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Happy Birthday Michael

20 years ago
26 Comments
by ck
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Michael is 21

First birthday cake in 21 years!Jewlicious blogger/pugilist Michael celebrated his 21st birthday last night. I don’t usually post about personal stuff like this but what made this blogworthy was, for one, the attendance of numerous bloggers including John from Shalom Israel, Harry from well… Jewlicious and The View From Here, Mobius from some blog called Jewschool, our own Laya and Laya’s roomie Rebecca who also has a blog called Holy Laughter in The River. That’s Rebecca up top holding up Michael’s present from me – a laminated poster of Ninet Tayeb’s new album! Sweet, eh?

Another thing that makes this blogworthy is the fact that Michael hates, hates having his picture taken, and as Michael has noted, his misery is my extreme pleasure! So I posted the goofiest photo of Michael I could find – see the glee on his usually surly face as he contemplates the assembled and his yummy lemon birthday cake? Have we possibly documented a rare happy moment in a life that is otherwise dominated by gloom, doom and a level of cynicism that would be out of place were it possessed by a worn out middle aged street walker talking about her life, let alone a 21 year old resident of Jerusalem? I think the gifts helped to cheer him up too; he received a beautiful watch to commemorate this important milestone. It must have been from a professional jewellers like Jacobs the jeweller because it was amazing quality. Anyway, he was chirpy all evening and this display of mushiness will make Michael uncomfortable which is all that matters! To add to the patheticness of all this – that lemon cake? That was Michael’s first ever birthday cake. Because in Wisconsin all they eat is Cheese.

So uh… Happy Birthday Michael! Next stop, the IDF!!

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ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

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26 Comments

  • Sir! It’s not that I’m afraid of going for a drink with a Polack, retired or otherwise, it’s more that “small drink” is Polish for “the entire liquid contents of the bar, the bar next door, the makolet around the corner, the cleaning supply and paint sections of Home Center, and the Magen David Adom blood donation van.” All Al Gore needs to do to solve rising sea levels as a result of global warming is find a way to make seawater taste like vodka and turn a dozen Poles on it.

    But I will endeavor to remember Chanukah. If I get some time off from my learning-how-to-shoot-while-eating-sand time, I will make sure to buy you a ribat chalav sufganiyah, as a token of my great esteem.

  • Michael, if despite of reaching the mature age you are still afraid of going for a small drink with a married (i.e. retired) Polak then fine – just please dont give me any hurdles like “no drinking with the Poles in the Holy City”, ok?! I am sure that I can find a wandering sefardi (e.g. marrocan). Happy Birthday from my wife too.
    And remember Chanukah!

  • And on top of all that, there is an interesting piece in Wednesday, October 11th’s NY Times, first page of the F section, by Julia Moskin, all about the utter magnificence of Sefardi cooking and the female solidarity behind it.

    They do not mention Shakshuka, but I almost chewed the newspaper reading about it.

    And Happy B’day to Michael.

  • The last time we had “beer” together, oh esteemed spiritual advisor, I recall I was encouraged by certain parties to drink somewhere in the neighborhood of “way too many” chetzi-liter beers, and that your Gibraltarian companion had to cut you off at five.

    No sir, after you rolled into town I’ve instituted a strict “no drinking with Poles” policy. And are you not a married man now? What would the ol’ ball-and-chain think of you cavorting about the Holy City, knocking back booze with a somewhat disreputable immigrant soldier? No, no, it’s just not right…

  • Holy Macro! I ve missed it!!! But now you are a real man… and maybe finally we can have beer together. Chanukkah sounds good?

  • Happy Birthday Michael! I owe you a beer already, I guess this means you can drink it either in the US or in Israel. Oh shit, that means I need to get back to Israel!

  • M, hope you got that Anita Ward greatest hits cd along with the poster.

  • Happy birthday, boyo. I tried to call but you were too busy making merry with pretty girls. Whassa matter witch you?

  • Happy birthday Michael!

    I look forward to meeting you at Beit Jewlicious this January. 🙂

    Oh, and work with CK to set it up so that you can mobile-blog from sending text-messages from your cellphone while you’re in the IDF.

  • I would have been there, but I wasn’t invited. A pity, really, because I would have serenaded Michael, and we all know how comfortable that makes him.

    Here’s to a wonderfully cantankerous new year. Happy birthday, Michael!

  • Happy birthday amigo! You can finally move back to the states because you are old enough to drink!

    Looks like y’all had a good time. Muffti is sorry he couldn’t be there 🙁 Many more to you. And if Muffti isn’t off his mark, CK’s bday is coming up as well…and Urban Pimp’s…

  • Wow. Had I known Michael was so attractive, I wouldn’t have taken such offense to his satire. My sincerest apologies, Michael, and happy birthday.

  • Happy Birthday, Michael! Does the IDF have a radio station or better yet an Improv troupe to cheer the troops? Unless you prefer otherwise, I’ll keep your name in mind when we pray for Israel’s safety…

    Too bad you’ll be too busy to blog as much, I had some foolish hopes that the Jewdus hangers-arounders might eventually see (through “studying” your oeuvre) that one can be over the top, cynical, and shocking while also being subtle, well-informed, and on-point….

  • aww michael, u look so cute! i hate u with love– i love u with hate 🙂 shabbat shalom and chag sameach!

  • ck: I hate you. Even if you did get me Ninette.

    Finnish: I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for blogging, but I do intend to write on Jewlicious about my army experience when I have the chance. But for obvious reasons, I won’t be able to go into too much detail…

  • Congratulations! Michael, will you be keeping a blog or some sort about your time in the IDF? It would be an interesting read.

  • Wow. Michael may be glowing but that might be the worst photo I have ever seen of myself. Please crop asap. I look like I should be playing Shylock in the Jerusalem Shakespeare Society’s production of The Merchant of Venice.