Goofy sandwich with Business Bread

Yesterday I had a true day off but I accomplished a lot at the beginning and end.

I forgot to blog about it, so here it goes. Just to update you on my whole sleep study appointment, it didn't happen. Due to the efficiency of the State of Minnesota in dropping people from their healthcare plans the minute they forget to pay, I couldn't keep my appointment. There's no way I was going to pay for it and try to get reimbursed. As my pops says, I was born at night but not last night. Anyway I got a ton of stuff done with my day off including an oil change (half off with handy direct-mail coupon!), grocery shopping, a bunch of e-mail answering, and other odds and ends. I did pay my insurance premium too, so I'm back in business for my new appointment over a month from now.

After all that productivity it was time to get stupid. I got together with two besties and we ate ice cream truck treats, halal beef jerky, chips, and other junk. We decided it would be a good idea to dye our hair with henna and proceeded to make a huge mess all over our heads, the bathroom, and other areas of my friend's apartment. We gabbed and made dinner while the chunky, nasty dye paste cooked under plastic bags tied over our heads. It was great.

I'm the skeptical one. Toni's shock-ed. Salihah is very smug about her news.

Onward!

ISLAM
While the other ladies worked on a small sewing project, I memorized my 5th and final surah for my Ramadan goal! ALHAMDULILLAH! I now have Surat at-Takathur to add to my repertoire. May Allah help me to keep all that I have learned so far and continue with learning His glorious Quran.

Here's the surah in case you want to see it in Arabic or the scary (if you don't read Arabic) English translation:

Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you

Until you visit the graveyards.

No! You are going to know.

Then no! You are going to know.

No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty...

You will surely see the Hellfire.

Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.

Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure.

And my favorite, Imam Sudais reading it in taraweeh (night prayers in Ramadan). The audio isn't the best available, but seeing everyone standing in prayer (yes, all the white "things" are people) and circling the ka'baah is just breathtaking:

Yeah, so I know it's a big summer bummer to read this surah (especially if you truly contemplate its meaning) but we need to hear it. This life is a joke. It's a big, flashy, fakey D-list celebrity that somehow captures our attention but it's so disgusting under all the makeup that we shouldn't even be looking at it. What's coming afterward is the real deal, and it lasts forever, not 70 or so short and painful years (if you're blessed with longevity).

I hope I didn't harsh your gig here, but I'm glad I ended with this surah accidentally. Ramadan is in just two days Insha Allah so it's time to get serious so I can get the most from the Month of Mercy.

Thanks all for reading. For those sharp enough to notice there's no exercise section today, congratulations!