Big Things Popping

Shyea… I wish.

I’m bored.  School is almost done and I need something to do this summer.  Any suggestions? Someone at school wants to be tutored over the summer, but I don’t know if I want to spend more time teaching, preparing lessons, and working around someone’s schedule.  That requires too much productivity, and I don’t think that word goes well with the summer.

Speaking of productivity, this past weekend I was productive with Osman and Hunno.  We painted their nursery :)   It’s striped!  And it’s also very well done, if I may say so myself… ahem :)

And speaking of coughs (are we really speaking of coughs, or did I just make a cough sound effect?) I’ve had an annoying cough that hasn’t gone away for three weeks.  It isn’t as bad as before.  Now it only acts up after I drink anything.  One or two coughs and it’s gone, but then it always comes back.

Speaking of coming back, I wonder when Shoaa’s coming back from her honeymoon?  I want to talk to her and see how married life is treating her.  I’m sure it’s sunshine, lollipops and rainbows… insha’Allah.

Speaking of rainbows, it’s been raining a lot lately.   No signs of any rainbows though.  I remember last year after the MIA graduation there was a magnificently beautiful rainbow in the sky.  Fati tried to take a picture of it.  The camera didn’t do it justice.

I accidently ran a red light the other day.  Here in the wonderful state of Illinois there are cameras set up at most intersections just to take pictures of people who violate traffic laws… even the ones who do it accidentally!  I’m scared I’m going to get a notice in the mail.

Speaking of the mail, I flipped through the Meijer circular today.  It was sitting on the kitchen table.  There are a lot of good deals this week!  I wish I could go there and buy some groceries.  But I don’t think we’re in any need of discount cereal and chips.

Speaking of chips, I made myself a lunch–turkey sandwich, pineapple slices and juice.  No chips though.  We only had Cooler Ranch Doritos, and I’m not a big fan.

Posted in My 2 Cents | 4 Comments

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

lies.jpgIn the teacher’s lounge one of my co-workers had brought her daughter down into the room from babysitting to eat lunch together.  My friends and I were sitting at one part of the table sharing a bag of chips, and the woman’s daughter wanted some.  We happily gave some chips to the little girl.  The mom told her that was all she was going to get.

After eating her chips, the daughter wanted more.  The mom said no, but the daughter threw a fit.  So the mom caved in and gave her daughter some more chips, again saying that this time was the last.  Of course, the same thing happened at least two more times.  After the third time, the mom finally decided to tell her daughter there weren’t anymore chips… she lied!

Well, after eating her chips, the daughter wanted more.  So she started crying for it, again.  The mom kept telling her the same old lie:  there weren’t anymore chips.  But she finally realized her daughter didn’t believe her, so she turned to me and said, “Can you give her some more chips?”

I was a little annoyed.  Didn’t she just tell her daughter the chips were done?  I actually mentioned that to her, “You told her there weren’t anymore…?”  The mom said, “Yea I know, but she wants it now.” Continue reading

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Meijer: A Long Lost Love

Remember last year before I moved to Illinois I started writing tribute posts to people, places and things I loved in Michigan?  One of them was about Meijer, the grocery store.  Well today, I got to reunite with my long lost love.

I had to go to a store in Aurora to return something, and on the way back I was planning on hitting up a grocery store to buy supplies for dinner, which I was planning to make later that day (chicken pot pie, another post, another day).  Anyway, there I was, driving down IL-59, looking out for Aurora Ave to make a left turn, when there it was.  On the horizon like a beautiful tree with red apples.  Only the apples were letters, and it spelled out… Continue reading

Posted in I ♥ Michigan, What's For Food? | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Hijab–Who’s Stopping You?

Just a quick and interesting thought I had today.  I was in the teacher’s lounge and I heard some teachers discussing whether or not they’d allow their daughters to wear hijab when they grew up.  Both of these teachers didn’t wear hijab, and they both said very confidently that they would never stop anyone from wearing hijab.

Anyone, huh?  What about themselves?  When someone doesn’t wear hijab, who is really stopping them?  A parent?  A friend?  A spouse?  Or the person themself?  Afterall, when a girl puts on a hijab, in my opinion, the number one thing she is fighting is not culture, nor pressure, but her own desire to be admired or adored.

So really, if you’re not wearing it, and you’d never stop anyone else from wearing it, why stop yourself?

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Spring Break! pt 2

As promised, the rest of my Spring break… for those of you who want to know how I spend my time when I have nothing to do.

Wednesday morning Saqib dropped me off at the Metra station in downtown Lisle and I took a train to Union Station downtown to get on another Amtrak train to Ann Arbor.  I was a little nervous about using “so many” trains to get to my destination, because public transportation makes me nervous.  The schedules, tracks, fees, and employees are generally confusing or not very helpful.  But alhumdu’lillah, I made to Ann Arbor in one piece, to be picked up by my bhabi.

 amtrak.jpg

Wow, what a driver.  Hunno really knows how to make good time.  She picked me up right when I stepped off the train, and we were off to the grocery store before I knew it.  We had to pick up a few items for ammi who was waiting for me back at home.  Hunno, who wanted to make good time, managed to pick me up, stop at the store and get me home all within one hour.  Impressive, wouldn’t you say?

hunno.gif

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