So due to my lack of cognitive function while half-assting, this entry will be in list form.
Top 5 things that occupy my time right now:
- Finding random things to blog about (which can be counter-productive to my intelligence level... see my recent hair-related post.)
- Talking to my cat like he understands me (who else can I vent about how big a douche Don Draper is? A remarkably attractive douche nonetheless.)
- ...Watching Mad Men. I recently acquired the entire series on my external hard drive . Dangerous.
- Hanging out with the site mate. He brought me banana bread today. He made banana bread yesterday so he could bring it to me today. We literally schedule fake activities in order to occupy time. Oh, Ramadan.
- Tidying. Sometimes I just bake something so I have something to clean up. I can't wait for work to start again.
Top 5 things I google to kill time:
- http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ (you're welcome.)
- http://www.2birds1blog.com/ (again, from Alli & I to you, you're welcome.)
- Things vacation related, so mostly things London & St Andrews. Just recently Paris as Alli & I are beginning to plot...
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and http://allrecipes.com/ to make the most of what produce is available this season.
- My favourite restaurants' menus at home. It's like food porn. I'm ashamed. Only a little though.
Top 5 foods now available at souq:
- Figs! Oh the glory.
- Melon, more specifically one we call bitekh. Not sure what the equivilent is in English, but it kind of looks like 'Hey Arnold!' 's head but yellow with parallel grooves. Delish.
- Cauliflower. The closest I or my pocketbook is ever going to get to broccoli, so I'll take it.
- Grapes. Though, if only they were seedless.
- AVOCADOOOOOOOOS. Alhamdulilah.
Top 5 newly acquired albums:
- Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social club.... what took me so freaking long?
- Otis Redding - The Very Best of Otis Redding... his cover of The Stone's 'Satisfaction' is spectacular.
- Espoire 2000 - Calculeuse - I dare you to not dance around the room you're in right now to this. I dare you.
- Gorillaz - Demon Days - I had completely forgotten how good they were. Kids with Guns strikes a chord somewhere within my shoulder-control-nervous-system. I can't help grooving along even at inopportune times. In public places.
- Edith Piaf - The Very Best of Edith Piaf - You know, preparing for my Spring Paris trip... and being Marion Cotillard in my next life. Padam, padam, padam....
Top 5 reasons I wish I had been in the states this summer:
- My brother's Anchorman themed going away party. Neat-o gang!
- Summer + beach + booze + bbq + sports + music festivals
- I miss my dogs.
- Air conditioning.
Top 5 reasons I'm glad I was here instead:
- Avoided getting too heated over Arizona SB 1070
- Moroccan Summer Camp on the beach
- Experiencing a full-fledged Ramadan
- Hanging out with the host-family
- 4's good.
Top 5 movies I wish I could have seen in theatres:
- Inception
- Scott Pilgrim vs the World
- Shutter Island
- Alice in Wonderland
- Black Swan (but, wait, I do! I'll be home when it's still out insha'allah)
Top 5 things I hated about Sex & the City 2:
- 3 couture outfits on a camel trek? Seriously?
- The fact the whole thing was blatantly Morocco with CGI'd Abu Dhabi-ness cut & pasted into the background.
- The pretty disgraceful comments the made against Islam and the ridiculous scenes that followed them.
- The karaoke sequence made me physically uncomfortable.
- The entire thing.
Top 5 things I love about Ramadan:
- How satisfying anything and everything tastes the moment the sun goes down.
- Harira. My host-mom makes a grated carrot based version. Fantastic.
- Fish balls. My family is a big fan.
- Village's communal daylight hour suffering.
- The fact it's ending in less than a week.
Top 5 things I'm looking forward to these next few months:
- Dar Chebab opening again and more posts about actual work than what I'm biding time with.
- Helping to train the newbies once they arrive in country in a few weeks and getting to go to Fez to do it.
- Eid Kbir and all of the meat and nasty bits that goes along with it.
- Heather visiting at the end of October and the arrival of my new site mate!
- Going home via London on the 13th of December. Only three months to go.
Top 5 things I'm not looking forward to these next few months:
- Travelling out of my site A LOT and working a total of around 5 weeks in Sedona-miz before shipping out in December.
- Smelling like sheep for the month following L'Eid
- My host-sister moving to Marrakech for University... tear... but I'm so proud!
- My brother leaving tomorrow for Iraq and not seeing him for two straight years.
- My site mate leaving in November. I may or may not cry. You can probably bet on it.
Ps. Remember that one time people used to comment on my blog? Where'd you all go!
commenting! i found those crazy yellow melons in the grocery store here the other day, and the sticker on them said canary melons or canary juanes (which i think is spanish for melon... never learned the world for melon in spanish besides melón). thanks for reminding me what they were called in darija!
ReplyDeleteI just laughed so hard-- looove the post, i may steal your top 5 ideas.... since like you, i'm looking for things to keep me occupied during Ramadan.
ReplyDeleteTop 5 reasons I'm glad I was here instead: 4's good... HILARIOUS!
also may steal your books read list and Moroccan cities visited- i'm not very creative therefore i steal/borrow from the other creative PCVs :)
Donniel! I love lists. Ergo, I love this post! It made me laugh. I'm also loving the Mad Men reference. Are you on Season Four. The latest episode was on yesterday, so I'm going on sidereel to see it. It's so amazing. I adore Peggy. Who is your favourite characters? Anyway, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the rest of Ramadan(!)
ReplyDeleteDonniel! I love lists. Ergo, I love this post! It made me laugh. I'm also loving the Mad Men reference. Are you on Season Four. The latest episode was on yesterday, so I'm going on sidereel to see it. It's so amazing. I adore Peggy. Who is your favourite character? Anyway, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the rest of Ramadan(!)
ReplyDeleteThanks all!
ReplyDelete@ Colleen - Huh, Canary Melons, who would have known? Glad to see you're back on this side of the Atlantic again!
@ Angelica - Mrhaba to the list form! I read your blog often & I am always entertained :). Glad I could help out w/ the banana coffee revolution by the way!
@ Rudy - So lovely to hear from you! I'm only on episode 3 of season 4 at this point... only a little left to catch up on! And obviously I'm team peggy. I love her.