Tuesday, 30 June 2015

I went to sleep quickly last night but then woke up not long later and had some trouble getting back to sleep. I don't really know why. Anyway, I, of course, got up late and didn't get a morning walk.

I enjoyed the WIZO meeting today. We celebrated birthdays in February, March, April, May, June, and July today, with food and cake.

Me'ir took me to lunch at Jaknis again today. I had vegetarian shnitzels (fairly good) and way too many fries (and thus quite a bit too much oil).

I was supposed to teach a 3-unit lesson today (2:30-4:45), but apparently my internet service provider (the HOT cable TV company) was blocking the Berlitz site for some unknown reason, and so I couldn't even log in. The really annoying part is that Berlitz is refusing to pay me (because the fault was with MY service provider, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with it). I think this is quite unfair, and I wrote to tell them so, but I doubt that that will make any difference -- their whole business model, in fact, is based on shifting as much of the risk as they can to us teachers. OK, I'm climbing down off my soapbox now.

Monday, 29 June 2015

גם בעברית היום, אחרי האנגלית

I got up early this morning and got in a nice, full walk.

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but ended up teaching only 2 (9:00-10:30), for reasons which will become apparent shortly.

I had quite an adventure today. My friend Me'ir's phone isn't working very well, and sometimes he is unable to answer incoming calls. So, I wanted to give him an old iPhone that I have but don't need. It doesn't have any SIM card in it, though, so we needed to find out if we could transfer his SIM card into it. We went to Mercaz Big because we thought there was an Orange store there (his cell provider), but there wasn't, so we decided that maybe the Cellcom store could help us anyway.

When we walked into the Cellcom store, we got a big, scary surprise. A young soldier, whom I had met at Me'ir's place a little over a week ago, was there, with his military gun (but not in uniform, which is okay). The scary part was that this same soldier had previously (but after I met him) threatened Me'ir with his gun and had robbed him of a large sum of money. He had also told Me'ir that he wanted to attack me and steal my car, too, but, luckily, he doesn't know where I live (except for the street name). Me'ir had duly reported him to both the regular police and the military police, but they had been unable to locate him. He apparently was using a false name because they couldn't find anyone by his name on his base. The soldier tried to convince Me'ir to go outside to talk with him, but, of course, he refused.

Instead, Me'ir and I took a number and waited for service at the back of the store. But Me'ir immediately quietly called the police, and they arrived within a few minute -- at least 7 or 8 of them, I think, mostly NOT in uniform! They arrested the young soldier without incident, but, of course, they also needed to talk to Me'ir and me.

So they took us to the police station and interviewed Me'ir extensively and me somewhat less (since I really didn't know the soldier very well, and only witnessed less important parts of the story). The officers were very professional and helpful, but the process, naturally, took most of the afternoon, so I had to call Berlitz and get them to find someone else to teach my 3:30-5:00 lesson.

Then we had to take a taxi back to Mercaz Big from the police station (since my car was still there). However, when I got to the car, I discovered that, at some point, the remote/key must have fallen out of my pocket. So then I had to take taxis home, to get my other key, and back to Mercaz Big again. Luckily, I have GetTaxi, so it was less expensive, more convenient, and I could pay via credit card.

I then drove to the police station to see if my remote/key had been turned in, but it hadn't. I'll call the office we were in directly tomorrow to see if perhaps it's there (there was no one there by the time I was able to check today).

קמתי מוקדם בבוקר ועסיתי הליכה נחמדה.

אני היה אמור ללמד את 4 יחידות של שיעורי ברליץ היום, אבל בסופו לימדתי רק 2, מסיבות שתתבררנה בקרוב.

הייתה לי די הרפתקה היום. הטלפון של המאיר, חבר שלי, לא עובד טוב, ולפעמים הוא לא מצליח לענות לשיחות. אז, אני רוצה לתת לו אייפון ישן שיש לי, אבל אין לו כרטיס טלפון בפנים, ולכן אנחנו צריכים לברר אם אנחנו יכולים להעביר את הכרטיס שלו לתוכו. הלכנו למרכז ביג, כי אנחנו חושבים שיש שם אורנג׳ (הספק הסלולרי שלו), אבל לא היתה, אז החלטנו שאולי חנות סלקום יכולה לעזור לנו בכל מקרה.

כשהלכנו לחנות סלקום, היתה לנו הפתעה גדולה, מפחידה. חייל צעיר, שפגשתי בביתו של מאיר לפני קצת יותר משבוע, היה שם, עם האקדח הצבאי שלו. החלק המפחיד היה שאותו החייל הזה בעבר (אבל אחרי שפגשתי אותו) איים את מאיר עם האקדח שלו וגזל ממנו סכום גדול של כסף. הוא גם סיפר למאיר שהוא רצה לתקוף אותי ולגנוב את המכונית שלי, אבל, למזלנו, הוא לא יודע איפה אני גר (מלבד את שם הרחוב). מאיר דיווח עליו גם לשוטרים הרגילים וגם למשטרה הצבאית, אבל הם לא הצליחו לאתר אותו. הוא כנראה היה משתמש בשם בדוי, כי הם לא יכלו למצוא מישהו בשמו על בסיסו. החייל ניסה לשכנע את מאיר לצאת החוצה כדי לדבר איתו, אבל, כמובן, הוא סרב.

במקום זאת, מאיר ואני לקחנו את מספר וחיכנו לשירות בחלק האחורי של החנות. אבל מאיר מייד בשקט התקשר למשטרה, והם הגיעו תוך כמה דקות - לפחות 7 או 8 מהם, אני חושב, בעיקר לא במדים! הם תפסו את החייל הצעיר ללא תקלות, אבל, כמובן, הם צריכים גם לדבר עם מאיר ואיתי.

אז הם לקחו אותנו לתחנת המשטרה וראיינו את מאיר בהרחבה וקצת פחות אותי (מאז שאני באמת לא יודע החייל טוב מאוד, ורק ראיתי חלקים פחות חשובים מהסיפור). הקצינים היו מאוד מקצועיים, אבל התהליך, באופן טבעי, לקחו את רוב שעתי אחר הצהריים, כך שקראתי לברליץ וביקשתי מהם למצוא מישהו אחר כדי ללמד את השיעור שלי.

אז הייני צריכים לקחת בחזרה את מונית למרכז ביג מתחנת המשטרה (מאז שהמכונית שלי עדיין הייתה שם). עם זאת, כשהגעתי למכונית, גיליתי שהמפתח כנראה נפל מהכיס שלי. אז הייתי צריך לקחת מוניות הביתה, כדי לקבל את המפתח השני שלי, וחזרתי למרכז ביג שוב, גם במונית. למזלנו, יש לי גט טקסי, כך שזה היה פחות יקר, יותר נוח, ואני יכול לשלם באמצעות כרטיס אשראי.

אז נסעתי לתחנת המשטרה כדי לראות אם מפתח שלי היה שם, אבל לא היה. אני אתקשר למשרד שהיינו באופן ישיר מחר כדי לברר אם אולי הוא שם. לא היה שם אף אחד כשהיתי מסוגל לבדוק היום.

Sunday, 28 June 2015

I slept well last night, got up fairly early, and got in a lovely, full-length walk. It was actually just a tad warm this morning (despite the fact that I was wearing only short pants and sandals -- no shirt at all).

After breakfast, I did a load of laundry (drying it on my balcony instead of in the dryer) and did the weekly grocery shopping at Shufersal. Since I bought very little this week, the total was very low.

I had an onion quiche, some olives, and a nice side salad for lunch today at Rachel Café.

Other than those things, I was mostly just quite lazy today, but it WAS at least relaxing.

Shabbat, 27 June 2015

I had some trouble getting to sleep last night and so didn't get up until very late this morning and didn't go out for a walk at all.

I was hoping to watch BCC's Friday night service (from last night) today, but it wouldn't play at all. Oh well.

I took Me'ir to a late lunch today at מסעדת המפרץ "The Gulf Restaurant".

At about 6:34, we had an earthquake! From the reports a half-hour or so later, it was magnitude 5.2 and centered about 64 km (40 miles) south southwest of here. Those numbers seem about right to me based on what I felt. It was kind of exciting! LOL

Friday, 26 June 2015

I got up fairly early this morning but still didn't manage a morning walk except the short one to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat.

I was scheduled to teach 3 units of Berlitz lessons today, but no one showed up for the first one, a 1-unit lesson (I still get paid, of course): 9:00-9:45 and 10:30-12:00.

I went to Il Pentolino for my traditional Friday lunch today.

I usually don't comment on the news here, but today offered two very big and very contrasting stories.

First, I read about Islamic State attacks in France, Tunisia, and Kuwait. The IS is just one radical Islamist organization that threatens world peace and safety today, but it and the others (including the Islamic Republic of Iran) are not to be taken lightly. The lessons from the 1930s should not be forgotten -- radical, oppressive, dictatorial ideologies do NOT always simply disappear on their own, and the price of fighting them only gets bigger with delay and dithering.

The second big story of today is, of course, the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States to extend marriage to couples throughout the country with out regard to their gender. This is indeed something to celebrate. We must remember, though, that freedom is NOT free, and there are still many dark forces in the world working to suppress it. We ignore these at our peril.

I leave you with the evening blessing for peace:

שלום רב על-ישראל עמך תשים לעולם,

כי אתה הוא מלך אדון לכל השלום.

וטוב בעיניך לברך את-עמך ישראל

בכל-עת ובכל-שעה בשלומך.

ברוך אתה, יי, המברך את-עמו ישראל בשלום.

May You place abundant peace on Israel, Your people, forever,
For You are sovereign and ruler of all peace.
And may it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people, Israel
always and at every hour with Your peace.

Blessed are You, Adonai -- You bless Your people, Israel, with peace.

Thursday, 25 June 2015

I got up fairly early and got in a nice, full walk. I met 2 of my feline friends along the way: a black cat way over near the end of Harim Rd. and my black-and-white friend, whom I usually see on Devorah HaNvia St. but who was on Harim Rd. this time. I enjoyed petting both of them.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I had a fatoush salad for lunch today at Greg Café at Ice Park. Delicious!

I've decided to call the "performer" of my synthesized orchestral music "The Virtual Orchestra of Eilat", but I haven't yet decided what to call the album of music I'm working on but haven't completed yet. The reason I'm thinking about these names is that I want to pay for the album on CD Baby while they're having a special which only lasts until the end of June, something that they will allow.

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

I got up quite late this morning but still managed to get in a full walk.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz today: 10:30-12:00.

Me'ir took me to lunch today at a place neither of us had ever eaten at before. It's called ג׳קניס (Jaknis, or Jackney's, or Jekanis, or ??), and it's located at Mercaz Mor. There's not much vegetarian on the menu, but the Sabikh wrap that I had was good, and their little free סלטים salatim ("salads") were especially delicious.

קמתי די מאוחר בבוקר, אבל עדיין הצלחתי להשיג בהליכה מלאה.

לימדתי רק 2 יחידות של ברליץ היום.

מאיר הזמין אותי לארוחת צהריים היום במקום שבו אף אחד מאתנו לא אכל אי פעם בעבר. זה נקרא ג'קניס, והוא ממוקם במרכז מור. אין הרבה צמחוני בתפריט, אבל הטורטיה שאני אכלתי היה טוב, והסלטים חופשיים הקטנים שלהם היו טעימים במיוחד.

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

I got up a little late this morning but still went out for a full walk. It felt good!

I enjoyed the English speakers' weekly meeting this morning at WIZO. A couple newly arrived here in Eilat of Toronto joined us today, and I enjoyed chatting a bit with the husband.

For lunch, I ate at Landwer Café.

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

Monday, 22 June 2015

I slept very well last night but still didn't quite make it up and out for a morning walk. Maybe it's because of the anti-shingles shot I got yesterday. They did tell me that it contains an attenuated live virus.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 3:30-5:00, and 5:15-6:45.

I had a toasted sandwich and a small salad for lunch today at Rachel Café.

Sunday, 21 June 2015

I got to bed late and slept poorly last night. Obviously, I did not get up early or go out for a walk.

I got the regular service for the car this morning, and then I took it for its annual test (about 2 months late!), which it passed with flying colors. All of this, though, kept me busy until noon.

I had chaing-mai for lunch at Chooka (at Ice Park) today. I also got the last Dream Spa massage that I had paid for, walked around both levels of the mall, and had some frozen yogurt. Afterwards, I did the weekly grocery shopping at Shufersal.

In the evening, I ordered new temple pieces for my glasses (Me'ir's puppy had chewed on them yesterday while I was soaking in his pool). They will cost me around 200 shekels. Then I went and got my vaccination against shingles. I had to pick it up from the pharmacy and take it too the nurses for them to inject me.

Shabbat, 20 June 2015

Once again I went to bed early and slept well but late, and so didn't get out for a walk. Maybe I'm just making up for the sleep I lost in past weeks.

I took time this morning to watch the recording of BCC's Friday night service (BCC, Beth Chayim Chadashim, was our synagogue in LA, where David and I met). I really enjoyed it, too.

I had a really nice lunch of sautéed mushrooms, bread, and various miscellaneous small סלטים salatim ("salads") at the Gulf Restaurant. It was a very cheap, quite healthy, and definitely enjoyable meal.

In the afternoon and evening, I spent some time with Me'ir and another friend of his at his apartment. We also sat in his roof pool for a while and played אמת או חובה (literally, truth or obligation) "Truth or Dare", in Hebrew.

Friday, 19 June 2015

I slept very well last night but didn't feel like getting up early and so didn't go out for a walk other than the short trip to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat.

I taught 3 units of Berlitz lessons this morning: 9:00-9:45 and 9:45-11:15.

For lunch I had my traditional whole-wheat spaghetti with Palermo sauce at Il Pentolino.

I mostly just relaxed during the afternoon, but I did get a load of laundry done. I hung it out on the mirpeset (balcony) to dry instead of using the dryer, to save electricity.

In the evening, I lit candles, sipped a bit of sweet red wine, and ate a little challah to welcome the Shabbat queen.

ברוך אתה, יי אלהינו, מלך העולם,

אשר בדברו מעריב ערבים.

בחכמה פותח שערים,

ובתבונה משנה עתים,

ומחליף את-הזמנים,

ומסדר את-הכוכבים

במשמרותיהם ברגיע כרצונו.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, ruler of all,

Who by your Word brings the dusk.

In wisdom You open gates,

And with understanding change parts of the day,

And interchange the times of year,

And order the stars,

In their watches in the sky according to Your will.

[from the Ma'ariv Prayer, a key part of every Jewish evening service]

Thursday, 18 June 2015

I went to bed early last night and slept well until around 3:00 a.m. After that, I only slept a little, got up shortly after 5:00, and went out for a nice walk. I even saw my little black-and-white feline friend!

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons: 9:30-11:00 and 12:00-1:30. At 5:00, I had a feedback session on an observed lesson (from last Tuesday evening). Every few months, Berlitz picks a lesson and let's me know that someone will be observing it.

For lunch, I had an onion quiche, a few olives, and a nice side salad at Rachel Café.

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

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

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-10:30.

I worked on various chores most of the day.

In the evening, I bought a sustaining pedal for the Yamaha keyboard that I donated to WIZO. Afterwards, I went over to Ice Park, where I ate frozen yogurt and walked slowly around both levels.

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

I slept well but got up a little late this morning.

I enjoyed the weekly English speakers' meetings at WIZO today. I even played a couple of Bach preludes and one fugue for them on the keyboard that I had donated.

I got a massage at Dream Spa, ate pancakes for lunch at Landwer Café, and walked around both level of Ice Park today.

I talked 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 3:45-5:15, 5:15-6:45, and 7:00-8:30. The last lesson will be observed (that is, a Berlitz person will listen to it and then talk to me about it on Thursday).

Monday, 15 June 2015

I got up early but didn't go out for a walk because there's some kind of small bruise on my left foot that's been bothering me just a little, and I didn't want to chance making it worse. I'm actually pretty confident that it will heal on its own, but it might need a little time.

Katom, my American cat who made aliyah with us, was able to move about a bit on his own today, but it became painfully apparent that he could not move the back part of his body or control his bladder. So I was not really surprised when the vet told me his condition was unlikely to improve. It was really quite clear that the only humane thing to do would be to have him put down, and I also knew that it wouldn't get any easier. So, sometime around noon today the vet put him under general anesthesia as I and the vet's assistant gently petted him. Then the vet gave him an IV drug that stopped his heart, and he passed away peacefully, on his 14th birthday. I'll miss you, Katom! Rest in peace.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today (although one 2-unit lesson was a no-show): 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00 (the no-show), 3:30-5:00, and 5:00-6:30.

I had a Japanese salad, pad thai, and a Coke Zero for lunch today at Togarashi (at Mercaz Big).

Sunday, 14 June 2015

I got to bed a little late last night and so didn't get up early, either, and didn't go out for a walk.

I took Katom in to the vet at 9:00 this morning for his appointment. He stayed there today to get an IV for hydration and antibiotics. The vet is concerned because Katom doesn't use his back legs at all, but he doesn't have the capability of actually checking nerve connections. When I picked Katom up in the evening, the vet said that he had eaten on his own a bit today, which is a good sign. When I got home, I put him on the bed, and, a while later, he had gotten down onto the floor on his own. That, too, is good news. So, we'll see. I have to drop him off again at the vets tomorrow morning.

In the late morning, I went over to the local campus of Ben Gurion University and talked with a woman in administration there. I explained my background and interest in teaching and left my résumé with her. She seemed very nice, but only time will tell if anything comes of this. I hope it will.

I also did the weekly grocery shopping this morning, including getting food and drink and supplies for the little reception after the Shloshim Memorial today.

I filled the car with gas and got it washed, and then I went and ate lunch at Rachel Café.

In the afternoon, I listened to a performance of the entire Brahms German Requiem (on YouTube, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt). Although I can't agree with some of the theology, this music transcends doctrines and even religion to speak directly to the heart. Of course I cried, but it was very therapeutic.

In the early evening, before dark, we had a beautiful Shloshim (30 days) memorial for David at the cemetery, followed by a L'chaim and some refreshments. Thanks to all who came to help me with this! I was very pleased with how it went.

Here's my eulogy for David that I gave today:

Eulogy for David Fyffe

There’s no way to capture the full essence of an individual in any eulogy, so I think the goal is to find key qualities and talk about them, so that’s what I’ll try to do.

A theme woven throughout David’s life was his love of animals. He grew up in the country, so he was blessed to have goats, a loyal dog, chickens, a horse, and even a cow. Many times he told me of how he cared for them and how much they meant to him. During the time that I knew him, he rescued several animals, including a gopher snake on a main road in California and various street cats. And he really loved our household cats. He was hospitalized many times, of course, and the main reason he always gave for wanting to be released (often LONG before that would be possible) was that he wanted to see his cats.

David also loved children, and one of his biggest regrets, I know, was that he was never able to have any of his own. Even though my children never lived with us, David considered them to be his, as well. And he doted over nieces, nephews, and, especially, his grand niece (his sister’s granddaughter). There weren’t very many children in our Los Angeles synagogue because most members were gay or lesbian, but David was always concerned that the children be well taken care of, and he watched their growth and development with pride.

Throughout his whole life, David was especially attuned to the elders of the community. He often told me about his grandparents and even great-grandparents, as well as other older people in the world he grew up in. At Beth Chaim Chadashim (our LA synagogue), he had many older friends and always showed such respect for them and interest in them. He was also very active in Project Caring, a program in which some of us from our synagogue took a Torah scroll and did a short Shabbat morning service, once a month, at a rest home in LA. David went out of his way to talk with some of the residents, the ones who were still mentally alert, to get to know them.

One of the most important people in David’s life turned out, interestingly, to be my own mother. From the time they first met (very soon after David and I met, in fact!), there was a very special bond between them. He took her to doctor’s appointments, did her hair, and just generally doted over her. I credit him with drawing me even closer to my own mother. When she was in a board-and-care home in her last years with Alzheimer’s, he made a small quilt for her out of pieces of fabric we had found when we were clearing out her house before she sold it. As soon as she saw it, her face lit up. She knew the work and the love that had gone into it, and it became a great symbol for her until the day she died. When it returned to us, we always treasured it, too, of course. In David’s last months, he frequently complained that his feet were cold even though they really weren’t. I would often put Mom’s little quilt over his feet, and then they would feel warm again. David and I then remarked on the love that it represented to all of us.

Shabbat, 13 June 2015

I went to sleep early last night, got up early this morning, and enjoyed a nice, full walk for over 45 minutes. It was so cool out that I actually wore a tank top (instead of going bare-chested).

Mostly, I rested today. For lunch, I took Me'ir to the Gulf Restaurant.

In the afternoon, I talked with David's sister in Ohio.

A got a tiny bit of work done on my music today.

Friday, 12 June 2015

I got to bed fairly early last night and slept in until late.

Before breakfast, I walked down to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat.

I taught 3 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45 and 10:30-12:00.

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

In the afternoon, I just relaxed at home. I have to force-feed Katom every few hours, and he doesn't like it, of course, but I'm hoping that it will help to save his life. He has enough strength to bat me with his front paws sometimes and to move around on the bed a very little, but he hasn't done anything else. I really hope that he'll start to get stronger and move more.

Meanwhile, Pascal is feeling more and more at home here again, after being afraid to even enter at first because he was afraid the dogs might still be here or return at any moment.

In the evening, I made Shabbat at at home with candle-lighting, sips of wine, and a little challah.

מזמור לדוד

יי רעי לא אחסר:

בנאות דשא ירביצני על-מי מנחות ינהלני:

נפשי ישובב ינחני במעגלי-צדק למנן שמו:

גם כי-אלך בגיא צלמות לא-אירא רע כי-אתה עמדי

שבטך ומשענתך המה ינחמני:

תערך לפני שלחן נגד צררי דשנת בשמן ראשי כוסי רויה:

אך טוב וחסד ירדפוני כל-ימי חיי ושבתי בבית-יי לארך ימים:

A Psalm by David

The Eternal is my shepherd; I will lack nothing.

God lays me down on a lush lawn and leads me beside quiet water.

My soul is restored, and I am led in circles of justice for the Divine Name's sake.

Even when I walk in a valley overshadowed by death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You arrange a table in front of me against my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

May only good and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the Divine home for many long days.

Thursday, 11 June 2015

I taught only 4 units of Berlitz today, all in the morning: 9:30-11:00 and 11:00-12:30.

Me'ir worked REALLY hard yesterday and today, cleaning and getting everything in order in his new apartment. Today, he actually moved in, so this is the first night that he and his dogs won't be here. His place looks very nice, but the HUGE (as in GIGANTIC!) mirpeset (balcony) is the most amazing. It's a large part of the roof of the building (the apartment is on the 12th floor), and the views from there are the best in the entire city. He got the largest pool available at Home Center and set it up and filled it with water, and, this afternoon, I had the honor of being the first person in it (yes, skinny dipping on the roof!). It's about 4 or 5 meters long and wider than I can reach. It's just deep enough for me to sit on the bottom with the water level reaching my chin.

I brought Katom home from the vet's today, and he's lying pretty happily on my bed and even purring some. The whole bill was only 1210 shekels (about $316), which was quit a bit less than I feared it would be, especially since the vet had gotten up in the middle of the night to care for him. I'm going to have to force-feed him special food with a little water added, though, for the next couple of days. On Sunday, I'll take him back in for the vet to check him. It's still not certain that he'll be okay, but I think the likelihood is growing. I left the door to the mirpeset (balcony) open a bit so that Pascal can come back in now, too, since the dogs are gone, but, so far, he's been too afraid to actually enter.

לימדתי רק 4 יחידות של ברליץ היום, כל בבוקר.

מאיר עבד ממש קשה אתמול והיום, ניקה וסידר את הכל  בבדירה החדשה שלו. היום, הוא בעצם עבר לשם, אז זה הלילה הראשון שהוא והכלבים שלו לא יהיו כאן. המקום שלו נראה יפה מאוד

אבל המרפסת הענקית שלו היא הכי מדהימה, והנוף משם הוא הטוב ביותר בעיר כולה. הוא קנה את הבריכה הגדולה ביותר בהום סנטר ומילא אותו במים. אחר הצהריים, היה לי הכבוד להיות האדם הראשון בזה (כן, טבילה עירומה על הגג!). זה בערך 4 או 5 מטרים ורחבים יותר ממה שאני יכול להגיע. זה פשוט עמוק מספיק לי לשבת על התחתית ומפלס המים הגיע לסנטר שלי.

הבאתי את קתום הביתה מהווטרינר היום, והוא שוכב די בשמחה על המיטה שלי ואפילו מגרגר קצת. החשבון הגיע רק ל-​​1,210 שקלים (כ 316 $), פחות ממה שחששתי שהוא יהיה, במיוחד מאז שהווטרינר קם באמצע הלילה לטפל בו. אני אצטרך להאכיל אותו בקח באוכל מיוחד עם מעט מים מוספים במשך כמה ימים הבאים. ביום ראשון, אני אקח אותו לווטרינר כדי להיבדק. עדיין לא בטוח שהוא יהיה בסדר, אבל אני חושב שהסבירות הולכת וגדלה. השארתי את הדלת למרפסת פתוחה קצת כדי שפסקל יכול לחזור עכשיו, מדי, שכן הכלבים הם נעלמו, אבל, עד כה, הוא מפחד מדי להיכנס למעשה.

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 11:00-12:30, 2:30-4:00 (but it was actually a late cancellation), and 4:00-5:30.

During the lunch break, I went out to the pharmacy to get my monthly prescriptions filled, but I ate at home.

In the evening, I went over to the vet's to visit Katom. He clearly recognized me and seemed happy for me to pet him. They hadn't yet succeeded in getting him to eat yet. While I was there, though, they gave him another appetite stimulant and the vet managed to get him to eat a fair amount from her fingers. I'll go over again tomorrow evening and will probably bring him home for the weekend. We hope that he'll become a bit more active in a more familiar environment and thus recover. There's still a possibility that he won't, though, and, in that case, we'd have to have him put to sleep.

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Last night I was up late because Me'ir thought he saw someone trying to mess with my car. So, we kept checking around to make sure everything was okay.

At one point, we went out onto the mirpeset (balcony), and Me'ir her a faint mewing. I couldn't hear it, but he insisted that we investigate, and I am so glad that he did. It turned out that, somehow, Katom had fallen from the mirpeset 3 stories down to the roof of the entrance of the building and was lying there still alive! But, if we hadn't check, it's likely that he might have died there before I even realized that he was missing.

We got the firefighters to come with a ladder and retrieve him, and then we immediately took him to the vet, who got up in the middle of the night to take care of him (this was about 1:30-2:00 a.m.).

The vet could tell immediately that Katom had a head injury because his pupils were unequal. He also did x-rays and found that Katom's sternum was broken, but, apparently, nothing else was wrong. He gave him meds to calm him and help with the pain, and he started an IV.

By this morning, Katom's pupils were equal again, and, according to the vet, he seemed better. It now looks very likely that he'll recover, which is really amazing. He's still at the vet's, though.

This morning I enjoyed the WIZO meeting. We had fun doing a spelling quiz, and I got 49 out of 51. I forgot to double the "m" in "accommodate", and I reversed the "l" and "e" in "nickel".

I treated myself and Me'ir to massages at Dream Spa, and then we ate lunch at Landwer Café. Afterwards, I did the weekly grocery shopping at Shufersal and taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons: 4:00-5:30 and 7:00-8:30.

Me'ir finally signed the contract and got everything arranged for his new apartment this evening, and, hopefully, he'll be moving in tomorrow.

Monday, 8 June 2015

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:45, 3:30-5:00, and 5:00-6:30.

For lunch, we went to Buddha Burgers, which I enjoyed but Me'ir did not, so, in the evening, we went down to Ice Mall and he ate at McDonald's.

Sunday, 7 June 2015

My first task this morning was to get down to the pet store to pick up frozen mice for Goldfinger, my snake. Since they don't have a freezer there, it was important not to be late so that they wouldn't be of a freezer too long.

After that, I took my friend, Me'ir down to finish the process of buying a whole bunch of stuff for his apartment, to which he'll be moving mid-week.

We had the stuff delivered to my apartment, for now, and then they'll also help us move it when he moves into his new place.

In the afternoon, Me'ir and I went down to Ice Park, where I treated both of us to wonderful, full-body massages in the machine at Dream Spa. Both of us really enjoyed that and, in fact, almost fell asleep in the machines. Afterwards, we had lunch at Café Café, where I ate too much.

In the evening, we ate the rest of the half-watermelon that I had bought last week.

המטלה הראשונה שלי הבוקר הייתה להגיע לחנות בעלי חיים כדי לקנות עכברים בשביל גולדפינגר, הנחש שלי. מישום שאין לחנות מקפיא, היה חשוב שאני לא מאוחר, כדי שהם לא יהיו חוץ ממקפיא יותר מדי

אחר-כך,  הבאיתי את החבר שלי, את מאיר, לסיים את התהליך של קניות לדירה החדשה שלו, שהוא יכנס לה במשך השבוע

הם הסכימו להביא את הדברים לדירה שלי היום, ואז הם גם יעזרו לנו להביא אותם כשהוא יכנס לדירה החדשה

אחרי הצהוריים, מאיר ואני הגענו לאייס פרק ועברנו עיסוים טובים מאוד במכינות של דרים ספא. שניינו נהנו מהעיסוי מאוד וכמת נרדמנו, באמת. אחר-כך, אכלנו ארוחת צהריים בקפה-קפה, ואכלתי יותר מדי

בערב, אכלנו שאר האבטיח שקניתי בשבוע שעבר

Shabbat, 6 June 2015

I got some good sleep last night but got up quite late.

In the afternoon, I took my friend, Me'ir, to the Underwater Observatory Park. I've been there several times, of course, but he never had. We both had such a great time!

For lunch, we went to Landwer Café.

In the evening, we went to Home Center to get some things for Me'ir's apartment, to which he will be moving in the middle of next week.

ישנתי טוב בלילה וקמתי קצת מאוחר

אחרי הצהוריים, לחתי את החבר שלי, את מאיר, לפרק התצפית התת-ימית. אני הייתי שם כמה פעמים קודם, כמובן, אבל זה הייתה הפעם הראשונה בשבילו. שניינו נהנינו מאוד מהביקור

אכלנו ארוחת צהוריים בקפה לנדוור

בערב, נסענו להום סנטר כדי לקנות כמה דברים לדירה של מאיר, שהוא יכנס לה באמצא השבוע הבא

Friday, 5 June 2015

Before breakfast today I walked down to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:30-12:00.

I ate lunch late, at Landwer Café, with my friend, after he got off work.

In the evening, we made Shabbat today by lighting candles, sipping wine, and eating a bit of challah.

Thought for this Shabbat (a song with words by Rabbi Nachman of Breslav):

כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאוד, והעקר לא לפחד כלל

The whole world, all of it, is a very narrow bridge, but the important thing is not to be afraid at all.

לפני ארוחת בוקר היום הלכתי למחזור קרטון ולקנות חלה לשבת

לימדתי רק 2 יחידות של שיעורי ברליץ היום: 10:30-12:00

אכלתי ארוחת צהוריים מאוחר, בקפה לנדוור, אחרי שהחבר שלי סיים את העבודה שלו

בערב, הדלקנו נרות, שיתינו קצת יין, ואכלנו קצת חלה כדי לעשות שבת

מחשבה לשבת הזאת

כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאוד, והעקר לא לפחד כלל

Thursday, 4 June 2015

I got up very tired this morning, having really not gotten anywhere near enough sleep. I felt better, though, after being up for a while.

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30 (but it was actually a late cancellation), and 2:30-4:45.

My friend and I had lunch at Café Café at Ice Park today. One of the cute waiters there was hitting on both of us, but I think what he really wanted was money. I'm old enough to be his grandfather! LOL

Tuesday and Wednesday, 2 and 3 June 2015

I got to bed so late last night that I completely forget to write here!

My days have been quite preoccupied recently with trying to help a friend find an apartment. He and his two dogs are staying here with me in the meantime, so everything has been a balagan (chaos). I think, though, that it will all be resolved soon.

I taught 2 units of Berlitz lesson yesterday (7:00-8:30) and 3 units today (9:00-10:30 and 10:30-11:15).

At least I've been eating pretty well, and my friend and I went to Ice Park where I treated him and myself to 15 minutes of massage in the wonderful machines there.

Monday, 1 June 2015

I slept pretty well last night but got up too late to go out for a walk.

I taught only 4 units of Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-10:30 and 3:30-5:00.

I spent quite a bit of time today helping a friend move out of his old apartment.