Sunday, December 18, 2005

ack

Blogger won't let me post photos today, or maybe that's just my brain having problems. Either way you're getting pictureless babble from me today.

Thursday night (our equivalent of Friday), my sweetie and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. Lucky thirteen - ooh boy. We went to the new Four Seasons Hotel which is pretty darn swanky in and of itself, but we had a stunning view of the Nile and the opposite bank. The air was so nice and clear that day, so everything looked sparkly. A couple of felucas (local sailboats) had Christmas lights in their rigging and were tacking back and forth.

Friday I went down to the Khan al Khalili (the big souk or marketplace) with a friend to wander around and get a few last minute gifts. The weather has cooled down and there weren't many tourists jammed in, which was good for us, but not so good for the merchants. I feel pretty proud of myself - after two years of living here I can now navigate the Khan pretty well (down the stairs before the Crazy Brothers and thru the alleyway until you get to the camel bone guy, go right, go right, up the narrow stairway, turn left and up more stairs to the left to get to the alabaster shop...) I've been here long enough too that I know what reasonable prices are for things so I paid 10 pounds instead of the 45 the tourist next to me was. I'm still paying a resident rate, not an Egyptian rate, but I can live with that. At least it's not extortionate.

Hubby and I watched "Bell, Book, and Candle" last night which starts out on Christmas Eve, so sorta counts as a Christmas movie. Kim Novak's character asks the question, wouldn't you rather for once spend Christmas Eve in a little church somewhere listening to carols rather than sitting at the Zodiac Club listening to the bongo drums? Me, I'd rather be at home with family but if I had to choose I'd go with Jack Lemmon on the bongos.

And we've also watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" so I could get my fix of lights on a house. Wish we could drive around and see them for real.

We started the first season DVD of "Stargate Atlantis" and have gone thru two episodes. I miss Jack like crazy, but am thrilled to see Sam's nemesis Rodney is on the show. We'll keep watching. Meanwhile, I wish our satellite would start showing some of the recent scifi tv that ya'all have been getting, like "Invasion" and "Threshold."

Dawn made a comment yesterday about me not being shy. Ha! I'm actually a true introvert. My quilts aren't shy, but I am. I can open up on blogger cuz I'm here typing away by myself, I'm not in a crowd.

Sylvie, I enjoyed your blog and esp the picture of your kitty and the Christmas tree, but where's the pic of the wallhanging you made? My brain is fried enough at the moment I can't think of any weird quirky habits I have, so maybe I'll play another time. I do love some of the movies you love too, that's for sure. "Bringing up Baby" - classic.

Sewing Room's JoAnn asked how I came across her blog. I found it by searching on Technorati, a blog search engine. You get all sorts of advertising pretending to be blogs, but eventually can find real human quilters.

5 comments:

Hunter said...

I'm shy, too, Tonya. Somehow about 20 years ago I figured out that no one could see inside me so I started acting like I was outgoing. No one had a clue. I'm really still shy, but no one really has a clue now. ;)

Congratulations on your 13th anniversary. Your dinner sounds so beautiful.

I'd still be wandering around the alleys looking for the market. I so admire your "daring do."

Aloha and happy day to you.
Darilyn

Finn said...

Congratulations to both of you! It's lucky 13 indeed..*S* Sounds like you had a really nice time.

And hurray for getting to shop and finding where you were going.
No small feat that one!! And you must be able to think backwards to get yourself home again..right *VBG*??

Sylvie said...

Congratulations on your 13th anniversary.

The way you describe navigating the Knan sounds like the instructions given to strangers in small towns - "you go down to the Dairy Freeze and turn left and just past Johnson's farm turn right." But I bet if I ever was in Cairo I could find the alabaster shop.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. The wall hanging is at work right now, but if I remember to take the camera, I'll take a picture and post it. I did explain the dead cat.

The Calico Cat said...

Bell, Book, and Candle is a movie that I still want/need to watch...

I have yet to find it for rent...

Good news about being able to navigate and to get more reasonable rates on goodies! I find that by the time I am able to navigate really well, I move... (I am purposely trying not to figure out DC....)

Quilts And Pieces said...

Wow, I got confused how to get there just trying to read it! :)

Dinner out looking across the Nile sounds sooo romantic!