Which Way is the Horse Looking and Facing? You can see it two ways.

Just finished Black Friday shopping. Got some very good deals on a few things I specifically wanted, and finished Christmas shopping (I think.) I also bought my fabric and supplied for my next sewing project at Joann's. I "saved" a ton of money there - nearly $170 off everything there altogether. I hesitate to use the word saved, because if you're spending, you're not saving, in my book. But I got cheaper prices by a lot then if I had bought the stuff at another time. Mom finished her shopping, too.

Wednesday night we had some very strong wind come through. I had gone to bed late, at midnight, for the second night in a row, but I was woken at 2am to what sounded like an animal running around in my attic. It freaked me out. I listened to it on and off until after 4am and almost got out a ladder and crawled up in the attic to try to find the animal but I decided I didn't want an animal jumping on me in the middle of the night. As I listened to it more, I found the animal scurried the most when the wind was strongest, so it could be something blowing around in the attic a lot, although I couldn't imagine how anything would blow like that in there unless my roof was seriously damaged. In the morning I went out and checked the roof and found it fully intact but covered in these big seed pods from a tree in my yard. So I decided the mystery animal was actually the sound of these seed pods being forcefully dragged across the roof back and forth by the wind and then hitting the metal gutters really hard. I didn't hear the animal last night so hopefully that is really what it was.

We had snow tonight - yay! Forecasters say we may get more this evening. I am so happy to have snow! But at 4-something a.m. we did encounter scary roads on the way shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for family, friends, shelter, heat, fresh air, health, employment to pay the bills, and so much more. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Mumbai

What is happening there is so horrible.

As a Muslim, I feel the horror on multiple levels - one just about the awfulness of these events. And another about evil and hate being done by Muslims - it just makes no sense to me that such acts can be done by a Muslim because to me the religion is the ideal way of living, the solution to all problems, the source of true inner-peace and guidance. But clearly these people lack inner peace, lack what Islam does for me in their dark hearts.

Sometimes I wish that all hate-filled extremists would just suddenly disappear off the planet - like a "rapture" that takes away all the people that make life so hard for the rest of us.


And I feel awful reading the comments associated with such news articles, too - because they are hate-filled against Muslims. I understand the feeling against such acts, but I get so tired of feeling like I am dragged down in it, too, because those people are Muslims and their acts and politics make the whole world want to hate Muslims right now. Few people want to believe or understand real Islam, or to believe or understand a Muslim who tries to find some way to express the horror felt at such acts - it is never enough for most people to trust a Muslim. I feel like my own integrity is destroyed by those terrorists and there is little I can do about it but know that those close to me will know the difference between me and a terrorist, and between Islam and hateful angry unjust violence. I don't know how to stop them anymore than anyone else, but I do wish hate would go away and reason would reign supreme.

All I can do is control my own self and try to live as best as I can, and I can pray. All I can do is keep on my path of what Islam is to me, what I believe it to really be.

Grandma

Yesterday was my Grandma's 84th birthday (my dad's mom). Today, dad, mom and I went down to Florence to visit her and grandpa in the Vet home. It was a really nice visit - she liked her presents and was happy the people there had thrown her a party the day before, too. And the GREAT news - she is beginning to be able to walk again! She hasn't done it for us, yet, but with her physical therapy session I guess she's walked up to nearly 200 steps at a time with a walker a few times now. She still can't go to the bathroom on her own, but she seems stronger and happier.

I brought a few of her photo albums I am the steward of and she looked at them with me and told me who some of the people in the pictures were. I now understand her side of the family much better than I did before, and so does my dad, and I think she kind of liked seeing the pictures and talking about them - so that was very nice. Last week I brought her album from when she was in the Navy Waves at the end of WWII for a girl at work to see because she is maybe going to do Navy ROTC in college. I guess my family is a Navy family - grandma's dad Ernie joined the Navy as soon as he was of age right after WWI to help out his family because his mom Nettie had been widowed with 12 kids and they were really struggling. Grandma and Grandpa both were in the Navy in WWII, and then so was their eldest son Jack, my uncle, and my brother Jeff (in the reserves for both of those). Both of her grandmas remarried as did her mom so there lots of name changes to keep track of. But I was excited to realize that her Grandma Snurr is the lady I know in the genealogy papers as Nettie Jones - born in 1878 here in El Paso County, Colorado! - my great-great grandmom and first in the family to be born in Colorado. I also learned more of the family is buried here in town than I knew - even Nettie's parents, my great-great-great grandparents, are buried here in town! So one of these days I want to go find their graves - I looked up the lots for both sides of my family online and made a list. I also saw a picture of the house grandma grew up in here in town where she was born. I want to go up to that house on Del Norte St. and see what is there today - I don't think the same house will be there but I'm not sure. My dad told me a story about going to visit his step-great grandpa Ned Lenari (husband of Bessie Maud Hanks, who married Milton Ooley, my grandma's grandfather on her mother's side). (spelling?) who lived in an apartment above the original Guiseppe's restaurant when he was in high school. I got to see pictures of Bessie and Ned, too, and even pictures of another set of my great-great-great grandparents John Ooley and Hester Ann Light, the grandparents of Viola, grandma's mom. But I know at this point I lost everyone and no one would really care about this except my own family anyway. :)

On my mind

*A student who graduated from my school last spring died yesterday in a horrific car accident. It is so sad to see the loss of one so young and vibrant. To the family and friends of Wade Lehman, our prayers are with you.

*So now there's even more hundreds of billions of dollars going to bailouts. Where is all this money coming from except the pockets of those who've lived within their means? We are seeing the effects of the evils of usury and greed in full swing now,and unfortunately it may get worse before it gets better. I hope we can all keep our jobs and homes and get out of debt, and that through all this we can become better fiscal stewards of the world. I don't think I can agree with all this trillion dollar band-aid patching. It clearly is not getting to the root of the problem.

*
This article very nicely talks about the issue of observant groups of Muslims and Jews trying to deal with the issue of shaking hands. Technically in these faiths, all contact with unrelated members of the opposite sex is avoided as a matter of respect of privacy/private space of the body. But some people are quite taken aback or offended by the rejected handshake, and it can cost the observant Muslim/Jew jobs and business due to the misunderstandings that can arise.

*As of today, I think whatever positive effect the knee steroid shot might have had seems to have worn off completely. Oh well, I guess it was worth a try. I went "hiking" a bit on Sunday and I think that did it in. But I definitely don't want to stop doing any of those things, I love walking/hiking too much.

*And I am wishing everyone a very very peaceful and happy Thanksgiving! Insha'allah I will post more related to that later. I'm off to sewing class now. Sewing collars is no fun!

just more personal stuff

The boy from Monument has been found, but unfortunately not alive. My heart goes out to his family.

On Saturday I went with my parents to visit my grandparents down in Florence. We took them out of their home for the first time since they moved there and went to lunch at Village Inn. It was a big deal, especially for my grandmother as that was the first time she left the place except for doctor's appointments. My grandfather has taken advantage of several trips to Wal-Mart, and maybe my grandmother will go this week with him for the first time. She has actually taken a few steps with parallel bars, so that is a big deal, too. But mainly she is still confined to a wheel chair and we have to lift her in and out of it but she is able to sort of help support her weight in the process, which helps.

I went to the orthopedist again today to go over the MRI results. They did not find a tear but maybe some cracking in the meniscus and also my ACL is "wavy" instead of straight although it is not loose and we couldn't come up with a reason for that as I have no prior injury that I have any knowledge of. Anyway, no surgery for now, but I got a steroid shot in my knee and we'll see how that goes.

Twittering

I had a nice Veteran's Day - I worked on making some Christmas presents and I hung out with my mom and she bought me a sweater. :) I really have a great mom.

Today I had my first MRI ever - what a noisy machine, and you can't move for like half an hour and if you're claustrophobic you're really going to freak. Interesting, but I'm not looking forward to the bill for it. But I really want to get my knee fixed, half a year is long enough for me.

I was really happy today to fill my gas tank from 1/8 tank for less than $17 - I had thought I'd never again see gas for less than $2/gallon - I hope it will last for a while.

Still hoping for a snow day - small chance for tomorrow, a front is coming in right at the morning drive time - unfortunately probably too late for school to be called. :)

The story of the missing college student from Monument is not looking good - makes me want to cry.

Another story that brought tears to my eyes - the downtown building that exploded and totally collapsed in Pueblo this afternoon with people inside.

I get so frustrated grading student tests. So many students these day never put effort or brain power into anything - they never do homework, study, pay attention in class, try to learn, try to understand, practice, ask questions or anything - they just socialize and take up space. It makes me really worry for their future and our future as a country. Not all kids are like that but way too many of them are.

Meds

As some of you know, my dad's younger brother is dying from cancer. They stopped all treatment and sent him home to live out the end several months ago, but they gave him a prescription for some medicine that has apparently been slowing or stopping the growth of his tumors and prolonging his life. He is using it in an experimental way, because it is approved for different cancers than the one he has. However, the insurance will no longer cover the cost of the prescription and guess what - it costs $1700 per month! If anyone knows some tricks or resources for getting help to pay for prescriptions please let me know. He won't be able to qualify for Medicaid or whatever that is until June and by then he is already expected to be gone without these meds.

Also, my school is collecting food/money for the local food banks - if anyone around here wants to contribute somehow let me know.

Nova - Hunting the Hidden Dimension

Nova makes some awesome shows.

Here is a great one from last week or so about fractals:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fractals/program.html



Make your own: http://www.fractaldomains.com/download.html (There are others as well, just Google it.)

Blogblast for Peace

For more info, see Mimi Writes. A wish for a more peaceful and just world.

Qur'an 10:25: And Allah invites to the abode of peace and guides whom He pleases into the right path.

From 4th Imam (as)'s Supplication for Neighbors and Friends:

Let me, O God,
repay their evildoing
with good-doing,
turn away from their wrongdoing
with forbearance.
have a good opinion
of every one of them,
attend to all of them
with devotion,
lower my eyes before them
in continence,
make mild my side toward them
in humility,
be tender toward the afflicted among them
in mercy,
make them happy in absence
through affection,
love that they continue to receive favour
through good will,
grant them
what I grant my next of kin,
and observe for them
what I observe for my special friends!

President-Elect Obama

I feel like I just saw the world change - a world in which someone named Barack Hussein Obama, a mixed-race African American, can become President of the United States. It feels hopeful! (Carol for Peace had this great Obama picture on her blog and I am shamelessly using it, too.)

(Those are nuns, not Muslims - look the same, don't they?)