Saturday, September 30, 2017

Shabbat, 30 September 2017 - Yom Kippur

Even though I went to bed late last night, I got up quite early this morning. I headed out immediately for a walk and to take pictures.

Both the kikar nearest me and the one further down (the traffic light kikar) were occupied by teenagers enjoying each other's company, just as they were last year.

I walked north on Sheshet HaYamim to the end, and then I followed Harim Road up until I went off a little into the desert. As I returned home, I got a shot of the sun just after it rose, as I was walking on HaSigalit Street.

I went out for another walk later in the morning and snapped quite a few pictures of kids enjoying playing in the streets and on the kikars. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I spent most of the day working on my second project, recording and editing "BaShana HaBa'a". First, I recorded 4 takes of me singing. Then I began the process of balancing and editing. I also needed to write the documentation required for the week 3 submission. When I completed it all, I submitted it.

Tomorrow, I'll continue work editing it until I have the final mixed, mastered production. That will be the submission for week 4, the final week.

In the evening, I went out for a third walk and took a few more pictures.

I successfully fasted for the full 25+ hours, except that I did drink plenty of walk (but nothing else). I didn't even get terribly hungry!

I walked a total of 7.2 kilometers today.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Friday, 29 September 2017

I got up quite late this morning, having also gotten to bed late last night. I didn't go out for a walk except for the quick one up to the bakery to buy challah.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons, back-to-back, today: 9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:00.

I got the trash and recycling taken out before my lessons, and I did the rest of the weekly chores afterwards.

In the afternoon, I completed work on my music production project and submitted it. It was really only supposed to be a rough draft, but, in fact, it's all finished. Then I proceeded to watch the rest of the videos for the other weeks. I think that, since I actually finished the Esa Einai project, I'm going to BaShana HaBa'a for my final project, and I'll submit it for weeks 3 and 4. That will mean that I need to record tomorrow, though. But I think it will be interesting.

I deliberately ate lunch VERY late today, and I had an extra large one: a salad, rice, 2 shnitzels, a small whole-wheat challah (all of it), and breadsticks. I decided today that I would fast for Yom Kippur (except for drinking plenty of water). I don't think it will be that difficult. I'll let you know tomorrow evening how it went.

After lighting Shabbat/holiday candles, I set out on a walk. There was still some nice light on the Jordanian mountains across the valley, so I took several nice shots of that, including today's pic of the day:

The main reason I went out, though, was to see all the kids (and some others, as well) enjoying riding bikes, scooters, rollerblades, etc. in the streets. Yom Kippur here in Israel is unlike any day at all anywhere else in the entire world. There is essentially NO motorized traffic on the roads at all, not even on the highways. It's a really nice scene. I took a bunch of pictures this evening, and, of course, I'll go out and take many more tomorrow during the day.

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers today.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Thursday, 28 September 2017

I got up early this morning and went for a walk around the big loop, just slightly shortened.

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

Today, I got a load of laundry washed, dried (in the hallway just outside my apartment), and put away.

In the afternoon, I walked into town to get a new USB adaptor for my headset that I use for teaching. Unfortunately, it doesn't work properly, so I couldn't get sound working at all on my PC. Luckily, I was able to do my evening lesson on my Mac. I also have to do tomorrow's lesson on the Mac. On Sunday, I'll have to try to buy a USB headset and hope that IT will work. I don't want to continue teaching on the Mac because I use it for administrative contact and for displaying the digital materials so that I can be looking ahead at what comes next and reading any directions or hints in the instructor's manual. Anyway, it'll get sorted out one way or another.

I took today's pic of the day just down my street on my walk into town:

I also was able to get a mouse when I was in town. I took the bus back home.

In the evening, before my last class, I spent quite a bit of time with the Berlitz tech support people trying to get the sound working on my PC, but they ultimately were unable to do so.

I walked a total of 8.1 kilometers today.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wednesday, 27 September 2017

I was really tired last night, went to bed early, slept well, and got up late. At first, I was still tired, but I didn't go for a walk and had plenty of energy for the day's activities.

Since I didn't take any pictures today, the pic of the day is a view of HaYarkon River from the Namir Road bridge that I took on Monday in Tel Aviv:

I taught 7 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 6:15-7:00.

Before lunch, I did some shopping at the market. I was completely out of vegetables, except for carrots.

I had a salad and 2 cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I walked only 320 meters today (to the market and back).

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

After my big day yesterday, I naturally got up a bit late this morning and didn't go out for a walk.

I did walk to WIZO later, though. We had our usual enjoyable time there. During the more organized "program" people shared stories about interesting travel destinations and experiences. Afterwards, I took a bus back home.

I had a salad (without lettuce) and two veggie burger and cheese sandwiches for lunch.

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

In the evening, I walked into town to pick up some things at MaccabiPharm. I also stopped by the pet store to see if they had any mice (they didn't) before catching a bus back home.

I took today's pic of the day on my walk into town in the evening. It's a beautiful big clump of bougainvillea over a bus stop on Shakhamon Street (which is NOT in the Shakhamon neighborhood!):

I walked a total of 4.2 kilometers today.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Monday, 25 September 2017

I got up very early this morning and was off walking to the airport one minute before 5:00. After getting all checked in, I had an omelet sandwich and a can of PepsiMax for breakfast there before it was time to board the plane.

When we arrived in Tel Aviv, I did my usual leisurely walk to the hospital, snapping flower pictures along the way. It took me about an hour to get there.

I went to the area where the urological surgery office used to be because I had forgotten reading that they had moved up to an office right next to the unit in the hospital where I had been after my surgeries. Of course, the receptionist at the old office reminded me, and I headed right up to the unit.

I had to wait quite a while for my appointment, but I was quite amused at the number of guys writing to me on the dating apps (I use 3 of them). In fact, it continued through most of the day. I didn't actually meet any of them, but I had some interesting chats and even a short phone call with one. There was even one that I'm SURE was a catfish because his profile said he was from "California City" (where actually essentially NO one lives now!), his English was not like Americans would actually write, and he then claimed to be from Orlando. When I mentioned the Orlando vs. California City contradiction, he became non-responsive. What a hoot! One or two of them, though, seem genuinely interesting, and I'll keep in touch with them.

The urologist (my surgeon) agreed with the oncologist that radiation will not be necessary, at least for the near future, since my PSA numbers are stable, even though they're NOT at zero where they really should be. He also said that I don't need to keep coming to see both him AND the oncologist, since either of them can monitor the PSA and make sure I get any treatment I might need if there are any important changes. So, I'm going to cancel the appointment with the oncologist in February, and I made another appointment to see the urologist (the one I saw today) in March, as he requested. As always, it was a pleasure talking to him.

After the appointment, I wandered around the mall briefly before sitting down and eating lunch there: a sort of folded over pizza (whose proper name I've forgotten) and a bottle of Coke Zero (my usual lunch there).

After that, I decided to walk back to the airport by a rather longer route, with stops to rest along the way, since it was quite nice out in Tel Aviv today. I took more pictures as I went, of course.

I still arrived at the airport long before I really needed to, but I was ready to rest. I sat and re-charged my phone while I chatted some more with one of the guys.

I also took quite a few pictures on the flight back, including Tel Aviv, Jericho, a couple of Arava kibbutzim, Aqaba, the gulf, and Eilat. Today's pic of the day is a nice aerial view of most of Tel Aviv (including EVERYWHERE where I was today while there):

When I arrived back in Eilat, I walked up to the first bus stop on HaTmarim and took the first bus that came by, even though it was a number 1, which meant I had to go on the royal tour of Shakhamon before finally getting to my stop.

I walked a total of 12.2 kilometers today.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Sunday, 24 September 2017

I got up VERY early this morning and walked around the big loop and then around a small loop into the hills before returning home, all before sunrise (which, of course, is rapidly getting later and later at this time of year). I took several pictures, including today's pic of the day:

I watched a couple of episodes of "Friends". I had seen both of them before, but only a long time ago.

I did a little grocery shopping at the Elimelech Supermarket before lunch.

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

I spent almost all the rest of the day working on my capstone project for my online music production specialization. It's very close to being finished now. I chose to record myself singing "Esa Einai" backed up by a synthesized full symphonic orchestra. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

In the evening, I enjoyed our weekly play-reading group. We began reading a play by Pirandello entitled "Six Characters in Search of an Author". It's really quite a piece!

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Shabbat, 23 September 2017

I got up early fairly early this morning and went out for a medium-length walk. I also worked out a bit at the outdoor gym. I returned back home before the sun rose, but I did take a few nice pics of Aqaba well before dawn, including today's pic of the day:

An old friend came over for a nice visit this morning.

I put a few finishing touches on my project for week 1 of the capstone class and submitted. Then I reviewed the work of 6 other students.

I watched 3 episodes of "Two and a Half Men" today. It turned out that I had actually seen all of them before, but they were worth watching again.

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

In the afternoon, I watched the videos for the 2nd week of my music production capstone class. I also went back and reviewed some of what I learned in the last class to prepare for the editing and mixing process.

In the early evening, I had my usual weekly chat with Joyce in Ohio.

I walked a total of 3.3 kilometers today.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Friday, 22 September 2017

I got up a little late this morning after a really nice, long sleep. I still went out for a walk around the big loop, though. I even got a couple of shots of the rising sun, from the Nakhal Garuf Promenade at the end of Rut HaMoavia Street. One is today's pic of the day:

I did a little grocery shopping at the Einat Center supermarket today. The Elimelech one was closed for the holiday (like most markets and other businesses). I considered getting their large, generic challot, but I don't really like them, and they are also much too large, so I didn't and used bread for kiddush instead.

I got all the weekly chores done today.

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

I recorded a take of me singing "Esa Einai". Now I'm almost ready to submit my first assignment in the capstone course of my music production specialization.

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

In the afternoon, I was mostly lazy but felt quite satisfied with what I had gotten done today.

In the evening, I welcomed Shabbat by lighting candles and making kiddush with wine and bread.

I walked a total of 6.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Thursday, 21 September 2017

I went to bed late last night and got up late this morning. In fact, I didn't even step out of my apartment all day today.

I watched 2 episodes each of "Friends", "Modern Family", and "Two and a Half Men".

For lunch, I had a large salad and some cookies.

I got a very small amount of work done on my project today. I got the audio track set up (to receive the sound), I experimented a little with it (to make sure it worked), and I read a bit in the manuals about using it and about editing sound.

The rest of the day, I was just very lazy (and, in fact, a little bored). I don't know precisely why I got so little done, but I just seem to have some resistance to recording. Maybe I'll pull it together a bit more tomorrow. In any case, what is, is.

In today's pic of the day, you can see what Pascal does when I on the computer and not paying enough attention to him:

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Wednesday, 20 September 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and went out for a nice walk around the big loop. As I came to the corner of Harim Road and Sara Imeinu Road, the sun appeared over the Jordanian mountains. I took two shots of it, the last sunrise of the Jewish year 5777. One of them is today's pic of the day:

I was scheduled to teach two 2-unit Berlitz lessons today, but the first was canceled late enough yesterday to count as a late cancellation: 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:30.

I watched 2 episodes each of "Friends" and "Two and a Half Men" and 1 episode of "The Big Bang Theory".

I had a couple of cheese-and-tomato sandwiches for lunch.

The rest of the day, I mostly just relaxed.

In the evening, I went together with 4 other friends to the Caesar Hotel, where our friend, Ephraim, actually lives, for a celebratory Rosh HaShana dinner. There were a LOT of people there, but the six of us sat together at one table and enjoyed each other's company, and, of course, there was PLENTY of delicious food, even for me (a vegetarian).

May you all be sealed for a good and sweet year! !תיכתבו כולכם לשנה טובה ומתוקה

I walked a total of 7.1 kilometers today.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and went out for a medium-length walk (about 50 minutes). I took today's pic of the day about 45 minutes before sunrise:

We celebrated Rosh HaShana a bit this morning at WIZO, with wine, grape juice, apples, honey, and other goodies.

While I was relaxing before lunch today, I got an interesting phone call. A man wanted to ask about the service I got from the garage where I used to take my car. Since I had nothing but good experiences with that garage, I was happy to rate them highly. The entire interview was in Hebrew, and I think I understood most of it quite well.

I had a nice salad and some pistachio nuts for lunch.

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

I walked a total of 2.7 kilometers.

Monday, September 18, 2017

Monday, 18 September 2017

I went to bed late last night (for no good reason) and so got up late this morning. At least I slept quite well.

I taught 8 units of Berlitz lessons today, including one 2-unit lesson that I accepted when it was offered to me in the middle of the day: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, 2:30-4:00 (the added lesson), and 5:00-6:30.

I had a salad and 2 sandwiches with veggie burgers and cheese for lunch.

In the evening, I did a little grocery shopping at the nearby market.

I walked only 340 meters today.

Today's pic of the day is a business card, and you can probably guess from the graphic and the few English letters what kind of a business it is. How much else can you get?

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Sunday, 17 September 2017

I go up fairly early this morning, but I only went out walking after breakfast because I had an 8:50 appointment with my doctor in Shakhamon. After that, I took a bus most of the way into town (number 5) and managed to get in to the phlebotomist's just before they closed so that they could draw blood for my PSA test. That saved me having to make a special trip in tomorrow morning.

After the blood test, I waited for a clerk in the office to get the form for my flights (a week from tomorrow) to Tel Aviv and back (to see my surgeon again). Then I went over to MaccabiPharm to get the ointment that my doctor prescribed for me.

I had planned to take a bus next, but it was quite pleasant out despite being mid-morning, so I walked over to the industrial area, where I bought a few things at both of the health food stores and also at the big Shufersal. Then I took the number 6 bus back home. I would have stopped to get a mouse at the pet store, but I called first and found out they had none.

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

In the afternoon, I got some work done on my projects ("BaShana HaBa'a" and "Esa Einai"). Only one will be my actual project for my class, but I'm still working on them in parallel.

I also napped a little in my chair and watched 2 episodes of "Friends" on TV (NOT at the same time!).

In the evening, I went to our weekly play-reading group, and we finished reading "As You Like It". We also read the introduction to a book of Pirandello plays that we will be reading next.

On my way out this evening, I snapped today's pic of the day, the view of my kikar with nearly the last of the direct sunlight on the Jordanian mountains in the background:

I walked a total of 5.4 kilometers today.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Shabbat, 16 September 2017

Having gotten to bed quite late last night, I also got up rather late this morning and didn't go out for a morning walk at all.

I spent quite a bit of the day working on my project for my music production capstone class. I still haven't decided between "BaShana HaBa'a" and "Esa Einai", so, for the time being, I'm pursuing both of them. Here are some things I got done on the project today:

• Getting the right keys to suit my voice and transposing the existing orchestral music to them

• Learning all the words to "BaShana HaBa'a", which has been surprisingly difficult

• Working on slides to document my process, which also involves learning how to use Google Slides

• Creating a tentative timeline for recording the vocals, mixing, and mastering

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

I had my traditional Shabbat lunch, consisting of a salad and a my rice-and-egg frittata.

In the afternoon, I relaxed and even snoozed a bit in my chair. Then I talked for a bit with Joyce in Ohio.

In the evening, I took a walk after dark. It was quite pleasant out, so I was glad I had taken the time to do it. When I was on Harim Road by Nakhal Shakhamon, I snapped today's pic of the day, a view of Aqaba twinkling in the night:

I walked a total of 3.1 kilometers today.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Friday, 15 September 2017

I got up quite late this morning but still went for a fairly short walk. I stopped by the bakery late enough that they had challah.

It was almost completely overcast this morning, yielding some interesting pictures shortly after sunrise, including today's pic of the day:

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

I watched two episodes each of "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory".

I had a carrot and some cottage cheese for lunch.

In the afternoon, I completed my weekly chores.

In the evening, I walked over to Hannah's where we lit Shabbat candles, made kiddush (drank wine and ate challah), had a nice evening meal (salad, pizza from Il Pentolino, and fruit for dessert), and watched a movie in Hebrew (with English subtitles) called "Footnote". Afterwards, I walked back home in the pleasant evening.

I walked a total of 7.3 kilometers today.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Thursday, 14 September 2017

I got up very early this morning and went for a nice walk. I got back long before sunrise, so I didn't take any pictures. Today's pic of the day is another one from my walk in the hills a few days back:

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

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

I had a salad, half a can of beans, and some cheese for lunch.

In the evening, I helped Hannah find the Maccabi clinic in Shakhamon (where she had an appointment), and then we went to Mul HaYam where we sat and talked at Café Café and did a little window shopping. It was very enjoyable.

I walked a total of 6.5 kilometers today.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

I slept well and long last night, but I still didn't feel like going for a walk this morning, so I didn't.

Since I didn't take an photos today, the pic of the day is a panoramic shot of White Mountain that I took on my Monday morning walk shortly after sunrise:

I taught 9 units of Berlitz lesson today: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 3:00-4:30, and 5:00-6:30.

I had a salad (without lettuce) and 2 shnitzels for lunch.

After my last class, I did some grocery shopping.

I walked on 330 meters today (to the Elimelech Supermarket and back).

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

I got up and went for a fairly short walk this morning, but I did spend some time working out at the outdoor gym. On my way back, I stopped in a nearby neighborhood to snap today's pic of the day just a few minutes before sunrise:

The WIZO meeting was very enjoyable, as always. I took the bus both there and back because the weather has once again gotten a bit hotter.

I had my regular large salad and slices of cheese in tortillas for lunch today.

I taught 6 units of Berlitz lesson today: 3:00-4:30, 5:00-6:30, and 6:30-8:00.

I walked a total of 2.9 kilometers today.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Monday, 11 September 2017

I got up a bit late this morning, but I still went out for a long walk, going all the way up to the table and flag on a high hill overlooking the valley, arriving there in time for sunrise, and returning via Nakhal Shakhamon. Today's pic of the day is a panorama of the valley from up there just before sunrise:

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

I had a salad and bean, rice, and small weenies for lunch.

I got a good start on the final class in my music production specialization, "Music Production Capstone", in which I'll go through all the steps to produce a finished track of music, hopefully with high production values. The class is jointly taught by the 3 individual teachers who each taught one of the previous 3 classes in the sequence. It's going to be really good!

In the afternoon, Hannah came over for a while to visit Pascal (and me). He enjoyed several lap sessions with her, and I enjoyed the conversation.

I taught no Berlitz lessons today, because the ones that had been scheduled were canceled (and not late enough to be late cancellations, for which I would have been paid).

I walked a total of 5.7 kilometers today, mostly on desert hill bike trails and gravel roads.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Sunday, 10 September 2017

I got up fairly early this morning and took a nice walk around the big loop. I took a couple of pictures of the sunrise and a couple flowers, including one showing 2 different colors of bougainvillea in the same shot, taken just a short distance up my street:

I was lazy all morning and got essentially nothing done. But I did enjoy relaxing.

I had a big salad and a shnitzel for lunch.

In the afternoon, I got a couple of calls made and did some grocery shopping at both nearby markets. I also watched 2 episodes of "Friends".

In the evening, I enjoyed reading more from "As You Like It" with our weekly play-reading group.

I walked a total of 6.9 kilometers today.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Shabbat, 9 September 2017

Since I got to bed quite late last night, I didn't get up very early this morning and then didn't go out for a walk, either.

I watched 3 episodes of "Two and a Half Men" (does that equal 7.5 men-episodes? LOL).

The rest of the day, I mostly just relaxed.

I had two big ears of corn on the cob and my regular eggs and rice for lunch today.

In the late afternoon, I talked with Joyce in Ohio. She and her husband are doing well.

In the early evening, I took a little walk into the hills shortly after the sun went behind them. It was still pretty hot out, but I was shirtless, and there was quite a bit of wind most of the time, so I felt fairly comfortable. I snapped one picture, today's pic of the day, showing the Jordanian mountains, Aqaba, the gulf, and some of Eilat:

I walked a total of 1.8 kilometers today.

Friday, 8 September 2017

I got up quite early and went for a walk on Harim Road as far as the Chabad synagogue in Shakhamon and back. I stopped by the bakery to get challah, but it hadn't yet arrived, so I had to return there later, between classes, to get it. I took a lovely picture of Venus, the Jordanian mountains, Aqaba, and the gulf about 45 minutes before sunrise, which is today's pic of the day:

I was scheduled to teach 5 units of Berlitz lessons today, but the last lesson (2 units) turned out to be a no-show: 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, and 12:00-1:30.

I had a couple of vegan shnitzels for lunch.

I was lazy in the early afternoon, but I did eventually manage to get all the weekly chores done.

I walked down to Hannah's place for candle lighting and a lovely Shabbat dinner, and we really enjoyed visiting for quite some time. Afterwards, I walked back home by a slightly longer route (mostly following the way the number 2 bus goes) because it was very pleasant out.

I walked a total of 9.4 kilometers.

I got back so late that I didn't write this until the next morning.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Thursday, 7 September 2017

I got up early this morning and set right out on my walk. I met my friend, Hannah, and we finished the walk by going up into the hills a little before heading back to my place. I took several pictures, including a couple of the beautiful full moon of Elul (the Hebrew month before the High Holy Days). One is today's pic of the day:

After getting refreshed a bit at my place, enjoying petting Pascal (who sat on her lap twice), and listening to my music, Hannah headed on home.

I watched 2 episodes each of "Friends", "Modern Family", "Two and a Half Men", and "The Big Bang Theory", all of which I enjoyed, even though I had seen a couple of them previously.

I had my usual salad and slices of cheese in a tortilla for lunch.

In the afternoon, I submitted my final project for my online class, "Pro Tools Basics". It's a production of me singing Avinu Malkenu with orchestra backup. If you'd like to listen to it, click here.

I taught only 2 units of Berlitz today: 6:30-8:00.

I walked a total of 4.5 kilometers today.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Wednesday, 6 September 2017

I started waking up early but stayed in bed and drifted in and out of sleep for enough additional time that I actually got up fairly late and didn't go out for a walk. I just didn't feel that energetic.

Before my first lesson, I did some grocery shopping at the local market.

I taught 4 units of Berlitz lessons today: 10:00-11:30 and 2:30-4:00.

In the afternoon, I spent some pleasant time with a friend of mine who also paid for my late lunch.

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

I walked a total of 1.1 kilometers today.

Today's pic of the day is of a beautiful tree that grows between some of the garden apartments not far from me:

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

I got up early this morning but didn't go out for a walk. I felt a slight catch in my back, but not at ALL like yesterday morning.

I ate breakfast early and then walked down to Maccabi to return my 24-hour Holter heart monitor.

From there, I walked down to the bank and then over to the pet store to get a mouse for Goldfinger.

I returned home by bus with the mouse and relaxed at home for a while before heading out and taking another bus over to WIZO.

We really had a nice time at the WIZO English speakers' meeting today. Several people were there who hadn't been in some time. People told about favorite movies or ones that they really liked for one reason or another. It resulted in some fairly lively but very friendly discussion. Afterwards, I returned home again by bus after yielding to my bougainvillea addiction and taking a few more shots, including today's pic of the day:

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

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

I walked a total of 3.5 kilometers today.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Monday, 4 September 2017

I got up quite early this morning, but I didn't go out for a walk. First, I had a lot of pain in my back, which was totally unexpected (I didn't feel it until I actually got up). Luckily, a couple of pills of Optalgin really got rid of almost all of it. Second, I had to eat breakfast early so that I could get down to Maccabi by 8:20 to get my Holter 24-hour heart monitor. I walked down, but I had to take a taxi back in order to arrive in time for my 9:00 lesson.

Today's pic of the day is of bougainvillea that I saw on my walk down to Maccabi:


I had another problem this morning. When I opened my freezer door, a whole bunch of ice that had been building up in there for some time suddenly fell out onto the floor, so it was apparent that my refrigerator wasn't really working properly. I had to take time right away to clean up some of the worst of the mess, but I didn't have time to contact my landlord until later in the morning. In the evening, he came to look at it but hasn't decided quite yet what exactly to do. It's still cold enough in the refrigerator part that I don't think my food will spoil, but nearly all the ice in the freezer has now melted.

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

I continued working on my final project for "Pro Tools Basics", and now it's really sounding quite nice. As I mentioned, it's me singing Avinu Malkenu with orchestra back-up. I haven't submitted it yet, because I want to listen to it after an elapse of some time to see if I still am pleased with it or if there are any more tweaks I want to make to it.

I had a large salad and 2 snhitzels for lunch.

I just relaxed for much of the afternoon. In the evening, I watched 2 episodes each of "Modern Family", "Friends", and "The Big Bang Theory".

I walked a total of 2 kilometers today.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Sunday, 3 September 2017

I got up quite late this morning, but I went out for a fairly decent morning walk anyway. I walked up into the nearby hills and took a few pictures, one of which is today's pic of the day, showing the beauty of the desert a few minutes before sunrise:

I did some grocery shopping this morning and went into town in the middle of the day on a couple of short errands.

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

I spent most of the rest of the day working on my final project for my online class, "Pro Tools Basics". I exported the MIDI tracks of my orchestral arrangement of "Avinu Malkenu" from Digital Performer and them imported them into Pro Tools First, assigning them to appropriate digital instruments there. Then I transposed the piece into a key that was more comfortable for my voice (really, really easy to do in a computer!) and recorded myself singing the song. I made a mistake in the first take, and it was also too loud, so I did a second take, which is much better. Now, I'm going back through the week 5 videos and refining the mix and adding digital effects. The end result should be quite nice, although I'm not there yet.

In the evening, I took the bus over to Hannah's house to go to our play-reading group, which she's joining. She had only been there once before, so she wasn't at all sure she could find the place.

I walked a total of 5.8 kilometers today.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Shabbat, 2 September 2017

I got up very early this morning and was already out walking by 5:00. I walked down to HaKhotrim, then up HaSigalit to Harim Road, which I followed to the outdoor gym. I worked out there for a few minutes before continuing along Harim to highway 12. I walked up highway 12 to the bicycle trail, where I turned right and walked over a little pass to Nakhal Shakhamon. I continued north on the dirt road until the first trail that goes off to the right. I took that and wended my way up to the table with an Israeli flag and a sweeping view of Eilat, Aqaba, and the gulf.

I took a few pictures on my way as it began to get light. Then I took several in the immediate area of the table, waiting for the sun to rise. When it did, I snapped some great shots of it and the flag.

I saw a total of 5 bicyclists during my walk through the hills, all but one of them at (or at least whizzing by) the table.

I took more lovely views as I headed back home by the most direct trail, including today's pic of the day:

I arrived back home just after quarter past seven.

After breakfast, I listened to my project for week 4 of my online class, "Pro Tools Basics", and decided it was ready. So I submitted it and then did the required peer evaluations of 3 classmates' submissions, thereby completing week 4. Then, I watched all the lecture videos for week 5 (the final week) and took the quiz, getting 100% on my first try. Now all that remains if the final project. If you'd like to listen to the results of the project I just submitted today (me singing "Achat Sha'alti" with a couple of MIDI back-up tracks), click here.

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

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

Other than a short trip for some groceries, I mostly just relaxed the rest of the day.

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Friday, 1 September 2017

I got up a little late this morning but still went out for a short walk. I also worked out a bit at the outdoor gym. When I went by the bakery on my way back, however, I saw that they had not received the challah yet (or much of anything else, for that matter), so I had to walk back up there after my second lesson, whereupon I successfully got my challah.

Just before arriving back home (from my early-morning walk), I paused by the kikar near my place to snap 3 photos of the sun rising. Today's pic of the day is one of them:

I was scheduled to teach 5 units of Berlitz lessons, but the last lesson (2 units) turned out to be a no-show (the 4th in a row, in fact, for this particular student): 9:00-9:45, 10:00-11:30, and 12:00-1:30.

For lunch, I had a large salad, to which I even added a chopped up beet (cooked, of course), and 2 veggie burger, cheese, and tomato sandwiches with mayonnaise and old-fashioned mustard.

I watched 2 episodes of "Modern Family" this afternoon.

I got all the weekly chores done except for washing the dishes.

I did some more tinkering with my week 4 project for my online class, "Pro Tools Basics", today, mostly playing with varying the reverb. It's a recording of me singing "Achat Sha'alti", together with electronic accompaniment (a treble aah-choir "singing" the melody an octave above me and a bass ooh-choir plus bass strings doing a bass line below me). It now sounds pretty good. I'll listen again tomorrow, and, if I still like it, I'll submit it (if not, I'll tinker some more).

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

I walked a total of 2.8 kilometers today.