Thankings.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and while there is no Macy's day parade or pumpkin pie or family of mine on this side of the world, I am still thankful.
Thankful that a year ago, I was closer than I thought to dying. That this year, I'm not. I'm thankful that I have a family that loves, supports, encourages, and pushes me to be a better person, even if they don't always understand the ways that I do it. Thankful for Cairo, for Chandigarh, for Atlanta, for around the world. For the people that are in all of those places. For the places in all of those people. I'm thankful that I know how lucky I am to be where I am, who I am, and the people that I am with.

This year has been so many things. Mostly difficult, frustrating, and challenging. But with that, I know who I am more than ever, and what I want to do.

So, thanks.

methods of Procrastination.

1. Never underestimate the power of celebrity obsession driven news.
2. Pretend to be a nerd. Or a monkey with some darts.
3. Facebook Lurk.
4. Decide that now, more than any time in the past six months, is better than any to finally upload some photos.
5. Laugh out loud.
6. Pick other classes with less pressing deadlines to do work.
7. Read-a-book read-a-book read a GD book.
8. Plan Thanksgiving dinner.
9. Decide, instead of forcing yourself to sit and work, that you can do research at the beach instead with some sweet new friends.
10. Research future career options that may or may not be dependent on you getting a good grade on this work you continue to put off.
11. Sleep.
12. Update your blog. Then obsessively check if other people have updated theirs.
13. Wash, rinse repeat. Go back to number 1.

this modern love.

Bloc Party, 'This Modern Love' - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Epic Success.

Last night, I was notified by the fantastic Karen Pierce of the Georgia Tech International Plan that I had received $750 from the IP Stipend program to spend as my nomading deemed fit.

Right now, I'm sipping on Turkish coffee and purchasing my tickets to Turkey with that new found cash. I only thought it appropriate.

My Cairene nomading lives on.

"more luck than brains"

The title is a reference to a discussion with Ana Menendez, a Cuban-American author that came and spoke to our class about her work, In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd, and about her career in general. She describes the events of her professional career as a combination of luck and laziness, and was extremely funny, inspiring, and encouraging. She's also a Fullbright fellow here at AUC, and a writer-in-residence.
This class is incredible for me in a way that a class hasn't been in quite sometime. It's not particularly challenging in a conventional sense, but it has made me think very critically about the direction of my life and making sure that it includes things that challenge, inspire, and motivate me to do something with my time. Insha'allah.