Friday, March 27, 2009

All clear

Okay finally got results. Good news!

- No metaplastic, dysplastic or neoplastic cells
- No viral or fungal infections
- Protozoal absent
- there was some mild bacteria

My doctor has me taking a antibiotic for 10 days.

I'm getting ready to travel soon as you know and am so happy results came back ok. I am going with a clear mind now, thank G.od.

I will visit my doctor when I get back and then prepare for our embryo replacement.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Still waiting

Well its after midnight here early Wednesday morning.

The lab did not call today and I was out all day and didn't call them, so we'll see, maybe tomorrow?

LOL, love it.

Monday, March 23, 2009

9:45 PM

Called the lab, the doctor says he will try to have the results tomorrow. They send this test out, it is not done in lab here where I live.

The wait continues...

8:03 pm Cairo time

I am waiting for a call from the lab so I can go pick up my pap results. He said he'd call at 8. Think I'm alittle anxious?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Goin' home

I am going back home at the end of this month!!! Just a vacation actually ( as Egypt is actually my home now isn't it ) but you know what I mean. And how excited am i? Very very!

I'll be on both sides of the country too, first to see my mom and then off to other side to see my dad.

So its been like 3 years since I went home, too long. I am really looking forward to it.

Off course seeing my parents will be the highlight but you know what I am sooo looking forward to... PIZZA. No good pizza here. We have Pi.zz.a H.ut and Pa.pa J.oh.ns, but no little neighborhood italian pizza joints, the kind that dish out the REAL pizza.

(I think i need to do a crash diet now so i can eat my as$ off when i get there).

Okay so foods I plan to eat when i get there, that I have soo missed here. Let me say we have some of these here, okay most, but not the same....

1. Pizza
2. Chicken wings
3. Taco bell ( i know, but i have missed a taco or two sorry. I plan to go just once)
4. Coffee with plain half & half (have not yet found liquid here, just powder.)
5. fish fry
6. Turkey sandwich from Quiznos (they actually have one here, haven't got there yet)
7. Grilled beef hot with chili sauce from a famous east coast place
8. Greek beef souvlaki from a famous east coast restaraunt
9. THE best iranian food ever on the west coast
10. Mexican food, um you know which coast
11. Lots of other stuff I am sure I'll remember when I get there.

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On a reproductive note, I am going to have a pa.p sme.a.r today and lets just say I am a bit worried. Why? Well lets just say I saw something on my c.e.rvi.x that scared me. Could be nothing, could be something, we'll see. I should have results back in 4 days, fast huh? Not everything is   s---l---o---w    here.

Then when I get back from my vacation, asumming all is ok with me, we plan to try our embryo transfer, we have four frozen little embabies waiting for us. Hoping that this time could finally be the one for us.

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On Monday we ventured into downtown Cairo to find a mailbox. Not a mailbox on a post, rather a wallmount one. We found it finally and it was just what we were looking for too. Plain, nothing fancy, but cool.

But to finally find this damn mailbox, we had to search and search and came across some very crowded little streets. Man what a freaking journey that was. Not really so far, but how chaotic was it?

Take a look...a little street we passed through and vendors were selling all kinds of shoes and handbags (cheap, and not good quality of course, but it was amazing to see so many buying and bargaining)




This is how some people buy their baladi bread (pita bread made with wheat/white flour).  This is a main staple in most Egyptian diets. I think these street vendors buy from bakeries and sell to the people. People buy government subsidized bread, 20 breads for 1LE (approx. $0.18) The backs of these breads are dusted with radda (bran). So when you eat them they are messy.

An example, when we buy this bread where we live we pay 1LE for 4 breads. We buy from a private bakery, there are no government bakeries where we live. I've had both types, and I have to say the more expensive is indeed better, softer and tastier. But some people make so little money here, 20 breads for just 1LE can feed their entire family and then some.


Friday, March 13, 2009

Who's goin' home on American Idol?

Here's how Florenzo felt while we were watching Idol last night....


My girl Megan did NOT do well. She is just good at different types of songs, Michael Jackson is NOT something she can sing. I bet she's going home tonight...Oh well. Yes tonight.

I know, i know you already know because you are watching Tuesday and Wednesday if you are in the USA.

Can you believe how careful I have to be not to look at G.oo.gle News and other blogs that talk about Idol, as I don't get to see what you saw until Thursday and Friday here in Cairo, its so funny! But I must NOT find out before I see here, because then why would I even watch?

I am so WISHING for 24 to start current here. We are watching Season 6 finale this Saturday...if they don't start current Season 7, I will start downloading episodes and get up to date. Oh, you didn't know I am a 24 FrEaK? I so am.

Anyway, I don't think Florenzo enjoys Idol as much as I do.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Where do i live?



I thought nothing could top the yellow stickers, but then again I have to remember where I live. I mean literally remember now.

Our house number has been changed. In fact all the houses on our street have had their house numbers changed. As in a completely new house number. Not even close to original number either.

How you ask?  I have no idea. I will be on the phone tomorrow hoping to find an English speaking person so I can let loose. If not DH will let it rip in Arabic.

So I was outside, i opened our front gate and found a wrought iron address post on the ground in front of our gate. Its the kind you attach to a house, so it is viewed from both sides, like hanging, hard to explain... but you get the idea.

Anyway when I found this outside our gate, I looked across the street and to our neighbors, there were guys inside the gates of each house hanging these signs up.

DH found the security guy on our street and asked him wtf was going on? He says house numbers have been changed to reflect even on one side, odd on the other. Um, genius idea, but isn't it a little late for that as people have lived here for a few years now and established all sorts of things with their address? (except for mail cause we don't get any here...)  And what do we do with our house numbers now? Some people have customized address plaques on their outside pillars and on their houses, so i know they are feeling good right about now too. Not to mention there was no notice at all telling us this would happen, had we not been home we would have come home and found this new address up on our house. DH told security we will NOT put this up. So he brought it inside and there it will stay until we find out what the heck is going on.

Man, i swear things here are so unbelievable and just when I think i can't be floored again, they amaze me with some sweet plan like this. Love it! I'll let you know what I find out...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Show and Tell: FREE COFFEE!



No, I am not breaking Mel's Show and Tell rules here by semi-advertising here. I got her personal permission to do this different sort of Show and tell thank you very much. (Thanks Lolli!)

Of course don't forget to go check out the rest of the kids showing this weekend. There is some really great stuff!

So here's the deal.

A friend of a very good friend is launching a new coffee pod. He is GIVING AWAY FREE PODS to get feedback before he launches retail. He even pays shipping!

He is a really great guy and we so want him to succeed, so go get some free coffee and give him your opinion after. And I mean come on with a name like liQuid heaVen its gotta be good stuff! (Love the name!)

The only requirements for to get your FREE COFFEE POD are this....

1. you have a one cup coffee maker (although he says you could seep pod in hot water)
2. you drink your coffee with a flavored creamer
3. you like to get free stuff
4. you will go back to his blog and/or email him your honest opinion after drinking it
5. you wont judge his blog design as his designs are under production now
6. you dont care about fancy packaging (reason being same as number 5 above)


That's it. Go try some. Just visit his blog, liQuid heaVen Coffee and click on the cool black and white labels directing you to FREE COFFEE in post at top of his blog.

I haven't tried it yet, as most of you know from reading my blog, mail here is IMPOSSIBLE unless its FE.D.E.X. Maybe he would pick up FE.D.EX cost and send me a pod or two? I'll let you know.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Happy Happy Megan Joy!

I know! I did not tell you that we are getting American Idol, Season 8, yes the current one, here in Cairo on Thursday and Friday nights! Usually we get shows a year later, but this time we get it the same week as broadcast in the US, just on two different days.

And no, this will not be an idol blog at all, i will comment occasionally, (because no one else I know, except for DH here watches it ) but I leave the proper spanking to Stefanie at Baby on Bored, she recaps it for real each week, not to be missed trust me.

So we just finished watching the 3 who made it from final set of 12 and the Wild card show, loved it! I am such a fan of Megan Corkrey, she is my favorite! Shes quirky, cute and I love her little crazy dances. Will she win, proably not, but she will get a record deal for sure. I loved her rendition of "Put Your Records On" maybe even a bit better than Corinne's original, ok not better, but loved her twist, and her "twists" too.







Finally a window...

Its been crazy around here. We are building a deck in backyard off kitchen, took out three small kitchen windows and made into one large one and a few other projects and man its been hectic!

The kitchen window has been the real trip. They started last Saturday i think it was and just installed window last night! Long story short, the guys doing cement made the opening just a few miilimeters to small and they had to break and re-cement so window frame would fit in- just crazy!

So the window is in and its quite nice actually. Good thick glass, I can't hear a thing from outside and the seams of frame seem to be great, no dust coming in (unlike rest of windows in our house- which would be waaaay too expensive to replace, too damn many).

Next is getting deck walls painted (DH designed- its like two circular balconies kind of, not sure how to explain), they will be same color as our house. Then the walkway around perimeter of our house and a parking/sitting area. We decided to do in a brick style, flat rectangular, i think its going to very cool. Maybe I will post some pics, maybe not. LOL i will later.

Talked to my friend this morning, the one who decided to go to law school, she took LSAT last month and got a 150! That was her goal at least 150, so thats cool. She decided on a school in her city, waiting to get her acceptance letter (she will get in no doubt). She submitted two awesome ref letters from attorneys there and her personal statement rocked too, then her 150 on LSAT- she should be good to go.

Florenzo is good. He's really been sticking around the house, as if he knows he has to heal up and can't properly defend himself yet. He is still limping a bit from his front paw being injured, but really he is doing so good. We go outside, he goes outside, we come inside, he follows- way too cute! We are happy that he has decided to stick around.

On the embryo transfer front, nada at the moment. I need to go to my doctor to get a checkup and a pap actually. Once I do this, and I will soon, will think about replacing our frozen embryos. Its just kind of on hold for now, which I am okay with. Right now I am so not excited or eager to replace/transfer. Sounds bad I know, but seriously thats how I feel , for now anyway. xoxoxoxoxo