Random McRandom

This Sunday, I'll be leaving Sedona-miz for a couple of weeks in order to help out with the new staj's training up north. Thus, my presence here in blog-land will be scarce if not non-existent. So without any further ado, and with brevity on my side, here are a few random musings over the last little while:

- The horrible sensation of spiderweb passing over my face, dragging it's sticky appendages along my cheek and forehead, has not happened in over a year. Until Tuesday. When I took a shortcut home from the Dar Chebab. One I won't be taking again any time soon.

- While bucket bathing today, I managed to get some water up my nose while rinsing off my face with my mini-rinse bucket. At first I had the usual 'gack-ahh-uckha-fmmmmmsh-sniffle-woah' reaction. Until, all of a sudden, I was back swimming in the pool with my dad, while he incessantly dunked me over and over again, until - like today - some chlorinated agua would find its way up my nasal cavity. The memory, however, was a happy one. The stinging, gaging sensation seemed to come with a side of nostalgia... sigh.

- I had my first sweet potato in over a year yesterday. It... was... MAGICAL. Why didn't anyone remind me how delectable those are? I literally, like, exclaimed out loud - to no one in particular, mind you - that this was the most fantastic thing I've eaten all month. All year, even. I mean, my God. How long does batata hlwa season last here in Morocco people? Anybody? Bueller?

- People in my town LOVE the fruit-in-baked-goods thing. It's not something you find much around Morocco, but it is obviously a good old American past-time. Banana bread, peach pies, carrot cake, zucchini bread, and today's apple cake have all been big hits with my local friends and family. However, gingersnaps have been met with some serious suspicion. Traditionally, ginger is strictly used in savory cooking here in Morocco. So for me to use it in a dessert makes them seriously question my cooking ability. It'd be like them serving us garlic-chocolate cake... or something along those lines. I hear a few other volunteers have had their communities love them, however, so maybe I just have to sell the idea better.

- For the first time in over... it's got to be at least 10 years now, my bangs - fringe to some of you readers - are finally long enough to put in a ponytail! I know, not news worthy stuff right there, but in Morocco - where showers are in frequent and styling is unheard of - this is a happy day indeed.

- A few weeks ago, the sitemate, my mother, and myself had an unlikely conversation about which Bruce Springsteen song was the sexiest... the candidates included:

I'm on Fire

Dancin' in the Dark

Fire

Though all three of these songs do carry the theme of 'fire' throughout, the latter, I feel, is the most worthy contender. I mean... C'MON people. So do any of you all out in blog-land care to weigh in on this superiorly intellectual debate? Feel free to submit your own nominations below.