TADA - Well today I finally got my act together and got out and did some walking. Just hoping I can keep it up until such time as I can get time and money together and get myself a treadmill so all I have to do is roll out of bed throw on my shorts and t-shirt and go instead of having to get all dressed up - must admit that is a real drag. And I actually even did some stretching after I got home.

Aymn showed up - he was supposed to call me - he wanted me to go with him while he went to the Toyota service centre to get some work done on his car - but he had to get up early - translation (I am speculating as I did not ask) he had to drive his eldest son to school - really is amazing how unable these kids are to get out there and get to school on their own hook - and if they get up late - no way can they find their way to school. Poor Miles had such a mean mother - did him so much harm. But anyway - I was not able to join Aymn as I had made arrangements with my SIL - Suzanne - to go out with her and start working on getting the water and electric transferred into my name - apparently until you have this done - the apartment is not considered mine - even though I do have a contract - not worth the paper it is written on - well we went to the office and were told we had to have the original owner along with us - so Suzanne found out where the manager hangs his hat - and went and talked to him - so he agreed to do the switch with just the contract and my passport - but someone had to come to the flat to ensure that I am actually living in it - gotta love it - man sure is a challenge to deal with the beauracracy in this country - I am very much spoiled. So we headed back in a mini bus - gotta love them - really will be glad when I have my own wheels and can just come and go instead of crawling into a mini bus - of course we could have taken a taxi - but I try not to do that when I am with Suzanne as she feels she needs to contribute. On the way back we got a call from Suzanne's hubby - Sadeek - I had an appointment with their dentist at noon and he had received a call asking us to come now - so we were very grateful that the fellow from the water company showed up shortly - he verified that I do in fact live here - I gave him a little baksheesh - and in shaa allah everything will be ready for us tomorrow - must admit it does kind of amuse me when they try to figure out my name for 'legal' purposes - the guy has my passport in his hot little hand and he is asking Suzanne what my name is.

Then we were off to the dentist - she is the head dentist at a hospital not far from here - a Christian hospital - not sure what that really means - but - well it was an interesting experience - makes me think about waiting and just coming back to Canada to get my dental work done - have never had the privilege of the dentist poking to find out what is wrong - just about hit the ceiling - she poked at the sore spot twice - went for a third go round and I just about bit her - at which time she decided maybe she should get an x-ray - well talk about realizing that I am in a developing country - the x-ray machine was taped together - it took the x-ray tech two tries to get a film of my tooth - not sure if it will be good enough - and I have to hold the film in my mouth - no fancy x-ray films with wings so you just chomp down on it - oh well - gotta love the new experiences.

I think Aymn is quite chuffed at the moment - when he came he was not his normal 'cheery' self - and I commented that he was not a happy camper and he agreed. Yesterday he went to visit Mom - and he was back in less than 20 minutes. He told me she raked him over the coals because he does not visit her every day - hmmm - then I talked with Suzanne and got the scoop - she was after him for her money - so things are tightening up for him. He also has to find 5,000 LE to pay for his son's private school - after transferring him from the Egyptian school to the new Libyan school that opened up (and that is so very ironic) - because the curriculum is 'easier' and so with less work he can still attain a position at a university - but he is now hanging out with his cousin Mohammed who has no interest in school whatsoever and his marks are slipping. The irony of this is that Aymn and Amal decided six years ago that Amal and the kids would come back here from Libya so the kids could get a better education and now they are sending the eldest to Libyan school because it is easier - DUH.

Sunday saw us at a garden centre - I could have just lived there - lots of 'western' flowers - pansies, silva (?), nasturtiums, petunias, snap dragons - we brought home 500 LE of new flowers - a lot of pansies - which I ended up paying for - which did not really sit very well with me as I had told Aymn that I was not going to spend another pence on the garden - but there you go - I got rooked again - and now he is saying that we need more flowers because the garden is not completely covered - but I am not saying anything. If he wants more plants he is going to have to pay for them - after all he has 5,000 for his kids schooling - I think he should pay for the plants - but then he does not see it that way.

Guess that is about all the excitement in my little soap bubble at the moment.