Day 360: Cloudy with a chance of Canasta

After a week of glorious summer weather, the clouds are back, but not in my way. A perfect afternoon for a Canasta klatch who'll be arriving shortly. Coffee's on!

When I think about my final words for this project, inevitably the critic in me pipes up with "But you didn't post every day!" Actually, that is a voice I chose to ignore throughout this journey which in and of itself made me happy. So there, is number 6 in my countdown.

Ah, the klatch is here...with scrumptious snacks! Later...

Day 359: LOL!

My best defense against anxiety, fear and general down-in-the-dumpness? Joking. It's what got me through medical and dental procedures and many a loooong business meeting. Every once in a while, I lose my sense of humor and this year has shown me how much better off I am when I find it.

So, here's a cute one:

"Did you hear about the person who got the whole left of his body cut off?"

"Yeah, but he's all right now."

Day 358: Going, going, gone

Day 365 is like a beacon that's finally within sight, guiding me to the conclusion of this year-long experiment. It blinks oh so steadily as I make my way, one day at a time toward the inevitable end. A day I long for, bringing this chapter to a close. A day I dread as I suspect I will also miss this daily obligation.

And so it goes. Longing. And dread. Two sides of a thin coin.

Day 357: Hebrew is my native tongue

Tov, davar achad sh'ani lo asseetee ha sha'na ha zu ze l'chtov be ivrit. Chaval, biglall sh'ze gamm kef ledaber ivrit ve ze gamm chelek kaze gadol haya be yalduti. Im hayiti kotevet be ivrit hayiti messaperet all mishpacha.  Sh hitzilah oti. Ve ometz. Ve ahava. Oo-lie ze bidiuk ma sh'asseetee achshav.

Chaval sh'yeter ha olam lo yachol lihishtamesh be

גוגל

lehavin. ;-))

BTW, (ve ech homrim et ze be ivrit chevreh?), me'anyen sh'katov be google.co.il yesh "gamm be anglit ve gamm aravit". Ba'atar ha aravi shelahem katov gamm anglit gamm aravit. So there!

Day 356: The final countdown

This is it folks. Ten days left and counting. Naturally, I find myself reflecting over the year that's passed and is almost over. So, here come ten discoveries I made during this journey, one per day, in no particular order.

One: I am happy to have this written record of a year in my life. At various points in my life, I have tried keeping a journal or diary without much success. I found the effort not very gratifying and could never keep it up for more than a few days at a time. So this is the closest I have to diary. It is my intention to convert the entries, including the photos, into a PDF to keep for posterity. It will be interesting to read in sequence when the year is over and to re-read in, say, 10 years time.

Today's image is from the Math Center super duper study circle that took place in three huge tents at Kungsträdgården (of cherry blossom fame). So much fun. So much energy. And once again I met my personal goal...to learn something new myself.

Day 355: Surround sound

At the language café. An extra volunteer showed up today so I do not have a group of my own. Instead, I spent my time doing reviewing some math in preparation for tomorrow's Math Center super lab, answered a bunch of e-mails and caught up on FB. All in the midst of the happy babbling of participants all around me.

Nice to be able to hang out and do work in the company of others. On the way over here, I took a photo of Kungsträdgården where the cherry blossoms blossomed just a few short days ago. This as a reminder of how important it is to live in the moment. Would have been so easy to miss the beautiful sight (see Day 349).

Day 354: No pain's the gain

My dentist warned me that the tooth behind the tooth that he just did a root canal on was loose and should get extracted. I am fond of my teeth and was not so keen on the idea. Plus, who can afford all these treatments? So I decided to wait and see.

That was on Monday. Let's just say I did not have to wait very long. By Thursday, the pain was noticeable. However, Thursday was a holiday here and Friday a bonus day so I can first contact the dentist tomorrow. Which is why I am so very grateful that I still have some pretty strong post-surgery pain killers left from last year. It would have been a miserable day without them. :-)