Switching gears? or keeping them in place?? Cairo again!

Life has it's ups and downs . . . and so do my travel plans.

I talked to my manager and she said that it would be better if I take my vacation as planned as the new project kicks off on March 1!!! I won't be able to take off any time for a few months . . . soooooooooooooo, looks like I am back on for Feb. 17th . . . husband or no husband in Cairo, eheheh. I can take a short trip to Dubai from Cairo so adding that to my list of things to check out . . . along with finding a place to stay and other assorted activities!

Stay tuned for more on the Egyptian drama!!!! :)

Might be a change of plans for Cairo trip!!

Turns out Ahmed had a chance for some work in Dubai and he decided to go. He left at the end of last week. I was a bit put out about the last minute notice but I've more or less gotten over it. I think it is a good idea for him to be working as it takes his mind off of the wait for the visa. Who knows how long the AP part of this will last. Sooooooo . . . . what to do, what to do???

I've talked to a friend who wants to go to Cairo and she's talking to another friend that she knows (I know them both, lol). Could be we will coordinate for a different date? I need to find out from my manager whether she will/can be agreeable for a change. Project driven life, grrrrrr!!! Having purchase the ticket already, I prefer to go before the ticket prices start to go up again . . . I already have to pay a re-booking fee so I'll be out more money (and almost back to the higher price anyway, sigh).

If those 2 CA ladies, don't agree on anything to coincide with my plans/work . . . then I have the May option . . . joining a group for part of the Journey to Egypt study series that Sahra Saeeda is leading. I've done Jte1 and Jte2 in 2009 with the intent to do 3/4 in Egypt in 2010. I had sort of discarded the possibility of doing them due to the big huge expense (closer to $3000 including airfare). Jte3 is based solely in Cairo and is for 5 days . . . study and dance plus some sightseeing stuff which I've already done. So that is another option and I can hang around in Cairo for a few more days or just come home . . . tricky part is the cheaper airfares are mid-week and the course is Mon-Fri . . . which means travel in the week before and leave after. Well, I can cross that bridge when I come to it . . . travel logistics are so much fun.

I could just go on my own for 2 weeks but it is nice to have other ppl to hang out with . . . and I do know other ppl living in Cairo. I've discussed the Western Desert trip (mustn't forget that) with someone and a few other options.

Hmmmmm, I hate waffling about like this. But who really knows how long that blasted visa will take . . . maybe 3 months more? maybe 5 months more??? OR it could get approved and issued tomorrow! But Ahmed is in Dubai now and he might be able to work longer there which would be good for him. Once he gets here, he will need to start job hunting and having a bit more money saved up will certainly come in handy.

Of course, I have another option once I get to Cairo . . . go to Dubai for a few days, lololol!! I've already checked airfares on Egypt Air . . . ;) . . .

Cairo bound in February!!!

I will be there for the 5th anniversary . . . can you believe that?? I am not sure how we have managed to hang on all this time with the waiting and the hell of immigration plus egyptian military. I was hoping that the visa would have come through by now but since it didn't . . . I made reservations and I still hope the visa will come through so I can bring Ahmed back with me. ISA . . . well, you know how it goes ;)

Meanwhile, I am thinking of something special to do this trip and I think it will be a wander out to the White Desert. This means a guide with a 4 wheel drive (or 4x4???). It also means an overnight stay as it takes a few hours to drive out there. Someone mentioned and 8 hr drive on a bus . . . that could be really boring, lol!!! I am hoping I can get a Cairo-based friend to go and another friend is visiting from the UK at the same time . . . so maybe it will be a small group which would be fun.

I had thought that I wouldn't be going this year since I was hoping the visa would come through . . . but it just gets to be too long of a time since the last time . . . long distance relationships (married or otherwise) or just not any fun. Besides, the airfare deals are too good to pass up . . . a ticket for less than $1000 for the first time in a long time!!!

Now why do I have such a melancholy feeling???

Always up in the air . . .

that's what my life feels like these days.

Waiting on decision from the Cairo-side of the U.S. bureaucracy to see how it impacts my future. I try so hard to be positive with the black-hole of Administrative Process as there isn't much I can do until that is finished and we know more ("we" includes the Egyptian husband of course ;) . . . ). So part of me is debating whether to schedule another trip to Cairo. I hate to put it too late so I can't even get on a flight . . . the end of February is my time to go of course as the 5th anniversary is looming.

And I have huge numbers of "home" projects that are waiting to be finished,lol!!! I wonder when I'll get all that stuff finished up . . . ok, I know the answer to that . . . NEVER . . . if one finishes then another is waiting. First I really need to finish up the wall paper stripping and painting/treatment in that one bathroom upstairs.

I have put in for vouchers from the City of Dallas to help pay for the cost of new toilets (yeah, yeah, the low flow kind that are supposed to be better). I was over at Lowes checking out things and buying some sponges, etc. and looked at a good basic toilet which falls within the right range . . . it is just under $200 . . . the guy said if I can get the voucher it would knock $90 off the price . . . almost pays for the installation! So I put in my application for 2 toilets (I actually have 3 bathrooms but can only get 2 vouchers, lol). We'll see what happens.

Two new toilets would put me in the throes of remodeling for both of the upstairs bathrooms, OMG . . . what kind of a nut am I??? well, I planned to do all of this anyway . . . piecemeal as some of the things I want to do take a bigger chunk of change then I have. and I made the mistake of looking at the water heater the other day . . . lol, that's one more thing that looks like it needs a change-out . . . i spotted rust on the bottom of it, eeeek! I've been in this place over 10 years . . . so I am not surprised that something needs to get fixed.

Work . . . bleh . . . still employed. Wish I didn't need to be employed but how else will I pay for house, husband, trips to Cairo, all my hobbies and project!!! I need to win the lottery!!! Now if only I played, hehe!!

Health checkup . . . looks good!

Well, I have basically finished visits for the year to various health providers and, except for the known issues (chronic stuff, bleh), things are looking good.

Blood tests the other day showed good levels for sugar: A1C was 6.8 . . . yeah!

Visit to dentist: teeth are in good shape and nothing needs to be fixed. whew!!!

Opthalmologist: vision hasn't changed much. The cornea isn't showing any deterioration due to diabetes (still thick is what they were saying, lol). Doesn't sound like the cataract is presenting any problems yet. When they first told me about this a couple of years ago I got all panicky . . . but apparently it hasn't changed so I am not worried right now . . . they would have told me to come up to do something about it if it was a problem.

Well-woman annual: everything normal. They even were excited that my weight still shows a downward trend . . . slowly but surely (and I am still working on it).

All things considered, I am in great shape, lol!!! Now I need to motivate myself to go exercise for the day . . . hmmmmm, gloomy outside and looks like it is raining . . . maybe not just yet, hehe!!

New neighbor is moving in today . . .

The banging and miscellaneous noises coming from the townhouse next door has been going on for a few weeks now and seemed to escalate over T'giving with the guys even working over weekends!!! I've seen ripped out bathroom fixtures, appliances and piles of old carpet piled in the backyard along with the tree limbs that have been trimmed back. All of that disappeared over last few days . . . much of it had been stacked in the carport as they cleaned out the back yeard. Whew, glad to see that all gone. I wanted to get a peak inside to see all the work they had done since it looked like a complete re-model. And it probably really needed it! It was selling for way below market value and the listing noted it needed a lot of work. Well, I saw a lot of work going on over there!

Today, first thing a furniture delivery happened! Then the phone company showed up and THEN 2 more deliveries from other furniture companies! Then a moving van and some other big truck! Big swirl of activity! I left for awhile and then came back to find most of the activity was over . . . but I think I saw one of my new neighbors in the carport, lol!!! So I waved and smiled at her. It will be nice to have a friendly neighbor after the last one that was there the whole time since I moved in until she moved out last year right after the holidays! She was probably nice but she never spoke to me, lol.

I have been getting myself ready for the "shutdown" in which I'll be home mostly for the whole holidays. I've been getting some DVDs of shows that I really like and some books . . . along with all the other things I plan to do, lol.

One series that I have been wanting to buy is "Farscape", which was a Sci-Fi show that played on the Sci-Fi channel a few years ago then ceased production, wah!!! It was so expensive to produce from what I heard. I really liked it and it won't ever be in syndication from what I was hearing . . . so I wanted it on DVD. Well, the cost of the DVDs seemed really expensive even if I bought them one season at a time. Then I noticed they were being re-issued in November at $107 for the whole show (that's 5 seasons I think,lol). So I added it to my wish list and planned on buying it. First I noticed it had gone down $10 so I thought "Good" . . . buy it in December. Lo and Behold, last week when I went to move it to my cart, the price had changed tp $57.99!!!!!!!! I paid for it immediately, hehe!!! What a deal!http://www.amazon.com/Farscape-Complete-Ben-Browder/dp/B002GP7ZWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260569190&sr=8-1

Between Farscape and Dexter and Weeds, I have hours of DVDs to keep me occupied!

Of course, I really should be working on that wallpaper in one of my bathrooms . . . been trying to do that for a few years now, ahahahahahah!!! I painted the cabinets in there awhile back . . . but the wallpaper?? I am sort of clueless, hehe, as this will be my first try at doing it. So we shall see how badly I muck it up!!

Being thankful in diversity . . .

Yesterday while buying pine nuts, feta cheese, persian cucumbers in the Middle Eastern grocery (Zituna in Richardson), the guy asked me "are you ready for Thanksgiving?" and I wondered to myself "what does he do for Thanksgiving?". Then I thought about the guy bagging my groceries in another store on Saturday who told me he had never eaten turkey until he came to the States . . . He is from Ethiopia

I was also reminded of the curb-side check guy who noted I was flying to Cairo last February . . . and he said he had been to Cairo many times . . . turns out he is from Sudan!

So why do I write all this???? I am thankful that I live in a place where I can meet so many people from around the world . . . and can go eat their food too, lol!!!