Shabbat, 30 December 2017

I got up quite early this morning and ate breakfast early, too.

After breakfast, I got right to work on my Fugue of the Day.

I talked for half an hour or so with David in Tel Aviv.

Then I walked over to Hannah's for our weekly Torah study. On the way, I took several nice pictures, including today's pic of the day, showing some nice flowers in a pot by a garden apartment:

Besides studying Torah together, Hannah and I also ate lunch, went for a short walk, enjoyed sitting and drumming on a lawn (by Phillip Morris House) while soaking up the lovely weather and the view of the sea, and did plenty of nice chatting.

After walking home, I relaxed for a while, talked with Richard and Joyce in Ohio, and then finished my fugue. It's once again based on Dictionary.com's word of the day: "whoop-de-do". You can listen to the results here.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 29 December 2017

I got up early this morning and ate breakfast early, too. But I was fairly slow about moving forward with my day. I did go up and buy challah, and I took out the trash and recycling. Then I rested for quite some time.

For today's Fugue of the Day, I selected Dictionary.com's word of the day, "bedizen". It turned out to yield quite a nice subject. You can listen to the results here.

I had a lovely big salad and a good bowl of my stew for lunch today.

After lunch, I walked over to Hannah's place and took a couple of pictures of flowers along the way, including today's pic of the day:

I hung out with Hannah, and we welcomed Shabbat together by lighting candles and making kiddush with grape juice. Finally, I walked back home.

I walked a total of 4.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, 28 December 2017

Having gotten to bed late last night, I also got up late this morning. Nevertheless, I managed to walk down to Maccabi in plenty of time after breakfast to get my weekly blood-thinning test. I even took time to pause and take a selfie in one of Eilat's beautiful walkways. It was before 9:30 in the morning, and I was very comfortable wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops:

After I finished that, I walked up to Hannah's place, where I relaxed and chatted for a while. Then we went together to MaccabiPharm, the bank, and Shufersal. Before the grocery shopping, though, we stopped for cold drinks at Il Pentolino, and while we were there Isobel came in and joined so, which was especially nice.

Since Hannah got quite a few groceries today, we took a taxi back to her place.

After resting there and chatting some more, I walked home by a longer route, stopping at the Shufersal near WIZO to buy a few items.

For lunch, I reheated some of the stew, and I also ate a tomato, a cucumber, a beet, and a couple of cookies.

After lunch, I did some grocery shopping at the market in the Einat Center (the 2nd nearest supermarket).

I decided to try to combine the Synful Orchestra with the Strobe2 synthesizer for today's fugue of the day. It took me a while getting everything set up, but I eventually got it working. Taking a subject from my random subject generator, I created today's Fugue of the Day using the violins from the orchestra, a keyboard voice from the synthesizer, and the orchestra's bassoons. You can listen to the result here.

I walked a total of 6.3 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

I got up early this morning and ate breakfast early, as well.

After breakfast, I set right to work on my Fugue of the Day.

Then I walked over to Hannah's and hung out there the rest of the morning. Along the way, I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day:

We took a bus back to my place where we ate the stew I had made for lunch. It turned out very nice!

After some more resting, we took a short walk up to the edge of the desert to collect some rocks.

Finally, we set out walking back to Hannah's place, and then I walked back home again.

In the evening, I went to a showing of a film about Ben-Gurion, called "Ben-Gurion. Epilogue" at WIZO, sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh. I took a bus back home.

In the evening, I finally finished my Fugue of the Day, based on a subject created by my random subject generator. Listen to the result here.

I walked a total of 8.5 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

I slept very well last night and got up leisurely at a good time this morning. I ate breakfast a little early so that I could get started on today's Fugue of the Day.

I walked over to WIZO (and back afterwards, via a more circuitous route) and took a couple of flower pics along the way. One of them is today's pic of the day, of those tiny irresistibly beautiful and photogenic flowers that I see all over town:

I enjoyed a lot of good conversation at WIZO and also a nice presentation on a couple of interesting places in Jerusalem and some background about "Boxing Day", the holiday celebrated in most parts of the English-speaking worlds EXCEPT for the U.S.

I relaxed for a few minutes when I got back home, but I put in a yam to bake in the toaster oven before I sat down. Then, I had it, a couple of beets, a cheese sandwich, a cheese-and-tomato sandwich, and some cookies for lunch.

I completed my Fugue of the Day, which is based on Dictionary.com's word of the day, "afterglow", with an added note. You can listen to the result here.

After I finished that, I started work on a new stew. I intended to make less this time, but it's still going to be a LOT. At least I think Hannah will be able to help me eat some of it. It's all mixed up in the crock pot, but I'm waiting until just before I go to bed to turn on the heat. I'll cook it on "low" all night and all morning tomorrow, at least. I hope it will be good!

The rest of the evening, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers today.

Monday, 25 December 2017

I slept well last night, woke up early, and got up early this morning.

I also ate breakfast quite early and then set to work on my Fugue of the Day.

In the late morning, I walked over to Hannah's. On the way I took some lovely flower pictures, including today's pic of the day:

After chatting for a while, we took a bus over to the Ice Mall where we walked around a bit and had a delicious lunch at Café Café (thanks, Hannah!). We then took a bus back to her place where I hung around a while longer before returning home. I would have walked back, but I hadn't brought a jacket and it had gotten too cold out by then to be outside that long in short sleeves.

When I got back home, I finished my Fugue of the Day. EVERYONE will recognize its subject. You can listen by clicking here.

I walked a total of 5.3 kilometers today.

Sunday, 24 December 2017

I slept well last night, got up quite early this morning, and ate breakfast early, as well.

After a shower, I walked over to the industrial area to do some shopping at the 2 health food stores. Then I went just a little further and relaxed with some "ice café" (kind of a coffee slushy that's VERY popular here in Israel) at Aroma.

Next, I walked up to Hannah's place and visited a bit with her before going to the pharmacy for my monthly prescriptions and the pet store for a mouse, cat food, and cat litter. Finally, I walked back home.

For lunch, I had a platter of vegetables: a tomato, a cucumber, a yellow bell pepper, and a carrot. I also had one tortilla with cheese slices and a second one with carob-peanut spread. Today's pic of the day shows the vegetable platter:

After lunch, I finished work on today's Fugue of the Day. Since there was a prediction of snow for Mt. Hermon and possibly adjacent areas of the norther Golan, I chose "White Christmas" for the subject. You can listen to it here.

In the evening, I went to our weekly play-reading group. This week we began reading a play called "They Got What They Wanted" by Irish playwright Louis D'Alton.

I walked a total of 7.2 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 23 December 2017

I slept well last night and got up in good time this morning.

I talked for a while with David in Tel Aviv, and then I began worked on today's fugue.

In the late morning, I walked over to Hannah's for our weekly Torah study. We both really enjoyed the parasha (Torah portion) this week and found it interesting to talk about. On the walk over, I paused by some orange flowers that I know the bugs like. Sure enough, a bug crawled deep into one of them, too deep to really see. But I knew he/she would have to come out shortly. Sure, my patience was rewarded. However, as the bug got further out, I saw that there was ANOTHER one in there, too! And so I got today's pic of the day: TWO bugs on a flower (well, actually the first bug has already walked over to a neighboring flower in this shot, but the second bug was more visible that way):

I also had some lunch and went for a short walk with Hannah before walking back home.

When I got home, I was quite tired, so I didn't do much for a while. I did talk briefly with Joyce, though, who is continuing to improve. She can stand now, but she still can't walk.

After that, I finished work on today's Fugue of the Day. It was supposed to be based on Dictionary.com's Word of the Day, "blithesome", using a scheme where letters beyond G in the alphabet are assigned in order to the first 7 letters (A through G), with sharps and flats added as deemed necessary. However, I made a clerical error in the transcription, so the letter H was effectively omitted. Anyway, the fugue came out quite nice. You can listen to it by clicking here.

I walked a total of 5 kilometers today.

Friday, 22 December 2017

I slept well last night and got up at a good time this morning.

After breakfast, I bought challah, took out the trash and recycling, and did some pretty major grocery shopping.

The rest of the morning, I mostly worked on my Fugue of the Day. Today, I used my "fugue subject generator" (actually, a spreadsheet that I wrote) to get the subject. It's in a minor key and a bit dirge-like but still interesting, I think. You can listen by clicking here.

For lunch, I had cheese slices in tortillas and about 7 or 8 salatim that my landlady had brought to me. She said that her daughter made them, and they were all absolutely delicious!

After lunch, I relaxed and even napped briefly in my chair. Then I went out for a short walk before candle-lighting. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, a view directly toward the sun, which was almost entirely hidden behind the overcast:

After that, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate some challah to welcome Shabbat.

Finally, I set out on a walk around almost the whole big loop. I sat and rested several times, but it was a very good walk.

I walked a total of 8.1 kilometers today.

Thursday, 21 December 2017

I went to bed early and tired last night, slept well for a few hours, and then woke up and had trouble getting back to sleep. Eventually, after actually getting up for a while, I did get back to sleep, but I got up quite late this morning.

After breakfast, I walked down to Maccabi for my blood test and for an appointment with the orthopedist about my left shoulder, which has been causing me some problems lately. He ordered an ultrasound of it (which won't happen until 19 Jan) and gave me a prescription for some anti-inflammatory medicine.

Then I visited Hannah for a while and we ended up walking up to the university for a really very nice lunch at their cafeteria. Their food is extra good because it's prepared by students who are in their hotel and hospitality training program.

I walked part of the way home, but I was tired, and it was rather hot out, so I took a bus the rest of the way. I took today's pic of the day from the bus stop where I was waiting. The guys are on the top of a 4- or 5-story apartment building:

When I got home, I set right to work on today's fugue of the day, but I had to put it aside to go over Shakhamon for an appointment with my psychiatrist (whom I hadn't seen in a year). I took a bus over there, but I walked back. Unfortunately, I had to wait quite a while because he was way behind. This was because, unbeknownst to him, someone had locked the outside door into the clinic so that his patients were unable to get in! Anyway, all was well there, and it was good to update him a little on my life.

When I came back home, I finished my work on the fugue of the day, whose subject EVERYONE will recognize, I think. Click here to check it out!

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

I slept well last night and got up reasonably early.

I walked over to Shakhamon for an appointment with my primary doctor after breakfast. I had scheduled it mostly because my throat had felt a bit swollen, but today, of course, it was already quite a bit better. He chastised me a bit about not getting my weekly INR tests to see if I'm taking the right amount of blood thinner. I deserved it — I must get more serious about the atrial fibrillation thing even though I do NOT want to.

From there, I walked all the way over to Hannah's place, since it was such a nice day out.

After quite a bit of chatting, we went down to the new pizza place near Maccabi and split a very nice pizza for lunch. Then we walked back up to her place. Along the way, I snapped today's pic of the day — what's better than a dreidel made of balloons? TWO of them:

I stayed and we chatted quite a bit more before I finally set out walking home via a somewhat circuitous route.

When I got back, I set to work immediately on my fugue of the day, based on an ear worm that I think may actually be an amalgamation of two different tunes. Anyway, click here to listen to the result, if you like.

After that, I completed week 1 of my new online class, "Introduction to Data Science in Python".

I walked a total of 9.7 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

I got to bed early last night and woke up quite early this morning, too. But I didn't get up for another hour or so.

I walked to WIZO, where we had a little celebration of Hanukkah, with sufganiyot and wine and candles (I got drafted to light the candles and sing the blessing).

Then I walked down to Hannah's just to relax and enjoy some stimulating conversation. She had also bought eclairs for us to eat. Yum!

After a good visit, I leisurely walked back home, taking a few more pics along the way, including today's pic of the day, of those stunning tiny white flowers I keep seeing everywhere:

When I got home, my computer had STILL not finished updating to the new version of the operating system (I had started the process a good 45 minutes before leaving for WIZO), so I just relaxed and even napped a bit in my chair, hoping it would eventually finish. It finally became clear that it was stuck, so I looked up how to fix it and managed to get it to restart and finish successfully.

Then it was time to get to work on today's fugue of the day. I chose a very old radio jingle for its subject. Bonus points to anyone who can identify it (besides the few people I've already told!). To hear it, click here.

I walked a total of 4.8 kilometers today.

Monday, 18 December 2017

Last night, not long after falling asleep (or maybe even before — I'm not sure which), I began coughing every time I took a deep breath, which prevented from going back to sleep. Finally, I just got up for some time. Eventually, the coughing seemed to have gone, so I went back to bed and managed to sleep well. Of course, I then got up VERY late this morning.

After breakfast, I set to work on today's fugue of the day. It's for brass (trumpets and trombones). In the evening, I finished it, and you can listen to it by clicking here.

In the early afternoon, I walked over to Hannah's place. On the way, I took some pictures, including today's pic of the day, in which I actually managed to catch a flying insect:

After chatting and helping Hannah with some forms for tests that her doctor had ordered, we walked down to the bus stop near Maccabi and caught a bus over to Shakhamon, where we went to a latke party hosted by a new English-speaker in town, Yakira. It was a lot of fun, and the latkes were fabulous!

After finishing my fugue for today, I signed up for a new online specialization on Coursera called "Applied Data Science with Python Specialization". It's offered by the University of Michigan. I started watching the videos and doing the exercises, and it looks like it's going to be really fun and interesting!

I walked a total of 4 kilometers today.

Sunday, 17 December 2017

What a beautiful day it was today!

After breakfast, I walked into town and met Hannah at Maccabi Pharm. Along the way I took several pics, including today's pic of the day, a lovely deep purple flower down very low to the ground on the median of Argaman Street:

Then we walked together down to the main post office, which turned out to be closed due to a strike. So, we took a bus up to my place where Hannah and Pascal got some important bonding time, and I inflicted some of my favorite music on her, and she enjoyed it (or at least said she did).

We then walked down to Café Rachel for lunch (yummy quiche!) and then walked over to Hannah's place from there.

After walking down and buying a mouse for Goldfinger and a cake for the play-reading group, I walked home, enjoying the beautiful weather every step of the way.

In the evening, out play-reading group finished reading "The Crucible". It got VERY dramatic at the end!

I walked a total of 8.6 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 16 December 2017

I got up early this morning and ate breakfast early, too.

In the late morning, I walked over to Hannah's for our weekly Torah study, and, this week, to celebrate her birthday, as well. Of course, we also had lunch and enjoyed plenty of interesting conversation, too.

On my walks over and back, I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, showing a cluster of flowers and 2 insects:

Joyce was well enough to talk to me today, so that's a big improvement, and I was very happy about that.

I walked a total of 4 kilometers today.

Friday, 15 December 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and ate breakfast early, too, in order to make sure I had time to buy the challah and take out the trash and recycling before my first lesson.

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

In the middle of this beautiful warm day, I took a short walk, during which I got some nice pictures, including today's pic of the day, the view across the valley from just up my street:

I had a salad and slices of cheese wrapped in tortillas, plus an additional tortilla with carob-peanut spread in it, for lunch.

In the evening, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate some challah to welcome Shabbat. I also worked on a birthday present for Hannah. Of course, I'm not going to reveal anything at all about that just yet, since her birthday is tomorrow!

I walked a total of 2.2 kilometers today.

Thursday, 14 December 2017

I got up reasonably early this morning and ate breakfast early to make sure I had plenty of time to take my laundry in and put it away before my teaching.

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

After my morning lessons, I walked down to Hannah's and then we walked together over to Uga Chaga, where we had sufganiyot (Israeli donuts) and drinks. Then we stopped by Shufersal so she could buy a few items (and I could help her carry them back to her place). I stayed a chatted a while longer before walking back home.

I walked a total of 5.2 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

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

I managed to get another play scanned for our group and a load of laundry done (although it's still hanging out drying).

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 3:30-5:00, 6:00-7:30, and 7:30-8:10.

I ate stew for breakfast and for lunch, and, even though it's gotten quite good now, I'm really a little oversaturated with it. LOL The trouble is, there's still quite a bit of it in the pot. Maybe I'll try to freeze it tomorrow for later, but I think I'll have difficulty fitting it in my freezer.

I made a quick trip up to the market at Mercaz Einat to get more PepsiMax and a few other items.

Other than that, I didn't go anywhere today, and I actually even took a nap in my chair. I walked only 630 meters today.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

I got up a little late this morning but very well-rested.

I walked over to WIZO early to help set up for today's celebration of all the birthdays from May through December. It was very nice. Today's pic of the day shows the food from Il Pentolino (a local restaurant) all artistically arranged on the tables by our own Fonda Dubb:

Afterwards, I walked home and mostly just relaxed until my first lesson.

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

I continued to tinker with my stew today. When I ate some of it during my short break, it was good but seemed a little too salty, so I added the lentils I had and quite a bit of rice. They quickly absorbed most of the remaining moisture in the mix and also made it quite delicious. Now, I have added 3 more fresh carrots and 4 cups of water. I'll check it again just before I go to bed and add more water if it seems like it might get too dry before morning. Of course, all of this means that the crockpot remains nearly constantly FULL, even though I eat several bowls of it every day. LOL

Meanwhile, the constantly hot crockpot in my kitchen has indeed been keeping my tiny apartment warm, just as I had hoped, and I haven't used any other heating (of course, it wouldn't be very cold yet anyway!).

I walked a total of 3.4 kilometers today.

Monday, 11 December 2017

I got up quite early this morning and ate breakfast a little early.

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

After my first lesson I walked into town. I had received an SMS from Pelephone, my cell provider, that they were opening a new store at 12 HaTmarim. They promised a gift of "quality earphones" for visiting, so I though, "Why not?" There was a lot of conflicting information on exactly where that address might be, but even though I walked the entire length of the commercial part of the street, I saw no signs of the new shop anywhere. Advertising fail!

I took a couple of nice pics on the way, including today's pic of the day, which shows the tiny yellow flowers and the white "berries" that form after them, all on the same branch:

The trip was NOT in vain, however, because I bumped in Hannah along the way and walked back with her to her place. We also stopped at the Shufersal across from Maccabi, and she was able to buy more because I was there to help her carry it home.

After visiting and munching a bit at Hannah's, I walked back down once again to the industrial area to get the soy protein chunks that I had completely forgotten yesterday. They turned out to be VERY cheap; I got quite a good quantity of them for only six and a half shekels.

I took the bus back home from there. When I arrived home, I had plenty of time to add the protein chunks to my stew. I've eaten quite a bit of the stew today, both this morning, before adding the chunks and this afternoon and evening after they had cooked a while. It's nothing to write home about, but it's certainly edible and quite nutritious, especially with the added protein.

After my last class, I mostly just relaxed and even catnapped a bit in my chair.

I walked a total of 5.9 kilometers today.

Sunday, 10 December 2017

I slept long and well last night and got up a little late this morning. I ate breakfast slightly early, though.

After breakfast, I set out walking to Maccabi for a blood test. Along the say, I took today's pic of the day, some lovely flowers blooming over the top of a wooden fence:

When I got to Maccabi, they took me in almost immediately.

After that, I walked over to the industrial area to go to the 2 health food stores there. One of the main reasons for going was to try to buy TVP (textured vegetable protein, like fake meat) to put in a stew, but I completely forgot to get it! I did get a few other items, however. Then I walked a little further down to Mercaz Big, where I sat and rested a while before walking up to Hannah's place. I enjoyed chatting with her for a while, and then I walked down to the new pizza place and got up a big pizza for lunch. We both agreed that it was delicious.

After that, I walked home and most relaxed for the afternoon. I put some soup mix, 4 potatoes, 3 carrots, an onion, garlic powder, and, of course, water into my crockpot and set it all heating.

In the evening, I attended our weekly play-reading group, where we continue reading "The Crucible".

When I got back, the crockpot was getting low on water, so I added some more and turned the heat down to "Low". I expect to be eating soup/stew all week from it! Tomorrow, I'll try once again to get that TVP.

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 9 December 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and ate breakfast a little early, too.

I talked with David in Tel Aviv this morning, which was nice, since we hadn't talked for a while.

Then I walked over to Hannah's, where we munched on snacks, chatted, studied Torah, and had some delicious shakshuka that she made from scratch. On the walk over, I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, a group of lovely little flowers:

I made sure to walk back just before the sun disappeared so that it would still be warm out. In fact, I was comfortable walking mostly in the sunshine both directions, wearing flip-flops, jeans, and a t-shirt.

A little later, I talked with Richard, Joyce's husband. She is still not doing very well and is in an extended care facility.

I walked a total of 3.9 kilometers today.

Friday, 8 December 2017

I got up to pee in the night and then had trouble getting back to sleep again. When I finally did, I slept well and got up late.

Nevertheless, I managed to buy challah and take out the trash and recycling before my first lesson.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, back-to-back: 10:15-11:45 and 11:45-1:15.

After finishing teaching, I went over to Elimelech Supermarket and did some grocery shopping.

I had a salad, slices of cheese wrapped in tortillas, a yam, a few cookies, and a little baklava for a very late lunch.

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

The rest of the day, I was just lazy. I walked only 940 meters today.

Thursday, 7 December 2017

I got up quite early this morning and even ate breakfast a little early. But after breakfast I became very lazy and rebellious, so I didn't even brush my teeth or shave (the horror!).

I was scheduled to teach 6 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the last one (2 units) turned out to be a late cancellation about which I was notified around 5 minutes into the lesson time: 10:30-12:00, 3:30-5:00, and 6:30-8:00.

After my first lesson, I walked into town to get money out of the bank (for my rent) and to buy a mouse. I also visited Hannah for a bit before walking back home. Today's pic of the day is a view across the valley from the lower end of Fradkin Park, next to Khativat HaNegev, that I took on my way:

I had a salad and some slices of cheese for lunch.

When I found out that my last lesson was cancelled, I decided to go out for an evening walk. In addition to my jeans, I put on socks and shoes, a t-shirt, and a light jacket. I felt perfectly comfortable that way for the entire walk. On the way back, I stopped at the Einat Center to buy some ice cream (Ben & Jerry's, no less!). One 500 ml carton was ₪19.90, but two were only ₪36.00, so naturally I bought two! When I got home, I ate about half of one of them. I've had a hankering for ice cream for a while now, so it was a nice reward to myself (for something or other!).

I walked a total of 5.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

I got up very late this morning and was a still a little tired. Luckily, my first lesson wasn't until 10:00.

I was scheduled to teach 9 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one 1-unit lesson was a no-show: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:30-5:00, 6:00-6:40 (no-show), and 7:00-8:30. Today's pic of the day shows my able assistant hard at work creating a proper atmosphere:

Between my morning classes, I made a very quick trip up to the market at Mercaz Einat to buy just a few things.

I had a salad and weenies wrapped in tortillas for lunch.

After lunch, I went out for a walk for about half an hour before my afternoon classes.

I walked a total of 2.2 kilometers.

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and ate breakfast a little early, too.

I walked over to WIZO and back today. After plenty of conversation and announcements and discussions about possible trips, we finally got around to hearing people's World War II stories, and several of them were quite poignant. I stopped by and bought a few items at the Shufersal near WIZO House before heading back home.

There were lots of insects busy at work on the flowers today. I took 3 pics of flowers, all with at least one insect, so we have a trio of shots for today's pics of the day:

I really didn't eat a proper lunch today; instead, I just munched a bit on random things.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, back-to-back: 3:30-5:00 and 5:00-6:30.

I walked a total of 3.3 kilometers today.

Monday, 4 December 2017

I felt much better this morning. There's still some congestion and swelling, but a lot less.

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

After my morning lesson, I took a very nice walk around the big loop, somewhat modified. It was such a warm lovely day, that I wore only jeans (I really should have worn short pants), flip-flops, and a tank top, and I still tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. I took quite a few pictures. Today's pic of the day, showing a pollinator busy at work, is one of them:

I had a salad and cheese slices in tortillas for lunch.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.4 kilometers today.

Sunday, 3 December 2017

I woke up fairly early this morning. I felt better than yesterday, but I still decided I'd better not go to the WIZO brunch.

Before lunch, I did some grocery shopping at Elimelech Supermarket.

I had a salad, a shnitzel, and some seed snacks for lunch.

I walked over to my doctor's in Shakhamon for an appointment I had scheduled it at 4:10. Today's pic of the day is one that I took shortly after leaving the doctor's, showing the last light of day on the Jordanian mountains, framed by a cement pump:

After that, I took a bus into town to visit Hannah. She's been down with the same cold I've had. We watched the rising full moon together for while just outside her place, and then we went inside and chatted and munched on grapes. We decided that we both get mitzvah brownie points for ביקור חולים (bikur kholim — visiting the sick). LOL Then I took a bus back home.

I walked a total of 3.9 kilometers today.

Tomorrow, I'll return to teaching. I only have 3 classes scheduled, and there's plenty of space in between them to rest, as well.

Shabbat, 2 December 2017

I slept quite well last night and got up VERY late this morning, after a pleasant and rather unusual dream. I felt better than yesterday, but even now, this evening, I'm clearly NOT yet well.

I rested most of the day and took it very easy. In the afternoon, though, I did go out for a walk down Argaman, south on Sheshet HaYamim, and up Hagai (with a slight detour to the south), and then back on Harim and Argaman. I took some lovely flower and scenery pictures, one of which is today's pic of the day:

I had a cheese-and-bean burrito, rice, cheese, and eggs and rice for a very late lunch. I ran into a snag on the latter because my canister ran out of gas in the middle of cooking it. Generally, I keep an extra canister in my drawer, but I had forgotten to get one, so I had none. I went up to try to get another one out of the cabinet where they're stored but couldn't find any there, so I texted my landlady. After a while, she responded, but her husband could only bring me one when he came home in a couple of hours. However, she offered to let me cook in her kitchen, which I accepted gratefully. She's a great person! I'm so lucky to have found this place to live!

I walked a total of 3.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 1 December 2017

I slept fairly well last night and got up very late. I'm better than yesterday but still definitely sick. This is such a SLOW-moving cold!

After breakfast, I bought challah and took out the trash and recycling. Then I mostly relaxed.

I did some important work on the 2nd movement of my symphony, something which I've been putting off for some reason for quite some time. So, I'm pretty happy about that.

In the late afternoon, I took a little walk and even went up into the hills a short distance. I took a couple of pictures, one of which is today's pic of the day:

I had a salad, a couple of bean-and-cheese burritos, and some seed treats (for people, not birds!) for lunch.

At the close of day, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate a small challah to welcome Shabbat.

I walked a total of 3.1 kilometers today.

Thursday, 30 November 2017

My sleep was a little uneven last night because of all the sinus drainage. Still, I got up quite early and felt pretty well rested.

After breakfast, I walked down to the post office at Mercaz Mor to do some quick business. Then I walked leisurely back home, stopping to shop a little at the Mega market near the hospital.

Near the middle of the day, I took another short walk, just to get out and enjoy the lovely weather.

I took pictures of flowers today. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I had 3 large beets, 2 hard-boiled eggs, and some beans for lunch today.

In the afternoon, I got the weekly chores done (except for the recycling and trash, which I'll do as usual tomorrow). This is particularly good, since I had NOT down them for 2 or 3 weeks.

I was supposed to have a date this evening, but the friend who was going to come over had to work late, and so he couldn't. We'll meet sometime tomorrow.

I walked a total of 4.6 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

My back will still giving me a LOT of trouble this morning, but the problem mostly went away rather suddenly. Here's what happened. At one point I sat down to file the bottom of my foot. I had trouble even reaching the file because of the back spasms, but when I leaned forward in my low chair to actually file the foot, it apparently loosened something in the back muscle in question, and it felt much better. The back is still talking to me a bit, but it's at a much more normal level. Weird!

I generally felt somewhat better today than yesterday, but I still took the day off from work and will take tomorrow off, as well. My voice is still unstable, which isn't a problem when I'm not talking much anyway but WOULD be a problem if I were trying to teach. Also, I still have pretty bad cough, although I'm only actually coughing occasionally.

I took two fairly short walks today. It was nice to be out on such a lovely day, but I didn't have enough energy to walk a long distance. I still have a lot of congestion in my lungs and sinuses, and I'm just generally not feeling very energetic. I did take some nice pics, including today's pic of the day, taken in Canada Gardens and showing the shadow of a fence around a children's play area:

Most of the day, I just relaxed, played games on my iPad, read articles on the internet, and watched some interesting YouTube videos (including several really cool ones about robots that imitate the movement of animals, such as salamanders, insects, and even birds!).

I walked a total of 2.4 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

It's a good thing that I told Berlitz yesterday that I would also take today as a sick day, because I actually felt worse this morning than yesterday morning. Don't get me wrong, though — it's still not such a terrible cold, but it IS affecting my voice and congesting my lungs and sinuses a bit. Today, my back has also been giving me problems for some reason.

Naturally, I tried to relax most of the day, and I did feel a bit better once I was up and stirring around some. Still, I told Berlitz that I'll also take tomorrow off.

I had a salad and a couple of cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Just before the sun disappeared behind the hills, I went out for a short walk, and I also bought a few items at the Einat Center supermarket. On the way back, I took a picture of the view down my street from the median (with my gate just visible at the far left):

I walked a total of only 620 meters today.

Monday, 27 November 2017

I noticed at the end of our play-reading last night that my voice was beginning to break a little. After I got home, I could definitely tell that the low-level upper chest congestion that I'd had for several days was beginning to get worse. So, I took a little pain medicine and some cough syrup and went to bed.

I slept well, but when I woke up, I was pretty sure that my voice would NOT hold up for a day (or maybe even a single lesson) of teaching, so I contacted Berlitz and took a sick day.

I really haven't felt that bad, but I do still have congestion in the upper chest, lower throat, and sinus areas, and I cough occasionally. Berlitz wanted to know early whether I'd still be off tomorrow, so, to be on the safe side, I told them I will.

I went out for just a short time in the afternoon to do a little grocery shopping, but I didn't take any pictures. So, today's pic of the day is a flower shot that I actually took yesterday:

I walked only 380 meters today.

Sunday, 26 November 2017

My first task after breakfast this morning was to go to Maccabi and have the nurse check my left heel. It seems to be getting better, but I thought it might be worthwhile to have it checked. She didn't think there was anything in there, but she advised me to have the doctor check it. I haven't done that yet, but I plan to.

After that, I walked up to Hannah's and then we walked down to her bank and to the post office to get some errands we needed to do done.

Then we walked back up a bit, and she treated me to lunch at the Thai restaurant, which was very delicious. It was so pleasant out that we ate outside (in the shade) and just sat there chatting for some time afterwards. I was actually wearing a tank top and felt very comfortable.

After that, we walked further up the street, stopping to shop and browse a bit in several places. In particular, we went into the "Russian" market near Maccabi and actually enjoyed the Xmas things for sale. It's MUCH easier to appreciate Xmas here is Israel where it's hardly in evidence at all and certainly NOT stuffed down one's throat. In fact, even the Russians here who seem to celebrate it are mostly actually celebrating "Sylvester", which is a week later (Jan 1) and is considered to be an absolutely secular holiday (and was promoted as such during the communist era). Hannah actually took today's pic of the day (in the "Russian" supermarket):

After a bit more hanging together at Hannah's place (and some impromptu Hebrew learning, which, at one point, had both of us absolutely in stitches!), I headed back down the road, bought a mouse, and then walked back home.

In the evening, I went to our weekly play-reading group, where we continued our reading of "The Crucible".

I walked a total of 8.3 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 25 November 2017

What a lovely day I had today! After breakfast, I relaxed for a while and then Hannah came over. We chatted for quite some time, then headed together down to her place for our weekly Torah study.

After some more chatting, we went down the street to the lovely Ethiopian restaurant for lunch. It was even better than the last time I was there!

After resting a little at her place again, we went out for a walk. We had intended to simply walk a while a go back to her place, but we ended up all the way back to mine, where we chatted some more. Along the way, Richard, Joyce's husband, called me from Ohio and we chatted a bit.

I didn't take very many pictures today, but the pic of the day is a nice one: a squash flower with a bug on it:

I walked a total of 6.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 24 November 2017

I got up a little late this morning but still managed to get the trash and recycling taken out and the challah bought before teaching.

I taught 5 units back-to-back this morning, to 2 different groups of students in Spain: 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:45.

For lunch, I had a salad with one chopped up clove of garlic and 3 bean-and-cheese burritos, all with some chili beans and some regular baked beans in tomato sauce. They were quite delicious.

In the afternoon, I took a walk for about 50 minutes and got some very nice pictures. Today's twin pics of the day show the same flower from 2 different angles:

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

I walked a total of 3.2 kilometers today.

Thursday, 23 November 2017

I got up fairly early but didn't go out for a walk. In fact, I didn't go out all day. I've got some kind of cut or break in the skin on my left heel, so I'm staying off of it as much as possible to give it a chance to heal.

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

I had a salad (with 3 cloves of garlic, cut into very small pieces, added) and 2 deviled eggs for lunch.

I finished week 5 of my online course on music as biology. It's a little interesting, but mostly it's things I already know, and I think I could carry quite a few of the teacher's insights much deeper than he seems to.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

I got up fairly early but didn't go out for a walk. I just don't quite feel like bundling up enough for this cooler weather.

I was scheduled to teach 10 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one lesson (2 units) turned out to be a late cancellation, and I was informed about it approximately 15 minutes into the lesson time: 9:15-10:00, 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:30-5:00, 5:45-7:15 (the cancellation), and 7:30-8:15.

Before lunch, I really needed to go to the supermarket because I was out of almost all my vegetables. So I made a fairly big shopping trip and got stocked back up. While I was out, I took a couple of picture of the nearby kikar with the Jordanian mountains in the background and some pretty, fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I had a salad and beans and weenies for lunch. I added a couple of sliced garlic cloves that I had bought at the store to the salad, and it gave it a bit of zip. I also used a mix of mostly regular white beans in tomato sauce and brown beans in chili sauce for the beans and weenies. That made it, too, a bit zippy.

When I found out my 5:45 lesson was cancelled, I immediately decided to go out for an evening walk. It was a bit nippy out, but since I was walking, I was okay with a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops.

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

I got up quite early this morning but didn't go out until I walked to WIZO later in the morning.

We talked about big family celebrations at WIZO today. Of course, we Americans did most of the talking, and most of our stories were about Thanksgiving. The others did join in, though, and they also seemed to enjoy hearing our stories.

Afterwards, I walked back home by a slightly longer route, just enjoying the beautiful day. Today's pic of the day shows the sun just behind a small cloud:

I had salad, shnitzel, and breadsticks for lunch.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today (although the last student had to leave before his 2nd unit): 3:30-5:00, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 3.1 kilometers today.

Monday, 20 November 2017

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

I had a busy teaching day: 12 units (9 full hours): 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

Since I didn't go out at all today, the pic of the day is one I took yesterday, showing the flowers all across the from of someone's house:

I had a salad (without the greens, which had already gone bad) and cheese wrapped in tortillas for lunch.

Sunday, 19 November 2017

I got up early this morning, ate breakfast early, and walked on down to Hannah's to help her be sure she found the driver's license office. Then we walked over to the two health food stores. We each bought a few items before heading back to her place, where we had a lovely, healthy lunch.

I took today's pic of the day on my way to Hannah's. I was lucky enough to catch a bee actually in flight near a flower (on the left)! Here it is:

Before returning home, I was able to stop at the Maccabi pharmacy to pick up my monthly prescriptions and to get a mouse for Goldfinger at the pet store downtown. I decided to take a bus home, though.

The Ichilov Hospital eye department called this morning to reschedule my eye appointment that was to have been on the 27th. Apparently, they'll be closed that day. They wanted me to come this Tuesday, the 21st, but I was pretty sure I couldn't get everything arranged through Maccabi that quickly. So instead, my appointment will be on the 31st of January.

After resting a bit at home, I walked back into town for my echocardiogram at Maccabi. Then I walked back home again and rested some more.

In the evening, I went to our weekly play-reading group at Fay's. I figured I'd walked enough, so I took the ride with Jud, another member who lives not far from me. Tonight, we started reading "The Crucible", a play about the Salem witch trials.

I walked a total 9.8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 18 November 2017

I got up early this morning and met Hannah for a wonderful hike up into the hills. We went to the "picnic" table and flag with a great sweeping view of Eilat, Aqaba, the valley, the gulf, and, of course, the Jordanian mountains. There's also a nice view of White Mountain from there, in the opposite direction. Both of us took lots of pictures. The most unusual thing we saw was something that I would have missed if Hannah hadn't spotted it and pointed it out: a small wildflower — in November — BEFORE the first rains of the season:

We returned to my place from the walk, where we ate some breakfast and hung out for a while. Then we walked down to Hannah's place, where we hung out some more and also did our weekly study of the Torah portion. We also had a lunch of sorts, munching on grapes and bulgarit cheese.

Then I walked back home, where I basically relaxed for the rest of the day. I did talk to Joyce's husband, Richard, at 5:00. Joyce is still in the hospital and very week. They're expecting to move her to a convalescent home on Monday. It will be probably be quite some time before she gets her strength back, unfortunately.

I walked a total of 11.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 17 November 2017

Once again, I went to bed late last night and got up late this morning. I got started on my day a little earlier today, though, and did get a little done. I took out the trash and recycling, and I walked up and bought challah.

I also completed week 4 of my online class about music as biology. Unfortunately, a lot of what he's covering now is very familiar to me, so it's a little boring, but there are a few new and interesting things.

I had a salad and weenies wrapped in tortillas for lunch.

The rest of the day, I was quite lazy.

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

Still later, I went out for a walk around the big loop.

I walked a total of 6.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, 16 November 2017

I got to bed very late again last night and also got up very late this morning. Then I started my day very leisurely.

I really did very little today and just had a relaxing day.

I did week 3 and started week 4 of my online class about music as biology. It's a little slow and repetitive but still very interesting.

In the afternoon, I took a short walk. Today's pic of the day is a view I shot of the flower bed at the top of Canada Gardens:

In the evening, my friends Jeb and Shauli from Be'er Ora took me out to eat at La Cocina, a very nice Italian restaurant on the north beach promenade. We ate outside, and it was both delicious and very enjoyable.

I walked a total of 1.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

I woke up very early, didn't get up for a while, but still got up early.

I spent quite a bit of the day working on an arrangement of "Happy Birthday" for full orchestra. Click here if you'd like to hear the final result.

I also did a little grocery shopping.

In the late morning, I walked down to Fay's to help her and some other people sort through the books she still has that no one has yet taken at her book exchanges. I had to leave early, though, to meet Fonda at the mall to help her a little more with her project. After concluding that successfully, she again treated me to lunch at Café Café there.

In the evening, David and Bassia threw a surprise party for me at their place, with Hannah, Isobel, and Fonda also invited. It was delightful! Today's pic of the day is of my birthday cake:

I walked a total of 9 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

I got to bed quite late last night and up quite late this morning.

At WIZO today, we had a presentation on the Balfour Declaration, and we had more people there than we've had in quite some time.

Afterwards, Hannah treated me to an ice café (basically, a coffee-flavored frozen smoothie, very popular here in Israel) at Shibolim. Then we both walked back to our respective places. On the way, I took some nice photos, including today's pic of the day, some bougainvillea backlit by the sun just down the street from my place:

I had a salad and the last 3 pieces of baklava for lunch today.

In the late afternoon, Hannah came over to my place so we could hang out a bit more and she could love Pascal, too, of course. Then we walked down together to the music conservatory for a very delightful free concert of Baroque chamber music, presented by a group consisting of 2 recorder-players (one Israeli and one Italian), a harpsichordist (American-Israeli, I believe), and an Italian cellist, playing on period instruments. They played 2 piece each by Bach and Telemann, one by Henry Purcell, and one by William Williams.

I walked a total of 6.7 kilometers today.

Monday, 13 November 2017

After breakfast this morning, I put a load of laundry in. Then I relaxed most of the morning, getting little else done except for put the laundry out on the racks to dry.

Just before 1:00 p.m., I met a friend at the mall by the beach to help her with a project, and she treated me to lunch at Café Café there.

Then I walked up to Hannah's and hung out briefly there until we both walked down to Home Center, the health food stores, and Mercaz Big on a shopping trip. Besides some food at the first health food store, I also bought a couple of sheets for my bed. Today's pic of the day is one of the new sheets and its matching pillow case on my bed:

Hannah treated me to a meal at Greg Café at Mercaz Big and to some ice cream when we got back to her place. Then I walked on home.

I walked a total of 12 kilometers today.

Sunday, 12 November 2017

I got up a little late this morning and ate a very light breakfast.

Afterwards, I did some grocery shopping at Elimelech Supermarket.

Then I walked downtown to the WIZO brunch at the Soleil Boutique Hotel. We had a larger group this month, and it was really enjoyable.

From there, I walked over to the beach south of the mall and just relaxed for about an hour. Then I walked back home, pausing to rest several times on the way (it's up, up, up!). Today's pic of the day is a view from where I was at the beach:

In the afternoon, I relaxed and even napped for a while (in bed, no less!).

In the evening, I walked down to Fay's house for our weekly play-reading group. Today, we finished reading the play "The Playboy of the Western World", a famous Irish play that we had started last week.

I walked a total of 7.1 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 11 November 2017

I got up a bit late this morning and relaxed a bit at first.

After breakfast, Hannah came over and hung out with Pascal and me for a while. Today's pic of the day shows Pascal enjoying Hannah's lap:

A little later, Hannah and I walked over to her place for our weekly Torah study, I continued to hang out there with her and munch away on some good food. Then she and I went for a walk over to the cemetery and from there back to my place, where we hung out some more. It was a most enjoyable day!

I talked for a while with Joyce's husband, Richard, and even with Joyce a little, but her voice was too weak to talk much.

In the evening, I walked down to Fay's for her famous book exchange and had a good time, as I alway do at those events. On my walk back home, I treated myself to 3 scoops of ice cream at the little shop at Mercaz Mor.

I walked a total of 9.4 kilometers today.

Friday, 10 November 2017

I got up fairly early this morning but didn't go out for a walk except to take the trash and recycling out and to buy challah.

I taught my regular 5 units of Berlitz lessons this morning: 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:45.

Then my friend, Jeb, from Be'er Ora and his roommate, Shauli, came and picked me up, and we all went to the beach for the afternoon. They had intended to go to Dekel Beach, but it seemed too crowded, so we drove on down the coast to Migdalor ("Lighthouse") Beach, instead. We spent a very pleasant afternoon there, talking and eating a little lunch. The weather was perfect! I sat almost the entire time in the shade, wearing only a tank top, short pants, and flip-flops, and there was quite a bit of wind, too. Then they brought me back home.

Here's a picture I took from the beach, looking up the gulf and across to Aqaba:

I lit candles to welcome Shabbat and spent the evening just relaxing.

I walked a little less than a kilometers (980 meters) today.

Thursday, 9 November 2017

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

I discovered last night that my phone was NOT seeing the WiFi network at all, so after breakfast I walked down to the place that had worked on it. It was apparently a problem with the WiFi antenna, so they took it in and fixed it (and didn't charge me, of course). I walked back home for my morning lesson, and then I walked back down afterwards and picked up the phone, with the WiFi now working fine.

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

After both trips into town, I also walked back home, but by two different and both more circuitous routes. I took today's pic of the day on my second walk back, from the traffic light kikar (Sheshet HaYamim and Argaman), looking up Argaman toward the mountains:

I had a salad, a veggie burger and cheese sandwich, and 3 pieces of baklava for lunch.

I walked a total of about eight and a half kilometers today.