the Mother-Daughter trip to the Finger Lakes went really well. Discoveries of the weekend-

Skaneateles has a bakery called the Patisserie that looks like it fell out of a classic French village, and had incredible, fresh, pan au chocolate, apple cinnamon sticks, and overfilled cheese danish. And a cool store that has local & regional candy/jam/foods. Jess gave me lessons in how to make a vinagrette to keep me from buying local salad dressing. We walked along the pier and admired the crystal clear water of the lake.

On our wine tour we hit 3 wineries. Notable among them was the spumante & rose champagne and killer Pinot Noir from the Thirsty Owl winery. We ate dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant, which was good if bland- I was particularly enamored of the cold cantaloupe amaretto soup, and locally produced roasted tofu. And we discovered a store called Home Green Home on the Ithaca Commons where I bought an organic pillow for less than online prices.

Breakfast at the Thomas Farm B&B was a lovely dish of fresh berries, french toast with real mapel syrup dusted with powdered sugar, hot coffee, and a yummy (if flat) berry scone. Carb-tastic! Mom and I slept in until almost 9am. She tried out the Spa@500 lemon sugar scrub in the tub after breakfast. Jess and I hung out outside and read the newspaper, rocking in our chairs and enjoying the sunlit natural vista and fresh air. Ahhh, relaxation.

Quotes of the weekend: "I'm afraid if you ran for office, you'd be mean and then people wouldn't vote for you." Mom Peggy to daughter Jessica Lynn at Moosewood Restaurant.

"What's that smell?" Jess remarks curiously upon exiting the car to walk to Thomas Farm B&B in rural Caroline, NY. "Nature." Hanah answers, lickety split. "Ah, that's right. I forgot- air without asphalt. Right." Jess replies (I paraphrase).

That and cracking jokes about wandering around creepy, serial killer towns like Dryden, NY looking for our B&B. And Jess chimes in, "well, if we pass the Bates Motel, keep driving."

Ahhh, it was a nice weekend. Lots of sun, a slow hike to the top of the amazing and romantic waterfalls of Watkin's Glen, which wasn't so slow or relaxing for Val, who powerwalked/ran to catch up with us. Hanah/Sondra & Jess/Peggy's time up the Glen- 1hr 20min. Val's time- 20min. Or thereabouts. Intense.

I'm go-ing to Lo-ndon, I'm go-ing to Lo-ndon, I'm go-ing to Lo-ndon! :bounce!: :bounce!:

Just bought my tickets. It was awful, don't wanna talk about it. But now they're bought. My HR person is informed. I'll be there for 10 business days + 2 weekends, and I'm h-a-p-p-y. Also, I'm trying to register for the Guardian's Climate Change Summit on the 16th. That's totally up my professional alley and it'll be another nice reason for going in the first place. Just need a confirmation call back from Albany to confirm that its within the parameters of my grant. :taps fingers, waiting:

And then there will be graduation, British Indian food w/ friends, drinking with SOAS-ers, maybe some soccer in Regent's Park, taking cool pictures in graduation robes (scratch that, I looked awful last time), buying some real soccer cleats w/screws, and stocking up on my multivitamins (don't I lead an ever so exciting life, that this is my ambitious splurge?)

So my itinerary on Air India (bastards) is:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Air-India # 112

New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR)
Departure (JFK): July 15, 7:45 PM EDT (evening)
Arrival (LHR): July 16, 7:30 AM BST (morning)

This is an overnight flight.

--------------------------------
Monday, July 28, 2008
Air-India # 111

London Heathrow (LHR) to New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK)
Departure (LHR): July 28, 1:40 PM BST (afternoon)
Arrival (JFK): July 28, 4:05 PM EDT (afternoon)

I'm playing Russian roulette with the airfare from NYC to London on kayak.com. Major problem came up when I attempted to purchase my lowest airfare for the morning ($1+ the lowest airfare yesterday, same carrier...huh?!) and when I was redirected from kayak to Air India, the flight miraculously went from $689 to $919. Wait, what? Then I discovered vayama.com and they look like they'll let you purchase the ticket from their site directly, even though Air India will be the carrier. we'll see if I can get better than $739 now...adrenaline. Adrenaline! Buying airplane tickets is chancy...and Air India's website sucks. I don't know my passport number, damn you!

This was the same Air India who took a week plus to extend my effing flight dates at the end of May last year. Only thing about them that comparatively rocks is their prices and the onboard curry...yum. That and they'll get me where I need to go- with good friends to greet me at the other end of the landing strip.

My HR person is dodging me...and airfare went up to $800...neither of which bodes well for my idea of a vacation to London. I'm hoping to wrangle two weeks off (1 without pay), to go to graduation, reunite with the friends from my program, check out a show or two in London proper to see what I missed in the cultural realm all last year, and spend lots of time with Laura & Alex, Richard, Khairun, and the soccer gals/pals. Maybe I'll go to Berlin or Paris for a weekend or something too. But I can't if I don't clear it with HR. And she'd nowhere to be found. humph.

last night I went on a date. In this modern american life, one is never quite sure that one is on a date or just a friend-outing until mid-to-halfway through when the other person establishes your sexual preference and family ambitions through a series of subtle questions, or stories about their previous relationships. ok, that's a little too facetious, even for me. Truth is, I had a really nice time. In fact the date lasted for 4 hours. We started out with gelato at 2nd Story, then beers at Alto Cinco, then we wandered over to Zay's for food and to ostensibly help with strawberry jam making. We also got a tour of the PermaCulture bus. Needless to say, it was series of events that one would not have expected on a date. But I kinda liked it. Unpredictable, casual, and with a real focus on getting to know the other person.

D. is witty, pulls no punches with his political opinions, is tall, with blonde hair and blue, blue eyes. He's warm and personable- likes to sail, has highly intelligent things to say about economic development in upstate NY, and is from Skaneatles. I don't completely have a handle on him quite yet- for instance, I still don't totally understand what he does (technical setup of multimedia displays for marketing/promotions something something), or what networks he fits into here in town (progressive from Skaneateles- interesting!) but he's definitely worth investigating. There is chemistry too- not major fireworks and the whole end-of-date-do-we-kiss situation was awkward. So I said goodbye- no kiss- and got out of the car. But back at home, I texted him about exploring some other parts of the county next time and swapping awkward date kiss stories. And he texted me back. In fact we texted for over an hour- and my mind started thinking about what that kiss might be like...next time.

Hanah's conversation with the Stupid Guard this morning.
H: "yes, that's my bike under the stairs. My name is Hanah. I'm an employee here."
SG: "Bikes need to be on bike racks. Bike can't be under the stairs."
H:"I know the rules and always follow them. I was hoping we could make an exception because bike is my only mode of transportation and it's going to pour later today."
SG: "Bikes must be on bike racks and not under the stairs."
H: "Yes, but isn't it possible to make an exception today? I won't be able to bike home if my bike has been sitting outside in the pouring rain."
SG: "Bikes must be on bike racks and not under the stairs."
H: "The bike rack is outside."
SG: "Yes."
H: "It's going to pour later today."
SG: "Yes."
H: "But if my bike is outside and it pours, I won't be able to ride it home. Just this once, can I leave under the stairs?"
SG: "bikes must be on bike racks and not under the stairs."
H: :growls:

Failure to communicate? Or is there a deeper issue? I read an article in the Guardian, damned if I can find it now, and have had several converations with people professionally about this very type of behavior. Is there something inherent about NY or US culture that leads us to be bureaucratic in the face of reason and rationality? Is there something native to our social structure that makes the stupid rules more important than the human need?

The bike conversation is a mild, annoying but innocent example. But when it comes to immigration issues, social service benefits, or tax policy- well, this mind-set or lack of problem-solving skills doesn't seem so harmless.

Most of my thinking on this question is based on anecdotal evidence. In my travels to other countries, I have encountered authority figures have been much more open to understanding a situation in context. Whereas everytime a similar situation has arisen during travel, or bike parking, or tax issues, etc, in the States, the answer has been a rote repetition of the rule book. (I've been unusually alliterative recently, FYI).

What do you think? Is this an American characteristic- albeit, perhaps not an exclusively American one? Am I wrong to want to park my bike out of the rain on a psychotic weather day, when it's my primary mode of transportation?

And why hasn't the building planned for an indoor bike rack- that is, if bikes must be on bike racks?!

Why, if I something happens to me more or less every month, do I somehow always feel unprepared for it? Yes, so part of the feeling off that I've been writing about is solved. Now I'm listening to the Wailin' Jennys and "Blood in the Boardroom" by Ani Difranco and feeling, well, fat and exhausted. But that's menstruation for you.

I had an presentation yesterday that went about as awful as it can go for me. I was very nervous, I treated it like a presentation and not a conversation with the audience, and I sucked. I was ok by the end but it felt very amatureish to me and there was a colleague there that I had hoped to impress. I spoke to Jess and Zay, and my parents and Stuart- and I am putting it behind me. But I still cringe in embarrasment when I think about the details of the presentation. \

And now there is some other drama in my work life. When will people grow up and start cooperating like good kindergarteners?! dammnit. All this passive-aggressive bullshit, all this egotistical manuevering effing sucks. It's unprofessional- and even with informal community groups we should be more aware of others and respectful than this selfish bullshit.

Unfortunatly, childish or not- this manuvering has highlighted the need for me to be less polite when explaining my perspective and less submissive when my agenda hits up against someone elses'. I've got this whole "I'm a nice person" thing that I have to get over. I need to be a more effective person, not a nice guy. As Jeannette Rankin says, "If I had my life to live over, I would do it all again, but this time I would be nastier."

I think I need a vacation. or a date. one of the two- preferably both. I've been feeling, well, ungebluzen is the yiddish term. It means, feeling moody or dark or just off. I don't know what the cause is. Could be anything. Too much work or too much procrastination on work or my pillow going flat or not enough sleep or not enough fresh fruits/veggies or...or...or...not having a lover could definitley be right up there. Being overcommitted and having to deal with the energy sink of egotistical community organizing, yeah, that could definitely be a contributing factor. I just feel like I go through the day, and then the extracurricular activities, and I'm not recharging. My energy levels are just getting lower and lower. Usually I use the activities to play off the work, and vice versa- where I'm not interacting with enough people in one, I compensate in the other. My friend Diana says it's because I'm an ENTJ in the Myer-Briggs personality tests. The "E"s use other people to recharge, while the "I"s lose energy being around others. It kinda makes sense- and I certainly get into quite a funk when I have to interact with the 'puter more than with people.

I can't even get excited about the idea of a vacation. Two weeks would be the max I'd be able to take off this year- and that's a shitty amount of time. But unless I had friends also on vacation, I'd end up sitting around London or Israel while everyone was at work, and only partying on the two weekends I'd be around. I could base myself in London and do a couple trips to Germany, and Prague, etc. I'm not ready for an adult holiday- pick a place, get a hotel, make your own entertainment. I'd love to see Spain or Denmark, or Venezuela, or Egypt. But I'd prefer if I had travel buddies or friends to stay with there. I like couch-surfing, and visiting people, and well, getting into a routine. I love feeling like I live in the foreign places I go to. Having a grocery store, a routine, and English bookstore. Being a tourist sucks, particularly when you're alone.

blah.

Run down:

wedding in Chicago in mid-April was beautiful, I think I crowded the housing rights activist I was staying with, but tracked down a long-lost cousin and ended the weekend with excellent Ethiopian food (at a restaurant with two women's rooms- finally, a realistic number to cater to the needs of the public. When will the theaters & workplaces catch on?!)Taking the train to get there was the best idea ever.

Works been never-ending and crazy for two days. I've been learning a lot about how the NYS Department of Labor operates. It's been...instructive. Had an ok presentation on Green Jobs for Accelerate 2008. Have to get better at explaning complex & radical ideas in front of an audience. And I need to have a more detailed checklist of local success stories to reference. Add those to my laundry-list-like to-do-list.

Hashed out some issues with the SyraJews group and am now the "Board Chair". Whatever that means. It would be helpful if I could actually get the board organized. I just want this group to work; to do fun, innovative events, to not fight over silly, jurisdictional issues, etc.

Found a couple to sublet Carina's room for the summer. Jamie will move in at beginning of August. The couple seem pretty awesome but I've only spent aprox 5 minutes with them together since they moved in. Jamie is great- but I secretly fear we'll have some issues being roommates, friends, and SyraJews partners. I hope those intersecting spheres won't cause problems, I really do.

Trashpicking around the university area has been incredibly fruitful the past month. I managed to find: a propane bbq, a freestanding firepit, a glass-topped patio table, 3 dining room chairs, a pot set, a rotating spice rack w/glass spice jars, a blender, a food processer (w/another blender attachment), a floor lamp, a outdoor rocking chair, another outdoor chair, a bike, and a small freestanding bookcase/shelf unit.

From the rummage sale, I got: a table cloth, a new set of lovely white Syracuse China dishes, a silver kiddush cup/sugar bowl/cream pourer thing, cloth napkins, a pair of black cloth gloves that fit perfectly.

So soon my kosher kitchen will be complete- I have an electric kettle, full silverware & dish sets, my parents gifted me with a wok and two cookbooks (thai & chinese), and I have some dining room furniture at last.

My testing of the 'homemade hybrid' concept, ie: turning off my engine at stoplights, has been much less scientific. But it really does appear to save (a lot) of gas. And with Click and Clack from Car Talk on my side, I'm feeling good.

----
Everyone knows that if you’re going to be idling your car for a while, you should turn off the engine to save gas. But how long or short, I’ve always wondered, is that “while”? I’d heard 3 minutes, I’d heard 30 seconds, but most often I’d heard “Leave your engine on. You don’t want to wear it out by starting it all the time.”


I decided to do some research. It was harder to find an answer online than I thought. Click & Clack only say “If you’re stationary for more than a couple of minutes, shut it off, and save gas.” The EPA website is vague, suggesting merely to “turn off your engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait.” Even the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site says “Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.” And I say, Duh!

At last, the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency provided me with a rule of thumb, and the answer surprised me. If you’re going to be idling for more than TEN SECONDS, they’ve discovered, you’ll save gas by shutting off your engine. Ten seconds?! For goodness sakes! Stoplights can take up to two minutes!

As a matter of fact, in many Swiss cities it is a law that everyone has to turn off their engines at stoplights. Basel was once the dirtiest in Europe (the Rhine river caught fire), and now it’s the cleanest.

Americans, however, have their thinking stuck in the 1950s, when it really did use a lot of gas to kick a carburetor into life. Nowadays, though, all cars are made with fuel injection, and starting a warm engine is nothing. Ask your mechanic, and they’ll shrug. Starting and stopping more often will wear on your starter, but the money you’ll save on gas will help you replace it a few months sooner, and the emissions you save will make a big difference.

Kick the idling habit and see what you save. When I tried it the first time, I was amazed to see that I had gotten nearly 30 more miles on that tank than usual. Thirty more miles — that’s more than one gallon of gas, that’s three or four bucks in my pocket per tank. And if each gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of CO2, imagine what a difference an anti-idling movement could make in America!

Even drivers of gas-guzzlers can join the “Homemade Hybrid” movement by downloading free, funny window posters and getting armed with information. No one will believe you that it’s only ten seconds!

---www.celcias.com

Tuesdays have been eventful this spring. I haven't been able to get back to tango lessons because I've been taking a Kabbalat Shabbat prayer leadership class. It's really a singing class because the prayers of Kabbalat Shabbat, the extra, kabbalistic service before the regular evening (Ma'ariv) service on Friday nights, is meant to be joyful, and promote dancing and gaity. However, the regular tunes most people know right and use for this service are hella boring, didactic, and tuneless. My class has been practicing new tunes for all the prayers and finding different ways to sing them. It's been very fun, and I can't wait to actually lead the services. But I do wish I could go to tango.

Anyway, tonight after class I have a date. A sweet guy from the local food coop asked me out. We'll see how it goes. Jess and Flanny- you're it.

The people I've been in touch with over the last weeks have heard rumblings of me thinking of picking up and moving to a different house. It's not happening. I am staying in the dollhouse and am gonna learn to live with myself and some unknown other person.

Things to change about the house to make me more comfortable:
1) replace lightbulbs with flourescents
2) get other set of pots
3) get chairs
4) more Jason Larche prints for radical wall decoration
5) lay in a stock of firewood, mark which is an open flue
6) start window boxes for some flowers/vegetables off the balcony (once the temp stays consistently above 50 degrees fahrenheit)
7) figure out a way to play movies...buy tv/dvd player?

Right now the perfect roommate would be:
1) kosher,
2) laid-back
3) no car
4) very environmentally concious
5) like cold houses, roaring fireplaces, fine scotch, and cooking vegetarian meals

Pass anyone who meets these criteria on to me.

kisses,
Hanah

Tracing it back the last few days...and my it's been that long since I posted.

Wed, I double booked myself for a lecture on Jewish law and warfare and a capoiera class with my friend Gabby, from work. So I ran out of the lecture halfway through and into the capoiera class halfway through, making sure that not one activity felt satisfying. However, I now have the notes from the lecture and the basic steps of capoiera- jinga, negachiva, and coccatino- under my belt.

Thursday, I got free tickets to the Bombitty of Errors performed at Syracuse Stage but couldn't get anyone to go with me. Phenomenal performance, by the way. Sooo funny, and smart, and the actors were fantastic. I keep hearing the "Luu-chianna" song in my head. All the actors had double or triple parts, each with one female role. Hilarious. Particularly the part at the end when the same actor had to play the husband and wife simultaneously. The problem with the play wasn't the play itself but that it started at 7:45 and I had a 9:25 soccer game 10 minutes away that I had to make. So I ran out the theatre as the last note sounded, like a jewel thief from a heist, jumped into my car. Changed my jeans into stretch pants at a red light (that was funny, let me tell you), drove the rest of the way to the Sportcenter in bare feet. Pulled the rest of my clothes on in the parking lot. Played well, for a short time, then I sprained my ankle. Sam, my bro, and one of his friends had to help me off the field. They dumped me on the sidelines and he starts making all these soothing noises, like "you're going to be ok." "did you really hurt yourself", etc, etc. and I'm really touched for the 6 seconds until I realize that he isn't even looking at me, he's watching the rest of the game. Talk about being more than a little pissed off. He could at least have been paying attention if he wasn't going to do anything useful like get me an ice pack and an aspirin.

During the earlier part of the game, I had made a bet with Martha that I wouldn't "coach" the team. I lost. Can't keep my big mouth shut. So I managed to drive myself back to the neighborhood and Martha and I went for a beer. She bought one for me because of the injury, and I bought one for her because I owed her from the bet. And then Mikey, the hot ex bartender, gave me some water, aspirin, and an ice pack to reduce the swelling around my ankle. My hero. Life would be so much easier if I weren't still attracted to him. I keep telling myself that it's the allure of the forbidden. Maybe it's as simple as that.

Friday I was exhaused and went to sleep early.

Saturday, I went to shul like a good Jew. And went out for Irish food with Zay and Kara at Kitty Hoynes in Armory Square. The drinks were good, the food wasn't really. And if that is bread pudding, I'll eat my shaleighli.

Sunday, I went over to Mom & Dad's to make beef & guinness stew, and a vegan potato-leek soup. Both of which passed the taste test with flying colors. Mom baked hamantaschen for Purim (this Friday), and we annoyed her by eating many of them fresh out of the oven. mmm. They taste even better when they aren't shipped 5-8 thousand miles.

While I'm plumbing the depths of YouTube, here's a popular Israeli rock band called HaDag Nahash who have some pretty radical songs. This is a favorite of mine. The song is made up of a range of Israeli bumperstickers. The video is ridiculously accurate in portraying the stereotypical range of Israelis, and ironic in switching who advances which of the political perspectives...




My fav part is the sexy policeman talking into his radio, I have to admit.

You know, when I was in Hebrew school as a child my teachers told me to write G-d like so. This preference in spelling was derived from the practice of never writing the name of the infinite on something that could be destroyed, or burned, or broken. In short, the name of the divine should not be made mortal. I always found that concept intriguing- the degree of thought that went into separating the concepts of eternity and permanence. Along the same lines, I find the intelligent questions in this song inspiring:

From the Israeli Reggae group "Hatikvah 6"

Actually the subject line is a lie. This week just became so much easier to deal with since a severe storm warning is in effect across the entire region. I've been convinced to forgo the conference in Albany tomorrow. And since I agreed to watch a house that comes with a 13 year old, or is that babysit a 13 year old and watch the house? Can one babysit a tweeny? Anyway, I won't be going to the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce dinner or soccer on Thursday night. I'm kinda sad about those last two...but $500 towards my credit card balance is not something I'm prepared to turn down right now. I want that debt gone. Soon I'll get that pretty tax refund check in the mail with the $600+bonus (thank you, grandchildren) and that will help too. Debt-a-go-go. So now the main things for this week are- shiva and Iraq Veterans Against the War movie tonight, dinner for 13 year old for next 4 nights, Zay's birthday on Friday, Irish events on Saturday in Tip Hill, oh and the minor little matter of finishing this grant application at work.

I took Monday off work because Mom, Sam, and I went down to Philadelphia for my Aunt Kay's memorial service on Sunday, and drove back yesterday morning. It was good to gather with the family. The memorial service was well done. I saw my Uncle, my cousin gave the eulogy, and my other cousin and her daughter made a photo montage of my Aunt in remembrance. We went back to my other Aunt's house and sat shiva- there were visitors, we had a Maariv service and said Kaddish, and ate for about 8 hours straight.

Half my little cousins don't know me from the messiah, so Sam and Mom and I spent a lot of time with them playing "who am I? Cousin Hanah'll give you some chocolate. Now who am I?". Both of the men married to my older cousins gave me career advice- one on working for oneself ("why would you ever want to be someone else's employee? Set yourself up as a consultant and make it on your own."- be assertive, agressive, and if needs be, an asshole. and the other on pitching ideas "always go into a negotiation knowing what their objections will be. They need to understand how your product or ideas are going to benefit them, no question."- always have a plan, preparation is the only way to get what you want. You can't sell them all but you'll sell more than anyone else if you plan for it.) Great advice. Both of these guys could talk the emperor out of his new clothes although I'm not very comfortable around either of them. Maybe I just don't know them that well. They both have pretty terrific lifestyles though- one jetsets, has a beautiful lifestyle on Long Island; the other sells around the world, has a beautiful family, and nice suburban lifestyle in Bucks County. Both have tremendous incomes. They're from an entirely different world, or so it seems.

My Aunt Kay died this past Saturday. She was 70years old, and sick- mostly thanks to having been a life-long smoker- and had been on a ventilator in the hospital for the past month or so. We'd hoped that she'd be able to fight off the secondary infections (including one that was leading to liver failure) which results from living in a hospital hooked up to multiple things, and that she'd be able to move off the ventilator and back to their three year old Florida home. Things didn't quite work out that way. And to be honest, it wasn't a likely ending. Her lungs just weren't functioning well; in essense, she was slowly suffocating.

To compound the difficulty associated with monitoring and caring for her during her illness, my Aunt's children and husband seemed to have no plan as to what to do if she was incapacitated for a long-time in a hospital, what to do with her body and for her in the Jewish tradition after her death, or what will happen to my uncle- a depressed, disabled man with a not-so-good relationship to his kids who has been drinking himself to death for decades- now that she isn't there to care for him. They'd been married to each other since she was 18 years old.

So now my mother, brother, and I are heading down to Philadelphia for a memorial service this weekend. No one is sitting shiva for my Aunt, or saying twice-daily kaddish for her. She was cremated- which my other uncle is very upset about, and we aren't sure yet what's going to be done with her ashes. This makes things that should be easy, prescriptive, and grief-friendly very complicated. Ritual definitley has its place during lifecycle events like death.

As for my mother, she gets to be the moderator, the peace-maker, the obituary-proofer, and the sounding board. She and my dad were down in Florida, ostensibly for their annual vacation, during the final week of my Aunt's life. My father is more demonstrably distraught. He's known my Aunt for as long as he's known my mother. Needless to say, they spent the entirety of their vacation taking care of everyone down there dealing with my Aunt's illness.

As for myself, I'm sad. In particular, I'm sad I forgot to answer my Aunt's e-mails more frequently than not. And that she was so far away for most of my childhood. I would've liked to have known her better.

I'm checking out this new www.koolanoo.com Jewish social networking site. And their ads/viral video are both intriguing and disturbing.
See for yourself.

Pool Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zIbaH0I9RQ

Mixing Business w/Pleasure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cJTrDOMu5o