Sunday, 31 July 2016

I got up early again this morning and walked roughly the same route as yesterday except for extending it a little in a couple of places. I only took 2 pictures, but they're both very nice, so I'll post them both here as today's pics of the day:

After breakfast, I called the optician and scheduled an appointment to get my eyes tested for new glasses at 11:30. Luckily, they can get new lenses for my current frames, so I didn't have to buy new frames. However, the lenses alone cost 2000 shekels. I was able to arrange to pay in 10 payments, however, so I guess I'll manage. There has been a significant change in my vision, especially in the left eye, which also has the early stages of a cataract forming (as I had suspected). Of course, it'll be several years before I need surgery to remove it.

Since I had bought a day pass for the buses, I figured I might as well take advantage of it and ride as much as I wanted.

After the optician, I rode the bus down to Mul HaYam  ("Opposite the Sea") Mall and wandered around for a while there, just browsing. Then I caught another bus out to Ice Mall, and also browsed there. While I was at Ice Mall, I ate lunch at Café Café: an omelet sandwich and the small salad that comes with it.

From Ice Mall, I caught another bus out to the big Shufersal. They still didn't have their store brand of mouthwash, but they did have another cheap brand, so I bought it and then caught the #6 bus back home.

In the evening, I rode yet another bus (#5) down to Fay's house for our play-reading group. We again enjoyed a stimulating evening.

I walked a total of 11.6 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 30 July 2016

I got up early this morning and went on a walk nearly as long as the big loop but on a different route. I walked on HaKhotrim ("The Rowers") over to Yahel (named after a kibbutz in the Arava), down to HaSporta'im ("The Athletes"), on Malkat Sh'va ("Queen of Sheba"), then Sheshet HaYamim ("The Six Days", referring to the 1967 war), Haggai (presumably named after the prophet of that name), Harim ("Mountains"), and to home back down Argaman ("Royal Purple"). So, part of the route was the same, but most of it was different. I took quite a few pictures, including today's pic of the day, 14 crows (part of a murder that seemed to be following me up Haggai Road!) sitting on a triple streetlight:

My landlady finally got through to the ISP and learned that she'll have to come in and get a new box, which, of course, she can't do until they're open tomorrow. She was a little distressed because she can't go in until 12:30 tomorrow, but she was relieved when I told her I don't teach on Sundays. In the meantime, I'm using my iPhone 3G connection to access the internet (connecting my computer through Personal Hot Spot), and it's been surprisingly good.

In the morning, I enjoyed a nice long chat with my friend, David, in Tel Aviv. He's also American, and our views are very similar on many things. It was great talking with him!

I had my usual Shabbat lunch: a salad and eggs with rice, to which I added a few breadsticks.

In the afternoon, I managed to finish week 5 of my classification class. I never did get my program working right, but I was able to get 100% on the quiz on the second try anyway!

Then I took an actual nap in the bed with Pascal, something I very rarely do. It surprised him (he was already lying on the bed when I came), but, in the end, he enjoyed sleeping there with me. Of course, when I got up, he thought it was morning and therefore time to go outside for a bit. He was disappointed when that didn't happen.

Next, I enjoyed a chat with David's sister in Ohio, who is STILL hospitalized. It's now been nearly 2 weeks, and she's getting pretty tired of being there. But she's in pretty good spirits nonetheless.

I walked a total of 5.22 kilometers today.

Friday, 29 July 2016

I got up early and walked around the big loop again this morning, even extending it a little. I also stopped at a couple of places along the way to do a little upper body work at a couple of outdoor gyms (both over in Shakhamon and neither of them the one nearest to my place!). Today's pic of the day, in fact, is taken from the newest outdoor gym in Shakhamon, near the intersection of Sheshet HaYamim and Ein Yahav (only 2 blocks from my old place). Notice the crows in the picture, including one actually in flight:

Of course, I stopped at the bakery near the end of my walk to buy challah before returning home.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today (and, as it just so happened, administered level tests in both of them): 9:45-11:15 and 11:30-1:00.

I had falafel sticks and a salad for lunch at home today, plus some breadsticks. They're called "Mini-Moroccan Stick Cookies", but they taste very similar to the breadsticks that I used to get from Loma Linda Market.

I didn't get much done in the afternoon. My landlady's internet box quick working (luckily AFTER I was finished teaching!), and it won't come back on. I even went and had a look at it myself. She has called Netvision, the ISP, and is waiting for them to call her back. I suspect the problem is the box itself, so they'll probably have to send someone out to fix or replace it. I'm posting this by tethering my computer to my iPhone and using its 3G connection (I can't get the 4G down here in my apartment).

I did the weekly chores, including washing the dishes, this afternoon.

I tried to find the problem with my program for my classification class, but I couldn't spot it. At least it runs totally locally, so I can work on it even without any internet connection at all. Of course, I WILL need a connection to do the quiz (based on the results of the programming), but I can use the iPhone for that, if necessary.

As the sun sank behind the Eilat Mountains, I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine, and ate challah to welcome Shabbat.

I walked a total of 6.63 kilometers today.

I'll close with the evening blessing recited just before saying the Sh'ma:

אהבת עולם בית ישראל עמך אהבת.

תורה ומצוות, חוקים ומשפטים אותנו לימדת.

על כן, יי אלוהינו, בשוכבנו והקומנו נסיח בחוקך,

ונשמח בדיברי תורתך ובמצוותך לעולם ועד,

כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו, ובהם נהגה יוםם ולילה.

ואהבתך אל תסיר ממנו לעולמים.

ברוך אתה, יי, אוהב עמו ישראל!

With an eternal love you have loved the House of Israel, your people.

Teachings and commands, laws and judgments have you taught us.

Therefore, Adonai our God, when we lie down and when we rise up we will speak of your laws,

And we will rejoice in the words of your teachings and in your commands forever,

Because they are our lives and the length of our days, and on them will we meditate day and night.

May you never remove you love from us forever.

Blessed are you, Adonai, lover of your people Israel!

Thursday, 28 July 2016

I got up early and walked the full big loop again this morning. I only took 3 pictures this time, including today's pic of the day, the sun rising behind a balcony:

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one 2-unit lesson was a no-show: 9:00-10:30, 11:30-1:00, 4:45-6:15 (the no-show), and 6:15-7:45.

I made a quick trip to Elimelech Supermarket for a few items after my first class.

I had a salad and weenies sandwiches for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon, I chatted on the phone for a few minutes with a friend in Tel Aviv.

I walked a total of 6.48 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

I got up early again this morning and walked around the full big loop. I took several pictures, as usual, including today's pic of the day, a rather unusual view of the sunrise:

I taught only 1 units of Berlitz today: 9:15-10:00.

After that, I got on the phone to Ichilov Hospital in Israel to find out about my urology appointment. It turns out that I DO have one. They thought they had sent me an e-mail, but I had never received it, so the lady sent it again, and it arrived immediately. The appointment will be on the 15th of August. I immediately forwarded it and other supporting documents to the local Maccabi office and requested the paperwork I'll need from them. I know that will take a few days, but I'm sure it will come through.

I spent most of the rest of the day working on week 5 of my classification class. I got the first programming assignment done, and successfully passed a couple more quizzes. But I'm stuck on the last programming assignment. As far as I can tell, I've written things correctly, and they run without errors, but I'm not getting the right answers. I'll have to come back to it with fresh eyes later, I guess.

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

I walked a total of 5.87 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

I slept well last night and got up very early this morning. Then I went for a walk around the full big loop, although I modified the exact route somewhat without shortening it. Of course, I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, an early-morning view up Nakhal Shakhamon from Harim Road, which is ALWAYS stunningly beautiful:

This morning at the WIZO English speakers' meeting, we took turns telling about favorite foods from our childhood and other related things. I think we ALL enjoyed it very much!

After WIZO, I walked up to Shufersal and then over to another market in that area, buying a few things.

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

I was scheduled to teach 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the last 2-unit lesson turned out to be a no-show: 3:30-5:00, 5:30-7:00, and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 7.58 kilometers today.

Monday, 25 July 2016

I got up rather late this morning despite going to bed early and sleeping quite well. So I went for a shorter walk. I did take some pictures, though, including today's pic of the day, featuring high-rises, the desert, and my long shadow:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 11:30-1:00, 2:45-4:15, and 5:30-7:00.

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

I walked a total of 2.68 kilometers today.

Sunday, 14 July 2016

I got up at 4:30 this morning and was out walking by 5:00. To read more about my wonderful walk into the hills, beginning in moonlight, and to see the photos I took, check out my post in my older blog by clicking here.

I was fairly lazy for most of the morning, but I decided to go to Ice Mall for lunch, mostly just to get out and about among people. While I was there, I also ate lunch at Landwer Café, the first time I've eaten out in quite some time. I had one of my favorites, their buckwheat and orange vegetables stir-fry, which also includes tofu and mushrooms. Delicious! My pic of the day for today is a short video clip of the little rollercoaster there, which is NOT for me!

From Ice Mall, I took a bus on over to the big Shufersal, where I hadn't been in months. They've done a lot of remodeling and rearranging there, and they're still not finished. At first, I was feeling bad that I can't easily shop there anymore, but when I got to the part where they're still moving things around, I was instead glad that I don't HAVE to! I only bought one small item. Then I took the bus back home, a trip that took nearly 40 minutes.

A little later I did my main grocery shopping at the local Elimelech Supermarket, filling two reusable shopping bags (Shufersal bags, ironically).

I walked a total of 8.77 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 23 July 2016

I got up very early this morning and walked around the big loop again. I took some pics, including today's pic of the day, a view of shadows of the Shakhamon high-rises on the nearby desert hill:

This morning, I did a couple of Hebrew lessons (from Hebrew Podcasts, to which I have a year's subscription). I had been putting off doing more of these for some reason. I really don't know why.

I had my usual salad plus eggs and rice for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon, I watched the videos for week 5 of my online classification class up until the first programming exercise.

Later in the day, I talked with David's sister in Ohio, who is again in the hospital.

Other than that, I just relaxed and took it easy today.

I walked a total of 6.15 kilometers today.

Friday, 22 July 2016

I got up early this morning and took a walk around the big loop. As usual, I took some pictures along the way, including today's pic of the day, which shows distant Saudi mountains partly framed by the roof of a synagogue (how many places could you get a picture like that?!):

Before returning home, I stopped briefly at the local bakery to buy challah for Shabbat.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz lesson today: 9:30-11:00. Then I did the weekly chores (except washing the dishes, which I again managed to forget -- oy!).

I had a salad and cheese sandwiches, plus a few cookies, for lunch at home today.

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

In the evening, as the light was about to fade from our lovely valley, I lit 2 candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate some challah to welcome another Shabbat. I'm adding a bonus picture that I received from a friend, in honor of Shabbat:

Here's a translation of the words in the pic:
A Shabbat full of health, happiness, love, satisfaction and joy, joyful occasions, and good news.

I walked a total of 7.65 kilometers today.

In honor of yesterday's largest-ever gay pride march in Jerusalem:

 -And you will show love to your neighbor as yourself -- ואהבת לרעך כמוך

Thursday, 21 July 2016

I got up a little late this morning but still went out for a full, long walk. I deviated a little from the big loop but went about the same distance overall. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, showing the sun just rising behind some trees, as seen from the corner of Ein Netafim and Sheshet HaYamim:

I called and got an appointment with the Maccabi social worker on the 2nd of August. I have a couple of things I need to discuss with her.

I taught only 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 11:30-1:00 and 4:00-5:30.

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

I walked a total of 6.4 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

I got up a bit late this morning, but I still went out for a short walk. I took a few pictures, one of which is today's pic of the day, showing some white bougainvillea with just a tinge of pink:

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:15-10:00, 10:30-12:00, and 2:45-4:15. The lesson at 10:30 was added last night after checking with me to see if I was willing to do it.

Before lunch, I made a trip to the Elimelech Supermarket to buy a few groceries.

For lunch at home, I had a salad, vegetarian shnitzel, a couple of falafel "sticks", and a few cookies.

I was mostly lazy for the rest of the day.

I walked a total of 2.03 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 19 July 2016

I got up a little late this morning but still had time for a fairly long walk. I took a few pictures, including today's pic of the day, the sun just about to rise over a little peak in the Jordanian mountains, as seen from the corner of Ein Netafim and Bnei Yisrael:

We really had a nice time at the WIZO English speakers' meeting this morning. Many of us shared stories about our school days, some funny, some poignant, some unusual. I think we all enjoyed it.

Afterwards, I walked down to the optician and finally managed to get my eyes checked for my driver's license. I found out, though, that my vision has deteriorated enough that I won't be able to renew my license without getting new glasses. This is going to be problematic, because it will cost me at least 1000 shekels and possibly as much as 2000, money that I certainly don't have. I'm sure I can make payments, but, with my income low and somewhat unpredictable, I'm a little reluctant to do that. If I DON'T get glasses and therefore can't renew my license, I'll never be able to drive again for the rest of my life because I'd have to start over with expensive driving lessons etc. if I let it expire.

I had quesadillas, a tomato, some cashews, and a few cookies for lunch at home today.

I was quite lazy for the whole afternoon.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz lesson today: 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 7.47 kilometers today.

Monday, 18 July 2016

I got to bed a little late last night and so got up a little late this morning. Nevertheless, I went out for a short walk and took a few photos, including today's pic of the day, showing white bougainvillea with a small amount of pink:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00, 11:30-1:00, 4:00-5:30, and 7:00-8:30.

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

Other than that, I was pretty much lazy.

I walked a total of 1.42 kilometers today.

Sunday, 17 July 2016

I again got up very early and went out for a really nice walk. This time, I walked the other direction, going down Argaman to Shakhamon (the street, not the neighborhood), over across Yerushalayim HaShlemah, past the Chabad, and out to the bypass road. After going a little beyond it and around a big water tank, I followed Harim Road back to the outdoor gym, walked down the other side of Canada Gardens, and then came back across them and on home from there. As usual, I took a number of pictures along the way, including today's pic of the day, the sun just as it began to appear over the Jordanian mountains (you're probably tired of these sunrise pics by now!):

I had hoped to get my eye test for my driver's license done today, but the optometrist won't be in until tomorrow. So, I did a little shopping in the area and then went early to Maccabi for my appointment with the urologist. I got in early to see him, too. He said I didn't need a referral from him for the urologist at Ichilov since I'm already being cared for there. But when I explained that they wouldn't let me make an appointment without one, he gave me one.

After returning home, I called Ichilov once again, and they had me send a scan of the referral to them. I also included the letter from the Ichilov oncologist, who had written that I should see the urologist there. I expect to hear back from them in 2 or 3 days.

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

I was lazy most of the afternoon but decided to go check out a happening in Canada Gardens in the early evening. It was really for kids, and there were LOTS of them there, too. I took a couple of pictures and wandered around just a little, but then I headed back home. It was still very hot out, of course.

Afterwards, I headed down to Fay's house for our weekly play-reading group. This evening, we read 2 interesting plays.

I walked a total of 9.6 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 16 July 2016

I got up very early this morning and enjoyed another great walk around the big loop, even extending slightly in a couple of places. I took a number of pictures. The last one is today's pic of the day, a view of the sun just coming up over the Jordanian mountains:

I was pretty lazy during the morning, just relaxing and enjoying Shabbat.

I had my regular eggs and rice for lunch, plus a big salad.

In the afternoon, I did a little work on my orchestral music. First, I made some adjustments to eliminate the distortion near the end of my Hatikva Variations. Then, I went back and listened to the previous pieces I had done. Several of them also have distortion, but I didn't try to fix it today. Overall, the project is coming along pretty well.

In the late afternoon, I had my weekly conversation via Skype with David's sister in Ohio.

I walked a total of 6.54 kilometers today.

Friday, 15 July 2016

I got up very early this morning and went around most of the same big loop that I did yesterday. The only differences were that I walked on difference sides of Argaman and Sheshet HaYamim, and I returned via Canada Gardens in order to stop buy the bakery and buy challah for Shabbat.

Today's pic of the day is one of the many photos I took this morning of the newly built tayelet (walkway) along Nakhal Garuf, which marks the southern end of town:

I had no Berlitz lesson at all today. The summer has suddenly turned VERY slow.

In the morning, I was quite lazy, but I did do all the weekly chores except washing the dishes, which I simply forgot. I'll do it tomorrow, I guess. I also made a shopping trip to Elimelech Supermarket to buy a few things.

For lunch, I had tomato and cheese sandwiches, with mayonnaise and a little French mustard.

In the afternoon, I was also a bit lazy, but I still managed to do the programming exercises and finish week 3 of my Classification class.

In the evening, I lit candles, drank some sweet red wine (a new bottle this week!), and ate some challah (sharing some with Pascal, as well) to welcome another Shabbat.

I walked a total of 6.61 kilometers today.

I leave you this Erev Shabbat with a famous quote from Pirkei Avot ("Sayings of the Fathers"), the first tractate of the Talmud:

איזהו עשיר? השמח בחלקו

Who is rich? Those who are happy with their portion.

Thursday, 14 July 2016

I got up very early this morning and went for the full loop walk: down Argaman to Sheshet HaYamim, all the way to the end of Sheshet HaYamim, up the Nakhal Garuf tayelet, Harim Road all the way to Argaman, and down Argaman to home. Of course I took several photos, including today's pic of the day, a silhouette of buildings, cranes, and even a plane, just before the sun came up over the Jordanian mountains:

I also enjoyed 2 conversations during my walk, both along Harim Road. The first was in Hebrew with man I've never even seen before. He was walking out to catch his ride to work as I happened to walk by. We commented on the nice weather, and he asked if I was out for my morning walk. If was very brief but friendly. He was probably somewhere near my age. My other conversation was much longer, and it was with my friend, Liz, whom I've talked with many times. It was really nice to see her and have such a great chat! Thanks, Liz!

I got quite a bit done on my orchestral variations on HaTikva today. I'll still do some more adjusting of the sound levels, especially near the end, where I'm currently getting some distortion (too much happening too loudly all at once). I also need to put in some subtle tempo changes, again particularly at the end.

In addition, I took a little time to see what I've done so far and what I still need to do to make a complete album. I think there are just 2 more pieces that I want to do, both ones that I already did for organ.

I had thin vegan shnitzel, a large salad, and some cookies for lunch at home today.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz class today: 4:00-5:30. This class consisted of only 2 students. One is a Ukrainian who has previously actually lived in the U.S. and so has a VERY high level of English. The other is a woman from Angola who now lives and works in Rwanda. Both work for the WHO (World Health Organization).

I walked a total of 5.92 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 13 July 2016

Today's pic of the day is one I took yesterday, of a small fruit on a bush on the median near my place:

For some reason I woke up a bit late this morning and didn't go out for a walk.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 11:30-1:00.

Since I had a lot of free time today, I was able to get several other things done.

I called the Ichilov Hospital to make an appointment with a urologist there, but they told me that I needed a referral from my Maccabi urologist here. So I went went onto the Maccabi website and scheduled an appointment with him next Sunday.

I did quite a bit of editing on my orchestral variations on HaTikva. In particular, I improved the balance in the fugue and made the statements of the subject stand out more. There still quite a bit more to do, but it's now coming along very nicely.

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

In the afternoon, I watched all the videos for week 3 of my machine learning class on classification, and then I successfully passed the quiz with 100%. I still have a couple of programming exercises to do.

In the early evening, I took a bus down to get my eyes checked for the renewal of my driver's license. They had assured me that it could be done any weekday between 10:00 and 1:00 or between 5:00 and 7:30. But, when I got there today, the optometrist was away on something urgent. This time, they gave me their card so I can call before I go next time. So, I caught another bus back home. The weather was so hot out, though, that the bus A/Cs really couldn't keep up with it, so it was rather hot on the buses. Of course, it would have been 10 times worse without ANY A/C.

I walked only 1.71 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

Today's pic of the day is a pic of Eilat and Aqaba that I took yesterday from the plane as we circled over the Gulf before our final approach:

I got up early this morning and went out for a walk, but I returned rather early. I had a small sore on my left foot that had been caused by friction with my flip-flop. I put a band-aid (plaster, for you Brits!) over it, but it wasn't staying on. Later, after my shower, I put a different one on, and it held the rest of the day. Perhaps it was because my foot was clean, or maybe it's just a better-quality band-aid.

I rode the bus over to WIZO this morning and enjoyed the meeting very much. We had a small number of people today (quite normal for the summer), and so each of us had an opportunity to tell a story or 2 about summers during our childhood. We all had a wonderful time with this!

After the meeting, I walked with Isobel over to one of the local markets and then rode home with her in a taxi. She invited me in for a cool drink, and I ended up staying and chatting for about an hour.

I had a salad, some crackers, and cashews for lunch at home today.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today (although only one student showed up for the last class, and he had to leave after the first unit for a dental appointment): 4:00-5:30 and 7:00-8:30.

Between classes, I made a trip to Elimelech Supermarket and bought quite a few things. Luckily, I had taken BOTH of my reusable shopping bags because I pretty much filled them.

I walked a total of 3.23 kilometers today.

Monday, 11 July 2016

I slept well last night, got up very early, ate breakfast a couple of hours earlier than usual, and was off walking to the airport by 6:30 (my flight was at 8:00).

The plane on the trip up was a turboprop instead of a jet. It makes the trip a few minutes longer, but one advantage is that the fuselage is UNDER the wing, so you get a better view of what's below. I was sitting on the left side of the plane, so I spotted MANY places that I could identify. Shortly after we passed Masada (which I could definitely see), flying over the Dead Sea, we actually began our descent, continuing over Samaria just north of Jerusalem. I snapped today's pic of the day as we were making our final descent. It shows most of the coastline of Tel Aviv, just as we were flying out over the Mediterranean Sea:

When I arrived in Tel Aviv, I walked to the Ichilov (Souraski) Hospital, which took a little over an hour. It was a little hot in the sun, but most of the walk was in the shade, which made it quite pleasant despite 65% humidity.

When I got to the hospital, I went into the adjacent mall first to cool off and browse around a bit. I had agreed to meet a friend there, who lives in Tel Aviv, at 11:30. He actually arrived early, and so we had even more time to visit. We just sat in the food court and, eventually, had coffee (him) and Coke Zero (me), before we had to go to our respective appointments at the hospital (his was just after 1:00, and mine was at 1:30).

The results from my MRI are still not in, so we still don't know if the cancer is confined strictly to the prostate or not. However, the results WILL be in in a few more days, and the path forward is now clear. If the tumor is NOT confined to the prostate, radiation is the best option because it would probably be necessary even after a surgery. If it IS only in the prostate, then surgery (a radical prostatectomy) is probably the best because, in the fairly unlikely case that it's not successful, salvage radiation can later be done, whereas the reverse is NOT the case.

I have made another appointment with the oncologist in case radiation IS needed but will cancel it if it's not and only return to him after the surgery in that case. Next, I need to make an appointment with a urologist at Ichilov to discuss the options and then make the final decision. So, things are moving forward, and it was a successful trip.

I ate lunch in the mall by the hospital. I had a sort of folded over "pizza" (I actually have no idea what it's called) that contained cheese, egg, and spinach (I think), but no tomato at all, and was very delicious. I had also had it after my previous visit with the oncologist there.

I decided to travel back to the airport by bus instead of walking because it was pretty hot in the afternoon (and, of course, humid). It wasn't really much, if any, quicker, though, because I had to take 2 buses, waiting quite a while for the 2nd one, and, of course, they did NOT take the most direct route. But the Moovit application was VERY using in helping me know how to do it.

On the way back, I got an SMS from the airline telling me that the flight would be delayed an hour. Of course, I continued to the airport anyway, but I got there WAY early. I got myself hydrated, though, and passed the time without getting bored. When I first got there, there was a large group of Dati (religious, meaning, of course, orthodox) Israeli girls (probably high school students) who were waiting for a flight to somewhere (I didn't catch where). As any large group of females that age, they were somewhat annoying, so I was rather glad when it was finally time for them to leave.

I took more pictures on my way back, even though this time is was a jet. I was sitting in row 9, so I was in FRONT of the wing. This time I specifically requested the left side so that I'd again be opposite the sun. In one picture, it's possible, just barely, to see the Jordan River Valley, the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), and even the peak of Mt. Hermon, the highest point in Israel, which is very near Syria and Lebanon. I also got a picture a little later of what I'm pretty sure is Amman, Jordan. I also got a number of pictures in the Arava and a nice view of both Eilat AND Aqaba as we circled around over the Gulf before our final approach to the airport.

When I arrived back in Eilat, it was 40ºC (104ºC) out, according to the announcement on the plane (and that felt about right), so I took a bus home (which I had planned to do, knowing what the forecast was). I got home just after 7:30.

I walked a total of 9.15 kilometers today.

Sunday, 10 July 2016

I slept well again, got up early, and went for a very nice walk. I walked across Nakhal Shakhamon about halfway between the Harim and Sheshet HaYamim bridges and continue across the middle of Shakhamon, going right past my old place, which is today's pic of the day:

After breakfast and my morning routine, I headed down to the Maccabi office in town to try to get my approval for tomorrow's trip. The lady there was very nice and contacted the office in the center that has to approve such things. She left them an urgent message, and, sure enough, they approved it and she called me to let me know within about half an hour. So all is now arranged and settled.

I wandered around in that area a bit before taking another bus back home. There's some disagreement about whether I can get a day-pass on the buses using my Rav Kav card or not. The guy at the central bus station said that I definitely CAN, but none of the bus drivers seem to be able to do it. So I wrote to Egged (the bus company) on their website. We'll see what they say. I took 5 bus rides today, and it would have been quite a savings if I could have gotten a day-pass.

I got some important editing done on my Variations on HaTikva for orchestra today. I'm working to make the sound more varied in volume and intensity and thereby, hopefully, more interesting and "musical". It's pretty detailed work, but I think it will pay off.

I had "falafel sticks" and a large salad for lunch today. I had seen the sticks in the frozen section at the market and had decided to buy and try them. They were pretty good, although a little dry. Eating them with some ketchup helped.

In the afternoon, I treated myself to a trip to Ice Park mall, taking the bus in both directions. I walked around the mall quite a bit and looked at several things, but I didn't buy anything at all. Still, it was an enjoyable outing.

In the evening, I went down to Fay's house for the weekly meeting of our play-reading group. It was enjoyable, as always.

I walked a total of 11.34 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 9 July 2016

Once again, I slept well (including some interesting and somewhat amusing dreams), got up early, and went out for a nice walk. It was a little shorter than yesterday's but I still managed to get some nice pictures, including today's pic of the day. It shows the line of the nearby hills and also the line of the distant Jordanian mountains shortly before the sun appeared above the latter:

I spent almost the entire day working on finishing week 2 of my classification course, but I was successful in the end.

I had a large salad and eggs and rice for lunch at home. This is now my standard Shabbat lunch, and the eggs and rice are really yummy, especially with a little added garlic powder and salt.

In the early evening, I talked for a while with David's sister in Ohio. She is still steadily improving.

I walked a total of 4.48 kilometers today.

Friday, 8 July 2016

Again, I got good sleep, got up early, and went out for a great walk. I took several pictures along the way, including today's pic of the day, showing the little park between the Shakhamon high-rises and Harim Road:

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the first student (2 units) turned out to be a no-show (the same student that didn't come yesterday morning, either): 9:00-10:30 and 11:30-1:00.

I easily got the household chores done in the morning.

For lunch, I had a big salad and several slices of cheese.

I was just lazy during the afternoon, since I didn't feel like doing much of anything.

I walked a total of 6.71 kilometers today.

In honor of Netanyahu's trip to Africa, I leave you with the blessing, reported in Second Kings, given by the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon of Israel:

יהי יי אלהיך ברוך אשר חפץ בך לתתך על-כסא ישראל באהבת יי את-ישראל לעלם וישימך למלך לעשות משפט וצדקה

May the Eternal your God be blessed, who delighted in you to give you the throne of Israel, in that the Eternal has loved Israel forever and set you as king to make judgments and do righteousness.

Thursday, 7 July 2016

I slept well, got up early, and went out for a nice long walk this morning. I did the loop out to Nakhal Garuf and back, taking a number of pictures along the way. Today's pic of the day is a view before the sun came up of the Gulf and the distant mountains in Saudi Arabia:

I was again scheduled to teach 8 units, but the first 2-unit lesson turned out to be a no-show: 9:15-10:45, 11:30-1:00, 3:00-4:30, and 4:30-6:00.

I had a large salad and weenies sandwiches with mayonnaise and ketchup for lunch at home today.

After my last lesson, I did a little shopping at the Einat Market (the 2nd closest one).

I walked a total of 6.24 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

I slept well last night and got up fairly early this morning. I felt a little stiff, but I still managed to go out for a nice walk. I went up through Canada Gardens, and then I crossed over into the desert hills and followed a bicycle trail. When I came to a pipeline road, I turned left and went over a little pass into Nakhal Shakhamon, through which I returned to the city. It was really nice out, and I took lots of pics. Today's pic of the day is one of them. It shows a nice view of White Mountain, and you can also see the intersection of the bicycle trail and the pipeline road, where I turned left:

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons, but no one showed up for one of the 2-unit lessons (I still get paid, of course): 9:15-10:00, 10:30-11:15, 11:30-1:00, 4:30-6:00 (the no-show), and 6:00-7:30.

I had a large salad and vegetarian "chicken" breast sandwiches for lunch at home today.

I walked a total of 3.93 kilometers today (almost entirely during my morning walk).

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Today's pic of the day is actually one I took last Sunday. It's a view of the hills near the cemetery immediately after the sun appeared over the Jordanian mountains:

I slept well and got up early this morning. I went out for a walk, but not a super-long one. It was fairly warm out, and I felt just a little tired. But I still got in some decent exercise.

At the WIZO English speakers' meeting today, we had a casual and fun game of Trivial Pursuits.

Afterwards, I walked up to the Shufersal near there and did a small amount of shopping. I rode the bus both to and from WIZO today because of the heat.

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

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 4:30-6:00 and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 4.22 kilometers today.

Monday, 4 July 2016

I got up a little late this morning and so didn't so out for a walk. I did go out with Pascal a little (as I do every morning), so that he can have a chance to be outside a little. Today's pic of the day shows him this morning lying by the gate:

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, 3:00-4:30, 4:30-6:00, and 7:00-8:30.

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

I finally was able to take the first quiz for week 2 of my classification class today. I only got 50% on the first try, but then I reviewed a bit and managed to pass on the 2nd try. I STILL didn't get 100%, though. Oh well.

I only walked 60 meters today.

Sunday, 3 July 2016

I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night but slept well, got up early, and went out for a nice walk. I decided to walk over to the cemetery and visit David's grave, and it was a great idea. I took several nice photos along the way, and today's pic of the day is one of them, showing the beautiful variations of color in the Eilat Mountains, lit by the early-morning sun:

A friend came over to visit this morning, and we had a really nice time.

After breakfast, I headed into town. The first stop was the Maccabi office to get things set up for my visit to the oncologist in Tel Aviv a week from tomorrow. Then I went over to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions. I had written to the doctor online yesterday to request them, and now they can be entered into the computer so that the pharmacy was able to fill them without me having to arrive with them in hand. We are getting more and more paperless!

After the pharmacy, I walked from there over to the pet store. It was right in the middle of the day by then, and the sun was almost directly overhead, so there was very little shade. But the walk was reasonably comfortable -- that's the difference the low humidity makes. I called a taxi for the trip home, though, because I had bought a very heavy sack of cat litter, as well as a bag of cat food. They still don't have any mice, though, for poor Goldfinger.

Before lunch, I walked over to the Elimelech Supermarket to do a little shopping.

For lunch, I had cheese and 5 beets that I had just bought already cooked at the market.

In the late afternoon, I talked for more than an hour with a friend in Tel Aviv. It turns out that he'll be going for a medical appointment at the same hospital on the same day, only a few minutes earlier, that I'm going to next week! So, naturally, we made plans to meet.

In the evening, I went as usual to our play-reading group and, of course, enjoyed it very much.

I walked a total of 9.37 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 2 July 2016

I got to bed early last night, slept well, got up VERY early this morning (about 4:30), and went out for a 2-hour walk. It was WONDERFUL out, with a gentle cool breeze and very fresh air! I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, the view across the Gulf to Aqaba's northern (older) port from the Sheshet HaYamim bridge over Nakhal Shakhamon:

I worked quite a bit on my orchestral variations on HaTikva today, and I think I've now got most of the notes. There still is plenty of work to do, though, on getting the expression and the balance right, and I may yet decide to change some of the notes or orchestration, as well. I feel very good about my progress!

I had 2 eggs mixed with rice, plus a tomato, for lunch at home today.

In the afternoon, I had a nice long chat with David's sister in Ohio. She got out of the hospital last Wednesday and is definitely feeling much better.

I walked a total of 6.04 kilometers today.

Friday, 1 July 2016

I woke up early this morning and went out for a nice, medium length walk. It was very lovely out, and I took several nice pictures, including today's pic of the day, taken looking directly at the sun (which is barely hidden behind a tree) in Canada Gardens:

After taking this pic, I went over into the building you see on the left and bought challah at the bakery, which is in it on the other side, towards the road.

While I was eating breakfast this morning, I got an SMS from my landlady saying that she had left a bag of men's clothes just outside my door and that both I and my neighbor were welcome to take any that we liked. We both went out later, but my neighbor didn't see any for him. Later in the day, I tried some of them on and decided to keep a pair of cream-colored calf-length pants, a dark shirt, and a dark gray tank top. It always good to get nice clothes for free!

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:00 and 11:30-1:00.

I did the weekly chores and ate half a red bell pepper, a tomato, and weenies wrapped in tortillas for lunch at home.

I walked a total of 2.86 kilometers today.

As the light was beginning to fade in our hot, dry, beautiful valley, I lit 2 small candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate some challah (giving some to Pascal, as well) to welcome Shabbat.

I will close with this sad verse from Lamentations (2:11), as we weep for Hallel z"l, the girl brutally murdered in her bedroom yesterday:

כלו בדמעות עיני חמרמרו מעי נשפך לארץ על-שבר בת-עמי

My eyes fail with tears, my gut is wrenched, my liver is poured out on the ground, over the breaking of the daughter of my people.