I'm at the computer lab till late working on papers and researching music videos for the one I have to shoot this Friday.

Here is my music video theme for today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI

Have a Happy Thursday Eveyone.

Thanks for the video, Olivia.

Congratulations on your grades and your new video shoot!!

I am awake as usual... waiting for my husband to get back from a job interview. I am waiting for good news. We are so bored in this house. I wanna rip someone's face off!!

I am trying to put together an updated résumé so that I can send it to a hotel here in Cairo. I need a change. Especially since all of the visa estimates I have looked at so far say that we still have months of waiting ahead of us.

In other news..........
Tomorrow, the family is going to an amusement park here in Egypt. Last year, we went the day after I arrived in Cairo. So, the whole thing is nostalgic but depressing at the same time. Who knew I would still be here after a year!!!!!!!!!?@?!?!??@!>?!@?!@??>@

Countdown
=============================================
15 days until my one year anniversary of arriving to Egypt

better news
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
26 days until our first anniversary (of marriage )

Thx!

I'm throwing flowers today. Everyone gets flowers.

Weekend for Egyptian consulate.... no new visa news for 2 days..... I'm having a really hard time staying positive this week

Didn't I read somewhere that the embassy only issues interview dates 1 time every month? So I guess we still have a chance of getting a date issued at the end of this month? I really hope so .....

just wanted to stop in and say we had a good drs appt, this dr is great. he did an ultrasound and even tho his machine isnt as good as the other dr, we still got to see our fuzzy ball andd we even got to see a strong heartbeat. he said my progesterone is a little low so he put me on supplements which makes me feel ALOT better. AhumDuAllah AhumDuAllah! today is georges birthday and for his present he got to see his creations little heart beating away on the screen. when i take a digi pic i will post it.

wishing everyone good news next week.

I thought Friday afternoon started their weekend? Don't lose hope yet!

we want pics we want pics!



and is it friday yet?

Happy Thursday everyone! I can offically post the little secret I have! As some of you know, I worked in an allergy and pulmonary clinic for years. Things were getting crazy and I thought I was going to kill a co-worker, so I took a job at an OB/GYN, which I really thought I would like. Well.....I HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT!!!! A friend of mine that works at my old job (and also hats it) is a nurse practioner and had been toying with the idea of opening a clinic and having a couple other doc colloaborate with her (so kind of NP law). So we got our brains together and start brain storming and things just fell together. Just so happenen while we were thinking about this, another friend of ours whose family owns many pharmacies here was opening a respiratory care supply store and told us "hey....I have extra space here....do you want it?????" We also called an allergy & asthma doctor and a family health doctor to see if they would like to take on a day a week at the clinic. Long story short......our business Columbia Allergy & Asthma Specialty will be opening it's doors on Dec 1!!!! We already have at least 400 past patients that are wanting to leave the clinic we both worked at and come to our clinic. This is going to be a very interesting adventure for us both. Our old boss has always thought he's the best of the best (and he isn't) and now that we will be in direct compatition with him will be fun! I'M SOOOO EXCITED! Now I have to decide if I want tomorrow to be my last day in Vajay-jay hell or next Friday.

It's payday YAY!!!!!!!!!

I swear I'm going to be sunshine today I had a ranty post all written up but don't want to bring anyone down . I have a wicked headache (bit through the mouth guard I was using to stop me from grinding my teeth in my sleep and the headaches returned!!!!!!!! )


ok, ok, sunshine

That's wonderful! congratulations!

I may have to become patient 401. It's ragweed season today and having a record temp of 94 today is not going to help matters!

Good morning everyone

Hugs,

Ayesha

Monnik - Inshallah, you will hear something soon! Ride some coaster for me, would ya???

Olivia - Thanks for the ....<caught it in my teeth>

Polarbear - I will keep my paws crossed for ya that you get an interview date soon. Good luck!

Jess - So glad that your ultrasound was good!

Doodle & Charles - WHAZ UP?????

Aymerlu - That sounds like an awesome opportunity. Good luck!!!

Aminah - Got any extra cash to share???

Sparrow - "Here comes the sun...do do....her comes the sun...and I say......"

MBP - Here's a shot of Claritan!!!!! <ouch>


I'm down in my back today. I laid on my tummy to watch a movie last night and when I got up, I was in serious pain. Wasn't any better this morning. Going to the chiropractor this morning hoping they can snap it back. AGH!!!

here ya go..........







the second one is the same just with a circle and an arrow hand drawn lol.....

OUCH! Indeed! Now there really better be a piece of lasagna waiting for me.

Speaking of Lasagna...I had a recipe once for a fall themed lasagna made with butternut squash...vegetarian all the way and nto sweet but a little sweeter than you might expect. I have to hunt it down. it was from cooking light magazine i think.

I hope your back feels better soon! Back pain is no picnic


I had "Here comes the sun" stuck in my head during my drive to JFK when I was leaving for Cairo....as well as through most of my flight.... I think it was the first song I listened to on my iPod on the plane........memories..........

Wow!!!!! That is super exciting news, Amy! I'm so happy for you!

Happy Thursday!

I have 2 glorious days off! Today will be an oil change. Last night was more retail therapy at Walmart. I heard on the news that I can expect severe weather this afternoon. Cool, blow me away.

amylu---that is great! I hope your new business venture is a wonderful success!

MBP---mmmmm lasagna. I know Amal will be right behind me drooling for pasta, sauce and cheese.

jess--the fuzzy peanut is adorable

allousa- hope your back feels better.

ayesha---hi!

Charles--no it is not Friday. When Jas and I say tommorrow "It's Payday",,,then it will be Friday.

sparrow---Hopefully today will be full of sunshine in your life.

amina---congrats on payday, I look forward to this every 2 weeks. Any shopping today?

doods--- hi Did you try Dunkin Donuts new Pumpkin Hot Latte? omg it rocked my world yesterday.

Have a pleasant day everyone.



Jackie

amy that is fantastic!!! how exciting!!!!!


allousa be careful! back pain is the worst!

jackie, I haven't tried it yet. I only have so many points alloted for one latte per week and I'm gonna do my tried and true pumpkin latte from Starbucks. My 11 yr old is hooked on the decaf one! lol

I for one am glad that it will be a rainy day since I fertilized the lawn yesterday.

A pumpkin latte?? I never heard of that. Is this a drink that only comes around during Halloween time? I might have to try it. There is not a Starbucks near me, I wonder if Tim Hortons sells it?? I hope everybody has a great Thursday!!

Oh, thank you; we need more people like you on this site to make us feel better.
here is a little dance for you.

Pumpkin flavored anything is usually a seasonal flavor I think... and I love it... yum! We've had Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee at work lately and I love love love the pumpkin latte at starbucks. One other thing I love that should be in season now... the pumpkin pecan cheesecake at the cheesecake factory... oh man...

Speaking of the cheesecake factory, have any of the boston area folk been out to the natick mall since they finished the renovation? it's nuts!

No, but they just put in a Cheescake Factory at the Northshore Mall, so I'm pumped. I usually hate chain restaurants but I make an exception because of the cheescake factor.

I hope that we'll go for some work lunches, but everyone here seems to think that it's really hard to get a table there. I've never had a problem getting a table quickly there. Not that I would plan to go on a Fri or Sat night.


Pumpkin Cheesecake:

I'm drinking pumpkin spiced coffee as I type. Our office just got it in yesterday. It's yummy.

My office doesn't have pumpkin spice coffee. Time to send that resume out!

I saw a sign at a local restaurant that said 'We have pumpkin pancakes'

hey Jess, was it you that posted pumpkin muffin recipe at a MENA party?

J

nope wasnt me...only recipe i posted was Swiss Baked Chicken.......

George just made Pumpkin cookies for me the other day and they are suppppppppppppperrrrr yummy!! they have a bit of ginger in them so im able to keep them down.

Amyerlu - I'm very happy for you. I think your good vibes passed on to me, I just got a job offer i had wanted so badly. I have to go tomorrow and give them all documents they want. I am so happy, because i'll be doing a work that's fullfilling, alhamdulillah.

Jackie - Hiiiiii!! The offer is still on: Puerto Rico (escape from the cold) LOL

Doodle - I'm trying to search The Lemon Tree (I love reading and since you say it's great, i wanted to see if i can purchase it insha allah)

Jess - He/She is soooooooo cute LOL. Can't wait to keep seeing the progress!

Olivia - Caught it thank you, and no thorns YAY! LOL

Sparrow - Little darlin the smiles returning to their faces, little darlin it seems like years since it's been here, here comes the sun, here comes the sun and i say it's alright. sun, sun, sun here it comes .....NOW I HAVE THE SONG EMBEDDED IN MY BRAIN TODAY! LOL

ok, i have to wash and blow dry my hair I dont want to look like a porcupine tomorrow

Hugs for everyone ,

Ayesha

I guess I am a freak but I am not big on the pumpkin spice flavor thingys.
however MBP I would be very curious to see that lasagna recipe, pretty much anything that includes butternut squash sounds pretty good to me right off the bat.

Amy that is super cool news, sign me up as 402, I am plagued by hideous seasonal allergies that seem to thrive in every single season.

So I went to the doctor on monday for my now weekly check and my blood pressure was elevated (normally I have pretty low BP) after 37 weeks of a very steady baseline. My doc rechecked it 3 times while I was there and then said she wanted me back Thursday morning to check again. As I was leaving the office she said, "if its gone up at ALL from monday to thursday you are having a baby this weekend!" So this could end up being a big day here in our house I go in 2 hours so I'll keep you posted, maybe we are on the countdown for the next MENA baby around here

Have a great thursday everyone!

I will definately look for it. It was sooo good. One of my favorties along this same line is butter nut squash ravioli. I can buy that at teh market- pricey but sooo good.

Mmmmm, I used to get the best pumpkin ravioli at this pastaio near our place in Italy. They were so good with walnut sauce. I wonder if I could make them from scratch...

YAY for fall vegetables!

I was just going to mention this, in the fall it's one of my favorites too - especially with some sage cream sauce. The fresh pasta store down the street has pumpkin varieties too, but I haven't tried those yet.

LOL (crazy laugh)

I got home last night and my bicycle had been vandalized out of the 20 sitting there. I know my school mascot is the Vandals but common. I'm so tired of the vandals and the thieves in America, and the f*bomb being dropped 20 times a day by my college mates.

I took the bus this morning.

Yesterday talked to my advisor and they said I could only apply so many transfer credits towards my degree and I needed 128 to graduate and that 6 of my transfer credits wouldn't count. Which means I have to do another semester and graduate May 2009. Blah! On the bright side I can spread out my credits more and not take some many a semester. Maybe I'll take that photography class I was looking at?

After 3 hrs of sleep I am begining to feel like a tool for the institution.

I am glad you all like my flowers!

They did??????? Gosh you can tell I haven't been there in a while!!! The girls keep making me go to the Burlington mall since that's where the Hollister store is. Actually we're going there again this weekend to buy their winter coats but whenever we're there we end up eating at the Rainforest Cafe. I love love love the cheesecake factory's chinese chicken salad but I equally adore the salads at the Rainforeset cafe so they always win out.

Have you ever tried the lobster ravioli at Bertuccis???????? OMG!!! Their sauce that they put over it just totally complements the taste of the lobster!

I'm so hungry now!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Tree-Arab-Hear...0045&sr=8-1


I've never been a history nut at all, but now I'm obsessed with anything to do with the making of Israel and how it affected the people living in Palestine. I'm actually to the point where I'd love to look up the two families and go to where they live just to see it.

Growing up in a predominantly jewish town, all I ever saw were documentaries on the Holocaust but not once did the school system talk about how the Palestinians were forced out of their homes and how many of them died due to starvation and exhaustion on the way to Ramalla.

There's a Rainforest Cafe in the burlington mall??? no way... I obviously haven't been there in a while

The chinese chicken salad is also one of my favorites at the cheesecake factory... I soooo wish that I could have that for lunch

THANK YOU!! I'm in the process of ordering it now LOL.

I have a video documentary of how the Palestinians were forced out of their homes. I had gotten a set of videos (documentaries) about "the days that marked the world" (don't know if the translation to english is correct, the titles are in spanish, but the video can be viewed in english also).

Anyway, thank you so much for the link. I'm looking forward to reading it soon insha allah.

LOL seems ME/NA's got the munchies this morning....

I made a moroccan pumpkin soup with butternut squash (or acorn squash or pumpkins) and chickpeas with chicken broth and spices, then you puree it - its amazing.... I make it a few times each winter/fall. maybe its of interest to some - it does incorporate some fall spices. Be sure to puree it with a hand blender if you make it, its not as good otherwise in my opinion.
here is the recipe
http://www.recipezaar.com/13577

I can recommend a number of videos about the history of the conflict, but I would have to say that "Occupation 101" is one of the very best.

HI gals - Just a quick pop in to say hi. I am typing up the semi-annual report that totally needed reformatting (a report should not be a 3 column chart). So 3 hrs down and I have the introdcution hammered out. On to the body... *sigh*.

ETA: I too love pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin or sweet potato gnocchi!!!!

What I like about it is that not only do you get to learn through the eyes of real people but it is pretty much a fair and balanced view from both sides. For example, in all of the documentaries I was shown about WWII I never knew that the Pope was so silent back then about the atrocities that happened to the jews.

my first ultrasound is in t-minus 4 hours....lets hope only one heartbeat is heard....since im a fraternal twin, ive been told, im more likely to have fraternal twins....and ive just been getting all these signs of twins lately...who knows maybe im freaking myself out...not that twins wouldnt be a wonderful blessing, but needless to say, one would be just perfect....

sara...good luck...let us know what happens with the doctor...

for me, more darn computer training


if i get paid today is it my friday?

Yea I got the munchies big time. Heading for a bowl of cereal.............and a H57 Hoodia.

Jackie

feeling good today! the beginning of our new life and deciding what to do next!!!

last night abdou and i cut up a big bowl of fruit for dessert...and he had an idea to use toothpicks to pick each piece up with instead of a spoon or fork...and i had one in my mouth and stupiddddddly bent over to take food away that my kitty was stealing...and i poked the back of the mouth with the toothpick! ugh i have the worst sore throat today!!! so clumsy.

and how is that different from most mornings around here?

LOVE the Kitty..is that bread? hmmm french bread

All this pumpkin talk is making me crave Amy's Ice Cream from back home in Austin...they have three flavors of pumpkin ice cream. YUMMY! Texas people know what I'm talking about!!