Taxi Drivers Make the Best Babysitters

Mom and Dad have been really lazy lately so I thought it might be time to take matters into my own small, clammy hands (not to brag, but I’ve recently mastered grabbing things like Mama’s hair and hitting things like Dad’s nose). AUC was on Spring Break all last week and there are a bunch of holidays this week so Dad has been home all the time. It’s been great having him around. In fact, I’ve been waking up extra early and not going back to sleep just so I can spend more time with him. Sometimes I have to yell pretty loud to get him up though.

We’ve done a lot of fun things over the break.

Advertisement

If it’s too loud…

My early years were shaped by many sounds: the piano playing, the lawn being mowed (by someone else), baseball on the TV, heavy metal music pounding through the walls of my oldest brother Matt’s room. Matt was the family’s only real aficionado of ’80s hair bands, and was a devotee of such musical legends as Ratt, Dokken, and Tesla. To his credit, he has gone on to a distinguished young scholarly career, despite my mother’s insistence that all that racket would “fry your brains.” I don’t know if Matt ever responded with the ever-popular “If it’s too loud, you’re too old” phrase, but I’m sure it crossed his mind.

A Creepy Day in Cairo

Today just feels eerie. Every April, dust storms called the Khamazeen, or the 50-day storm, blow in and cover the city. I’d heard about them but totally forgot until I noticed the living room was bathed in creepy yellow light today. I looked out the windows and saw a gross haze covering the view, you can hardly see the apartments nearby. Apparently last night the winds were blowing so strong that everyone was woken up and doors and windows were blown open and shut in our building. Luckily we have two things going for us: 1) the former occupant of our flat was a diva and had super-duper windows installed to keep the dirt out and 2) we’re sleep-deprived new parents and don’t wake for gale-force dust storms, only soft baby whimpers. Adding to the creepiness, after rumors of bread riots around the country, there’s a general strike on today and Patrick said Tahrir Square is filled with police in riot gear. Today is a good day to stay inside.

Here’s a picture I took earlier when the dust was just starting.

It’s worse now and very yellow, but someone is sleeping on my lap as I type and I can’t get up and go to the window.

Since I’m putting up pictures, here’s one of Finn loving on his Auntie Laura.