Shabbat, 30 April 2016

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

I watched the BCC (Beth Chayim Chadashim) service from last night this morning. It included Yizkor (a service of remembrance traditionally done 3 times a year, one of which is the last day of Pesach), which was especially moving for me. David's name, in fact, was the very first one mentioned. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried like a baby, but it was good and cathartic.

In the late afternoon, I had my usual chat via Skype with David's sister and her husband in Ohio.

In the early evening, after the sun had disappeared but it was still light, I set out for a walk. I took quite a few pictures, mostly of bougainvillea flowers, at several different points along the way.

I ended my walk at the municipal celebration of Mimuna, a holiday at the end of Pesach, established by the Jews of North Africa, especially Morocco. It was a LOT of fun! I shook hands with the mayor, ate delicious sweets, danced, took photos, and shot a few short video clips. Here's today's pic of the day, showing the singer, the mayor, and a couple of lovely ladies on the stage:

I walked a total of 5.55 kilometers today.

Friday, 29 April 2016 (last day of Pesach)

I slept well at first last night and then woke up and was quite wide awake. Eventually, I did get back to sleep, but I woke up very late and didn't get up until about 7:30, which is MUCH later than usual for me. In fact, I've felt a bit tired all day.

Since today is the last day of Pesach here in Israel, it is a holiday, and so I taught no lessons, of course.

I managed to get the weekly cleaning chores done, but not much else.

In the late afternoon, I went for a fairly long walk. I took several nice pictures, including quite a few close-ups of flowers. I have already posted some of them on Facebook.

In the evening, I lit my Shabbat candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate matza to welcome this first Shabbat after Pesach. The pic of the day is of my Shabbat candles:

I walked a total of 5.11 kilometers today.

Thursday, 28 April 2016

I woke up late this morning even though I went to bed quite early last night. I guess I just needed the sleep.

When I went out of the apartment with Pascal for a little fresh air this morning, I saw that someone had hung a banner at the end of the outdoor slot, just outside the indoor portion of the corridor. Here's the pic of the day, showing it, and also Pascal, who was NOT impressed:

I did a little grocery shopping at 3 different markets today at different times. I think I'm all set for the long weekend now.

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the second 2-unit lesson actually turned out to be a no-show: 10:30-12:00 and 12:00-1:30.

A little after 5:30 this evening, I set out on a long walk. The air was very pleasant, there was a great breeze, and I was able to walk mostly in the shade. I went all the way down Argaman Road to the end, then north on highway 90, detouring over to the beach just south of Mall HaYam, then all the way up Yotam Road to Harim Road, then over to Argaman and back down to my place (a big figure-8). I took lots of pictures along the way, quite a few of which I have already posted to Facebook.

I walked a total of 8.32 kilometers today, mostly on my long evening walk.

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

I got up late this morning and didn't go out at all. In fact, I didn't even go beyond my gate any time today.

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lesson today: 9:15-10:00, 10:30-12:00, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 5:30-7:00.

I took the pic of the day just a few minutes ago. It's Pascal lying on the table in front of the micro, right next to my desk:

I walked only 70 meters today.

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

I got up a little late this morning, but I still managed to get out and walk for about an hour.

In the late morning, I walked down to Fay's house for this week's informal English speakers' meeting (since WIZO House is closed this week for Pesach). It was very enjoyable. Afterwards, I walked down to Mall HaYam and walked around there a bit before catching a bus back home. It was too hot today in the middle of the day to be walking very far, especially uphill.

Today's pic of the day is a view of the North Beach from the balcony of the upper level of Mall HaYam:

I taught only 3 units of Berlitz lessons today, both groups of students in Spain: 2:45-3:30 and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 7.45 kilometers today.

Monday, 25 April 2016

I got up late again this morning and just didn't feel like going out.

I taught 11 units (8 and a quarter hours!) of Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

Before my last class, I popped down to the Elimelech Supermarket to do a little grocery shopping. I snapped this photo in one of the aisles to show you what a typical grocery store looks like here in Israel during Pesach (Passover). The foods that are covered and cannot be purchased are things that are NOT kosher for Pesach. It amounts to nearly half the store, I think. So, here's the pic of the day:

I walked a little less than half a kilometer today.

Sunday, 24 April 2016

I slept late again this morning, perhaps still making up for a bit less than a full night's sleep Friday night.

I spent much of the day today working on my machine learning class, but I successfully completed it, with an overall score of 97.3%.

David & Bassia invited me to lunch at their place today, and it was really very nice. We ate on their 4th-floor balcony with a sweeping view of Aqaba and the Gulf, delicious food, and stimulating conversation. I posted some pictures on Facebook of the view and from my walk back home afterwards. Here's today's pic of the day, a view of White Mountain and Har Shlomo behind it, which I took on my walk over to Bassia & David's:

I walked a total of 2.88 kilometers today (the walk to lunch and back).

Shabbat, 23 April 2016 (1st day of Pesach)

Since I didn't get to bed until nearly 2:00 a.m. last night, I did NOT get up early this morning at all.

I spent part of the morning reviewing lecture videos for the first half of week 6 of my machine learning class. Then, I took the quiz for the 2nd and 3rd times, until I finally got it right.

In the early evening, I had a nice long conversation with David's sister, Joyce, and her husband in Ohio.

After that, I went out for a lovely evening walk at sunset. I took several pictures, 3 of which I just posted to Facebook. Here's another one for the pic of the day, a beautiful white flower in a yard not very far from my place:

I walked a total of 3.52 kilometers today (NOT counting the walk home last night, which was after midnight).

Friday, 22 April 2016 (1st night of Pesach)

I woke up early and then went back to sleep for a bit more. When I got up, I decided not to go out for a walk.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today (although the first lesson, 1 unit, was actually a no-show): 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, and 12:00-1:30.

This afternoon, I finished getting the weekly cleaning done.

In the evening, I walked over to Deborah Tzarfaty's house, near the university, for a lovely seder. On the way over there, I took some pictures that I have posted to Facebook.

The seder was very enjoyable, especially because I met some new friends and enjoyed some interesting conversations. The food was also very good. Today's pic of the day is my plate of food (all vegetarian):

Isobel and I walked back home together since we live quite close to each other, and so I got even more good conversation.

I walked a total of 5.4 kilometers today, although the return walk was technically tomorrow (since it was after midnight).

Thursday, 21 April 2016

I slept weirdly last night but woke up early this morning. I didn't get up for some time, though, and also decided NOT to go out for a walk.

In the mid-morning, I walked up to the 2nd-nearest market and did a little more grocery shopping.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 12:00-1:30, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.

For lunch at home, I had a salad with an added half of a yellow bell pepper, freshly cooked Basmati rice, and two vegetarian shnitzels with ketchup on them.

In the evening, I went for a medium-length walk and took several pictures of the moon. I posted a picture of Aqaba at night with the moonlight on the Gulf on Facebook, and here's today pic of the day, the moon over Canada Gardens:

I walked a total of 3.29 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

I got up early this morning and went for a nice long walk, all the way over to Nakhal Garuf (on Sheshet HaYamim) and back (on Harim). I took several pictures on the way. I already posted several of them to Facebook, and this one, of the kikar where highway 12 enters town (the west entrance), is today's pic of the day:

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00, 10:15-11:45, 2:45-4:15, and 6:00-7:30.

Before lunch, I walked down to the nearest market and bought a few groceries.

I had a salad and a mixture of rice and lentils for lunch at home today.

In the evening, I took another quite long walk. I was actually trying to find a particular type of candy I like and visited multiple stores along the way, but I didn't find it. I did get some more Pesach cookies, though.

I walked a total of 10.5 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 19 April 2016

I woke up early this morning but just relaxed and didn't get up until quite a bit later.

This morning at the WIZO English speakers' group we celebrated birthdays for February, March, April, and some people in May who won't be here in the summer. It was a nice celebration, with food from Il Pentolino and a beautiful chocolate cake from Uga Chaga. The picture of the day is of the centerpiece that Fonda made for the middle of the buffet table:

On the way back from WIZO, I stopped at a market near there to get another carton of my favorite peanut butter.

I had 2 cheese and tomato sandwiches, another piece of bread with carob-peanut spread, and some halva for lunch at home today.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 2:45-3:30, 4:00-5:30, and 7:00-8:30.

Before my last lesson, I took a short walk, keeping mostly in the shade, since it was quite hot out today. The predicted high was 38ºC (100ºF). I walked a little in Canada Gardens and took some nice pictures that I have already posted publicly to Facebook.

I walked a total of 4.82 kilometers today.

Monday, 18 April 2016

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

I was originally scheduled to teach only 5 units of Berlitz lessons today, but I agreed when asked to do an additional 3-unit lesson about half an hour before it started: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-12:15 (the added lesson), 3:00-4:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I had rice, beans, and a salad for lunch at home today.

Before my last class, I walked over to the SuperPharm in Shakhamon to buy a tool to help me get old skin off the bottoms of my feet. On the way, I took several pictures, some of which I just posted on Facebook and another which is my pic of the day, a great view of the Gulf and Aqaba (including a couple of cruise ships docked over there) from Harim Road at Nakhal Shakhamon:

I walked a total of 4.56 kilometers today.

Sunday, 17 April 2016

I didn't sleep so well during the latter part of last night and ended up getting up quite late.

The start of the day was a bit slow, but I got done what I needed to get done. I walked down to the industrial area to buy a few items, the last one being cat litter at the Zebra pet store.

I tried to order a taxi using the Gett app, but there were none available, so I decided to see if I could make it up to the bus stop and take a bus home. But the sack is VERY heavy (15 kg = 33 lbs), and before I had even gotten a short block up, I was already beginning to worry that the "handle" would soon break. I hadn't brought my cart because of the plan to take a taxi. Just as I was considering what to do, a woman pulled up (in a red Fiat Bravo) and asked if I'd like a ride. I agreed, and she actually cheerfully took me all the way home! As we chatted in Hebrew, I told her that I had formerly lived in Tsfat, and she said that her uncle had been mayor of Tsfat for some time. She thought maybe I was a Spanish-speaker from my accent, which I found flattering, since I hate it when people can immediately tell that I'm an Anglo. Definitely, an "only in Israel" experience, and it really made my day!

I had vegan "breasts" and corn-on-the-cob for lunch at home today. Then, I finished week 5 of my machine learning class.

In the evening, I did some grocery shopping at the 2nd-nearest market. As I was heading up there, I stopped on the median of the road and shot this pic of the day (cropped, but otherwise unedited):

A little later I went out for a lovely evening walk.

I walked a total of 8.07 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 16 April 2016

I got up early this morning and went out for a lovely, long walk. I went down Argaman to Sheshet HaYamim, then all the way to the south end of Sheshet HaYamim, up the Nakhal Garuf tayelet, and back home mostly via Harim. On the way back, I captured this pic of the day, a view up Nakhal Shakhamon:

I watched the rest of the videos for week 5 of my machine learning class and successfully passed the first quiz. I also watched the application videos, and tomorrow I'll do the necessary programming to take the 2nd quiz and thus finish this week's work.

I had my now-traditional rice and 3 eggs (plus a salad) for Shabbat lunch today.

In the early evening, I talked with David's sister, Joyce, in Ohio, and was happy to hear some good news about her getting several problems solved that had been stressing her.

Afterwards, I went for another short walk in the area north of here.

I walked a total of 8.29 kilometers today.

Friday, 15 April 2016

I once again got up late this morning and didn't go out for a walk except to go up and get challah. They didn't have the small whole-wheat ones, so I had to choose between huge ones or small regular ones. I finally decided on the latter.

I was scheduled to teach 5 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the first 1-unit one turned out to be a no-show: 9:00-9:45, 10:30-12:00, and 12:00-1:30.

I had a salad (with added tomato and yellow bell pepper) and weenies wrapped in whole-wheat tortillas for lunch at home today.

After lunch, I did the regular weekly cleaning, and then I went out for a nice walk around town. I took several pictures that I already posted to Facebook, and I also took this pic of the day, showing what the municipality did with the traffic lights that used to be in town (there have been ZERO traffic signals in Eilat the whole time I've lived here, more than 4 years). This kikar (AmE: traffic circle, BrE: roundabout) is not far from where I live, at the intersection of Argaman St. and Sheshet HaYamim Ave., and this view, of course, is looking down Argaman toward the Gulf and the mountains on the other side:

I walked a total of 5.53 kilometers today.

Most of you probably don't know that Eilat, where I live, is mentioned in the Torah. Here's the verse (Deuteronomy 2:8):

ונעבר מאת אחינו בני-עשו הישבים בשעיר מדרך הערבה מאילת ומעצין גבר ונפן ונעבר דרך מדבר מואב:

And we passed from our brothers, the children of Esav, who live in Se’ir, on the Arava Road from Eilat and from Etziyon Gever and turned and went by way of the desert of Mo’av.

Thursday, 14 April 2016

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

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 2:45-3:30, and 4:00-5:30.

I had a salad and veggie burger sandwiches with cheese for lunch at home today.

After my last class, I took a leisurely, medium-length walk around town, enjoying the sunlight on the Jordanian mountains and the cool air, and taking several pictures, including this pic of the day, a view of the Jordanian mountains at sunset from Canada Gardens:

In the evening, I did a little grocery shopping at the nearest local market.

I walked a total of 3.08 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 13 April 2016

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

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00, 2:45-4:15, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

After my first lesson, I went up to the 2nd-nearest grocery store, where I bought some bananas, some tomatoes, and several boxes of cereal (which will not be available during and even near Pesach).

A little later, a friend came over, and we enjoyed some time together. Then I walked with him as far as Mercaz Mor, and I continued on a much longer walk after that, including walking quite some distance on the other side of Harim Road, taking pictures of the desert hills in one direction and Eilat and Aqaba in the other. It was really nice out, mostly cloudy, with some sunshine and cool air. Fantastic!

Today's pic of the day is of some lovely salmon/pink bougainvillea that I saw in town during my walk:

I had beans and weenies and a large salad with a tomato and half a yellow bell pepper for lunch at home today.

Before my last lesson, I went out for another short walk and brief work-out at the outdoor gym.

I walked a total of 7.72 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 12 April 2016

I woke up early this morning but then went back to sleep again.

After breakfast, I walked down to the Maccabi pharmacy to get my monthly prescriptions filled. Then I walked back up to the WIZO meeting. There was no scheduled program, but Fonda read us a couple of essays she had written some time back, which we all enjoyed. And, of course, we always have lots of lively and interesting conversation.

Here's the pic of the day, which I took on my walk down this morning:

I took this pic with my iPhone 6 Plus camera app (the standard one from Apple), and the only editing I did was a bit of cropping.

Before lunch, I made a quick shopping trip to the nearest grocery store.

I had vegetarian shnitzel sandwiches (with cheese) and corn on the cob for lunch at home today.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, back-to-back: 2:30-4:00, 4:00-5:30, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 4.87 kilometers today.

Monday, 11 April 2016

I woke up early this morning but still felt a bit tired and so didn't get up right away and didn't go out for an early-morning walk.

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the 2nd 2-unit lesson was a late cancellation. Luckily, I was informed about it as soon as I logged in this morning. Here was my teaching schedule: 9:00-10:30, 12:00-1:30 (the late cancellation), 3:00-4:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I did take a short walk in the middle of the day, before lunch.

I cooked rice and lentils together for lunch today and also had a salad with an added tomato.

At 5:20 I had an appointment with my family doctor to get prescriptions for the next 3 months for my regular meds. I walked over to the new Maccabi Shakhamon clinic, a walk of a little over 30 minutes one way. I had plenty of time coming back, though, so I didn't hurry. Here's today's pic of the day, of the new clinic (it's at the corner of אברהם אבינו Abraham Our Father and אסטר המלכה Esther the Queen Streets):

I walked a total of 6.5 kilometers today.

Sunday, 10 April 2016

I got up very early and went for a long walk, all the way to the southern end of Harim Road and back.

After breakfast, I called the hospital and was able to get an appointment with the urologist on the 5th of May.

I attended the monthly Berlitz "brown bag meeting", which can't be required (because we're not paid for it), but we are quite strongly pressured to show up.

I had veggie burger and cheese sandwiches and a salad (with an added tomato) for lunch at home today. I hadn't eaten cheese for quite a while, so it was beginning to mold. I cut away the moldy parts and finished the rest of it so it wouldn't be totally wasted.

I also fed Goldfinger today. He was so hungry that he nabbed my finger as I was reaching in to take him out of his terrarium and put him in the feeding box with the mouse. It was very minor, though, and only served to delay the process somewhat. When he did see the real mouse (frozen/thawed) he grabbed it and woofed it down without delay.

In the afternoon, I started watching the videos for week 5 of my machine learning class. The topic is about recommender systems, such as you see if you shop on Amazon, for example, or go to find a movie on Netflix.

In the evening, I took an even longer walk, going on Sheshet HaYamim to the north end of Harim Road and back home that way. Here's today's pic of the day, which I took in the small park next to the 2 towers just south of the outdoor gym on Harim Road:

I walked a total of 11.41 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 9 April 2016

I got up early this morning but didn't feel very good at all. I had a headache, and my mood wasn't very good, either. Nevertheless, I made myself go out for a medium-length walk, and it did help me feel better. Since the headache still wasn't completely gone, though, I took a couple of Optalgin, and they definitely did the trick.

I was pretty lazy most of the morning, but I did manage to watch last night's service from BCC (Beth Chayim Chadashim).

I had a salad with an added tomato, plus 3 eggs scrambled with freshly cooked rice for lunch today. Yum!

In the afternoon, I completed week 4 of my machine learning class.

I had my usual, enjoyable conversation with David's sister, Joyce, and her husband in Ohio.

Afterwards, I went out for another walk, taking quite a few pictures of flowers and the towers in Shakhamon at dusk. Here's today's pic of the day, showing the 3 tallest residential buildings in Eilat:

I walked a total of 6.64 kilometers today.

Friday, 8 April 2016

I got up very early this morning, just after 5:00. I make a rule not to let myself get up before that. I went out almost immediately for a long walk. I took Sheshet HaYamim all the way to its southwestern end, and then I walked up the nearly-completed Nakhal Garuf tayelet to Harim Road. I rested there and enjoyed petting a friendly black cat (I think he's the same one I've seen previously in that area). Then I came back via Harim Road, stopping at the bakery to buy challah on the way. I was back at about 7:00. Here's today's pic of the day, of the sun rising over the Jordanian mountains, which I took from Harim Road just north of the highway 12 kikar:

I taught just one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 9:30-11:00.

I did all the weekly cleaning tasks today before lunch.

For lunch, I had beans (mostly white in tomato sauce but with some added brown ones in Mexican-style sauce) and weenies (vegetarian, of course).

In the afternoon, I did about half of this week's work for my machine learning class. I should be able to do the rest tomorrow, and Sunday if necessary.

As the light of the day was about to fade from our beautiful, hot valley, I lit candles, drank a bit of sweet red wine (a new bottle this week), and ate a little challah (giving a small piece to Pascal, as well) to welcome another Shabbat of peace and refreshment.

Afterwards, I took another short walk around the area north of here (the Tze'elim neighborhood).

I walked a total of 9.04 kilometers today.

I share this verse from Psalm 19, about the sun, with you today, in honor of the pic of the day:

מקצה השמים מוצאו ותקופתו על-קצותם ואין נסתר מחמתו

From the end of the heavens is its going out, and its circuit at their end, and nothing is hid from its heat.

Thursday, 7 April 2016

I got up a little late this morning, but I went out for a walk after breakfast before my first lesson.
I took today's pic of the day during this walk. It's a pretty place just up from Sheshet HaYamim between Los Angeles and Argaman:

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 12:30-1:15, 2:30-4:00, and 6:00-7:30.

I had vegetarian shnitzel sandwiches and corn on the cob for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon, I took another short walk, buying some things at the market down on Sheshet HaYamim that I can't get in the closer markets.

In the evening, I bought most of the rest of the items on my grocery list at a local market.

I walked a total of 5.95 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 6 April 2016

I got up early this morning, ate breakfast a little early, and managed to get in a medium-length walk before my first lesson.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00, 10:00-10:45, 2:45-4:15, 4:30-6:00, and 7:30-9:00.

I had a salad and weenies wrapped in whole-wheat tortillas for lunch at home today.

Before my last class, I went out for another nice walk. I also stopped and bought a can of Mexican-style beans at the market that carries them.

As I was returning from this walk, I stopped and took today's picture of the day, a view of the kikar (Br: roundabout, Am: traffic circle) nearest to where I live:

I walked a total of 6.47 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

I got up early this morning but didn't go out for a walk because I knew I'd be walking to WIZO later.

At this morning's WIZO English speakers' meeting, in additional to the usual spirited conversation, we also enjoyed a fun game of Trivial Pursuits.

On my way back, I did a small amount of shopping at the Shufersal near WIZO House.

I had a rice/lentil combo and a salad with an added tomato, plus a couple Reese's cups for desert, for lunch at home today.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, all back-to-back: 2:30-4:00, 4:00-5:30, and 5:30-7:00.

I walked a total of 5.04 kilometers today.

Pic of the day? This selfie that I just took (note the distinct tank-top tan lines LOL):

Monday, 4 April 2016

I got up early this morning and went for a walk for about 40 minutes a little later, but still before breakfast. On the walk, I took today's picture of the day, showing the shadows of two 12-story buildings on the desert right next to Eilat:

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, but during the first lesson, I was asked if I'd like to teach an additional 2-unit lesson, and, of course, I readily agreed. Also, my final scheduled lesson turned out to be a late cancellation, with the student only coming into the classroom long enough to let me know she couldn't do the lesson because she had 2 sick children. So, I get paid for 10 units, and here's my lesson schedule: 9:30-11:00, 12:00-1:30 (the added lesson), 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30 (the late cancellation).

Between 11:00 and 12:00, I did some grocery shopping at the nearest local market.

I had 2 tomato sandwiches and shakshuka (eggs cooked in a special tomato sauce) for lunch at home today.

Because of the late cancellation of my last lesson, I was able to go out for a short, but very lovely, evening walk.

I walked a total of 4.72 kilometers today.

Sunday, 3 April 2016

I didn't get up quite so early this morning, having gone to bed a little later than usual last night.

I ate breakfast a little early and then headed down to the Zebra pet store to buy frozen mice for Goldfinger (I had just one left, which I actually fed him today). I returned by taxi so that the mice wouldn't be out of the freezer too long.

I successfully finished week 3 of my Machine Learning class this morning.

For lunch, I had beans (a mix of brown beans in Mexican sauce and white beans in tomato sauce) and little weenies (vegetarian, of course) and a salad with an added half of a deep red bell pepper.

In the evening, I decided to walk down to Ice Mall. It took me about 50 minutes to get there. After walking around both levels, and I went out and waited for the bus to take me back home. The return trip was a little under 20 minutes.

Here today's picture of the day, a view of the sunset over the lagoon, which I took from near Mike's Place:

I walked a total of 9.22 kilometers today, almost ALL of it downhill or level.

Shabbat, 2 April 2016

I got up early this morning and went out for a walk a little later but still before breakfast. I also put in a load of laundry.

After breakfast, I watched last night's BCC (Beth Chayim Chadashim) services.

A little later, I chatted for a while with a Facebook friend, Gregory, in Melbourne, Australia.

I received a somewhat strange call from my former landlord, Dudu, today. He wanted to know if Me'ir still lived in the same place. I told him I thought so, and then I gave him Me'ir's new telephone number. He called back a little later after having apparently talked to Me'ir on the phone. I always have trouble understanding Dudu's Hebrew, but I think he said Me'ir wasn't feeling well and wasn't at home but told him that his (Me'ir's) neighbor, Ohad, had a key to his apartment, and he wanted me to check that his dogs were okay. I was a little reluctant, but I agreed to walk up there.

As soon as I arrived on the floor, I knew that the dogs were okay because they were barking. At first, Ohad didn't answer the door, but then he came out, and I asked him about Me'ir. He said he hadn't seen him in a long time and that he did NOT have the key to Me'ir's apartment. However, he has been feeding the dogs by accessing Me'ir's balcony from his own, and he gave me his (Ohad's) phone number, which I later passed on to Dudu.

The strange part is that Dudu seemed quite friendly in all of this and said not a word about me needing to pay him. So, I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but it doesn't seem to be my problem, at least.

I had a salad with added tomato, walnuts, and sunflower seeds, plus eggs and rice for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon and evening, I continued working on my Machine Learning class.

I also talked with Joyce, David's sister in Ohio, and her husband, and we had a nice conversation.

In the evening, I went for a fairly long walk (I was out more than an hour, although I did sit a rest for part of that time).

I'm starting something new today. I'm going to try to include one picture that I take each day. So, here's today's picture of the day, a view of Aqaba at dusk from near where highway 12 comes into town:

I walked a total of 7.67 kilometers today.

Friday, 1 April 2016

I got up early this morning but didn't go out.

I ate a good breakfast and then went up to the bakery to buy challah and wine for Shabbat.

I taught a single 2-unit lesson today: 9:00-11:00.

In the late morning, I went jogging with a friend on the North Beach tayelet, and we also enjoyed a good chat in Spanish.

Today, I received a wonderful invitation for an all-expenses-paid Passover trip to...

Ha! I got you, didn't I? LOL  April Fools!

OK, so here's what I REALLY did today:

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

I actually ate breakfast early, too, and walked up to buy challah for Shabbat after breakfast.

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

In the late morning, I went for a walk on the tayelet along the North Beach area with a good friend. We also sat and chatted for a while at a nice shady spot before heading back.

Today, I received a lovely invitation to a seder for Pesach. I really appreciate that!

I treated myself to lunch (whole-wheat spaghetti with Palermo sauce) at Il Pentolino today, something I haven't done in a LONG time. It was very nice. Afterwards, I walked back home even though I had little energy.

In the afternoon, I managed to get all the weekly cleaning tasks done, and I also watched more videos for my Machine Learning class.

I welcomed Shabbat as usual, by lighting candles, drinking a bit of wine, and eating a little challah (and giving some to Pascal, as well).

I walked a total of 8.8 kilometers today.

I leave you with this verse from the Book of Ezekiel. See if you can figure out the connection with this week's news (hint: חשמל):

וארא והנה רוח סערה באה מן-הצפון ענן גדול ואש מתלקחת ונגה לו סביב ומתוכה כעין החשמל מתוך האש

And I looked, and here was a storm wind coming from the north, a great cloud, and a fire flaring up, and touching it all around and in the middle of it, like an electric eye in the fire.