Thursday, 30 June 2016

I mentioned yesterday that I was posting early because I would be flying to Tel Aviv later. So today I'll start with that trip.

After taking the bus from my house to the airport, I checked in and flew to Sde Dov, the small airport right in Tel Aviv, having taken some nice pics of Tel Aviv from over the Mediterranean shortly before we landed. From there, I walked to the Souraski (Ichilov) Hospital. It wasn't very hot, and almost the entire walk was in the shade, but it was humid and I felt quite tired, so I rested several times. I still got to the hospital in a little over an hour. Of course, I did take some flower pics along the way. :-)

I located the MRI and was about an hour early for my appointment. Nevertheless, I got in fairly quickly, although I did end up having to wait quite a while sitting in a waiting area wearing only my shirt, a mini-skirt-length hospital wrap-around gown, and flip-flops. I had even locked my glasses away in the locker with my clothes. All of this, of course, is because one can't have ANY metal in the MRI since it works using a very powerful magnetic field.

This was the first time I'd ever had an MRI, and it was quite an interesting experience. The setup looks quite similar to a CT machine. You lie on a narrow bed which slides into a tube where the imagining equipment is located. However, the MRI took quite a bit longer than the CT scans I've have (they told me half an hour, and that seems about right), and it can be a little difficult to lie perfectly still that long. I had earphones over my ears (presumably with no metal parts!), but I still heard very strange sounds, like extremely badly written electronic music. But I just relaxed, and much of the time I closed my eyes.

After it was finished, I waited just a few more minutes and received a disk with the images. I won't get the actual results for about 2 weeks, although I have an appointment with the oncologist (at the same hospital) on the 11th.

Then I walked out and over to a spot where there are many buses and took the number 601 bus to Netanya, where my friend, Moshe, walked out to meet me and guide me the last bit of the way to his apartment. I am so grateful to him for letting me stay the night there!

I walked a total of 7.34 kilometers yesterday.

In the morning, I woke up at 5:30 (I had set my alarm because I hadn't gotten to bed until nearly midnight), got up a few minutes later, and headed out to catch the first bus to Tel Aviv, which arrived at a nearby bus stop a little after 6:00. That bus (number 600) took me to a point just short of HaYarkon River, where I got off and walked the short distance to the airport.

At the airport, I had a plain bagel, some watermelon cubes, and a Coke Zero for my breakfast. The flight left about 10 minutes later than scheduled, but we had no problems flying easily to Eilat. I took a number of pictures. We flew out over the Mediterranean Sea and then circled back around to the land, going just north of Herzliya, I think. From there, we flew inland over Samaria, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea. As we approached Eilat, I got a couple of nice pics of the upper part of the city and the Eilat Mountains, one of which is today's pic of the day (it shows the area where I live, but my building is obscured by a nearby one which is much taller):

I also took a picture of Taba, which is the small town in Egypt just south of the border crossing. Finally, I got several pics of the northern end of the Gulf and the North Beach just before we landed.

Although it was 32ºC (90ºF) when we arrived in Eilat, the dry desert air felt SO great after the humidity of Tel Aviv. I even considered walking home, but it's uphill almost all the way, and the sun was pretty hot, so I took the bus instead.

I was scheduled to teach 5 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the first student turned out to be a no-show: 11:00-12:30, 2:45-3:30, and 4;30-6:00.

It's a good thing that the first student didn't show up because I was beginning to feel really exhausted. When I left after waiting the required full hour, I almost immediately went to bed and slept for about 2 hours (I had set my alarm, and it's a good thing I did!). After I got back up, I felt much more rested and taught the rest of the classes easily.

I walked a total of 2.61 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Today's pic of the day is another one that I actually took yesterday morning on my walk. I can seem to resist these silhouette views:

I slept well last night until I had to get up and pee. Then I had some difficulty getting back to sleep. I eventually got enough sleep, but I got up too late to go out for a walk.

I taught on 3 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00 and 10:00-11:30.

I had shakshuka with 3 eggs for lunch at home today. Yummy!

I'm posting this early today because, a little later, I'm flying up to Tel Aviv for an MRI of my prostate gland at Ichilov Hospital. I could post later from my phone, but it's not as convenient.

Tuesday, 28 June 2016

I slept a little strangely last night but still woke up early, got up, and went for a nice long early-morning walk. The weather was very nice out this morning, having cooled a bit from recent days. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, a view from a rest area along the Nakhal Garuf tayelet (walkway) looking across the nakhal (dry stream valley) to hills on the other side, illuminated nicely by the just-risen sun:

At today's WIZO meeting, we shared stories about how we ended up settling in Eilat, and it was quite interesting. I traveled both to and from the meeting by bus, since the weather was still a little too hot to be out in that long by late morning and noon.

I had a large salad and quesadillas for lunch at home today.

I was scheduled to teach 5 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the last lesson actually turned out to be a no show: 2:45-3:30 (a group of Spanish students), 4:30-6:00 (2 people who work for the World Health Organization, one in Cairo, Egypt, and the other in Dakar, Senegal), and 7:00-8:30 (the no-show group).

I also got a significant amount of work done on my orchestral variations on HaTikva, which I'm very happy about. It's a project that had been basically on ice and stuck for well over a year.

I walked a total of 7.66 kilometers today.

Monday, 27 June 2016

I slept really well last night and got up feeling refreshed. It was too late to go out for a walk, though.

I did walk to the Elimelech Supermarket before my first class to buy a few things.

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lesson today, but the last lesson turned out to be a late cancellation (about which I was informed in the early afternoon): 10:00-11:30, 11:30-1:00, 4:30-6:00, and 6:00-7:30 (the cancellation).

I got quite a bit of work done on my orchestral music (variations on HaTikva) today. Today's pic of the day is a photo of my computer screen as I work on the music:

I had a large salad and beans and (vegetarian) weenies for lunch today.

In the evening, I chatted with a friend in Nigeria.

I walked on 0.38 kilometers today (that was basically to the market and back).

Sunday, 26 June 2016

Since I didn't get to bed until nearly midnight last night (very late, for me!), I also got up late this morning. I had slept very well, though, and felt refreshed.

I ate breakfast a little early and then walked down to the main Maccabi office in town. I needed to do a blood test and make the final arrangements for my upcoming trip to Tel Aviv for an MRI of my prostate. I got everything done successfully, including a quick trip to the pharmacy while I was down there. I road the bus back home, since today was another hot day.

The rest of the day, I stayed home, but I did get some things done. I started the process to get another appointment with the oncologist (after my MRI), and I got a little work done on my orchestra variations on HaTikva.

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

In the evening, I went down to Fay's house for the weekly meeting of our play-reading group. I snapped today's pic of the day when my friends Bassia and David got on the bus on our way to Fay's:

I walked a total of 3.09 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 25 June 2016

I slept well last night, got up early, and had a nice walk this morning. It was a little warm out, so I didn't feel very energetic, but it was still pleasant. I took a couple of pictures. One of them is today's pic of the day, a silhouette of the outdoor gym against the sun that had just appeared over the Jordanian mountains on the far side of the valley:

A friend and I had planned to get together today, but, unfortunately, he wasn't able to. So I had a rather lazy day. There are many things that I could have done, but, somehow, I just didn't feel motivated to do any of them (and none were particularly urgent). I even lay down a while in the bed a couple of times, much to Pascal's delight.

I had my usual eggs and rice for lunch today. This time, I added a little salt and some garlic powder, which made them even better.

I talked to David's sister in Ohio this afternoon. I found out that she's been back in the hospital again since last Sunday. She's doing better now, though, but she doesn't expect to be released until at least next Wednesday.

In the evening, David & Bassia invited me to the the OLE (Organización de Latinoamericanos en Elat) meeting, where they celebrated birthdays that happened in recent months, including David's. It was nice even though I didn't understand much of the Spanish at all.

I walked a total of 6.77 kilometers today.

Friday, 24 June 2016

Today's pic of the day is another one I took on my walk yesterday morning. This is the view down Nakhal Shakhamon including a glimpse of some of the high-rises, the Gulf, and the Jordanian and Saudi mountains:

I went to bed early last night and went to sleep quite quickly. But I woke up in the middle of the night and then had trouble getting back to sleep again. As a result, I got up very late this morning. I did go up and buy challah, though, before breakfast.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, although the first student told me at the beginning that he could only stay for the first half hour of his one and a half hour lesson: 9:30-11:00 and 11:30-1:00.

I did the weekly household chores, mostly during the extra hour I got.

I had vegetarian "chicken" salad for lunch at home today.

I watched more videos for the 2nd week of my classification class today, including a serious of optional advanced ones showing the derivation of a formula. Although it was proclaimed to be Ph.D. level material, it was really quite basic calculus and algebra. I was all ready to take the first quiz, but it's not available because the class doesn't officially start until next Monday. I guess I'm really ahead of schedule!

As the sun was about to disappear from our HOT valley, I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate a little challah to welcome Shabbat.

I walked only about half a kilometer today.

In honor of Pride Month, I leave you today with this verse from the 2nd Book of Samuel. David is mourning the loss of Yehonatan, his beloved:

צר-לי עליך אחי יהונתן נעמת לי מאד נפלאתה אהבתך לי מאהבת נשים

I am distressed for you, my dear Yehonatan; you were very pleasing to me; your love was more wonderful than the love of women.

Thursday, 23 June 2016

I woke up and got up early this morning and went out for a nice, long walk in the desert hills, on a road I hadn't followed before and then returning via Nakhal Shakhamon. I took a number of pictures, including today's pic of the day, taken just after the sun came up over the Jordanian mountains but facing the opposite direction (notice the moon in the upper left):

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

I finally got an appointment for the MRI I need. It will be next Wednesday, at Ichilov (Souraski) Hospital in Tel Aviv, at 20:30 (8:30 p.m.). Unless I can figure out a way to stay the night in the Center, I'll have to return on a red-eye flight (if there are any). This is yet to be determined.

I had toasted cheese sandwiches and a large salad for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of 4.24 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 22 June 2016

I got to bed a little late last night and so got up a little late this morning, too, and didn't go out for a walk. I did spend a little time out by the gate with Pascal though. We had other company, which, luckily, Pascal did not see:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lesson today: 10:00-11:30, 11:30-1:00, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

I had vegetarian shnitzel and a tomato, plus a few small cookies for dessert, for lunch at home today.

Before my evening class, I ventured out just long enough to buy a few things the the Elimelech Supermarket. It was HOT out today (predicted high was 43ºC = 111ºF) and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

I walked a total of only 0.44 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 21 June 2016

I got up early this morning and took a fairly long walk, snapping a lot of pictures. One of them is today's pic of the day, showing a prehistoric site from the 6th or 5th millennium BCE in the foreground with high-rise apartments of Eilat in background and, way back, even a glimpse of mountains in Saudi Arabia:

I tried an experiment this morning: I showered without using any hot water at all. However, it wasn't exactly a cold shower. The "cold" water is actually lukewarm because of the hot weather, and the shower was actually quite nice. I think I'll continue to do it.

I took the number 5 bus to WIZO this morning and got off right by WIZO House. I was a little early, so I went to the thrift shop that's on the lower level. It turned out that they were selling brand new, quality flip flops (originally marked at 250 shekels) for only 10 shekels a pair. I bought 3 of them.

The English speakers' meeting was also very enjoyable. Instead of a "program", several of us simply shared stories of our fathers or grandfathers in honor of Father's Day.

Afterwards, I walked up to the nearby Shufersal. I had hoped to find their store-brand mouthwash, but it was still out of stock. I bought a couple of other items that I needed and took bus number 6 back home.

For lunch, I had coleslaw and beans and weenies.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today (although both of the 2-units lessons were for only an hour instead of an hour and a half since the students had to leave early): 2:45-3:30, 4:30-6:00, and 6:00-7:30.

I walked a total of 4.93 kilometers today.

Monday, 20 June 2016

Today's pic of the day is one I actually took walking to Fay's house last night, the silhouette of a tree against the setting sun:

I slept well last night but had somewhat weird dreams. When I woke up, I was dreaming that it was the first day of a term (I think I was teaching math, but, who knows?), I was very late to my class, and all the students' names seemed to be both hard to see and unpronounceable. Although I felt annoyed, at least I didn't feel anxious. Still, I was glad it was only a dream. LOL

This morning, I finished getting a play online copied into a PDF file that we'll be able to print it out and use it in our play-reading group.

My teaching day started out badly. I hadn't checked my schedule after 5:00 p.m. yesterday, so I didn't know that my 10:00 lesson had been canceled and replaced with a 9:00 lesson, with different students from the same company. So, of course, I didn't enter at 9:00, and, a few minutes later, I got a call from Berlitz asking where I was. I hurried and got into the lesson, but the group was on a somewhat irregular program, so it was hard to figure out quickly what they had already done and what I needed to do. In the end, it was okay, but far from ideal, and I felt quite up tight. The rest of the day, of course, went much better. Here was my teaching schedule (10 units): 9:00-10:30, 11:30-12:00, 2:45-4:15, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

Before lunch, I made a quick trip to the nearest market for a few groceries. Then I had corn on the cob and quesadillas for lunch at home.

I didn't go anywhere today except to the market, so I only walked 0.38 kilometers.

Sunday, 19 June 2016

I got up early this morning and went out for a medium-length walk. I took several pictures during my walk, including today's pic of the day, yet another silhouette shortly after sunrise, taken not far from my place:

I ate breakfast about an hour early and headed into town on several errands. I took the bus because it was already a little hot out to be walking very far. The first stop was Maccabi, where I had a couple of things to take care of. Then I walked down to the bank to transfer some money. Finally, I walked up to a store near Chabad House to buy more paper for my printer. Finally, I took the bus back home.

I spent much of the rest of the day completing the first week of my new online class, Classification. The programming got a little tricky, but I stuck with it and didn't let myself panic, and got it all done. The deadline is still a little over a week away, I think.

I had 2 veggie burger and tomato sandwiches for lunch at home today.

My MRI is still up in the air. The secretary at Maccabi this morning said that sending me to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem was an error and changed it to Assuta Hospital, in Tel Aviv, which would be much more convenient for me. She got everything arranged and faxed the paperwork to them there. However, this evening, Assuta called me and said they don't do that particular test there. I immediately called Maccabi, and they're working on it, but I still don't know where I'll have to go.

In the evening, I took the bus again, down to Fay's house for our weekly play-reading group. I can't believe how much I enjoy it, especially "Spoon River Anthology", which we are still reading and haven't yet finished. The language is beautiful, poetic, and often deeply meaningful, as well.

I walked a total of 5.6 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 18 June 2016

I went to bed early last night and slept well, but I also slept long and got up late. I guess I needed the rest. Today's pic of the day shows Pascal out by the gate looking up the steps that I won't let him go up:

I did a load of laundry this morning.

Today, I watched most of the first week's lectures for my next class, entitled "Classification", in the Machine Learning sequence. Many of the ideas are similar to those is the last class, but there are, of course, also some new directions already.

I had my Shabbat usual for lunch today: eggs and rice. I also ate a large salad.

In the early evening, I chatted with David's sister and her husband in Ohio.

Other than that, I did very little today. I walked only 0.41 kilometers, most of that simply going up to put my laundry in the washing and to check on it and bring it back down to hang to dry in my corridor.

Friday, 17 June 2016

I woke up very early this morning and, after a little debate with myself, decided to go out walking. I was really glad I did! The weather was perfect out. I walked over to Shakhamon on Sheshset HaYamim and went all the way to the end. Then I walked up the brand new tayelet along Nakhal Garuf. I took a number of pictures, since the sun was just coming up over the Jordanian mountains at that time. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I sat down in the little park at the end of Harim Road before heading back home. Soon, a beautiful yellow cat came by and spoke to me. When I responded in a friendly way, he came over and enjoyed a nice petting. Later, on my way back home, I met another friendly cat, this one a black and white male with somewhat more white than Pascal. He also enjoyed some petting.

Before returning home, I stopped by the bakery (even though I was shirtless) and bought my usual challah for Shabbat (2 small whole-wheat ones).

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-9:45, 9:45-11:15, and 11:30-1:00.

For lunch, I had a large salad and weenies wrapped in whole-wheat tortillas.

In the afternoon, I did the weekly household chores and mostly relaxed. Goldfinger gets excited when I dust near his terrarium (maybe it's the pink dust cloth), so I snapped some pics of him. Here's one of them:

In the evening, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate a little challah to welcome Shabbat.

I walked a total of 7.07 kilometers today.

Thursday, 16 June 2016

I started to wake up early but didn't finish until late and so got up late, as well.

I taught 10 units (seven and a half hours) of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00 (actually a no-show), 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 2:45-3:30, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

This made it a rather boring day for Pascal, seen here in today's pic of the day:

I had 2 cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch at home today.

I did a little shopping at Elimelech Supermarket this afternoon.

I walked a total of only 0.4 kilometers today (basically, to the market and back).

Wednesday, 15 June 2016

I woke up early this morning after sleeping well, and I got up fairly early, too, but I still didn't go out for a walk.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30 (although it turned out to be a no-show), 11:30-1:00, and 4:30-6:00.

I had mixed beans (white in tomato sauce and brown in Mexican-style sauce) and a bell pepper for lunch at home today.

The class that had been scheduled in the evening was canceled yesterday, so I got to go to a lovely harpsichord and violin recital of music by Bach and Handel. What a treat! Today's pic of the day is the view of the stage from where I sat (in the front row) before the concert:

I walked a total of 3.2 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

I slept well last night, got up early this morning, and walked all the way to the end of Harim Road and back. I took a number of pics along the way, including today's pic of the day, yet another rising-sun silhouette:

I took the bus to WIZO and back this morning because of the heat. The meeting was fun, as always, and included a funny parody video. Afterwards, I walked over to Shufersal to buy a couple of items before returning home.

I had a salad with vegetarian "chicken breasts" for lunch at home today.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 2:45-3:30, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 6.55 kilometers today.

Monday, 13 June 2016

I slept very well last night, got up a little late, and didn't go out for a morning walk even though it was quite nice out.

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, 11:30-1:00, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

Just before lunch, I did some shopping at the Elimelech Supermarket (the nearest one to me) to get a few items I needed.

Today's pic of the day is a highly cropped selfie I took today:

I walked only 0.39 kilometers today.

Sunday, 12 June 2016

Today's pic of the day was actually taken last night. It shows the lighted fountains:

I got up fairly early this morning despite not getting to bed until just before midnight last night. I didn't go out for a walk, though, because I just didn't feel quite up to it.

I got several tasks done this morning that I've been putting off, and I also did some grocery shopping at the Einat center (the closer supermarket was closed today because of Shavuot).

I had a tomato, half a yellow bell pepper, quesadillas, and cookies for lunch at home today. In the afternoon, I enjoyed a nice chat with a friend in the Center (who's originally from New York) whom I hadn't talked to in some time.

I actually lay down and took a nap for nearly 2 hours in the late afternoon.

In the early evening, I went out for a short walk. It was too hot to take a long one.

I walked a total of only 1.5 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 11 June 2016

Having gotten to bed after midnight last night, I still managed to get up fairly early this morning, and I went for a nice, long walk. I took Sheshet HaYamim over to Shakhamon, walked up Ein Yahav, the street I used to live on, and returned on Harim Road, even stopping to work out briefly at the outdoor gym before returning home. I took a number of nice pictures along the way, including this panoramic view of the highway 12 kikar, the west entrance to town:

I very much enjoyed a visit with a friend this morning.

For lunch, I had my usual eggs and rice. I also ate a couple of tomato sandwiches.

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

In the evening, I walked down to the Eilat Biennale and enjoyed it a lot. It was held outdoors in the plaza by the Eilat Museum (and in it, as well), and many local artists, including my friend David Bar-Chai, were exhibiting their works. There were also food and a group playing laid-back, relaxing music. The attendance and atmosphere were good, and the weather was just perfect. It happens again tomorrow night, as well.

I walked a total of 10.59 kilometers today.

Friday, 10 June 2016

I slept well last night, got up early this morning, and went out for a nice walk and a short work-out at the outdoor gym, as well. Along the way, I took a number of photos, including today's pic of the day, of the sun just before it peeked over the mountains, as seen between 2 buildings from the top of Argaman:

On the way back from my walk, I stopped and bought challah and some cookies at the bakery (even though I was shirtless).

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45, 9:45-11:15, and 11:30-1:00.

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

In the afternoon, I did the weekly household chores.

In the evening, I had a lovely dinner with Bassia & David at their place, and enjoyed sitting and chatting with them for some time on their balcony. The weather was just perfect out by that time.

I walked a total of 6.96 kilometers today.

Thursday, 9 June 2016

I slept well last night and woke up fairly early. I didn't get up for a while, though. I was planning to go for a walk, but I just didn't feel up to it. I don't know exactly why. I felt better a little later in the day.

I taught only 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 2:45-3:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I had a tomato, half a yellow bell pepper, a cucumber, and a couple of quesadillas for lunch at home today.

I had an appointment with my family doctor at 4:50 to get the MRI issue straightened out. He also ordered a blood test that I need to do before the MRI itself. I rode the bus over there and back because it was still a bit hot out to walk a lot, especially in the sun.

While I was out today, I took 3 pictures of beautiful flowers. I've chosen this one, of white bougainvillea with just a hint of pink in them, for today's pic of the day:

I walked a total of only 1.53 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

I slept well last night, got up early this morning, and went out for a nice long walk. I took quite a few pictures, most of them silhouettes of building, trees, and light pools with the early-morning sun behind them. I also got some flowers and a nice view of the street from my house. I've posted most of them on Facebook and picked this one for today's pic of the day:

While I was out walking, there was a guy who was running but who had stopped to stretch a little by the highway 12 kikar. I smiled at him (hey, he was cute), and we exchanged greetings. He told me he was visiting from Tel Aviv, and then he wanted me to use his iPhone to take some pictures of him running. So, here was this guy who didn't know me at all, handing me his iPhone! Anyway, I took some pictures, and he was quite pleased. I should have chatted him up a little more, I guess, but I just went away marveling at one of those "only in Israel" events.

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00, 11:30-1:00, 2:45-4:15, and 7:00-8:30.

I got a message back from my family doctor today asking me to come in to see him. I think he needs to see the form from the oncologist again to know the right MRI to order. Anyway, I made an appointment to see him tomorrow.

I had a large salad and beans and weenies (a mix of white beans canned in tomato sauce, brown beans canned in Mexican sauce, and small vegetarian weenies) for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of 4.4 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

I slept a little weirdly during the latter part of the night and got up quite late. I had to fast for my ultrasound, so I couldn't eat or drink anything other than a glass of water. I got quite a bit of small busywork done, though, before catching the bus to go to my ultrasound appointment at the main Maccabi office. As I walked from the bus stop to Maccabi, I shot today's pic of the day, which shows what eventually happens to the Sdom apples. Notice the beautiful bugs enjoying themselves:

The ultrasound went smoothly without any problems at all. Afterwards, I walked to a nearby place and had falafel, salatim, and Coke Zero for a leisurely early lunch. I also browsed through a copy of Yediot Akharanot, a popular Israeli newspaper. On the editorial page, I found this funny cartoon. The woman says, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you all day!" The man answers, "I sold a kidney to pay for the kids' summer camps.":

After that, I did a couple of other errands in the area and then took another bus back home, having bought a pass for the day on my first ride.

I contacted the Assuta Hospital to schedule an appointment for the MRI that the oncologist said I should have. Then I forwarded the paperwork to them via email. They already tried to call me, but I was in my first lesson. They then called me again later, but there is an error on the payment form regarding the type of MRI needed. So I have written a note online to my family doctor to get it corrected.

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lesson today: 2:45-3:30, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30. After the first class, I ate a bit more to make up for not having had any breakfast.

Despite mostly riding buses today (because it continues to be a little hot for walking in the middle of the day), I still walked 2.35 kilometers.

Monday, 6 June 2016

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

I was scheduled to teach 7 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one lesson turned out to be a late cancellation, with the student coming in just long enough to tell me: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30 (the late cancellation), 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30. I snapped today's pic of the day from standing near my front door. You can see my kitchen and the 2 computers on my desk, all ready for my last lesson this evening:

I walked up to the 2nd-nearest market and did some grocery shopping this morning.

I spent most of the middle part of the day working on my regression class. I managed to finish all of this week's work and thereby finish the class. My overall percentage was 98.7%.

I had a large salad and mixed beans (in Mexican sauce, slightly spicy, and in tomato sauce) for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of 0.66 kilometers today.

Sunday, 5 June 2016

I got up fairly early this morning but did not go out for a walk. It was already quite warm. The official predicted high for today was 43ºC (about 111ºF), but I think it probably got even hotter than that. We were also having "sharav" conditions, so there was virtually NO breeze at all most of the day.

In the morning, I had an appointment at 9:20 with my family doctor, way over at the other side of Shakhamon. I definitely did NOT think it was be a good idea to walk in the heat, especially since I'd be in the sun a good bit of the time. I planned to take the bus, checked Moovit (an app on my phone) to see when the #6 would arrive, and went and waited, and waited, and waited for it. Finally, I ended up calling a taxi so I wouldn't be late, and I wasn't. In fact, the doctor, of course, was running late anyway. He'll order the MRI that the oncologist says I should have.

I took the #5 bus back home without any trouble at all. I also bought an all-day pass because I knew I'd be taking several more trips. It costs less than the price of 2 trips.

For the next trip, I took the #1 bus to MaccabiPharm to get my prescriptions filled. Then I caught the #2 back home.

I had a large salad and quesadillas for lunch at home today.

I watched all the videos for week 6 (the last week) of my regression class that were before the programming part and took the quiz based on them. I hope to do the programming part tomorrow and maybe even finish the course. It's not due until a week from tomorrow morning, though.

In the evening, I took the #2 bus most of the way to Fay's house for our weekly play-reading group. It was an enjoyable evening. We continued with "Spoon River Anthology", and the writing is really quite impressive and fun to read.

On the way down to Fay's, I took today's pic of the day inside the bus. Do you know what it says? Can you figure out why I took it at this particular part of the trip?

I managed to walk a total of 2.58 kilometers today, even with the heat.

Shabbat, 4 June 2016

I got up late this morning and so didn't go out for a walk at all. In fact, I only went outside 2 or 3 times with Pascal, briefly, because of the heat. The predicted high for today was 45ºC (113ºF). So, here's today's pic of the day, our best friend (aka the A/C unit):

I watched last night's services at BCC (Beth Chayim Chadashim) this morning. Unfortunately, the video ended just as they were about to say kaddish. I went ahead and said kaddish for David anyway, since his first yahrzeit was June 1 (i.e. during this past week).

I spent almost all the rest of the day working on the programming assignments for week 5 of my regression class. I passed both of the remaining quizzes but still have one wrong on the last one, and I don't understand why because I've checked my work multiple times. Oh well, 87% isn't terrible.

I had tomato sandwiches and scrambled eggs with rice for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of only 0.09 kilometers (90 meters) today. I never even went outside the gate.

Friday, 3 June 2016

I got up a little late this morning but still went out for a decent walk (after the now-traditional time spent with Pascal by the gate). I took some interesting pictures along the way. In particular, there was some kind of mountain bike event going on. I saw numerous bikers riding along a trail at the foot of the desert hills. The trail brought them to the dirt path that runs along the other side of Harim Road, and they continued northward on that path. I took a short video of them and also some stills. You can see a couple of the bikers in today's pic of the day:

Before returning home from my walk, I stopped by the bakery and bought challah and some cookies for Shabbat.

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

I had weenies wrapped in tortillas and a large salad for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon, I watched the rest of the videos for week 5 of my regression class and passed the first quiz (on the 3rd try!). Tomorrow, I work on the programming parts. I also did the weekly household chores.

It was very hot out today. The predicted high was 43ºC (about 109ºF). I only went out very briefly (other than my early-morning walk) a couple of times.

In the evening, I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate a little challah, blessing the arrival of the Shabbat Queen.

I walked a total of 2.08 kilometers today.

I'll close with some interesting verses from the Book of Proverbs, in the original Hebrew, and in my translation (aided somewhat by the Jerusalem Bible):

שש-הנה שנא יי ושבע תועבות נפשו:

עינים רמות

לשון שקר

וידים שפכות דם-נקי:

לב חרש מחשבות און

רגלים ממהרות לרוץ לרעה:

יפיח כזבים עד שקר

ומשלח מדנים בין אחים:

These six the Eternal hates, and seven are abominations to the Divine Soul:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

and hands that spill innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked thoughts,

feet that swiftly run to evil,

a false witness breathing out lies,

and one who sows strife among kin.

Proverbs 6:16-19

Thursday, 2 June 2016

I slept quite late this morning but at least felt rested.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:30-12:00, 2:45-3:30, 3:45-5:15, and 5:15-6:00. I also had a feedback session (at 1:45) on my lesson from Tuesday evening that was observed. It was generally pretty good.

I did some grocery shopping at the nearest market (Elimelech) before lunch today.

I had veggie burger and tomato sandwiches for lunch at home today.

I walked to an appointment with my psychiatrist this evening. It was a good visit. He is very insightful and supportive (he was David's psychiatrist before). On the way over, I snapped several nice pictures. Today's pic of the day is one of them (a silhouette of the nearby hills with the setting sun behind them):

I walked a total of 4.96 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 1 June 2016

I woke up and got up early this morning. After sitting out by the gate for a while with Pascal, I sent him back into the house and went for a long walk all the way to the southwest end of Harim Road. I saw an interesting sight there -- they were unloading wooden park benches from a truck. Obviously, they are intended to be placed along the new tayelet that is almost completed now. It runs along this side of Nakhal Garuf between Harim Road and Sheshet HaYamim Avenue.

I took several pictures on my walk, and I have posted them on Facebook. I chose this one, taken at the corner of Harim Road and Sara Imeinu Road, to be today's pic of the day:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:45, 11:30-1:00, 2:45-4:15, and 5:00-6:30.

I had tomato and cheese sandwiches and some coleslaw for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of 5.09 kilometers today.