IN Digestion

Today, is all about errands - I woke up at, wait, I slept at 8 AM? around that time - and again missed an opportunity to renew my visas - I was planning for the last several weeks to do it in the morning - but this morning, I was determined to do it (the place closes at 2ish), so this morning, I was going to go for sure -

I went to bed, and well since I was planning to stay awake, since I went to bed, I went ahead and set the alarm to 2:15, giving myself enough time to eat breakfast and get to work by 3 - (so the visas will wait till tommorrow maybe) -

So at 2:15, I woke up, and said, ok just five more minutes and went back to bed, but woke up at 2:52 or so - ususallyI chicken out of calling in late, and just rush to get to work -

This time, I said, you know what, let me call in and say I am running a bit late -

So I called in and said, I am running a bit late, and that I just woke up - Waek was clearly annoyed with me, and said ‘Mishan Allah’ even and said ok, I will see you when I get there - At this time I thought for sure, I would be at work by 3:30 max -

I took a shower, and felt a bit out of it, (I was still tired, and a bit groggy at my stomach, this I have no idea why, I am eating well these days, VERY WELL - a Salad, and at least two apples a day - and almost only one slice of cheese in anything I eat per day - and french fries only every other day -

So I sat down and ate my breakfast very slowly, and then had a cup of tea very slowly again, and then still not wanting to goto work, I left - by the time I was there, it was 4:30, so my breakfast somehow landed in the hour or so range -

So then I get to work, and I said sorry of course - he said, ’so tell me really, why, what is going on’ - I said look honestly, I have no idea, I woke up and then I just sat there for an hour until I felt better - my stomach just feels all weird and what not -

So he again instructed me, Sas, you need to drink Vinegar in your diet, and he told me this several times before - but now I decided since I was going to buy groeires today, to add this to the list of errands. He mentioned, specifically, Apple Natural Vinegar in the early morning.

So tommorrow (I did not get to the groceries today), when I buy groceries, I will also add Apple natural Vinegar to the list of stuff to buy.

Why is this post called ‘Errands’ - because for the last several days (ever since Layth left), I am asked to do the errands in the office now - since I am the only guy who doesn’t really have much work to do. So today, well today, I bought 10 packets of coffee for the foreign guests we had - and earlier today, I bought five orange juices for some of our guests.

So I am now doing Errands

Aha, morning (Did not sleep, could not sleep, but instead had a nice quiet evening) but I AM TIRED - but also, INSPIRED to do something useful. (My real big thing was I made a grocery list, last night, normally its done by Fatima, but I wanted to do it, i like doing it).

Tired, tired, etc.

Sas

Seriously, if there is a new application that I love, its this (and new will be defined as something I just started using in the last 2 or so years). Well two applications, Media Monkey and this. (Well XOBNI is cool as hell too). But ok, so those three applications - I use them pretty much every day -

Anyway, again the REALLY COOL thing about living in Jordan, is again, the Adhaan - I was just sitting around here (all alone, AND YES, I worked, I even hit a small mile stone), but I was just sitting around wondering how much time till I get to go home (now, this is the ridiculous part), I HAVE TO LOG IN A CERTAIN amount of hours, EVEN THOUGH, the work is not related to it in any way shape or form - for example, I am looking forward to going home, having dinner and then working (I am actually in the mood to work, of course, 99% chance, after getting home and eating dinner, that MIGHT change) - but as for now, the desire is there - and sometimes thats important enough, I am hungry, and my only options from this area are: 1. Chips, Junkfood, Cakes 2. Chickem Burers, 3. Cheese Sandwiches, 4. Felafel Sandwiches - I want NEITHER of those things, so I have to wait to eat Dinner and then possibly work - so I was just sitting here trying to sort out how much time I have left before I can eat some dinner and do some work on a fuller stomach. (by the way, I find Fasting the absolute hardest thing in the world, I SIMPLY have the hardest time with it, and am tempted ten thousand times to eat a day). So As I began to ponder, I hear the Quran (they play the qur’an before the Adhan) so that settles the time for Maghrib (which will be in a few minutes), so its now about 7:45 - so one hour and fifteen minutes before work ends.

Now, that leads me to the reason I am still so happy here -

Ok, too many things just came up, so I have to finish all this blogging

I just recently, like in the last 20 minutes or so got inspired to do something that I Want to do and have supposedly been doing for the last several months. I have a project, a really neat and fun project to work on and do - that I have supposedly been working on for over a year. I told myself June 1st, it would get done. (to make that deadline, I decided to only have a portion of it finished) this was two months ago. Since two months ago, and today, right now, I have probably only coded about 20 lines (and not anything great mind you, half of that was probably declaring variables and such). So too be honest, NOTHING has been done.

However, on the other hand, I woke up early this morning (and FOUGHT the urge to waste last night awake). However after waking up early - (Fatima left for her class), I checked my e-mail and saw nothing critical was happening anywhere in my world. I sat there for 2-3 hours - now for the past several weeks, I am slowly trying to quit smoking - so (on days where I wake up and have nothing to do), I just kinda sit there trying to begin any kind of long lasting work so that my mind will be distracted. Sure enough, I did not begin (but I read a LOT, a lot of stuff [reading hardly counts as work, its pretty much all I do, all of the time], and just for fun usually] - so I sat there from 9 o clock to 12 o clock. And my headache became worse and worse (you can actually feel your dependency on these chemicals the most in the morning). So, I decied instead of working, I will concentrate on this - and see if I can make it to the time of 3PM, and get to work, and maybe at the office, I will get more done (by the way, my setup is SO COOL, I get to work on my own project, i get all the money I need to do it, I get an office at home, and a nice little cubicle at work - and no one telling me ANYTHING at all, and I have basically 2 or so years to do my project (its a 4-5 month project maximum and about 50% done now). So, I sat there, and after 3 hours, when the headaches and depression became unbelievable - I just went down stairs, took a walk to the grocer and bough a pack. Now, when I go there, I try to avoid one of the guys, he’s this really hot guy with long flowing hair, and he knows IM not suppose to be buying them, so luckily he was not there and I bought it GUILT free, and smoked two cigarettes almost IMMEDIATELY, and fought the urge to smoke any more right then and there… got to make them last, this is supposedly my last pack and all…

So, then I came home, its around 12ish now. (so now I have been awake since 9 to 12), I had to stay awake at least until Fatima came home so as to prove to her, THAT I DID something today. (So far, in terms of work, I did two things. One check my e-mail, two thought about work). So now I stayed awake until she came back. Then I kinda just lucked out as she had stuff to do, so then I told her, look, I am just gonna rest here a bit…

(Again, I slept from around 2AM to 9AM, minus 10 minutes for Fajr), so I had plenty of sleep. Somehow when I woke up again, it was 2:45 - I literally HAVE to be at work by 3, i keep getting told off by one of my managers at work about this, so I told him for sure, this week, Ill be ‘there’ [I did not specify the time, ha] - so I woke up and noticed lunch was being made. Now, the ‘proper’ thing to do would be to leave anyway as i am late, but I figured since I am late (even though not necessarily hungry, I HAD A LARGE breakfast, and healthy too mind you). so I ate my lunch AFTER it was prepared and got to work, luckily as i came out of the door, I noticed a taxi and screamed after him and got an immediate ride to work and only late by 27 minutes - NOT BAD! What made things even better, is that my manager was not there - he was out, so I proceeded to:

1. Burn a DVD from a file I downloaded the previous night
2. Download some music I had purchased (the best part of being a ’so called traditionalist’ is that MUSIC IS OK, and if is not, just take a rukhsa - LOL).
3. Some more reading
4. Now one and a half hour later (the DVD is still burning, so I can’t do any real work as it needs to process and needs my CPU)
5. Blogging, I read someone else’s blog by mistake and noticed, that wow, some people REALLY HAVE A BETTER and more up to date blog then me and maybe even more interesting, so I HAD TO BLOG ALSO.

Wait, a co worker just asked me a question, and I answered it - thats it, thats all I have done so far today. and I leave for home in 4 hours… I am INSANELY not wanting to do anything.

Sas

Here I stand head in hand
Turn my face to the wall
If she’s gone I can’t go on
Feelin’ two-foot small
Everywhere people stare
Each and every day
I can see them laugh at me
And I hear them say
Hey you’ve got to hide your love away
Hey you’ve got to hide your love away
How can I even try
I can never win
Hearing them, seeing them
In the state I’m in
How could she say to me
Love will find a way
Gather round all you clowns
Let me hear you say
Hey you’ve got to hide your love away
Hey you’ve got to hide your love away

I find cleaning and doing dishes and stuff so incredibly relaxing. But, I don’t do it too much. Today, however, I did about 75% of it. It is/felt good.

Sas

Two problems, I must resolve - firstly, again, I still need a CLOSET. I wear the same clothes for about one week in a row, not because of any other reason - except that all of my clothes are still in their suitcases. Now, in this ‘unbelievable’ country - they have no closets. You have to purchase your own closet and stick it into the room. Well the kids have one (they got one immediately), but we still do not have one for our bedroom. So that I must have. I plan to get one when I come back from the States.

Secondly, - small coffee tables, this is a necessary thing - because of the amount of time, I, Fatima, the kids, and friends spend in in the living room. Plus, tea and coffee is made like several times a day. So, right now, no one really has a place to put it - so stuff is always rearranged so that someone can be closer to someplace where they can place their drink. Others just sit on the floor. Now, again, I want this as well.

Thirdly, a Dining Table, now Fatima and her family have always eaten on the floor. And I myself have always eaten on a table - for the last three years, I have probably eaten half of the time on the floor and half of the time on a sofa with a coffee table (far reaching) as my dinner plate. Now, if I go to the kitchen, there is a bench table that works fairly well - so we use this now. But, I want a dinner table.

Fourthly, I want a wide screen TV. Now, I had the chance to get this earlier, but I don’t want to pay SUCH TOTALLY MARKED UP PRICES as you do in Jordan for these things. But I Want it none the less - this weekend, we got our hands on ‘The Hobbit’ and naturally had to watch the entire Lord of The Rings Trilogy. But see, on a regular tv, and a regular tv speaker, it just sucks SO much - so I need a Wide Screen TV.

Fifthly, that brings another problem, High Definition Video, there is practically no place to get your hands on HD video in Jordan (not that I’d ever get it in the states either, its simply TOO expensive) but America has at least BlockBuster. So, to ‘realistically’ do this, my HD content has to be downloaded. Now, I know I will never have the patience to burn a hd disc, or get a player for it, and all of those other goodies. So, I need a way to watch movies on my high definition wide screen tv (that does not exist yet) without having a hd player. So I need to use a computer to play the stuff on the TV. But after having lived like that for several years, and also now that I am an adult, there is NO WAY on earth I will go back to that. So, a Media Center PC is what I need - however, again, there being no EASY way to get HD content in Amman, means that even if I get one, I can hardly play anything, as it will only play proper (legal) material. So, what I need is a two pronged solution - the HD TV can wait, as a way to play HD content, however, regular DVD content/quality stuff has to be played - however, I need a cooler way to do it, and an easier way then plugging a computer into the TV. So that leaves me with, either a MAC running XBMC, or an XBOX running XBMC. This I will bring back with me from the states. So much hard work just to be able to watch a movie without getting up from my chair in a setting that I enjoy.

Sixthly, a Car, now I almost bought a car one month ago (My Dad sent me the money to buy it), but too be honest, I am feeling quite, flexible without one - the whole idea was since I have to be in more places in a day, I should need a car. Considering, I can do 95% of my work form home, I have little need to buy a car, the only times I feel it are at night, when I get a craving for something very specific to eat. Like for example right now, its 7:49 PM, a few days ago I learned that Papa Johns has opened in Sweifeiyah, well thats fantastic, except that now when I feel like going, the idea of taking a taxi AND taking a taxi back while waiting both times JUST to eat pizza sound horrible. Pizza is the kinda place you want to pick up your family with (in a car) and get going to, and come back with left overs - and watch a nice family movie afterwards. A Car is a big part of the enjoyment part of that, so a Car has to be added to the list.

Now, I plan to get ALL of these things in one sweep in about 3 months (mostly after I get back from the states). But in the mean time, can I live like this for another 3 months, too be honest, my patience is running thin. Ive lived like this for over a year now, and well, I want my hot water, central heating, FOOD FOOD and lots of it, and the ability to go out at 2:30 AM to get Pizza Pockets if so need be. Believe it or not this food situation DEPRESSES me. So, all of this needs to be done and needs to be done quickly.

Of course even though I make ‘monstrous’ money for Jordan, it just not enough. to not do this without waiting 3 more months. Ah!

Sas

I wore glasses today (I wear them every day), but I also locked the door and caused a bit of a ruckus with my behavior. Kids cry way TOO much.

Sphagetti, Italian Garlic Bread, Sphagetti Sauce, Paratha, Chicken, Bread, Zaatar, Oil, 2 Bananas, Salad, Tea, Coffee, Hummus

Sas

Ok, So I must really be the smartest killer and waster of time. I can’t EVEN TELL you what I got away with this time. I really REALLY impressed myself today.

I Still can’t believe I am pretty much retired. I counted up what I actually do in my average work of week. I AM ALREADY RETIRED MAN

(this is all going to come crashing down very soon, though, this CAN’T LAST THIS LONG)

Sas