview there for a faculty position. As of now I am not going because they provide no travel subsidy, but with the news of my manuscript and my impeccable references to arrive on Mon., I expect that I will be able to get at least $50 from them, making it worth my while. I am very desirous of seeing people and Harvard in Boston, 30 miles to the south.

The temperature here has surpassed the unbelievable. Our sub-freezing weather was broken for less than eight hours when the thermostat plummeted again to our present 9° F. We did manage to set an all-time Minnesota record of 66 days, 18 hours and 11 minutes.

I have sincere sympathy for the Econ faculty here as their scramble for a qualified replacement for me becomes increasingly frantic. It appears that the leading candidate is now neither of the two that were telephone interviewed and Sun is unwilling to keep me privy of the situation.

…

My past week was fairly active socially. On Wed I attended the final home game of the UMM varsity basketball team. They are NAIC champs and are traveling to Iowa for post-season play-offs. They are #2 nationally in small college defense. As my TA Jeff Hagen plays on the team, I enjoyed the victory immensely. Afterwards was a free concert by an uninspiring but competent loud band. On Thurs. I played bridge with three students who were beginners. I had a fairly enjoyable experience.

I am growing less fearful about next quarter as I formulate and formalize the class content. The examinations in both classes will consist of daily quizzes with no midterm or final. The long term projects in Business and Society are student-run mock shareholder meetings and a research project with the Mgmt & Org. Theory project will aim at a publishable article. The format of B&S will entail more class discussion. Neither will unfortunately be rigorously analytical enough for my tastes. A positive sign is that lots of former and present students are signing up, including all my TAs.

Not much new at KUMM. On request I was given permission to do an informal "KUMM Speaks Out", editorial, but I will wait until I have more than one essay to relate.

I suffered a minor tragedy last week when my hanging plant fell. It now appears to be dying a slow torturous death as when I grabbed it in flight, the soil and pot continued to fall and I was left holding the branches and roots. Replanting appears to have been ineffectual. On the brighter side, my apt. was sprayed twice for German roaches and now appears to be rid of them.

Last Sunday night's dinner with Howard and Barbara Wettstein was a pleasant affair. Their lack of mobility as professionals in the humanities and education is truly tragic. Tonight I will be entertaining four accounting students for dinner.

On Tue I will receive the physical check-up that I thought I would have to go to Minneapolis for. The traveling van is apparently as comprehensive as the in-office testing.

The art gallery here has a current exhibit of mild interest, Victorian Photographs. Predictably, it is their age rather than content which generally sparks their uniqueness.

*******************

*******************

March 13, 1978

Dear Family.
Greetings!rom the Cleveland Hts.homestead on this fairly mild late winter morning. My health and well beIng are good as I 'trust everyone else's is. .

The last week of winter quarter passed uneventfully in MorrisU. I ended up leaving Thursday morning and flying to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where I interviewed with Cornell College. .Earlier in the week I recieved calls from the Univs NC and Mich from professors deciding on my PhD candidacy. They both asked why I left UCLA and seemed to be satisfied with my response. I expect admission and aid ($5,400?) from both..

Cornell was. an interesting experience and I expect an offer from them and that I will accept it (assuming a rejection from Harvard). Its similarity to Morris is uncanny in many respects. My schedule there was as follows. Thurs night after dinner with Donald Cell and Hardie Park, two of the three Bcon faculty members, I presented my manuscript and general philosophy to a gathering of 15 students. Fri morning I met with the Dean. Financial V.P (and the woman I am to replace. Lunch with 5 faculty members was followed by an afternoon of individual meetings and campus exploration. The evening consisted of a meeting with other faculty members over Scotch at D. Cell's home. My flight to Chicago left Sat. morning at 10:10 A.M. The disappointing news stemmed from two basic causes, the school’s lack of funds, and the general limiting nature of' Christian dogma. The first was manifested is the bare minimum quantity and quality of supplies that faculty receive at Cornell, notably in significantly lower salaries than at UMM for example. Comell is now a generally secular institution with a. reasonably large Jewish representation, as the Dean and Donald Cell's family are Jewish. Still, I was asked many pointed, difficult, and even antagonistic questions and when I gave the expected or acceptable answers, the dialog stopped. No one seemed very interested in the depth or nature of my understanding or interests.

My desires and expectations. are that I would work on the. PhD at the U of Iowa while teaching. Both my colleagues and the administration were supportive of this idea. Francis Ayres, the woman I am to replace is currently a PhD student in Accounting there, and gave me enough info on the program for me not to rule out this idea.

The "exciting" aspect of the school is that this past week the faculty voted to change the academic calendar around so that students take only one course at a. time, for 3 ½ weeks per course. Faculty are required to teach only 7 courses per year.

Mt. Vernon, where Cornell is located, is a town of 3,200 and 1 stoplight. It is 20 miles from Cedar Rapids, an industrial town of 160,000 and 20 miles from 'the U of Iowa in Iowa City. Housing will not be cheap but the college has housing it rents and a. mortgage pool to draw from.

After arriving home Sat., I called my friend John and got invited to go skiing with him and some other friends. We drove to a cottage in Western .N., Y., on Lake Chautauqua and were set for a full day of skiing yesterday. I enjoyed myself immensely and am not too sore or injured today.

I will be here until 3/23 and hope to have my spring quarter courses all prepared by then.

March 22. 1978

Dear Family,

I trust that Spring has actually as well as officially arrived for you, as it has in Cle. Hts. We are enjoying reasonable and almost balmy weather here. Judy and I have been able to run a few outdoor miles together. If not consoled. I am at least placated by the knowledge that the barely acceptable temperatures here at my vacation destination are more civilized than the locale to which I will be returning shortly.

My spring break thus far has been pleasant and progressive. Last Thur-Sat I was in Columbus visiting Judy. The hick nature of the town and the inhospitable weather precluded much traveling. I nevertheless enjoyed glimpsing traces of Judy's community and routine. Her current living arrangements, if not housemates, are about as optimal as any that I have witnessed.

I have been down to CSU 4 times, mostly photo-copying the table of contents pages from recent periodicals in the field of Mgmt & Org. Theory as sources of ideas for the papers that I will be asking my students to write. I also ran into two dear friends from my MBA days. Sat night I went out with Carol Tay1or and we grappled with this lethargic city in one of the few reasonable manners by sitting and talking all evening in the corner of one of the few open bars.. The other friend was Ken Rose, who was a really close colleague.

Las't night Judy and 1 saw Warren Zevon at the Agora Ballroom. I had heard and had played a few cuts off of his recent (2nd) album while DJing in Morris and was quite favorably impressed. He proved to be an entertaining showman as well as leader of an accomplished band. Humourous highlight occurred during his rendition of a Muddy Water's Blues standard, 'I'm a Man" in which he moans out a "M ….A….N” That spell's maaan. THAT SPELLS MENSCH.. In context. the line was hilarious. but only his Jewish guitar players and myself appreciated

I am basically ready to head back to Morris though stays at the homestead never seem long enough. I am excited about and hopeful of some good news on the professional front shortly after I arrive back. Cornell and outside-shot Harvard are still my dreams.

Tomorrow I am flying to Chicago for a stay with Esther Shapira until Sat. or Sun. Her costume Purim ball is Tomorrow night.

March 28 s 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings from unseasonably pleasant Morris. The final leg of my return trip went from a snowstorm in Chicago to pleasant 50° weather. I. cannot say that I truly longed for or missed this place, but I was not saddened by my return. I am glad that my final quarter here has begun. The end is in sight.

The truth awaiting me on my arrival back was a rousing dose of humility. I got rejected at Harvard and Michigan, in my application for PhD admission. 1 will make no more boasts or even voice expectations until I hear some thing positive.

My classes this quarter are Business and Society and Mgmt and Org Theory. Each has around 10 students with an overlap of at least 5. Thus far, not too much to report, though I am somewhat anxious over my less than thorough preparation.

I have begun running again after my 4 month winter furlough. The aching feeling in my legs is almost pleasurable. The side roads and paths around here are still practically under water, but by sticking to the main dirt thoroughfares, a pleasant course can be covered.

My stay in Chicago was interesting and enjoyable. I encountered many Jews, but little community. I am having a difficult time verbalizing my disappointment with the people that I met. Certainly little evidence was presented to me to contradict ay belief that 95% of the dialog that one is likely to encounter as an American is spoken for the benefit of the speaker; principally as a manifestation of an insufficiently developed ego.

The dry roads allow me to bring out the bicycle that I have stored over the winter. I had almost forgotten the joys and liberation that come with this two-wheeled transport. Today I rode downtown for a haircut.

The weight that I read on the scale does not seem like it is mine so that I am going to have to run extra hard this spring to shed 5 pds and reach an acceptable 135. My eating habits are like I never left. My culinary education over the break was limited to lightening the color of my bean and cheese dish as suggested by Judy.

Tonight was the KUMM staff meeting with the quarter's DJ assignments being handed out. I am currently signed up for two slots, W 9-Noon and F 6-9 P.M. I will probably turn the morning slot over to Eliot as he has expressed a desire for one. While the Fri. slot is not optimal, all the more desirable slots were grabbed by jocks with more seniority. It should prove to be an interesting change from my morning routine.

On the way up here, I finished Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. The pettiness and utter undesirability of small-town Minnesota life that he so vividly portrays actually was what softened me for my return arrival. At least the continual reinvigoration of the changing student and faculty body at the UMM add some life to this dreary prairie setting. Currently I have started This Way To the Gas Please which, as its title implies, is about the death camps. As recommended, the author is quite poignant.

I have been revising my manuscript and hope to send it off to Better Investing by the end of the week. Notice of the forthcoming publication occurred in the quarterly UMM Faculty-staff newspaper.

While in Chicago, we did manage to take in an Apple Pancake breakfast at my favorite Walker Bros. Pancake house. Our mobility was severely constrained by a lack of an auto and Esther's inability to drive.

One of my T.A.s, Ken Brouiette (sp?) has an inkling of computer programming knowledge. I am hoping that from him I can gain the capacity or ability to handle the data tapes and regression programs that are essential to empirical finance. This is probably wishful thinking and if nothing brews in three weeks, I will have him return to the mundane.

In addition to my whopping Federal income tax refund, I am expecting half that amount ($350) from the state of Minnesota.

Hopefully, my next letter should have at least some good news to report.

Be well.

April 16, 1973

Dear Family,

The Ides of April have come and passed and spring just about may be here in the U.S. tundra. I trust that you are encountering a more hospitable and civilized season. We still have a nightly frost and a never-ending wind

Despite and because of the latter my two-mile jogging time has improved from 15 to 14 minutes. I am reluctant to run in the surrounding countryside for long distances on a straight path as the wind resistance in one direction presents an inevitable drag. Thus I confine myself to the quarter mile track. Ceteris paribus, my weight should be down,

My weight remains at 140 because my mental equilibrium is not the same. The only professional and future news that I received this past week was a preliminary negative decision from Cornell. The viable candidacies remaining are doctoral studies at UNC and ASU. I am beginning to prepare for the contingency that neither of these will blossom to fruition by rewriting my resume (to reflect my publication) and getting back onto the job market. I will be applying in two directions and for which I have two different resumes: Teaching of undergraduate business administration and Investment management. If I do not get into the above two programs combined with the rejections received thus far will indicate to me that the "momentum" that I thought I had is imaginary. Thus career development and earning an income might currently be a desirable and rational option.

Were I not growing older in such a provincial enclave (and alone and barely in touch with my Judaism) I might be able to celebrate life. Hare, my weekend highlight is treating myself to 10 bananas and 43 oz. of prune juice. I never fail to enjoy the current periodicals that the library provides, but I yearn for soma real live human interaction.

KUMM is proving responsive and enjoyable. This coming week, at my request, the preview album will be Excitable Boy by Warren Zevon and I can barely control my enthusiasm. My Friday DJ slot is proving easier and easier.

I will be at the home of Howard and Barbara Wettstein for the first seder. I enjoy their company and only regret that we cannot get together more often. Next weekend is also a party honoring the outgoing Soc Sci Div Chrmn at the home of the Provost. I imagine that I'll go and not eat.

The Israeli war making machinery seems to be state-of-the-art with their sophisticated usage of the cluster bombs to clear out all of the "enemy1' from the combat zone, reducing troop casualties. I really could not have imagined them employing other than U.S. Vietnam style massive uprooting of the native indigent population. Still, the actuality hurts.
My classes are progressing only fairly. 1 will try changing my format so that I lecture less and they do more outside reading. My intimacy with the students leads to class control and even disciplinary problems at times. I have not lost many students yet but I am nevertheless aware of their discontentment and impatience with me.

Slowly I am readying myself for departure. I own a lot of furniture but most of it is hardly worth schlepping thousands of miles. Optimally I will be able to dispose of most or all of it here. May and June in a college town are not the best times for furniture sales.

My study of econometrics and of Hebrew are progressing. Every knowledge acquisition anew I seem to relearn the value of thinking while reading. These subjects both hopefully represent my future.

My trip this summer should prove commercially as easy as possible. For both the NYC London and London-Tel Aviv legs, tickets can be purchased on the day of departure as a stand-by. The round-trip youth fare from Lon — T.A. is $240 on British Airways and $330 on ELAL. The Atlantic crossing should also, cost between $240 and $330.

To aid my weight loss attempts, this past week I gave up beans and cheese for cod fillet, beef liver, and rice. I imagine that the difference is at least 500-1000 calories. I began thinking of CA again this week when the supermarket stocked its first spring shipment of fresh spinach and sprouts. I will not bore you with the feelings of remorse that I had as I consumed the paltry and expensive offerings that I ate of these CA vegetables.

April 23, 1978

Dear Family,

Enclosed please find some recent fruits of labor.

Let me begin with a sincere and customary inquiry as to the state of your health. I get so little evidence of your existence, let alone your thoughtfulness and compassion, that any words to this effect would be greatly appreciated. Please temper this request accordingly.

Undeniably, time marches on and spring may be here. I hope that we have seen the last frost9 though two days of above 0° C weather is hardly a reassuring prediction. Another indisputable fact is that April has been the windiest month this year. Dally wind gusts reach a maximum of 25 to 40 mph. Combining this with lots of rain should clue you as to my jogging miles and weight. Enough of the non-excitement of the week.

This week's non-event will be my mid-quarter respite. The last one resulted in getting me invited to no parties. This place has no community that I can speak of, so I have neither the desire nor motivation to prepare another. I will have my students over for dinner sometime.

With the registering of the Cornell rejection and no word from ASU and UNC, I have stepped up my job search efforts. The enclosed investment management vita and cover letter were sent to executive and senior trust officers in the 100 largest banks. The bank identities were fortuitously published in the annual banking Issue of Forbes, this week. The Individuals ware identified either in the Standard and Poor's directory of corporations or the Rand McNally Banking Atlas. The academic materials were sent in response to 20 advertisements in recent issues of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

I think that this experiment is a fairly professional and controlled one. I expect to learn quite a bit about myself from the enthusiasm and responses(or lack thereof) that I receive. Notably a time out and change of direction and ordering may be warranted. Family dynamics may also make demands. The future is uncertain, but that is my business, modeling uncertain income streams over time, so I will maintain a professional calm with expectations of engagement and commitment.

As something of an aside, I appreciate that seeking a job with the letterhead of your current employer is something of a faux-pas. The alternative of Imperial Apt., Morris MN' was just go unattractive as to leave me no choice.

The education vita is styled differently because my work experience in the field now constitutes an employment history. My only serious omission was not mentioning my Banking and Finance Fellowship at UCLA.

My classes are moving slowly and nowhere in particular. The absence of numbers and quantification limits whatever effectiveness I could muster. Unfortunately this characterization may also fit ay general professional intellectual progression at this point.

I have travel on my mind. I am through seventeen Hebrew lessens in my latest endeavor and 1 am reading Fieldings Travel guide 1978 on England, Ireland and Scotland. I now expect that I will not be taking any furniture with me. The Chae's will probably buy my dining room table, desk, chest of drawers, and possibly more. They related that their expense of bringing one living room from NY by U-Haul was $600. I needed no further convincing on the inadvisability of trying to get my junk out.

The Seder at the Wettstein's was pleasant and ritualistically reaffirming. After, my lack of one last year, I was extremely grateful for the invitation to attend and participate this year. Morris's other seder was at the Hirsch's.

Last night was the reception honoring our Sec Sci Div Chrmn Truman Driggs. The Provoat and his wife hosted dinner for the division and spouses. The food was unimaginative,- the liquor good (adequate white German wine and Scotch), and the conversation expectable. Truman is relinquishing his Chrmn capacity and duties on account of lung cancer but the dynamic departing figure attending was the dean, Gordon Bopp who is leaving to become Exeeutive-V.P. of Eastern New Mexico University.

I was happy to learn this week of "Annie Hall's" osccar gathering. My overall reaction is non-concern and nonchalance. W. Allens reaction sums It up in that on Oscar night he played his regular Monday night stint at clarinet in a Dixieland jazz band and on departing was wearing his standard combat jacket and plaid shirt.

I have started Solzhenytsin's The First Circle and am enjoying it immensely.

April 30, 1973

Dear Family,

Greetings on a heart-warming spring day! I imagine that your trees have already sprouted leaves and the yearly fauna has bloomed anew. I have enclosed a bit of the early spring color here in Harris, the returning birds. I gathered these feathers while planting my spring crop in the woods. Surprisingly, it seems that nature's beauty may be closer to me here that at any previous educational institution that I have been associated with. Excepting UCLA's lushness and meticulously manicured lawn's, I have the most green here. The rabbits are extremely interesting. I have always enjoyed knowing and proving that a human being can force a lower order animal to break eye contact. These rabbits stare at you for the longest time wriggle their nose (in what must be a nervous reflex), and then quickly hop away.

The wind has not left yet and this is discouraging.

My classes are going batter. In the Mgmt class, I came upon a brainstorm as to what would be useful and productive for them to do in class. I am having them take the sample Graduate Management Admissions Test, 250 minutes worth. Tomorrow Gordon Bopp is to speak to the class and Wed. we are going into Minneapolis for 2 shareholder meetings. In Bus & Soc 1 have begun to introduce basic finance concepts that are something of a review to the 3 (out of 7) students that had me for Financial Mgmt, in the fall. To get continual feedback from them, their expected long paper hardly rivals a daily assignment.

The news on the future front this week was encouraging. I have thus far received 25 polite " No, thank yous" from the trust and Investment managers that received my material. I think few bothered to even read my composition. I received lukewarm enthusiasm from Valley City State College (ND) in the form of a call from the dean and a letter indicating interest in me. Peter Adelshelm of St. Martins College in Olympia, Washington wrote and called me. My impression is that I am much closer to an offer from him as he discussed salary with me and gave me preliminary indications that I was the "top candidate." As usual, I have probably underestimated the competition.

Let me interject a larger philosophical perspective to this discussion of Job search. First, I also got not bad news from ASU yesterday in the form of a notice that my application-is pending because they have not yet got my UCLA transcripts:. With admission there or at UNC the following becomes academic (no pun intended). Second, You realize that I would like to believe that I am aware of the tragic nature of life. I am conscious that I am part of a minority of 35% who have never married by the age of 23. Each year, my peers become fewer. Reasonableness might seem to dictate that I settle in Jerusalem and shop for a while. The mitigating factor is the probable 80+% cut in salary and options that this would entail and that I run the risk of denying my dreams. I am anxious, and justifiably so. Please don't make me frantic.

This past weekend I attended two parties, both student. The first was a farewell bash for the Soc Sci Dlv Administrative Asst who leaves the payroll and Morris tomorrow. The second was a non-descript "kegger". At both, being something of an intellect in a room full of provincials was not particularly enlightening or exciting.

KUMM again highlighted my week with choice of feature albums, The Band's The Last Waltz as Preview and The Rolling Stone's Sticky Fingers on Classic Album Hour. I alternated shows and DJs Thurs 9-Mldnight entailing formatting of features foreign to me. I proceeded to flub one and execute the other adequately. My show must be one of the more progressive slots as few other Jocks scan what good new releases the studio has gotten as I do. I sort of regret not going into Minneapolis this past weekend as Patti Smith was there.

One of the best bargains that I have gotten this spring is in riding the blcycle. I love getting something for nothing and in my daily half mila trips between my apt. and my office (about 90% of my non-athletic travel) I reach a peak about mid way and can coast zmch of the remaining half. This as particularly a morning appreciation.

This coming Thurs. I will be hosting a souffle dinner for Marv Mayer (of Apt 302) and a student of mine, Jim Ellingson, the first and only student to take me up on my class offer this quarter. As you can see, I am even strapping for dinner guests.

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March 5, 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings and salutations from pristine Morris. With spring only slightly more than
two weeks away, I am more convinced than ever that the next ice age is upon us. The 18 foot snow drifts that have dotted the Morris landscape since November must surely be here to stay. I attempt to remain warm and oblivious to this tragic-comic situation.

The most productive aspect of the past week is that it is now over and with it, my classes for this quarter. I will conduct a test review on Mon. and split for Minneapolis on Tue, There I will see Renaldo and Clara (with no great expectations) and sleep at the abode of a friend of Elliot’s. Wed. at 8:50 A.M. I fly to Cleve. I am due back here on 3/27.

My one student in Investment Fundamentals progressed enormously over the quarter. His knowledge of finance is quite sophisticated and more than I got from the CSU MBA. 1 still find it incredulous that he will be entering a seminary in the fall and am desperately trying, without success, to convince him to do otherwise. 1 have attempted to make the subject as lively as possible to him with numerous personal embellishments of observations about the relevant theoreticians, to present the personality of the researcher.

On Tue. I underwent the diagnostic physical examination paid for by the U of MN and performed by the National Health Testing Service. It consisted of numerous tests Including: hearing, vision, urine, stool9 and blood specimens, an EKG, blood pressures, lung capacity, Chest X-ray9 and test for obesity. The whole affair was quite enjoyable and surrealistically modern relative to the Morris norm. The obesity test was amusingly the crudest. It consists basically of measuring the thickness of one fold of the back's skin. Almost embarrassingly, I enjoyed the veritable caressing of the female technician as she struggled to attach the suction cups (for the EKG) to my hairy chest. I am to receive a pocket size card with the relevant observations. As the information will have to be shrunk to fit on it, a magnifying lens is attached.

No news came this week on my future, professional or otherwise. I will be leaving my upstairs neighbors Ron and Marv with the key to my mailbox and will have my calls directed to their apt, with the strict instructions (request) that they phone me if any positive news arrives. I expect good big news in the coming weeks, with a decision to be made around the first week in April when I hear from Harvard.

I revised my manuscript and submitted it to the researchers whose work I cite for comments, qualifications, or criticism. I asked for their reply by 3/27 and as I indicated to the editor I will submit it to him shortly thereafter.

On Thurs I was invited to dinner at the apt of Gseg Page and Mike Kills, my neighbors in 103. The meal of Chow Mein, rice and noodles was enjoyable enough if even more austere and plain than my usual basic faire. Greg is an Asst Prof, of Art, having earned his MFA last year at the Univ of Wisc. He is avidly seeking a tenurable position in a more hospitable climate.

Fri. night I attended a party in the dorm room of one of my students, Dan Lindberg. There, I met and befriended his sister, who is to have dinner with me this evening. The party was predictably raucous as the assembled body of nearly all males consumed the 16 gallons of beer present. I had to consider my show the next morning.

The radio was one of the more gratifying aspects of the week. KUMM has a weekly "Classic Album" Hour. I have been lobbying vigorously to have Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan played and on last nights hour it was. Furthermore, I composed and recorded the advertising spot for it. I had two people tape the show in which I played the ad twice so that hopefully many of you will be able to hear it.

Last night was a party at the apt. of Ron and Marv to celebrate Marv's purchase of a new grill. Despite the sub-zero F temperature, they cooked midnight hot dogs for the crowd. I was content to imbue myself with Black Russians and straight Scotch.

My diet this week was oriented to cleaning out the refrigerator. A few weeks ago I went "bananas" over the 6¢ grapefruit special at the supermarket and bought 60 of them. These in large quantities as snacks are helping to keep my weight down even if they do get boring and not gratifyingly palatable. Weight lifting keeps my physique in top form and the daily sun lamp gives me an artificially healthy glow. I am conscious and moderately anxious of the narcisstic and subtly masturbatory qualities of all this self indulgence.

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May 14, 1978

Dear Family,

Two weeks before I am to depart, I am finally gaining some peace with myself here in Morris. I am well aware of the price that is entailed in being a 'constant revolutionary. Still, savoring victories is always gratifying if not productive.

I expect that enclosed with this letter will be my St. Martins contrast. This past weak I received interview offers from Wittenberg College and Marietta College, both small private schools in Ohio. I will leave here permanently on May 23 and interview with W. on 5/26, stay with Judy for Sat and Sun and interview in Marietta on 5/29. Wittenberg sounds promising thus far as the appointment is solely a Finance position and is tenure track though contracts are negotiated annually. Optimally I could live with Judy.

I will call ASU and UNC this week to find out my status. I am not at all expectant of favorable news from UNC and only slightly more hopeful of my candidacy at ASU. Regardless, I will not make any final decisions for at least two weeks.

This past week I also received notice from Better Investing that my article was set intype and will appear in the June issue.

A few weeks ago I received my blood and hematology report and medical identification card from Midwest Laboratory Associates. 1i finally called them this past week to get an interpretation of the numbers as the description "none" for the category of "out of range results" is not extremely helpful. My notable boundary concentrations are: Max. - C02 (30 msq/1), Potassium (5.0meq/l), Alkaline Phosphate (144 U/I), and LDH (195 U/I); and Min.-Direct Bilirubin (0.0 mg/dl), White Blood Cells (4,500), Red Blood Cells (4,600,000), and Creatinine (0.9 mg/dl). The only major item noted to me is a slight curvature of my spine.

My Minnesota Income Tax refund arrived this week, $330 as expected.

The process of movement is never costless and 1 am beginning to prepare early. I haveplaced the notice: "For free couches, chairs, or inexpensive furniture, call Paul at 589-2139”on the free classifieds of KUMM and KMRS, in the Morris Tribune, and on bulletin boards atthe Laundromat and discount store. I still hope the Chae's will buy the major pieces. I have begun packing up my apt and office. I trust that the hoards of boxes that I have been accumulating will be enough. All the boxes will remain either in my office or at the Grohs's home until the end of the summer when Roy said he'll ship them to me. If I end up in OIympia, I may just pass through here on way out there in Sept.

As I have no intimate relations here, the personal aspect of leaving is hardly painful.

Predictably, concentration and inner discipline are not being particularly fostered by this bustling about. I have begun reading the paperback books (selected from the recommendations of the NYTBR feature: "Paperbacks,: New and Noteworthy) that have arrived from my bookstore order. 1 am-currently laboring through Gershon Scholem's Jews and Judaism in Crisis. His Insight is both revealing and helpful. From it I hope to gain a fuller and more mature perspective on my questions of moral and religious identity.

My classes are moving along in a barely adequate manner. I cannot give my students instant gratification and so I lose their motivation. I expect that the rate and quantity of progression will slow down as both the students and I look to the end and beyond.

My KUMM T-shirt arrived this week. I will certainly miss my DJ slot.

This past week also saw Morris’s first sustained temperature of above 75ºF. Running is still barely pleasurable though, as the wind averages l0 mph. I have been able to do a little sunning.

My cassette deck broke down this past week and in its dying heave it ate a cassette of mine and refuses to let it go. Fortunately 1 have little time left here and will take it directly to a repair shop. I have packed my cassettes for shipment much more carefully than I did coming here, hoping to avoid the open-package fiasco of last time..

The bank replies are still trickling in "Negative."

Rehovot 1988 - 89

2006-07-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

August 13. 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from the civilized environ of Rehovot. We are happily and satisfactorily ensconced in our new domicile. In short, we are well and in good spirits and trust you are likewise.

Our move was not without its obstacles and difficulties, among which were: our underestimation of the boxes needed (resulting in single objects being carried out by the movers), sanctions by Gaza workers (ostensibly) causing the cleaning contractors to delay-cancel at the last minute (resulting in us doing the work), and the movers of the departing tenant breaking the elevator (resulting in a $100 addition to our mover bill).

Anyway, we are in and gradually the place is becoming home. Slowly we are unloading the cartons, hanging stuff on the walls and making the place home. The apt. is some 40% larger than our previous flat and the space presents lots of opportunities. We recognized immediately that the fourth bedroom-guestroom could become our TV-playroom so that the kids and anyone else could amuse themselves without interrupting intelligent discourse in the living room. We are soon to acquire a VCR and 8-mm camcorder and with my second set of speakers, we'll have our own mini-media center. The guestroom and two kids bedrooms are on one side of the entranceway and the bathroom on that side has a bathtub. Our bedroom and the bathroom with the shower stall (in addition to the kitchen, walk-in-kitchen-closet, dining alcove, living room and indoor porch) are on the other side of the entrance door. The service porch housing the washing machine is of the children j s bathroom. Hanging wash to dry is somewhat cumbersome and the hot humid climate further aggravates the problem, so we may purchase a dryer. Our building has 8 identical apartments on four floors above an entrance floor and then a penthouse. The buildings on either side of us are almost identical to ours. Our living room porch has a big pine tree right in front of it and less dense housing beyond. The forested Weizmann Institute grounds are visible a block away. Mercifully, nary a fly or mosquito has entered our perennially wide-open apt. Since our extermination, we have not seen many bugs at all...Our own covered parking spot is also appreciated as this weekend I performed my first real auto repair—replacement of the Subaru' s water pump. A water outlet and hose by the car also allowed me to give the car its first hosing down ever. The entrance patio (on the street side of the covered parking spots) is a tiled open area just about the speed of our kids energies. The weather here is truly hot and heavy pea soup, but such is life in the big city... My commuter bus is a 7 minute walk away and door-to door and my 2- 3 bus 1 ½ to 2 hour $6 to $7 commute is now down to one bus, 50 minutes to one hour and $2.50. Alas the ride is less air-conditioned...Our neighborhood is unambiguously more urbane than Gilo. Within one block is a well stocked variety-hardware store, fruit-vegetable store, and mini-market-deli, not to mention assorted playgrounds.

To mark our move we purchased Yehiel his first two wheeler and he now merrily zips
along with the aid of training wheels. He rides well in the apartment and out of it and hopefully soon it will actually become functional in helping us extend our range of walks... Incidentally, the translation of our street name is the first president. It and a long block away is the guarded home of Chaim Weizman, Israel's first president...Our neighbors all seem nice enough and the people one flight below on the street side are US in origin, he being in biophysiscs at Bar Ilan Univ...On Shabbat we walked on the Institute grounds and for the first time in memory did not drive.

Both of the older kids are in the same gan, which continues through Aug 15. Orly will continue in Gan Ruth in September but Yehiel is to begin in the educational system of the State, despite our ignorance of which of the local alternatives is preferred. We'll have to come up with a decision by registration date, Aug . 2.. Meanwhile, the kids are getting older and more fun daily. We all got haircuts this week and Orly for the first time since birth has short hair. I am presently at a loss to describe the fulfillment and accompanying daily frustration which come with parenthood...Of course Ma'ayan has the most evident daily growth. She now props herself up on her arms, responds to visual stimulus and occasionally responds with a smile when prompted.

Work goes OK during this slow period when many partners are away on vacation. My English-language verbal skills remain my most valuable skill. I am now officially into my apprenticeship period here and hopefully no later than Nov 1989 I will be a full-fledged US and Israeli CPA. I am currently involved with a number of projects, including translation of the English internal audit questionnaire and preparation for a series of lectures that two partners are to give to hotel managers. Today (Aug 14) we had a 1 ½ hour power outage and fortunately all I was working with at the time was pencil and paper. I am also continuing to contribute one or more articles to the Israel Economist under the firm byline. Hopefully one day the verbosity will actually bring in a client.

Be well.

August 26, 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from Rehovot. We are all well and in good spirits and health and trust you are likewise. The summer remains unconscionably hot, especially for this family entering the mediterrranean climate for the first time, but I expect we will muddle through it until the heat breaks. The kids' skin reactions seem to be under control for now, with the help of liberal corn starch application. Lisa has endured strained vocal chords for a number of weeks, but raising her voice less does help, so first that therapeutic cure will be attempted.

The kids have been on vacation from Aug 15 and return to their ganim on Thurs Sept. 1. This is hopefully the last constantly demanding period for Lisa. Mostly she has been managing them on her own with one day spent partially on a picnic with another mother and son (in Orly's gan). Our first babysitter is to be in two day's time when Lisa and I drive into Efrat (a satellite settlement south of Bethlehem) with Ma'ayan for the Bat_Mitzvah of Ellen's niece Yael. Yehiel starts in the religious gan 3 blocks away rather than the non-religious one slightly farther away because we have heard good reports on this one and have reason to expect a group of the other kids will be native english speakers. We know nothing about the non-religious one.

For all its trying nature (of course my time at it is only 1/3 that of my partner's), parenting has its enjoyable moments. Yehiel certainly has earmarks of personality traits. He can console Orly with an "Oh well, that's life" when she cries. He blasts me with a "You're garbage, no body likes you" when he wishes to register extreme displeasure with me. He even affects an occasional effeminate mannerism, a welcome variety from his otherwise non-stop testosterone. He and I have already shared one of life's only true confrontations: while sharing a urinal, he noted "My penis is bigger than your penis." There is nothing left for us to argue about except the car keys.

Orly is no slacker and at two years of age (as of next week) is precocious and secure. When Yehiel challenges her as to why he should abandon their immediate object of desire to be ceded to her, she responds "Because I said so." Her time at her first group experience seems to have passed with little incident. Her brother is already quite competent on his two-wheeler with training wheels (pacing his parents) and Orly will probably get a tricycle soon.

Meanwhile we are all settling into Rehovot, finding out what the town has to offer and where we can fit in. Lisa is likely to join a vigorous aerobics course soon. Vegetables and fruits are not as cheap as we would like to think they should be, so we will have to keep looking. So far it is comfortable.

As for our domicile, I work on some aspect of getting it in order daily and trust that soon the list of tasks completed will exceed the list of those remaining to be done. It is not easy or inexpensive to fill up space, with the perspective that one day we may not enjoy such spacious quarters. Right now I am into a shelf assembly period.

This letter is traveling with my father who will be in the US for 2 ½ + weeks for the wedding of his brother’s youngest daughter. Ellen just returned from a whirlwind trip to Phila where she helped comfort her grandmother, whose health is deteriorating. While she was gone, and because my brother was on vacation, we were able to see him and his kids. Yehiel and Nadav got along well, in fact related to each other at an all time high. We were in Haifa last weekend and on Fri went to the main city beach where Yehiel went down the water slide with the Haifa crew. Afterwards we took the train to Nahariya for a lark and had the obvious possible misadventure: while Lisa stayed on the train in Nahariya with Ma’ayan, the rest of us piled off for ice cream and then the train left without us. Taking the bus back got us in only 10 minutes later than the train.

Our newest family edition is a voracious appetite and fair sleeper at this point. She does smile and is working up a vocal response to Lisa’s cooing. She already pushes herself up onto her arms and holds her head reasonably securely.

P.S. Yehiel spent his first night away from us without incident

6 September 1988

Dear Family,

I hope this is the last of my hot greetings to you. Cooler weather is forecast and I dare hope that a seasonal change may be imminent. In any event, we are in generally good health and spirits and trust you are likewise.

Starting with our youngest, Ma'ayan grows more sentient daily. She is alert, coos and smiles relatively easily. She will probably be ready for solids soon. Today she received her first immunization syringe injection and did not take kindly to it at first but seems to be recovering. She- passed her medical examination with praise and flying colors. She can raise herself up onto her arms and flip over. She is easily up to 120 ml of materna, formula from a bottle daily.

Orly is also in the midst of maturations. We purchased a ladder up to the toilet and she urinated on the toilet twice today. She can now talk almost a mile per minute, though conversations are somewhat limited to somewhat- immediate or well-worn concerns. She is not quite tall or coordinated enough to fully utilize her new tricycle, but she does zip around on another little four-wheeled vehicle and Yehiel is enjoying her pink-and-white tricycle for the time being. She is cute, precious and precocious and a star of our new mini 8.mm cam-corder. For the time being they are enamored with pictures of themselves on TV...Orly is readjusting without incident to her attendance anew at her playgroup. Her first day of shared commuting without her mother proceeded flawlessly. Her second birthday party last week was tame but fun as my mother and another boy from her playgroup and his parents attended.

Yehiel plays very well with Orly and there seems to be enough furniture and cushions for
them to play on for up to hours each day. He has not done as well at gan where his initial response has been an understandable painful shyness. What with the language barrier (though a number of the kids are English-only or bilingual) and the absence of personalized attention from his aunt, the situation is uncomfortable. But everyone seems to be nice and reasonably concerned and he is taking to his head-covering OK and we hope this difficult period will pass. He is always full of energy and it seems his daily naps are over with. His appetite is down of late. He often doesn’t wet his nighttime diaper.

Lisa has declined to enroll in an aerobics course at present. She is meeting and befriending a number of women, principally US immigrants with children the age of ours. With her mornings now less encumbered, life is less hectic and draining. Suppers are again sumptuous feasts. We still are putting fewer kilometers on our car, though now that we both have credit cards I am sure we will be charging more (and hopefully not enjoying it less).

My job is OK, but the slow season is definitely upon us, with Shlomo pressuring everyone to take vacation. I expect to take off most of October, what with Mert and Dottie's visit of Oct 2-16 and studying in the second half of the month for the NOV. CPA tax exam. Sept. I may also take some vacation as holidays, the evenings before holidays (officially 4-hour days) and the middle days of Succot (officially 5 hour days) occur in abundance. Traffic is really horrible and my morning commute is now only 15 minutes faster than the trip from Gilo, though the evening return is still an hour less. The CPA industry here is even more tied to the tax season than in the US (as the management advisory service end of it is less developed) and recent changes in the law will only accentuate this seasonality.

We had a fun time at the Bat Mitzvah last week in Efrat seeing Jerusalem acquaintances for the first time in years. Oct. 5 we return to the holy city for a wedding of a WUJS friend of ours...Leslie stayed with us for a pleasant four days last week and will be with us over the Rosh Hashana holiday. We also expect my mother to stay with us for various and assorted periods over the next 3 ½ weeks as my father extends his US visit to return with my sister and her family on Oct. 1.

Be well.

12 October 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from a chillier Rehovot. Your manifested concern of late is greatly appreciated and I thank you for all your effort on our behalf. We are generally well and only slightly worse for wear since I last wrote.

Orly and Maayan have some slight congestion from the colder weather but we can report good health otherwise for the past few weeks. We are now all fully double vaccinated against polio (except for Ma'ayan whose vaccination two days ago was her first. Needless to say the deleterious state of the country's sewage system is something of an election year scandal.

We have been entertaining Lisa's parents for the last week and a half and everyone is having a good time. We are doing much traveling, overeating and general partying. The kids warmed up to them almost immediately and the grandparents are grooving on the new family addition. Family moments get more memorable and fun with each passing day.

The kids were off from gan for an extended period in late September for Succot and we ventured up to Haifa for one day to be with my brother's family and eat in their Succa. The return to their structured day began anew uneventfully and Yehiel now almost enjoys (at least he tolerates) his time in the structured Hebrew environment. Orly remains a charm and pesters the other carpooling mothers with "Let's sing a song,.. OK” whenever she gets in their car. One of the problems with their venturing forth into this world, however, is lice, which despite Lisa's best efforts, periodically reappear. Even we are not immune from this infernal infestation.

Anyway, Lisa's father Mert is here on vacation and work purposes and is treating us to lots of good times. Last weekend we were two nights on the road, one in Haifa and one in Nahariya and we took in a number of sights and experiences. This weekend we will again be in the north, but this time inland near the Sea of Galileee and our night out will be in a kibbutz guest house north of Tiberias.

Our visitors have interrupted our settling into Rehovot but I expect we will renew the process after their departure (and their carrying this letter). Two English-speaking mothers of boys in Yehiel's gan invited us over for festive meals during the holiday period and we entertained a cohort of his for some play and we expect to intensify social activity with his classmates to help him make friends...Lisa is also attending social sessions of a post-natal English-speaking support group where she is able to chat with some non-religious types for a change. I have no local friends as of yet, but I'm not worried.

I have been running reasonably regularly and am discovering new paths in the citrus groves. For now I am satisfied with a 30-minute route from our flat that takes me into the Institute and around its borders. Amusingly, a former president of the State of Israel (and professor of chemistry at Weizmann) lives the same 5-minute walk away from us as did the present President when we rented in the middle of Jerusalem. I also recovered my 12-speed bicycle from my brother and had it rejuvenated, hoping to get on it soon before the rainy season starts and it becomes just clutter on our porch.

My sister Judy arrived back from the US recently after a 5 month working visit and is due to give birth to her second child in December. She and husband Ehud and daughter Hagar are well though a reason for their return was Ehud's mother who has now lost half a leg to the ravages of diabetes. My father very much enjoyed his US stay and came back with a renewed and healthy vigor for life, though he did comment that one doesn't have to die to go to heaven, just go to the US. He remains thin and enjoyed being with family.

Of course the big national news is the elections here and in the US.. I expect George will rule over a house divided and here, while polls show a dead heat, I expect the Likud (Shamir) to eke out a plurality but in any event, the governing coalition will be shaky. Alas I have little opportunity to vote effectively for someone speaking reasonable economic sense.

We did manage to attend the wedding of a friend of ours from the 1982 days of WUJS in Arad, that took place in Ein Kerem, outside of Jerusalem. In short, it was a pleasant affair and everything seems to be turning out OK for him.

My reading is pretty much limited to English newspapers and magazines that come my way. As I intend to sit for two of the three examinations on law that I need for the Israeli CPA in late November, I will soon be deeply enmeshed in that material.

As of now, I am slated for m.y 60 day initial army service starting December 18. This
may be delayed until next June.

24 October 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings on a pleasant Rehovot evening. We are in good spirits and OK health and trust you are at least likewise. Most of our health discomfort is Orly's present diarrhea, which seems to be making the rounds. Otherwise, no complaints.

Orly is otherwise endearing as she articulates reasonably succinctly of late, with several sentence dialogs fulfilling and amusing. She plays well with her aggressive older brother and fends off his unwanted physical play adeptly when the interaction reaches a level above her capacity or capability, though even if only by running away. Of course tears are sometimes shed during their interchanges but Orly generally holds her own and she often initiates the variety of their play. Of late she takes less of a shining to going to sleep, even at naptime, so this whole routine becomes more time-consuming and problematic at times...She does have a lot of cute habits and characteristics.

Yehiel, while capable of demonstrating a childish maturity, still remains basically unbridled aggression. He does relate well to Ma'ayan and can manage to keep her smiling for awhile. He can manage to guard her on the couch while he watches TV. He is now totally our of diapers, even at night, though we may have to continue waking him up to urinate before we turn in at night for the near future, as a precautionary measure. He does keep himself amused for a number of hours each afternoon after he comes home from gan, Orly goes to sleep, and Lisa gets dinner ready and does housework. He asks for cartoons but he settles for Lego construction play, cassette and book combinations and other play diversions. As we begin to master our new VCR we are building a reserve of cartoons on tape for the time when everything else fails (which by me occurs too regularly).

Ma'ayan, of course, grows the most each day. She can now turn over with some assistance. She derives a slight amusement from gurgling about in the walker. We are starting her on occasional solids, with predictably slow progress. She is generally happy. She does not sleep well at night, waking up often and randomly. None of our assorted strategies seems to be systematically successful. She, like the other two, has a ton of clothes and their growth and the change in the weather allows Lisa to continually try on new clothes.

Yes, three kids under the age of four are certainly a handful and however petty, I do wax nostalgic about the times when I had more than a few seconds to myself during the day. I have what must be a near-record stack of NYTBR awaiting me and no hopes of getting to them soon.

My next big project, as previously noted, are the two CPA law exams I will be taking in a month's time. I expect to take off 2+ weeks from work to study for them full time. My Absoption Ministry sponsored. review class (in English) begins this week, though it is geared for the exams next May.

I still expect to perform my initial army service from mid Dec to mid Feb and after that I may leave public accounting as my apprenticeship period for both Israel and the US will be complete. I have started searching the classifieds and passively responding to ads.

The excitement in Israel is mounting as elections approach. Last night was the debate between Peres and Shamir and the-later, Mr. smurf, lost. We'll see what the electorate thought. Prospects for anything but a continuation of the statist policies that have plagued us more or less continually since the state's birth are slight however. My vote is for Amnon Rubinstein of Shinui-Center, who is in the peace bloc performed well as Minister of Communications. Oh well, I am sure George Bush will pull us out of any problems we get ourselves into.

We continue to get more settled into Rehovot. This week Lisa is to host the social meeting of her post-natal support group. It remains an enjoyable principal means for her to socialize with non-religious women. Last Shabbat was a brit of the son of acquaintance-friends at the nearby mostly-American synagogue.

Be well.

12.12.88

Dear Family,

A season's greetings from Rehovot. All are well here and in good spirits and we trust you are likewise. Our winter has been quite mild and we trust you haven't been too overwhelmed by inclement weather too date.

A sincerest apology on the 1 ½ month interval between my last letter and this one. I trust the delay will not recur. Lots has happened since I last wrote and I trust it has all been for the better.

On Nov 22 and. 23 I took the Israeli CPA examination for Corporate and Labor, Commercial and other laws. They went OK. I assume I passed at least one. For the moment, I am relieved that it is behind me and I am not urgently seeking a repeat.

The real big personal news is that I have changed jobs. No longer am I an apprentice CPA. I am now controller (read bookkeeper) for the firm of Iruit (translated something like 'Events") Ltd. The company specialty is flag production for order, but they engage in any and all sorts of commercial transactions for profit, both import and export. The amount I can learn is quite great and I am enthused. A 20+% salary increase is also agreeable. The catch is that my boss, the company's owner, David Shimoni, is a nice guy but poor manager. The person I am replacing was asked to leave, or left, but in any event she is certainly as capable as I am, so there is some cause for concern.

Meanwhile, I think I may have come upon a profitable idea: public domain software. The enterprise is to be called Diskettech and I think that a small sales operation of non-proprietary programs will be a worthwhile endeavor. I'll keep you apprised. So far I have rented a P.O.Box ($22 for 12 months), sent away for price lists and product descriptions and initiated a few sample purchases.

The kids are their usual spontaneous and vivacious selves. Ma'ayan is now something of an accomplished crawler, more so than her elder siblings were. She can also get around practically the entire apt by herself in the walker. She has a very agreeable personality and still lights up and seeks out her siblings' company, though her presence is not always without danger to her. She is up to 2 to 3 meals per day of solids and she now also drinks cow's milk from a bottle. She will eat most any mush or gruel put in front of her. As it happens, she is presently listless and under the weather, but we are hoping she'll bounce back soon.

Orly is more and more Miss Precocious every day. Today she repeatedly complained her Micky Mouse face artwork wasn't on the straw-stick "properly" and she and I had a brief animated discussion about her family and my family. She also laughs easily and can entertain herself with only nominal adult input for extended periods. Alas she is still in diapers and has daily bottles, but this will pass.

Yehiel is reasonably well adjusted to his hebrew-speaking religious nursery school. His present best friend is a native Hebrew speaker. He now holds writing implements in the standard fashion and has great fun with coloring books. He is on the border of self-consciousness and has a more-or-less acceptable temperament of late. His fourth birthday has come and passed and we threw him a very subdued birthday party, but he didn't seem to mind.

Yes, the seasons come and go. We are certainly expecting winter's imminent arrival. Orange harvesting is upon us and I have been journeying with the kids to the nearby (block away) open-to-the-public Weizmann Institute orange groves where we eat and gather to stomachs' content. The cold is here, but even though our apt. has poor insulation, the discomfort has been mild, as cold on the coastal plane is not that of Jerusalem or Milwaukee. We bought a portable oil-filled electric radiator and may employ the building's central heating as the needs arise. The seasons also move on in the larger sense. We are now four at the kitchen table when we eat. Orly has joined us and Ma'ayan is in the high chair-walker.

We have been doing a fair amount of visiting to Jerusalem and once to Haifa in the past month. My family is well and all those under 60 gainfully employed, except my sister who recently gave birth to her second daughter, Shimrit Adika , Both of them are in good health and Judy, my sister, will probably start working by Feb. 1 as she is having lots; of' good interviews and doesn’t have the financial alternative of full-time motherhood.

26.12.88

Dear Family,

Well here it is two weeks later and I am still sitting on my previous letter. But I have good reason...Iruit is of the past and tomorrow I start another new job, as a budget analyst at the Weizzman Institute next door. It happened that in my job search at the beginning of the month I had left my resume with the personnel department and the finance department manager Michael (“Tibi") Netzer found it there and called me in. The job entails interfacing and liaising with a number of different departments for a number of different tasks and projects both on a regular and on-demand basis. Among the regular jobs are monthly university-wide salary adjustment calculations, handling of the university's insurance policies, reconciliation of budgeted and actual expenditures, and periodic reports to assorted bodies and agencies.

The salary is super (what I was making in Milwaukee) and the Inst. throws in another 20% for pension and benefit funds. And then we start with all the incidental benefits: up to two subsidized meals per day, nominal cost for family usage of the pool and sauna, summer camp and day care for the kids, library usage and courses, etc... In short, a bureaucrat's dream come true. At my desk I have practically sole usage of an Olivetti AT compatible computer with a 40mb hard disk and color screen and printer. Hopefully, I am set for the rest of my working life. The woman who left the job is going to work for a bank in Tel Aviv, a mistake I would think.

So I am leaving Iruit after a fortnight. I may never see financial compensation for my labors, so we might settle on a Hebrew typewriter for my efforts. The company and management are in sad shape so I wouldn't feel so bad about the whole thing if David, the owner hadn't suffered life's worst tragedy last week. the death of his intermittently ill 20-month old daughter. The funeral was unforgettably moving.

I am moving along with my software idea. I am about to place $500 worth of orders for some 200 disks worth of programs that will constitute my initial inventory. Now I have to organize the corporate form and start the marketing - brochure printing efforts. Within 3 months and $2,000 it should be up and running.

Everyone is in good health here. A real birthday party was held for Yehiel at his gan last Friday and the action was captured for posterity and. is to be available through MNR films. Lots of dancing singing, running around, game playing, eating etc.. The whole immediate family turned out for the affair.

During the kids' Hanukah vacation we did manage to get to visit cousin Scott Rotter on his nearby Kibbutz Gezer. The farm atmosphere and open spaces were great for the kids to run around in and we hope to see more of him and his wife Lisa, when they return from their January Wilkes Barre, PA wedding.

My sister will probably be starting to work in 3-.5 weeks as assistant director of the accounting department at Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. They are shopping around for a new car and will probably settle on the same choice as Lisa's sister Leslie, a Peugot 205. Of course my sister will pay an extra $7,000 because she doesn’t' t have the new immigrant rights that Leslie does.

Our social calendar is moderately busy. We usually entertain on Shabbat. Last weekend my parents slept over and next weekend we will probably host for a meal a family with kids in one of our childrens' gans (our usual guests).

My diet of late is typical PCL faire and I am running at least once or twice a week, so I am in reasonably good shape.

Be well and HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 7, 1989

Dear Family,

A hearty greetings to you from a new year and an old correspondent. We trust your winter is not unbearably cold. With but fairly constant runny noses and occasional full-fledged colds, we seem to be making it through not too much worse for the season.

Starting with the smallest, all the children are darling and making their way to becoming sentient, conscious and productive human beings. Ma'ayan can now almost lean up against low surfaces and has started making different noises to communicate. She certainly squirms more when she is being changed and is more capable of mischief-making if the house isn't child-proofed. She crawls reasonably well. Kitchen utensils seem to be of as much interest to her as her formal toys.

Orly remains her inimitable self. Her afternoon nap remains a problematic question. Currently she is not sleeping well and we suspect a pathological cause. Her upcoming first visit to the dentist may yield a clue. Usually she is lots of fun to be with, from morning to night.

Yehiel is making strides towards bicameral consciousness. Of late his drawing has become more focused, patterned, deliberate and almost recognizable. He does a lot of coloring both at home and gan and doesn't object when we push the activity on him. I maintain an adequate supply of large computer printout paper for this purpose. His dialog and discourse patterns are maturing.

I am in great spirits as I settle into my new job and lifestyle. Not since my car-less days in Morris, MN a decade ago have I been traveling less and enjoying it more. My bicycle ride to work is under five minute_ and while I still drive the car a few time per week, it is for very short distances and my bus riding days are over for now. The subsidized buffet-refreshment room in my building frees me from preparing my own breakfast as I munch on a cheese or scrambled egg on roll instead and humus and tehina pita satisfy me at lunch if I don't opt for the chicken or other meat meal in the main dining room.This week the Institute's recreation village opened a weight room with modern nautilus-style stations and I expect to get an athletic routine down either before, during, or after work hours...Weekly movies and other regular cultural activities come to the campus and next week we may take in the flick "Hope and Glory." At the last minute I passed on this week's offering, David Mamet's "House of Games."...Other ongoing benefits include sales by big manufacturers on a revolving basis, and a subsidized grocery.

My job and the work atmosphere are pleasant and relaxed. As might be expected, except for my boss, no one is particularly overworked or under great stress, including me. I am going to have to work hard to fill up my day with productive labor. I hope to have my PC connected to the mainframe system, enabling me to access budget and accounting figures which could help me develop a more sophisticated budgeting process than the current straight percentages based on moths elapsed. It seems that much of the revenue and expenditures could undergo a more thorough analysis.

I have been using the Einstein word processing program installed on my Olivetti to begin composing the catalog for my initial public domain software catalog. So far everything is going well but I have much text to input and otherwise a long way to go. These programs I hope to be getting in under two weeks as my brother is currently in North America on business and I have ordered them to be sent to his in-laws in Phila where he will pick them up. His main stop is in Montreal where in his capacity as a senior R&D staffer at Elscint he is helping orient and introduce the staff of the hospital purchasing Elscint's latest CAT scanner on how to use it. He may have more journeys to come and on this trip, Liat, his middle child, will be with her Phila grandparents for its duration.

My shorter commute and less hours away from home are helpful to Lisa and she is in good spirits. She is presently into a Marge Piercy reading binge and at this moment is absorbed in the recent Gone To Soldiers, which I understand is absorbing and enjoyable. She is hoping to get into an aerobics class offered at the recreation village and will certainly use the under-construction covered pool when it is completed.
Be well.

January 24, 1989

Dearr Family,

A wintry greetings to you from my sunny office facing north and the orange, palm cypress and other trees beyond the parking let. There are still some oranges awaiting plucking that beckon to me each time I glance outward. Today's high of 60°F is most unwintry-like and the Brahms at today's noon piano recital in the Wix auditorium next-door had a definite spring-like feel to it also. At home we are not suffering despite our lack of central heat. I wear a pullover coat on my morning and evening bicycle commute but am otherwise in a sweater or less the rest of the day.

The kids. except for Ma'ayan who is always close to the cold tile floor, seem to be over their sniffles and colds. Orly is also sleeping soundly at night so we assume the molar arrival (?) that was bothering her is past and her first dental appointment has been delayed. Yehiel still wakes up occasionally with muscle cramps in his legs but we assume that they are what Lisa had as a child and will pass with age. Ma'ayan is eating more solids. She often partakes of our dinner repasts. She is a boisterous happy spirit and is often gurgling over with happy sounds and excited body gesticulations. Everything interests and usually excites her and she suffers her elder siblings well. She can now pull herself up to a standing position with relative aplomb and honest-to-goodness scuffling along the edge of furniture can't be long in coming, She is still baby-squat in stature and drinking from a bottle more and nursing less.

Orly is the cutest little chatterbox this side of Tel Aviv. Her Hebrew is improving measurably. She toys with leaving diapers, but alas not yet for good. She is the one who asks for oatmeal in the morning, but she generally eats little as her bottle takes primacy. She still doesn't run preferring to prance/float along the ground.

Both she and Yehiel enjoy going to gan each day. He always manages to get sand in his shoes and socks. so I guess he is having a good time. He reports playing most regularly with two friends, Arik and Erio, He is certainly enjoying his bicycle more and he covets his daily dose of Cartoons .

Lisa is going to the sauna twice + weekly and it may be improving her circulation. She is now past Marge Piercy and presently into Len Deighton's Winter. The winter is passing reasonably easy for her but we are beginning to gear up for my initial 6-week army reserve duty beginning March 13.

I am doing well as I settle into my job and its tenure track obsolescence. Other than handling insurance and periodic reports of various sorts my time is not in great demand. Still. I manage to generally keep busy. My Hebrew typing is improving and I am up to a daily sauna and am enjoying that immensely. I am eating light during the day so my weight is tolerable.

My business plans are proceeding apace. I have been coming into the office at night and been preparing my shareware software catalog. I have now completed the cataloging and it will run to 16 condensed half pages (4 folded pages) and another folded page will be introduction, explanation and disclaimer in Hebrew and English. My brother returned from the US this week (where he had a successful and fun time in Montreal. Clev, Phil, and NYC) with my three bulk shareware purchases. When we see them next week I will begin verifying that the shareware does what my catalog advertises it does. I may also have to delay marketing until I receive site licenses from the shareware authors,

Be well and give my regrads to the new prez, George Herbert Walker B.

April 10, 1989

Dear Family,

Greetings from your Israeli army "veteran". With my basic training behind me, I am back in civilian life and only slightly worse for wear. I trust that spring has sprung in your locale as it has here with a vengeance. We are in good spirits and health as the Passover holiday approaches and trust you are likewise.

As for my army experience. it was not so far from summer camp for adult men. The beginning was ominous enough, as hundreds milled about the entrance to the main base, awaiting "selection" to various bases. We then received our uniforms, had the imprint and photograph of various parts of our bodies recorded (for identification for proper burial in case of dismemberment), ate, and got shipped off to boot camp. Our bus broke down on the way and we arrived two hours late in total darkness, with a thick shroud of cold fog engulfing us, 3 master sergeants barking at us not to move, barbed wire about, and the sound of gun shots in the background. While that experience set the tone. it didn't get any worse.

Our objective accomplishments during our 24-day training were: acquaintance (bordering on familiarity) with the M-16, Uzi and Galil rifles and a cursory knowledge of first aid, grenades, chemical warfare and other assorted army matters. I did learn to: awaken at 4:45 AM, follow orders, exist on army food, stand guard, and live like something of a pampered soldier. Other than the discipline, rifle handling and guarding, it all could have been done cheaper and better by correspondence, and most would agree that at least one week could 1ave been lopped off without ill effect.

Our unit consisted of 135 immigrant men divided into 3 divisions 3 of 45 each. Most were near me in age and had similar family status. Our division had immigrants from 16 countries with the largest contingent (11) coming from the US (all of them save myself and two others being newly or traditionally orthodox). Next in number were the Rumanians, Ethiopians, and French, with 5-7 each. In addition to the Americans, some 4-5 other Northern Europeans and Canadian spoke English fluently. All told, the English-speakers at least, were a fairly impressive lot, with four of them currently writing books.

Our officers ranged in age from 19-23 and more or less acted like kids with authority. As their goals (looking good for their superiors) and ours (taking it as easy as possible) often diverged, tension resulted. Unfortunately they felt they were empowered with 10 effective disciplinary measures, so those who stepped out of line (disproportionately the Rumanians I am saddened to say) quickly learned that there was little price to pay. The base, built by the Jordanians under British supervision, is 3 miles north of Ramallah and our barracks was of that vintage. I am told the army spends about $1.50 per day to feed its soldiers and that is about what it felt like, with eggs, beans, rice and cottage or white cheese twice daily. The meat at lunch was generally edible and everything was kosher...The physical conditioning was quite moderate as we were told the possibility of one heart attack deterred the exercising of 134 others...I. with my obsession for newspapers was able to get a lot of reading in as we hurried up and waited most of the time. We had daily Hebrew newspapers delivered to our barracks...I do hope to retain some remnant of friendship with some of the guys, particularly the authors, as some were quite profound and fun to be with and helped me learn.

While we may be in the same reserve unit, my understanding is that we will mostly be guarding air force bases near our domiciles. Our initial reserve duty was delayed and except for May 3 (when we are to reassemble for assignment), I won't have to be near anything army-related for at least three months.

The most important appreciation I encountered was that the next stage of the intifada will be in the Galil, where Arabs are a majority and are treated as second class citizens. The prognosis is foreboding.

The family fared reasonably well in my absence, with no serious injuries or illnesses befalling anyone...Ma'ayan is still not yet walking, but she can keep her balance momentarily and shuffles and crawls along manageably. With the warmer weather, she and Orly have mth been bought sandals. She makes all sorts of happy gurgling noises both in response to external stimuli and apparent internal contentedness. More outlines of teeth are appearing in her gums and this must be contributing to her occasionally fitful sleep. She remains a reasonably adventurous a hearty appetite.

Orly is diaperless and has been bereft of accidents during her awake hours of late. She remains a budding and blossoming conversationalist. The educational system's Passover holiday includes the week before Passover so we are sending both her and Yehiel to an organized play group for the pre-holiday week. He is looking forward to the return of his original pre-kindergarten teacher Miri after holiday. We are somewhat disappointed that in the school year to date he has not been invited over to a single home to play, despite Lisa's numerous hostings, but he doesn't complain. He is developing little boy strength from playground exercise and running about. We now get weekly dosages of Flintstones, Jetsons, Top Cat and a few other vintage and new cartoons from America's finest, which Yehiel lives for.

Our seder next week will be a fairly simple affair with my parents and sister-in-law Leslie in attendance. I expect the kids will ask the four questions without difficulty. The work will be in the cleaning and preparation, with Lisa being more-or-less on schedule at this time.

At week's end, the Institute recreation center is scheduled to open its pool and refurbished locker rooms. We are expecting this to become an integral part of our summer experience. With more sunlight and warmer temperatures, the kids are more active for more of the day and this outlet is arriving none too soon.

I returned to my job last week and within three days I have caught up on the work that was awaiting me. Now I can devote more of my energies to my still-germinating Software Warehouse business. I trust that within a month the enterprise will be up and running but it will require a lot of work and some luck.

The rest of my family is doing reasonably well. My brother is frenetically busy with moving to their newly purchased apartment, fulfilling the responsibilities of the Marketing Technical Coordinator position he was promoted to at Elscint and getting his own radiation-badge testing business going...My sister and her family all seem to be recovering their health with the warmer weather...My parents are getting psyched for their US sojourn May 10 - June 10.

April 26, 1989

Dear Family,

A happy greetings to you on the night of the departure of our Passover festival of liberation. For me it is always liberating to be able to eat bread products again. We trust your holiday seder and week were meaningful and pleasant, as was ours. Gracing our seder table were my parents and Leslie. We attribute (project) the brevity and hurriedness of our retelling of the story to the children’s' presence and hope (wish) that next year's affair will be more thorough.

The Institute was closed for the entire 8-day duration of the holiday (and day before) so I was able to help Lisa out with the kids. They return to their pre-school settings next Sunday, to our relief. Fortunately the WIS recreation center pool opened for the season on April 15 and we have frequented it almost daily. The kiddy pool is about our speed and so far the kids are not tired of the simple pleasures it provides. It will also hopefully serve as a focus for existing and new friends for the kids (and us). It may also prove to be a facility for Lisa to engage in her favorite exercise.

Yehiel is so far demonstrating a willingness to learn swimming fundamentals and may eve progress to a comfortableness with keeping his head in the water by the time the season is over. He is blossoming with a whole host of sentient manifestations, from competence in basic personal hygiene to facility in clothing and disrobing himself and an inkling into the larger questions awaiting him. Alas, he still possesses a four-year-old's insecurity, at least partially attributable to his remaining infelicity with the native language.

Orly has more self-assurance (a questionable conjecture of someone 32 months old). The evaluation of the organizer of the one-week pre-Passover day care was that Yehiel played wit the younger kids, because Orly would lead him into a group scene and then leave it for some thing new. Her precociousness is fresh and fun. She asks what various street signs say and she has her two alphabets down reasonably pat. She is good at imaginative play, though she has a certain preoccupation with making sweet things. A source of consternation is her picky diet and milk bottle dependence.

Ma'ayan remains as cheery as could be. She unwittingly and willingly relishes the role of the foil in her siblings' endless game of "She's coming." The game can only grow more intense as she learns to walk. Presently Ma’ayan can stand alone well enough but that first balanced step remains an expectation. She remains chunkier than her older sister and is comfortably into clothes designated as 18 months, which Orly did wear at 18 months.

We were in Jerusalem two days ago to picnic with an army buddy of mine and his family and then to share some birthday cake and joy with my brother's children for his middle child Liat who turned 8. My brother and his wife stayed in Haifa, working on unpacking. My parents hosted the party...Today we barbecued with Leslie and my sister and her family at a park half-way between here and J'm and everyone enjoyed the four-hour repast. Our kids got along well with my niece Hagar, who is 3 months younger than Orly.

Work is going OK. I am actually busy now with our quarterly report to the governmental Higher Education Council, the body that oversees the distribution of the one-third of our annual $90 million budget that comes from the nat'l gov't. Other matters do keep me occupied like assorted monthly and quarterly reports and insurance matters, but by now these are quit, routine. I should soon be having my first meeting with the Institute's independent Insurance adviser in Tel Aviv sometime soon.

Meanwhile, Software Warehouse, my mail-order business will take as much time as I can give. Lots of administrative details remain to be addressed so now I am not sure when my advertising campaign and catalog distribution will commence. Progress is being made, however ephemeral or microscopic it feels at the time.

April 27

I do not think that I wrote that I received notification of my successfully passing the two Israeli CPA exam parts that I sat for; Now only the tax part remains, but I have no plans at present to sit for it. Meanwhile the Ohio Board has informed me all they need is my application and upon their reception of it, I will be granted my US CPA .

The weather has gotten quite warm here and our windows are always open (except during the day's heat), letting out our noise (for which we have been anonymously reprimanded) and letting in mosquitoes…The recreation center locker room and sauna refurbishing have been going on for a month, with the completion not yet at hand, so I have been fitfully running and swimming. With daylight savings time due to arrive this weekend I hope to be able to run regularly before iark.

The political situation has no one cheery as despite (or because of) Shamir's best efforts at standing firm, dialog, which will lead to another Palestinian state, appears in the offing. We have all necessarily become hardened to the daily casualty toll from the disturbances.

May 4 1989

Dear Family.

A brief greeting to you on a balmy spring day. Everyone here is well and we trust you are likewise. I am taking the opportunity of my parents' departure next week to send some inexpensive letters.

In the past week I had a workers' holiday (May 1). my army unit assignment and Israel experienced the annual Holocaust memorial day. On my vacation day I ran some personal and business errands, worked on my catalog and went to the pool with the family... Yom HaShoah was somber but uneventful. It was interesting to hear of the kids' first exposure to the matter.. .My army unit assignment was a pleasant reunion with buddies, but a disappointment in outcome as we are to serve in a battle-ready southern border guard unit. which seems to do the maximum (this year 44) number of reserve service days allowable, somewhere far from home along the southern border. Presently they are between the Dead Sea and Eilat so the next 20+ day call-up will hopefully not be until Nov. or Dec.

The children are a mixed delight, as usual. We bought them used matching youth beds and Orly seems to have left the crib without problem. The next steps are weaning her from the bottle and nightly bladder control. She is still not yet 100% interested during the day to get to the toilet on time...Ma'ayan is making progress in walking and eating. She is up to an unstable step now and then and some side teeth are becoming visible. (Correction of last letter: she wears size 24 months clothes).

Life at the office goes OK. My Higher Education Council report is well along, so I am back to a slow pace...I received some 90 new programs and must integrate them into my shareware catalog and am anxious to get going. More or less all the administrative and organizational materials have been satisfactorily addressed.

I am hoping/expecting that I'll be making a more disciplined effort at physical exercise in the near future. Running in the morning seems to be doable and tolerable endeavor.

May will be a month with 4 vacation days and next week we will spend Independence day with my brother and family in their new home, returning the morning after to avoid the traffic.

May 28-30, 1989

Dear Family,

Greetings on a sultry hot end-of-May day from my office window, facing north and the gently swaying trees of the Institute grounds. We trust summer's imminent arrival with you bodes warm cheery days for one and all. With us, the kids are all in good health, but Lisa and I had bouts of illness. I was afflicted with something like sinusitis for the past fortnight, doggedly refusing to see a physician and I think now it is finally just about over. (Of course had I seen a doctor at $2.10 for the visit, I would have received a prescription for free antibiotics and been done, but instead I saw a dentist for $24 when related molar pains appeared and got no closer to a medical cure.) Lisa had recurring headaches which seem to have abated for now.

Yes, summer and its associated heat are here. Weekends and occasionally during the week we are at the Recreation Center pool. So far it has just been frolicking in the water and on the grounds but the time passes easily and fun. We have also been to three different beaches this year already, once by ourselves, once with my sister's family and once with my brother's family. The kid's like the beach, too, so I imagine the sand pilgrimage will be at least monthly this season...For relief from mosquitoes we are employing 8 Watt pellet repellents that are housed in a heating shell (giving off fumes) that plugs into the wall and we purchased an 8 w blue light-grid zapper for flying insects. Ma'ayan has netting over her crib. So far its OK.

Progress on all fronts for the kids! Ma'ayan is definitely taking occasional independent steps. She enjoys putting smaller objects into larger containers and then dumping them out again. She attempts to get into everything, including electrical outlets and plant roots and she likes ripping books, so we have to be pretty vigilant. With the arrival of more teeth, she is eating food less processed. She has a taste for chicken and eats much willingly, except microwaved potatoes. She is still chunky and has a good disposition.

Orly remains precocious, chattering away, when she is actually talking to herself. She drinks warmed milk from her bottle when she goes to sleep and we permit her only water or soda water at other times in her bottle, so she is giving it up fairly painlessly and rapidly. She has certainly benefitted from her day-care situation this year (2 adults for 8 kids) , she knows the days of the week, months, books of the torah and bible, letters, numbers, and more in both English and Hebrew. She plays creatively with building blocks and sets and can be exacting in her orderliness when she wants.

Yehiel didn't have the personal attention in his pre-kindergarten (2 adults for 32 kids) this year. His Hebrew has improved substantially, at least. His drawing is also improving noticeably. He and Orly do general: play well together, still in English. He can be generous and on his own initiative, helpfully. He still suffers occasional leg (we assume growing) pains. Fortunately both he and Orly like peanut butter, which serves as the basis for an any time snack.

I am into my busiest season as the preparation for the annual budget review for the Council For Higher Education Planning and Grants Committee June 14 meeting is principally my responsibility and in full swing. The problem is I need lots of different information from different people, all of whom have their own priorities, so the process entails lots of running around and waiting, in addition to mastering the subtleties of the calculations.

Most nights for the past month I have also been preparing my initial flier for Software Warehouse (enclosed) which I hope to distribute in the parking lot and maybe within the hall of the annual Computax computer fair which runs May 30 - June 1. Of course now the work for this really begins as the business will entail all sorts of attention. [June 4: Initial results were somewhat encouraging as I have already racked up $100 in sales but the response is less than I would have hoped for and the competition is more significant than I had realized.]

Our social calendar remains low key, with occasional get-togethers with other families We did attend a pleasant reception at nearby Kibbutz Gezer for Lisa's cousin Scott, who is a kibbutz member and was married in the US in Jan...We seem to be settling into the Conservative congregation and will probably join by the High Holidays.

June 27-29, 1989

Dear Family,

A summer greetings from my first floor perch. We are all hot and well and trust you are likewise. Worse than the heat, though, the mosquitoes and flies are in full seasonal swing and we are having fitful success keeping them at bay. Hopefully, as was done last year, the city will effectively spray pesticides. In theory we hope to acquire an air conditioner, but certainly not this year.

The pool continues to provide periodic relief. Next week starts summer camp for Yehiel at the recreation center and he probably will not be the only family member getting a daily dosage of the place. He will know some of the kids in group of 4 ½ - 5 ½ year olds from his class, and while they are not his closest friends he should be OK, despite his still basic Hebrew understanding. Orly will continue with the same setup for the month of July.

As usual, parenthood had its satisfactions this past month. Ma'ayan is now a full-fledged walker, rarely crawling. Where once the patter of four little feet greeted me on my arrival home, we know have six (provided I am not competing with the TV). She is also making varied, distinct, and as yet indecipherable talking sounds. She enjoys obvious hide’n'seek type games and will wander off independently to play with whatever adult will respond to her smiles and overtures. Alas she suffers from a persistent diarrhea, which has repeatedly been tested for and proven not to be of bacterial or other foreign cause. As to be expected, Ma’ayan's upright posture has subtly but profoundly altered her perceptions of the world, as she lurches toward self-consciousness.

Orly is usually pleasant to be with as she will be happy to chatter to you about a variety of topics. She can be a cry-baby and does have a spoiled streak that often precludes her participation in cleaning up of scattered toys except under the most threatening sanctions and outpouring of tears. She is also now capable of ill-will as when I threaten to smack Yehiel for some obnoxious behavior, she will pipe in "Yah, smack him, smack him." But usually her comments are in innocent fun. She also has gone the month without a panties wetting accident, though she still generally protests at having to leave her fun of the moment to be dragged to the bathroom.

Yehiel"s progress in coordination, physical strength and mechanical ability continues. He throws, catches, and kicks a big plastic ball well. His drawings are vibrant with colors and shapes and the people increasingly recognizable as such. He is generally good natured and generous in play with others, though predictably less giving with his sisters. He can traverse all the rungs of playground suspended horizontal ladders, progressing arm after arm, a feat his cousin Nadav is probably a year away from. He is making progress in the water, and would certainly benefit from lessons, though we may wait a year with them.

I spent most of the month busy on preparation for the Higher Ed. Council meeting. My role was to prepare the NIS 108 million salary portion forecast of the annual budget, which entailed some creativity and lots of Lotus jockeying. Our meeting with them in J'm has been put off until next week and in the meanwhile they want some written explanations on our budget deviations from last year above their given inflation and devaluation expectations, so I am not yet out of the woods. Otherwise, everything is well under control.

So far we have generated some $300-$400 in software sales from my initial flier and I am now into the catalog preparation for our next marketing effort. Disappointingly my father was unable to bring the computer back with him on his return from the US and I am now expecting it by air freight in 10 days time. I am expecting the wait to be worthwhile as I will be getting a lot more computer for the budget I had allocated.

Lisa is moving into the business management reasonably smoothly but her phone sales ability will certainly pick up as she familiarizes herself with our inventory after the computer arrives. Yet we are still having almost a running discussion as to whether and how she will undertake other gainful employment next year as we gear up to somehow being able to afford to purchase an apartment in less than one year's time.

My family are all well and busy, with every adult under 65 employed. My brother is in Paris this coming fortnight as the Elscint marketing technical support person for the CAT scanners, appearing both at a trade show and briefing European salesmen. Next month he is off to Manilla, in a similar function. His wife Ellen has a 20 hour per week and a 10 hour per week job as a social worker for elderly and she still manages to swim 1 km a couple times per week. She is Phila bound in August with her eldest daughter for a visit.

My sister is very much enjoying her Acct Dept Asst Anger position at Shaare Zedek hospital and is deep in the throes of a new computer system installation. Her daughters, both three month younger than our girls, are growing nicely and the elder, Hagar, gets along well with Yehiel. Ehud, her husband, is content with his bookkeeping job that he started this month.

My parents had a grand time in the US and came back invigorated and enthused. They have resumed their walking and running routines as well as their busy social calendar. My mother now swears by her latest Dexter shoes acquisition.

September 18, 1989

Dear Family,

Well, this is it. We've hit the big time. Our computer up and running and I seem to be unable to get some leisure time on it to write a leisure piece to you. I am composing this letter with a bootleg copy of Wordperfect 5.0 with the help of a bootlegged KO-PILOT, starting it at the office and expecting to finish it at home. I trust the results will be aesthetically pleasing,

So far we are getting what we want from it. Lisa has started the word-processing as we had hopped and Yehiel has almost, though not quite, exhausted his interest in my inventory of games, I have been learning a variety of subjects, I spent a few hours in Tel Aviv distributing Software Warehouse fliers and we have had a little business from that, which we are now managing from home. I also acquired a tax-authority-acceptable bookkeeping program, which I expect to start employing for our income and expenses. I will probably take a full day off to distribute fliers in Tel Aviv later this week,

As usual I am happy to report generally good health all around. Yehiel is basically over his ear infection, but at a cost of our staying away from the pool for the past fortnight and twice-daily eardrops. As a precautionary measure we are taking him for a hearing test, His right ankle still occasionally hurts, yet as nothing shows up in blood tests or X-Rays we will wait before we try anything more extensive,

The development levels of all the kids are fun to observe, though less so for our neighbors, who have given us a third anonymous plea for more quiet on Saturday mornings, Ma'ayan likes to walk and may have said her first word, "more," in obvious reference to food (sweets), Yehiel is almost up to solving 60+ piece puzzles himself, Orly can do a 13 piece puzzle with some help.

The two older kids are enjoying the company of the three new, immigrant kids who moved into the first floor of our building with their divorced mother. It allows them to relax and play in English.

We did spend a pleasant Shabbat at Mt Meron (not Tabor) with my brother & family and caught up with Ellen about her trip to the U.S. Our next family get-togethers will be around the New Years holidays when I expect we'll see everyone at some point.

I am finishing Primo Levi's The Drowned and the Saved, his last work, about his lessons from Auschwitz. I expect to return to more technical and/or periodical reading, but may read Peter Gay' Freud, if I get the chance.

I am less busy at work, so I have been learning about computer software and hope to make significant progress on DOS and C, languages. I am still awaiting my mainframe hookup and the new world it holds in store.

Today I received official notice from the Accontancy Board of Ohio that I am a U.S. CPA. While I expect it not to mean too much here, I have vague plans for returning to the US for the Feb-Apr 1991 tax season, We expect Yehiel to be in his final year a kindergarten and thus for the last time not at much of a loss for any loss of school time. The certification is a real relief and trust the last new line on my resume for awhile.

I certainly consider myself fortunate in that I am experiencing basically everything I could want out of life, with few compromises, Of course, all the bills are far from paid and therein lie the seeds of any potential tragedy, Our next major hurdle will come in the spring when we hope to buy an apartment in Rehovot.

We are in a typically politically fluid period in this nation's young history. Maybe something will come of Mubarak's dialog initiatives. I certainly hope my fellow voters feel likewise. Unemployment here is at some 9.5% and I really don't see a quick solution. The mythical selling off of government enterprises is now at least 5 years in germination.

I personally have been expecting a recession in the U.S. in 1990, based on money supply interpretations. My principal concern is for falling real estate prices and interest rates. Though it may be only wishful thinking, 1 am not yet ready to abandon this expectation.

On this eve of TASHAN (5,750) I am excited and enthused about the Jewish state. Daily life still holds a privileged and magical air, to speak in Hebrew among Jews. My office-mate Yossi is a first generation Sabra of Yemeni descent. He is 40, single, simple and deeply religious. I have learned from him and generally enjoy his presence.

Aargh! Here it is Sept. 20 and 1 am still trying to get this printed out to send to you. This word processor is not without its bugs...Meanwhile, Yehiel's hearing test turned up no problems...Tne weather here has turned scorching, After 6+ weeks of 30 degree C highs, today we are now suffering

Gilo Apr-July '88

2006-07-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

April 9, 1988

Dear Family,

A somewhat relaxed greeting to you on the close of the Passover holiday from Jerusalem. We are more or less fully and happily ensconced in our domicile in Gilo and gearing up to returning to a normal life. While everyone is well and happy, we all miss our beautiful family in Milwaukee.

Life here is beginning to take on a normalcy. This past week my brother and his family were in from Haifa and we got to see lots of them. My nieces Noa and Liat really fawned over our kids and Nadav is the same age as Yehiel so everyone had a good time. The Gilo park - humongous playground is for kids of all ages, so we are having lots of good times there. The Hebrew Univ. botanical gardens
have come a long way in the last 16 months and this Passover were a cacophony of color and lush and varied flora. We expect to see the Haifa crowd again for a picnic on Independence Day and possibly go up there for a Shabbat even sooner, but with Lisa's pregnancy entering its final stage, we probably will not be seeing too much of them after that, until mid-June. They would certainly welcome our relocating to Haifa.

Jerusalem is in full blossom. Tulips are blooming all over the place. Two new strolling promenades, one in Gilo and one in East Talpiot attest to the vibrancy and care or the city's planning. While E. T.'s has the more spectacular view and formal construction, ours has the play area for the kids. The city also has its share of familiar faces as we randomly encounter acquaintances and friends of years past. A new structure near us is the completed gas station across the street from our apt. complex. While we are warned by everyone to not travel into the territories, we are otherwise removed from any of the rioting-uprising

My sister and her husband Ehud and 1 ½ yr old daughter Hagar are set to leave for Phila on April 25. They are all set (except for packing) for a year's + stay, though she is due to give birth in December, which I expect will complicate their plans somewhat.

My parents are in good health and spirits. They do not currently have the extremely rigorous physical and social lives of the recent past, but they are busy and free of any pain. My mother's Hebrew continues to improve slowly while my father remains adamant about his ignorance.

Leslie was a real help our first few days and during most of Passover she went touring to Tel Aviv and parts north with her car-endowed friend Jill. She looks good and seems happy about what's happening professionally. We expect to enroll Yehiel in her pre-school class next week.

I have had my resume translated into Hebrew and have begun answering job ads. I will also soon try a scattershot application to public accounting firms. So far the process is proceeding as planned…Our only institutional hitch is that it will take a few weeks for us to get back into the national insurance system so we will probably arrange private insurance until then. My full citizenship has been applied for and I should be getting it within a month (and army duty within
a year). Our apt. and car are in good shape... In fact, Gilo being a relatively quiet and safe neighborhood (i.e. no major Arab population between us and the city) suburb, apt. prices here have appreciated dramatically since we left, in dollar terms. We expect to rent this out when we move, but maybe not and in any event, we will probably not live in this apt. again, as we have had enough of fourth floor life over a relatively crowded courtyard. .

Prices of just about every basic commodity excepting maybe bread $0.38 loaf) and gasoline ($3.20 per gallon) are higher on a real basis since we left. Milk is now $2.20 per gallon and hard cheese $3 per pound. While I the economist appreciate the beneficial effect that the subsidy removal has had on allowing the budget to be tamed and inflation brought under control, I the consumer am grieving.

Daily high temperatures have been up to 75 degrees F and we are all into sandals, sand toys and sandboxes...Not much is happening back at my old employer, the Israel Economist, and it seems that operations there will wind up within the year.

Be well

P.S. We plugged in our microwave oven soon after arrival and it has been working for us at least daily since.

P.P.S. Orly had a first bowel movement on the potty today! Hurray!

April 23-24, 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from Jerusalem. We are all well and in good spirits and trust you are likewise. Other than the weather, everything has been going well since I last wrote. It has been cold and. damp these past two weeks so we've been bundling up both day and night. We have no promises that summer will be here any time soon.

The good news is that the institutional acceptance of us continues apace and with little difficulty. We are into a fairly comprehensive HMO at a cost of one-third what we paid in the US (replete with 90% prescription reimbursement). Though it does not have all our favorite doctors among its choices, enough familiar names are on the list...Just as important, Yehiel is into Aunt Leslie's gan -(day-care nursery school). While she has been mildly disparaging that he has not won universal acceptance among his peers, he enjoys going to class and so we are satisfied. The gan is English speaking, but of the talking children, many are bilingual, so we are hoping his Hebrew will benefit. He is picking up the language slowly.

We spent the last 3 ½ days in Haifa visiting my brother's family and a good time was had by all, right up to the end. They rent a not-large ground floor flat, with surrounding shrubbery and growth, enough of a diversion for our kids. Nadav and Yehiel got along reasonably well, considering they are both quite "indulged" little boys. Their wrestling matches are quite even with Nadav's weight advantage giving way to Yehiel's aggressiveness. We celebrated Independence Day with a group of their friends over a barbecue at a nearby park, and the night before in the commercial center of their neighborhood. The kids are much more civilized and less obnoxious there than in downtown J' m (and both are legions above the drunken crowds in Trafalgar Square and Times Square on New Year's Eve). My sister-in-law Ellen is agonizing over leaving her well-paying social work job and the effects it will have on their income but it seems that it will be only a matter of time. While it seems that we will be moving to Tel Aviv in July, we could certainly enjoy Haifa.

My job search is going well and I have what I hope will be my second and. final interview with the CPA firm of Reuveni, Har Tuv, and. Tepper in two day's time. They have a need and use for my English -language skills and are likely to offer a salary and responsibilities that I could get enthused about. The 30-person office is computerized and located in downtown Tel Aviv, a 7 minute walk from the central bus station. A bus. stops in front of our apt. bldg at 6:49 AM and gets to the TA bus station at 8 AM, a convenient and tolerable commute until we move after the baby's birth. Even if this job does not materialize, I expect similar-type offers. I already have an offer from a Jerusalem CPA, but the city's lack of industry limits both starting salaries and advancement opportunities...I also interviewed (possibly successfully) in Beer Sheva and the most exciting part was passing the Dehaishe refugee camp where troops were in action tear gassing somebody and the bus got stoned by resident youths.

Lisa's pregnancy is progressing well with moderate discomfort. She feels physically pressured now in many body locations much of the time, with 6+ weeks to go. It is at this time that her enthusiasm for a large family is most taxed. She is registered at the hospital of her choice, Misgav L'dach and we have been getting glowing reports from everyone who has given birth at this new facility. We are to tour the facility this week. Lisa is already planning on what is going into the bag she is taking with her.

The family is still on a somewhat late sleeping pattern. Yehiel is still napping in the afternoon and so far it is working out that the three of them nap at the same time...Orly does not yet seem bored around the house...I expect we shall purchase a new small bicycle with training wheels for Yehiel next week.

Our friends Pinhas and Judy Landau had us over for a hospitable evening of tea, cakes and conversation and we hope to entertain my friend Mark Weiss and his fiancée this week, as well as Leslie...My sister leaves for Phila tomorrow night and she will be the carrier of this letter...I met my successor at the Israel Economist and I may work out a continuing writing relationship with him though the firm's financial straits are even more dire now than when I tried to hire freelancers.

Be well.

May 4, 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings from Gilo, ablaze in bonfires. This evening begins the I.ag B' Omer holiday whose celebration includes pyres to which today's youth are only too happy to contribute. From our living room window we see at least five of them. Anyway, we are in good health and spirits and trust you are likewise.

The big news is that I am gainfully employed as a CPA trainee at RHT (see last letter). They are part of the European region of the Fannell Kerr Forster worldwide accounting group. PKF is the 14th largest US CPA firm with revenues of some $100 million annually and a renowned expertise in the hotel and travel industries. Big eight accounting firms shy away from formal Israeli associations, so we have quite a unique affiliation. My job is principally to facilitate and foster that potential. The managing partner, Shlomo Tepper sees this international effort as still a "hobby" but he believes it will ultimately payoff and that is why I am on board. I also manage his English-language correspondence of a few letters per day. My first week has been a slow orientation so I have taken the time to write some articles which will help hype the firm's expertise in personal income taxes, investments and the hotel industry. I replaced a South African who had more extensive auditing experience than I but whose Hebrew and promotion abilities were inferior. He is headed back to Johannesburg on his own volition. In the room in which my desk is situated, two other desks are there as well. The staff is friendly and competent and the newest secretary has been there over a year. The office doesn't have a microwave, but free soda and coffee are offered and enough IBM PCs are around for ready access. The commute is longer than I had initially supposed, though, so I am presently gone from the house almost 11 ½ hours and am at the office only 8 of those. Our 8-4 winter hours drop to 8-3 in the June through Sept. period. I expect to be excused from the alternate Fri. 8-1 duty until we move.

We are now engaged in an active search for Tel Aviv area housing, but it may prove to be short-lived as we will be looking at a 4-bedroom flat in Rehovot on Friday that should be affordable and available August 1. The woman of the house of it present occupants is a family friend from Cleveland and they are expecting to vacate at end-July to move into a new house they are building. It is located some 12 miles from the office and it should be a manageable 40-minute door-to-door commute. Staying here any longer than absolutely necessary has its problems, notably the commute and the 54 stairs, but not having to engage in a tedious search process and getting this flat at a good price may clinch the deal.

The kids are just dandy, as usual. Orly's command of English is precocious and she is up to full sentences and almost a dialog capacity. Yehiel continues to acclimate himself to Leslie's gan and he (and mother and sister) even went to their first birthday party since he started, yesterday. We will probably hold off on buying him his first two-wheeler till we get settled in the flatlands around TA. We are in good shape clothes-, and toy-wise for the new baby but I expect we will buy a new carriage that can comfortably seat two.. .Today we got our first box of books that we shipped - all children’s books, welcome and needed in our library.

I painted the apartment - at least almost all the necessary touch up spots. We have begun advertising it for sale, hoping in our wildest imagination to double our money ($) in the four years we have owned it. We may yet just rent it out. I have lost a few more pounds and hope to stay under 140. I am reading Jane Brody's Good Food Book and it gives me insight and renewed determination to stick with my complex carbohydrate diet. So far the dearth of red meat hasn't been felt. Breakfast is usually my hot bean paste-cheese sandwich or cold or hot cereal and then I bring a sandwich on whole wheat bread and that keeps me till dinner with fruit snacks or an occasional home-microwaved potato.

We are having some problems with Yehiel's nap as it seems that no time is exactly right for it. I guess he will give it up altogether by September.

Tonight we are taking out the Landaus for dinner in honor of my job. Next weekend is my mother's birthday and we are expecting to entertain them then. I speak with my brother at least three times per week. Ellen is leaving her social work job out of frustration and anger and they will miss her income but they'll get by...as will we.

Be well.

June 10, 1988

Dear Family,

Greetings again from the four of us in Gilo. As of this moment I cannot unfortunately report on any big news. Lisa is a few days late, but as the calculations were not exact, there is nothing yet to get worried about. Otherwise, we are all in good health and spirits, and trust you are likewise.

We do have big exciting news, namely that we sold our apartment. We are very pleased with the $76,000 that we will net for it, a profit of some 65% ($30,000) in four and one-half years. Of course, when we want to buy a new one in a few years, I am sure we will have to pay much more for this same apartment in an area we would like. Upon our return, we have relearned the importance of neighborhood. While I won't depress or scandalize you with the inconsiderateness and mindless vandalism of our adolescent neighbors and their families, we now accept the Ashkenazi pseudo-racist concerns of living in predominantly poor- lower middle class neighborhoods, and we are now ready to pay more to insure our neighbors are more like us. The price did not include the bedroom closets, which we will have disassembled and reassembled in our rented apt. in Rehovot. We have ordered a mover and our departure is set for August 4. (Incidentally, the buyer of our apartment is Maier Ben Claikha. He works for the phone company and his wife for the Health Ministry. They are Sfardi. They are soft-spoken and respectful.)

Anway, we are moving to the apt. I have described in previous letters, at an acceptable price of $450 (plus city property tax and central water heating) per month. Everyone who has been there speaks highly of the town (though one friend did call it "too JAPPY") except for the weather. Next week I will sign the lease and register Yehiel for pre-kindergarten nursery school. As of now we expect he will be in a religious gan three blocks away, rather than the secular one across the street, because of comments by people who have sent kids to them.

Our kids are happy and healthy. I expect that we will be working on the optimal nap strategy until they leave home but at least generally, the hours between 9 PM and 6 :30 AM are free of their disturbance. Lisa has invited a few kids from his gan over to play hoping their mothers' will reciprocate when she is indisposed with the new baby. He has certainly gained acceptance and even a little popularity at gan. Last week was his turn at being "Shabbat Abba" and. we joined in as appropriate. I expect we will purchase him a two-wheeler with training wheels soon. We are also contemplating a carriage for two in honor of the new baby. We have been buying assorted furniture to clutter up our new place, like a couch bed, children's table and chairs and baby dresser (all second hand)... Orly is certainly over her teething and she can now eat peanuts. She is charming, earnest and occasionally obnoxious

Work is going OK. Shlomo is now away for two weeks and. I expect I will be doing mostly auditing. Even at clients, I get called upon to draft english-language letters, where they are then transmitted by fax to our office, typed, and then transmitted by fax to their overseas destination. To date, I have been working at the Israel Standards Institute, a Government Corporation. At my level of work and comprehension it is not demanding, but the Ramat Aviv location adds another 70++ minutes unto my 4 hour commute. So despite my official workday end at 3 (till Oct.), I am not getting home much before 5:30. I am getting a lot of reading done and after breezing through Zeev Chafetz's Inside the New Israel, I am into Home by Witold Rybczynski. I squeeze in newspapers and periodicals as I get them.

The rest of my family is well. Richard and Ellen are also expecting to sell their Jerusalem apt. this month, hoping to fetch $115,900 for their four bedroom ground level flat with porch. My parents are busy with lots of intellectual activities. My sister and family seem to be adjusting well to Phila and Ehud is working, as hoped, in carpentry.

I have jogged recently and hope to make it more than a weekly affair upon moving. Breakfast is almost always bean paste-cheese vegetable open-faced sandwich and lunch is two microwave cooked. potatoes. I also have granola (home-made) at breakfast and apples and other sweets at lunch.

June 16, 1988

Dear Family,

Heartfelt salutations. The occasion has finally arisen in which I can greet you with fundamental news. We are now five in number. At 9:10 A.M. on June 15, our second daughter, Ma’ayan (meaning spring in translation) was born. The delivery was awesome and human. Lisa, per usual, demonstrated her true mettle and I rendered my ineffectual assistance and tears.

The countdown to our second daughter was as follows: By the night before birth, the cumulative effect of Lisa's Braxton-Hicks pre-labor contractions (which were identified because she went to be monitored as she was a week late) left her with one-quarter of the necessary cervix dilation. We got an OK night’s sleep, though Yehiel was up several times in the opening throes of stepped throat. Before 6 AM Lisa told me to get moving, but I started on my leisurely pace of a shower and labored breakfast sandwich. Finally 1 got the message and at 6:30 called my parents and told them to be here by 7. We got to the hospital, Misgav L'Dach shortly after 7 and Lisa was 5 cm (halfway) dilated. Anyway, Ma’ayan emerged unscathed and Lisa was fine. No drugs except for assistance in eradicating the persisting varicose veins.

The hospital grounds are compact but filled with aromatic and visually spectacular roses and other flowers. While full scale, it is mostly a birthing hospital and many English-speaking immigrants are drawn to it for its holistic-midwife oriented philosophy. Lots of religious types. Lisa's two roommates were as colorful as the rest.

Anyway, three hours after the birth, 1 left Lisa' s side and went off running errands. I stopped in at our lawyer's office to fax documents to my Tel Aviv office (a letter I had composed) and got my chest X-ray at another hospital, the last step in my initial army interview. I still expect to perform only up to 60 days initial service but 1 may not be called upon for up to a year.

It is now June 17 (Fri) and Lisa and Ma'ayan ( Maya for short) are happily ensconced here, safe and warm too hot;. As much as possible, everything is back to normal. We hope next Fri afternoon to host a reception for our newborn and I have been informing people...Fortunately I am presently at work on a J'm client and will be able to help with getting Yehiel to gan and my parents will have to help with only a one-way shuttle assistance.

June 25, 1988

Well, here it is 9 days later; so let me add a few words about Maya's first week. She is close to being the perfect baby. Just like in the book, she is sleeping almost 20 hours per day. So far she has manifested only a gentle lazy disposition. She nurses well, burps easily and doesn't spit up much. She has been taken out on a few walks already, sometimes in the snuggly and sometimes in the new carriage.

Fortuitously, I worked on a client in Jerusalem all this week and basically finished the audit. Starting tomorrow I return to the office and with my bosses return there will be lots of English-language correspondence.

Yesterday we hosted a simchat bat - birthday celebration for Maayan and some two dozen friends and relatives showed up. We all had a good time and now we will have leftovers for the next few days.

July 2, 1988

Dear Family,

Happy national birthday! We are actually going to the Assoc of Amer. and Canadians in Israel July 4 picnic on Monday and hope to have a good time. We trust your long weekend was pleasant and enjoyable. Alas, Monday is a regular workday for me. And of course every day is a workday for Lisa.

We are typically in good health and spirits and trust you are likewise. Actually Yehiel and Orly are only now fully emerging from undiagnosed colds and congestion that made the last week less than unmitigated fun. At least they have been sleeping reasonably well. Ma'ayan (meaning spring of water) is down to maybe 18 ½ hours of sleep per day but still little trouble. Burping her is still a fairly mild endeavor, though growing increasingly labored and more chancy. Her persistent diaper rash is quite significant, unlike the token affliction of her brother and sister. We thought Yehiel might have graduated from a diaper at night, but to our disappointment were proven wrong (twice in one night!!). We continue to enjoy watching the two elder ones develop personalities. We do not let Yehiel admonish us to "be quiet", but he is permitted to and does tell us to "calm down" and "don't get hysterical”, to phrases which we are undoubtedly trying to convey to him at the time he says them. Orly is a great mimic in both English and Hebrew. She is precociously cute in pigtail and ponytails.

As we close in on our August 4 departure from Jerusalem, it becomes increasingly clear that there are aspects of Jerusalem that we will greatly miss. Principal among these are the variety and quality of parks and public spaces for us to take our kids to. This morning we frequented a satisfying. rose garden-playground and in the afternoon, after hosting my parents for lunch, we ran around the Hebrew Univ grounds. Another aspect is the city as tourist and convention center. Yesterday we received hand-delivered packages from Milwaukee and ate some rich, creamy and satisfying cheese cake downtown. (Of course the morning was also upset by a Denver-boot big-city $30 parking ticket.)

Yehiel is into summer camp at the same location as his gan and sister-in-law Leslie is again the teacher. The structure and hours are similar though his class is down from 16-18 to 11 and Leslie's Finnish colleague has been replaced by a non-Hebrew speaking non-Jewish Samoan. My parents have been helpfully picking him up regularly as needed and occasionally babysitting.

Work goes OK. I finally got wise why I am billed out at the same $35 per hour rate as I was in the US but I gross only two-thirds of what I did there. The difference is in employer payroll taxes which were some 8% of gross there but are 35+% here. Last Thursday I spent some working hours at -18°C in a refrigeration house counting barrels of frozen citrus concentrate at client Yaf'o Mor in Ashdod.
On the return, I stopped in Rehovot and finalized details (ie signed the lease) on our Rehovot flat.

As we realize proceeds from our apt. sale in Israeli New Shekels, we have been buying US$. We are allowed to purchase as many $ as we have on previous occasion transferred into shekels, which in our case is about $47,000. As we expect to buy another apt. in about two years, we are sending the $ to the US and will be purchasing corporate bonds expiring about the time we expect to want the cash. My cousin Harry Weiss is a bond broker and expediting the transaction, which he expects will yield (on a AA2 or AA- rated company) about 8.15%, annually. Our concern at this time is understandably capital preservation and security.

My brother has sold his apt and bought one in Haifa, for about the same price. It is a 3-bedroom ground floor with a sunken living room and semi-private entrance and garden. They will move from their rented quarters in April.

My parents remain busy with their various and assorted intellectual endeavors. This year they will be vacationing separately in the US, with my father going for some 2 months beginning mid July (coinciding with his brother’s youngest daughter's wedding in Buffalo over labor Day) and my mother in December for up to 3 months, to coincide with my sister Judy's birth of her second child.

Lisa is well and sends her regards. Three kids keep her from much free time to serenely compose correspondence. She can already get into most of her old clothes and of course turns my head whenever she enters the room. By this time. she has of course turned household management into a mere administrative discipline and I hope that I am at least a cog in the wheel of progress.

Be well.

July 15, 1988

Dear Family,

A penultimate (?) greeting from Gilo. Another phase in our lives is drawing to a close.

No regrets, only hopes and prayers for continued health and happiness. The experience has been rewarding in its own way. Leaving familial support is never easy, but someone has to pioneer the heathen-devil metropolis Tel Aviv and I guess we have been chosen to be the first Levinson Israeli city-slickers...For those of you not in the know, though, our Destination of Rehovot belies this argument as it is almost as close as one could come in Israel to a university town, despite it being a TA exurb.

Anyway, we are reasonably well and trust you are likewise. Our latest family visit to the pediatrician have centered around heat-diaper rash of our eldest. The prescription: the same Miconazole Nitrate - Hydrocotisone cream that our youngest got. We are truly suffering from the earth's "greenhouse effect." It has been a hot summer. And while no one in this household seems to be in mortal danger from dermatological problems (confirming what I expect would be low dermatological MD malpractice premiums), it has certainly been discomforting.

Ma'ayan continues to sleep less and demand more, but she is still at the upper end of possession of desirable baby attributes. She is not always beautiful, but has an increasingly cute -face. She still has a very amenable personality, sleeps a lot and doesn't demand much. Today I gave her a first bottle of infant formula as Lisa was out for a few hours. She took it well. Of course, she has not yet been inscribed or blessed with a personality, unlike her siblings. Orly has taken to warding off Yehiel' s big-brother. aggressive advances with a chin-touching-shoulder shrug and an "I'm not feeling well.” Yehiel is also subject to hypochondriacal impulses and suggestions and will almost always agree that it hurts him in the location we ask. He is also in a less-than-ingratiating stage where he continues to ask "why" until we are beyond exasperation. Alas their Hebrew language facility will evidently wait until they are mainstreamed into Israeli society, which for Yehiel should come around September 1.

Today, as we did a week ago, we enjoyed amplified jazz and rock on the East Talpiot esplanade, with a view of the old city rivaling our wedding site. We missed this week's James Taylor concert, which got good reviews. My jogging has unfortunately been unsystematic. We are at the height of the watermelon season and regular seeded varieties are available in our parking lot for under 15¢_ per lb. Plums and peaches are also at bargain prices.

Work is going OK. I stay busy with client and English-language work. Everything is still reasonably interesting and challenging and if I could only motivate myself to a better level of concentration I would have absolutely no anxieties. I certainly have a healthy professional respect for my colleagues and superiors... I am slowly progressing toward my US and Israeli CPA certifications. At a minimum it will take at least another 7 months.

Our apt. sale proceed collection is progressing spottily. We are into Citibank 8.3% 6-1-1990 bonds as planned but we may be forced to give our buyer a loan on part of the balance. Ah well, no one said life here would be hassle-free.

We will be lunching at my parents again tomorrow as we did last Shabbat. I shared some Scotch with my father this week in celebration of Ma'ayan's arrival at a local world-rated bar. Their travel plans to the US are now up in the air as my sister and family will probably be returning from Phila in early Nov. My father will probably be gone from mid-August to mid-October or something like that. He has begun receiving again his New York Times Book Review subscription and I am happy to be again back in touch with this critical source.

Of course all the philosophical and critical verbiage in the world does not transcend the worrying headlines here of increasingly sophisticated ground-to-ground missiles in the hands of the Arab despots and their increasingly flagrant brandishment of their chemical warfare capacity... My army file continues to wind its way slowly through the system as I receive periodic calls about various unclarified aspects of my personal history. I still expect to receive a first initial call-up of up to 61 days sometime within the coming year. My contemporaries do a lot more of only annual reserve duty!!

30 July 1988

Dear Family,

A final greetings from Jerusalem. I trust my right hand won't lose its cunning and my tongue cleave to the roof my mouth. As our departure date nears, we are getting pangs of remorse. Oh well, in between the clutter of an apartment full of packed boxes, we are experiencing a little excitement of the move. On the mundane level, we are in reasonably good health and trust you are likewise. Orly had a 1 ½ day cold and Ma'ayan had six hours of congestion. Yehiel has a persistent heat diaper rash.

At least everyone has a healthy appetite. As a family entity we consume relatively large amounts of corn flakes, peanut butter, apple juice from concentrate and other items on a less systematic basis. Yehiel has an adventurous and varied palate. Alas Lisa and I are not immune from body mass growth. In our defense, apart from lack of time to exercise, our only time to peacefully ingest our food is after the kids go to sleep. Hopefully Rehovot's relatively flatter and less densely populated terrain will help motivate me to run more and opportunities for organized aerobics will present themselves to Lisa.

Our weather has remained unseasonably warm. At least Jerusalem is dry and cools off in the evenings, something we are soon to miss. The season has also brought out plagues of mosquitoes and ants which we are coping with with varying degrees of temporal success. I at least escape daily to an air-conditioned office. So far it also seems that the power outages that plagued Tel Aviv in June are over for the time being.

Work goes OK. I still have a long way to go before I am certifiably competent in public accounting and I may never really get there but hopefully I am not hurting anyone on the way. Last week I worked on the fixed asset schedule of our largest client, whose half-year report is due tomorrow. Currently most of my time is on a non-billable project of translating English PKF audit internal questionnaire programs into Hebrew. Managing Partner Shlomo Tepper is in Yugoslavia on vacation for the next three weeks... So far my progress towards an Israeli CPA is progressing and as expected my apprenticeship time for both will run concurrently over the next half year and I'll need only three exams. Shlomo offered to help finance the whole Israeli tax, law, auditing preparation cost.

As the elections in both the US and Israel approach, a certain resignation sets in. Here it looks increasingly like a dead heat but I expect the Likud /right to eke out a victory. As a libertarian who would like to vote his pocketbook I am in a quandary as everybody is ultimately nationalist-statist. I am loathe to commit myself and will probably be a 'floater" until election day. As for the Bushakis choice, I am more sanguine. George is a MOSSAD-certified friend of Israel and of course the Duke is a married MOT ('member of the tribe). I of course lean to the Ron-like clone for his albeit-murky
economic philosophy.

Our own economic affairs are more-or-less in order and our buyer has one final $17,000 payment to make when we hand over the keys in four days time. Hopefully his final mortgage will come through and we'll have no problems. We have now given ourselves two years to find an affordable home in the Tel Aviv area. We are expecting to stay in Rehovot but we will see what we can afford when the time comes.

The extended family is in good health and spirits. My brother has been working long hours getting Elscint's next generation CAT scanner prototype ready for installation in Haifa's Rambam hospital. Ellen, his wife, is enjoying her parents visit this summer and fortunately the jelly fish which plagued the country's beaches have moved on. My parents remain busy with their volunteer, social, cultural activities. My mother has been serving us tasty shabbat lunches this past month.

Well, I am at a lull in titillating (let alone scintillating) news and views from this corner of the world. stay tuned for your next edition, from the lovely little town of Rehovot. . . We do think of our American family often and wish you could all be here with us. Please let us know what's happening with you.

Cleve. Hts. Aug '77

2006-07-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

8/1/77

Dear Family,

I have been back at the homestead for one week and the newsworthiness of my daily existence has declined dramatically. My routine is methodical and somewhat productive as my efforts are directed toward getting ready for the fall.

Dr. Kahng called last week and informed me: that I can use Mgrl Finance for the fall. Since this was written by Dr W and I am fairly familiar with it, I do not envision any insurmountable difficulties. He also informed me that he had rented a $205/mo. two bedroom apt. for me. The apartment is allegedly “a five minute walk" from my office and recently built. The proximity means that I will probably go up without a car.

Getting into a routine here has not been difficult. I am jogging at the JCC track for 2 miles/day. The NYT and WSJ are readily available at Gray Drug in Severance.

I do not expect too dismal a social life while here. Judy is excellent company and a lot of old friends are around. Last night I had a blind date with a daughter of one of Mom's friends. Sherri is entering law school in the fall. Other than this and her moderate beauty, she is quite un-noteworthy.

Cleve. Hts. is alive and well this summer. A plethora of activities are taking place in Cain Park. Just walking the neighborhood streets is an enjoyable visual experience, so lacking in LA. The air is also noticeably clearer and I am sure this has added to my jogging speed (13:50 for two miles).

August 8, 1977

Dear Family,

A belated greetings from the homestead. The weekend flew past and the thought of writing just slipped by. I trust that everyone on the other end of this communiqué is in good health and spirits.

The preparation for next year is progressing. The path is not as smooth or as trouble-free as I'd have hoped, but no reason to panic yet. I spoke to Dr. Kahng today and the events in Morris are progressing without trouble. The only unsettling news is that whether or not I will be teaching Managerial Acctg. in the fall is still undecided.

Since sister, mother, and father all go separate ways in the morning I am left without motorized transport. Thus my days are spent within the confines of our house or the immediate surroundings. I am getting my daily jog and virtually daily NYT and WSJ so my complaints are minimal. I enjoy being the one hone and able to prepare dinner.

This weekend Judy and I went to see "Annie Hall." Undeniably his best movie to date, it still did not manage to transcend his ever-present sarcasm and sardonicism. Woody AlIen's lack of belief and faith in anything keeps me from considering him great. Still, I have never ceased to marvel at how his audiences ingest the ethnicity of his humor and the acerbity and causticity of his wit, and walk away awaiting the next dose.

I am seeing some old acquaintances. All, as expected are passive in their pursuit of dialog and friendship and thus I am left to my own thoughts most of the tine.
I have started Menachim Begin's Revolt: story of the Irgun (1951) . Though his thoughts and intentions are more eloquent than this english translation, it thus far rarks as one of the most moving testaments and exhortations for aliyah. This coming year should entail a lot of hard thinking and planning.
Inferring from current plans, I will probably be leaving for Morris within two weeks. My lease starts on the 15th (next Monday) and Judy will be out touring the east with boyfriend Haim, so the big move would seem optimal at this time.