Me again

Not much going on in the "exciting" department.

Had some power outages recently and aside from that, some burnt out lightbulbs.  Not sure what the power outages were about but I hope they aren't starting early for the summer!

The light bulbs were a bit of a pain since one was in the kitchen and we didn't have any spares and hubby couldn't get home to get me one til later in the evening.  I suppose I could have walked down to the store but it wasn't that urgent.  The only thing really waiting was dishes.  And I really wasn't in any hurry to do them.

Actually, hubby bought me a new mop last week or so and that really is kind of exciting!  :D
Seems goofy but when your mop goes bad and you can't clean your floor well, it's a bit of a pain, especially when sand storm season heats up.  So, despite the fact that it's kind of fluorescent pink and yellow, I am happy and it mops well.  lol

We might be inheriting some couches from one of the family's other apartments, and then recovering them.  I'm kind of excited about that too actually.  Well, not sure if they'll get recovered at first or we'll buy the kind of cover you just put over the whole couch.  I'd prefer to get them entirely reupholstered and get new cushions but I'm not sure which it will be.

Also, finally got a pie plate, so I can make actual pie now. 

I guess I did have some exciting stuff.  :D

Today is part 3 of the log.  So without further ado...

:::

Monday, January 31st

Sleep by 6:30 a.m. or so and wake by 10:30.  Not by choice but hubby woke, I think it was his phone ringing.  I thought I'd go back to sleep but after laying in bed for an hour I could see that wasn't going to happen.

Sunny today and a little chilly.  Traffic outside but not heavy like before.

Hubby went to the store and got a few things.  Crowded at the store but not too bad.

Helicopter passed by a little while ago.

No water in the apartment since I woke up.  Not sure if it's just the normal thing of water being out but it doesn't seem like it since it's usually only out for a short while.  It's been out for over an hour now, close to two I guess.  We did fill up a case of emtpy water bottles on Friday night, so we have water to wash hands and stuff, but I'm really happy I did all the dishes and most of the laundry yesterday.

I feel the need to get outside as I'm starting to feel a little too restless and cooped up.  Not sure if I'll get outside before it gets dark or not.  Apparently, the curfew has been moved up to 3 p.m. now!!  Why so early I don't know and I find it ridiculous!  I'll be very interested to see what happens with the police supposedly guarding the streets and if we'll see them tonight.

Still no internet.  This is day 4.  Most of what I've been doing is reading.  I think it's time to watch something and give my reading a break.

2:15 and getting out for a walk before curfew starts!

3:00 and back from our walk.  Was really nice out, little bit of a chill but I was too warm with my fleece jacket.  The sky is a brilliant blue.  Just really beautiful out today.

Many people out walking around going from place to place, I imagine mostly buying groceries.  I noticed on the main street that most of the shops were closed and some were closing as we walked by.

We made it over to Pyramid street and right as we came out, on the left, were tanks!!  Boy I was excited and I asked hubby if we should ask them if it was okay to take pictures and he said that he thought they would say no, so we should sneak them.  Tried to get video but no idea how that came out yet, and he got a few shots of me with the tanks in the background.  Yay!

I just felt so happy to be outside with the sun on my face and getting some "fresh" air.  It's hard being cooped up all the time.  And there's really no way for me to go out at all once it's dark now.  Too dangerous.  There really aren't any women out on the streets past dark now.

Hubby heard that there were fresh protests in Tahrir square because people felt that though there are some changes being made, they are just surface changes and nothing will really be different.  Sounds about right from what I can tell, and I say good for them.  Keep at it til you get what you want.

I know it's hard on everyone.  I don't know the percentage of people still going to work but it must be pretty small.  I'm sure it's hit the taxi drivers very hard and I feel bad for them.  This hits so many places that you wouldn't really think of.  I think the people probably doing okay are the stores selling food.  I think just about everything else is probably suffering.

To be honest, yes I wish this was over and that things could get back to some form of normal.  Mainly I think it's just kind of exhausting to not know what's happening or how things will be moving forward, and I think just about everyone is a little on edge.  You can feel it in the air.  At least I can.  Excited, nervous, hopeful.

4:00 and there is news that they might cut the power, so we're making sure laptops and whatever else are charged.  The water did come back on earlier, so we're okay there until (and if) the power goes out, at which point the water pump will not work so we would be without power or water.  Joy!  Just like summer only not.  lol

5:15 Been standing out on the balcony for a little while, just watching the neighborhood hum.  First gun shots of the night a few streets over.  The sun hasn't even quite hit the horizon yet.  The traffic has died down considerably and I don't see any more women walking around, just men now.  Wondering when and if the police will get here.

I actually saw quite a bit of air traffic while I was out on the balcony.  Six planes.  I think that they were all leaving as opposed to coming, but I don't know for sure.  I can't imagine why anyone would by flying into Egypt now, unless they were Egyptian or had family here.  I heard that the embassies were offering to help people who couldn't afford to get out, but I'm not sure if that was just the U.S. embassy or others as well.  I imagine a lot of foreigners have left.  Not a majority by any means, but quite a few I'm sure.

5:30 and the evening call to prayer.  It's starting to get chilly outside. And I'm told the police are on their way!  Let's see what tonight brings.

9:42 It's fairly loud out in the streets as it has been the last few nights with small groups of guys walking around and "protecting" the area.  Although the police might be on their way, I guess they haven't gotten to our area yet.  After I have some dinner I'll go out on the balcony to have a look around.

There was news that the president (or someone) told the internet provider companies to be ready to turn the internet back on when the word was given, so hopefully it will be very soon.  Hard to be so cut off from the world.  If we had a t.v. at the house or I could easily get a Western paper, maybe we wouldn't feel so cut off.  Hubby has been listening to a little radio quite a bit to keep up with the news as best he can.

10:30 before I hear a tank rolling by, though there could have been some earlier that I didn't hear.  This was one of the louder ones and much easier to hear, even though I was in the kitchen doing dishes.

11:00 gun shots in the distance.

12:00 Been waiting out on the balcony for a while in hopes of catching a tank passing by, but the schedule doesn't seem to be reliable at all tonight.

Called hubby who is down at the cafe watching the news and chatting.  He heard that there would be protests tomorrow but that they were supposed to be peaceful, that the police had orders not to shoot.  He also said that he heard that the U.S. government told the Egyptian president that if one more person was killed that the U.S. would stop all aid to Egypt.  Wow!  That's a pretty big statement.  And Egypt certainly can't afford to lose the aid that they are receiving.  I don't know that they spend it well but they can't afford to lose it in any case.

Really bored.  I feel like I'm missing the excitment down on the street but there's really nothing to be missing.  I'm just getting tired of feeling like I'm waiting for something to happen and not knowing what that something is.

Time to read or watch a movie.

1:00 Lots of noise and commotion down on the street for a little while now, but I'm tired and cold and don't feel like getting decent enough to go out on the balcony and see what's going on.

1:01 I can hear a tank going by.

1:17 and still a lot of commotion in the street nearby.  Can't imagine what's going on.

1:30  Finally called hubby to see what all the noise is and he says it's from guys playing soccer.  lol

1:40 Hubby called to ask me to drop something down from the balcony to him, and while I was out there I could hear there was a tank coming, so I dropped the item down to hubby, and then despite the fact that I am wearing flip flops and our floors are all tile, I ran into the apartment pell mell, grabbed the camera off our bed and turned it on while running back to the balcony, just in time to finally film a tank going by.  I couldn't tell where it was when I first heard it coming, I just knew that it was coming, so unfortunately, it's passing by on the far side of the street, behind a fence, but I think the video probably still came out okay.  Would be nice to get one while it was passing on the street just below.  Hubby got a video of one with his cell phone, but, it's on his cell phone.  lol

Also, while I was out there I saw the guys playing soccer.  Right in the middle of Faisel street.  Which would never have been able to happen in a million years before this whole revolution of sorts started.  The street is always busy, and even at the wee hours like 3 and 4 a.m., there are still cars coming by.  It quiets of course, but it's never truly empty like it mostly is now at night.

I do still see cars go by on the road on occasion at night, even though there is curfew, but I'm not sure if they have a special permission or they're just risking being out.  Not sure what the punishment is for being out driving during curfew.

I heard that the Metro, the light rail here, is being stopped during curfew hours, as well as the choo choo trains.  Steam trains?  lol

So things are coming to a halt pretty much at night.  Except for the groups of guys hanging out.

3:00 Hubby home and the big news is that although there is supposed to be a very large amount of protesters tomorrow in Tahrir square, and that the protest is supposed to be peaceful, now there is word that there is also a very large group who is taking the opposite side of the protesters, supposedly wanting the current president to stay in office.  I can hardly believe it, but if this is the case, tomorrow could well turn out to be very violent and I wouldn't be surprised if there were some deaths involved.

Every day brings news but it's not always welcome.  Really wish the internet would come back.

4:15 a.m. The quran has started playing on a speaker somewhere nearby.

5:00 tank going by.

5:30 ginormous cat fight in the stairwell.  lol   The cats are fierce here!

5:53 tank going by.