Say Cheese !

I stumbled across this "tumbler of Eric Spiegelman " named "Bus Your Own Tray" . In it he has posted a video provided by the State Department's own flicker service of President Obama at a reception for the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York in which he was photographed with 130 different foreign dignitaries with the exact same smile ! Check it out .

One Week Later After The Eid

WOW, this time last week we were anticipating the Eid . Look how fast time fly's. Eid has come and gone. It seemed to go on and on this year . I think it was confusing to some people because there were just 2 work days after the end of the Eid, before the weekend started here . I know many people took the entire week off to travel or visit family members that live out side of town. School started back up also , and here again , many of the kids didn't go, waiting until this coming Sunday to start .


Speaking of the Eid ... we had a funny episode here in the Condo .As I told you before, Moe, our son &Co. went visiting the relatives the 1st day . I had a few visitors the 1st day while I was alone . The second day we always have a certain set of friends and relatives that visit on this day. Sure enough they came around. It is always so nice to see people you like and never get to see much of during the rest of the year for one reason or another . Usually on the 3rd day of the Eid we don't have visitors since we have seen everyone by then , but this year was a little different .

Moe and I thinking no one would come over on the 3rd day , didn't bother to put on our Eid clothes , but rather , we sat around in our normal daily clothes, which for that day was old faded shorts and a old T shirt for Moe. I had on a short nightgown that could pass for a dress in the US but not here in Libya , if you know what I mean . They were not clothes we would normally wear around company but since we didn't anticipate having company , we didn't really care what we had on .So ..... there we were , all comfortable puttering around the Condo . Moe watching his sports and I on the computer sending countless joke emails out to my poor friends and relatives choking their mail boxes . The door bell rings .

I am wondering who can that be as Moe opens the door .His brother in law  came to visit . He is a lovely man and loves to laugh . SO , I served them the drinks and sweets and went back on the computer . They talk and laugh  for hours . Then another knock on the door . WOW ! Some one else ? Hum? Open the door to see one of our nieces with her 3 little girls .

I love it when she visits because her girls speak English and I can easily inter-act with them in my language . We had a lot of fun .She has a 2 year old that is a real sweety . She came and took a bite from every sweet on the tray , sampling them until she found the one she liked the best . As one does , you know .LOL !Then they left for home after a nice long visit.


The weather outside was awful that day and had caused me to develop a migraine headache by this time. So when I put the refreshment tray in the kitchen I wasn't thinking clearly due to my headache . I laid down hoping to get rid of the headache . Wrong !

Just as I began to relax the door bell rang again . This was so cool, all these people coming over . I answered the door to find another niece , her husband which I had never met before ( I am still in that nightgown remember since we are STILL thinking NO ONE IS COMING OVER, lol !),and her brand new baby.


They sit down . I went to get the tray . I served them the drinks with sweets that were still on the tray from the last visitor( the niece with the little girls) and they just drink the cokes , not touching the sweets . We had a great visit . The baby was so cute and her husband very nice . I am a little embarrassed because I am in my nightgown but figure HEY , it is too late he saw me already dressed this way so why change .

After a while , they leave too . I am wondering what this man thought about Moe and I dressed so casual when I notice the sweets on the tray that I served them .EACH ONE HAD 1 LITTLE TINY BITE TAKEN FROM THEM, from when our other nieces little girl had sampled them . I had forgotten to change the sweets on the tray after she left , because of my headache !OMG ! Now what that man must think about me ? Wearing a nightgown on the Eid in front of  a strange man , serving them sweets with bites taken from them , lol ! I am sure next Eid he won't be coming over , lol !I still laugh when ever I think about it . Welcome to the family !


The next day a group of my closet friends got together to have coffee and breakfast in the town to celebrate one of their birthdays .We sorta invaded the cafe in mass . Placed our orders and made them turn the TV down so we could talk . We really had a great time . We stay in touch with one another most of the time through phone calls or emails, but with our busy schedules , we very seldom get together all at the same time with each other .This was a real treat  to be able to sit down and visit face to face.


Yesterday I went to visit my friend and neighbor that just returned from her visit home in Amercia . She went home for several months , so we had a ton of gossip to catch up on .She brought back all kinds of goodies with her. She generously served them all up to me .I left her house stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey,  with a bag full of all kinds of things she had brought for my family and I .

Today I think Moe and I will go see one of his sisters that has her daughter staying with her. The niece just had a baby and I haven't seen her yet . All in all it has been pretty busy for us around here. A perfect Eid . Hope your week was just as nice . Blessings , OTE

The Babys

Haroun at 28 months celebrating the Eid.

Gail at 14 months eating mud pies .

Sophia at 9 months making scary faces!

Islamic Prayer Service To Be Held On Capital Hill

President Obama sent this greeting to the American Muslims at the beginning of Ramadan .Of course leave it to me to just find it ! Thought you might be interested in what he had to say . Here is a small portion of his speech, for the rest go here.

  I saw on Snopes.com a report concerning an email going around about Islam on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. and a planed Islamic prayer service to be held Sept. 25 , 2009 .It is true and you can go here to read all about it . I think this is so cool !

President Obama  sends a message to Muslims  as the holy month of Ramadan commences

On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all fifty states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.
Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.
time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared.  But I also know that Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform tarawih prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Koran over the course of the month.
These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.
For instance, fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.
This summer, people across America have served in their communities – educating children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those who have fallen on hard times. Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service. And in these challenging times, this is a spirit of responsibility that we must sustain in the months and years to come.

Happy Eid To All

Today in Libya it is the 1st day of the Eid. For the rest of the Muslim world, tomorrow is the Eid. Don't ask , cause I can't explain, ok ? It was a good Ramadan. We actually had a great Ramadan this year . Things on a general whole went well for Moe and I.

Having said that, I am definitely glade it is over since the last two days I developed a sever bladder infection. But it is sure seemed weird to wake up this morning and drink a cup of coffee .

Our  son and his family came over to take Moe out to wish relatives happy Eid, while I stay home to greet our guest. Everyone looks so nice in their new clothes.

Our daughter in law is ready to deliver her new baby any second now. I feel for her. She said "I want it out NOW !!" LOL ! And at the same time she says she is afraid for what awaits her in the delivery room. I just laughed at her and told her it is a little too late to be remembering about that part of having a baby. LOL! 

We know it is a boy . She still hasn't picked a name out yet . She likes one name. Our son likes another . They both are nice names . She asked me today what I thought about the name our son had picked out. I almost said it was a nice name when I saw the look on her face. I quickly said it was a good name but the one she liked was much better. I figured since she named their 1st son after our son that died, she should have her pick this time around. Well , we will see how this turns out . Will let you know when the time comes.


Weather here is hot , hot , hot and the AC needs freon. Impossible to find anyone to do that during Ramadan. So hopefully after the Eid we will get fixed and I can stop sweating all the time ! I hate to be sweaty !!! It makes me all grouchy. Someone is knocking on the door . I gotta go. Take care. Happy Eid to you wherever you are, peace and blessings. OTE

A Sad Good Bye

A very good man left this world tonight. God released him from his pain.Patrick Swayze was a kind man. My prayers go out to his wife actress/dancer Lisa Niemi, and his family. Below is a blog post I wrote about him in 2007.

  Some of you already know part of the story I am about to tell you. Some of you don't know this at all and may think I am just pulling your leg, but it's a true story! It all started back in the mid 60's when I was in the 9th grade.

       School started as it normally will, with everyone happy to see each other after the long summer holiday. Our gang was back with a few new students to swell the

population.  There was one in particular. He was in my Math class I think .He was sort of tall and lanky with dorky hair (we said words like dorky back then instead of geeky or nerdy) and he had pimples .That wasn't a problem though, for I had pimples too, but it was the whispers that I almost would hear in the halls or the lunchroom .

     He was kind, shy, and quiet. I couldn't imagine what they were saying about him. Then one day in gym class I over heard some girl say that he was a dancer. Well, that’s not a bad thing I thought. Big deal, right? Oh, but it turned out it Was a Big Deal. Because back in the mid 60's, "the times where a changing " in the immortal words of Bob Dylan. Cool kids danced cool dances. Definitely not cool, was the type of dancing that this boy was rumored to have been seen dancing in a public place. He danced TAP. Tap, I ask you, like all those old black and white movies from the fabulous 40's and 50's. Kids in the 60's were dancing dances named the Mash Potato, the Swim, the Bougaloo, and the Skate. Absolutely not TAP!

        I bet about now you are asking what this all means to you .Be patient. Fast forward four years and my first job .I was a salesperson in a swank store. We had several departmental supervisors come and go. We were introduced to a new one that turned out to be a keeper. She stayed the distance and we became fast friends.

    She was from my side of town and would occasionally give me a lift home after working late .She was also a nag .This woman would constantly tell me all about her handsome nephew that she wanted me to meet. We were the same age, ectra, ectra! I turned her down everyway I could politely think of until finally I just told her I wasn't interested in meeting him. I was young. I underestimated her.

         We had to work over time during Christmas and I needed a ride home late one night. She said she didn't mind taking me home since she had to stop at her sisters dance studio that was on the corner of the street where I lived. The studio was like a lot of things we see everyday and never really notice. It was just there, you know? I told her I had no problem with that and when she pulled up in front of the studio she asked me did I want to come in to see some of the dancers ?I felt shy about going inside with her.

    When I was about five years old my mother had enrolled me into dance class. I was told not to come back after the very first day because I couldn't get the hang of "I'm a Little Tea Pot ". The shameful secret is I am not too terribly coordinated .I still can't walk and chew gum. She saw me hesitate and said that she wanted to introduce me to her sister .So, I went inside the studio.

      It was dark inside with a milling mass of students practicing different forms of dance. Across the room I caught sight of something so awesome in it's grace and form, that it has been seared into my mind to this day .Adonis had leaped high into the air, legs, arms extended, reaching for some unseen object. The world stopped as he was suspended in the element that was clearly all his own. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I once saw Nurveye flying through the air in the Nutcracker ballet. He made me think of that dancer I saw that night. My friend noticed me staring and nudged me. She had a smile that went from ear to ear. "That's my nephew", she calmly told me. I knew right then, and right there I would never have the nerve to date him. He was gorgeous!

     No way, forget it! I told her! She laughed at me and told me,"See. I knew you'd like him. Come meet him". I really wanted nothing less than to meet him, but couldn't think of anyway to get out of it without being rude .She called to him and he came over. I couldn't believe my eyes. There in front of me was the new, improved version of that dorky ninth grader from my Math class……..that TAPPED danced way back when . This time I paid attention to his name when I was introduced to him .His name was Patrick Swazye. I never dated him and his aunt never gave up trying to get me to date him.

         Long story getting shorter by the line , I was visiting my good friend Carole (who was a dancing fool whenever she had a chance ! ) one day in the mid 80's and she was raving away about this movie she had seen with this new actor . He could dance. He danced all through the movie, and HOW, she told me. The movie? Dirty Dancing. The actor? Patrick Swazye. She rented the movie, made me watch it with her, as she drooled through the whole thing

         I couldn't understand how he could become handsomer than when he was younger. While I on the other hand was showing definite signs of, well, lets just say that I didn't look as good as he did. It was too terribly unfair. We were the same age even. We grew up on the same street. We went to the same school. We even went to the same church for heaven's sake.

 This state of affairs continued well into the next decade with me saying every time I would see him in another movie , what was I thinking back then , not wanting to date him ? He just keep on looking better and better as the years went by. Of course publicly, I would stoutly proclaim my happiness for never having given into his aunt pushing me into dating him.

           Then, just the other night I was flipping the TV remote trying to find a movie I hadn't seen five thousand times before. I stumbled across a new movie that as luck would have it, I hadn't seen. Well, who do you think was in it? My old friend Patrick. Oh, but he looked different this time. He was showing "those signs". The ones you don't want to see in the mirror. You know those little lines around the eyes that are nicely called smile lines? Some of those called laugh lines were visible too, bracketing his mouth. Cruelly, time had given him a very faint pouch in the tummy reign. I was all a gape! Patrick, looking "OUR AGE" at last? Not just me, but him as well? Hum, now we had balance between us at last.

         Some how it wasn't the happy occasion that I had anticipated all these years. The thought, "Aging With Grace" came to mind when I looked back on this event. He had managed to do just that, with style and class. Come to think of it, he always was a classy guy, even when he was doing that "weird" dance way back when. Glade to know that he and his wife are happily growing older together. How lucky they are to have one another, in the best years yet to come.

Close My Eyes Forever

 As I was going through my music the other night,I came across this song by Ozzy Osbourne,"Close My Eyes Forever ". 

As I listened to the song,I was transported to the 1st time I heard it on the radio. I was in my car stopped at a traffic light. The raw pain of the song seared my heart. I started to cry. I had to pull over on to the shoulder of the road. I could no longer see to drive, for the tears in my eyes had blinded me. Peace , OTE

Some Random Thoughts For You To Randomly Think About

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me. 

 

 Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. 

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk. 

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. 

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again. 

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft. 

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what  was going on when I first saw it. 

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in. 

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. 

Was learning cursive really necessary? 

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger. 

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said? 

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers! 

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. 

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. 

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water. 

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. 

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired. 

Bad decisions make good stories.

 

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day. 

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever. 

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?' 

While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed. 

 I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away? 

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes. 

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time... 

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?

It really pi$$es me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pi$$ed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit. 

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fatty before dinner. 

And that's all folks !