Tuesday, 31 March 2015

I got up much too late this morning to go out for a walk.

I enjoyed this week's English speakers' meeting at WIZO. Several of us told interesting stories about Pesach (and even one about Christmas!) in our past.

For lunch, I went to Rachel Café and brought food home.

I did more work on my orchestral variations on HaTikva. I'm now working on the second variation, which uses a siciliano rhythm.

This evening, Hannah, David's physical therapist came to the house, and it was very helpful. She got him comfortable with using the walker, and she showed him an excellent exercise he can do lying down to strengthen his lower back and butt muscles, which will help him walk better.

Monday, 30 March 2015

I got up early this morning and walked for more than 45 minutes.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:30-5:00, and 7:00-8:30.

I got some good work done on my variations on HaTikva for orchestra.

For lunch, we ate leftover pizza from last week that I reheated in the toaster oven.

Sunday, 29 March 2015

I got up early enough to go out for a walk this morning, but just as I went out the door from the building, it began to sprinkle lightly. I was worried that it might rain quite a bit more, so I didn't dare go walking.

I did the weekly grocery shopping this morning, including buying ingredients for the charoset that we'll make later this week for Pesach (Passover).

At 1:30, David had an appointment with the physical therapist at Maccabi in town. We took his wheelchair because there is no parking at all close enough for him to walk in from it. Just as we went out the door, BIG drops of rain began to fall, but we managed to get into the car (and get the wheelchair into the hatch) without getting too wet. Luckily, it was NOT cold. By the time we got to Maccabi, it had essentially stopped raining.

Hannah, the physical therapist, whom we had only seen once, before David's hospitalization, had already heard something about what had happened to him from a friend of hers who works at the rehab hospital where he was. But I took the release papers from both hospitals (regular and rehab) for her to look at and get more info. She made a copy of them, so she can look at them more completely at her leisure.

She was quite honest with us about the possibilities. She told us that the kind of dementia David has usually does NOT improve but, instead, gets gradually worse. This didn't surprise me much, though, because I have already observed it. David was also aware of it but perhaps a bit less acutely than I was. She also said that the best rehab for him would have been at the rehab hospital but that they will do the best they can for him here. He probably will be able to have a therapist come to the house a couple of times a week to see the situation here at home and to work with him here. I'm quite happy to hear that, although realistically we may not see much improvement.

After the appointment we drove over to Mercaz Big and ate lunch at Togarashi, an Asian place there. David had corn soup (which he loves!), I had Japanese hot and sour salad, and we both had pad-thai, although David ate only a little of his.

I signed up for a class on Udemy (an website with online classes) to learn Ruby on Rails, a programming system for creating web apps. I've seen jobs advertised for people skilled in this, so I know it's technology that's actually used. I hope that the lectures and homework will also be interesting.

I did the last two lessons of Hebrew Podcasts today, so I won't be able to do more until they release new ones, which they do about once a month, I think.

In the evening, David wanted ice cream, so I walked the 2 blocks down to the sweets store and bought us each a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Neither of us ate all of ours, though -- we're saving some for later!

Shabbat, 28 March 2015

Last night I woke up shortly before midnight and noticed that David wasn't in the bed. Whenever this happens, I wait a few minutes to see if he's just gone to the bathroom. But it he doesn't come back reasonably soon, I get up to check on him. Last night, I found him on the floor near his desk in the living room. He must surely have fallen, but he wasn't hurt, and it was actually fairly easy, with the help of a chair, to get him back up and back to bed. I woke up very tired this morning (but probably NOT that related to getting up for David, since I had actually gone back to sleep quite quickly) and didn't get up until it was WAY to late to go out for a walk.

I did more work on my orchestral music today. In particular, I started writing a piece that is intended to be a set of variations on HaTikvah, Israeli's national anthem. Although I have written pieces based on HaTikvah before, for organ, I'm starting this one from scratch rather than simply rearranging previous work. It's rather slow going at the beginning because I have to decide a lot of things about it.

For lunch, we had leftover pasta from Il Pentolino (both yesterday AND the Friday before). It was good, but we STILL didn't eat it all up.

I did several loads of laundry today, so most of our clothes are now clean.

Friday, 27 March 2015

We set the clocks ahead here in Israel last night, but I still got up quite early, even by the new time, and went out walking for more than 45 minutes. Later, I also walked down to recycle cardboard, buy some more pudding, and buy challah for Shabbat.

I taught only 1 units of Berlitz today: 10:00-10:45.

For lunch, I ordered our favorites delivered from Il Pentolino.

I did some more work on my music today, specifically my orchestral arrangement of BaShana HaBa'a.

I also did one more lesson from Hebrew Podcasts.

Before the sun disappeared behind the Eilat Mountains, we lit candles, sipped sweet red wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat.

אם-שמוע תשמעו בקלי ושמרתם את-בריתי, והייתם לי סגולה מכל-העמים

ואתם תהיו-לי ממלכת כהנים, וגוי קדוש

If you truly listen to My voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for Me out of all the peoples, and you will be for Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

Thursday, 26 March 2015

I got up too late this morning to go out for a walk.

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one 2-unit lesson was a late cancellation: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, 5:00-6:30 (the cancellation), and 7:00-8:30.

I got more food from Buddha Burgers for us for lunch today.

I did quite a bit of work on my orchestral music today, mostly having to do with the positioning of the orchestral players in the hall and adjusting volume-related parameters to try to make sure that the final recordings will not be at too low a level (a problem with some of my organ albums).

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

I got up early this morning and walked to the gym and back. I also went on the leg swing for a short time. I wore only socks and shoes, short pants, a t-shirt, and a flannel long-sleeve shirt (which I took off before getting back home).

Since I had NO Berlitz lessons today, I decided to spend some time getting back into working on my orchestral music. I didn't make much actual progress in editing, but I did get more organized and am trying to proceed in a careful way, hoping to make the final result as good as I can. Today, I worked only on "Esa Einai".

For lunch, we had food from Rachel Café: fettucine with rosé sauce for David and the Balkan platter (tomatoes, cucumbers, various cheese, and bread) for me.

In the afternoon, I watched 5 short films online (for free) from a British GLBT film festival. A WIZO friend (Sarah) had sent me the info about it. I liked the first 3 very much, the last 2 somewhat less.

At one point this afternoon, David told me that he had just had a seizure, but he was in bed and I was in my office (watching one of the movies), so I didn't actually see it (or hear anything, either). I guess it's a good thing that he was in bed. In fact, whenever he walks I have been helping him because he's been quite unstable.

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

I woke up too late this morning to go out for a walk before breakfast.

I enjoyed the weekly English speakers' meeting at WIZO today, including talking with 2 of our oldest members (one just turned 90 yesterday, and she hasn't lost even ONE of her marbles).

For lunch, we ate the leftovers from yesterday (Buddha Burgers food).

In the late afternoon, I went for a nice 45-minute walk. It was just a little warm in the sun, but I managed to walk almost totally in the shade, and it was just perfect. I was wearing only socks and shoes, short pants, and a t-shirt.

I was scheduled to teach one 2-unit Berlitz lesson this evening (6:30-8:00), but the student didn't show up, so I was able to leave after waiting a full hour but will still get paid for the full time.

Monday, 23 March 2015

I got up early and walked for over 45 minutes this morning. It was quite chilly out because of the wind, and I even had my hood up much of the time.

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 12:30-1:15, 3:00-4:30, and 7:00-8:30.

For lunch I went to Buddha Burgers and brought home some DELICIOUS dishes.

I did another Hebrew Podcasts lesson this afternoon, this one about the gym.

Sunday, 22 March 2015

I got up early this morning and went out for a 45-minute walk. It was a bit nippy with the breeze, but my light jacket kept me plenty warm with no need for its hood.

I ran various errands this morning, including the weekly grocery shopping, and I also got a couple of appointments arranged for David.

For lunch, I ordered pizza delivered from our favorite place (Pizza Del Payero).

In the afternoon I made a quick trip to the pharmacy and another one to the vet's to get more cat food. I also spent some time reading the (Hebrew) car magazine that I had picked up at the market.

In the evening, I did another Hebrew Podcasts lesson. This dialog was about krav maga, the Israeli martial art for hand-to-hand combat.

Shabbat, 21 March 2015

I had to get up to help David to the bathroom, twice, last night, and then I had trouble getting back to sleep, so I slept in somewhat this morning and didn't go out for a morning walk.

For lunch, I ordered soya burgers from Barbis, delivered to our apartment.

In the mid-afternoon, I went out for a 45-minute walk, planning my route to minimize the time in the sun. It was quite pleasant in the shade, though.

In the early evening, I went to the WIZO book exchange at Fay's house and enjoyed some various nice conversation.

Friday, 20 March 2015

I only walked down to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat before breakfast this morning.

I taught 3 units of Berlitz lessons: 9:00-9:45 and 10:00-11:30.

I took David, in the wheelchair, to an appointment with his psychiatrist today, and afterwards we went to Il Pentolino for lunch.

As the light was beginning to fade from our lovely valley, I lit Shabbat candles and sipped sweet red wine, and David and I ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat.

In the evening, we took a short drive up the Arava (at David's request), just to get out a bit.

צדיק כתמר יפרח, כארז בלבנון ישגה

שתולים בבית יי, בחצרות אלהינו יפריחו

עוד ינובון בשיבה, דשנים ורעננים יהיו

להגיד כי-ישר יי, צורי, ולא-עולתה בו

A righteous person will flourish like dates, like a cedar in Lebanon he will grow.

Planted in the house of the Eternal, in the courts of our G-d they will bloom.

Even in their old age, they will be green and fresh.

To proclaim that the Eternal is upright, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong.

[last verses of Psalm 92, for Shabbat]

Thursday, 19 March 2015

I got up late this morning, but I did go out for a walk later in the morning.

I was scheduled for 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the second 2-unit lesson turned out to be a later cancellation because the student's computer wasn't working: 11:00-12:30 and 5:00-6:30.

For lunch, I brought us home food from Rachel Café.

In the morning, David felt so unstable that I brought him to breakfast in the wheelchair, but by evening he was actually able to walk a short distance on his one (without hanging onto me or his walker).

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

I got up quite late this morning and so didn't go out for a walk.

I taught only 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, and 3:00-4:30.

For lunch we ate leftovers from the last 2 days (from Rachel Café and Buddha Burgers).

Right after my last lesson I walked over to the doctor's office for an appointment I had scheduled for David, mostly to show the doctor David's release papers from both the regular and the rehab hospitals.

I did another lesson from Hebrew Podcasts today. I really think these lessons are helping me to understand spoken Hebrew better, and also to speak it myself. In addition, I'm learning some new words and expressions.

Tuesday, 17 March 2015

I got up early enough this morning to get out and walk for about 35 minutes. I wore my light jacket because there was quite a strong breeze, but I never had to put the hood up, and I had it unzipped most of the time. Part of the time, I even pulled the sleeves up in order to avoid getting too warm.

On my way to the English speakers' meeting at WIZO this morning, I stopped by יד שרה Yad Sarah, a non-profit organization that provides medical equipment at low cost, to pick up a הליכון halikhon (walker) for David. I paid 110 shekels for it (by credit card), but, if I understood correctly, they will refund the money to the card if I bring it back (perhaps there's some time limit, but it doesn't matter because that's a very reasonable price in any case).

At the WIZO meeting Isobel showed us several videos related to Pesakh that she had downloaded, which added to the enjoyment of this morning's gathering.

For lunch, I called and ordered food from Buddha Burgers and then drove over and picked it up for us to eat at home.

David seems noticeably stronger and somewhat more stable today, so that's encouraging to see. The walker will also be very helpful even though it, like the wheelchair, doesn't quite go through the bathroom door. Of course, UNLIKE the wheelchair, it can be turned sideways and thus, at least theoretically, still used within the bathroom (haven't actually tried that yet, however).

Today I watched the last math lecture in Hebrew from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the Coursera course הזמנה למתמטיקה Hazmanah l'mathematika ("Invitation to Mathematics"). I'm really going to miss those lectures, as I have found them to be both very interesting mathematically and very helpful to me in improving my understanding of spoken Hebrew.

Monday, 16 March 2015

I got up fairly early this morning, but I didn't go out for a walk.

I taught only 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 3:00-4:30, and 7:00-8:30.

After my first lesson, I walked over to the doctor's office for an appointment that I thought I had scheduled for David, but it wasn't on the books for some reason. Probably I had failed to do the final step when scheduling it online Saturday night. Anyway, I scheduled one for Wednesday afternoon while I was there in the office. Then, I stopped by the local pharmacy to buy more adult diapers for David.

I watched a very interesting math lecture in Hebrew today in which I learned something about the famous Fibonacci sequence that I hadn't known before. Cool!

For lunch, I went to Rachel Café and brought food home for us.

David is barely walking at all these days and is very weak and unstable. I hope that we'll be able to improve this.

Sunday, 15 March 2015

Today I got up fairly early but did NOT go out for a walk.

I ran the dishwasher, did 2 loads of laundry, did the weekly grocery shopping, made quick trip to the pharmacy to pick up some meds they didn't have last week, and got the car filled with gas and washed today.

I also watched a couple of math lectures in Hebrew and did one lesson from Hebrew Podcasts.

Yesterday's trip, of course, was very tiring for David, and today he has slept most of the day and has had trouble walking as far as the bathroom, even when holding onto me. But I think that's mostly due to yesterday's overexertion. He HAS eaten quite well today, although I've had to feed him some of his food.

Shabbat, 14 March 2015

I had trouble getting to sleep last night, but I don't know why. Anyway, I finally did and slept fairly well. I didn't get out for a walk this morning, but I did get a good early start on my trip to Bat Yam.

David came home with me today. They hadn't really wanted to release him, but he had insisted. I had backed him up but was a little worried that he might not be ready. I'm very confident now, though, that he made the right decision.

On the one hand, the physical therapy there was no doubt good for him, but, on the other hand, they really weren't able to help him enough with walking, and so he ended up staying stuck in his bed and not even allowed to go to the bathroom (for fear of him falling, of course). Almost no one there spoke much English, and, of course, David speaks virtually no Hebrew, so communication was very difficult. If I had been close by and able to be there quite frequently, my Hebrew would have been good enough to bridge the gap, but, of course, I was a 4-hour drive (one way) away, and telephone conversations just aren't the same.

David's condition, at this point, is about like it was before the seizure that sent him to the hospital, perhaps a little weaker. I think we'll be able to manage at home, and he'll be much more content.

We had a nice, if tiring, trip back home, stopping a couple of times to eat lunch (at the highway 6 rest stop) and to go to the bathroom (at Mashabim).

Friday, 13 March 2015

I got up a bit tired this morning, so I only walked to recycle cardboard and buy challah before breakfast. Later in the morning, though, I went out and walked for 45 minutes.

I was scheduled to teach only one 1-unit class today, but it turned out to be a no-show. Actually, the students had already told me during their class last Monday that none of them could make it today and that they intended to cancel it, but apparently they forgot to do so. Of course, I had to go in and wait, just in case anyone might show: 9:00-9:45.

I watched several more math lectures in Hebrew and did another Hebrew podcasts lesson today, as well.

I ate my traditional whole-wheat spaghetti with Palermo sauce at Il Pentolino for lunch today.

As the sun was beginning to sink behind the Eilat Mountains, I lit candles, sipped sweet red wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat. I enjoy singing the blessing for the wine and looking at a mountain that is actually in Egypt as the song mentions זכר ליציאת מצרים a memorial of the exodus from Egypt.

מזמםר שיר ליום השבת

טוב להודות ליי, ולזמר לשמך, עליון

להגיד בבוקר חסדך, ואמונתך בלילות

עלי-עשור ועלי-נבל, עלי הגיון בכנור

A song for the day of Shabbat

It is good to give thanks to Adonai, and to make music to Your name, O Most High

To tell in the morning of your kindness, and of your faithfulness in the nights

On the 10-stringed instrument and the harp, with a meditation on the violin

[from Psalm 92]

Thursday, 12 March 2015

I slept quite poorly in the latter part of last night, perhaps at least partly because of the cold front that came in. I had only left windows open on the lee (downwind) side of the apartment, so it really didn't get very cold, but I still eventually ended up shutting the rest of the windows, especially the one right by the bed. Of course, I didn't get up very early, and I didn't go out for a walk, either.

I taught only 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, and 6:00-7:30.

For lunch, I again went to the cafeteria at the local campus of the university. Their only vegetarian entree was again corn shnitzel, and I decided I didn't need it. I was actually surprised when the lady then only charged me 20 shekels. That's a very inexpensive lunch!

David called me today. He has decided that he doesn't want to stay in the rehab hospital any longer. The medical team is advising against him leaving yet, but he is very determined, so it looks like he'll be coming home with me when I drive up on Shabbat. I hope that he is right about being able to cope at home, because they told me he will NOT have the option of returning there. I do understand his frustration, though, because surprisingly few people on the staff at that place speak much English, making it very hard for him to communicate. Luckily, I've been able to talk with them fairly well in Hebrew, but David just doesn't have that option because his Hebrew is MUCH weaker than mine.

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

I got up a little late this morning, but I went out and walked for about 35 minutes even though I felt a bit tired at first. It was warm out -- I wore only short pants, a tank top, and sandals (I started just after 6:00 a.m.), and I felt quite comfortable.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:30-12:00, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I had an onion quiche today for lunch at Rachel Café.

I talked to David this evening. He sounded good, but he wants to come home and thinks that he's ready. I promised him that I'd try to talk to the doctor over the phone tomorrow. I really need to find out how they're viewing his situation.

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

I got up a little late and tired, so I didn't go out for a walk.

I enjoyed the weekly English speakers' meeting at WIZO today. It was just lots of good conversation, no speaker or program this time.

I had curried vegetables with rice at Greg Café at Mercaz Big for lunch today, and afterwards I did a bit of window-shopping there; I didn't buy anything at all.

I talked twice with David on the phone today. He's pretty tired and in quite a bit of pain because they're really working him. It should be good for him, though. At least I sure hope so!

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz class today: 7:00-8:30.

Monday, 9 March 2015

I woke up fairly early and went out for a walk. I only walked for about 35 minutes because I felt a little tired, though.

I taught 10 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 3:00-4:30, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

For lunch, I went to Café Café at Ice Park and had Italian shakshuka.

Sunday, 8 March 2015

I got up somewhat late and tired this morning and so didn't go out for a walk.

I did the weekly grocery shopping this morning.

For lunch, I went to the cafeteria at the local campus of Ben Gurion University. For just 36 shekels, I got a complete, nutritious meal: many salads to choose from, soup (which I actually did NOT try), bread, cake, cooked vegetables (peas and carrots, and string beans), rice, potatoes, and entrees. The entrees were all meat, but when I asked about vegetarian dishes, they prepared 2 corn schnitzels especially for me!

I did the weekly trip to pick up our prescriptions at the pharmacy today even though I think the rehab hospital will be getting most of David's for him (since they are also part of Maccabi, our kupat kholim (HMO) as well). At least I'll have plenty in case there are some they can NOT get, such as his HIV meds, for example.

I watched another lecture on calculus in Hebrew today and did 2 more of the Hebrew Podcasts lessons. I really feel that my ability to understand spoken Hebrew and to speak it myself are steadily improving, and I want to  continue on this path.

In the twilight, after the sun set and the light was beginning to fade, I went for a nice 45-minute walk. As I was walking down a street near here, a guy came toward me who seemed familiar although I couldn't instantly remember from where. Then he asked me about David, and I remembered that he was the chief paramedic who had come to help with David! We talked, mostly in English, about what had happened to David. I was VERY impressed that he showed such interest. After all, he must see hundreds of patients every week, and it's already been a week and a half since he was here. I thanked him, and then we both continued on our respective walks. Only in Israel!

When I returned home from the walk, I was able to talk to David and told him about this. He sounded tired, and he said that the physical therapy had been pretty hard today. Of course, that's not surprising, but I tried to encourage him and told him that it would seem easier after a while.

Shabbat, 7 March 2015

I got up very early this morning and walked for slightly more than 45 minutes. It was so warm that I wore only a t-shirt, short pants, and socks and shoes. Even so, if there hadn't been a bit of a breeze, I would have actually felt too hot!

I left home shortly after 7:30 this morning and drove up to see David at the rehab hospital, בית בלב Bayit B'Lev, in Bat Yam (just south of Tel Aviv).

He was asleep when I came in, but he woke up early and was quite lucid and MUCH less confused than I feared he might be. I fed him his lunch, and we both enjoyed a very nice visit.

I arrived back home just before 7:00 p.m.

Friday, 6 March 2015

I woke up early this morning but did not feel like going out for a walk. I did walk down to buy challah, though, before breakfast.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, and 12:00-1:30.

I had my usual favorite (whole-wheat spaghetti with Palermo sauce) for lunch at Il Pentolino today.

I called the rehab hospital where David is staying to let them know I'm planning to go up there tomorrow and to find out what I need to bring for David. Their list was very short, but I'm bringing a lot of other things, as well, that I think might be useful.

I watched another video in Hebrew about math. This one was about the concept of the integral (in calculus). I also listened to another lesson from Hebrew Podcasts and studied the accompanying material.

As the sun was sinking low above the Eilat Mountains, I lit candles, sipped wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat.

שבת של מנוחה, הרפייה, ונשימה נכונה לכולם

A Shabbat of rest, relaxation, and correct breathing to everyone!

(The Hebrew podcast I listened to today was about yoga!)

Thursday, 5 March 2015

I woke up VERY early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't get up, though, until nearly 5:00 a.m. I then walked for about 30 minutes.

I taught 10 units (7.5 hours) of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

For lunch, I drove down to Ice Park and ate a dish of buckwheat and root vegetables at Landwer Café. It was delicious!

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

I woke up fairly early but feeling too achy to want to go out for a walk.

I had an unsuccessful trip to the bank this morning but eventually was able to find a decent workaround using their iPhone app (in Hebrew, no less!).

Generally, though, I spent much of the morning just trying to get myself calmed and focused enough -- I was feeling quite uneasy and unsettled.

I went to Greg Café for lunch and had a very nice סלט כפרי ("country salad"), then I drove down and filled the car with gas and got it washed.

I taught only 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 3:00-4:30 and 5:30-7:00.

I got 2 loads of laundry done, and I fed Goldfinger his weekly mouse today.

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

I got up very early this morning and got out on my walk shortly after 5:00 a.m., continuing for over 45 minutes.

After breakfast, I headed out to the hospital to see if David had been sent out yet to the rehab place. I was a little surprised to see him still there at the hospital, since they had told me he would be leaving early in the morning. So, now we know that "early in the morning" actually means less than 10 minutes before noon. Hmmm.... I wonder when "late in the morning" might be -- 3:00 p.m.? 4:00 p.m.? 5:00 p.m.

Anyway, I helped get him ready and loaded into the ambulance, and then I filled my car with gas and set out on my own to Bat Yam. I think I got there not long after he did.

I had some complications along the way, though. In the middle of the desert, my phone quit working, and I was depending on the Waze application to guide me to the rehab place in Bat Yam. Luckily, I had also brought David's phone with me. It didn't yet have Waze on it, though, so I downloaded it (in Mitzpe Ramon, without WiFi), set it up, and successfully used it to get me to my destination. The problem with my phone was that the car recharger was NOT recharging it for some reason, and so the battery ran completely down. In fact, it's fine now that I've been home a while and had it on its regular recharger.

They gave me several papers with all the contact info for people at the rehab hospital (called בית בלה bayit b'lev -- "House with Heart" or "House in Heart"), but somehow I lost it, which makes me quite angry with myself. I'm sure I'll manage to call them somehow, and, of course, they do have MY number and will almost certainly call me. But it's still very annoying.

Monday, 2 March 2015

I woke up a bit tired and got up too late to go out for a walk.

I was scheduled to teach 10 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one student came in only to tell me that she had to cancel, freeing me for the rest of that time: 9:30-11:00, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30 (the late cancellation), and 7:00-8:30.

I went to the hospital to be with David before my first lesson, at the lunch break, and when the student canceled, so I was able to be with him quite a bit despite my busy schedule. I was also there to help him eat a bit of supper.

Early tomorrow morning they will be sending David to a rehab facility in Bat Yam (just south of Tel Aviv). By a stroke of good luck, I have NO lessons scheduled for tomorrow, so I will drive up there a bit later to help David get settled in and to let them know more about him. I don't know how long he'll be there, but I hope that they'll be able to get him the right exercises to build his strength back up so that he can function better in general. It might even help with his cognitive difficulties. I'll plan to go up there on Shabbats to visit him.

Sunday, 1 March 2015

I got up early this morning and went out walking for more than 45 minutes. It was very nice!

I spent most of the day today at the hospital with David. I fed him a little more of his breakfast than he had already eaten when I got there and as much of his lunch and dinner as he could eat. Of course, that still left plenty of delicious food for me!

I did take out time to go to Shufersal and do the weekly grocery shopping.

They have now decided, with agreement from both David and me (though he'll probably keep forgetting), to send him to a rehab facility for a few weeks, where they will help him exercise to build his strength and stability. The doctor says it kind of a boot camp, so I joked that the IDF would be after David by the end! He'll probably be transferred there sometime tomorrow.