Shabbat, 30 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 29 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 4.4 kilometers today.

Thursday, 28 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 6.3 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 8.5 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rest of the evening, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 3.7 kilometers today.

Monday, 25 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 5.3 kilometers today.

Sunday, 24 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 7.2 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 23 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 5 kilometers today.

Friday, 22 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 8.1 kilometers today.

Thursday, 21 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

I slept well last night and got up reasonably early.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 9.7 kilometers today.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 4.8 kilometers today.

Monday, 18 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 4 kilometers today.

Sunday, 17 December 2017

What a beautiful day it was today!

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 8.6 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 16 December 2017

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 4 kilometers today.

Friday, 15 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 2.2 kilometers today.

Thursday, 14 December 2017

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

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

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

I walked a total of 5.2 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.4 kilometers today.

Monday, 11 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 5.9 kilometers today.

Sunday, 10 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 7.8 kilometers today.

Shabbat, 9 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.9 kilometers today.

Friday, 8 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, 7 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 5.8 kilometers today.

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 2.2 kilometers.

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.3 kilometers today.

Monday, 4 December 2017

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

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

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

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

The rest of the day, I just relaxed.

I walked a total of 5.4 kilometers today.

Sunday, 3 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.9 kilometers today.

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

Shabbat, 2 December 2017

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.3 kilometers today.

Friday, 1 December 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

I walked a total of 3.1 kilometers today.