Jerusalem from the top

 Jerusalem 3D

The man in charge at the Clark Planetarium said we should appreciate the fact that by coming to the screening of National Geographics' "Jerusalem 3D" we'd saved ourselves about $15,000 or basically the cost of a trip to the Holy Land.
I don't think so.
If anything, the film sold us on going there someday.
Aerial shots of the ancient iconic buildings and the River Jordan and the Western Wall and the mountain fortress are intriguing and impressive. (This is never-before-seen footage from the region's no-fly zone.)
It makes one want to stroll the streets, shop at the open market and relive bygone eras.
In addition, the producers have focused in on three young women from each of the three religions: Jewish, Muslim and Christian.
You see the city through their eyes and, in the end, understand that each religion has its own view of Jerusalem and until they come together, there's a disconnect between people who love the area passionately.
In a 40-minute sweep, you come to appreciate this city mentioned more than any other in the Bible and aptly regarded as the pivotal center of the world.
It's crowded with scriptural significance and history.

A few worshipers at the Western Wall

Writer/Director Daniel Ferguson with Scott Hoffman

The music is beautiful.
The spirit is strong. It's a satisfying virtual journey that will do until we can get there in real life.
It plays through April 2014 at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00 and 7 p.m. at the planetarium in the IMAX theater, 110 S. 400 West in Salt Lake City.
Tickets are $7/$9 and right now, there's a duo deal where you can get tickets to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at The Leonardo with purchase of a membership at the planetarium.

The view from my window

It's been WAY too long since I cleaned the outside of my windows.
I know it and I admit it.
But yesterday when I officially took on the task, armed with a new, telescoping brush and squeegee tool, I was determined to make my windows shine.
I mixed up some soapy water and headed out, a woman on a mission.
I washed the sides I could reach, went back inside the house and slid the double-sides over so I could now clean the inner sides of our double-paned windows.
I went back inside to readjust and outside to wash some more.
I next realized I would have to take out the screens and keep sliding glass sections so I could wash all four? sides. The logistics involved gave me a headache but I was making a tiny bit of progress.
I waited for Marc to bring home a ladder and help me remove the screens before he reminded me that the screens lift out from the inside.
I removed a couple and then tried to get to the big ones in the living room and my office.
They absolutely refused to budge.
I pushed and pleaded and hurt my hands trying to get them to slide. They stubbornly stayed in place, except for the edges of the windows. Those were coming off.
I waited again for Marc.
He got it to move so I could wash some more glass.
Now we're trying to get the screens back in.
Over the years the little rubber tabs on them that are supposed to give you something to grab have come off.
We have one left on one screen, none on the others. It makes it challenging to work with them.
Marc tried to fit one of the bigger ones back in.
It wouldn't go.

He pushed, pulled.
He cussed and stomped.
He bent.
Here's the happy result:
I think we're going screen shopping.

Taking off in the Barbie jet

So I'm playing Barbies with one of my granddaughters.
The Barbies are getting ready for a trip so they're headed to the airport.
They have their hair fixed and they're all dressed up fancy the way Ellie likes them when she reaches for a wicker basket sitting on the cabinent.
"Here's their jet." she says rather wearily as she sighs and parks her dolls in the basket before it takes off.  "They don't have a real one."
I realize she's still thinking about the Barbie jet her cousins have, one Marc and I gave them one Christmas as a joint gift for three sisters.
She asked me for one last year and the year before that but I couldn't justify spending as much for one gift as we did for three at once.
And I couldn't explain it adequately.
I thought she'd forget.
But she hasn't, especially since her cousins have now moved back to Utah and everytime she visits she sees the jet they have and she doesn't.
I tried to forget about it.
But she trusts me and expects me to hear her.
When she didn't have any Ken dolls, I made sure she got some.
When she left her little sister Barbies at my house, I mailed them.
So I went on a journey to see if I could get her a jet...maybe the price had come down in the last three years.
It had a little but still not enough to make sense...
Now if I were buying it for two...
Hey, I realized her mom is due any day now with a baby sister so if I gave the jet to the two of them, that might work. I could do the same for another household with two little girls.
I convinced Marc and we went out to buy jets, paying full price but saving the shipping by buying in store and saving 5 percent with my new Redcard (See an earlier blog about that ordeal).
Then the Christmas catalog came with the jets on sale and $5 off coupons.
So I loaded up my jets and went back to the store to return them and buy them again for $22 less.
It was a bit of a hassle but the Target store people were nice. I only had to make two trips and show my receipt both times.
The pink plastic jets are now safely back downstairs awaiting wrapping and I can't wait to see Ellie's face.