Thursday, 31 August 2017

I slept well last night, got up fairly early, and took a good walk around the big loop. I took several pictures and couldn't decide which of these two should be pic of the day, so I'll share them both:

After breakfast, I walked into town to pick up the rest of my monthly prescriptions from the pharmacy. While I was there, I also checked for some other things in the stores, including a mouse for Goldfinger (which they did NOT have). Then I caught a bus back home.

I got to work today on my project for week 4 of "Pro Tools Basics". I decided to record myself singing "Achat Sha'alti". First, I recorded the tune into MIDI (using my little keyboard) and made sure it was all lined up with the beats. Then I recorded myself singing along with it (being careful to turn off the fans and the A/C to avoid unwanted background noise). The next step was to create a bass line to go with it. I had a surprising amount of trouble with this, but eventually I got it all in the way it should be. I think I still need to add more to it, but I haven't decided just what yet.

I watched 2 episodes each of "Friends", "Modern Family", and "The Big Bang Theory" again today.

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

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

I walked a total of 8.7 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

I slept very well last night, but I also didn't get up until quite late and so didn't go out for a walk at all.

Since I didn't take any photos today, today's pic of the day will actually be TWO shots that I took yesterday of a bunch of bougainvillea, one backlit by the sun, and the other in the opposite direction:

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45, 12:00-1:30, 2:30-4:00, and 5:00-6:30.

In the morning, I went over to the local supermarket and bought some groceries. I also watched a couple of episodes of "Modern Family" on TV.

I had a large salad and two vegan shnitzels for lunch.

After my last class, I took a short walk, but it was still quite warm, so I decided not to walk very far.

In the evening, I watched two episodes each of "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory".

I walked a total of 2 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 29 August 2017

I got up late and sore (from my work-out yesterday), so I didn't go out for a walk.

I did walk to WIZO later, though. I took several pictures along the way, including today's pic of the day, some bougainvillea down the street from me:

The WIZO meeting was nice today. After free conversation, we started out telling stories about cousins and then drifted to other topics. But we did mostly maintain order during that part, with one person at a time speaking. It was really enjoyable!

After WIZO, I walked into to town to pic up some prescriptions from the pharmacy and do a small amount of shopping at the nearby Shufersal. Then I took the bus back home.

I had cheese wrapped in tortillas and a salad consisting of a carrot, a cucumber, half of a red bell pepper, 2 small tomatoes, 1000-island dressing, and sunflower seeds.

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

In the evening, I pampered myself with 2 episodes each of "Modern Family", "Friends", and "The Big Bang Theory".

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Monday, 28 August 2017

I slept well but got up rather late this morning. I still went out for a short walk, and I also spent some time working out at the outdoor gym, which I hadn't done in some time. I took today's pic of the day shortly after going out, catching the sun just as it came up over the mountains and over my local supermarket:

I was scheduled to teach 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the first two 2-unit lessons both turned out to be no-shows: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 5:00-6:30.

For lunch, I had a carrot, a cucumber, half a red bell pepper, 2 tomatoes, beans and rice, and 2 beets.

I walked a total of 2.2 kilometers today.

Sunday, 27 August 2017

I got up a little late this morning but just in time to walk down to meet Hannah, after which we walked back to my place together. We chatted, she ate breakfast, and she enjoyed petting Pascal, who really warmed up to her and sat on her lap a couple of times. This is great for both of them!

After that, Hannah and I both took the bus into town. I helped her a little with her grocery shopping (including carrying some of it home for her). After chatting some more and cooling off at her place, I walked over to the optometrist's to get a minor thing fixed on my glasses and then headed down to the pet shop. On the way, I took some pictures of lovely bougainvillea. One of them is today's pic of the day:

They didn't have any mice today, but I also needed to get cat litter. Since they only do delivers for orders of 100 or more shekels, I also got another bag of cat food, even though I just bought one last week. Then they agreed to deliver it all between 5:00 and 7:00 (and got here at about 6:00).

I took the bus back home, rested, and then ate lunch: included a carrot, 2 tomato-and-cheese sandwiches, and some additional bread and cheese.

I watched 2 episodes of "Friends" in the afternoon.

In the evening, I did some grocery shopping at my local market.

Other than those things, I just relaxed today.

I walked a total of 5.7 kilometers (about equivalent to a walk around the big loop).

Shabbat, 26 August 2017

I got up late this morning and, in fact, was lazy pretty much all day. Since I didn't go out or take any pictures, today's pic of the day is one I took on my walk in the hills yesterday morning:

I watched 3 episodes of "Two and a Half Men".

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

In the early evening, I talked with Joyce in Ohio.

Friday, 25 August 2017

I got up early this morning and went for quite a long walk. I started in the city, but I went up a road into the desert when it was almost light enough to see. By the time I got up to the bicycle trail, it was definitely light enough. I took several pictures, most of views I had photographed before but which are so beautiful that I can hardly resist shooting them again. Besides, the lighting is always different. The sun didn't come up until after I had gotten back into the city, but I got some cool pics of it from right by the outdoor gym. Today's pic of the day is one of them:

When I stopped by the bakery on my way back from my walk, the challah had still not arrived, so I had to return there later (after breakfast) to get them. Luckily, I remembered to do so!

After breakfast, I took out the trash and materials for recycling, as I try to do every Friday.

At the beginning of the day, I was scheduled to teach only a single 2-unit lesson, but around 9:30 the office contacted me to ask if I'd like to do another one (something probably came up to keep the originally scheduled teacher from doing it). In fact, I actually ONLY taught the new one, as the original one turned out to be a no-show (I still get paid for it, of course): 10:30-12:00 and 12:00-1:30 (the no-show).

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

I got the rest of my regular weekly chores done in the afternoon.

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

I managed to figure out how to record into Pro Tools using my computer's built-in microphone. This will allow me to do the assignment for week 4 of my class without having to buy a mic and an interface for it.

As the light began to fade from our lovely valley, I lit candles to welcome Shabbat. Then I walked over to my friend Hannah's place for kiddush (wine and bread with special blessings for Shabbat) and a lovely Shabbat dinner.

I walked a total of 9.6 kilometers today.

Thursday, 24 August 2017

I didn't get up until 6:00 this morning, but I still went out for a fairly short walk. I went up into the hills near town and took several nice pictures, including today's pic of the day, of the sunrise:

I watched the rest of the videos for week 4 of my online class, "Pro Tools Basics".

I also watched 2 episodes each of "Friends", "Modern Family", and "The Big Bang Theory" on TV.

I had a big salad and a vegan shnitzel for lunch, plus some delicious grapes for dessert.

I was scheduled to teach 4 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the second 2-unit lesson turned out to be a late cancellation: 4:30-6:00 and 7:00-8:30.

The rest of the day, I mostly just relaxed.

I walked a total of 2 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 23 August 2017

I got to bed late last night and slept well, but I also got up late this morning, so I only went for a short walk. I did get outside, though, just in time to catch the sunrise from a spot just down the street from my gate, yielding today's pic of the day:

I had my annual performance review for Berlitz today, and it really went very well.

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

I had a lovely large salad and cheese wrapped in whole-wheat tortillas for lunch.

I started watching the videos for week 4 of my online class, "Pro Tools Basics".

I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "Friends".

I walked a total of 1.4 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

I got up early this morning and was out walking a few minutes before 5:00. I went around the big loop, even somewhat extended, and took several pictures along the way, including today's pic of the day, lonely Venus over Eilat and Aqaba. She was abandoned by the moon as the latter took off for an affair with the sun (which some of you in North America witnessed):

I took the bus over to the WIZO meeting this morning. We had our usual friendly conversations, and then several of us shared "only in Israel" stories (and a few others, as well). I did a little shopping at the Shufersal near WIZO before catching the bus back home.

I had beans and weenies and a salad made of tomato, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, carrot, 1000-island dressing, and sunflower seeds for lunch.

I taught two 2-unit Berlitz classes today: 3:00-4:30 and 5:00-6:30.

In the evening, I did some more grocery shopping at my local market, and then I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family", "Friends", and "The Big Bang Theory".

I walked a total of 8.4 kilometers today.

Monday, 21 August 2017

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

I was scheduled to teach two 2-unit Berlitz lessons today, but both actually turned out to be no-shows (for which I still get paid, of course): 12:00-1:30 and 6:00-7:30.

I had a large salad and cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I got quite a bit done today. I did a load of white laundry, I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory", and I worked on this week's project for my online class, "Pro Tools Basics". I decided to enter a 2-part invention that I wrote when I was in college and have it played by some interesting electronic instruments. I may yet tweak it some more, but it's basically ready now.

I didn't go out walking today, but I did take a picture of the guys busily working on the nearby kikar (roundabout). Because of the recent work on the sewer and water lines, it had been all torn up, so now they're repaving it with new bricks, a process by which the guys put the bricks in place one-by-one. So, here's today's pic of the day, showing them working, as seen from my yard:

I walked a total of only 150 meters today.

Sunday, 20 August 2017

I got up before 5:00 this morning and started out for my walk. I took a couple of pictures of Venus and the moon in the early morning sky over Aqaba, both well before sunrise. Together, they are today's pics of the day:

I had asked Hannah to meet me at 6:00 at the end of Sheshet HaYamim, but her alarm didn't go off, so she didn't wake up until I finally called her at about 6:15. She then quickly got dressed and got a taxi over, and we continued my walk together, back to my place via Harim Road. So I completed my walk around the big loop.

I invited her to eat breakfast with me, and then we took the bus over to her place. After resting a bit, we headed out walking down HaTmarim on some errands. First, we stopped at the central bus station, and she got her Rav Kav card (mostly for riding the buses, but it can also be used for trains and buses all around Israel). Then we walked back up, stopping at the pet store so I could buy food for Pascal and at the new Shufersal near Maccabi, where I helped get her better oriented to products in the grocery stores in Israel that she might like.

After resting a little at her house, we took a bus down to the center where Home Center is, looked around 2 or 3 stores there, and then walked over to Mercaz Big, where we checked out several more stores and ate lunch at Greg Café. I had their fatoush salad, which I really love.

My main purpose today was to help Hannah get acquainted with the places in Eilat where she can get various things she might need.

We took a taxi from there back to her place, where I relaxed for a while before catching the bus back home. I was really tired, so I just relaxed the rest of the day and even took a short nap.

In the evening, I fed Goldfinger the mouse that I had set out in the morning to thaw for him.

I walked a total of 12.3 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 19 August 2017

I woke up very early this morning. I got up at 4:20 and started walking at 4:30. I went around the big loop and was back home before the sun even came up. I did get several shots of the colors in the sky before sunrise, though, including today's pic of the day:

I talked with David in Tel Aviv this morning, and we had a nice conversation.

I watched 3 episodes of "Two and a Half Men".

I had my usual Shabbat lunch: a large salad and my egg-and-rice frittata.

Mostly, though, I was just lazy and relaxed.

I walked a total of 6.6 kilometers today.

Friday, 18 August 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and went for a nice walk in the hills and partly in town, as well. I took 3 pictures, one of which, a view of the moon and Venus over the valley well before sunrise, is today's pic of the day:

On the way back from my walk, I stopped to buy challah at the bakery (after pausing to catch a shot of the sunrise from the parking lot).

After breakfast, I took out the trash and recycling.

I was scheduled to teach three 2-unit lessons of Berlitz today, back-to-back, but the first student turned out to be a no-show: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00, and 12:00-1:30.

After I finished teaching, I did a little grocery shopping.

Before eating lunch, I even took a short nap in my chair.

I had a large salad, a vegan shnitzel, and 4 breadstick for lunch.

For the rest of the afternoon, I was quite lazy. I did manage to get the dusting and sweeping done, though. Then, my neighbor (in the other basement unit right next to mine) invited me over for a screwdriver (orange juice and vodka), and we sat and enjoyed a nice chat.

As the light faded in our hot but beautiful valley, I lit candles, drank a little sweet red wine, and ate some challah to welcome Shabbat. Here is the blessing of the wine and of the Shabbat, with my translation:

ברוך אתה, יי אלוהינו, מלך העולם, בוראי פרי הגפן

ברוך אתה, יי אלוהינו, מלך העלום, אשר קידשנו במצוותיו ורצוונו

ושבת קודשו באהבה וברצון הנחלתנו, זכרון למעשי ברישית

כי הוא יום תחילה למקראי קודש, זכר ליציית מצרים

כי בנו בחרת ואותנו קידשת מכל העמים

ושבת קודשך באהבה וברצון הנחלתנו

ברוך אתה, מקדש הבשבת

How welcome are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine!

How welcome are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe! You have set us apart with Your commandments and shown us favor,

And have with love and favor bequeathed to us the shabbat of Your Holiness, a memorial to the acts of creation,

Because it is the primary day of all the holy days, a reminder of the exodus from Egypt,

Because You have chosen us and set us apart from all the peoples,

And with love and favor have bequeathed to us the shabbat of Your Holiness.

How welcome are You, Sanctifier of the shabbat!

I walked a total of 4.3 kilometers today.

Thursday, 17 August 2017

I slept well and long last night, and I didn't get up until about 6:40. Since I didn't go for a walk this morning, I'll use one of yesterday's flower shots, showing salmon-colored bougainvillea backlit by the early sun, for today's pic of the day:

I taught one 2-units Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-10:30.

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

For lunch, I had a salad of carrot, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, and tomato, with 1000-island dressing and sunflower seeds. I also had cheese slices wrapped in whole wheat tortillas.

I submitted my project for week 2 and evaluated some classmates' projects for my online class, "Pro Tools Basics". Then I did all of week 3 except for the project.

I walked a total of only 160 meters today.

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

I got up early this morning and went for a nice walk in the hills. I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day of the sunrise:

After returning home and resting a bit, I walked down to Maccabi to make an appointment with the nurses for my Holter monitor test (a 24-hour heart monitor that I've done twice before). It will be on the 4th of September.

After leaving Maccabi, I walked across the street to the new Shufersal there and bought a 6-pack of PepsiMax. Then I caught a bus back home.

I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "Friends" today.

In the middle of the day, I met my friend, Hannah, and we took the bus over to Ice Mall. She had never been there before, so I showed her around, and she treated me to lunch at Café Café. I had their "American Veggie Burger", and it was quite good.

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 6:00-7:30.

I walked a total of 7.1 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

I got up very early this morning but didn't go out for a walk. Instead, I ate breakfast early and prepared for my day.

I took a bus down to the Maccabi office to find out what I could do regarding getting cataract surgery, since I had called the Asuta Hospital and found out that they had no appointments. They told me I could go to the Ichilov Hospital instead (the one where I had my prostate surgery) and gave me the number (which I actually already had). When I called Ichilov, I was able to get an appointment for the 27th of November, so I'm satisfied with that. This is the necessary appointment BEFORE an actual surgery can be scheduled, of course.

I took today's pic of the day in front of the Maccabi office:

I met my friend, Hannah, there at Maccabi and we went together, partly walking and partly by bus, to Fay's house for the English speakers' meeting there. Hannah is new in town, so she had never been to Fay's before.

The meeting was very enjoyable. After an hour or so of free conversation, we had a more organized sharing, where people told stories about interesting experiences with doctors, dentists, nurses, and other medical workers. We got lots of good stories, and I think everyone had a good time.

I walked part way with Hannah (so she wouldn't get lost) and then I took a bus back home.

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

I had eaten quite a few goodies at Fay's house, so I didn't eat lunch at home. Later in the day, though, I did feel a bit hungry, so I made myself a nice large salad.

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

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers today.

Monday, 14 August 2017

I got up early this morning and ate breakfast early so that I could get to my 8:00 appointment with the cardiologist. Along the way, I took a few pictures, including today's pick of the day, some Sdom apple blossoms with a visitor:

Even though my EKG was completely normal, the cardiologist is still a little worried that I could have an episode of atrial fibrillation that might throw an embolism into my brain, so he doesn't yet want me to stop taking the Coumadin, and he wants me to do another holter test (wearing a heart monitor for 24 hours). So, I went over to the pharmacy to get a refill on Coumadin, since I was almost out of it.

Then I walked down the street to see if I could get a mouse for my snake at the pet store. It turned out that they had 2 frozen ones, so I was delighted. I prefer to feed him frozen mice (after thawing them) instead of live ones, but usually I can't get frozen ones. I came back home by bus, put one of the mice in the freezer, and put the other one out to thaw, feeding it to Goldfinger later in the day.

I was scheduled to teach four 2-unit Berlitz lessons today, but the first two both turned out to be no-shows, giving me a little time to do some other things: 10:15-11:45, 12:00-1:00, 2:30-4:00, and 6:30-8:00.

One of the other things I did was some grocery shopping before lunch.

I had a nice big salad and cheese wrapped in tortillas for lunch.

In the afternoon, I watched 2 episode of "The Big Bang Theory". I also played around some more with the instruments for my 30-second piece for the week 2 project in my "Pro Tools Basics" course.

I walked a total of 3 kilometers today.

Sunday, 13 August 2017

I got up about 5:30 this morning but didn't go out for a walk. Instead, I ate breakfast early and then walked down to Maccabi early in order to be there when the office opened. I needed to get the Asuta Hospital number in order to schedule an appointment before my cataract surgery. I got that quite quickly.

On my walk down there, I took several great flower pictures, including today's pic of the day:

Next, I walked down to the pet shop and waited for them to open, only to find out that they STILL don't have any mice. So, I walked down to the central bus station stop and took the next bus back home.

When I got back, I put a load of washing in the machine. I was able to include everything in my hamper except for the whites.

I watched 2 episode of "Friends", including the one where Ross's son, Ben, is born.

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

I spent most of the rest of the day playing around with the amazing sounds in Xpand2, the synthesizer that came with Pro Tools. Finally, I chose 3 of them to create the 30 seconds required for my week 2 assignment in "Pro Tools Basics", my online class. I think I like it now, but I haven't yet actually recorded and submitted it.

I walked a total of 2.5 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 12 August 2017

This morning I got up very early, and a new friend, Hannah, joined me for a walk a little ways up into the hills. It was a nice walk, and it was fun to get to know Hannah, too. She's a new immigrant from America.

Later in the morning, I had my usual enjoyable phone conversation with David in Tel Aviv.

I watched 3 episodes of "Two and a Half Men" today.

I had my traditional salad and egg/rice frittata for lunch.

In the afternoon, I took a fairly short walk around through Canada Gardens, just to get out of the house a bit. It was too hot, of course, to stay out very long. I took today's pic of the day during this walk, some bougainvillea just up the street:

In the late afternoon, I had my regular weekly talk with Joyce in Ohio via Skype.

I spent quite a bit of time on my new class (called "Pro Tools Basics", the 3rd in the Music Production sequence) today. I watched the rest of the videos for week 2, and poked around in the Xpand2 synthesizer that comes with Pro Tools, checking out the huge variety of sounds that are pre-programmed into it.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.6 kilometers today.

Friday, 11 August 2017

I got up quite early this morning but didn't go out for a walk because of the huge amount of walking I did yesterday. I did go up and buy challah for Shabbat, though, and managed to grab today's pic of the day, of the sun rising as seen from the road near the bakery:

After breakfast, I took out the trash and recycling. Later in the day, I did the other weekly chores.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz today: 10:00-11:30.

Before lunch, I did a little grocery shopping. I went up to the market slightly further from my place because the credit card scanner at the nearer one has been having a lot of trouble reading my card. It seems to work fine everywhere else, though.

I had a salad with added tomato, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, carrot, and sunflower seeds, plus weenies wrapped in tortillas, for lunch.

I walked a total of 1.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, 10 August 2017

I woke up and got up very early this morning even though I didn't have to leave all that early at all. I ate breakfast early and started walking down to the airport at about 7:20. My flight left at about 9:15.

When I got to Tel Aviv, it wasn't all that hot, and most of my route would be in the shade, so I decided to walk to the hospital. I went at a quite leisurely pace, stopping to take pictures and to rest several times. I still arrived at the hospital more than an hour before my appointment time, which was 12:40.

I didn't actually get in and see the doctor until about an hour AFTER my appointment time. I got good news, however. He didn't see any reason why I should have radiation. He just told me to come back to see him in 6 months with results from the PSA test then. This was quite a pleasant surprise for me!

After that, I walked over to the mall that is adjacent to the hospital and had a calzone (at least I think that's what they call it) for lunch. It was delicious!

It still wasn't too hot, so I decided to at least start walking back towards the airport. This time, I took even more rest stops, and longer ones, too. I even lay down on one bench in the shade for a few minutes. I also stopped at a supermarket along the way and bought a couple of Reese's Cups and a Coke Zero. I ended up walking all the way to the airport!

When I arrived at the airport, I found that I could get a flight back nearly an hour earlier than I had originally scheduled, so, of course, I took it. While I waited for it, I bought a nice tray of cut vegetables (red bell peppers, carrot, and cucumber) and cherry tomatoes, with a little bit of soft cheese dip.

We left Tel Aviv at about 7:00 and arrived in Eilat at 7:44. I took a bus about half the way up the hill, but decided to get out and walk rather than go on the extensive tour of Shakhamon (I was on the number 1 bus, which came by the airport about 20 minutes before the next bus, number 6, was scheduled to arrive). That way, I got home a little sooner.

I took a LOT of pictures today, mostly of flowers in Tel Aviv. However, I chose this picture of the sun behind some clouds over the Mediterranean Sea (that I took as we taxied before take-off on the return flight) as my pic of the day:

I walked a total of 11.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

I got up early this morning and was out on my walk around the big loop before 5:00. I didn't take a lot of pictures because it was so early, but I did take some, including a couple of the sunrise. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00, 12:00-1:30, and 2:30-4:00.

I had corn on the cob, a carrot, a tomato, a cucumber, half of a yellow bell pepper, and a vegan shnitzel for lunch today.

After my teaching, I spent some time going through my medical paperwork to make sure that I take everything relevant with me tomorrow when I go to see the oncologist.

I got a call from Klei Zemer that my MIDI keyboard was in. In fact, they had 2 of them. I finally decided to buy the smaller one, even though it was a little more expensive. I also picked up a USB hub because I'm beginning to run out of USB ports on my computer. I took buses into town and back because it was still too hot to be out walking that much.

I walked a total of 7.2 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 8 August 2017

I got up quite early this morning, but I went for a fairly short walk. As I got to the edge of town, I looked up, and there was the full moon, just about ready to set. I took some pictures, but, as is usual with moon pictures, they tended to be fuzzy and not NEARLY as beautiful as the moon actually looked. On the other hand, I took a couple of very lovely pictures of pink-and-white bougainvillea before sunrise on my walk back home, one of which is today's pic of the day:

I ate breakfast a bit earlier than usual, since I knew I'd be eating lunch earlier, too.

We had a nice time at WIZO today. The group in the summer tends to be quite small, but consists of us rather hard-core people. We heard several people's stories today, mostly about childhood friends, but also some other interesting personal stories. I think we all had an enjoyable time.

After WIZO, our play-reading group headed down to the Il Pentolino restaurant for an end-of-season celebratory lunch. A couple of other WIZO people also joined us, and that, too, was a lot of fun.

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

I really enjoyed a couple of episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" this afternoon.

I walked a total of 3.1 kilometers today.

Monday, 7 August 2017

I got up at about 5:00 this morning and took a nice walk around the big loop, with some variations. I took several pictures along the way. Perhaps the most unusual is of a bug I don't think I've seen before. It was quite large, probably some kind of grasshopper or locust, and it was just sitting quietly on the Nakhal Garuf Promenade. Only some very small twitches let me know that it was even alive:

I taught only one 2-unit Berlitz lesson today: 10:00-11:30.

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

I had a salad (without salad greens, which I had to throw away because they had gone bad) and tomato-and-cheese sandwiches for lunch.

In the late afternoon, I took a bus down to Maccabi and got my EKG done in preparation for my appointment with the cardiologist, which is next Monday. The results were completely normal.

Today, I finished my online Coursera course, "The Technology of Music Production", with an overall score of 98.3%. Then I started the next course in the sequence, call "Pro Tool Basics". I already did the first week's work on the new course and have begun the second week, including setting up the Avid Pro Tools software that I need to use.

I walked a total of 7.3 kilometers today.

Sunday, 6 August 2017

I got up early this morning, but I didn't go out for a walk. Instead, I ate an early light breakfast, just to hold me over until brunch.

I walked downtown to the monthly WIZO brunch at the Soleil Boutique Hotel, near the airport. As always, it was very enjoyable. Before going in, I shot yet another video of a plane landing, always cool to watch:

Afterwards, I walked over to the mall and window-shopped a bit before taking a bus up to the bank and the pet store. Unfortunately, the latter did NOT have any mice today.

I took another bus back home, where I spent the rest of the day relaxing, watching a couple of episodes from the first season of "Friends", and even taking a nap. I also did some grocery shopping at the Elimelech Supermarket.

I walked a total of 4.4 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 5 August 2017

I got up about quarter to 5:00 this morning and was out walking before 5:00. At first, I walked north in the city, but then I headed out into the desert. It was still very dark out, but, before long, the earliest light of day began to appear. I took a lot of pictures along the way, including two of the sunrise, but today's first pic of the day is a view of Aqaba with the light just beginning in the sky above the mountains behind. You can also see the morning star (Venus, according to what I was able to find on the web) near the top left:

I'm going to post a second pic of the day today, as well, taken a few minutes after sunrise. This one shows a prehistoric cultic and burial site on a hill just across Harim Road from the outdoor gym. According to the sign posted there (in Hebrew only), it was from some time in the 7th or 6th millenium BCE. This is more than TWICE as long ago as King David!

Later in the morning, I talked on the telephone for quite some time with David in Tel Aviv. We always both enjoy our conversations.

I had my traditional Shabbat lunch today, an egg-and-rice frittata and a large salad.

I watched only one sitcom today, the season 3 finale of Black-ish. I had actually seen it before (which I didn't know until it started), but it was worth watching again because it was a particularly good one.

The rest of the day, I just relaxed and took it easy.

I walked a total of 4.9 kilometers today.

Friday, 4 August 2017

I got up early this morning and went for a nice walk around the big loop, taking several pictures. The first one, showing a lighted topiary figure of a woman dancer, was taken well before sunrise at the roundabout above the hospital and is today's pic of the day:

Of course I stopped by the bakery on my way back and bought challah for Shabbat.

After breakfast, I took out the trash and the things to be recycled.

I watched 3 episode of "Two and a Half Men" and 2 episodes each of "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory".

I had no Berlitz lessons today. The two 2-unit lessons that had been scheduled were both canceled (and early enough NOT be be late cancellation). That should have left me with lots of time to get things done, but, instead, I just seemed to be almost completely unmotivated to do anything. I didn't even do the rest of the weekly chores. Oh well.

I had a nice salad and slices of cheese wrapped in tortillas for lunch. I also ate more of my beloved carob/peanut spread than I should have. LOL

Finally, in the afternoon, I just lay down and took a nice nap.

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

I walked a total of 6.9 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

I slept well last night and woke up early this morning, but I felt tired, so I didn't get up until a while later. Then I went out for a walk but not a long one. On my way back, I took a picture of the work they're doing (replacing a sewer line) just down the street from me, now at the roundabout:

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:15-11:45, 12:00-1:30, and 6:00-7:30. I also attended the "brown bag" meeting of Berlitz instructors (4:00-5:00 p.m.) that they like us to go to, although they can't force us since they're not willing to pay us for it.

For lunch, I had a salad made of the following cut vegetables: a cucumber, 5 small radishes, a carrot, half of a large yellow bell pepper, and a tomato. I also added 1000-island dressing and sunflower seeds. In addition, I had a vegan shnitzel.

The rest of the day, I mostly just relaxed.

I walked a total of 2.3 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 1 August 2017

August is off to a good start! After a good night's sleep, I awoke early, feeling refreshed, and headed out for a wonderful long walk in the desert hills. I arrived at the destination spot several minutes before the sun came up. And what was that? It was the spot high on a ridge overlooking the city where there is a table and a proud Israeli flag! I took lots of pictures, both on the way up and on the way back (by a completely different route, through Nakhal Shakhamon), and, of course, I also took pictures by the flag, lots of them, including a selfie and several shots of the sunrise itself. Today's pic of the day is one of the latter:

After returning from my lovely walk, I ate breakfast and mostly relaxed for the morning. Before lunch, I walked over to the supermarket and bought quite a few things, since my supplies of vegetables, in particular, were quite low.

For lunch, I had a nice salad with one new ingredient: sliced radishes. I also had slices of cheese in tortillas.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lesson today: 3:00-4:30 and 5:00-6:30.

I walked a total of 6.2 kilometers today.