He's really wow!

I bought Ibrahim a kids dart board to see how he'd like it. It's the kind that has magnets instead of needle sharp darts. Ibrahim has taken to darts like a fish to water! He's good... really good... it's actually kind of scary even. I'm going to have to get him a real dart board and darts and let him loose.

What is this?

I noticed this new building in Tripoli, near Alhani. When I asked what it was, my kids said it's got signs for four new educational television stations on it. Hmmm.... call me pessimistic if you want... but has education in Libya improved so much that we want to flout it on TV?

Can anyone fill me please?

A new toy!

I found a new search tool from Google that will let you search all kinds of information as a timeline. You can search all kinds of things; news, art, music, blogs, magazines and all kinds of other stuff. I especially like the way it displays the search results - you can see all the news in the window and then easily slide backwards or forwards in time. Very nice!

Click here to give it a whirl!

Choosing

There's an argument looming in the near future. We're going to choose the colour of the paint for the outside of the house today.... hopefully... I wish that man would get the crazy notions out of his head and just listen to me from the beginning... but no, that would be way too easy. We'll have to argue about it first. He mentioned something yesterday about liking chocolate brown... he must be insane .... sigh...

Awarded...

I got a blogger award from on the edge... she even mentioned she thinks of me as her mentor.. hmm.... ok... whatever.. lolol..

The award is:

• a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.
• to seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

The aims of this award:

• Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.
• Don't forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
• Answer the award's question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
• Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
• Don't forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

OK.. in answer to the question 'Why you love blogging', here's the answer:

Hmmmm.... not so sure I love blogging.... but it's a good way to:

• communicate,
• keep my folks up with what's going on in my life,
• irritate people (and I love doing that!)
• speak my mind
• post my photos
• tell my stories

Yeah... OK... I guess I kinda love blogging in a way.

OK... who to tag for this?... Heba - she's such a special person! (and it's been ages since she's posted anything).

Thanks on the edge! You made my day!

It's really a BIG DEAL

This is so hilarious: right here

Costs about 30 bucks for something Libyan girls get for practically nothing.... and the Libyan version is all natural... chicken kidneys... virginity is such a big deal here... sigh...

Driving Time

I've been doing a lot of driving these days. Listening to audiobooks fits in well with the multi-tasker in me. The latest one is Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs. The kids decided that they don't like this one and they complain, but I like it. There are about 4 hours left to go and then I'll let them choose the next one. I spend over 2 hours a day driving kids around. I think it's time to get Nora a car.

An in-law event

I had an in-law event the other day. A niece with a new baby. Jenna took the phone call and said it was ladies for lunch and men for dinner. I was so happy - that meant we'd go for lunch and get out of there and still have time to do something interesting the rest of the day.

We got ready to go, Sara went downstairs to start the car (and get in the front seat first). My sister-in-law from downstairs saw her and hung out the window, 'Why are you going so early? It's not until dinner. And I was hoping your mother would give me a ride'. So Sara marched back upstairs to tell us we didn't have to be there yet. We were all pissed off with Jenna.

I decided to take a nap until it was time to go. My sister in law decided that 5pm was the time to leave. By this time Hubby had taken off to the farm, leaving Ibrahim behind. What to do with a hyperactive ten year old boy at a ladies' event? sigh.... 'Where's his meds?' I made sure he took them. The last thing I needed was my son being in the middle of a disaster... I could just picture trays of tea glasses flying across the room or someone's shoe getting thrown in the middle of a bowl of couscous. ... sigh..

Off we went at five o'clock. Ibrahim was looking placid, his medicine had kicked in and was working. Time crawled by. It was hot but no one would turn on the air conditioner because someone might get tonsillitis from the cool air. We sat on cushions on the floor... have I told you how much I hate sitting on cushions on the floor before? It makes me sleepy, it makes my back hurt, it makes me grumpy too.

The highlight of the whole boring evening was when they finally brought out the trays of couscous and we sat down to eat. I made sure Ibrahim was sitting next to me. He had an ancient old woman sitting on his other side. I was worried he'd spill something...but no.. that didn't happen. What do you think happened? ..... he let loose a humongous FART!

I am not taking that boy to any more events... sigh....

Some progress.... at long last!

The finishing detail work is being done on the house. All the little fiddly things that require hiring people who 'know what they are doing' so they don't completely ruin it. This past week the tiles have been put on the columns outside. They will look even better once the house is painted. Can you believe hubby had to fire two different tilers before finding one that could get the tiles done right? ... sigh..

Hubby went out and found a workshop that made kitchen cabinets. Thank God he took me to see them first... what was he thinking? 'No way!' I said. I took him someplace else... a place I found myself and pointed out what I wanted. It will cost a little bit more but the quality will be 100 times better. He should just stop wasting his time and ask me in the first place.... sigh.. The cabinets are now underway.

We bought the appliances for the kitchen and will have to pick out the counter tops soon. Hubby wanted marble... another 'No way!' from me. 'Granite... I want granite. I don't care what it costs.'

Left to go is picking out the colour for the house paint outside and painting it, installing sinks in the laundry room and outside kitchen, installing the sink and cabinets in the vanity area of the guest bathroom, finishing off the garden sitting areas, putting in railing on the veranda.... and then furniture... lots of furniture. When Hubby started this project he had lots of black hair... what's left is almost completely grey now... sigh. And I have high blood pressure.

I hope this progress continues without anymore delays..... I am crossing everything.

Toss and Turn

My back is killllling me. The new mattress on my bed is firm..... like a slab of granite. Posturpedic my eye! This is f**king torture. My back feels like it's all out of alignment and no matter how I lay on the bed it causes various parts of my limbs to start to go tingly and numb.

Of course hubby thinks the bed is great. But then he's Libyan... and they all seem to be able to sleep on anything. At any wedding, funeral or other gathering you'll see them toss a cushion on the floor and plop themselves down on it, snoring within minutes. I once witnessed a whole group of electric company employees happily sleeping the afternoon away in my garden using pieces of cardboard thrown on the hard ground as their mattress (the whole time oblivious to the fact I had no electricity for days... they were there to repair it, but were sleeping instead...sigh...)

That's nice for them I guess, but it doesn't work for me. I have to be comfortable to sleep well. I'm not getting a good night's sleep. I look in the mirror and what do I see?

Dark circles under my eyes.... sigh... it's not a pretty sight....

How important is a good night's sleep?

I got up this morning and started in on the laundry as soon as I'd finished breakfast. I went into the bedroom and pulled the sheets and blankets off the bed so that I could launder them too. As I was doing this I noticed that the sheets on the edge were wet... uuugh... the waterbed has sprung a leak! Yeah, I know what you're thinking... who the heck has a waterbed in this day and age?.. Waterbeds are so 1980s! .. sigh...

This is going to be a problem for a few reasons:

Number one, because there aren't any waterbeds in Libya. We brought the mattress ages ago (in the 80s!) from America and we brought along with it extra spare bits and pieces, but that was twenty odd years ago and the extra bits and pieces are gone now.

Number two - and this is probably the biggest problem of all, I just don't sleep well on a regular bed. I'm used to my comfortable waterbed. I like the way it molds to my back and lets me drift off into sweet sleep. I like that I can adjust the temperature and be warm and cozy in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Today we'll have to go out shopping for a regular mattress. When we had the bed made we took into account that one day we might have to put a regular mattress on it. Too bad there are no waterbed shops here... sigh...

I am NOT looking forward to this. I am going to be a grumpy bitch until I get used to sleeping on a regular bed again... I can totally feel for the 'Princess and the Pea'.

Sweet dreams.... maybe.... but most likely not........ sigh.........