We had a nice walk tonight down at the Nile. The weather has been much cooler and there always seems to be a breeze down at the river anyways, so it wasn't too warm, even with the generally too fast walking speed of hubby.
I love to hear stories from his childhood or teenage years when we pass something that will bring a memory to him. So many little bits of information gleaned this way. And always surprising and making me smile or laugh.
:::
I picked a light to medium color wood stain for the kitchen sink cupboard. It's hmmm... not sure how to describe the material. It's possibly made of wood but more likely I think it's plastic. Not positive. But the outside looks fine, it doesn't look cheap and plasticy, it just looks like a nice wood grain finish.
Still not sure when it will be done though. I imagine sometime this week.
:::
My cinnamon roll obsession has yet to abate.
And that is all!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunny days, chasing the clouds away
Well, I went out onto the balcony this morning and looked up at the sky and it was magnificently blue!
Believe me, this is quite a change from anything we've seen lately, and quite welcome.
There is still smog if you look some distance off in the skyline (not in this picture, just looking from the balcony), but this is definitely a step in the right direction!
There's also been quite a bit less burning at night, though there was some last night after a period of none for some days.
:::
I guess maybe I'm becoming just like the Egyptians. Because it seems that we all, everyone living here, both love and hate Egypt.
There is so much to love, and so much to hate...
The complaints are the same for any big city I would imagine - traffic, pollution, crowding, noise, litter.
So what are the things that we love?
There is still smog if you look some distance off in the skyline (not in this picture, just looking from the balcony), but this is definitely a step in the right direction!
There's also been quite a bit less burning at night, though there was some last night after a period of none for some days.
:::
I guess maybe I'm becoming just like the Egyptians. Because it seems that we all, everyone living here, both love and hate Egypt.
There is so much to love, and so much to hate...
The complaints are the same for any big city I would imagine - traffic, pollution, crowding, noise, litter.
So what are the things that we love?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rain dance
It's funny this thing about the cinnamon rolls.
I used to eat them sometime between lunch and dinner as a kind of a snack. But then I switched to eating them for breakfast since I didn't have anything else I wanted to eat in the house for breakfast, and it's too long until lunch to go without eating anything.
This is fine except that by the time I go to bed, I'm eagerly awaiting the next morning, just like a kid on Christmas eve, so that I can get to my cinnamon roll! Quite silly.
Well, while eating my cinnamon roll this morning, which while usually eaten in the dining room, was being ingested on my bed today, hubby wanted to know what the noise was outside, and I said it was the wind, as it's been a bit overcast with some slight wind, but then all of a sudden the sound became very clearly NOT wind and I said, "It's rain, WOOHOO!!" and I rushed up and we both went out onto the balcony to have a look.
It wasn't much to speak of, maybe less than a minute of rain, but oh boy was I excited! It's the first rain since I've been here and I've been a bit jealous of the rain that I keep hearing about in the States.
Well, just a short while later, we heard the sound again and so again we went to the balcony, but it lasted for a good 2 minutes or maybe 3 this time. lol
Hubby insisted it wasn't rain, more like some spit. LOL
Well, yeah, it wasn't a heavy rain and it didn't do much for the air but it sure left me excited.
:::
In other non cinnamon roll or weather related news, I seem to have come down with some kind of cold again. Not sure what from and I'd rather not be sick less than a month from when I got better from the last cold, but thems the breaks I guess. In better news, my son seems to be over the flu, so happy for that!
:::
Still having some issues with my camera and the color. I took some pictures in black and white the other day just to see how they would look. It really gives a whole different feel to things, and I might try taking some more photos in black and white. I think it conveys a little more, in some respects, the feeling of this city.
:::
Hoping for news today about the kitchen sink cabinet!
I used to eat them sometime between lunch and dinner as a kind of a snack. But then I switched to eating them for breakfast since I didn't have anything else I wanted to eat in the house for breakfast, and it's too long until lunch to go without eating anything.
This is fine except that by the time I go to bed, I'm eagerly awaiting the next morning, just like a kid on Christmas eve, so that I can get to my cinnamon roll! Quite silly.
Well, while eating my cinnamon roll this morning, which while usually eaten in the dining room, was being ingested on my bed today, hubby wanted to know what the noise was outside, and I said it was the wind, as it's been a bit overcast with some slight wind, but then all of a sudden the sound became very clearly NOT wind and I said, "It's rain, WOOHOO!!" and I rushed up and we both went out onto the balcony to have a look.
It wasn't much to speak of, maybe less than a minute of rain, but oh boy was I excited! It's the first rain since I've been here and I've been a bit jealous of the rain that I keep hearing about in the States.
Well, just a short while later, we heard the sound again and so again we went to the balcony, but it lasted for a good 2 minutes or maybe 3 this time. lol
Hubby insisted it wasn't rain, more like some spit. LOL
Well, yeah, it wasn't a heavy rain and it didn't do much for the air but it sure left me excited.
:::
In other non cinnamon roll or weather related news, I seem to have come down with some kind of cold again. Not sure what from and I'd rather not be sick less than a month from when I got better from the last cold, but thems the breaks I guess. In better news, my son seems to be over the flu, so happy for that!
:::
Still having some issues with my camera and the color. I took some pictures in black and white the other day just to see how they would look. It really gives a whole different feel to things, and I might try taking some more photos in black and white. I think it conveys a little more, in some respects, the feeling of this city.
:::
Hoping for news today about the kitchen sink cabinet!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Huh?
Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted so I thought I should post, though there really isn't all that much to post about.
Hubby went and had a look at the possible choices for the kitchen sink counter top.
We have a choice for the cupboard of having either a plain white finish or some kind of wood grain finish with several stain options.
I'm not sure about what I want. The kitchen is almost all white, with very faint accents of pink and blue in the tiles. And the stove/oven is white. And the fridge is a very light gray. So it would make sense that maybe we should go with a plain white.
But, the other kitchen cupboards that I posted a picture of are a pretty dark color, and despite being told we wouldn't have them for long, I'm not sure how long that means. I don't want to get a color of wood that doesn't match what we already have since we might have it for quite some time, but I also don't like that dark of a color in the kitchen since everything else is so light colored.
Hmmm....
Also not sure about the choices for the sink top. The granite choices are mostly a dark color - green, gray (?) and a light kind of pink. But really there is enough pink/salmon in the rest of the apartment that I don't really want a ton more of it in the kitchen. I think there was another choice except it wasn't granite, it was something else, and if I'm not mistaken the color was beigey. I guess I'll have to see them to be able to decide.
Here is a picture of monkey from when we spent the night at the new apartment. He was getting in some Facebook time while I straightened out some luggage.
We may go for a walk around the neighborhood tonight so I can get out of the house. I get pretty stir crazy at times, particularly after I've been out and then don't go out for a bit.
Also, what makes cinnamon rolls so good? It can't be just the cinnamon. Or the icing. Or the flaky tender crust. Is it the combination? Is it some special cinnamon roll magic that I'm unaware of?
All I know is I simply can't get enough of them!
Hubby went and had a look at the possible choices for the kitchen sink counter top.
We have a choice for the cupboard of having either a plain white finish or some kind of wood grain finish with several stain options.
I'm not sure about what I want. The kitchen is almost all white, with very faint accents of pink and blue in the tiles. And the stove/oven is white. And the fridge is a very light gray. So it would make sense that maybe we should go with a plain white.
But, the other kitchen cupboards that I posted a picture of are a pretty dark color, and despite being told we wouldn't have them for long, I'm not sure how long that means. I don't want to get a color of wood that doesn't match what we already have since we might have it for quite some time, but I also don't like that dark of a color in the kitchen since everything else is so light colored.
Hmmm....
Also not sure about the choices for the sink top. The granite choices are mostly a dark color - green, gray (?) and a light kind of pink. But really there is enough pink/salmon in the rest of the apartment that I don't really want a ton more of it in the kitchen. I think there was another choice except it wasn't granite, it was something else, and if I'm not mistaken the color was beigey. I guess I'll have to see them to be able to decide.
Here is a picture of monkey from when we spent the night at the new apartment. He was getting in some Facebook time while I straightened out some luggage.
Also, what makes cinnamon rolls so good? It can't be just the cinnamon. Or the icing. Or the flaky tender crust. Is it the combination? Is it some special cinnamon roll magic that I'm unaware of?
All I know is I simply can't get enough of them!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Oh the mopping!
Well, we spent our first night at our apartment on Tuesday night.
Really not much in the apartment except the bed and a table we brought with us.
We kept the a/c going in the bedroom all night, set at 25 celcius (which is about 77 degrees) and it cycled off and on about every 5 minutes once it got up to temp. The noise doesn't seem to bother me which is a good thing. Not exactly white noise but not bad.
We actually got to sleep pretty late, after staying up to watch the movie African Queen. And we didn't even finish it at that. By 4:15 a.m., hubby was ready to call it quits for the night, so we turned things off and got to bed.
Only I knew that the morning call to prayer would be coming fairly soon, so I didn't want to fall asleep only to be awoken 10 or 20 minutes later by a blaring loudspeaker from across the street.
So, I played a handheld game and waited for the call to prayer.
When I heard it sound, I thought to myself, "wow, that's not so bad, not half as loud as I thought it would be. This will be no problem at all."
Of course... the call to prayer I heard was not the one that's across the street, it was at another mosque further away. lol
I realized that after the call started up across the street, as blaringly loud as I had suspected it would be at 4:35 a.m. with no daytime noise to mask the sound at all.
The thing is, the mosque is just one door down, across the street, and the loudspeaker is on the top of the building, which is a couple stories, and we're on the fourth floor, and our bedroom is on the same street that the mosque is on.
So... loud. For sure! lol
However, hubby managed to sleep right through it, and I imagine that if I'm sleeping it won't be a problem. I'm not positive but we'll see.
Not that we should be sleeping through it anyways.
So, next morning, after a seemingly restful sleep, hubby got up and went off to work, and wanted to have me mop the floors because the dust builds up amazingly fast in this place, worse than at my in-laws, which is saying something.
Hubby thinks the dust build up is from the roof across the street, which is right at the level of our apartment, and which is covered with large piles of loose stone and dirt type of stuff. So the wind just blows it all right into our place.
Of course, if we had regular sliding windows instead of shutters, this might not be an issue.
Anyways, the mop that we have at the apartment is a rag mop, and I do NOT like rag mops. They're impossible to keep clean and I just don't like the way they work at all. I'd much rather have a sponge mop.
But, I could only work with what I had, so I went to it.
Two complete moppings of the apartment later, and you could still see a layer of dust on the floor. I had to change the water a lot while mopping, which, yes, is a pain in the butt.
It might have helped if I could have swept first, but the two handheld brooms that were there weren't doing anything towards getting the dust up.
I'm hoping that a vacuum will help, in which case I can vacuum a couple times a week and only mop maybe once a week.
So, a lot of mopping going on. And sore arms this morning. lol
Also tried to run a couple of towels in the washing machine. I thought I had all the knobs figured out right, so I turned it on and it made an appropriate humming/on noise, which I thought meant that the heater was warming up to get the water hot.
I let it go while I started mopping, but kept noticing it as I changed the mop water, and grew increasingly suspicious that something wasn't right when it didn't get past making that humming noise.
I actually started to worry, and after about an hour I called hubby who said to just turn it off and we would work on it later.
Turns out, at least I think anyways, that I just needed to turn the water on from the wall so that it could get into the machine.
Well... honestly, that stuff is just on in the States as far as I know. You don't turn the water hose off, because.... well... why? lol
So, when we go back I will see if that was it.
The cupboard for the sink didn't turn out the way hubby wanted and so he's going to get one a little bigger and with a bigger stainless steel sink and marble top. Insha'Allah. Not sure when it will be done. Hubby is going to pick out the sink on Saturday, which to me means that the whole thing won't be done til maybe... Tuesday or Wednesday.
Not sure when we'll be spending the night there again. I thought it was supposed to be tonight but that's not happening. Not sure about tomorrow night. Perhaps.
I know I have a LOT more work to do there in terms of cleaning, and I'm eager for the challenge and the chance to be occupied and feeling useful.
All in all, steps in the right direction.
Also, after a few days of 100 degree weather, today was only about 82. Wow, what a nice change. Supposed to be the same tomorrow I think before getting a bit hot again. We'll get to Autumn eventually.
Really not much in the apartment except the bed and a table we brought with us.
We kept the a/c going in the bedroom all night, set at 25 celcius (which is about 77 degrees) and it cycled off and on about every 5 minutes once it got up to temp. The noise doesn't seem to bother me which is a good thing. Not exactly white noise but not bad.
We actually got to sleep pretty late, after staying up to watch the movie African Queen. And we didn't even finish it at that. By 4:15 a.m., hubby was ready to call it quits for the night, so we turned things off and got to bed.
Only I knew that the morning call to prayer would be coming fairly soon, so I didn't want to fall asleep only to be awoken 10 or 20 minutes later by a blaring loudspeaker from across the street.
So, I played a handheld game and waited for the call to prayer.
When I heard it sound, I thought to myself, "wow, that's not so bad, not half as loud as I thought it would be. This will be no problem at all."
Of course... the call to prayer I heard was not the one that's across the street, it was at another mosque further away. lol
I realized that after the call started up across the street, as blaringly loud as I had suspected it would be at 4:35 a.m. with no daytime noise to mask the sound at all.
The thing is, the mosque is just one door down, across the street, and the loudspeaker is on the top of the building, which is a couple stories, and we're on the fourth floor, and our bedroom is on the same street that the mosque is on.
So... loud. For sure! lol
However, hubby managed to sleep right through it, and I imagine that if I'm sleeping it won't be a problem. I'm not positive but we'll see.
Not that we should be sleeping through it anyways.
So, next morning, after a seemingly restful sleep, hubby got up and went off to work, and wanted to have me mop the floors because the dust builds up amazingly fast in this place, worse than at my in-laws, which is saying something.
Hubby thinks the dust build up is from the roof across the street, which is right at the level of our apartment, and which is covered with large piles of loose stone and dirt type of stuff. So the wind just blows it all right into our place.
Of course, if we had regular sliding windows instead of shutters, this might not be an issue.
Anyways, the mop that we have at the apartment is a rag mop, and I do NOT like rag mops. They're impossible to keep clean and I just don't like the way they work at all. I'd much rather have a sponge mop.
But, I could only work with what I had, so I went to it.
Two complete moppings of the apartment later, and you could still see a layer of dust on the floor. I had to change the water a lot while mopping, which, yes, is a pain in the butt.
It might have helped if I could have swept first, but the two handheld brooms that were there weren't doing anything towards getting the dust up.
I'm hoping that a vacuum will help, in which case I can vacuum a couple times a week and only mop maybe once a week.
So, a lot of mopping going on. And sore arms this morning. lol
Also tried to run a couple of towels in the washing machine. I thought I had all the knobs figured out right, so I turned it on and it made an appropriate humming/on noise, which I thought meant that the heater was warming up to get the water hot.
I let it go while I started mopping, but kept noticing it as I changed the mop water, and grew increasingly suspicious that something wasn't right when it didn't get past making that humming noise.
I actually started to worry, and after about an hour I called hubby who said to just turn it off and we would work on it later.
Turns out, at least I think anyways, that I just needed to turn the water on from the wall so that it could get into the machine.
Well... honestly, that stuff is just on in the States as far as I know. You don't turn the water hose off, because.... well... why? lol
So, when we go back I will see if that was it.
The cupboard for the sink didn't turn out the way hubby wanted and so he's going to get one a little bigger and with a bigger stainless steel sink and marble top. Insha'Allah. Not sure when it will be done. Hubby is going to pick out the sink on Saturday, which to me means that the whole thing won't be done til maybe... Tuesday or Wednesday.
Not sure when we'll be spending the night there again. I thought it was supposed to be tonight but that's not happening. Not sure about tomorrow night. Perhaps.
I know I have a LOT more work to do there in terms of cleaning, and I'm eager for the challenge and the chance to be occupied and feeling useful.
All in all, steps in the right direction.
Also, after a few days of 100 degree weather, today was only about 82. Wow, what a nice change. Supposed to be the same tomorrow I think before getting a bit hot again. We'll get to Autumn eventually.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bits and pieces
Well, hard to imagine, but we are making a significant move of items over to the new place tonight!
I don't have that much to bring over since most of it is there already, but hubby has quite a few things.
There are some items there that need addressing - the main one in my head at the moment is that the hot water is not working in the bathroom (and not hooked up yet in the kitchen) since the hose broke a couple of weeks ago. Hubby says he will get it fixed tomorrow.
The other item is that our stove is on the bottom floor somewhere, I think in the building owner's store, where he sells different sorts of appliances and things. And of course, we are on the 4th floor and the elevator is broken.
Which brings up another interesting point, being that the building owners here don't assume the responsibility for the cost of fixing things in the building. Which I find strange to say the least. If they own the building, they need to assume the cost for running it!
But, like so many other things, that is not the case here. At least from what I have heard in several places. I would really be surprised if it was otherwise.
So, the building owner is trying to collect money from the tenants to get the elevator fixed, but of course no one wants to pay.
I suggested to hubby that he should put a lock on it and that people who wanted to use it could pay for it's upkeep. He said that he had mentioned that to the building owner the other day, but I don't know what the owner thought about that.
In any case, the elevator is a stinky dirty thing, and I don't feel entirely safe in it anyways. And seeing as how I'm not out of the apartment that much to begin with, it doesn't affect me tremendously. It's only annoying if you have a bunch of stuff to carry up to the apartment.
Also, I found out that the entire first floor - two apartments - is rented out to a kind of daycare/preschool type of place. Which gave me the idea that if I was bored during the day maybe I could go down and play with the kids. lol
In other news, my son's step-mother is currently in the hospital being induced to have her baby boy. I guess she's close to 10 days or so overdue now and I know she is very eager and a bit anxious to have this done with! Prayers to her and the baby!
And, in another piece of family related news, my son has the flu! Oh woe is me!
His father took him to the doctor yesterday. They did a swab test of his nose and told him it was Influenza A, but apparently that covers both H1N1 and seasonal flu, and I don't think they were going to do any further testing.
He is out of school for the week (according to the doctor?) and has a note from the doctor for school. Hope the little guy (wait, he isn't so little anymore!!) is feeling better soon.
Hopefully things will really start moving now apartment wise.
Of course, updates to come as things progress!
I don't have that much to bring over since most of it is there already, but hubby has quite a few things.
There are some items there that need addressing - the main one in my head at the moment is that the hot water is not working in the bathroom (and not hooked up yet in the kitchen) since the hose broke a couple of weeks ago. Hubby says he will get it fixed tomorrow.
The other item is that our stove is on the bottom floor somewhere, I think in the building owner's store, where he sells different sorts of appliances and things. And of course, we are on the 4th floor and the elevator is broken.
Which brings up another interesting point, being that the building owners here don't assume the responsibility for the cost of fixing things in the building. Which I find strange to say the least. If they own the building, they need to assume the cost for running it!
But, like so many other things, that is not the case here. At least from what I have heard in several places. I would really be surprised if it was otherwise.
So, the building owner is trying to collect money from the tenants to get the elevator fixed, but of course no one wants to pay.
I suggested to hubby that he should put a lock on it and that people who wanted to use it could pay for it's upkeep. He said that he had mentioned that to the building owner the other day, but I don't know what the owner thought about that.
In any case, the elevator is a stinky dirty thing, and I don't feel entirely safe in it anyways. And seeing as how I'm not out of the apartment that much to begin with, it doesn't affect me tremendously. It's only annoying if you have a bunch of stuff to carry up to the apartment.
Also, I found out that the entire first floor - two apartments - is rented out to a kind of daycare/preschool type of place. Which gave me the idea that if I was bored during the day maybe I could go down and play with the kids. lol
In other news, my son's step-mother is currently in the hospital being induced to have her baby boy. I guess she's close to 10 days or so overdue now and I know she is very eager and a bit anxious to have this done with! Prayers to her and the baby!
And, in another piece of family related news, my son has the flu! Oh woe is me!
His father took him to the doctor yesterday. They did a swab test of his nose and told him it was Influenza A, but apparently that covers both H1N1 and seasonal flu, and I don't think they were going to do any further testing.
He is out of school for the week (according to the doctor?) and has a note from the doctor for school. Hope the little guy (wait, he isn't so little anymore!!) is feeling better soon.
Hopefully things will really start moving now apartment wise.
Of course, updates to come as things progress!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Down with the brown!
Well, the chocolate chip cookies did get made.
Though it was a process (isn't everything here? lol) and I don't like the way they turned out at all.
Plus, they leave this weird gacky thing in my throat where it feels like I have to swallow all the time. Yuck. No more for me. The in-laws, who seem to like them, can have them all.
Now... about how they turned out.
Flat, just like the snickerdoodles, only flatter if possible. And tasting way too much like salt and brown sugar.
About the flatness - I am going to test the baking soda tonight and see if that is the cause or not. Otherwise, I'm not sure, but maybe the oven temperature caused them to be flat? The oven is old as heck and I'm not used to baking with gas and my MIL doesn't seem to want me to use the oven thermometer that I have so I just have to bake at whatever temperature she thinks is right. Even though she's never made anything that I've been baking.
Also, she gave me a different sugar than normal. I'm used to using the regular kind for baking, the kind you put in coffee, etc., but this time she gave me what is more of a coarse crystal. I'm sure the taste of it is fine, and you can actually see the sugar in the baked cookie, which is kind of cute, but it also means that the sugar isn't as spread out in the cookie as it should be if it's in bigger lumps (I presume anyways).
And, I don't know, I just used the Toll House recipe like I always use, but these tasted like they had *way* too much salt in them. It calls for a teaspoon but I would only put in maybe 1/2 next time. Or maybe even a 1/4.
Aaaaaand, the brown sugar? Gross. The cookies totally flattened out and browned on the bottom, which I'm sure was due to the brown sugar. And I don't like the taste of it at all. I wonder how they would be with all white sugar instead of half white and half brown.
All in all, the production of making them, with my MIL "helping" and the way they baked in the oven - not fun and overall disappointing.
I don't think I'm going to bake anything else while we're here at the in-laws. I'm really frustrated to not have a kitchen, but it's even more frustrating to actually get to make something only to have everything always go kind of wrong.
The brownies I made here also didn't turn out well.
I don't know. The oven, the fact that the butter is not measured because you can't measure on the packages like we do in the States and there's no scale at the house. The pans used to bake in, which are very large oval cake pans as there are no rectangular or flat pans. Who knows.
Very much looking forward to moving and using an oven and kitchen that are mine.
Oh yeah, apparently there is no spatula here, so I had to pry the dried up browned bottom of the cookies up with a fork. Nice. There were many cookie Frankensteins.
On to more pleasant subjects, since I'm sure that's more than enough whining for now. lol
We took the mosquito net down that was over the bed so that we could wash it. I had known for some time that it needed to be washed because I accidentally brushed by it once wearing a white shirt and it left a big dust smudge on me. Eew.
So, we got the net down, took it into the shower and hosed it off. It was a bit of work but not really hard and except for one instance, where it fell off the wall hook and tried to break my head open, it went pretty well. Dried relatively quickly and was back over the bed within a matter of hours. All clean. It's amazing how quick the dust builds up here.
Also, I've read the operating manual for our new fridge. Woohoo! There's a piece of stimulating reading for you.
Actually, I did learn a few things about the fridge, like not to plug it back in right away if you move it, and some other things that I had no idea about.
The manual was in both Arabic and English, though whoever did the translation for the English missed out a bit in some places. There was only one place that was particularly bad and made absolutely no sense at all. Though there was a graphic there and I kind of knew what they were talking about anyways.
Here's what the nonsensical part said, "A barrier of door shelf of freezer to up direction."
:D
The fridge still needs a final wipe with some vinegar or something. Not sure when I'll be back at the apartment again. And I'd prefer to wait until we're done with having workmen in there and we're actually going to live there.
In other apartment news...
We are in the process of having a carpenter make a cabinet for underneath the kitchen sink.
He has taken the measurements and I guess he will start working on it, but I have no idea when it will be done. I am guessing it will be very simple so it shouldn't take too long.
I hope it looks okay. Hubby ordered it and I have no clue as to what it will actually look like.
On the one hand, it shouldn't matter, it's just a cupboard. On the other hand, I really would have liked to have been able to have a say in what it looked like. I'm going to be the one in the kitchen having to look at the darn thing and use it all the time.
Getting into an apartment really shouldn't be this difficult. Really. I'm sure there are marriages that break up over less than this. lol
And, as of today, we have been living with the in-laws for 5 months. FIVE months.
Sure it's nice to not be in an empty apartment all day or at night if hubby has meetings, and yet... well, you know...
Insha'Allah we will move before the end of the year.
Though it was a process (isn't everything here? lol) and I don't like the way they turned out at all.
Plus, they leave this weird gacky thing in my throat where it feels like I have to swallow all the time. Yuck. No more for me. The in-laws, who seem to like them, can have them all.
Now... about how they turned out.
Flat, just like the snickerdoodles, only flatter if possible. And tasting way too much like salt and brown sugar.
About the flatness - I am going to test the baking soda tonight and see if that is the cause or not. Otherwise, I'm not sure, but maybe the oven temperature caused them to be flat? The oven is old as heck and I'm not used to baking with gas and my MIL doesn't seem to want me to use the oven thermometer that I have so I just have to bake at whatever temperature she thinks is right. Even though she's never made anything that I've been baking.
Also, she gave me a different sugar than normal. I'm used to using the regular kind for baking, the kind you put in coffee, etc., but this time she gave me what is more of a coarse crystal. I'm sure the taste of it is fine, and you can actually see the sugar in the baked cookie, which is kind of cute, but it also means that the sugar isn't as spread out in the cookie as it should be if it's in bigger lumps (I presume anyways).
And, I don't know, I just used the Toll House recipe like I always use, but these tasted like they had *way* too much salt in them. It calls for a teaspoon but I would only put in maybe 1/2 next time. Or maybe even a 1/4.
Aaaaaand, the brown sugar? Gross. The cookies totally flattened out and browned on the bottom, which I'm sure was due to the brown sugar. And I don't like the taste of it at all. I wonder how they would be with all white sugar instead of half white and half brown.
All in all, the production of making them, with my MIL "helping" and the way they baked in the oven - not fun and overall disappointing.
I don't think I'm going to bake anything else while we're here at the in-laws. I'm really frustrated to not have a kitchen, but it's even more frustrating to actually get to make something only to have everything always go kind of wrong.
The brownies I made here also didn't turn out well.
I don't know. The oven, the fact that the butter is not measured because you can't measure on the packages like we do in the States and there's no scale at the house. The pans used to bake in, which are very large oval cake pans as there are no rectangular or flat pans. Who knows.
Very much looking forward to moving and using an oven and kitchen that are mine.
Oh yeah, apparently there is no spatula here, so I had to pry the dried up browned bottom of the cookies up with a fork. Nice. There were many cookie Frankensteins.
On to more pleasant subjects, since I'm sure that's more than enough whining for now. lol
We took the mosquito net down that was over the bed so that we could wash it. I had known for some time that it needed to be washed because I accidentally brushed by it once wearing a white shirt and it left a big dust smudge on me. Eew.
So, we got the net down, took it into the shower and hosed it off. It was a bit of work but not really hard and except for one instance, where it fell off the wall hook and tried to break my head open, it went pretty well. Dried relatively quickly and was back over the bed within a matter of hours. All clean. It's amazing how quick the dust builds up here.
Also, I've read the operating manual for our new fridge. Woohoo! There's a piece of stimulating reading for you.
Actually, I did learn a few things about the fridge, like not to plug it back in right away if you move it, and some other things that I had no idea about.
The manual was in both Arabic and English, though whoever did the translation for the English missed out a bit in some places. There was only one place that was particularly bad and made absolutely no sense at all. Though there was a graphic there and I kind of knew what they were talking about anyways.
Here's what the nonsensical part said, "A barrier of door shelf of freezer to up direction."
:D
The fridge still needs a final wipe with some vinegar or something. Not sure when I'll be back at the apartment again. And I'd prefer to wait until we're done with having workmen in there and we're actually going to live there.
In other apartment news...
We are in the process of having a carpenter make a cabinet for underneath the kitchen sink.
He has taken the measurements and I guess he will start working on it, but I have no idea when it will be done. I am guessing it will be very simple so it shouldn't take too long.
I hope it looks okay. Hubby ordered it and I have no clue as to what it will actually look like.
On the one hand, it shouldn't matter, it's just a cupboard. On the other hand, I really would have liked to have been able to have a say in what it looked like. I'm going to be the one in the kitchen having to look at the darn thing and use it all the time.
Getting into an apartment really shouldn't be this difficult. Really. I'm sure there are marriages that break up over less than this. lol
And, as of today, we have been living with the in-laws for 5 months. FIVE months.
Sure it's nice to not be in an empty apartment all day or at night if hubby has meetings, and yet... well, you know...
Insha'Allah we will move before the end of the year.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The worst sound
Well, for one reason or another, well, one reason really, being that we didn't have the "right" kind of butter for me to make cookies, although I wanted to make them on Tuesday, I won't be making them until tomorrow.
It's a bit of a story and a bit of one of those, "tomorrow" and then when tomorrow comes it's another "tomorrow" deals.
In any case, we took a walk this evening to go to the bakery Le Poire to get cinnamon rolls with are my new favorite and which I can't seem to get enough of.
On the way back, we were going to pick up some of the "right" butter from a store that is on the way, which normally doesn't carry it but said the other day to come back in a couple of days and they would have it.
Well... just 20 steps or so from getting to the store, a car started up next to us and took off pell mell down the street.
This is no small feat. The streets are narrow, pock marked, full of people walking and bicycles and scooters and cars parked in all sorts of ways on either side.
And this guy just punched it! I've never seen/heard anyone go that fast down one of these small side streets.
Lo and behold, he gets one intersection down, at that point not even a whole block, and we hear the squeal of tires and the crunch of metal on metal.
This sound to me is horrifying and truly one of the very worst sounds there is.
Though a car serves some extremely useful purposes, it is also a weapon, and a loaded one at that. There is never a safety switch with a car, it is always on and ready to fire. And you never know what will be in that line of fire. It could be you.
So we heard the sound of that racing car hitting at least one other car, weather it was moving or parked we aren't sure.
People started coming out onto the street to see what had happened, and we could see a small group form around where the accident happened.
I didn't hear any yelling or shouting, so insha'Allah no one was hurt except maybe the driver.
I don't know if the police were called or what will happen. I don't know what they do with traffic offenders here. Will he have his license taken away or suspended? Will it really make a difference to this guy, in this country where you can buy your way out of almost anything?
Hubby went into the little corner store to get the butter and came back out, and we watched a few seconds more down the street where the accident was before heading back home.
And all the way home I felt slightly disquieted wondering what happened and if anyone was hurt. Even if this driver was a jerk and shouldn't have been driving so dangerously fast, I still don't like to think about anyone being harmed.
Better news being, I now have the correct butter and come hell or high water, I'M MAKING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES TOMORROW!!!
lol
Sometimes it really does take a herculean effort just to get the simplest thing done here.
Love it here all the same though.
It's a bit of a story and a bit of one of those, "tomorrow" and then when tomorrow comes it's another "tomorrow" deals.
In any case, we took a walk this evening to go to the bakery Le Poire to get cinnamon rolls with are my new favorite and which I can't seem to get enough of.
On the way back, we were going to pick up some of the "right" butter from a store that is on the way, which normally doesn't carry it but said the other day to come back in a couple of days and they would have it.
Well... just 20 steps or so from getting to the store, a car started up next to us and took off pell mell down the street.
This is no small feat. The streets are narrow, pock marked, full of people walking and bicycles and scooters and cars parked in all sorts of ways on either side.
And this guy just punched it! I've never seen/heard anyone go that fast down one of these small side streets.
Lo and behold, he gets one intersection down, at that point not even a whole block, and we hear the squeal of tires and the crunch of metal on metal.
This sound to me is horrifying and truly one of the very worst sounds there is.
Though a car serves some extremely useful purposes, it is also a weapon, and a loaded one at that. There is never a safety switch with a car, it is always on and ready to fire. And you never know what will be in that line of fire. It could be you.
So we heard the sound of that racing car hitting at least one other car, weather it was moving or parked we aren't sure.
People started coming out onto the street to see what had happened, and we could see a small group form around where the accident happened.
I didn't hear any yelling or shouting, so insha'Allah no one was hurt except maybe the driver.
I don't know if the police were called or what will happen. I don't know what they do with traffic offenders here. Will he have his license taken away or suspended? Will it really make a difference to this guy, in this country where you can buy your way out of almost anything?
Hubby went into the little corner store to get the butter and came back out, and we watched a few seconds more down the street where the accident was before heading back home.
And all the way home I felt slightly disquieted wondering what happened and if anyone was hurt. Even if this driver was a jerk and shouldn't have been driving so dangerously fast, I still don't like to think about anyone being harmed.
Better news being, I now have the correct butter and come hell or high water, I'M MAKING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES TOMORROW!!!
lol
Sometimes it really does take a herculean effort just to get the simplest thing done here.
Love it here all the same though.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Wow, 2 years!
Today is the day hubby and I got married back in 2007. Hurrah for making it all that time apart and alhamdulillah that we are finally able to live our lives together in the same location!
=)
I am too sore today from cleaning out that fridge yesterday. I definitely need to get moving more. The excuse I keep telling myself is that with no a/c in the very hot summer here, how could I exercise? lol
Well, with the new apartment there will be no excuse! There is a/c and cooler weather is on its way anyhow.
I'm thinking about making some chocolate chip cookies tonight. Not sure if it will happen or not but I'm thinking about it.
I haven't used the Hershey's chocolate chips yet in a cookie, and I know they taste different than Nestle, so it will be interesting to see how different the cookies taste. I was planning to use the recipe off the back of the empty Nestle package that I have. That way I guess it should be an even comparison. Though I was thinking of switching out some of the brown sugar and replacing it with more white sugar. Although brown sugar imparts a particular taste, I find I don't have as much of a liking/tolerance for it as I used to for some reason.
Watched a few good movies lately. I absolutely LOVED The Brothers Bloom. I watched it one night while hubby was sleeping, so now I get to watch it over again when he is awake! What a great story. I even cried at the end! lol
=)
I am too sore today from cleaning out that fridge yesterday. I definitely need to get moving more. The excuse I keep telling myself is that with no a/c in the very hot summer here, how could I exercise? lol
Well, with the new apartment there will be no excuse! There is a/c and cooler weather is on its way anyhow.
I'm thinking about making some chocolate chip cookies tonight. Not sure if it will happen or not but I'm thinking about it.
I haven't used the Hershey's chocolate chips yet in a cookie, and I know they taste different than Nestle, so it will be interesting to see how different the cookies taste. I was planning to use the recipe off the back of the empty Nestle package that I have. That way I guess it should be an even comparison. Though I was thinking of switching out some of the brown sugar and replacing it with more white sugar. Although brown sugar imparts a particular taste, I find I don't have as much of a liking/tolerance for it as I used to for some reason.
Watched a few good movies lately. I absolutely LOVED The Brothers Bloom. I watched it one night while hubby was sleeping, so now I get to watch it over again when he is awake! What a great story. I even cried at the end! lol
Monday, October 12, 2009
Shine and sparkle!
Well, lo and behold, we made it up today and got over to the apartment before 10 a.m.!
Left here around 9:15 or so actually. Took about 10 minutes to get there. Not too bad. I think traffic was just horrible yesterday because it was kind of our Monday here and everyone was back to school/work.
I didn't bring anything with me by way of cleaning supplies. There were 3 sponges in the kitchen, but they were that kind of um... not like o-cello sponges, they were this cheapy lightweight foamy feeling kind of thing. They don't tend to absorb very well. At all.
I got out some towels that were packed in my luggage, which has been sitting in the apartment, to use to wipe and dry with. I also got out the uber expensive lemon and eucalyptis liquid hand soap that I had sitting in my luggage, which while not made for cleaning fridges, was the only soap or cleaning agent I had to use.
Here was how it went:
10:10 into the kitchen
11:00 freezer is wiped out and "clean" for now.
break
11:25 back to the fridge
1:15 done with fridge
I can't believe it took me that long to clean it out, but there were a couple of reasons why.
The first is that we left the doors open to air it out, and they ended up being open for a couple of weeks, and so there was a bunch of dust inside.
The second reason is because the whole fridge, inside and out, was covered in some kind of oily slime. You couldn't see it, it left no visible residue, but you could feel it when you touched any surface. I don't know what it was from, I'm assuming it's not unexpected but I don't know as I've never bought a new fridge (or other appliance for that matter) before.
So, I had to clean all that grungy feeling stuff out and off before I wanted to even consider putting any food in there.
We didn't turn it on yet. In fact, I'd like to go back with some vinegar or rubbing alcohol and give it a final quick clean. I would feel much better that way.
Also, the floors. *sigh*
I understand now why the grout in the tiles gets so dirty. However, it isn't that it can't be cleaned, it's just that the way they clean here doesn't support grout being anything other than gray/black.
Because there's typically no carpet, just area rugs, the floors get hosed down so to speak, and they run a mop over, but no scrubbing. And if there's dust on the floor, and lets face it, we live in the middle of a giant desert and there's tons of dust, the dust tends to combine with the water and make a kind of sludge over the tile/grout. And because they don't scrub, it just gets darker and darker and more mucky looking.
I can't say I want to scrub my floors all the time (linoleum is sounding better and better, lol), but I don't want the black grout. Not sure how this will be solved, hopefully I can figure something out that isn't too time/chemical intensive.
I turned the a/c on in the bedroom about an hour or so before I was done cleaning. It was so nice to lay on the bed in the cool air when I was all done. Yay for a/c!
Not sure what is next apartment wise, but hopefully we'll continue to take some small steps that will get us in there soon.
Left here around 9:15 or so actually. Took about 10 minutes to get there. Not too bad. I think traffic was just horrible yesterday because it was kind of our Monday here and everyone was back to school/work.
I didn't bring anything with me by way of cleaning supplies. There were 3 sponges in the kitchen, but they were that kind of um... not like o-cello sponges, they were this cheapy lightweight foamy feeling kind of thing. They don't tend to absorb very well. At all.
I got out some towels that were packed in my luggage, which has been sitting in the apartment, to use to wipe and dry with. I also got out the uber expensive lemon and eucalyptis liquid hand soap that I had sitting in my luggage, which while not made for cleaning fridges, was the only soap or cleaning agent I had to use.
Here was how it went:
10:10 into the kitchen
11:00 freezer is wiped out and "clean" for now.
break
11:25 back to the fridge
1:15 done with fridge
I can't believe it took me that long to clean it out, but there were a couple of reasons why.
The first is that we left the doors open to air it out, and they ended up being open for a couple of weeks, and so there was a bunch of dust inside.
The second reason is because the whole fridge, inside and out, was covered in some kind of oily slime. You couldn't see it, it left no visible residue, but you could feel it when you touched any surface. I don't know what it was from, I'm assuming it's not unexpected but I don't know as I've never bought a new fridge (or other appliance for that matter) before.
So, I had to clean all that grungy feeling stuff out and off before I wanted to even consider putting any food in there.
We didn't turn it on yet. In fact, I'd like to go back with some vinegar or rubbing alcohol and give it a final quick clean. I would feel much better that way.
Also, the floors. *sigh*
I understand now why the grout in the tiles gets so dirty. However, it isn't that it can't be cleaned, it's just that the way they clean here doesn't support grout being anything other than gray/black.
Because there's typically no carpet, just area rugs, the floors get hosed down so to speak, and they run a mop over, but no scrubbing. And if there's dust on the floor, and lets face it, we live in the middle of a giant desert and there's tons of dust, the dust tends to combine with the water and make a kind of sludge over the tile/grout. And because they don't scrub, it just gets darker and darker and more mucky looking.
I can't say I want to scrub my floors all the time (linoleum is sounding better and better, lol), but I don't want the black grout. Not sure how this will be solved, hopefully I can figure something out that isn't too time/chemical intensive.
I turned the a/c on in the bedroom about an hour or so before I was done cleaning. It was so nice to lay on the bed in the cool air when I was all done. Yay for a/c!
Not sure what is next apartment wise, but hopefully we'll continue to take some small steps that will get us in there soon.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cinnamon roll success!
We almost made it over for a visit to the apartment today. Almost.
I was going to clean the fridge out because you know they have some kind of gunky stuff on them when they're new and I really don't want a gunky fridge.
Was also going to pick up a few things from my luggage while I was there.
Alas, traffic was horrid today so we decided that we will go tomorrow morning.
At 9:00 a.m.
Okay, who's laughing with me about that? Maybe it's just me. We just go to bed way to late to attempt to be up and atem at that hour.
However, I did get some things ready to take over when I thought we were going today, so that is done at least. We're bringing over the sheets for the bed, some towels, and a few things that I have here that I don't need (like 10 pairs of shoes, lol).
In other news, since I had some cinnamon rolls from the bakery Le Poire the other week, I've been craving them something fierce.
I really don't eat a lot of sweets, mainly because I have a different sweets preference than what my MIL makes, and also because I can't eat from the local neighborhood bakery anymore (grown intolerant for some reason, my mouth doesn't like their food!).
We've been on a quest to get some cinnamon rolls and croissants from Le Poire for a good couple of weeks, but they're always out by the time hubby calls or they don't have a delivery boy or they didn't make any that day.
Talk about frustrating! The one thing I want, the ONLY thing I'm craving, and I can't get at it.
I'd make my own but sometimes baking at the in-laws is a bit of a production and something like cinnamon rolls would be a nightmare I think (though I am thinking about making some chocolate chip cookies in the next day or two).
So, I called hubby early this evening when he was still at work and asked if he could call the bakery and see if they had anything. He said he would stop by and check on his way home.
He came home and his arms were laden with a box containing 5 cinnamon rolls.
Lovely, luscious, delicious, cinnamony, topped with frosting goodness, cinnamon rolls.
Of which I have now devoured one and am eagerly awaiting tomorrow to have another.
:D
Plan is to go to the apartment tomorrow morning. I will update with details either way. lol
The saga continues!
I was going to clean the fridge out because you know they have some kind of gunky stuff on them when they're new and I really don't want a gunky fridge.
Was also going to pick up a few things from my luggage while I was there.
Alas, traffic was horrid today so we decided that we will go tomorrow morning.
At 9:00 a.m.
Okay, who's laughing with me about that? Maybe it's just me. We just go to bed way to late to attempt to be up and atem at that hour.
However, I did get some things ready to take over when I thought we were going today, so that is done at least. We're bringing over the sheets for the bed, some towels, and a few things that I have here that I don't need (like 10 pairs of shoes, lol).
In other news, since I had some cinnamon rolls from the bakery Le Poire the other week, I've been craving them something fierce.
I really don't eat a lot of sweets, mainly because I have a different sweets preference than what my MIL makes, and also because I can't eat from the local neighborhood bakery anymore (grown intolerant for some reason, my mouth doesn't like their food!).
We've been on a quest to get some cinnamon rolls and croissants from Le Poire for a good couple of weeks, but they're always out by the time hubby calls or they don't have a delivery boy or they didn't make any that day.
Talk about frustrating! The one thing I want, the ONLY thing I'm craving, and I can't get at it.
I'd make my own but sometimes baking at the in-laws is a bit of a production and something like cinnamon rolls would be a nightmare I think (though I am thinking about making some chocolate chip cookies in the next day or two).
So, I called hubby early this evening when he was still at work and asked if he could call the bakery and see if they had anything. He said he would stop by and check on his way home.
He came home and his arms were laden with a box containing 5 cinnamon rolls.
Lovely, luscious, delicious, cinnamony, topped with frosting goodness, cinnamon rolls.
Of which I have now devoured one and am eagerly awaiting tomorrow to have another.
:D
Plan is to go to the apartment tomorrow morning. I will update with details either way. lol
The saga continues!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Ever so pink
We went out on Thursday morning to the mogamma building to get my resident visa.
The building is crowded even on a good day. And seeing as how Thursday is the last day of the week here, it was even more packed!
We got there around 11:20. We got the form we needed and then hubby decided that we would take it back on Saturday instead of fighting the crowds.
As I mentioned the last time we went to the mogamma, the place is a perfect germ incubator. And with swine flu and every other kind of flu, particularly as there are people from all over the world trying to get different visas there, it seems like a bad idea to spend any amount of time there.
The plan is to go close to when they open Saturday so that we will avoid the crowds, but since we're usually not sleeping til after 3 a.m., and sometimes after 4 or 5, getting anywhere by 9 a.m. seems a bit daunting.
In any case, after we got the form and left, hubby asked if I wanted to walk around downtown so I said sure. This answer was the result of me forgetting that when you do any exercise or something to strain your body, it's not the next day you hurt but the day after. And that it was two days before that we walked down to Metro and I got sore feet etc.
It was fine at first, despite hubby's permanent race walking. When he asked what I wanted to look at, I couldn't quite say though. We weren't buying and he rarely slows down enough for me to get a good look in the windows. Hmmmm....
He suggested we find a cafe, so after some walking around, we went to one that we had gone to when I visited in 2007. It's in a computer mall. It's called... I dunno, Cafe Rose or something like that.
We found a table and sat down. Hubby ordered coffee and a sprite for me. I told him I didn't want anything but water seeing as how I hadn't ate or drank anything yet that day, and putting sprite in my body first thing after I'm tired and hot from walking around was a bad idea. lol
Well, I got thirsty and drank some anyways. Which seemed fine until we were on our taxi ride home and I started to feel not so well. Of course, we were stuck in traffic at that point. I was sure I was going to be sick before we could make it home but it was fine alhamdulillah.
While sitting at the cafe, I noticed, being ever observant, that there was a roach crawling around on the ground under our table. Hubby noticed me looking down and asked if it was a bug. I said yes. I watched it, thinking it would just pass us by, but then it started crawling up the wall next to me, at which point I stood up and then hubby made us trade chairs. I asked him why he didn't just kill it, but it seemed that wasn't on his agenda. Not his house, not his bug. lol
So... I thought all was fine, and then a few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that same darn bug crawling on the floor right towards me. What, am I a magnet or something? So I finally took matters into my own hands (or feet as it were) and stepped on the thing.
Yay!
It was fairly small, which is why I was able to get close enough to it to step on it. If it was one of those ginormous multi-colored light/dark brown ones, forget it. I wouldn't get anywhere close to one of those buggers, they're freakishly huge and scary.
I finally uploaded the pictures I took from our walk the other day. What a surprise when I looked at them and they all had a pink background! I dropped my camera a couple of years ago and I've had some problems off and on since then, but it's pretty rare. Usually what happens is I'll get some lines going across the viewfinder and pictures. This pink background is something new. While it does make for a nice saturated effect, I wouldn't want it for my normal picture taking. Hopefully it will right itself. Though I do so want a new camera!
Anyways, here's the pictures. I had originally only intended to post 2 of them, but that was before I saw how strange they turned out, at which point I decided to post them all.
This is one of my favorite buildings in the area. The glass is a pretty blue color, and I like the round part of the building as well. I'm a sucker for round buildings with lots of glass.
This picture is fairly pink, as you can see.
This is the same basic view, but for some reason it came out slightly less pink.
And this is a third view, a vertical shot, and it's very pink!
Next we have the park there, first looking one direction and then the other. You can't see how big the park is from these. It's not very wide but it's quite long.
Looking one way:
Looking the other way:
We might go by the apartment tomorrow. I told hubby I wanted some things from my luggage, most of which I have been without for the last 4 1/2 months while we've been at the in-laws. It's been so long I've forgotten a lot of the stuff I brought with me, though I didn't bring all that much to begin with! Anyways, looking forward to seeing and going through some of my things.
We might go out to a cafe or something later today but not sure. As you may have noticed, our plans are ALWAYS subject to change. lol *sigh*
The weather finally seems to have cooled down on a more permanent basis, though there could be small spikes. It's been in the 80's or very low 90's for a while now. Much nicer. I actually got cold sleeping last night with the fan on. The fan is normally on 24/7, but when it's cool enough of course we don't need it.
We are thinking about me getting a job. It seems that I'm not allowed to work without a work visa. As far as I know, you can't just go get a work visa, you have to find a job you want and then your prospective employer gets the visa for you.
Hubby has a friend whose wife works at a multi-national company, and she's going to see if there is anything available there. It would be a bit of a commute, and I don't know if I want to work a 9 hour day *and* commute on top of that, but we shall see.
Hopefully something will turn up job-wise, though I would prefer to work part time and not full time.
Right now all I want is to go to the beach and lay out on the sand and relax under and umbrella. Been a long while since I've been to the beach but I sure could use a vacation. Sounds funny to say perhaps, seeing as how I haven't worked in over 6 months now, but still, things aren't always easy in my current circumstances, and I often feel a bit stressed about things. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be here and living with hubby. Just.... ya know?
Off to dream of warm sandy beaches....
The building is crowded even on a good day. And seeing as how Thursday is the last day of the week here, it was even more packed!
We got there around 11:20. We got the form we needed and then hubby decided that we would take it back on Saturday instead of fighting the crowds.
As I mentioned the last time we went to the mogamma, the place is a perfect germ incubator. And with swine flu and every other kind of flu, particularly as there are people from all over the world trying to get different visas there, it seems like a bad idea to spend any amount of time there.
The plan is to go close to when they open Saturday so that we will avoid the crowds, but since we're usually not sleeping til after 3 a.m., and sometimes after 4 or 5, getting anywhere by 9 a.m. seems a bit daunting.
In any case, after we got the form and left, hubby asked if I wanted to walk around downtown so I said sure. This answer was the result of me forgetting that when you do any exercise or something to strain your body, it's not the next day you hurt but the day after. And that it was two days before that we walked down to Metro and I got sore feet etc.
It was fine at first, despite hubby's permanent race walking. When he asked what I wanted to look at, I couldn't quite say though. We weren't buying and he rarely slows down enough for me to get a good look in the windows. Hmmmm....
He suggested we find a cafe, so after some walking around, we went to one that we had gone to when I visited in 2007. It's in a computer mall. It's called... I dunno, Cafe Rose or something like that.
We found a table and sat down. Hubby ordered coffee and a sprite for me. I told him I didn't want anything but water seeing as how I hadn't ate or drank anything yet that day, and putting sprite in my body first thing after I'm tired and hot from walking around was a bad idea. lol
Well, I got thirsty and drank some anyways. Which seemed fine until we were on our taxi ride home and I started to feel not so well. Of course, we were stuck in traffic at that point. I was sure I was going to be sick before we could make it home but it was fine alhamdulillah.
While sitting at the cafe, I noticed, being ever observant, that there was a roach crawling around on the ground under our table. Hubby noticed me looking down and asked if it was a bug. I said yes. I watched it, thinking it would just pass us by, but then it started crawling up the wall next to me, at which point I stood up and then hubby made us trade chairs. I asked him why he didn't just kill it, but it seemed that wasn't on his agenda. Not his house, not his bug. lol
So... I thought all was fine, and then a few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that same darn bug crawling on the floor right towards me. What, am I a magnet or something? So I finally took matters into my own hands (or feet as it were) and stepped on the thing.
Yay!
It was fairly small, which is why I was able to get close enough to it to step on it. If it was one of those ginormous multi-colored light/dark brown ones, forget it. I wouldn't get anywhere close to one of those buggers, they're freakishly huge and scary.
I finally uploaded the pictures I took from our walk the other day. What a surprise when I looked at them and they all had a pink background! I dropped my camera a couple of years ago and I've had some problems off and on since then, but it's pretty rare. Usually what happens is I'll get some lines going across the viewfinder and pictures. This pink background is something new. While it does make for a nice saturated effect, I wouldn't want it for my normal picture taking. Hopefully it will right itself. Though I do so want a new camera!
Anyways, here's the pictures. I had originally only intended to post 2 of them, but that was before I saw how strange they turned out, at which point I decided to post them all.
This is one of my favorite buildings in the area. The glass is a pretty blue color, and I like the round part of the building as well. I'm a sucker for round buildings with lots of glass.
This picture is fairly pink, as you can see.
This is the same basic view, but for some reason it came out slightly less pink.
And this is a third view, a vertical shot, and it's very pink!
Next we have the park there, first looking one direction and then the other. You can't see how big the park is from these. It's not very wide but it's quite long.
Looking one way:
Looking the other way:
We might go by the apartment tomorrow. I told hubby I wanted some things from my luggage, most of which I have been without for the last 4 1/2 months while we've been at the in-laws. It's been so long I've forgotten a lot of the stuff I brought with me, though I didn't bring all that much to begin with! Anyways, looking forward to seeing and going through some of my things.
We might go out to a cafe or something later today but not sure. As you may have noticed, our plans are ALWAYS subject to change. lol *sigh*
The weather finally seems to have cooled down on a more permanent basis, though there could be small spikes. It's been in the 80's or very low 90's for a while now. Much nicer. I actually got cold sleeping last night with the fan on. The fan is normally on 24/7, but when it's cool enough of course we don't need it.
We are thinking about me getting a job. It seems that I'm not allowed to work without a work visa. As far as I know, you can't just go get a work visa, you have to find a job you want and then your prospective employer gets the visa for you.
Hubby has a friend whose wife works at a multi-national company, and she's going to see if there is anything available there. It would be a bit of a commute, and I don't know if I want to work a 9 hour day *and* commute on top of that, but we shall see.
Hopefully something will turn up job-wise, though I would prefer to work part time and not full time.
Right now all I want is to go to the beach and lay out on the sand and relax under and umbrella. Been a long while since I've been to the beach but I sure could use a vacation. Sounds funny to say perhaps, seeing as how I haven't worked in over 6 months now, but still, things aren't always easy in my current circumstances, and I often feel a bit stressed about things. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be here and living with hubby. Just.... ya know?
Off to dream of warm sandy beaches....
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
These shoes were NOT made for walking...
We've been having some more decent weather lately. Not too hot, though sometimes a bit humid at night.
And the burning is still mostly going on though there seem to be one or two nights a week when we get a break from it, though I don't know the reason.
Although it's awful at night when they burn, it goes away by morning, so though I'm sure it's still contributing to the overall decline of air quality, I don't have any trouble during the daytime.
We went for a walk down to the Metro grocery today. Took about 45 minutes each way. And that was at a pretty fast pace since hubby doesn't seem to understand taking a leisurely stroll. lol
We got some Edam cheese, some croissants and a couple of juice boxes that have all natural juice with no sugar added. I was hoping to get some vanilla, but all they had was vanilla "essence", which is just some flavoring, and I refuse to ruin home baked goods with something like that.
The weather was pretty nice for a walk today, slight wind and not too hot, though after that much walking, and wearing long sleeves and hijab, you get a bit hot anyways.
Before we left the house I was thinking about what shoes I would wear, and decided to wear some keds sneakers that I had but which I hadn't really ever worn in. They aren't like the traditional keds, but similar.
In any case, my toes started to get sore after a little while of walking, and we had already decided we would take a taxi home instead of walking, but we ended up not taking a taxi and walking instead. I'm not sure what the deal was, I mean hubby asked if I wanted a taxi and I guess I was feeling stubborn because I said no. lol
I was SO exhausted by the time we got home.
I changed and washed my feet off to cool them down. I have a little blister on the top of my left pinky toe. Ouchies.
But, I can't recommend enough the cool water bath on feet after a long walk. It feels a little bit like heaven. :D
I don't think I'll be able to walk well tomorrow though. I have a feeling my hips will be sore and I'll be waddling around the house. lol
There is a nice park that we often pass when we are walking, at least when we walk that direction. It is quite often very crowded with people since there aren't a lot of green spaces around. And I always spot the cutest kitties there.
I took a picture but it's still sitting in my camera, so I'll post it soon.
I also got a picture of one of my favorite buildings in the area. I think the reason I like it so much is because of the windows, which are some kind of blue glass. Pretty.
No news on moving, though hubby and I had a long discussion about it. It suffices to say that I will be patient and we will move when we move. Of course, I will happily post about it here when it happens.
I'm really excited about the weather changing. Just thinking about being able to wear a sweater, or layers, is so nice.
We don't have the reminders of Autumn here like there are in the States.
And, happily enough, I won't be bombarded by Christmas advertisements and sales here.
Hurrah!
I'm trying to plan a Thanksgiving meal of sorts if I can pull it off. Not that it needs to be on Thanksgiving day, but I just want to have that sort of meal. I think it would be a nice reminder of home and of changing seasons.
And the burning is still mostly going on though there seem to be one or two nights a week when we get a break from it, though I don't know the reason.
Although it's awful at night when they burn, it goes away by morning, so though I'm sure it's still contributing to the overall decline of air quality, I don't have any trouble during the daytime.
We went for a walk down to the Metro grocery today. Took about 45 minutes each way. And that was at a pretty fast pace since hubby doesn't seem to understand taking a leisurely stroll. lol
We got some Edam cheese, some croissants and a couple of juice boxes that have all natural juice with no sugar added. I was hoping to get some vanilla, but all they had was vanilla "essence", which is just some flavoring, and I refuse to ruin home baked goods with something like that.
The weather was pretty nice for a walk today, slight wind and not too hot, though after that much walking, and wearing long sleeves and hijab, you get a bit hot anyways.
Before we left the house I was thinking about what shoes I would wear, and decided to wear some keds sneakers that I had but which I hadn't really ever worn in. They aren't like the traditional keds, but similar.
In any case, my toes started to get sore after a little while of walking, and we had already decided we would take a taxi home instead of walking, but we ended up not taking a taxi and walking instead. I'm not sure what the deal was, I mean hubby asked if I wanted a taxi and I guess I was feeling stubborn because I said no. lol
I was SO exhausted by the time we got home.
I changed and washed my feet off to cool them down. I have a little blister on the top of my left pinky toe. Ouchies.
But, I can't recommend enough the cool water bath on feet after a long walk. It feels a little bit like heaven. :D
I don't think I'll be able to walk well tomorrow though. I have a feeling my hips will be sore and I'll be waddling around the house. lol
There is a nice park that we often pass when we are walking, at least when we walk that direction. It is quite often very crowded with people since there aren't a lot of green spaces around. And I always spot the cutest kitties there.
I took a picture but it's still sitting in my camera, so I'll post it soon.
I also got a picture of one of my favorite buildings in the area. I think the reason I like it so much is because of the windows, which are some kind of blue glass. Pretty.
No news on moving, though hubby and I had a long discussion about it. It suffices to say that I will be patient and we will move when we move. Of course, I will happily post about it here when it happens.
I'm really excited about the weather changing. Just thinking about being able to wear a sweater, or layers, is so nice.
We don't have the reminders of Autumn here like there are in the States.
And, happily enough, I won't be bombarded by Christmas advertisements and sales here.
Hurrah!
I'm trying to plan a Thanksgiving meal of sorts if I can pull it off. Not that it needs to be on Thanksgiving day, but I just want to have that sort of meal. I think it would be a nice reminder of home and of changing seasons.
Friday, October 2, 2009
The burning problem
Before I moved here to Egypt, I had been reading different articles and talking with people about the country for several years. I thought I knew a lot of information, at least more than the simple holiday traveler. Well, I do know a lot of information. But I don't have personal experience of all of that info.
I'm now experiencing first hand something that I wish I wasn't.
It seems that every year, for at least the past 10 years, starting at the end of September, the farmers burn their crop waste, causing what is called a "black cloud" to settle over Cairo.
I don't particularly remember it when I visited in October of 2007, and from what I read it lasts for maybe a couple of months every year. However... I was sick with a cough almost the whole time I visited in 2007, so maybe it was from the black cloud, though I can't say for sure.
In any case, it starts up at night, the burning. To tell you the truth, it just smells like a whole lot of fireplace fires going, and I really love the smell of fireplace fires. It reminds me of winter and holidays and cookies and snow and all sorts of nice things.
But this isn't something that is leaving me feeling nice and peaceful.
After being out on the balcony after dark for only 20 or 30 minutes, my chest has tightened and I feel like I'm having trouble breathing!
Although I can smell it in the bedroom (because there's always a window open, with the shutters closed), it isn't as bad and at least gives me some respite from it.
Here are a couple of articles that explain how bad it is if you are interested in reading. The articles start off similarly but differ after a bit.
article 1
article 2
There is other information out there about the black cloud and its affects, but these give a good enough idea of it I think.
I know the government is making some efforts at clearing the air here, but I don't think they are making quite enough effort. I read recently about how Mexico City, which was ranked really high in the list of most polluted cities, has really turned things around and have made a big difference. I wish the government here would get some help or take some pointers, anything to more quickly combat this huge problem.
I applaud their program to replace taxis. I wish it could happen quicker, but it is happening and I'm glad for that.
If I knew of some way that I could make a difference in all of this, I would put my heart and soul into it. Too many people here obviously don't care or have given up on making things better. But I'm sure there are others like me who don't know how they can make a difference.
I will be happy when this season of burning is over. The air won't be sparkling, but I won't be afraid to go out in the evenings after the sun is down.
I'm now experiencing first hand something that I wish I wasn't.
It seems that every year, for at least the past 10 years, starting at the end of September, the farmers burn their crop waste, causing what is called a "black cloud" to settle over Cairo.
I don't particularly remember it when I visited in October of 2007, and from what I read it lasts for maybe a couple of months every year. However... I was sick with a cough almost the whole time I visited in 2007, so maybe it was from the black cloud, though I can't say for sure.
In any case, it starts up at night, the burning. To tell you the truth, it just smells like a whole lot of fireplace fires going, and I really love the smell of fireplace fires. It reminds me of winter and holidays and cookies and snow and all sorts of nice things.
But this isn't something that is leaving me feeling nice and peaceful.
After being out on the balcony after dark for only 20 or 30 minutes, my chest has tightened and I feel like I'm having trouble breathing!
Although I can smell it in the bedroom (because there's always a window open, with the shutters closed), it isn't as bad and at least gives me some respite from it.
Here are a couple of articles that explain how bad it is if you are interested in reading. The articles start off similarly but differ after a bit.
article 1
article 2
There is other information out there about the black cloud and its affects, but these give a good enough idea of it I think.
I know the government is making some efforts at clearing the air here, but I don't think they are making quite enough effort. I read recently about how Mexico City, which was ranked really high in the list of most polluted cities, has really turned things around and have made a big difference. I wish the government here would get some help or take some pointers, anything to more quickly combat this huge problem.
I applaud their program to replace taxis. I wish it could happen quicker, but it is happening and I'm glad for that.
If I knew of some way that I could make a difference in all of this, I would put my heart and soul into it. Too many people here obviously don't care or have given up on making things better. But I'm sure there are others like me who don't know how they can make a difference.
I will be happy when this season of burning is over. The air won't be sparkling, but I won't be afraid to go out in the evenings after the sun is down.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Cool
Well, happy birthday to my daddy today! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with mom and your friends. Enjoy your dinner!
The weather has been decidedly nicer the last few days or so. I think it's only getting up to mid 80's today. It will heat up again, but hopefully we're done with anything approaching 100. We'll see.
Not much else going on. At all. Bored. Very very bored.
The weather has been decidedly nicer the last few days or so. I think it's only getting up to mid 80's today. It will heat up again, but hopefully we're done with anything approaching 100. We'll see.
Not much else going on. At all. Bored. Very very bored.
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