Monday, 31 July 2017

I slept fairly well last night but got up late and rather tired, so I didn't go out for a walk at all.

I taught 10 units of Berlitz lessons today (seven and a half hours): 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

I had a salad, weenies wrapped in tortillas, and corn on the cob for lunch.

Since I didn't go out at all today, I also didn't take any pictures. So, today's pic of the day is a beautiful desert view that I took shortly after sunrise last Shabbat during my morning walk:

Sunday, 30 July 2017

I got up early this morning but didn't immediately go out for my walk. Instead, I timed it so that I would arrive at Maccabi at about the time the lab opened. I had to have blood drawn for my PSA test, so that I can take the results to the oncologist when I have my appointment with him on the 10th. Afterwards, I walked home (since it was not yet very hot out) and ate breakfast. On my walk, a took a number of pictures, including several of a certain kind of red flower that the pollinators were really loving. Today's pic of the day is one of the best shots that I got:

I watched only a couple of episodes of "Friends" today.

In the late morning, I took a bus back into town to try to get a mouse for Goldfinger. Unfortunately, they again didn't have any. I also took the bus back home but stopped first at the market to get a couple of items.

In the afternoon, I decided to pull out my dissertation (from 37 years ago!) and look at it. I read rather quickly and skipped the proofs (my old mind just didn't feeling like trying to follow them). Overall though, I'd say that 27-year-old Arlan did a pretty good job.

In the evening, I went to our weekly play-reading group where we read another play by Strindberg, entitled "The Father".

I walked a total of 5.8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 29 July 2017

I got up this morning around around five thirty or quarter to six, giving me plenty of time to walk around a bit and then up into the desert to get some nice shots of the sunrise from another small hill. I also took some nice photos of the desert shortly after sunrise. On my way home, I took some very nice pictures of bougainvillea, including today's pic of the day:

I enjoyed nice long chats today with David in Tel Aviv (this morning) and Joyce in Ohio (this afternoon).

I watched 3 episodes each of "Two and a Half Men" (episodes 4, 5, and 6) and "Black-ish".

I had my traditional Shabbat lunch: a salad and eggs and rice.

I spent some time today rearranging my Chrome browser bookmarks somewhat more logically and doing a little research on software and online course.

Generally, I just had a relaxing day.

I walked a total of 2.6 kilometers today.

Friday, 28 July 2017

I got up a little after 5:00 this morning and went for a nice walk around the big loop. I only took a few pictures, but today's pic of the day is one of them, showing Aqaba and the gulf about half an hour before sunrise:

Of course, I stopped by the bakery and bought challah before returning home.

Before my first class, I took out the trash and recycling.

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the second lesson (2 units) turned out to be a no-show: 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:30.

I watched 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family" this afternoon.

I had a salad, a shnitzel, and some chocolate for lunch today.

I did the rest of the weekly chores (dusting and sweeping) after lunch and TV viewing.

In the late afternoon, I took a short nap.

This evening, my neighbor, Tony (who lives in the other basement apartment right next to mine), joined me to make Shabbat. I lit candles, and we drank a little sweet red wine and ate some challah to welcome the Shabbat Queen. Afterwards, Tony and I chatted a while before his load of laundry was done.

I walked a total of 6.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, 27 July 2017

I got up a little before 6:00 this morning but still went for a short walk. I managed to get up on top of a small desert hill just in time to photograph the rising sun. I took several pictures, one of which is today's pic of the day:

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 9:15-10:45.

I again watched two episodes each of "Modern Family", "The Big Bang Theory", and "Friends".

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

In the early evening, I did some grocery shopping at the nearest supermarket.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

I got up late this morning and only went for a short walk. I did take a few pictures though, including several of the sunrise. Today's pic of the day is one of them:

I had no Berlitz lesson today at all.

I watched 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory", "Modern Family", and "Friends". In fact, the "Friends" episodes were the very first 2, which I had never seen before. It was nice to see how they started the series off.

I finished my online course, "The Technology of Music Production", today, except for evaluating my classmates' last project. I am required to evaluate 3 classmates, but only 1 other has so far submitted it (since I'm a couple a weeks ahead of schedule).

I did a load of laundry this morning and hung it the corridor to dry. By evening, it was completely dry, so I brought it in. As I was doing so, my neighbor came home from work, and we began chatting. I ended up spending the whole evening in his apartment just chatting and getting acquainted. I've always known that he was a nice guy, and now I know more about his story, which is interesting, and we've become better friends.

I walked a total of 1.6 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 25 July 2017

I got up very early this morning and was out walking by about 2 minutes BEFORE 5:00. I went around the big loop and took a few pictures, including today's pic of the day, a bed of flowers of assorted colors, located along the Nakhal Garuf Promenade:

Even though we had a small group at WIZO this morning, we all really had a good time. Several people shared beautiful stories about childhood friends, many of whom they were still in touch with. This topic proved so rich that I think we'll do it again in order to hear more stories from additional people.

I road the bus to WIZO and back because the weather is really too hot to walk that far in the middle of the day.

I had a large salad and tomato-and-cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 3:00-4:30.

I again watched 2 episodes each of my 2 favorite sitcoms.

I walked a total of 6.6 kilometers today.

Monday, 24 July 2017

I got up just after 5:00 this morning and went out for a nice long walk. First, I walked north on Malkat Shva ("Queen of Sheva") Street to where it comes alongside Harim Road. Then I walked up Harim Road until the next dirt road goes off into the desert. I followed that up to a bicycle trail into the hills and came home that way (and around through Canada Gardens, as well). Of course I took pictures, including today's pic of the day showing the sunrise:

I also took this short video of some ants in the desert:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today (although one 2-unit lesson was actually a no-show): 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30 (the no-show), 5:00-6:30, and 7:00-8:30.

Thanks in part to the no-show, I was able to watch 2 episodes each of my 2 favorite sitcoms.

I had 3 carrots, a beet, a tomato, and beans and weenies for lunch today.

I did some afternoon grocery shopping at the Elimelech Supermarket, the one nearest me.

I walked a total of 4.8 kilometers today.

Sunday, 23 July 2017

I got up at 5:00 this morning and went for a nice walk around the big loop. Of course, I took pictures, including today's pic of the day, taken just after the sun rose:

After breakfast, I headed into town on several errands. First stop was the pharmacy, then the optometrist (to get more glasses-cleaning fluid), then the pet store (unfortunately, no mice this week), and finally the bank. I took a bus back home after that, stopping at the Einat Center market to get a cake for this evening.

I spent quite a bit of time today learning more about synthesizers. I watched the entire week's worth of videos again, this time pausing to actually identify the things he was talking about in the synthesizers I have (in Digital Performer). Then, I wrote a few short phrases to try out some of the many sounds available and to play with various settings in the individual synths.

I had a large salad and a shnitzel for lunch today.

In the evening, I enjoyed our weekly play-reading group. We read the play "The Countess Julie" by August Strindberg.

I walked a total of 8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 22 July 2017

I got up a little late this morning, but I still got out for quite a nice walk up into the desert hills. I took a number of pictures, especially around the time the sun rose. Today's pic of the day is one of them:

In the morning, I really enjoyed a nice, long, wide-ranging conversation with David in Tel Aviv.

In the middle of the day, I watched 3 episodes each of "Two and a Half Men" (the very first 3 of the series) and "Black-ish".

I had a salad with baby greens, half a yellow bell pepper, a cucumber, and a tomato for lunch. I also fixed my usual Shabbat dish: a sort of rice and egg frittata.

In the late afternoon I had my regular conversation with Joyce and her husband in Ohio via Skype. Afterwards, I took another walk, but it was too hot to stay out very long.

I walked a total of 4.6 kilometers today.

Friday, 21 July 2017

I slept very well last night but got up quite late, so I only went for a short walk. I left my apartment just in time to get down to the kikar (roundabout) near here and catch the sun just peeking over the mountains from there, as seen in today's pic of the day:

Before returning home, I made my usual Friday stop at the bakery to buy challah for Shabbat.

After breakfast, I got the trash and recycling taken out, and I did some grocery shopping before my first lesson.

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the 2nd class (2 units) turned out to be a no-show: 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:30.

I had my usual large salad, plus cheese wrapped in tortillas, for lunch today.

In the afternoon, I got the rest of the weekly chores done, watched 2 episodes each of my 2 favorite sitcoms ("Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory"), and spent some time just relaxing in my comfortable IKEA chair.

As the light of day began to fade, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate a little challah to welcome Shabbat.

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Thursday, 20 July 2017

I slept very well last night, got up quite early, and enjoyed a lovely walk around the big loop, slightly altered. My pictures this morning featured the sunrise, beautiful flowers, and views of the sun behind various things, including buildings and clouds. That latter is featured in today's pic of the day, showing the gulf, Aqaba, and the Jordanian mountains:

In the morning, I again enjoyed 2 episodes each of my favorite sitcoms, "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family".

I had a large salad (salad greens, a cucumber, a carrot, half of a yellow bell pepper, a tomato, 1000-island dressing, and sunflower seeds), shnitzel, and a few breadsticks for lunch.

In the afternoon, I was mostly lazy, although I did take another short walk over into the park (Canada Gardens) and back.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 4:30-6:00.

I walked a total of 6.5 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

I slept very well last night, got up quite early, and took a wonderful walk up into the desert hills. About a half-hour before the sun actually came up, there were some spectacular colors in the eastern sky. So naturally I took a lot of pictures. The only hard part was choosing which one would be today's pic of the day:

In the morning, I watched 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family".

For lunch, I had 3 beets and 2 cheese-and-tomato sandwiches.

In the afternoon, I just relaxed and goofed off.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 5:00-6:30.

I walked a total of 4.1 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

I slept well but got up a little tired. Nevertheless, I went out for a walk and even went up into the desert a bit. As always happens up there, I took some beautiful pictures, including a couple of really nice ones of the sunrise. Today's pic of the day is the first one, taken just as the sun peeked over the Jordanian mountains, and it also fortuitously includes 3 crows:

The WIZO meeting was very nice today. In the summer, we usually have a fairly small group because quite a few of our people are only here in the winter. We pulled 3 tables all together and just sat around them talking and telling stories.

I had my usual large salad, plus weenies wrapped in corn tortillas and a few breadsticks, for lunch today.

In the afternoon, I watched 2 episodes each of my 2 favorite sitcoms, "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family".

I was scheduled to teach 3 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the first student (1 unit) actually turned out to be a no-show: 5:00-5:45 and 7:00-8:30.

I walked a total of 2.6 kilometers today.

Monday, 17 July 2017

I got to bed late last night, my sleep was a little bit off, and I got up late, so I didn't go out for a morning walk at all. I'll use yesterday's pic of the sunrise as my pic of the day:

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:45, 12:00-1:30 (this student actually disappeared about 15 minutes into the lesson, probably due to a connection problem, and never returned, but I had to wait, just in case he might return), 3:00-4:30, and 6:30-8:00.

I had a large salad and 2 veggie burger and tomato sandwiches for lunch.

In the after noon, I finally took the week 5 quiz in my music production class for the 4th time and thereby managed to get 100% on it. Then I watched the videos for week 6, which were about synthesizers, how they work, and how to use them.

Before my last class, I did some grocery shopping at the nearest market. That was the only time I ventured out of the apartment today.

I walked a total of 0.28 kilometers (280 meters) today. That tells you something about how close the market is!

Sunday, 16 July 2017

I woke up early this morning, got up, and went for a nice walk around the big loop, somewhat modified. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, a shot of a beautiful flower lit by the morning sun against a background that was still in the shadow of a wall:

After breakfast, I looked up where the local driver's license office is and took a bus there (or, at least as near as the buses go). I needed to find out why my permanent driver's license had not arrived (my temporary one had expired in January). They said it was because they hadn't received my picture from the optometrist's (that's where they take them). I thought that I HAD had it taken there, but I headed over there, in any case. I just missed the bus, so I decided to walk over (in the late morning heat) instead of waiting 20 minutes for the next bus (in the heat). By the time I got there, though, I was really quite overheated. After standing for a few minutes in front of the A/C (they were very busy, so I had to wait my turn anyway) I finally got cooled off. The optometrist remembered taking my picture, too, but she took another one and sent it right away. So, now I should get my permanent license sometime soon.

From there, I walked down to the pet store to get a mouse for Goldfinger. Luckily, they finally had one (a nice, big one) this week (they hadn't the last 2 weeks). Then I walked a short way down the street and took the first bus back home. I think I waited about 5 minutes for it, standing in the shade.

By the time I got home, I was really quite tired from the extreme heat. The mouse, however, had fared far worse; it had died. This had never happened before. Goldfinger didn't come out to get it immediately, as he usually does, but he eventually came out, found it, and ate it with no problem.

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

In the afternoon, I spent quite a bit of time watching the videos for week 5 of my online class, "The Technology of Music Production", and taking the quiz. I passed it, but I didn't get 100%, even on the 3rd try. I can't try again until tomorrow, but I think I will when I can.

I also took a nap for about an hour in my bed this afternoon.

In the evening, I enjoyed our weekly play-reading group. We read a play called "The Outlaw", by Strindberg, which we all agreed was a rather strange one. We also had enough time to discuss at some length about some plays we might read in the future.

After returning home, I watched a couple of episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and then went to bed.

I walked a total of 9.8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 15 July 2017

I slept a little irregularly last night. This is not surprising, considering the nap I took yesterday afternoon. In any case, I got up very early this morning and went for a great walk. I decided NOT to go around the big loop, but I walked about the same distance, though mostly on Harim Road. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, in which the lights along the opposite (Jordanian) shore of the gulf are beautifully reflected in the glassy-smooth water (due to essentially no wind) about an hour before sunrise:

After breakfast, I had a nice phone conversation with David in Tel Aviv. Then a friend came over and we spent some enjoyable time together.

I watched 3 episodes of "Black-ish" (my 3rd favorite sitcom) and 2 of "Modern Family" (my 2nd favorite). There weren't any episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" (my number 1 favorite) on today.

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

In the afternoon, I did my project for week 4 of my online class, "The Technology of Music Production".

The rest of the day, I just relaxed, playing the piano, watching YouTube videos, and playing games on my iPad.

I walked a total of 5.7 kilometers today.

Friday, 14 July 2017

I woke up in the night last night and had trouble getting back to sleep. When I finally did, I quite naturally slept in and got up quite late. I only went out before breakfast to buy challah.

After breakfast, I took out the trash and recycling, did some grocery shopping, and finished the rest of the weekly chores.

I had no Berlitz lessons today. This might have been partly because it was Bastille Day in France, their big national holiday (something like the 4th of July in the U.S.). However, most of the students I've been teaching on Fridays recently have NOT been French, so, who knows?

Today, I again watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory", my favorite sitoms.

For lunch, I had a salad, beans and weenies, and 3 breadsticks.

In the afternoon, I was lazy and even took a nice nap, in bed no less!

In the evening, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate a bit of challah to welcome Shabbat. Today's pic of the day shows my Shabbat candles:

I walked a total of 1 kilometer today.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

I got up a bit late this morning feeling a little tired, but I still went out for a fairly short walk. I took a few pictures, including today's pic of the day, some lovely mixed white and pink bougainvillea (these always fascinate me, and I think they're especially beautiful):

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

I had a large salad and 2 cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I enjoyed 2 episodes each of my 2 favorite sitcoms today (check yesterday's post to see which they are).

Other than that, I just relaxed the rest of the day.

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

I got up quite early this morning and went for a nice walk around the big loop, stopping to pick up a couple of items at the Einat Center market on my way back. It was warm out, and there was very little breeze, but it was still quite pleasant. There was some haze in the air, as you can see from today's pic of the day, showing the sun just after it rose:

I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory". These are definitely my 2 favorite sitcoms currently. I find them both well-done and entertaining.

I had a schnitzel, a little rice, and a large salad for lunch.

I taught only a single 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 5:00-6:30.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed, including a short afternoon walk up to the park and back. Even though it was very hot out, it was quite nice in the shade because of the very low humidity and the breeze. While I was up in the park (Canada Gardens), I made a short video, but when I tried to upload it to this post, there was a problem, I think because it was too big a file. In any case, I posted it publicly on Facebook, which I hope you'll be able to access by clicking here.

I walked a total of 6.7 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and took a wonderful walk up into the desert hills. I even went on some trails I hadn't been on before. I took a dozen pictures, including today's pic of the day, a view of the sunrise:

I took a bus over to this morning's WIZO meeting and enjoyed it very much even though the attendance was fairly small and there was no special program or topic. We just had a nice time chatting with friends.

Afterwards, I stopped and did a little shopping at the Shufersal near there before returning home, also by bus.

In the afternoon, I enjoyed watching 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family".

For lunch, I had carrots, a cucumber, a tomato, cheese wrapped in tortillas, and walnuts.

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

I walked a total of 3.8 kilometers today.

Monday, 10 July 2017

I got up a little late this morning but still went out for a nice walk. I took quite a few pictures, most related in some way to the sun, before, when, or shortly after it rose. Today's pic of the day is one of them:

I was scheduled to teach 7 units of Berlitz lessons today, but I actually ended up teaching 9 units, since I was offered an additional lesson: 9:30-11:45, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 5:30-7:00 (the extra one).

I had a salad and a shnitzel wrapped in a corn tortillas for lunch.

In the evening, I enjoyed a couple of episodes of "Modern Family" before going to bed.

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Sunday, 9 July 2017

I got up a little late this morning, but I still went out for a lovely walk. After walking northwest to Harim Road, I decided to head on into the desert and caught the sunrise from there. I took quite a few pictures, including today's pic of the day (with my shadow in it, in fact):

After breakfast, I took a bus into town to try to get a mouse for Goldfinger, but they still didn't have any, so I immediately took another bus back home.

Later in the morning, I did some grocery shopping.

I had a yellow bell pepper, a large carrot, and veggie burger sandwiches with mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, cheese, and tomato for lunch.

In the afternoon, I did a very small amount of work on my symphony. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to use the graphic tools to edit the expression, but it's not as easy as I had thought.

In the evening, I enjoyed our weekly play-reading group. This evening, we read a short bio of the Swedish playwright, August Strindberg, and then we read one of his short plays, "The Stronger".

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers.

Shabbat, 8 July 2017

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

Since I didn't go out of the apartment at all today, I hadn't taken any pictures. So this evening I decided to take a picture of the Magen of David that my David z"l made a number of years before I even met him. It now sits proudly on the shelf in my kitchen:

I had a nice conversation with my friend, David, in Tel Aviv this morning over the phone (too many "Davids"!).

I enjoyed 3 episodes each of "Black-ish" and "Modern Family" on TV today.

I had a large salad (salad greens base, carrot, half a yellow bell pepper, cucumber, 2 tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and 1000-island dressing), eggs and rice, and breadsticks for lunch.

In late afternoon, I talked with Joyce and her husband in Ohio.

In the early evening, I did some work on the 2nd movement of my symphony.

Friday, 7 July 2017

I got up extremely early this morning because I was wide awake. I was out on my walk by about 4:20. I went around the big loop, somewhat extended in several places. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, the sunrise:

I got to the bakery so early that the challah wasn't ready yet, so I ended up having to go back later in the morning, after breakfast and taking out the trash and recycling.

I also took a short nap and got the weekly chores done before my one Berlitz lesson (2 units): 11:30-1:00.

I enjoyed watching 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family".

I had 2 tomatoes, a carrot, corn on the cob, and weenies wrapped in tortillas for lunch.

In the afternoon, I got some work done on my symphony. I decided it might be nice to switch the roles of the string and woodwind sections for the return of the first section at the end, and so I worked on that.

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

I walked a total of 7 kilometers today.

Thursday, 6 July 2017

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

I taught 5 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:30-11:45 (actually finished at 11:30 because we don't take breaks with this group by their request) and 4:30-6:00.

After my morning lesson, I caught a but into town for my appointment at Maccabi with an ophthalmologist. I'd been intending to get in to see one for quite some time, and I finally went onto the Maccabi website a couple of days ago to schedule an appointment. Normally, one would have to wait several weeks, but apparently someone had canceled, because there was an appointment available at 12:15 today, which I quickly grabbed.

I was quite sure that I had had a cataract on my left eye for some time and that one was now developing on my right eye, as well. It turns out that BOTH of them are "ripe" enough for me to get them removed, which delights me! Within a few months, my vision should be MUCH better, and, for the first time since I was in elementary school, I may not need glasses or other correction except for seeing close up. That will certainly be an amazing change!

The doctor also dilated my pupils in order to do a thorough check of both my eyes (and found no other problems). This meant, though, that it seemed VERY bright when I went outside, even with my sunglasses. I decided to eat lunch at the falafel place just up the street from Maccabi in order to spend more time inside before continuing.

After eating, I walked down to the pet store (Dagidog) to see if they had any mice (they didn't). I dawdled along the way at a couple of stores, just to spend still more time inside. When I DID walk outside, I kept my eyes nearly closed to minimize the brightness. After one more stop (at the bank), I caught the bus back home.

Gradually over the afternoon my pupils returned to normal and my vision improved. I was still able to enjoy a couple of episodes of "Modern Family". Luckily, I was able to see well enough by 4:30 to teach my lesson then.

The only picture I took today was a shot a few minutes ago of Pascal sitting in front of the microwave on the table next to my desk:

I walked 1.4 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

I got up quite early this morning and took a nice walk around the big loop. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day, featuring the recently risen sun hiding just behind a building:

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30 and 3:15-4:45.

I watched 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory", "That '70s Show", and "Modern Family".

For lunch, I had a salad and cheese in tortillas.

Other than that, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.1 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

I got up early this morning but didn't go out for a walk, at least partly because of the extreme heat we've been having lately. Today was supposed to be the peak of it, though, for now, with a the high predicted at 44ºC (111ºF).

I enjoyed a nice chat this morning with David in Tel Aviv. It's hot up there, too, and humid, as well. Of course, their temperatures are much lower.

I took the bus over to WIZO and back afterwards today. We had a small group, and, interestingly, mostly Americans. We even had a round of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in honor of the 4th of July, but then we placated the Brits by also belting out "God Save the Queen". In any case, we all had a nice time just chatting.

I watched 2 episodes each of "The Big Bang Theory" and "That '70s Show" this afternoon.

I had a salad, a shnitzel, and 4 breadsticks for lunch.

I taught just one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 3:30-5:00.

In the early evening, I did some grocery shopping at the local supermarket. On my way there, I took today's pic of the day, some of the delicate lovely flowers that are always so beautiful:

I walked only 870 meters today.

Monday, 3 July 2017

I got up very early this morning, but I never even left my apartment during the whole day. So, today's pic of the day is one of some beautiful flowers that I took on my walk Shabbat morning:

I was scheduled to teach 9 units of Berlitz lessons today, but one student (2 units) turned out to be a no-show: 9:30-11:45, 12:00-1:30 (the no-show), 4:30-6:00, and 6:30-8:00.

I had a salad and beans and rice and weenies for lunch.

After lunch, I watched all the video lectures and got 100% on the quiz for week 3 of my online class in music production, thereby completing the whole week's work.

Sunday, 2 July 2017

Since I didn't take any pictures today, today's pic of the day is actually yesterday's sunrise:

I got up early this morning, and tired. I ate breakfast right away so that I could later go and feed Isobel's cats on my way to an appointment with my family doctor at 8:00.

From the doctor's office (Maccabi in Shakhamon) I took the number 5 bus into town. I tried to buy a mouse, but they didn't have any. Then I walked up to MaccbiPharm to pick up a couple of prescriptions. Finally, I rode the number 2 bus back home, where I relaxed most of the day.

In the afternoon, though, I went down to David Furman's house (he picked me up and brought me back afterwards) to do a small amount of work for him. Then I fed Isobel's cats one final time and went home to relax and cool off for a few minutes.

In the evening, I enjoyed our weekly play-reading group. We finished reading "Ondine", by French playwright Giraudoux, today.

I walked a total of 4.4 (HOT) kilometers today (the predicted high for Eilat today was 44ºC = 111ºF)!

Shabbat, 1 July 2017

I slept well last night, got up early this morning, and went for a nice walk around the big loop. I took a number of pictures along the way, of course. The majority of them featured a murder of crows that was following me for a short while. Today's pic of the day is the best shot I got of them:

I had a great conversation this morning with David in Tel Aviv.

I managed to do my project of the week for my online class in music production. It was a short document teaching about timbre. If your interested, you can click here to read it.

I watched 3 episodes each of "Black-ish" and "Modern Family".

I had my traditional Shabbat lunch: a salad, and eggs and rice.

In the late afternoon, I talked with Joyce in Ohio, who is gradually getting her strength back, and I walked over and fed Isobel's cats.

I walked a total of 6.9 kilometers today.