what is it about life?

poetry in motion?

endless possibilities?

the road less traveled?

the longing to hold on to someone forever?


do we each hold a key?

The controversy over Rosie's Blog

I guess a lot of ppl are getting heated over Rosie O'Donnell's blog. She posted a picture of her daughter wearing army fatigues and a wrap around her head, as well as belt holding AK47 bullets slung over her shoulder.

I heard about this thru Inside Edition just a while ago, so I went to her blog, clicked on the pic at the top and it takes you to a group of pictures. This is one of them.

Me and Bu Naief had a brief discussion about it. He totally disagrees w/ it, with her actions and thinks that she hasn't been up to snuff lately. Me, on the other hand, disagree w/ him.

I so understand this picture and what she's saying. To me, it represents not sending children into war, which is happening... and after hearing what she means by it - trying to get gun control in the U.S. and not sending children into war - well, I think she's brilliant... but most ppl won't see the true point of the picture, refusing to see what's happening, and only wanting to place blame, instead of taking action.

What do you think?

In a week's time

the baby will be 5 mths old. Gosh... I can hardly believe it. He weighs about 17 lbs right now - give or take a pound. He's long... I can't remember his length, but I can tell he'll be tall.

I've started giving him juice after his first feeding in the morning, per the dr. Right now he's taking banana and he loves it. He likes to try to hold his bottle w/ his feet or rather one foot right now, and he's big on taking his hand and pulling the bottle outta his mouth. He loves to experiment and see what all he can do w/ his hands and feet it seems. He's sticking his toes in his mouth and stares at his hands a lot.... and smiles so much that I could give him sugars until the cows come home. He has such good sugars around his neck and on his back. :)

He's really into squealing right now. He does it all the times... no matter if it's for joy or anger. He knows it gets my attention and makes me move fast.... he loves having that power over me! ;) I can tell he's gonna be just like his daddy!! :)

His hair is starting to come in and I must say that it's a golden blond/brown. It's quite attractive... I wonder how long it'll stay like this. Prob until he's 8 or so... and then it'll go brown... which is fine.... I'm just soakin' it all in now.

He's trying his best to crawl but I can tell it's still gonna be a while before that happens. He enjoys rolling over and as soon as I put him on his back, he flips over faster than I can blink. Sure makes it tough changing his diapers.....

Oh yeah, he also loves sucking on his lips now or rather licking them. it's really too cute. He does his chops like he's an old man.... you'd think he lost all his teeth by the way he's constantly chewing...

Me... I'm gonna cut my hair tomorrow. I've just decided I want a change, plus my hair is falling out like crazy. My friend whose baby is 2 mths older than Naief had the same issues at this time, so if it doesn't stop, I'll go and see my dr. I don't have a lot of hair anyway... it's terribly thin, so I'd rather not lose a lot!! I'm gonna cut my hair in one of these fashionable bobs that's oh so popular right now... maybe it'll give me some weight and not look so thin.

In a couple of months I'll be able to get back into working out. I don't miss it much and wish I could just lose weight and maintain fabulous muscle tone.... but since I'm no genie and don't know any.... I'll have to work my arse off to lose this weight. gawwwwd, how I hate working out. Plus, the girls at this gym aren't the best to be around and aren't too friendly... and since I have some 7 mths left on this plan.... I'll have to put myself thru their most joyous of company.

Sweet dreams everyone! :)

chatty cathy

does anyone remember these dolls? i somewhat do..... but not sure that i have the right one in mind. the one i'm thinking of is a doll w/ curly blond hair and you'd pull a string in her back which caused her to say all sorts of things... i think even ask questions - if you were lucky.

my sister would probably know..... too bad she's sick w/ my voodoo hexed spell i put on her!! ;)

well.... i went all out this past weekend.... i actually went thru w/ meeting a fellow blogger for lunch.

aaaahhhh my nerves beforehand.... but how bad could it be, right?!! i can think of a few examples.... but that's for another time. and shoot... times have changed. ppl usually are pretty close, i'd like to think, to how they represent themselves online.... and since she's obviously well traveled, witty, seemed charming on the phone.... and knows like 7, 8 or 9 languages... i forget! ;) how could this be a bad lunch, right? the stories and the adventures.... all the places she's been.... honestly, i was a bit in awe.... so ... again, nerves.

so... it was set. we'd meet at 1:30 pm at a place both of us hadn't been to in years. i think we both tried the place some 3 or so years ago. has anyone been to Ric's Kountry Kitchen? i think that's how it's spelled..... anyway.... the place has changed. it's like walking thru all the doors and such at the american embassy.... one after another.... i didn't remember it being like that the last time. and i think, even at one point, there was someone standing behind this counter.... sorta like he was giving everyone the once over as you walked by.... ok... maybe my memory is lost here.... but i thought it a bit odd and something i don't remember the last time when me and hubby visited the place. but hey... maybe they were staff just taking a break or some such... who knows.

anyway... i get there a little early. i always hate to keep ppl waiting, and since traffic was the best it's been in.... like weeks, i cruised over in a matter of 10 mins. i get a call from hubby. i tell him i'm there.... safe..... didn't have a wreck or some such ;) and that i'm waiting for her car to pull up... which turned out to be only a few seconds.

aaaahhhh.... so i get outta the car, cross the street and we say hi. well... that wasn't too bad i'm thinking.... so we walk thru the fort opening and head inside. the menu had changed... seemed like there were a few more items on the menu, which was good. the last time i was there, i ordered a pastrami sandwich, i think, and didn't like it. i had quesadillas this time and they were pretty darn good. altho, the girls serving us seemed a bit clueless.... and wouldn't you know, i suggested leaving a tip.

so.... we sit down... chat a bit and look over the menu. and whatta ya know.... i became a little chatty cathy doll.... there i was.... pulling my own string.... it was endless. the shame, the shame!! :)

yes.... even still.... i don't think i scared her away. matter of fact... i think it went swimmingly.... chatty cathy and all. next time though.... i promise to let you tell me about the bday party.... and all about your wild adventures and travels! ;) i can't wait!!

what a voice

We went to Geant tonight to pick up a few things.... and as always wound up w/ much more than we expected to get. One unexpected thing is the CD called Amore by Andrea Bocelli.

Wow.... I have no idea if this is new or what... but he has such an amazing voice. I've really liked him for a long time, but strangely never bought one of his CDs until tonight. We're playing it now and Naief seems to really enjoy it. He was crying, but is now dancing w/ daddy :) .... and quite possibly will be going to sleepies shortly :).... here's to hoping. He's a stubborn one when it comes to going to sleep. He was out in the car... but I swear as soon as I get upstairs, while walking as slowly as possible, and put him down... he wakes up like it's morning!

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While we were checking out tonight, you know how at Geant all the lines/check out areas are real close to each other, which is a pain in and of itself... but it also gets ya to know your neighbor real quick in some instances. Tonight, I was standing holding Naief while hubby took everything from the cart and as I was standing there, another family was checking out next to us. As the mother was putting everything on the conveyor belt, her son came up asking her for something... one thing was a plastic shovel... I can imagine to maybe dig in the sand while at the beach or some sort... and then two little books. His mother refused and he started crying... not hysterically but he really wanted these things. So, the mother took them, put them on the belt and then smacked him as hard as she could w/ the Geant flyer (that was all rolled up) right in the face. It shocked me and made me feel so desperately sad for the little boy.

How embarrassing for him to have his mother hit him in public... and it wasn't like she wasn't allowing him to get the things his heart desired.... but I guess she did it for the sake of it. These types of things break my heart.... here she's breaking this little boy's spirit.... I can only imagine what happens at home.

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Well... I called my blog friend and we're having lunch tomorrow. :) I'm looking forward to it. She's quite interesting, sassy (which I like), AND smart. I know we'll have lots of things to blab about.... laugh about.... and I hope it's the start of a lasting friendship. oh yeah... if you wanna check out her blog, it's at Bint Battuta in Bahrain.

And.... you know what makes our lunch date all the better??? I went to M&S today and bought myself a few cute things. Gosh... it's been forever since I've been shopping at a mall by myself. I swear... the last time was in Lewisville, Texas. No kidding... I've never once gone to Seef by myself. But... I think this is the start of a lasting love relationship between us! :)


We're all doing better... getting better by the day. Naief is much better... now me and hubby are suffering a little .... but .... hopefully not for much longer.

Happy weekend everyone.

the princess bitch

or should i say the rudest woman that i've come across so far while living in bahrain.

all i can think is: "what a lovely day in the neighborhood, what a lovely day for a neighbor, would you be mine, could you be mine, won't you be my neighbor!"

this evening, just a little while ago matter of fact, i had the fortunate opportunity to go shopping at the grocery w/ just the baby. we get one of those carts w/ the thing attached to the top for baby.... and baby just loved it. he got smiles and hellos... we even got in some good little chats w/out daddy around..... and even when it was time to check out and he started getting fussy, some lovely young bahraini girl came over to help me and asked if it was my first baby, i said "yes", then she asked "is this the first time you've shopped on your own w/ him" and, again, I said, "yes". she took him and he immediately stopped fussing.

i paid, took the baby from her and said goodbye and thanks to all. we walk out to the car, the guy helping puts the bags in the car, i put the baby in his car seat.... thank the guy for helping and then get in the car. now.... i might add that our vehicle is on the large side. we have an armada, so it doesn't make for easy backing up.

as i was getting in, some car pulled into the spot behind me, which was closest to the street.

i started the car, put it in reverse and as i started going backwards, the censor on the car started beeping rapidly because the big ass mercedes, that pulled into the spot or spots behind me, didn't pull in far enough or needed to move their car up a notch in order for me to pull out.

i try several times to back up... pulling up and then back again. but it was no use, i wasn't going to be able to get out w/out this car pulling up a bit. i roll down my window, look back and see that someone is inside and at the wheel of the car. so i motion to them to pull forward a little. the princess bitch, altho i didn't know it at the time, shook her head and refused to budge. again, i motion my hands in the schwaya schwaya way asking her to pull her precious piece of metal forward just a little bit.... still a big head shake NO. then... i yell (because her window is closed)... can you pull your car forward a little so that i can get out of this spot.

the princess bitch makes her appearance at this point. she gets out of her car.... and what a lovely little thing she was. indeed, this chick thought she was God Almighty .... having made her presence on this earth and obviously i was not bowing in her glory.... therefore.... when she spoke.... harps played, but i did not yield the warning..... (sorry... i was off in dream land a bit...)

ok.. now back to story. anyway... the bitch gets out of her car and proceeds to tell me that there is a pole in the front of her car and that she can't pull forward. i tell her that she has plenty of room and can't she move her car up just a tad so that i can pull out. she gets inside.... and inches forward like..... 2 centimeters... i kid you not.

then again, i tell her "can you pull forward just a bit more, i can't get out".... at this point, i'm in the middle of the road and still a little bit in my spot.... i refuse to wait for her friend who went inside to come back out before leaving, because one) naief is hungry and starting to cry and 2) this bitch will not get the best of me.

let me tell you guys.... it's not often that i get as mad as i got at that very moment. this princess refused to move up any further. she rolled down her window and said she wasn't going to do it. so.... in need to get home, i pull back just as the censor thingy starts ringing nonstop... this is when i know i can't go any further.

this is when i was allowed just enough space to pull my car forward and then back up again while barely missing her car .... and finally, i'm free.

but.... IT DIDN'T END THERE. ohhhhhh noooooooo. she really put me in a mood and even tho us virgos are pretty mild tempered, most times, i also have a fire horse inside of me that makes me quite the spicy one when needed. and indeed... it was time to pull out my claws.

so .... i put my car in park, got out and went to the front of her car and looked. the bitch had plenty of room to pull her little mercedes up w/out it getting all dented..... so i proceed to tell her so.

me: you have plenty of room. you could have pulled your car up.

her: no, i have no room.

me: yes, you do. you're just rude. for your information, i have a baby in the car... you could
have pulled your car forward just a bit to let me out.

her: i also have a baby.... (i guess you consider 2 or 3 yr olds, babies.... but i dont )

me: you are soooooo rude. i have never met anyone as rude as you.

her: (as i'm getting into my car) being the polite princess bitch that she is politely says, "F*&% you". (what lovely talk coming from a woman w/ a young girl in the car w/ her.... what a lovely example. no wonder life is the way it is w/ so many ppl not giving a crap about anything or anybody!!)

me: whereas, being the nice little sweet angel that i am, said it as loud as i could right back to her. then i got in the car and drove off.... first not w/out facing a ton of cars coming the wrong way in the parking lot and they acted as tho i was going the wrong way. i just sat there and waited... hoping, wishing someone would start a fight w/ me. (yes, i can be quite saucy... i can imagine the headlines.... expatriate mother of 5 mth old gets into physical roll around on cement with baby in the car)

you know... i wish i could think of the right things to say in the moment .... it's always later, right after the fact that i think of the best comebacks. what does that make me? an idiot. you don't even know how bad i wanted to cuss her out. i really did. i know some bad arabic words.... i wish i had the guts to say it, but i know she would have called the police on me. and... yet again i'm showing how i'm that rude american or westerner. and if she called the police, they probably would have arrested me for verbally insulting the bitch.

and... i also wish, if i was in my fantasy world.... that i could have taken my truck and rammed it into her car over and over again.... you know... like that scene in Fried Green Tomatoes ... where whats her face's character does just that .... or gone around and taken her by the hair and banged her face into the steering wheel until her nose was nice and bloody.... while she begged for mercy.....

anyhoo.....

BACK TO MY HAPPY PLACE. :)

shout out

altho i can hardly believe it, my little sister has finally entered the blogging world. she's full of life, creative, artistic, funny, sarcastic.... all the things you'd enjoy in a sister and out of a blogger.

so... just thought i'd send a big shout out to her and tell all of you guys and gals, who might be interested, to check out her blog. i think you'll enjoy it. she has lots of stories.... has been in numerous plays throughout her high school days and has a pretty ram packed life..... that seems to go crazy every now and again, just like mine. i guess we're two peas in a pod.... altho i'm sure we'd both deny it! ;)

anyway.... you can find her at Jahooni World.

Since I can't sleep, am sick and hubby is really sick, and Naief is still sick w/ his fever spiking again today.... I have found myself running in overdrive... so much so that it's given me one hellova headache. So... just popped some Panadol PM and hopefully it'll help me sleep and take away this pounding on my temple.

I thought w/ this title that I'd post a poem that I wrote long ago when we lived in Denton, Texas.... before coming to Bahrain. It's a simple one.... but it's weird because no matter where you go or where you live, you can find something like this to fit into your life.

Quiet City

Dogs are barking
People are talking
Cars are passing
Sirens keep roaring
Heart is pounding
In this quiet city I call home.
Sleepless dreaming
TV is blaring
Pills a popping
Mind is wondering
Barefoot I'm walking
In this quiet city I call home.
Cats are wailing
Husband is snoring
Sleep not coming
Peace I'm wanting
Faint I'm becoming
In this quiet city I call home.

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Nothing has been happening as of late. The baby has been sick for a week and it's very tiring. My sleep.... well, I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get a good night's sleep again.... maybe when he's a teenager! ;)

I was supposed to meet a girl that I met thru blogging today, but I cancelled. Being exhausted and sick doesn't make good company, I don't think. You know... in thinking about meeting blogging ppl, it's weird. You correspond w/ ppl.... you know all about them or at least what they tell you, but to meet them up close and personal is weird for me. I'm a shy person more or less.... altho if I know you well and have for a long time, you would probably say that I'm not. So... in thinking about meeting someone new.... for some reason, it sorta frightens me. But... how else do you make friends other than to take that first step, right?

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Something else interesting or at least I think so. I received a card just outta the blue from my cousin that lives in Indiana. Gosh, I haven't seen her in I don't know how many years. Actually, it was when my aunt passed away from cancer... some 9 or more years ago. I went there for the funeral and saw all of my cousins. It was weird. I grew up w/ all of them and to see them as adults.... it's just strange... or for me it was.

I haven't kept in touch like I should have... so I felt like I didn't know them. Me and my cousin (that I received the card from) were close and would spend most summers together. I usually went and spent wks upon wks at her house in the country... it was when my grandmother was alive... gosh, do I have some crazy stories about what my grandma used to do to us kids... things to try and scare us. I loved going there and have so many fond memories of those times. Now... she's an adult, like me, has 5 kids and our lives have changed so much.... but outta the blue, I get a card from her and it's like nothing has changed.

I'm a terrible person in that I don't take the time to sit and write by hand. I will type an email faster than you can spit (hmmmm... interesting choice of thought).... but to write by hand, well, it takes a great pressure of the mind.... to push myself into it. I've been meaning to do it for days now, but just haven't done it... I keep telling myself that when the baby starts to feel better, I'll do it.

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Found some great book deals days back.... and you know... it's been forever since I've read anything. I go thru these phases of really loving a book and not being able to find another to satisfy me, so I have huge dry spells. And wouldn't ya know it... one that I almost passed up is the first one that I picked up to read, and even though I'm only about 10 pages into it, I LOVE IT!!! I'll write about it later..... oh yeah, a few of my blog friends have inspired me to pick up books again. They both love to read. Check out their blogs... one is Olivia's London Dispatches and the other is a new blog friend and her place is called Lotus Reads. Both are quite fascinating places to spend the day. :)

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and last but not least, I added lots of new links to blogs that I read on a regular basis over here to the right. Some of them are truly great reads and fascinate my mind in a way that I need more often than I'd like to admit. They make me laugh... some even make me cry..... but they all (except the gossip ones) touch my soul almost daily. One girl that I met some time ago thru blogging is the first Arab girl that I allowed myself to become friends w/ (and I have a reason for that that I've never shared here... maybe one day I will).... and I think she's wonderful... she's so full of life and a really interesting person and even if it's just over the net that I know her.... I really like her. Her blog is called Never Let's Go..... and she has just finished an art project for school and has put up three of her paintings on her blog. They are truly incredible. Go there... check it out.

Well.... I'm gonna go. Have a good one. It's actually quiet in our little neighborhood tonight.... which feels odd. But... I should take this time to enjoy it... it could be gone in a matter of seconds!

vaccinations and autism

Saw a show about a month ago on Oprah that really caught my attention. Did anyone know that autism is the fastest growing disease .... even higher than breast cancer? I had no idea.

While watching the show, there was one mother who made it very clear that she blamed the vaccines and believed it had something to do w/ that - all the families on the show had children w/ autism. Being a mother w/ a infant who is now getting their vaccinations, it frightened me.

So yesterday I'm watching the various news programs that come on in the afternoon and, yet again, the topic of autism comes up and how some 4,800 (give or take) families in the U.S. are suing drug companies, saying their children were poisoned by this mercury-based preservative called thimerosal... which was always in the vaccinations given in the U.S., or at least up until 1999, this is when it was taken out.

This is a paragraph taken from an article I read about it (it's one of many):

"Debate over links between mercury and autism is decades old. Among the evidence cited by parents of children with autism, individual doctors and researchers, and many others is that the discovery of autism in American children in 1943 came 12 years after ethyl mercury (thimerosal) was added to the pertussis vaccine. Similarly, autism was not seen in Europe until the 1950s, after thimerosal was added to vaccines used there. Those who believe in the link note that autism is often diagnosed around the same time children are inoculated against infectious diseases."

In the news program I was watching, it stated that the U.S. took this out but other developing nations had not. So.... seeing that the baby has been sick since he got his 2nd injection this past Friday and doesn't seem to be recovering, we take him into the dr. yesterday afternoon. Because all or most of the families on the Oprah show stated that their children had been sick as infants... especially after the injections. And Naief has been really sick w/ fever, coughing, nose congestion and eye drainage.....

While there, I asked the dr. about this and asked whether or not this mercury is still in the vaccines given in Bahrain. And can you believe he stammered around a bit and said that mercury is still in the vaccines.... but made it obvious he really wasn't for sure. And... knowing me.... I'm like "WHAT????" This is when I told him that the U.S. took it out back in 1999, and this is when he said that if they did, then it's out. OH OK.... that sure makes me feel better!

But you know, I don't feel assured by him. The drugs they get here, the vaccines, even the stuff that numbs your gums at the dentist is gotten from other countries, and depending on who's making it will testify to the type of medication in the vaccine and the quality of the drugs you get. Now... I don't know if that pertains to the vaccines and I do pray to God that it doesn't.... but I will investigate this further. I think writing to the GDN about this might help... but I also think asking one of the Shura Members.... because I really want to know if my child is safe from this. Because, honestly, I had canned fish while pregnant and fish (even tho my sister told me NOT TO DO IT and that her dr. would not allow any while she was pregnant. i asked my dr. and she didn't seem to have a problem until she found out about the canned tuna and then said something about the high levels of mercury...... just what i needed to hear!!)

I think that, as mothers, we have the right to know if some type of mercury is floating around in the meds they are injecting into our babies in this country. My husband said that he believes Bahrain isn't doing it because they're part of the WHO, but... really, does that mean they aren't?! I want to know... I have the right to know this.

I know that I asked my NEW dentist at AMH recently about the stuff they give you to numb your gums because I had heard from a friend that there are different varieties and strengths... and it all depends on where they get it from. Hardly being able to believe my ears, I asked and SURE ENOUGH.... it depends. Jordan makes some of it and it's not checked thru the proper channels so there's no way of knowing if it meets the standards .... American standards. But AMH gets their stuff from Switzerland and.... another country... maybe Germany, but not sure.

Does that mean I can feel safe..... not saying that he'll get it.... but I think any mother would think about this or should seriously consider the possibilities of it.

My favorite commercials from the 70s

This Dr. Pepper commercial is my all time favorite retro commercial. I love Dr. Pepper. I'm a bit surprised that they're not sold here.... I would imagine that ppl would like the flavor.... matter of fact, they have one of the best diet drinks, except for Pepsi. Both of these I can stand to drink. Diet Coke basically sucks in my opinion. But anyhoo.... enjoy.


I couldn't upload this video from YouTube... so follow the link below and you'll get to see my 2nd all favorite retro commercial. It's the old Oscar Mayer ad. It's the cutest ever.... by far. And you know... growing up, I must say that I had a lot of Oscar Mayer bologna. ummmm.... some of my favorite sandwiches were made from this bologna. It's just delish when you add miracle whip w/ crunched up Lay's chips.... aaahhh just heaven!! :) And... I love to fry it w/ cheese on top, and then make a sandwich w/ mustard.... and some good chips and tomato soup on the side. Aaaahhhhhh... the memories.

And... w/out giving anything away, if you haven't seen the video.... I just love how he shakes his little foot ..... he's so into it... and then the ending.... PRICELESS!!!

Oscar Mayer bologna.....

Prison Break

I've heard this show is pretty good.... but I haven't seen it. Altho... we did have our own little prison break in the family today.

We got a call around 10:30 this morn. from my husband's sister informing us that demon SIL's housemaid ran away, as well as this housemaid's sister who worked for said SIL's family. So... we head out to have lunch at in-laws and I notice all the shoes missing from the steps of our housemaid's room..... Hashim takes a look inside and EVERYTHING is gone. The room has never been so spotless.

I called her cell, which btw, I let her borrow and she has it turned off. We call her husband's phone, who worked for my FIL and is the one that begged us to bring his wife here in the first place, and his phone is turned off. He also ran away.

We're assuming they've been planning it for days or even maybe longer. Chulani, the girl that worked for us, went on and on all day yesterday about wanting to go out last night to look for a shirt.... that's the only thing she had on her mind it seemed. I took it that she was excited w/ the prospect of wearing said blouse or such.... so we let her go. Now, in thinking about it, I'm sure they were planning their getaway and getting everything ready or some such.

She did come in this morn. and do a few things in the house, and her husband was seen at my FIL's house this morning, so since we let her go to church on Friday's, I'm assuming she used the "church time" as her getaway time.

Funny.... or nice of her because she left all the clothes we had made (uniforms) for her, and she left all of these children's clothes for a little girl and a baby doll (she has a 2 yr old girl in Sri Lanka), which I thought was a bit weird. Some of the clothes were dirty or stained and there was a pair of little underwear... made me wonder if the stuff had been stolen from my MILs school... I don't know. There was a pair of worn little boy sandals, a toy car, a little Buz Lightyear toy.... and they have a girl. Plus, w/ an outfit she bought just the other day ... I knew these clothes are clothes she can't afford. I wonder why she left them.

They left several things. Hubby is going out there now to take the TV we were letting them use, in case they try to sneak back in tonight to take it and try to sell it. Apparently her husband was borrowing money from everyone yesterday or trying to. I'm wrapping up all the clothes that were left out there and the bedding and bringing it inside. Not quite sure what to do w/ it...

This girl thought she was a little princess. When she first came here she was all happy because her husband was helping her do her work but when I put a stop to that, her whole attitude and demeanor changed. And here I thought things were going so well. Yeah, I've had to give her little talkings to over the course of the last few months, but I thought things were going well. The baby really liked her and she was always sweet w/ him.... but I think it was all fake.

I noticed the other day and have noticed it several times for the last week that the cats act somewhat hesitant around her.... which is a clear indication, to me, that something isn't right. I've had to get on to her many times for not giving them enough food in the mornings because when I go downstairs in the afternoons, they're always starving and in the evenings they always act like they haven't eaten all day.

It's better that they're all gone. The rumors they were making up and the stories they were telling made my mind crazy inside. No matter how many times I told her that I didn't want to hear it, no matter how many times Hashim yelled at her or her husband about it, she never stopped. I had to use my fingers and zip them across my lips to tell her not to say another word so many times I can't even count it, and she'd still keep going... and here I was saying how good she was not too long ago.

I guess that was before her husband stole my husband's rollerblades and swore that Hashim gave them to him. There was a huge situation over this because he waited until Hashim left for Dubai to bring them out and use them and when I questioned him, he started yelling at me .... which.... was the wrong thing to do. This is when I stopped allowing him to come to our house because we've had several things come up missing.... matter of fact one of my husband's favorite hats that was given to him by my mom came up missing from our car and no one is in that car except me, the baby, Hashim, Chulani and her husband... who cleans it.

And... what is the freakin fascination w/ silverware????!!!!! I swear... almost all of our silverware is gone again. She swore she didn't take it but I've never been one to see a fork get up and walk away.... but maybe.... just maybe they do at night when I'm asleep.

death and cremation

Last night I got an email from my sister telling me that my BILs (her husband) grandmother passed away. She's been going in and out of the hospital for weeks now and a few days back they took her off of the feeding tubes, Hospice came into the home... so everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

Charlie, her daughter (the woman who owns the pot belly pig - in the video at my husband's site), is an only child. I really like her. She has a goodness inside of her and welcomes you in to her home w/ open arms. She loves her pig (whose name is Piggy Sue - just sooo cute!) just like she was part of the family.... this is a woman after my own heart... and I'm sure that's part of the bond between us.

Her father, who is still alive, has Alzheimer's disease. My sister says that he just sits by the window and stares out of it. She wonders if he knows and I feel that he does. I'm sure his wife has told him either before she passed or even in the afterlife. My prayer is that God brings him comfort and eases his sadness.

I found out today that my BILs grandmother is going to be cremated and have her ashes blown into the sea. I believe in cremation and actually decided long ago that I wanted to be cremated when I die. A lot of ppl disagree w/ cremation, but I see it as a beautiful thing. I would love to have my ashes scattered over some beautiful meadow high atop a mountain where the wind always blows and there's always beautiful flowers in the spring time.

All of my cats who have passed were cremated. I have their ashes. All but one, I should say. Our cat Chloe died here in Bahrain and we buried her outside.... and we also buried our baby parakeet that died outside. I've wondered about cremation here for animals and have meant to ask my vet about it, but each time forget.

All of this brings me to my point ..... why do Muslims not cremate the dead?

What if someone wanted to be cremated? Is it against the religion? And, if so, why?

Many, when thinking about cremation, can't see past the fact that your body is burnt to ashes... but when I think about it... your soul has already left your body and there is nothing left but a shell.... so isn't it or shouldn't it be up to the person as to how they want to use their body afterwards?

I'd be interested in your thoughts?

In my last thought... I want to send my love to my sister and her husband, and his mother during this trying time. May God be with you, keep you safe and heal the sadness and pain that you feel inside during this difficult time.

noisy theatre eaters

We went to the movies the other day and after talking about how I always eat my popcorn before the movie starts.... it got me to thinking about my mom which, in turn, got me to thinking about ppl who are noisy eaters... especially at the movies.

My mom could be classified as such. She loves her popcorn - like me - but when she's eating it, she digs around in the box and digs around.... and it almost seems like it's always at the most quiet time during the movie. I've been known to "shhhhh" her.... only to get one of those dirty looks that only a mother can give. She's a loud cruncher too. It makes me smile to think about it.... because, really, it's a quality that I love about her.... even tho it drives me batty when I'm trying to watch a really good movie. But.... she's not the only one. Altho he'll kill me for saying it, hubby is a loud digger as well. I've also been known to dig at the bottom... but I'm courteous or try to be because I always try to wait until there's a lot of talking during the show or loud scenes and such.

So does that mean there are classifications of ppl who eat at the movies?

What about the ppl who slurp their pepsi's down to the very last drop... sucking on that straw like there's no tomorrow and you know, as the person listening, that there's no more pop coming outta that straw... but it seems like the sucker doesn't realize it. You can always tell when you're getting down to nothing in the cup... don't ya think? The ice is a dead giveaway... it moves around in a way that makes it clear that the soda is gone..... finished.... khalas. But these ppl.... I think that they think if they move the cup this way or that, that maybe... by some chance, a little drop of pop will fall w/in the straws reach and they'll get that glorious satisfaction. And... yes, me... well, I have done this too. But I usually save it for when I'm in the car w/ hubby or at home.... ;) Because he tends to drink all the drink and leaves me the tiniest drops at the end.... so I'm used to this desperate plea for more soda.... :)

And... what about those nacho eaters? I think these are the worst. I don't believe crunchy nachos were meant for the inside of a movie theatre. Since when do you need nachos? It's dark... sometimes you can't see even how to get to your seat... why eat something that takes great precision? You have to get that chip into a tiny little square box filled w/ cheese. I don't know... I'm not that steady w/ my hands... I'd more than likely wind up w/ cheese all over my face or all over my clothes. but... that aside... I can't stand to listen to ppl eating this stuff during the movie. And I usually wind up sitting next to someone w/ them... or even a whole family eating them. And they're not that good!

So... how would you classify eaters at the movies?
1) loud obnoxious eaters w/ crunch during the most quiet of moments
2) dainty eaters who try to be quiet for all the other viewers
3) slurpers
4) diggers who never seem to find the right piece to put in their mouth
5) droppers (I'm one of these)... always dropping the popcorn you get, so you wind up having to go back for more and make more noise because you can't seem to keep what you get inside your hand.

Are there any others you can think of?

I want to tell ya a funny story that this post made me think of. Long ago... me and my little sister went to see Aliens. I had gotten some gum prior to going in, so once the movie started, I unwrap my gum, stick in my mouth and start to chew it up. Well.... I don't know what this gum was made of, but it started sticking to all of my teeth. When I tried to use my lips to get it off of my teeth, it stuck to my lips. This is when I decided to take it out of my mouth and when I did, it not only stuck to my teeth and my lips, but then it stuck to all of my fingers. It was at this point that my sister turned around and asked, "what are you doing" or some such. I leaned down to her and whispered that my gum was stuck to all my teeth and to my hands, and then I showed her. She started to laugh... you know.... one of those laughs that you try to keep inside w/ everything inside of you (the kind when you know you aren't supposed to laugh which makes you laugh even harder).... and as I worked furiously to get this gum off of me, she'd give me that look of horror and total shock while she laughed.... this only made me panic. Let me tell ya... my sister can make me laugh like no one I know of. She is sooo crazy. And when she starts to laugh and then gets me to laugh... we can go on for a good 10 minutes. As we're trying to be as quiet as possible.... she gives me the brown bag that held this wonderful chewing gum, and I proceed, as quietly as possible, to take this bag and stick my gum to it.

Well.... you wanna talk about not being able to be quiet!!!! The more I tried to stick this gum to that bag, the more the sound, to me, started to penetrate the entire theatre, which made my sister break down..... I should have gotten up, thinking back on it now, but I was young and didn't want to cause a scene... I suppose... but as I tried to keep as quiet as possible and get this gum outta my mouth, from my fingers and off my lips.... well... it just seemed crazy loud. And as my sister kept giving me those wild out of control laughter looks, the more this crap wouldn't come off. It was like she had a bubble gum demon inside of her! ;) And I was the target.

Finally.... finally.... that gum came off. This is when I started to laugh .... the kind of laugh that you hold in... like when you're in church or at a funeral. Yeah... I've been known to break down in inappropriate laughter at funerals.

I know you may think, OMG, there's something seriously wrong w/ her... but... the cat's outta the bag. It's the truth! ;) I do it. Not all the time... but it has happened on more than one occasion. I guess the whole not being able to handle it is my thing.

So.... anyway... thought I'd share my words of wisdom today. The baby is taking his early afternoon nap. They're painting the outside of our house and started bright and early at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Today they sprayed the outside w/ water, to get off the old paint and such, and we had little floods inside the bedroom and bathroom when we got up. But.... the house will be nice and fresh in a few days... so that'll be nice.

Have a good day friends.

movie day

Today we decided to run out to Sa'ar to catch the new Pirates movie. Since it opened a few wks back, figured there wouldn't be large lines and such... and Sa'ar tends to get busy in the evenings... so best to go during the day.

Not a ton of ppl in the theatre, which I prefer.... so not too noisy. We had good seats, popcorn... altho I finished mine pretty much before the movie started. Why I always do that is a good question, but I do. I just love popcorn at the movies... and here you get your choice between regular non-buttered popcorn and sweet popcorn. ummmmm... it is delicious but today I had regular.

The movie starts. So far, so good. I've heard some say it's way too long... and it's gotten a few bad reviews, but I've liked the first two and you know I'm a crazed fanatic fan of Johnny Depp's... you know the kind of crazed where I'd pay a million to kiss him... but only if it were going to charity of course! ;) so I figured at least if I'm bored...

I guess an hour 1/2 into it, the film stops, the lights go out and everyone is quiet. We sit for a bit wondering if the film broke or some such... and when the lights didn't come back on and we heard commotion out in the corridor, we decided to get up and leave. I wasn't in the mood for sitting in a hot theatre for gaaaawwwd knows how long.

We stop at the ticket booth to see about getting the tickets stamped so that we can go back and see it again and they were happy to oblige. Apparently all the electricity went out in and around the neighborhood... or so they said. But... no biggy.

We saw some friends of ours.... blogger Miss Scarlett from her Haven and the hubby, and her beautiful daughter. We chatted for a bit... they were there to see Pirates as well... and wouldn't you know it, it wasn't but probably 10 mins and the lights came back on. All were happy.

Since I was feeling tired and not wanting to go back in and watch another hour and 45 mins of the movie... we decided to head on.

I will say... I liked the movie thus far. The story line seems a bit more in-depth.... which doesn't bother me.... maybe that's why some ppl think it seems way too long. MIL and SIL are wanting to see it... so maybe the next time we go, the electricity won't plague us and we'll all go.

Take care blog friends... have a wonderful weekend. by the way... Bahrain is already experiencing 42 Celsius weather. It felt like a little sauna outside today.... phew.. it's early for this kind of weather or maybe I just forget from year to year. I can't imagine this year's August.