An Unfunny News Update

The bad day passed and the printer's working again- really can't ask for much more!

I just read my husband's two posts.  He's way funnier than me and now there's written proof.  I really do believe I'm married to the funniest man alive. That has even been confirmed by others (ok, only one other friend, but I'm sure his parents would agree). 

In other news, we got our temporary drivers licenses, bought our first liquor, and broke our house.  It sounds like a great story, but unfortunately, it's 3 unrelated stories.  We did get our temporary drivers licenses so we've had to let go of Azeez, our very cautious and friendly driver.  We now have a rental car (for the next 30 days) and we've got to figure out how to drive in this crazy town.  We have a little booklet with driving laws- which really only tells you what the signs mean (i.e. "camel crossing" and "speed humps").  No where is it written how to properly "share" lanes while in a traffic circle or what the real speed limit is when the posted sign says, for instance, 100.  I have assumed that 100 is km/hr but having seen the drivers, I think they actually mean miles per hour.  Steve is currently the only driver in the family- I'm not feeling nervy enough to try yet.  Maybe on Friday (the streets are very quiet since it's the Muslim equivalent of Sunday morning) I'll give it a shot.

The liquor store was entirely uneventful but I'm sure someone out there is wondering about the state liquor store (it's the only place to purchase liquor in the country- granted, it's a country the size of Connecticut…).  It's all the normal brands- a fair selection although the wine selection clearly leaves something to be desired.  I guess we won't be building a wine collection comparable to the one we drank away in Houston!  The beer selection is also limited but thankfully expensive enough that it's not a problem ($2/bottle for Corona).  Most people apparently quit drinking beer here and opt for mixed drinks instead.

Alright, last story update.  Steve broke our countertop quite effectively.  He called me and said I wouldn't believe it, and sure enough, I was surprised once I got home. We'll blame this destruction on Hurley though.  Anyone who has met her knows she is quite skittish.  We've been having lots of visitors- maintenance and delivery people- and since Hurley's favorite hiding spot (under the bed) is impossible now, she has taken to hiding elsewhere.  This time she decided to hide above the cupboards.  Steve climbed up to get her down and sure enough, broke the countertop.  Thankfully it didn't entirely break off and he got down safely (and terrified Hurley found another hiding spot in our night stands).  We'll post a picture once we get the computer up (which should be any day now).  Yippee! Maintenance said they'd replace the section of countertop next week, enshallah of course!

-Erin