Stress relief, August 22

As I'm writing this, Iran is roughly two minutes away from delivering their response to the United Nations. I'm sitting in the computer lab on Hebrew U's main campus. I've felt glued to the computer for the last twenty-two minutes, refusing to go get the food I probably need to eat, reloading news sources for any hint of an accord. I've realized, in the past couple days, thanks to reflective words by both my dad and journalist Gabe Ross, that I have little to worry about.

One minute, by the computer clock.

I've felt a heaviness for the last three days, a weight on my shoulders, my heart, my body, carrying over into everything I've done, every conversation I've shared.

3:30. I'd have worn the rubber off, if "refresh" were a real button.

3:31. 3:31. 3:31.

Josh, my future roommate, is sitting next to me, trying to put together words regarding his position on Iran and the nuclear situation as a whole. I can see him checking the time on his cell phone out of the corner of my eye. We're pretending not to notice.

3:33. 3:34 now. Still nothing on the news wire.

We're moving back to Haifa on Thursday evening. I'm hopefully going to have the keys to my apartment by tomorrow, so tomorrow night Josh and I can work on moving most of our stuff into the apartment, only taking a temporary, week-long supply to Haifa. Before our meeting this morning with the head of the program, I knew that we would be going back - why else hold a meeting with the head of the program? I feel better about the situation, since I've already let my thoughts be known via e-mail communication, and I'm going to let it drop off my shoulders until the program is over. Despite the lengths the program went to in order to provide for us during wartime, I cannot say that I see the logic in this decision. Alas, it is what it is, and another week in Haifa I'll have.

3:38. Nothing. Nothing here, nothing on the news channels. Nothing.

I'm in a nervous calm. My fingers are tingling. This is weird.

3:40.

3:41.

3:43.

Now I'm just waiting. Waiting for any word. I've been a personal bomb shelter for three days in a way the shelter in Haifa never felt. I've been dreading a looming nothing, a fantastical threat created by hype and speculation. The deadline for the delivery of the "multidimensional" response has come and gone, but I still sit in wait, with no word yet. I still wait.

3:46.

This is getting ridiculous. At this point, I'm just working myself up for the sake of working myself up, like going to see a horror movie even though you know it will ruin your sleep for the night. I'm waiting and waiting, just for word. It's silly, but come on... "Iran delivers response." "Package received by UN." Anything.

3:52.

The computer lab is closing in 8 minutes. I'm giving up.

I'm sure my world is fine. I'm sure things will be ok for awhile. For today.

So I'm good. I'm good. And the lab is closing. I'll wrap things up later.

Yeesh, Israel.

Mystery Edit...

4:12

I snuck down to another lab, to find this:

Reuters: Iran has handed its reply to a six-nation nuclear package to foreign envoys in Tehran, Iranian TV reports.

I'm going for a bite to eat. I'll find out what the report included later, but for now, I'm out.

I promise, my next post will (hopefully) have nothing to do with war.