Last night we had a little problem right around midnight with David getting up and being a little confused. By the time I had cleaned up and gotten him back to bed, I was so wide awake that I lost at least 2 hours of sleep time. So I got up quite late in the morning and didn't go out to walk at all. David, of course, remembers NONE of this.
This morning we went up to חי בר Khai Bar, the wild animal park and nature preserve just south of Yotvata. This is about the 3rd or 4th time we've been there, but this time we timed it so that we'd be out there driving when they fed the animals, which brought them out quite close to us. At one point, there were 3 ostriches pecking on the car at the same time! I took quite a few pictures with my iPhone, but I haven't even looked at them yet.
After that, we continue north for our now-regular Shabbat lunch at Kakao, at Kibbutz Yahel.
In the late afternoon we talked for a while with David's sister in Ohio, and then went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt. We stayed for a little longer so that I could watch the show. This time, only the guy performed.
I watched several video lectures for the coming week of my Survey of Music Technology class. Now he's introducing us to Reaper, the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), that we will be using for this class. It's quite interesting.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Friday, 30 August 2013
I got up early this morning and walked all the way to the gym and back. I didn't, however, work out there because I wanted to leave plenty of time later to go down to the bakery, where I got challah, and the candy store.
I taught on one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-10:30. It was an individual student, a German-speaking Swiss woman whom I have taught before and who is very nice.
We ate lunch today at Il Pentolino. We had our usual choices there except that they didn't have whole-wheat spaghetti today. Also, my Palermo sauce was not NEARLY as good as it usually is. Oh well.
I finished all of the first week's activities for my Survey of Music Technology course. In the last couple of videos, the professor went into some detail about how graphs showing frequency components of a sound are made. He did not describe exactly how Fast Fourier Transforms work, but he did show some of the trade-off in using them and what they can be useful for besides just displays. In particular, they can allow you to change the speed and the pitch of sounds independently, something which can NOT be done in the usual representations of digital music (or analog, for that matter!). This was definitely something beyond what I learned in my previous class.
We took a short drive up the Arava this afternoon, going only as far as Samar.
We lit candles, drank sweet wine, and ate whole-grain challah to celebrate the beginning of Shabbat this evening.
I taught on one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-10:30. It was an individual student, a German-speaking Swiss woman whom I have taught before and who is very nice.
We ate lunch today at Il Pentolino. We had our usual choices there except that they didn't have whole-wheat spaghetti today. Also, my Palermo sauce was not NEARLY as good as it usually is. Oh well.
I finished all of the first week's activities for my Survey of Music Technology course. In the last couple of videos, the professor went into some detail about how graphs showing frequency components of a sound are made. He did not describe exactly how Fast Fourier Transforms work, but he did show some of the trade-off in using them and what they can be useful for besides just displays. In particular, they can allow you to change the speed and the pitch of sounds independently, something which can NOT be done in the usual representations of digital music (or analog, for that matter!). This was definitely something beyond what I learned in my previous class.
We took a short drive up the Arava this afternoon, going only as far as Samar.
We lit candles, drank sweet wine, and ate whole-grain challah to celebrate the beginning of Shabbat this evening.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thursday, 29 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning because I had had trouble getting to sleep last night. However, I still managed to walk to the highway 12 kikar and back.
I was scheduled to teach 9 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one lesson (2 of those units) turned out to be a no-show: 9:00-10:30, 2:30-4:00 (the no-show), 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-8:15.
We ate lunch today at Café Café at Ice Park. I had their בוקר מקסיקני boker meksikani ("Mexican Morning"). It's basically an omelet with tomato in it, corn chips, salsa, and cream cheese, with bread and a salad on the side. I find the "salsa" a bit amusing, sort of half-way between Mexican salsa and סלט טורקי salat turki ("Turkish salad"). Nevertheless, it's quite a nice meal.
I also managed to watch several more video lectures for my Survey of Music Technology class, which I enjoyed.
I was scheduled to teach 9 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one lesson (2 of those units) turned out to be a no-show: 9:00-10:30, 2:30-4:00 (the no-show), 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-8:15.
We ate lunch today at Café Café at Ice Park. I had their בוקר מקסיקני boker meksikani ("Mexican Morning"). It's basically an omelet with tomato in it, corn chips, salsa, and cream cheese, with bread and a salad on the side. I find the "salsa" a bit amusing, sort of half-way between Mexican salsa and סלט טורקי salat turki ("Turkish salad"). Nevertheless, it's quite a nice meal.
I also managed to watch several more video lectures for my Survey of Music Technology class, which I enjoyed.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night, and I also woke up quite a bit during the night. I didn't get up until after 7:00, which is VERY late for me. But I did feel that I had gotten enough sleep, and I definitely felt MUCH better than yesterday. Of course I did NOT have time to go for a walk.
I taught only 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 11:00-12:30 and 4:00-5:30.
I watched several more lecture videos for my new class, Survey of Music Technology. Much of the material so far is similar to what I learned in my previous music class, but a few things have been new, and, of course, the professor has different ways of presenting them. Later, there will be many things that will be different from the previous class.
We ate lunch at Kakao at Ice Park today. David had Tel Aviv French toast, and I had their Kakao toast. Both were good.
After my last class, I walked over to the doctor's office (about 6 short blocks away) for the appointment that I had scheduled this morning. Berlitz requires a letter from one's doctor in order to claim a sick day.
Later in the evening, I took out the trash and took more than 60 plastic bottles to the recycling bin.
I taught only 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 11:00-12:30 and 4:00-5:30.
I watched several more lecture videos for my new class, Survey of Music Technology. Much of the material so far is similar to what I learned in my previous music class, but a few things have been new, and, of course, the professor has different ways of presenting them. Later, there will be many things that will be different from the previous class.
We ate lunch at Kakao at Ice Park today. David had Tel Aviv French toast, and I had their Kakao toast. Both were good.
After my last class, I walked over to the doctor's office (about 6 short blocks away) for the appointment that I had scheduled this morning. Berlitz requires a letter from one's doctor in order to claim a sick day.
Later in the evening, I took out the trash and took more than 60 plastic bottles to the recycling bin.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
I woke up this morning with a headache and just not feeling good in general. I didn't go out at all, and I took 400 mg of ibuprofen right away. But the headache only got worse. I didn't even eat any breakfast. Finally, I decided I'd better not try to teach, and so I contacted Berlitz and took a sick day. I didn't even feel like going to the doctor, though, so now I'll have to do that tomorrow since Berlitz requires a doctor's letter for all sick leave.
After I had taken a bit of a nap, or at least a good rest in bed, in the late morning, I felt a little better. I fixed some lunch for David at home, but I only ate a container of plain yogurt myself.
By late afternoon, I was feeling somewhat better. We talked with David's sister in Ohio. After that, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, which I was able to eat without any problem. From there, we drove to Shufersal where David waited in the car while I did the weekly grocery shopping. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired but glad that I'd managed to get the groceries.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning. I have to get an appointment with the doctor in any case, but, if I feel pretty good, I'll teach the 2 lessons that are scheduled for me.
After I had taken a bit of a nap, or at least a good rest in bed, in the late morning, I felt a little better. I fixed some lunch for David at home, but I only ate a container of plain yogurt myself.
By late afternoon, I was feeling somewhat better. We talked with David's sister in Ohio. After that, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, which I was able to eat without any problem. From there, we drove to Shufersal where David waited in the car while I did the weekly grocery shopping. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired but glad that I'd managed to get the groceries.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning. I have to get an appointment with the doctor in any case, but, if I feel pretty good, I'll teach the 2 lessons that are scheduled for me.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning but still managed to walk to the highway 12 kikar and back.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today (although one student was a no-show): 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30 (the no-show), and 5:00-6:30.
We ate lunch today at Café Greg at Ice Park. I had a sabich salad.
I ran several errands after lunch. First, I went to the pharmacy to pick up our monthly supply of medicines. Then I went to the iDigital store (iDigital is Apple's rep here in Israel) to get cordless ear buds for David. Paired with his iPhone, these work better than his PocketTalker hearing device (they were also more expensive, though). Finally, I went to the SuperPharm at Mercaz Big to get new dark glasses for me since both temple pieces broke on my old ones.
After my last class, we went back to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today (although one student was a no-show): 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30 (the no-show), and 5:00-6:30.
We ate lunch today at Café Greg at Ice Park. I had a sabich salad.
I ran several errands after lunch. First, I went to the pharmacy to pick up our monthly supply of medicines. Then I went to the iDigital store (iDigital is Apple's rep here in Israel) to get cordless ear buds for David. Paired with his iPhone, these work better than his PocketTalker hearing device (they were also more expensive, though). Finally, I went to the SuperPharm at Mercaz Big to get new dark glasses for me since both temple pieces broke on my old ones.
After my last class, we went back to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Sunday, 25 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning but still walked to the highway 12 kikar and back.
We ate breakfast a little early and got right on our way to Tel Aviv. David had an appointment with the dentist there at 1:30. We arrived at the office about 15 minutes before his appointment time. When the dentist finished, we learned that David would need another appointment to finish the work. But the good news was that they were able to schedule for TODAY at 4:00 p.m. So, we ate lunch and spent a little time in the Steimatzky bookstore that is there, and then we went back up for the second appointment, which was with a different dentist. I think this is all that will need to be done.
Our trip up and back was pretty uneventful. On the way up, there was a HUGE traffic stoppage in the other direction (southbound) not too far north of Be'er Sheva. It was due to 2 trucks that had collided with each other. By the time we came back that way, much later of course, it had been cleared.
I used Waze to help me find the most efficient ways in and out of Tel Aviv. It's pretty good. We call the (female) English-speaking voice "Shoshana" and have a lot of fun listening to her say things like: "In 1 km, turn right." and "In 400 m, at the roundabout, continue straight." I plug my phone into the car stereo's aux input, so her voice comes from the car speakers, loud and clear!
We ate breakfast a little early and got right on our way to Tel Aviv. David had an appointment with the dentist there at 1:30. We arrived at the office about 15 minutes before his appointment time. When the dentist finished, we learned that David would need another appointment to finish the work. But the good news was that they were able to schedule for TODAY at 4:00 p.m. So, we ate lunch and spent a little time in the Steimatzky bookstore that is there, and then we went back up for the second appointment, which was with a different dentist. I think this is all that will need to be done.
Our trip up and back was pretty uneventful. On the way up, there was a HUGE traffic stoppage in the other direction (southbound) not too far north of Be'er Sheva. It was due to 2 trucks that had collided with each other. By the time we came back that way, much later of course, it had been cleared.
I used Waze to help me find the most efficient ways in and out of Tel Aviv. It's pretty good. We call the (female) English-speaking voice "Shoshana" and have a lot of fun listening to her say things like: "In 1 km, turn right." and "In 400 m, at the roundabout, continue straight." I plug my phone into the car stereo's aux input, so her voice comes from the car speakers, loud and clear!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Shabbat, 24 August 2013
I got up slightly late this morning but still walked to the highway 12 kikar and back.
We drove up to Yahel for lunch today at Kakao. Both of us had "Tel Aviv French Toast". It's challah sliced and dipped in some kind of batter and then fried with a sunny-side-up egg on top. We both agreed that it's delicious!
This afternoon I started reading about, viewing video lectures, and downloading software for the next Coursera class I'll be taking, "Survey of Music Technology". I think it's going to be a very interesting class! Technically, it doesn't start until Monday, but the materials for at least the 1st week are already available.
David talked to his sister in Ohio this afternoon/evening while I was checking out my new class.
After that, we went over to Ice Park and had frozen yogurt. I also bought another pair of flip-flops. They have a lot of bumps on them, but I've grown to really like the previous ones I got there, so I wanted to get some more before they ran out.
We drove up to Yahel for lunch today at Kakao. Both of us had "Tel Aviv French Toast". It's challah sliced and dipped in some kind of batter and then fried with a sunny-side-up egg on top. We both agreed that it's delicious!
This afternoon I started reading about, viewing video lectures, and downloading software for the next Coursera class I'll be taking, "Survey of Music Technology". I think it's going to be a very interesting class! Technically, it doesn't start until Monday, but the materials for at least the 1st week are already available.
David talked to his sister in Ohio this afternoon/evening while I was checking out my new class.
After that, we went over to Ice Park and had frozen yogurt. I also bought another pair of flip-flops. They have a lot of bumps on them, but I've grown to really like the previous ones I got there, so I wanted to get some more before they ran out.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday, 23 August 2013
I got up early enough to walk over to the gym, work out a little there, and return home. Then, before breakfast, I went out again, taking the cardboard to recycle and buying challah and candy for Shabbat.
I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:00.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today, having our now-traditional dishes there.
This afternoon I spent some time checking out the "Practice Room" that Berlitz created for each of us teachers to learn Adobe Connect, the new platform that we will soon be using to deliver our lessons. It will take a little getting used to, but, overall, it will be an improvement, I think, over our current platform, AT&T Connect.
This evening we lit candles, drank a bit of sweet red wine, and ate challah to welcome Shabbat.
I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:00.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today, having our now-traditional dishes there.
This afternoon I spent some time checking out the "Practice Room" that Berlitz created for each of us teachers to learn Adobe Connect, the new platform that we will soon be using to deliver our lessons. It will take a little getting used to, but, overall, it will be an improvement, I think, over our current platform, AT&T Connect.
This evening we lit candles, drank a bit of sweet red wine, and ate challah to welcome Shabbat.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Last night David fell in the bathroom again. Luckily, he wasn't hurt at all, and we even managed to get him up and back to bed more easily than usual. However, I lost quite a bit of sleep and so didn't get up until late this morning. I didn't go out for a walk at all.
I taught 10 units of Berlitz lessons today (although the second student was actually a late cancellation): 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
Before we went to lunch, I found and downloaded a couple of free apps to David's iPhone. Both are designed to work something like hearing aids, and one of them seems to work pretty well as long as he wears ear buds so that he doesn't also hear the original sound much. Otherwise, he hears an echo because the original sound arrives slightly before the processed sound. Still, it may be an even better solution for him that the "PocketTalker". Only time will tell for sure. We're going to try to get him some more comfortable ear buds that also work through Bluetooth so that he won't have to deal with a cord.
We ate lunch again at Café Greg. David had cheese ravioli, and I had edamame and a chopped (Israeli) salad.
I taught 10 units of Berlitz lessons today (although the second student was actually a late cancellation): 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
Before we went to lunch, I found and downloaded a couple of free apps to David's iPhone. Both are designed to work something like hearing aids, and one of them seems to work pretty well as long as he wears ear buds so that he doesn't also hear the original sound much. Otherwise, he hears an echo because the original sound arrives slightly before the processed sound. Still, it may be an even better solution for him that the "PocketTalker". Only time will tell for sure. We're going to try to get him some more comfortable ear buds that also work through Bluetooth so that he won't have to deal with a cord.
We ate lunch again at Café Greg. David had cheese ravioli, and I had edamame and a chopped (Israeli) salad.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
I got up early enough this morning for my walk to the gym and a short work-out while there.
I got a little more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli this morning. I'm working on the expression in the third section, where a brass choir, together with oboe, flute, bassoon, and double bass, are playing together in Bach-chorale style.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 11:00-12:30 (the only one that was NOT a WHO group); 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30. All 3 of my WHO groups will have their last lessons tomorrow.
In one of my groups today, one of the students is in Afghanistan and has lived there all her life. We were talking about traffic, and the situation she told us about is truly dire -- in Kabul, a city of 3 million people (!), there are NO working traffic lights, no public transportation (there used to be electric buses, but they are all completely gone now), traffic and road closures due to security that cause even worse traffic, and no controls on bringing vehicles from all around the world into the country. Another student is now is Pakistan but is from Yemen, and his description of the situation in Yemen is not much better. Tribal strongmen drive vehicles without license plates, and no one can stop them.
We ate lunch today at Café Greg. We also discovered the upper parking area, which is basically on the roofs of the stores all the way around the circle at the foot of the dome roof of Ice Park. I had no idea about this before!
I got a little more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli this morning. I'm working on the expression in the third section, where a brass choir, together with oboe, flute, bassoon, and double bass, are playing together in Bach-chorale style.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 11:00-12:30 (the only one that was NOT a WHO group); 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30. All 3 of my WHO groups will have their last lessons tomorrow.
In one of my groups today, one of the students is in Afghanistan and has lived there all her life. We were talking about traffic, and the situation she told us about is truly dire -- in Kabul, a city of 3 million people (!), there are NO working traffic lights, no public transportation (there used to be electric buses, but they are all completely gone now), traffic and road closures due to security that cause even worse traffic, and no controls on bringing vehicles from all around the world into the country. Another student is now is Pakistan but is from Yemen, and his description of the situation in Yemen is not much better. Tribal strongmen drive vehicles without license plates, and no one can stop them.
We ate lunch today at Café Greg. We also discovered the upper parking area, which is basically on the roofs of the stores all the way around the circle at the foot of the dome roof of Ice Park. I had no idea about this before!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning, so I only walked to the highway 12 kikar and back.
This morning I had a training session to teach us about new software we'll be using to deliver our Berlitz lessons. This new platform is from Adobe, and it looks like it will generally be better in most ways than the current AT&T program that we use. This is good news, of course!
We ate lunch at Café Café at Ice Park today, after which we drove up as far as Be'er Ora before returning home.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, all to people from the WHO (World Health Organization): 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
This morning I had a training session to teach us about new software we'll be using to deliver our Berlitz lessons. This new platform is from Adobe, and it looks like it will generally be better in most ways than the current AT&T program that we use. This is good news, of course!
We ate lunch at Café Café at Ice Park today, after which we drove up as far as Be'er Ora before returning home.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, all to people from the WHO (World Health Organization): 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, 19 August 2013
I got up very early this morning and so got in a great walk, a good work-out, and stretches.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today, having our usual dishes there.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today, having our usual dishes there.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Sunday, 18 August 2013
I got up early enough for a good walk to the gym, a good work-out there, and stretches on the way home.
This morning I took David down to the barber and got his hair cut. It's a little shorter on top than we really wanted, but it still looks nice, and it's cooler for the hot weather.
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli. I think I've got all the instrumentation about right now, so the remaining work on this piece will mostly have to do with dynamics and interpretation.
We ate lunch at Chooka today and both had our usual favorites there (sushi for me and noodles for David).
I picked up a few things we needed at the pharmacy this afternoon. After that, I proceeded to SuperStock and was delighted to find that they had the large glass mugs that we like. I bought 4 of them. Finally, I went on to ShuferSal to do the weekly grocery shopping.
We talked today with David's sister in Ohio. Then we drove over to Ice Park again for frozen yogurt. After eating, we did a little shopping. David wanted to look for a black shirt. We didn't find that, but we did find a nice black tank top for him. I also got one for me, plus a white one and a tie-dyed one. You've got to love the name of the shop where we got them (and I don't think you'll find this one in the U.S. anytime soon): TOPMAN! The other side of the shop actually has women's clothes, but its name is NOT TOPWOMAN -- no, it's TOPSHOP! Hmmm...... And, no, neither of these names is in Hebrew at all, only English.
This morning I took David down to the barber and got his hair cut. It's a little shorter on top than we really wanted, but it still looks nice, and it's cooler for the hot weather.
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli. I think I've got all the instrumentation about right now, so the remaining work on this piece will mostly have to do with dynamics and interpretation.
We ate lunch at Chooka today and both had our usual favorites there (sushi for me and noodles for David).
I picked up a few things we needed at the pharmacy this afternoon. After that, I proceeded to SuperStock and was delighted to find that they had the large glass mugs that we like. I bought 4 of them. Finally, I went on to ShuferSal to do the weekly grocery shopping.
We talked today with David's sister in Ohio. Then we drove over to Ice Park again for frozen yogurt. After eating, we did a little shopping. David wanted to look for a black shirt. We didn't find that, but we did find a nice black tank top for him. I also got one for me, plus a white one and a tie-dyed one. You've got to love the name of the shop where we got them (and I don't think you'll find this one in the U.S. anytime soon): TOPMAN! The other side of the shop actually has women's clothes, but its name is NOT TOPWOMAN -- no, it's TOPSHOP! Hmmm...... And, no, neither of these names is in Hebrew at all, only English.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Shabbat, 17 August 2013
I got up early enough this morning for a walk to the gym, a short work-out while there, and stretches on the way back.
As I was fixing breakfast, I at least partially solved a mystery. We have large glass mugs that we drink soda out of. When we're not using them, their normal home is in the freezer. Sometimes, of course, we forget to put them away, but then they are usually easily found, generally on the end tables next to our chairs or on a desk. But a few days ago, David's mug went missing. He couldn't remember where he had put it, and I looked everywhere I could think of for it to no avail. This morning, I found it -- in the microwave, half full of soda! We still have no idea WHY he put it there, but obviously he did!
We took quite a long drive today. Our destination was a place called Lippa Gal, which is near Avdat. I had seen the signs on the highway pointing to a gravel road with the name, but I didn't know what it might be. It turns out that its simply a point high on a hill west of Avdat that has a great panoramic view. Actually, the place to park the car wasn't really close to the viewpoint itself, and it was a hot day, so I didn't get out and go over there. Also, there was a bedouin woman and her daughter over there with their flock of goats and sheep, and I didn't want to disturb them. The view is nice from anywhere up there in any case: Sde Boker, the beginning of the Tzin gorge, and Avdat (the Nabatean city built by the same people who built Petra over in Jordan). On this trip of 380 km (over 230 miles), on a HOT day in the desert with the A/C running constantly, our car got 19.4 km/l (45.6 mpg)!
We talked briefly with David's sister today and found out that she had had a seizure last Tuesday and had just gotten out of the hospital. They had to take her granddaughter to the doctor, so our conversation was short, but we'll talk again tomorrow.
In the evening we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, and I watched the 8:00 p.m. show. Even though it's always basically the same, I never cease to enjoy watching it and being amazed.
As I was fixing breakfast, I at least partially solved a mystery. We have large glass mugs that we drink soda out of. When we're not using them, their normal home is in the freezer. Sometimes, of course, we forget to put them away, but then they are usually easily found, generally on the end tables next to our chairs or on a desk. But a few days ago, David's mug went missing. He couldn't remember where he had put it, and I looked everywhere I could think of for it to no avail. This morning, I found it -- in the microwave, half full of soda! We still have no idea WHY he put it there, but obviously he did!
We took quite a long drive today. Our destination was a place called Lippa Gal, which is near Avdat. I had seen the signs on the highway pointing to a gravel road with the name, but I didn't know what it might be. It turns out that its simply a point high on a hill west of Avdat that has a great panoramic view. Actually, the place to park the car wasn't really close to the viewpoint itself, and it was a hot day, so I didn't get out and go over there. Also, there was a bedouin woman and her daughter over there with their flock of goats and sheep, and I didn't want to disturb them. The view is nice from anywhere up there in any case: Sde Boker, the beginning of the Tzin gorge, and Avdat (the Nabatean city built by the same people who built Petra over in Jordan). On this trip of 380 km (over 230 miles), on a HOT day in the desert with the A/C running constantly, our car got 19.4 km/l (45.6 mpg)!
We talked briefly with David's sister today and found out that she had had a seizure last Tuesday and had just gotten out of the hospital. They had to take her granddaughter to the doctor, so our conversation was short, but we'll talk again tomorrow.
In the evening we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, and I watched the 8:00 p.m. show. Even though it's always basically the same, I never cease to enjoy watching it and being amazed.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, 16 August 2013
I got up very early this morning, walked to the gym, had a good work-out there, and did stretches on the way back. Later, I took the cardboard boxes down to the recycle bin and then bought challah and candy.
After breakfast, I also took the plastic bottles and the other containers to their respective recycle areas.
I had no Berlitz lessons today at all.
We ordered soyaburgers from Barbis for lunch today. We had them delivered and ate at home.
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli.
A little while before sundown, we lit candles, drank wine, and ate challah to welcome the Shabbat.
After breakfast, I also took the plastic bottles and the other containers to their respective recycle areas.
I had no Berlitz lessons today at all.
We ordered soyaburgers from Barbis for lunch today. We had them delivered and ate at home.
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli.
A little while before sundown, we lit candles, drank wine, and ate challah to welcome the Shabbat.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Thursday, 15 August 2013
For some reason, I was very tired this morning and didn't get up until very late, and so I didn't go out for a walk at all.
I took the car over for its annual test this morning. I was actually supposed to have done this months ago, but I hadn't realized it. The car had been exempt its the first year after we bought it. Anyway, the process was pretty simple, and now everything's fine.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today. We split an omelet sandwich, and I also ate an order of edamame (a simple Japanese dish consisting merely of steamed soybeans, which are delicious -- if you've never had them, you should try them!).
I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, both to groups of people all of whom work for the World Health Organization in various parts of the world: 3:30-5:00 and 7:00-8:30.
Between the classes, we drove down again to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, and I got to watch the 6:00 show. I stood right at the edge of the rink and really enjoyed it!
I took the car over for its annual test this morning. I was actually supposed to have done this months ago, but I hadn't realized it. The car had been exempt its the first year after we bought it. Anyway, the process was pretty simple, and now everything's fine.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today. We split an omelet sandwich, and I also ate an order of edamame (a simple Japanese dish consisting merely of steamed soybeans, which are delicious -- if you've never had them, you should try them!).
I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, both to groups of people all of whom work for the World Health Organization in various parts of the world: 3:30-5:00 and 7:00-8:30.
Between the classes, we drove down again to Ice Park for frozen yogurt, and I got to watch the 6:00 show. I stood right at the edge of the rink and really enjoyed it!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
I got up early enough this morning to walk to the gym and work out there a bit.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lesson today: 11:00-12:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino, each having our usual dishes there.
I taught 8 units of Berlitz lesson today: 11:00-12:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino, each having our usual dishes there.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
I was awakened around 1:00 a.m. last night by sirens followed a few seconds later by a couple of booms that didn't seem very close. The sirens stopped shortly after that, but, of course, it took me a while to get back to sleep, and therefore I got up late this morning and didn't get any walk at all. What had happened was that a rocket was fired at Eilat from Sinai but was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:30-5:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at home, finishing the food that David brought home for the restaurant yesterday and also eating some vegetarian weenies wrapped in whole wheat tortillas (which, according to the packaging, were made in ... Turkey!).
Before my last class, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:30-5:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate lunch at home, finishing the food that David brought home for the restaurant yesterday and also eating some vegetarian weenies wrapped in whole wheat tortillas (which, according to the packaging, were made in ... Turkey!).
Before my last class, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Monday, 12 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning but still had time for a walk to the gym and back. I didn't work out there at all, though.
We ate lunch again at Café Greg today. I had their omelet sandwich, which was as good as it always has been.
After lunch, we took a short drive up the Arava as far as Elifaz.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, all to World Health Organization groups: 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30. The students were from MANY different countries!
We ate lunch again at Café Greg today. I had their omelet sandwich, which was as good as it always has been.
After lunch, we took a short drive up the Arava as far as Elifaz.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, all to World Health Organization groups: 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30. The students were from MANY different countries!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sunday, 11 August 2013
I got up extra early this morning and so got in an excellent walk to the gym and back and a good work-out while there, as well. Of course, I also did my stretches on the way back.
This morning I had our tires checked, and it turned out that we needed 3 new ones and a front alignment. None of this surprised me too much, and the price for all the work was quite reasonable. I'm glad to have this done before we make another trip to the North.
After that I stopped by the pet store (just up the street a block or 2 from the tire place) and got more cat litter and cat food. Next, I checked out המשביר לצרכן HaMashbir LaTzarkan ("The Supplier to the Consumer" -- a national chain of department stores, whose sober name, I assume, dates back to Israel's more socialist past) to see if any of their advertised sale items might be of interest to me (they had hung a big flyer on our door handle a few days ago). They weren't.
For lunch we ate at the newly kosher Café Greg. David had their fettucine with mushroom cream sauce which, he said, was very good. I had their "Home Fries Salad", which was NOT as I good I remembered it to be. This could be a) my poor memory, b) a new chef, or c) the unfortunate result of going kosher. I really hope it is NOT c! It's bad enough that they'll no longer be open on Shabbat!
After lunch we took a drive around the short loop. At first, we had planned to go up highway 12 and return on highway 90, but when we saw the HUGE traffic jam coming into town on highway 90, we decided to UP that way and return on the much-less-traveled highway 12 into town.
I did the weekly grocery shopping in the late afternoon. The Shufersal has opened a new section where we can buy many kinds of nuts, candies, and spices in bulk. I also found some tortillas, including whole-wheat ones which I bought. I even bought some vegetarian weenies to wrap around them. In addition, I got a bottle of good American salsa, which we proceeded to completely consume this evening with corn chips. YUM!
Finally, I'm reporting that David says "Hi!" to the world this evening.
This morning I had our tires checked, and it turned out that we needed 3 new ones and a front alignment. None of this surprised me too much, and the price for all the work was quite reasonable. I'm glad to have this done before we make another trip to the North.
After that I stopped by the pet store (just up the street a block or 2 from the tire place) and got more cat litter and cat food. Next, I checked out המשביר לצרכן HaMashbir LaTzarkan ("The Supplier to the Consumer" -- a national chain of department stores, whose sober name, I assume, dates back to Israel's more socialist past) to see if any of their advertised sale items might be of interest to me (they had hung a big flyer on our door handle a few days ago). They weren't.
For lunch we ate at the newly kosher Café Greg. David had their fettucine with mushroom cream sauce which, he said, was very good. I had their "Home Fries Salad", which was NOT as I good I remembered it to be. This could be a) my poor memory, b) a new chef, or c) the unfortunate result of going kosher. I really hope it is NOT c! It's bad enough that they'll no longer be open on Shabbat!
After lunch we took a drive around the short loop. At first, we had planned to go up highway 12 and return on highway 90, but when we saw the HUGE traffic jam coming into town on highway 90, we decided to UP that way and return on the much-less-traveled highway 12 into town.
I did the weekly grocery shopping in the late afternoon. The Shufersal has opened a new section where we can buy many kinds of nuts, candies, and spices in bulk. I also found some tortillas, including whole-wheat ones which I bought. I even bought some vegetarian weenies to wrap around them. In addition, I got a bottle of good American salsa, which we proceeded to completely consume this evening with corn chips. YUM!
Finally, I'm reporting that David says "Hi!" to the world this evening.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Shabbat, 10 August 2013
I got up early enough this morning to walk all the way to the gym and back. I only worked out there briefly, though.
We were planning to take a drive this morning, but I noticed that the right rear tire was quite low on air. I filled it up at the gas station, but I was too worried about it going down quickly to risk a drive into the desert.
We wanted to each lunch at Café Greg today, but when we got to Ice Park we discovered that it was closed. The reason is that it has gone kosher. We are NOT pleased at all with this development! Instead, we contented ourselves with frozen yogurt and then came home and ate beans and weenies.
Since the tire seemed not be be going down visibly, we took a drive down the coast and then up the Arava as far as Be'er Ora later in the day.
We talked to David's sister and her husband in Ohio today.
We were planning to take a drive this morning, but I noticed that the right rear tire was quite low on air. I filled it up at the gas station, but I was too worried about it going down quickly to risk a drive into the desert.
We wanted to each lunch at Café Greg today, but when we got to Ice Park we discovered that it was closed. The reason is that it has gone kosher. We are NOT pleased at all with this development! Instead, we contented ourselves with frozen yogurt and then came home and ate beans and weenies.
Since the tire seemed not be be going down visibly, we took a drive down the coast and then up the Arava as far as Be'er Ora later in the day.
We talked to David's sister and her husband in Ohio today.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Friday, 9 August 2013
I got up a little late this morning, so I only walked to the highway 12 kikar and back. I did go down a little later, though, to recycle the cardboard, buy challah at the bakery, and replenish our candy supply.
I taught only one student today (for 2 units): 9:00-10:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino and were totally traditional in what we ate.
This evening, we lit candles, drank sweet wine, and ate whole-wheat challah to welcome the Shabbat queen, as is our custom.
I taught only one student today (for 2 units): 9:00-10:30.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino and were totally traditional in what we ate.
This evening, we lit candles, drank sweet wine, and ate whole-wheat challah to welcome the Shabbat queen, as is our custom.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thursday, 8 August 2013
I slept soundly all night last night and woke up a bit late, somewhat surprised to see that it was already getting light. I still got up early enough for a walk to the highway 12 kikar and back.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, and 6:30-8:00.
We ate lunch at Chooka today. David had noodles (although I think I ate about 2/3 of them), and I had their older vegetarian sushi combo, which I always enjoy.
David received his Israeli passport today. Since I got mine on Tuesday, we now both have them. Perhaps we'll make a little trip to Jordan sometime soon. I need to gather more information, though, because it's not cheap. I already know that we'll have to pay fees entering and leaving both Jordan and Israel, for us and for the car. Still, I really want to go over there, just to see what it's like and to see what Eilat looks like from the other side. We'll see.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, and 6:30-8:00.
We ate lunch at Chooka today. David had noodles (although I think I ate about 2/3 of them), and I had their older vegetarian sushi combo, which I always enjoy.
David received his Israeli passport today. Since I got mine on Tuesday, we now both have them. Perhaps we'll make a little trip to Jordan sometime soon. I need to gather more information, though, because it's not cheap. I already know that we'll have to pay fees entering and leaving both Jordan and Israel, for us and for the car. Still, I really want to go over there, just to see what it's like and to see what Eilat looks like from the other side. We'll see.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
We both got up VERY early this morning, but I didn't get to exercise at all. That's because we had to get to Tel Aviv for a dental appointment for David at 11:00 a.m. It had been scheduled for noon, but they called last night and moved it up an hour. We left the house before 6:00 a.m. and got to the dental office at Asuta in Tel Aviv just after 10:30.
We arrived back in Eilat around 5:30 p.m. and headed straight to Ice Park for frozen yogurt. I also watched the ice dance show at 6:00.
We arrived back in Eilat around 5:30 p.m. and headed straight to Ice Park for frozen yogurt. I also watched the ice dance show at 6:00.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
I only got up early enough to walk to the highway 12 kikar and back, but it was still good.
I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:45, and 5:15-6:45.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today. I tried the alo olio sauce (or something like that) on my whole wheat spaghetti. It was okay but a little to spicy and slightly too חריף kharif (spicy "hot") for my taste.
David finally got his Brailler today! For those who don't know what that is, it's a machine somewhat like an old manual typewriter, but it has only 6 keys for creating the 6-dot patterns that make Braille characters. He has been wanting this for a full year now, and it finally arrived today!
We went over briefly to Ice Park for frozen yogurt this evening. There was a live saxophone player playing in the middle of the ice rink while the Zamboni was resurfacing the ice.
I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:45, and 5:15-6:45.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today. I tried the alo olio sauce (or something like that) on my whole wheat spaghetti. It was okay but a little to spicy and slightly too חריף kharif (spicy "hot") for my taste.
David finally got his Brailler today! For those who don't know what that is, it's a machine somewhat like an old manual typewriter, but it has only 6 keys for creating the 6-dot patterns that make Braille characters. He has been wanting this for a full year now, and it finally arrived today!
We went over briefly to Ice Park for frozen yogurt this evening. There was a live saxophone player playing in the middle of the ice rink while the Zamboni was resurfacing the ice.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Monday, 5 August 2013
I got up early enough to walk to the gym, exercise there briefly, and walk back, doing my stretches in the usual place.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today. I had their toast salad, and David has fettucine with mushroom cream sauce.
I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today. I had their toast salad, and David has fettucine with mushroom cream sauce.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Sunday, 4 August 2013
I actually got up very early this morning, but due to some problems I won't go into I only got in a walk to the highway 12 kikar and back.
This morning we went to apply for our Israeli passports. We took a number (153) when we got there, and they were serving, I think, 121 or 122. During the wait time, I went over and got my picture taken since I knew I'd need it. We already had pictures of David from when he had applied for his t'udat iver (Certificate of Blindness). However, when our turn finally came, the lady said he looked too different now (he has let his beard grow since then), so I had to take HIM over to get a new picture.
So, we set out across the road that is being redone and tried to get up the stairs to the photo shop. David's fear of steps (not completely invalid) together with the heat of the day made it very difficult. After we got the pictures taken, when I was trying to get him to the air-conditioned car, we finally was just completely unable to walk at all and sat down (rather hard, too!) on the ground. Luckily, it was in a shady spot. The guy from the shop brought him some juice and then helped me get him back across the street to our car. After that, he was okay. I tried to take the pictures back to the office where we applied, but by then nearly an hour had passed, and they were already closed. I'll take them tomorrow morning after my class.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today so that David wouldn't have to walk much.
I did the weekly grocery shopping in the late afternoon.
This morning we went to apply for our Israeli passports. We took a number (153) when we got there, and they were serving, I think, 121 or 122. During the wait time, I went over and got my picture taken since I knew I'd need it. We already had pictures of David from when he had applied for his t'udat iver (Certificate of Blindness). However, when our turn finally came, the lady said he looked too different now (he has let his beard grow since then), so I had to take HIM over to get a new picture.
So, we set out across the road that is being redone and tried to get up the stairs to the photo shop. David's fear of steps (not completely invalid) together with the heat of the day made it very difficult. After we got the pictures taken, when I was trying to get him to the air-conditioned car, we finally was just completely unable to walk at all and sat down (rather hard, too!) on the ground. Luckily, it was in a shady spot. The guy from the shop brought him some juice and then helped me get him back across the street to our car. After that, he was okay. I tried to take the pictures back to the office where we applied, but by then nearly an hour had passed, and they were already closed. I'll take them tomorrow morning after my class.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today so that David wouldn't have to walk much.
I did the weekly grocery shopping in the late afternoon.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Shabbat, 3 August 2013
I got up early enough to get to the gym and exercise this morning. I petted Fluffy while walking in both directions.
We drove around the big loop today, up highway 12 to highway 40, then to highway 13, and finally back to Eilat on highway 90. We stopped once again to have lunch at the Kakao restaurant at Yahel.
Later we talked to David's sister and her husband in Ohio and then went to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
We drove around the big loop today, up highway 12 to highway 40, then to highway 13, and finally back to Eilat on highway 90. We stopped once again to have lunch at the Kakao restaurant at Yahel.
Later we talked to David's sister and her husband in Ohio and then went to Ice Park for frozen yogurt.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Friday, 2 August 2013
I got up very early this morning and got in a full and good exercise routine. I also got down to the bakery for challah and the candy store for more Snickers.
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli today. It's gradually beginning to take shape.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today.
In the late afternoon, we took a drive around the short loop. During the drive, we listened to my album "Emet V'Shalom" and to Debbie Friedman's album "And You Shall Be a Blessing".
I got some more work done on my orchestration of Eli Eli today. It's gradually beginning to take shape.
We ate lunch at Café Greg today.
In the late afternoon, we took a drive around the short loop. During the drive, we listened to my album "Emet V'Shalom" and to Debbie Friedman's album "And You Shall Be a Blessing".
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Thursday, 1 August 2013
I got up early this morning and so got in my full exercise routine.
I had no Berlitz lessons scheduled for today at all, and so I didn't teach. I did get some work done, however, on my music, in particular my arrangement of Eli Eli for orchestra.
I received two phone calls with good news for David today. The first was one scheduling a couple of appointments for him at the dental office (unfortunately in Tel Aviv) to get his dental work repaired. It broke less than 2 years after they did it. The first appointment will be next Wednesday.
The second call was to let me know that David's approval for getting a Braille Writer with the 90% discount has arrived at the Center for the Blind in Israel, and so I was able to order that and a few other things for him. He's really excited about that!
We ate lunch at a small eatery called מקסיקני Meksikani ("Mexican") today. I had seen an ad for it in one of the advertising magazines. It was pretty good, but not quite what one would find in California. At least the large flour tortillas and the guacamole were pretty accurately done.
In the evening, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt. We stayed for the 6:00 p.m. ice dance show. I stood right by the railing of the rink to watch it. The two people, a Hungarian guy and an English girl, do pretty much the same routines (separately) each time, but with somewhat varied costumes and different music. I still enjoy watching every time, though.
Today marks a full year of David's blindness, so I'm going to say a few words about him and give a bit of an update. First, we now believe in retrospect that he had actually begun going blind BEFORE 1 August of last year, but we both had written off the symptoms as problems with glare from the bright sun (which is, of course, very bright here!) and as problems with his 2 eyes working together due to the cataract removal from the left one in October of the previous year.
However, it was 1 August of last year that it finally became clear that he wasn't actually seeing ANYTHING! The problem has NEVER been with the eyes themselves, both of which were checked repeatedly by at least 4 or 5 different eye specialist during that first week. There is also no known cause in his brain, by which we only mean that nothing showed up on cat scan or MRI. Nevertheless, it's clear that the problems HAS to be something in the brain or nervous system.
It's not quite accurate to say that David has seen nothing for the entire year. In fact, on some days he HAS be able to see to some degree. But it is hard for even HIM to gauge exactly how much and what he sees. These things are simply not as straightforward as one with no experience (like myself) might assume. And whatever vision he has gotten back has never been reliable. Often, after having been able to see some for a day or part of a day, he finds that he can't see again.
While we are, of course, thankful for any improvements, this up-and-down seesaw is not particularly gratifying, to say the least. We keep hoping that the trend will be upward, but this is not always the case. Today, for example, he could hardly see at all after having had a pretty good day yesterday. This uncertainty is also the main reason we haven't said much about this previously. And, for the same reason, it may be a while before I update you again.
I had no Berlitz lessons scheduled for today at all, and so I didn't teach. I did get some work done, however, on my music, in particular my arrangement of Eli Eli for orchestra.
I received two phone calls with good news for David today. The first was one scheduling a couple of appointments for him at the dental office (unfortunately in Tel Aviv) to get his dental work repaired. It broke less than 2 years after they did it. The first appointment will be next Wednesday.
The second call was to let me know that David's approval for getting a Braille Writer with the 90% discount has arrived at the Center for the Blind in Israel, and so I was able to order that and a few other things for him. He's really excited about that!
We ate lunch at a small eatery called מקסיקני Meksikani ("Mexican") today. I had seen an ad for it in one of the advertising magazines. It was pretty good, but not quite what one would find in California. At least the large flour tortillas and the guacamole were pretty accurately done.
In the evening, we went over to Ice Park for frozen yogurt. We stayed for the 6:00 p.m. ice dance show. I stood right by the railing of the rink to watch it. The two people, a Hungarian guy and an English girl, do pretty much the same routines (separately) each time, but with somewhat varied costumes and different music. I still enjoy watching every time, though.
Today marks a full year of David's blindness, so I'm going to say a few words about him and give a bit of an update. First, we now believe in retrospect that he had actually begun going blind BEFORE 1 August of last year, but we both had written off the symptoms as problems with glare from the bright sun (which is, of course, very bright here!) and as problems with his 2 eyes working together due to the cataract removal from the left one in October of the previous year.
However, it was 1 August of last year that it finally became clear that he wasn't actually seeing ANYTHING! The problem has NEVER been with the eyes themselves, both of which were checked repeatedly by at least 4 or 5 different eye specialist during that first week. There is also no known cause in his brain, by which we only mean that nothing showed up on cat scan or MRI. Nevertheless, it's clear that the problems HAS to be something in the brain or nervous system.
It's not quite accurate to say that David has seen nothing for the entire year. In fact, on some days he HAS be able to see to some degree. But it is hard for even HIM to gauge exactly how much and what he sees. These things are simply not as straightforward as one with no experience (like myself) might assume. And whatever vision he has gotten back has never been reliable. Often, after having been able to see some for a day or part of a day, he finds that he can't see again.
While we are, of course, thankful for any improvements, this up-and-down seesaw is not particularly gratifying, to say the least. We keep hoping that the trend will be upward, but this is not always the case. Today, for example, he could hardly see at all after having had a pretty good day yesterday. This uncertainty is also the main reason we haven't said much about this previously. And, for the same reason, it may be a while before I update you again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)