My Last Entry

This will be my last entry for this blog. If the spirit moves me, I’ll keep writing but with another blog title. Time will tell. We are back, our bout with the intestinal virus we smuggled in from Egypt has passed, and we are busy watching American TV, reading a real paper newspaper every morning, and catching up with friends and self-care (read: lots of doctor’s appointments).

I went to New York on the 8^th for dinner with Noel Taylor and Mike Whitlow after a year’s absence. Happily, we Skyped often, so it didn’t feel like much time had passed. Harris stayed home, nursing his virus, while we went to dinner in Battery Park City at a fantastic place there, North End Grill (another of Danny Meyer’s amazing restaurants). I made a point of eating pork and raw oysters, neither of which I ate in Egypt. As we strolled around Battery Park after dinner, I was struck by the openness of the area, with its harbor for fancy yachts and the rising replacement to the World Trade Center.

I had to wear my Egyptian styles in New York!

Battery Park City's yacht basin

The new tower

In fact, the whole time I was in the city, I kept remarking to myself how quiet and clean it was—we are talking about Manhattan, folks. The fact it seemed so tells how used to the noise and garbage typical of Cairo I had become.

One behavior that will never leave us is following the news in Egypt. The imbroglio of the elections has distressed us deeply, and I am sorry to say that my private prediction back in March that the military would stage a coup seems to be right. Malesh. Both of us want peace and prosperity for Egypt, and the prospects are dimming for the now. At least we have video Skyped with Sarah, Mark, Emad and family, and they are fine.

Returning also meant a return to Planned Parrothood--Nelly and Dickens are home to roost. They were spoiled by their Aunt Annie in Brooklyn, and are now spoiled again. They have one house, and like the 1%, also have a vacation home next to the glass doors with a view of the backyard. We call it The Resort. As you might infer, they have the run of the area, though cockatiels' innate territoriality makes them prefer staying in known locations.

Dickens tucks into a bowl of healthy treats

Nelly more delicately enjoys her treats

The Resort

Catching up included my family. Brother Bruce—whom you can see in the blog entry “Christmas on a Dahabeya”—came up for a surprise visit last week, making great time driving from Virginia. We enjoyed ourselves in New Haven, then drove up to New Hampshire to see my sister Ann, David, and the kids, Mary and Jack. Since one of my life’s missions is to spoil Mary rotten, I worked on that.

Mary and me

Mary, the 13-year old

Harris and Jack put together his electric race cars, and pretty soon, all the boys were mesmerized.

Boys and their toys

The visit included outlet shopping and a New England seafood feast at a local restaurant in southern Maine. Yummy.

Steamers with Harris, Bruce, and Ann

On our 20^th wedding anniversary, we finally got a delivery of our alabaster lamps from Cairo. Two were broken (one far beyond repair) but considering the distance, that’s not so bad. They bring some of the atmosphere we cultivated in our flat in Ma’adi to New Haven, and it makes us happy. We have also hung our appliquéd hangings from Hany in the Street of the Tentmakers.

A few alabaster lamps glowing in the living room. Wiring them for 110 is Harris's passion.

I certainly don't wish to jinx what is not yet done, but insha'allah, I got a promotion! Again, this is provisional until the papers are signed. But Bill Barnett, the enormously capable Director of Graduate Studies at Trinity, asked me if I would become Associate Director of American Studies. Wonk that I am, I was delighted to say yes. A raise, new office, and new business cards are forthcoming. This should work well with the more visionary director, Paul Lauter, since he’s a far-seer and I’m a clean-desk person.

We depart next week for a real vacation at our cottage in Bonaire, and other than tinkering with syllabi, I plan on doing no intellectual labor harder than figuring our how much bottom time I have left while diving. It’s hard to give up this blog. It’s allowed me to focus on all the things that made our year so thrilling—not always beer and skittles, but always thrilling—and I’ll miss the focus it brought. Let me know if you have an idea for another blog!

Home

We are back in New Haven as of Sunday night. The flights were just fine, easy and comfortable, but I should warn you of possibly the worse movie ever made: "John Carter," a combination space opera and shoot-em-up in which no one could act and the movie so bad it was mesmerizing.

The house was perfect, thanks to Stasia, and our 8 pieces of luggage all arrived (one late, but arrived nonetheless) and we owed NO duty, perhaps because I presented the customs officer with a printed list of every blessed item we either bought or were given. I suspect he felt anyone so compulsive isn't lying.

Harris and I are both sick with a viral intestinal bug I picked up in Cairo probably last Thursday, and between runs to the bathroom (pun intended) and loperamide, we sleep prodigiously and unpack slowly. Truly prodigious--14-15 hours a day. Eating little, but insha'allah, that will change.

Our cars are registered and plated, started right up (!!). but we are still using the rental since neither of us have the strength to go out and get everything right (oil changed; Harris's smells like mice pee, he says).

Tomorrow is our visit to Costco, where I will buy a little camera to replace my broken one, so the next entry will have photos. I'll have to consider a new blog name if I want to keep this up. Suggestions welcome!