SO Traci was talking about that email fwd she got called "How to maintain a healthy level of insanity." It's a hilarious list, with tips that include such things as "At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses On And Point A Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down."; "2. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds." " and "3. Finish All Your sentences With "In Accordance With The Prophecy."
So then I got to thinking if any of those could be modified to apply to life in Cairo... M and G and I were talking about doing an "inappropriate day" here, and I thought that lots of things we'd thought of doing for that kinda carried over...


--> Go outside w/ soaking wet hair (according to M and G, who have more connections than that journalist who uncovered Watergate and whose name I can never remember, wet hair for a woman means you've just had sex).
--> Go to a sheesha bar and play an enthusaistic game of poker (gambling is considered rude, but games like Backgammon, chess and dominoes are commonly played at the sheesha bars) w/ the old men. Chant "al falloos al faloos" (meaning money money) whenever you win.
--> Walk up to a woman in niqab (full veil) and ask her: "what are you wearing that funny mask for??". Say this in Arabic for 10 more points. Say this in Hebrew for a 50 pt bonus.
--> Next time somebody tells you "welcome (to) Egypt" reply with: a.) Either something witty and smart in fluent Arabic b.) Yell Welcome Egypt! right bk at them c.) yell "Marhaba AMREEKA!" bk at them
--> Go to the Egyptian Museum and get really insulted when they don't charge you the Egyptian rate.
--> Next time a sketchy Egyptian guy asks you out, reply w/ "sorry, but I prefer girls" (in Arabic -- Asifa, lakin Afaddl ala binaat."
--> Demand that the cab driver take you to Baghdad. Bargain w/ him abt the price.
--> Climb the Pyramids.
--> Instead of saying in sha allah, try in sha "Jesus" or in sha "[name of mythical sci fi god or Star Wars character]".
--> Tell ppl sexually suggestive things in Arabic... oh wait, that might actually not be such a good idea...

--> Just live here. Every day. That's probably sufficient. This city is crazy.

ok most of those aren't even that funny... I need to brainstorm better ones w/ M and G some time... there's a lot of potential for humor there.

Other random thoughts:

It appears to be breakup season; most of my friends seem to be having serious relationship cataclysms (is that a word?); I think it's just the time of year or something. For once I guess I pre-empted that one. And I actually feel less indecision abt how things are now than I haave previously abt relationships. saH.

I should really go do something or go out someplace now... It's 8pm and I haven't even left the building; I slept in and went to help Mory w/ English, and now I'm bk here. I am LAZY... gotta get moving.

SONG OF THE DAY:

"Everybody's been in my face
Tellin' me I gotta make a change
All I ever hear day and night is
"You better hurry up and get a life"
I need some direction
'Cause the clock is tickin' away...

Then a friend of a friend of mine
Says I've really been on his mind
And wants to go out and
check out what the feelin's about
Says we have a deep connection
Well it sure is news to me

And all I can say is

Intuition tells me how to live my day
Intuition tells me when to walk away
Could have turned left
Could have turned right
But I ended up here
Bang in the middle of real life..." -- Natalie Imbruglia