Haring and Hashing...Just not in Cairo!

Look at that view!

Yesterday I set a trail for the Ithaca H3. I did it here in Horseheads at Harris Hill, the soaring capital of America (soaring being gliders, those lovely engine-less planes). Due to my inner city-girl tendencies, I was terrified at the idea of setting the trail all by myself. What if a coyote, bear, or big cat found me wandering about in the woods all by myself? How would a bag of flour help me in that situation? So, I enlisted the aid of my younger brother to set the trail with me (mostly just to walk as my bodyguard against the forces of nature).

The trail was great! We lucked out because there was no snow or rain, both of which were forecast at different times. The flour didn't always stand out in the grass, due to its resemblance to the patches of snow. Once in the forest, it was so much better, since we could splatter flour on the trees (this works better on ones with bumpy bark, not as good on birches). Lots of "shiggy", too...briars galore, frozen slush, mud, hills, ponds.

It was a small turnout; apparently all the Ithaca folks were out of town. But four guys did make it down, one all the way from Cortland (about 90 minutes away). They liked the trail, really liked the seasonal beverages at the drink checks, and were pleased with the shiggy and the views of the valley. One guy was insane, wearing shorts (too cold in my opinion). My brother and sister-in-law turned out as well and had a great time. I think they might look into hashing in Ithaca in the future.

Did the Cairene on-on afterwards; four of us went out to a nearby bar for drinks and dinner. Fun day, too much good beer, and running through woods like a little kid!

Happy Holidays!

Howie and I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday!

http://www.dancingsantacard.com/?santa=2733692

It was fun watching my niece open presents this morning. She definitely takes after her dad in that arena...open a gift, then play with it and ignore the other presents. I was of the "rip everything open immediately and look at what was actually inside later on" school.

Hope no one else got coal in their stockings this year!

New York, New York

Well, I managed to arrive in NYC despite the blizzard that was just beginning when my plane landed. I woke Sunday morning to streets and sidewalks covered in snow. At first I thought that would put a damper on my plans to walk through the city, but it didn't. I bundled up and ventured out, walking from East 51st all the way down to Soho....without falling on my doopah!

Being in NY means that I was engaged in my two favorite NYC pastimes...shopping and theater. The shopping was effective; I think I now have enough clothes for chilly Cairo for the next few years. I managed to keep my yarn purchase to just two skeins for a hat I saw on knitty.com in their winter issue. I ran on a treadmill and was given recommendations for new running shoes, which I'll be testing on the roads and trails later this week.

Theater was a great experience. The tickets booth employees are very helpful; they have workers who stroll the line and answer questions about the shows. The most recommended one was "Next to Normal". What an interesting show...a bipolar mother has hallucinations that her dead baby lived (he's now about 18), her husband stands by her, her overachieving daughter is going nuts herself (and makes her stoner boyfriend seem more normal as the musical progresses) and the songs are all very rock-based, with multiple characters singing different lyrics at the same time (thus making it a bit hard to understand). But an enjoyable show. Tonight I saw "Ragtime", which follows the stories of three different families at the turn of the century. Great music and dancing, and a very diverse cast (for a change, seeing as most of Broadway is still lily white).

Tomorrow morning I catch the bus upstate to Elmira. Looks like a white Christmas might be in the forecast. Once I'm there, I'll post some pictures...NYC in the snow is very pretty!

Being Sick in Egypt

I think I might be quite sick. I've had a cough for a few weeks, congestion in my head and chest, tiredness, occasional fever and sore throat, tummy problems...if I was vomiting, I'd have all the symptoms for swine flu. Since I'm not, I figure it's just a bad case of bronchitis. Also, I haven't grown pink ears and a curly tail...yet.

One benefit to being sick in Egypt is that you can self-medicate at the pharmacy. Earlier this week, when the health office sent me home from school since I had a fever, I went to buy some cough syrup on the way. As I'm asking for the syrup, the pharmacist must recognize my fondness for prescription medications and inquires as to my other symptoms. I explain the fever, the stuffed up nose, do a fine demonstration of my hacking cough inside the shop.

He says, "I would like to give you an antibiotic."

"Great!" I reply. Saves me the trip to the doctor to be told I need one anyways.

He leans in closely. "Do you think it might be the swine flu?"

"No, I think it might be the bronchitis."

"Are you sure? It could be the swine flu."

"No, it probably is the bronchitis, since I felt, sounded, and looked like this last summer."

Now, when he first asked about the swine flu, I really wanted to respond with, "I don't know. I did eat pork chops last night. Do you think that might have caused it?" However, it's such a big deal here now, that I'm afraid to joke about it in a pharmacy. Next thing you know, I'd probably have my school shut down and I'd be quarantined in my flat for a week. And if that happened, who would walk Howie?

So I left the pharmacy with Zithromax, cough syrup, echinacea, throat drops, and more tissues. He wanted to sell me something else, but at that point I started to wonder about drug interactions and though the better of it. All I can say is, three days of big doses of antibiotics have only made me sicker. So today it's off to the doctor anyways.

Dancing Queen

Ok, so last night I went to the British Community Association's Holiday Ball. I had a dress made (which I will wear again next week at my school's winter party), got ready in about 30 minutes post-hash (haring a run then attempting to run was not a good pre-party ritual), and wore shoes I couldn't walk in (which I of course kicked off once seated at the table). I went expecting to enjoy myself, but not anticipating staying until almost 3am! It was a blast thanks to my friends who were there: Yvette, Nicola, Julie, Keith, Ken, Ken's wife, Krista, Luc...

The funniest part of the evening was during the band's second set. There was an announcement of a last-minute raffle prize of a custom-made ball gown to be awarded to the woman with the best moves on the dance floor during that set (about an hour or longer). Well, I won. No clue how. For those of you who know me, you do know that I am the most self-conscious dancer out there. I have no rhythm or moves. But apparently, I was better than the other ladies on the dance floor.

Since it was judged by a bloke, I'm considering factors that might have influenced his decision:

1. I was wearing a low cut dress and jumped up and down to a few songs.
2. I did a lovely dirty dancing impersonation with a guy in a kilt.
3. I did some hip shimmies with my friend Yvette.
4. I was right in front of the judge.

And contrary to popular opinion, I did not bribe the judge!

Another Weekend of Diving and Now...

...I'm sick. Yes, I was lucky enough to avoid any head cold drama while 25m under the Red Sea, but now my head has more pressure in it than when I was underwater. At least I returned to find out the school was closed for the week, and that we would be doing distance learning. So, it was easy to take a sick day because no sub plans were needed. Today it's just me, my couch, Howie, tea, and tissues.

Diving was fun. I was back in Taba at the Hilton. I did three boat dives one day. The water was very rough, the current a bit strong, and the wind was ripping across the boat...not the ideal conditions for my first boat dives. Once underwater, all was well, but it was a challenge climbing a ladder with fins on in those conditions. I saw lots of fish, more coral, a pyjama slug (tiny, bright orange and blue), and a stonefish. No sharks, which was good considering I got a bloody nose on all three boat dives. Must have been a warning of the head cold to follow! In all, I did 9 dives over the weekend, met a lot of fun Canadians and Americans, and made plans to return to Taba in January to work on the Peak Performance Buoyancy course...that might help me use less air underwater (I seem to breathe a lot).

Well, it's time for me to snuggle down now with a book and some more tea. Here's hoping I recover by Thursday night so I can have a fun night out. I'll post a few pictures later.