Yankel of all trades and Shabbat

From my apartment, if you need a lightbulb, you walk down to Emek, cross the street and you are at "Yankel's" electric store. Yankel sells and provides all sorts of services- not just electric needs. If you need a power strip, he has, if you need an electrical gadget like a blender or a hot plate, he probably has one for you. If you need a mop, he has. If you need a set of bath towels, he has. If you need (or want) reusable food containters or a toilet bowl brush or a set of drinking glasses, Yankel has. If you started cooking only to realize that your pot was not big enough or even too big, Yankel has 5 different sizes for sale. If you go to mop your floor with the squeegie and microfiber towel that you already bought from Yankel only to realize that you do not have a bucket for the solution, Yankel can offer you round or rectangular. If you need a key copied- Yankel can usually help. If you need challot for shabbat....you have to go to the bakery next door. So close! He had almost everything. I will have to go back to see Yankel again this week as I bought an energy-saving lightbulb and it was too long for the fixture.

Shabbat-
Shabbat was great. Lots of sleeping and even more eating.
Friday night dinner was a Germany trip clan reunion. We followed the German custom of washing, then making kiddush and then motzei and then we ate some German and some not-so-German foods (snitzel, stir-fry).We had some great laughs as we shared fond memories of the trip and others as well.
Shabbat I slept in and then went to a Phillies lunch. Most of the food there was Phillies themed in some way or another. Food included Pedro Pesto Martinez, the incredibly non-PC chili in honor of half the players who are of hispanic descent, Philadelphia cream cheese and bagels, Stuffed porta-liberty-bella mushrooms, and a Jelly Roll Rollins for dessert. Then it was back home to rest some more and read for class.

After Shabbat, I went Israeli dancing. There is Israeli dancing on Emek Refaim (5 minute walk from my apartment) twice a week. I had been going on Tuesdays but now that the Hartman seminar has started, I tried Saturday night. It seems like this is the big night for dancing. Not only is there a regional theme for the evening complete with ethnic dancing (or as I found out tonight- sometimes including Israeli dances translated into other languages) but also includes a dinner spread of food from that region. Tonight was Italian night. Last week was something Mizrachi. The other great thing about Saturday nights is that when they break for partners, there is a laptop and a speaker in the room right across the hall set up for circles. You almost never have to stop dancing. Only problem is that with class so early on Sundays, I shouldn't stay as late as I want.