Going away party, part juj.

Before anything else, let us first note the title of this post:
Going away party, part juj.

Juj, which I imagine to be spelled jeem-wow-jeem, is Moroccan Arabic's way of saying the number two.

In Modern Standard Arabic (fondly referred to as fus-ha), this number is pronounced ithnaan.

See the similarities?
Yeah, me neither.

Thank you for indulging me in this brief Arabic lesson/venting session. Let me now tell you about my travels westward:


I left for the Wide Open West on Thursday evening, after mama had to work overtime at The Home. It was a romantic dinner of Hungry Howie's Hawaiian pizza, and then I was off.

Boyfriend and I then attended the UM-Minnesota men's basketball game, from which we emerged victorious. The seniors in the pep band were honored, and I made did the obnoxious-band-fan thing momentarily. I'm so happy for the class of '09! Go Blue... and may you all find jobs. :)

We then proceeded to grab some delicious greasy goodness at Quicky Burger (where I learned that Boyfriend="curly"), and I chose to ignore the logo of Busty Blonde Riding Hamburger and indulge in some sweet potato fries. I've never had sweet potato fries with cinammon before, but they were fabulous and I highly recommend them (though I sincerely wish they'd change their logo).

Friday consisted of a trip back east, to the grand city of Dearborn. I'm contracted to clean Sito and Jido's house every Friday, and this Friday was no exception. Unfortunately, I got a late start and, upon arrival, was told that "everything has been done." Sooo, I sit down to game of old-style solitaire (you know, the kind with actual playing cards) and enjoy watching mama re-learn how to make m'judra and cole slaw for a Lentilpalooza class mama was slated to teach this weekend.

Then, I was told that "everything" did not include the bathroom, or vacuuming the house.
Oh joy, oh rapture.

I clean, we eat, I clean s'more, and then mama and I take a trip down Warren to Greenland Market, when suddenly... oh no! Car troubles.

[insert terrible, screeching car noises here]

Mama and I return from the market unscathed, even though her car - a '96 Chevy Cavalier which she is in love with and will not, under any circumstances, part with - sounds like it's on its last legs. I've driven a lot of potentially unsafe vehicles (high-floor Blue Birds are the first ones that come to mind) before, but this one was pretty nerve-wracking.

I follow mama to the expressway, and then she put-puts her way back Downriver whilst I return westward, to Ann Arbor, for Sawfest '09.

My co-workers put on a movie night, featuring the Saw movies that I had never seen (being, ahem, all of them). Being the whitest one out of these co-workers, I came first to the party and I AM PROUD OF IT. In my defense (not that I need to defend myself in my own blog), it was indicated in the invite-text that the night was in my honor... so, really, I had to arrive first. I had a wonderful talk with a newly-halal coworker about work, play, and life after Shahada before the others arrived. All in all, we ended up getting through the first three movies, and life was grand. I couldn't have asked for a better group of co-workers. :)

Saturday consisted of breakfast with an old friend (who, by the way, looked gorgeous even at 9a. Jealous? Yesvery.), Saw IV and V, picking up the cake, stopping at REI, and driving all over town in a ridiculous snow storm.

Then it was time for a nap, a shower, and a party!

Sharif wa Selma, friends from Arabic classes long-ago, threw me a going-away party yesterday evening, and it was unbelieveable. I am notorious for knowing "everyone," but last night, all of my friends seemed to come together in one big blob of unity. Friends and friends of friends seemed to know the other friends in my life, and "everyone" seemed to have a wonderful time.

There were, as can be expected, a few hiccups in the evening:
1. Pix, a friend of Boyfriend's, getting into a car accident on his way to the party. He's fine, as is the old lady that insisted that he pulled out in front of her. Luckily, there was a pedestrian on hand to tell The Fuzz that Pix's light was indeed green. The cars involved, however, will need a bit of work.
2. Gurl's younger sister Natalie falling ill. Her sister is 5.5 months pregnant, and has had almost fifteen petit mal seizures between Friday morning and the writing of this post. The doctors at Foote Hospital thought that it was epilepsy, intially. Then, they changed their diagnosis to a blood clot in the brain. She was transferred to University Hospital in Ann Arbor around midnight on Saturday night, and they're now looking at this being some sort of cruel seizure disorder. Her baby is fine (and it's a boy!), hamdillah. If you're of the praying persuasion, please send up a few for her, her baby and her sleep-deprived fiance. Insha'Allah I'll keep you updated with good news.

I am so grateful to everyone that came out, and to Selma and Sharif for throwing such a hiflee mumtaz. Thank you all so much (and a special thank you to Beth, for the no-bakes and giving us the go-ahead to dabke into the wee hours of the morning)! I couldn't have asked for anything more last night... except, of course, for world peace, and Natalie's health returning, and Gurl being at the party, and Pix's car being alright. Really, though, it was as close to a perfect send-off as a girl can ever dream of. :)

Pictures will be up (on Facebook and Flickr, so Sharif doesn't yell at me) just as soon as my internet's a bit more stable.