Quiet in Bab al-Luq

Ross and I got koshary with Brian yesterday for lunch after another stop at the famed juice joint and then took him to Tahrir Square to get a yellow cab. Different from the haggle-heavy black and white taxi experience, riding in a yellow cab (in theory) means a metered ride free from smoke and loud music and, if you're lucky, the doors will even have functional handles. Since Brian's departure, things have been quiet. A lot of things were still closed for the Eid holiday. Ross and I spent most of the rest of the day in the apartment where I managed to write most of my second paper (that I finished earlier this afternoon). We went out for ful and ta3mayya sandwiches briefly, but that was about as exciting as it got until Ablavi came over and Phil dropped in for ludicrous conversation, mosquito-killing, and YouTube videos.
Today hasn't been a terribly exciting one, but finishing my paper was another huge weight off. I hope to make some headway with the third and final one yet this evening before and after I go out for Indian food with ten or so friends. At this point, it's humanly impossible to leisurely read over the sources and construct a well-thought out essay because of my professors continued changes to my topic. Nearly every other student in the class has had the same problems with her and we're breathing a collective sigh of relief that we won't have her as a professor next semester. Tomorrow is our last session of that class after which I hope to drag Phil and Ross back to the Khan to finish up my Christmas shopping. Sunday night, I'm going to the home of the French couple I met at Sequoia for a couscous dinner. I don't know if I have time for such things, but I couldn't refuse!

Good Grades, Good Grub, and Mosquitocide

I am relaxing in the living room after an epic battle with two mosquitoes. They have returned to haunt my room, the evidence being several welts on my arms and a couple on my neck from last night. In a gentlemanly gesture, they avoided my face. Just as they did me, I found victory in a sneak attack. Upon returning home from a delicious Indian dinner with my Egyptian-Canadian-American friend Marise, Phil, and another of our classmates, Mike, I went to my room to toss my sweater on my bed. Near the lightswitch, the biggest mosquito I've seen so far in Egypt (I think it was a migrant from Minnesota, perhaps) was digesting my (no-doubt delicious) type O blood. Disgusted and resolute, I tiptoed to the nearest solid object (a folder) and dispatched the vicious fiend in one fell swoop. I grabbed my can of Off and eyed my window suspiciously, spraying the opening in it for good measure as I'm always a little uncertain of how effective the screen behind it is. Just as this is happening, I see one of the deceased's nefarious co-conspirators. Not wanting it to get away, I raced toward it, not having anything but the can of Off. Naturally, I uncapped the stuff and sprayed the beast which then hobbled somewhere, hopefully to its doom.
Phwew. Lest you think that was the only uphill battle of the day, I also met with the professor of my intro class who told me that I didn't have enough of the right sources for my topic. This wasn't a battle between us, but has become one to find either more sources or a more viable topic, and time is ticking. Yikes! In better news, I got my mid-term exam back in law class with a 103% on it. (We had 5 extra points thrown in for good measure.) This was a huge relief and cause for celebration with Indian food. Ok, so I'd already planned Indian with Marise previously. Rather than cab it over to Mohandaseen, Marise graciously conveyed us to what was a delicious and relaxing meal.
Paper writing and research will be on the upswing over this brief break from school (I don't have classes until next Sunday again) as well as a couple of interesting events--like a film tomorrow night about Palestine and Thanksgiving. In two weeks, a college friend who's studying in the UK will be on his way and I'm planning on dragging him to the pyramids, the desert, and maybe an oasis with Marise's help as she's also got a friend coming in.

News:
Egyptian police accidentally kill man after entering wrong apartment in pursuit of drug dealer; spark riots
Mubarak hopes to increase number of women in Egyptian parliament
Bedouin in the Sinai call for blood of television presenter over remarks