tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70131429507303739902024-03-05T04:45:21.369-06:00The 20/20 ProjectGetting my exercise in deen and dunya: At least 20 minutes of each, every single day.Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-79814340135196342472012-10-04T14:49:00.001-05:002012-10-04T14:49:10.872-05:00Calorie Reunion 2012Hello everybody! I missed you while I was out sick again and then galavanting around Southern Minnesota. I meant to post this on Monday after I got back, but somehow it's Thursday and who knows how that happened.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-57-SJdJ9_zNB_HfFuX9Li60bHKhUpeTkASotTe2waLZlgdOsI0su4dmFCGdWjoZAPvnuMh2wQwRTmeDnTdzj8kF_UUp0YD_h66LbOa_edtXwBzkzAXxJGmJ0AR3u_PMbcPxAefr3Uzi_/s1600/billandted.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-57-SJdJ9_zNB_HfFuX9Li60bHKhUpeTkASotTe2waLZlgdOsI0su4dmFCGdWjoZAPvnuMh2wQwRTmeDnTdzj8kF_UUp0YD_h66LbOa_edtXwBzkzAXxJGmJ0AR3u_PMbcPxAefr3Uzi_/s320/billandted.jpeg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe these guys picked me up and didn't tell me about it.</td></tr>
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I'll tell you about my excellent adventure down US Highway 169 after the warp.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>EXERCISE</u></b></span><br />
While it's hard to pretend that there were any net health benefits from it after all the food that was eaten at our annual family reunion last weekend, I did walk quite a bit Saturday and Sunday. We have the event each year at a campground on a lake in the Deep South of Minnesota, where the snowmobile is an acceptable mode of transportation to high school and camouflage goes with everything. It's always around the first of October so while the fall colors are pretty reliable, the temperature can range between 41 and 98 depending on the year. <b>Minnesota is weird.</b> This year, it was a gorgeous 75 degrees all weekend and just delightful. I bonded with various sisters, cousins, and nieces/nephews on walks along the trails and on the lakeshore.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like trees of all sizes.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3Fw4IrBfIrNkaCxmnlETY8pn13XRt1Kx5zsEC4kvviygy_rPKzM8_2pR3ILALLES843iCPWJc46Q3tMf-MZU9joJZZiccahtEOW0jcI93I7NNu4tkljYGjqYgYEtfUHGnfTIslZ8wKiB/s1600/2012-09-30+13.19.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3Fw4IrBfIrNkaCxmnlETY8pn13XRt1Kx5zsEC4kvviygy_rPKzM8_2pR3ILALLES843iCPWJc46Q3tMf-MZU9joJZZiccahtEOW0jcI93I7NNu4tkljYGjqYgYEtfUHGnfTIslZ8wKiB/s400/2012-09-30+13.19.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">And colors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lakes are cool too. Me and some little ones did our part by throwing rocks back in. <br />You can barely see Mila there in the zebra-striped dress but she is giving it her all!</td></tr>
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I also played that safer-than-horseshoes game people call "Bags" where you throw bean bags at a plywood target with a hole in it. That got pretty rowdy.<br />
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Now for the negative calorie-burning. This event is always about the food, even if we pretend to focus on family togetherness. And really, <b>what brings people in the Midwest together faster than a power circuit overloaded with Crock Pots</b> and picnic tables overloaded with "salads" full of mayo, meat, and cheese. <b>Someone even brought all the fixin's for Tacos-in-A-Bag</b> which I thought my friend had made up when she told me about them a while back. I guess everyone knew about it but me!<br />
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Thankfully, <b>I was able to avoid most of the temptation to eat like a bear preparing for winter due to my restrictions regarding meat.</b> I only eat Zabihah Halal, which basically means the animal must be slaughtered humanely by a Christian, Jew, or Muslim while asking permission from Allah by saying "Bismillah" in the case of Muslims. Obviously this isn't a common practice in mainstream meat processing anywhere in the US. I can eat meat from hunted game though, so the pheasants my dad takes on trips to Iowa are on the menu!<br />
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<b>My Crock Pot was filled to the brim with shredded BBQ chicken, the lazy lady's answer to party food. </b>You just dump a bottle of BBQ sauce and a bunch of sliced onions into the pot with a few pounds of skinless chicken and let it go for 8 hours. Then you shred it up and remove the bones, if any, and serve on buns to very happy people. <b>I also brought Halal hot dogs and marshmallows for toasting over the fire. </b><br />
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It's pretty sad when my "exercise" section is more about food than physical activity, but what can you do when your aunts insist on tradition?<br />
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It's always bittersweet when the weekend ends. While you're exhausted from your restless night in a camper bed made for someone two inches shorter and <i>so ready</i> for a shower to wash away the campfire smell and marshmallow residue, you know that you won't get a chance to totally check out of reality like this for another year. <b>Who knows? Maybe the stress relief I experienced from having no cell signal or access to the internet for two whole days paid off more than any exercise I could do.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bye Dad!!</td></tr>
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
I skipped Arabic while out of town and ONCE AGAIN forgot about my new online class which is now in its 5th week. But I listened to the recorded session and I don't think I will have a problem catching up. It's mainly the other students taking turns reading the book out loud.<br />
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<b>I also considered the family reunion a venue for dawah</b> because I was answering questions from my relatives about Islam, explaining some Arabic words and Islamic concepts, and bursting with pride watching my dad man the grill and warn against Halal hot dog cross-contamination. He was training everyone on how to make sure not to let them roll over to where the bratwurst were and mingle their juices. It was really sweet. I love him.<br />
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<b>Yesterday I had the Midweek Halaqa again </b>and we talked about checking ourselves when the temptation to judge others comes into play. Sh. Hatem was saying that it's easy to talk smack about rich, famous, athletic, or otherwise advantaged people when they show off their goods, but how do we know we wouldn't do the same if in their situation? This is just one more example of how <b>the traditional trappings of success are such a double-whammy</b>. They're more of a test than poverty because you are responsible for how you handle them.<br />
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Insha Allah I will be able to stay humble if I ever have a reason to be arrogant. Alhamdulillah there aren't really any yet!<br />
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-57060886283340967572012-09-21T12:27:00.000-05:002012-09-21T12:27:01.205-05:00A little less talk.I meant to post about this last night, but I got wrapped up in the fervent and delightful chaos that is hanging out at Salihah's house. In addition to her 5 boys, her little two-bedroom home was packed with her mom and another friend as we bounced around between making bottles, doing dishes, and serving up this delicious shredded chicken taco meat stuff from the crockpot. I was also half-heartedly trying to take part in an online orientation for a new class (more on that later) while balancing a baby on my lap, but that ended pretty fast. <b>The evening culminated in dill pickle chips, Cheetos Puffs<span style="font-size: x-small;">®</span>, and sweet-n-salty candy bars while browsing (and ridiculing) fall-layering knitwear online. </b>It was bliss.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lady would have been disappointed in us. <br />And BTW, that new "MyPlate" alternative to the Food Pyramid doesn't make sense in any language. <br />I tried reading a brochure.</td></tr>
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<br />This post was supposed to be about taking action. We'll get there.<br />
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Yeah, that didn't happen yesterday. We were short-staffed at work and I kept waiting for my boss to be off the phone so I could go for a walk but that didn't pan out and after a 90-minute meeting with him, I just didn't have the energy. I'll try to make up for it tonight—we're making pickles after work but there could be room for a double-stroller walk in there somewhere.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
Here's what I was getting at with the post title. While it does come from half the title of a stupid Country music song that's been in my head for about a week, it mainly refers to my pledge to do something about the state of this Ummah by improving myself. In my last post I mentioned working on some character flaws, and yesterday I decided that I also needed to step up my Islamic knowledge game. I've been merely dabbling.<br />
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<b>I've wanted to take online classes with <a href="http://mishkahuniversity.com/" target="_blank">Mishkah University</a> for a while now.</b> My weekly halaqa teacher Sh. Hatem is the Dean, and I have friends who work with them as well. Also, the model is great (online, recorded lectures can be viewed later) for people like me who work full-time, already attend two weekly classes, and sometimes work on Saturdays.<br />
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<b>I took the plunge and enrolled in Analytical Tafseer 1. </b>It sounds complicated, but it's not. Tafseer is the explanation of the Quran, which really helps non-Arabic speakers to understand what it is we are saying in the prayers. But it is beneficial for all Muslims, similar to Bible study. Yes, we can read it, but there is so much more to be gleaned from the text. Scholars spend lifetimes working on tafseer books, and I am excited to start my baby steps toward learning from them. The class will be focusing on Juz Amma, the last section of the Quran. This is great because it's where the short surahs are which I am trying to memorize. Knowing the true meaning behind these chapters will really help me retain and apply what I learn.<br />
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<b>Obviously I'm excited to get going.</b> I have two lectures to watch because the class already started so you'll have plenty to read about as I get ready for Sunday's class.<br />
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More updates as events warrant!<br />
<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-23394141177225982082012-09-19T23:31:00.005-05:002012-09-19T23:32:25.645-05:0020-Minute Mile.Thanks to the magic of Google Maps and the Paintbrush tool in Photoshop, I have artfully illustrated here the route of my lunchtime walk today. There's more about it in the exercise section of the post but I didn't have anything pithy to lead off with today. Shocking, right?<br />
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Ok so maybe it wasn't really a mile, but since I don't have one of those awesome <b>wheel-distance-measuring thingamajiggers</b> my dad used when he worked for the street department, who can say with real accuracy how much I ever walk on these meandering journeys I take? Oh, he would just die if he realized I have no idea what that thing is called. It will confirm his constant assertions that we were in fact never listening to him!<br />
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Anyschnitzel, this isn't about walking certain distances or not disappointing your dad. It's about taking pictures and then showing them to people on the Internets to prove you actually walked.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>EXERCISE</u></span></b><br />
I posted yesterday about how depressing the area around my new workplace's building can seem due to all of the duder shops and noise they produce. The other side of the neighborhood could be described as "quaint", but that's just a nice way of saying kind of old and weird in this case.<br />
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<b>To bring more positive energy to this blog, I decided today I would try to find some beauty in my surroundings</b> because we bought the building and I don't have any other job or life prospects lined up right now so if I'm going to be in Columbia Heights for the long haul, I guess I'll have to enjoy it.<br />
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These houses look like they're enjoying themselves! Actually, the pink and blue makes me think of an old couple who live next-door to each other to maintain their privacy and sanity. <b>What's more enjoyable than having someone to grow old with but you don't have to pick up his dirty socks? </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's got her mouth open and he's hiding from her. Sounds about right.</td></tr>
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This Catholic school was apparently built in 1939, at the end of the Depression. Maybe the Muslim community will get its act together as we end the Great Recession and we'll build big, beautiful schools with awesome U.S. maps on the playgrounds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHNbc-Irr7ew-M35EOZK6yz665O5vppa9nLEtek-9nzT6qMP1KWU7RBz3WktkUyEhjYZ0oL-VXzYyP2rcck1zBbhwiyFmoo6z0XS40_sL7Cc7_8yHg-wIN1E45DPQoY291zDEmmnI9DLg/s1600/2012-09-19+14.38.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHNbc-Irr7ew-M35EOZK6yz665O5vppa9nLEtek-9nzT6qMP1KWU7RBz3WktkUyEhjYZ0oL-VXzYyP2rcck1zBbhwiyFmoo6z0XS40_sL7Cc7_8yHg-wIN1E45DPQoY291zDEmmnI9DLg/s400/2012-09-19+14.38.27.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course it's called Immaculate Conception!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T-WySZ6XNiTdyta7QifQ5z5IPjUAeKeNRo9w2kxdRG6OSITezS5ECWg6hdEiRy25qr_SwJl0Ka4JEBx413fd1LaXVTZkJmxv2UguQpUmqanXOiXPG_ZmtRLQwWUK436Pkh93MNbME-SU/s1600/2012-09-19+14.36.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T-WySZ6XNiTdyta7QifQ5z5IPjUAeKeNRo9w2kxdRG6OSITezS5ECWg6hdEiRy25qr_SwJl0Ka4JEBx413fd1LaXVTZkJmxv2UguQpUmqanXOiXPG_ZmtRLQwWUK436Pkh93MNbME-SU/s320/2012-09-19+14.36.34.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I propose a giant game of Twister just to rile the Headmaster!</td></tr>
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Or we could just buy this abandoned tabernacle and replace the bell in the tower with a Mu'adhan:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allahu Akbar!</td></tr>
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
Tonight's Midweek Halaqa veered off the topic of the book we're studying and we ended up talking about the anti-American protests happening all over the "Muslim World". Now I don't want to pretend I can condense the many very wise words of our teacher into a quick little synopsis, so I will encourage you to check out the recording from the session at www.thebuildingblocks.org when it's available.<br />
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However, I will try to wrap it up as best I can and say that he basically said that while we certainly have a right to be angry about the insults against our Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>(and we should assess our faith if we aren't), we have to stop totally botching our response to them.<br />
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<b>First, because what these people are doing is against Islam: </b><br />
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In an authentic hadith reported by Abu Dawood, the Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>said (I am paraphrasing here):<br />
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<b><i>"I do not break covenants and I do not hold back ambassadors."</i> </b><br />
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He said this when a delegate of the Quraysh (tribe fighting the Muslims) said he wanted to accept Islam and leave his mission as an ambassador. The Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>refused and asked him to return and complete his assignment for his leader. If he still felt the same way when he got back home, he could resign there and return to take his shahada (testimony of faith), which he did.<br />
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This amazing example of diplomacy and correct application of Islamic law should be an example for people everywhere. It was also very strategic if you think about it. If the man had left his mission and joined the Muslims on their land, it would have been said that he were forced. But since he fulfilled his obligations and left openly and willingly, no one could accuse the Muslims of coercion.<br />
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In another hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim (again, paraphrasing) he <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>said:<br />
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<i><b>"Anyone who wrongly kills the one with a contract </b>(meaning non-Muslims protected by Shariah law) <b>will never even smell the scent of Paradise."</b></i><br />
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So really, killing the ambassador is like shooting yourself in the foot only much, much worse.<br />
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<b>And second, it is ineffective. </b>Our dear teacher said it best tonight when he gave us this advice:<br />
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<b>"Peaceful protests defending Islam are the best way to wear yourself out.</b> You yell and scream and wave a sign around all day and then you stop by Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way home and go on about your life."<br />
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He wasn't saying that protests were never useful (however he did mention that they are most useful to so-called "democratic" governments because they let people give off steam so they won't explode, but that's for another post/blog). <b>He was saying that our inaction before and after the demonstration is the problem.</b> If we were really that angry, we wouldn't be satisfied with these short-term outbursts of "rage" that lead to nowhere. It really struck me when he said, <b>"True anger is measured by how hard you are willing to work for a long-term solution to the problem."</b><br />
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Why not work on ourselves first? <b>We are personally responsible for what is happening because of our collective weakness.</b> If the Muslims had been leading lives in the example of the Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ</span> all along, we would never be in a position to be mocked and ridiculed. We would be strong, united, and respected by all for our exemplary character.<br />
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I for one am going to work on following this advice from today forward. <b>I'm going to try to come up with some tangible and achievable ways to improve myself inwardly and outwardly.</b> I am going to work on my attitude and how I react to adversity. I'm also going to try harder to be more sympathetic to the people around me and treat them accordingly.<br />
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Any other suggestions or ideas (other than to write shorter posts)?<br />
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-78339704028527353092012-09-18T16:38:00.000-05:002012-09-18T16:38:27.765-05:0034th time's the charm.As my dear friend Salihah would say, I made my 34th revolution around the sun last week. I didn't blog on that day because A) I had kind of a crappy day and B) I don't celebrate birthdays so posting about it would just frustrate people who wanted to wish me well and I only like frustrating people sometimes and those times are usually when I'm in a good mood and want to mess with some heads.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please don't ever do this to your child.</td></tr>
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Anywhoodles, I'm older and that's that.<br />
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I don't really care about age in general and I have never been one of those people who gets all freaked out at milestone birthdays, sitting around crying into a pint of Ben and Jerry's at 30, wondering why I haven't been skydiving yet. However I am single (ok, divorced) and looking to remarry and hopefully have children. These facts have led me to start acting <b>less like Phyllis Diller and more like Liz Lemon</b> lately.<br />
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Will I ever find a non-crazy, non-married, non-<b>57-year-old-mustachioed-Pakistani-uncle</b> to spend the rest of my life with? I know, I know, I just ended that sentence with a preposition. But that's what happens when you start to turn a little bit desperate. Grammar goes out the window and you start considering brothers whose profile taglines go like this: <i><b>URthe1ment4me2luv.</b></i><br />
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Perhaps I've shared too much. Please don't stop reading my blog—I need you now more than ever!<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
I took an AlMaghrib class last weekend called <b>Torch Bearers</b> on some of Islam's most influential and inspiring scholars. Not all are well-known, and that's kind of the point of the class. It's not all about fame and notoriety. It's about the contributions made in the cause of Allah. Of course I don't have my notes with me to share the names and interesting info about them, but I'm also at work here so I should wrap this up quickly so I don't go over my break allotment. I'll make you a deal. I'll put together an awesome post about the scholars we studied within the next 72 hours or I won't be able to watch Netflix for a whole week. That should motivate me!<br />
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<b>One thing I can share now—I got my first ijazah! </b>No, it's not a weird form of henna tattoo or anything like that. An ijazah is a certificate of proof that a person learned a particular piece of knowledge or gained proficiency in a subject matter in person from his/her teacher. We learned a short hadeeth (saying of the Prophet Muhammad <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>) and our instructor personally signed an ijazah for each one of us. I'll take a pic of it at home later, but it's pretty cool to see the chain of narration going all the way back to the Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>and including three of the scholars we studied. I don't know how "official" it really is—<b>it might be the Islamic equivalent of those little plastic badges kids get when they visit the police station</b>—but it's still cool and I have one!<br /><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />
I didn't say this before, but the real reason I will never lament my birthday is that <b>I love fall.</b> Everyone's always griping about how fall means winter is coming and they just can't bear the thought of sub-zero temperatures again, but I really don't mind. If I ever had to move somewhere like Southern California where the seasons never change and everyone is roller skating to school in December or whatever I think I would die of boredom.<br />
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<b>To celebrate fall's official and imminent arrival next week, I took a walk over my lunch break today. </b>(I'm writing this during my 15-minute break in case you're keeping track.) The first leg of my journey was a little depressing because I work on an industrial street lined with duder shops (if you need to buy some corrugated cardboard, or your car needs body work, or there's something you need welded, you're in business).<br />
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Where the street ends in a roundabout is where a pretty nice park begins. I walked through it and imagined all of the physical activities I could take part in during fall's gloriously cool months. Volleyball, soccer, swinging ... and then <b>I realized it was time to find an outdoor aerobic activity to get my blood pumping. </b>I would love to get some ideas from you as to what I could do. It would be great if some ladies wanted to get together and shoot some hoops or learn broom ball with me, so team sports aren't out of the question.<br />
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<b>Please comment with some out-of-the-box ideas and I will try to get some kind of quasi-organized-fall-league-Saturday-sports-thingy going!</b>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-28662380877085295932012-09-10T21:04:00.002-05:002012-09-10T21:04:29.799-05:00Staycation.You didn't hear from me last week because I was totally and completely unplugged from technology (well, as much as one can be here in Minnesota without heading Up North to BWCA and getting lost/wet/eaten by a bear). I mean I was not tweeting, blogging, or facebook-ing. I was also not working for three magnificent days plus the weekend. It was basically amazing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's pretend that dog is Willy the Cat, ok?<br /></td></tr>
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<br />It would behoove you to read about my lazy exploits ahead...<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />I should tell you know that my mom staycationed with me last week. And this little mini-break from reality was not about burning calories at all. It was about a mother and daughter each claiming separate couches on a Thursday afternoon to read books with the breeze and sunshine coming in through the patio screen door and eventually falling to a snoring sleep for an hour or more (who cares?). It was about blowing off half-baked plans we'd made to visit the arboretum because we slept too long. <b>It was about totally not caring at all what time it was or what was for dinner or who was going to do dishes because it certainly wasn't us. </b><br />
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We did however take some exercise in the form of walking through my surrounding neighborhood and gawking at beautiful old houses. <b>Because of what I like to think of as a fluke-like loophole in my life contract, I live in a really fancy-pants section of St. Paul, MN</b> where the houses are like, all on the historic register or whatever, and you can actually walk in the uncontrolled crosswalk with your ice cream cone and not get mowed down by a belligerent driver.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupiK0yrPixiCaP4VXS6stvj6MyWEptmM586loCW0QPc6PRufeJtmM0-p1uyNZU1V2CeZavmjKFfnZnZmvb2Hruz0A7n5FG_HsD9lg6MGYIas99tDN-kqNUTlwVIMguZseFBTYoKVZdYIQ/s1600/2012-09-05+17.37.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupiK0yrPixiCaP4VXS6stvj6MyWEptmM586loCW0QPc6PRufeJtmM0-p1uyNZU1V2CeZavmjKFfnZnZmvb2Hruz0A7n5FG_HsD9lg6MGYIas99tDN-kqNUTlwVIMguZseFBTYoKVZdYIQ/s400/2012-09-05+17.37.01.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I snapped this pic while we were walking. It should paint the picture for you. </span></td></tr>
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<br />We also walked a bunch through the Walker Art Center's Sculpture Garden, where we saw some interesting artworks but really the prettiest walkway flanked and canopied in some breathtaking flowering plants. I'm sure it would have been even more stunning in July, but it was still awesome. There were giant Sweet Peas arching over the walk, huge white Hibiscus, purple Cat Tails, and a bunch of other stuff I either forgot the names of or my mom didn't know (and she knows everything).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was easy to escape Hennepin Avenue in this environment. </td></tr>
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<br />We toured an exhibit on '80s art and pop culture in the museum as well, and saw some wild stuff.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mommy, checking out a collection of crack vials found in the artist's NYC neighborhood. <br />We really bonded, I tell you!</td></tr>
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For reals, it was the best three days I've had in a long time. <b>We did other stuff here and there but again, it was less about doing and more about BEING if you get what I mean. </b>We were on the balcony watching people walk up and down Grand Ave. We were in the car, wondering what historic sites could possibly be in Mendota Heights after seeing a brown sign on the highway. We were sitting in a diner having a burger and/or a Crabcake Eggs Benedict and talking about nothing.<br />
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I love my mom. Minnesota is pretty great too.<br />
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ISLAM</div>
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I started Arabic class again yesterday, and while I'm not sure if I'm in Arabic 9 or 10 (I seriously can't keep track anymore and am too lazy to check) we're right back into the swing of things. We translated <a href="http://quran.com/2" target="_blank">Surat al-Baqarah verses 98-100</a> and also got back to our 40 Ahadeeth book, of which we are now on Hadith #17. <br /><br />The Hadith is basically saying that if you're going to do something, do it right. But the specific examples used are of a very serious nature—killing and slaughtering:</div>
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<b>It sounds gory, but can you think of any other acts that are done as often and so very badly as these? </b>There are very specific conditions regarding when blood may be shed, and they are largely ignored by Muslims and non-Muslims alike all over the world (See: Tunisia, Lybia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Burma, etc., etc.). </div>
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Also, a vast majority of animals raised for our consumption are kept in deplorable conditions, fed things that harm them (and eventually us), and are killed in terribly inhumane ways. This happens every single day, so of course it's befitting that we should be counseled on the topic. While the hadith doesn't go into detail about how to kill and slaughter with "Ihsaan" (perfection), it makes the point clearly and it's up to us to figure out the specifics from other sources of knowledge. I'll let you seek those out however you see fit. </div>
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<b>I'll admit I was kind of dreading Arabic class this semester. </b>I felt like I had taken it as far as I could and that I should maybe just stop. But then I remembered two things: One, that I have so much more to learn (I mean, who am I kidding??) and Two, Allah loves those who are consistent, even in the smallest things. So I will stick with it as long as I can and keep sharing what I learn with you. </div>
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Thanks for taking the ride with me!</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-84550123690653337822012-09-02T15:07:00.001-05:002012-09-02T15:07:38.885-05:00Rotten zucchini.<b>Blogs are like fresh vegetables. </b>You get all excited about all of the beautiful things you could grill, roast, or dip in tempura batter and fry (YUM!) and for a little while, you bask in the colorful glory of reds, greens, purples, and yellows of the Earth's bounty. <b>Then you forget all about them for a month while they go soft and wrinkly in the crisper drawer. </b>Well, you don't REALLY forget. You think about them every once in a while, and you pull them out and see if they're really, truly dead or just "ready for chili". Guilt sets in, and you start to avoid the fridge altogether while you cook out of your pantry (old Cheers episodes) and bring home takeout (MasterChef Season 3) or just gorge yourself at the State Fair (Mr. Mom on Netflix). <b>There are apparently a lot of things you can do on the Internets besides blogging.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx4FnSLOuD3pA4xf-V47wzMuqbeBW9S6ay73oJrehaYSPls7mcpJD2_Rh2nJcmF6TLNB0awwB5ByMh4ShVCj-WNHwfZ_bPgEMUgIC72QLfxvQL35dEa_Rc2UvQB8DpwSiLKMU8k63VNkf/s1600/fridge-balls-review-ensogo-image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx4FnSLOuD3pA4xf-V47wzMuqbeBW9S6ay73oJrehaYSPls7mcpJD2_Rh2nJcmF6TLNB0awwB5ByMh4ShVCj-WNHwfZ_bPgEMUgIC72QLfxvQL35dEa_Rc2UvQB8DpwSiLKMU8k63VNkf/s400/fridge-balls-review-ensogo-image.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe these people can come up with something to freshen my blog every once in a while.</td></tr>
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In the interest of not becoming <i>one of those people</i> on Hoarders, today I am dusting off some carrots that still have some life in them and making chicken and dumplings. As you can tell from reading this, I am also posting on my blog.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
I should have posted during Ramadan, or at least in the last 10 days, but it never seems like there's time when you're sleeping from 5-9 a.m. and working, going to iftars/events, and praying all night before fasting again the next day. It was wonderful.<br />
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<b>I had a particularly lovely evening at an unlikely place—the Somali mall. </b>This is usually the last place you'd think of when trying to find tranquility. It's hot, cramped, and full of people all running around yelling in another language. But they have this great masjid (mosque) upstairs with soft beautiful carpet, a TV so you can clearly see and hear the imam, and during Ramadan, plenty of volunteers going around with water and suhoor (the meal before fasting) for everyone. Best of all, the kids behave themselves and actually let you enjoy the prayer. This is huge. Usually they're running back and forth playing, spilling, laughing, fighting, and generally making you wish it weren't a sin to kill them.<br />
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We got there after an awesome iftar dinner to raise funds for Syrian refugees. I<b>t was the night of the 27th of Ramadan, a night which we believe could be the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)</b>, an unspecified night in the last 10 days that counts as more than a thousand months for those worshipping, fasting, and asking Allah for whatever they want. It's the night most people think is Laylat al-Qadr based on some sayings of the Prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ</span> so there are always a ton of people at the mosque.<br />
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Anyway, I don't want to bore you to death so I will just say the place was packed and I felt a real energy there that night. The Quran recitation started around 12:30 a.m. and it was beautiful. After a break for fundraising a different person led the rest of the prayer and his dua'at (supplications) were so powerful that I just cried the whole time as he begged for our forgiveness, for the relief of those suffering around the world, and for the mercy of Allah to help us live to see the end of Ramadan and get its blessings. The dua'at lasted about 15 minutes and we were all shaking to keep our hands raised while we stood at the end of a long night of prayer. <b>It was the best. </b><br />
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It's hard to describe that feeling or even remember it after it passes. It's also hard to get it back during the rest of the year. There's just something special about Ramadan that can't be explained but must be felt. I hope that one day you will all get to feel it yourselves if you haven't already.<br />
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My awesome friend did give me some tafseer (explanation of Quran) CDs which I'm planning to listen to in the car to not only learn something about the Book of Allah but avoid the incessant political drivel on MPR during this election cycle. Thank God I don't have TV to see their stupid ads and that I somehow am not on any campaign mail or phone lists. These are true blessings!!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>EXERCISE</u></span></b><br />
It has certainly been a while. Ramadan's been over for almost two weeks now but getting back to my old routine hasn't been easy. Especially since I haven't really tried. It's been hot again but what happened to stretching at home or using the elliptical machine? Time to dust off my excuses and get back to my 20 minutes a day. <b>I did actually go to the State Fair last week and walked for at least two hours </b>while snacking on the fried delights that the Great Minnesota Get-Together has to offer. But since I only eat Zabiha Halal, I didn't do the giant corn dog/turkey leg/Polish sausage thing so that has to count for something. I also vacuumed my apartment today and spent 20 minutes tidying up and doing dishes, so there.<br />
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Off to make the chicken and dumplings. Since it's such a lovely day, I think I will walk them off during an evening stroll in the neighborhood. If you come back tomorrow, I will tell you about it!<br />
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-37535385951155970722012-07-31T18:07:00.002-05:002012-07-31T18:07:31.319-05:00Going for the GoldI knew the Olympics were going on during Ramadan, and I had thought a little bit about how hard that must make the competitions for the Muslim athletes who will be fasting for around 18 hours a day. But not until this morning did I consider how much personal sacrifice is made in an effort to win worldly rewards like gold medals, and promotions at work, and tacky little statues of bowling men, even. People train for most of their lives to be Olympic athletes. High-powered executives lose countless hours of sleep while burning the midnight oil at the office, ordering in Chinese food and taking off their ties at some point (oh, is that just in the movies?). Even league bowlers spend a lot of time and money to get the accolades of their buddies and the jealousy of their beer-bellied rivals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vXWSqrq8nqnlCrJQ9FwqlHi-qg9ySHoZfpTzratpsKgyc_aqTANklpsbjy4Gp0Q0yxfyjO2w1I3Nqa63MiGfPw6hhdpkVgkRf0L7d6vvtsuwLk0W0CaChdGAgi4QF-_tsml2_b8aL7ml/s1600/the_big_lebowski.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vXWSqrq8nqnlCrJQ9FwqlHi-qg9ySHoZfpTzratpsKgyc_aqTANklpsbjy4Gp0Q0yxfyjO2w1I3Nqa63MiGfPw6hhdpkVgkRf0L7d6vvtsuwLk0W0CaChdGAgi4QF-_tsml2_b8aL7ml/s320/the_big_lebowski.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter is not even messing around here. Smokey was over the line.</td></tr>
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Non-Lebowski fans, just forget about that picture. You don't really need to know.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>EXERCISE</u></span></b><br />Anyone recently reading my blog knows that I haven't been exercising lately. But I'd like to take this opportunity to argue that <b>fasting Ramadan is a bit like exercising</b>. Just sitting here typing this burns calories, and I work full-time. <b>Not eating any calories all day must mean that I am working off some weight right now as we speak.</b> Plus, aside from a few buffet lapses a year, I don't go all crazy at iftar time and eat like it's my last meal. Ironically, I used to do this when I had first been married to a Muslim but I had not yet reverted. We went out to break fast with a bunch of people and they would eat a normal amount because their stomachs had shrunk so much but I would go crazy, taking down lots of falafel, kufta, samosas, and all kinds of crazy foods. Now I know how they felt, with eyes all huge before the meal, thinking you can eat the world deep-fried on a stick and covered in cheese sauce—only to find that a little soup and a modest plate of food tops you right off. You never even get to the desserts.<br />
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So there you go. I'm calling this exercise and no, I don't want to hear about all of those people who fast AND do exercise every day, including the Minnesota Vikings' player Husain Abdallah, who fasts during training camp. That's just sick. And I mean sick as in awesome. <b>I'm not old!!</b> Or is that an old term? I know awesome is. <b>I am old.</b><br />
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Actually, let's highlight one of these people just for fun (and because this diptych of photos is awesome):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBixTZh70Jqy1GmNvYMBL4G4CkwK41wrFSE4YbRodCLX4KfFMSssHL7Mjy26UKZRskBUNlkppivbQKQ6nXa-FC7st3B1VWtjAgQ20T3uyI4QCV9bHcLSagI83gANK5Yhs4nysgLZ4VKnQ/s1600/205322_506111399405104_165392429_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBixTZh70Jqy1GmNvYMBL4G4CkwK41wrFSE4YbRodCLX4KfFMSssHL7Mjy26UKZRskBUNlkppivbQKQ6nXa-FC7st3B1VWtjAgQ20T3uyI4QCV9bHcLSagI83gANK5Yhs4nysgLZ4VKnQ/s400/205322_506111399405104_165392429_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian fencer and silver medalist Alaaeldin Abouelkassem praying in uniform at the London Olympics. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH1n_t0-Wq7alEvbSLYNXQvbd_A9xJR1ED8e-s_Zji7RuzwCTYWKQj8If1E-Qi3SulUYXkCnNkjCrNClKg9PdgwXTU8o6ni7eqXHb5UvhYHG0q2YRhDiwpefsJDn380CG7ql7HnMxOKuX/s1600/524467_506101102739467_716480366_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH1n_t0-Wq7alEvbSLYNXQvbd_A9xJR1ED8e-s_Zji7RuzwCTYWKQj8If1E-Qi3SulUYXkCnNkjCrNClKg9PdgwXTU8o6ni7eqXHb5UvhYHG0q2YRhDiwpefsJDn380CG7ql7HnMxOKuX/s400/524467_506101102739467_716480366_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To all those looking for my future husband, this guy was born in 1990 so, no. </td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>ISLAM</u></span></b><br />
There's a lot I could say here, it being Ramadan and all. But <b>I'm not feeling it.</b> I've been fasting, and praying, and even doing a little Quran reading along with practicing the new surahs I learned, but something's a little off. It always is in the middle of the month, I don't know why. <b>I hope to get the Ramadan spirit back soon. </b><br />
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On another note, someone in my family said something pretty awful about Muslims recently and that's been on my mind. <b>I've been struggling to understand what could make someone feel such powerful hate for Muslims when one of their own family members has been one for nearly 7 years. </b>It's also disappointing to realize that someone you always admired for their intelligence and wisdom has fallen for such baseless lies and propaganda with regard to the 1.5+ billion Muslims around the world who aren't extremists.<br />
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I have decided that it must mean I haven't been as good an ambassador of the religion as I could be. I've tried to just be a good person and show my family that if becoming Muslim has changed me at all, it's for the better. And that I'm not represented by the few lunatics out there who kill innocent people in the name of Islam or whatever else they do. Maybe I have been hiding my faith and beliefs so I will blend in better and not rock the boat. This apparently isn't working.<br />
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<b>Any advice?</b>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-49407606922137587552012-07-24T16:36:00.000-05:002012-07-24T16:36:26.631-05:00One Mississippi.Count to six. I'll wait.<br />
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<b>There—a child just died of hunger.</b> According to the World Food Programme, this happens every six seconds. Think about it too much and you will dive into a depression hole so deep that not even an hour-long episode of 30 Rock guest-starring Kristen Wiig and Zach Galifianakis will get you out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlceMIKtwqiPLvlmfKBmasjJe-WWHDWC6GJgYBT-CT2wTAccBvikAPQMiGdHJt5l0iLwLYhEN30ymRqNgXEIv5peLzJ3MHQh2Vmt88o_ihi5NM10s7UEO-zc3qNLyqHxEL11W5qWN_LQOp/s1600/tumblr_kyzdswQNvV1qa1vjko1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlceMIKtwqiPLvlmfKBmasjJe-WWHDWC6GJgYBT-CT2wTAccBvikAPQMiGdHJt5l0iLwLYhEN30ymRqNgXEIv5peLzJ3MHQh2Vmt88o_ihi5NM10s7UEO-zc3qNLyqHxEL11W5qWN_LQOp/s320/tumblr_kyzdswQNvV1qa1vjko1_500.png" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disgusting!</td></tr>
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But we do have to think about it a little bit. Bear with me.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM/PHILOSOPHIZING</span></u></b><br />
As I sit here trying to ignore my hunger pangs while in the middle of a long day of fasting, it doesn't escape me that <b>there are millions of people fasting involuntarily right now</b>, and every day. In fact, I'm sitting at work, where we conduct emergency food distributions to malnurished refugees in the Horn of Africa, among other programs. It's kind of hard to ignore the world's poor, but we all do it on a regular basis.<br />
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There are also a staggering number of Americans in this situation as well, with as many as 1 in 6 children going to bed hungry every night in one of the richest countries in the world.<span style="background-color: white;"> <b>How can this be when <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2007-09-24/world/food.leftovers_1_food-waste-greenhouse-gas-methane-emissions?_s=PM:WORLD" target="_blank">we throw around 40% or more of our food away</a>? </b></span><br />
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It breaks my heart to think of their little faces scrunching up in pain as their empty tummies keep them awake—while we sleep off the huge meals of fat, salt, and sugar that are slowly killing us, ruining the environment, and making us go broke.<br />
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<b>I don't want this to become a long and preachy treatise</b> on corporate greed, disgusting consumer behavior, and the apathy of the average person regarding the problems of others. <b>There is a lot of hope out there</b> and many, many people and companies are doing a lot of good things to end hunger and poverty here and abroad. You should look into food rescue programs like <a href="http://www.2harvest.org/site/PageServer" target="_blank">Second Harvest Heartland</a> and others who are totally trying to end food waste.<br />
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It's just all very interesting when you put it in the perspective of a relatively healthy and financially stable person (me) going without eating for over 17 hours a day by choice to fulfill a religious obligation. <b>Am I learning from this experience?</b> Will I do anything differently after Ramadan?<br />
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I hope that I will think back to these words every time I start to complain about anything. I know that Allah, the Almighty, the Most Merciful, can ease the pain of hungry children in this life and will reward them immensely in the next for what they endured. I'm the one really in need here, as I rack up sins and forget about others in spite of this heartfelt soap box speech.<br />
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<b>WOW.</b> This will go down as my least funny blog post ever. But that's ok with me. It can't always be chuckles and sunshine. <b>Those are the names of my two new office plants, I just decided.</b> Here's a pic so you can "meet" them and put names to faces:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5VpVTZW9OKXe5vr8XZY1Xh3VhZ0zNyeUubo0z4YSXPilgHxZmWnV-XfqnDHWWX16tFIMUxEUt1uDDpeQ9IHT6ZvUWgmTZBzQthwwwiFqzUJiXc4eF6ww7IRndwDed8f4vkWKST1H-wD9/s1600/2012-07-24+16.31.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5VpVTZW9OKXe5vr8XZY1Xh3VhZ0zNyeUubo0z4YSXPilgHxZmWnV-XfqnDHWWX16tFIMUxEUt1uDDpeQ9IHT6ZvUWgmTZBzQthwwwiFqzUJiXc4eF6ww7IRndwDed8f4vkWKST1H-wD9/s400/2012-07-24+16.31.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't need to tell you who's who here.</td></tr>
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Here's to better days tomorrow, for everyone!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-15798268151991740172012-07-20T18:18:00.000-05:002012-07-20T18:18:09.494-05:00Hope floats your boat!<br />My little poll to the right timed out today, coinciding with the start of Ramadan (now it makes sense, huh?)—and while not a lot of people voted, the favor went overwhelmingly to hope as a motivator. I used to be crippled by procrastination and have some flare-ups now and then, but I'm mostly driven to accomplish my goals by a hybrid mixture of hope and encouragement.<br />
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I'd love to hear from you about your tricks and tactics to banish the "I'll do it later" monster from your life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ7ShWuMGw4Vz45fMSfKk3lpkvpL78viNw6C0RG2J-l1yJEbcU6Jv3CqKuGvHIO-C8wZ12vwbivDlKO_yh0KiR2YmJSeLIzrXiRG9FAYA-orGD_eOv9e268VZrf7yVF91QPOgmd3XJDbK/s1600/PROCRASTINATION+CHART.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ7ShWuMGw4Vz45fMSfKk3lpkvpL78viNw6C0RG2J-l1yJEbcU6Jv3CqKuGvHIO-C8wZ12vwbivDlKO_yh0KiR2YmJSeLIzrXiRG9FAYA-orGD_eOv9e268VZrf7yVF91QPOgmd3XJDbK/s400/PROCRASTINATION+CHART.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding flowcharts for my blog on the googles is my version of drawing a pterodactyl.</td></tr>
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Next!<br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>ISLAM</u></b></span><br />
Well folks, it's Ramadan! A heartfelt Ramadan Kareem (Generous Ramadan) to all of you celebrating our beautiful religion and this month of mercy. May Allah bring you many blessings and draw you closer to Him in these 29 or 30 days.<br />
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The QB and I watched a great video last night from Br. Nouman Ali Khan (don't be fooled by the videographer giving him the title of "shaykh", he's not a shaykh and says so often!). It was one of the first talks about Ramadan that didn't make me say, "Here we go again", because it's usually the same thing about empathy for the starving (valid, but not the only reason we fast) and other things that get repeated over and over. <b>Please watch if you're Muslim and want to have a more fulfilling Ramadan!!</b><br />
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<b>To everyone else, I wish you the best this month in whatever you're facing. </b>I believe that Allah is watching over us all, and He's ready to deal with your mess of a life if you'll give it over to Him, as I did mine. It helped a lot, lemme tell you!<br />
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Here's a list of things I don't do anymore after becoming Muslim. You will be shock-ed.<br />
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1) Drink.<br />
2) Smoke.<br />
3) Do any sort of drugs (and I used to be up for doing any sort of drugs).<br />
4) Swear like, all the time.<br />
5) Worry about what I look like all the time, especially as a chubby, super-white girl among skinny, tan beauties with their stuff all hanging out for everyone to drool over.<br />
6) Eat pork or any other meat that isn't slaughtered humanely in the name of Allah (or the Jewish/Christian equivalent).<br />
7) Blow off my family in their times of need for my friends.<br />
8) Blame others for all of my problems.<br />
9) Wonder what's going to happen when I die. Now I know. For sure.<br />
10) I don't know, I felt there needed to be a #10.<br />
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<b>All of this was possible only with the help of Allah.</b> I know I could lose all of these benefits in a minute if He willed it, and it's exactly this power that keeps me turning back to Him when times are tuff. Allah can do anything—He is the All-Knower and Most Merciful. <b>We are weak, forgetful, lazy, and ungrateful.</b> But He guides who He wills and I am so very thankful that I was chosen to be among his slaves. Some people think that the word "slave" is negative and shouldn't be used. But I say it's only negative when you are a slave to one of Allah's creations (a person, an industry like fashion, a job... ) but when reserved only for Allah, it's beautiful. We do what He asks us to do and he takes care of us. We don't get paid in this life, but the bonus check waiting for us later is huge. Like way bigger than those giant checks people get when they win the lottery.<br />
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This is getting pretty cheesy, but you gotta cut me some slack. I'm at hour 15 of 17.5 on my first day of fasting so my brain is a little woogly. I hope you understand.<br />
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<b>BYE!!!</b>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-50729885433187386062012-07-18T18:20:00.001-05:002012-07-18T18:20:22.640-05:00Goofy sandwich with Business Bread<br />
Yesterday I had a true day off but I accomplished a lot at the beginning and end.<br />
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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, <b>I was born at night but not last night.</b> 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.<br />
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<b>After all that productivity it was time to get stupid.</b> 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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdMTFjPDJc14rQsC50K-mrc-OqMiOV7H1G7EI1vtyhw7fx8R-e7yyhxJPd1eBX8_n8EGct3kG3HJQsvPJYUhYYU-QmnDyOi4SE6CZkGDlzPqX-6nhEflwPfJdhkGQ0DjR9AYhjKXhnYHT/s1600/hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdMTFjPDJc14rQsC50K-mrc-OqMiOV7H1G7EI1vtyhw7fx8R-e7yyhxJPd1eBX8_n8EGct3kG3HJQsvPJYUhYYU-QmnDyOi4SE6CZkGDlzPqX-6nhEflwPfJdhkGQ0DjR9AYhjKXhnYHT/s400/hair.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm the skeptical one. Toni's shock-ed. Salihah is very smug about her news.</td></tr>
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Onward!<div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>ISLAM</b></u></span><br />
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.<br />
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Here's the surah in case you want to see it in Arabic or the scary (if you don't read Arabic) English translation:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFu2Jh3AM3D5wg943PXpUcfK_WnsYxKl7RgclwNIa0sVizyQ09lcsuO51lWXhyoDd1cr6qTvvd61kfgrZ-Nv2cACDzO54UOVf9TabUtFiXasA94fEnfM93vloUXtBOa8HyC5gVEb-nlrn/s1600/102_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="33" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFu2Jh3AM3D5wg943PXpUcfK_WnsYxKl7RgclwNIa0sVizyQ09lcsuO51lWXhyoDd1cr6qTvvd61kfgrZ-Nv2cACDzO54UOVf9TabUtFiXasA94fEnfM93vloUXtBOa8HyC5gVEb-nlrn/s400/102_1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JnEPEUGiAHh5WIPq-S-adw_EKnnasOBoV75ad1AL2wTFadozwhPahqOnV58Q_LCQCbQfx6cB5qndzE0ehGNEXfQal43DXnw-IsNyPLUCsuFO7STUklBHtgCLw4T1vxsbvLYO8VtQKbnZ/s1600/102_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JnEPEUGiAHh5WIPq-S-adw_EKnnasOBoV75ad1AL2wTFadozwhPahqOnV58Q_LCQCbQfx6cB5qndzE0ehGNEXfQal43DXnw-IsNyPLUCsuFO7STUklBHtgCLw4T1vxsbvLYO8VtQKbnZ/s400/102_2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Until you visit the graveyards.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-t-79z3pQyiZhda7PYcDM6eTt5LkHRxynKjwXSA7tfsCMGvsjGxEA2Mvuw-8TYAVbVTOxSxA-MC_ztnQwgSbTN4SdGOBb4deRjCgHsYAjri7Nz-Ls_GDTqY30OpVVafP3XCOa2RjKnPm/s1600/102_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-t-79z3pQyiZhda7PYcDM6eTt5LkHRxynKjwXSA7tfsCMGvsjGxEA2Mvuw-8TYAVbVTOxSxA-MC_ztnQwgSbTN4SdGOBb4deRjCgHsYAjri7Nz-Ls_GDTqY30OpVVafP3XCOa2RjKnPm/s400/102_3.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">No! You are going to know.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcrU2g1W7xU9W5SfrXcWgVoPgz_Fd_9nWljzEugXBbqtr4IrtYNvEGttyGHCTZfgC9e_sjzPPzJDNcvw-YMu4A9p9K9w410UwMpvWSI3vKPaHZ6UhZlZAZDKY2HmAdYq5JnrwvPFhigwS/s1600/102_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="33" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcrU2g1W7xU9W5SfrXcWgVoPgz_Fd_9nWljzEugXBbqtr4IrtYNvEGttyGHCTZfgC9e_sjzPPzJDNcvw-YMu4A9p9K9w410UwMpvWSI3vKPaHZ6UhZlZAZDKY2HmAdYq5JnrwvPFhigwS/s400/102_4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Then no! You are going to know.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc8t4w1aIa3zJru-JpPp9pg648NNhuCIS2Xfus2bcpGxQKfjVHvh_1FVZnwNQLRN7sk5mZIxra2Gp_d9kcX4WIbsxpa6PA5Rj4nZpI-WokahuXVwsC_mvb99e7N4G39t9PdTIwKqqOWPW/s1600/102_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc8t4w1aIa3zJru-JpPp9pg648NNhuCIS2Xfus2bcpGxQKfjVHvh_1FVZnwNQLRN7sk5mZIxra2Gp_d9kcX4WIbsxpa6PA5Rj4nZpI-WokahuXVwsC_mvb99e7N4G39t9PdTIwKqqOWPW/s400/102_5.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoXN8m-yYG62nJmzEApHkFBbr2azX7V_7gU6XrAHYy_cft0LD96Gt8i_WL3NiDyJx-PzdtHTHiluntD1cyh3eULNPvPGS9U1LwHzlFezGkj25tkXeZuFq_iRfHWopsshjJ-8-I8p7JRUL/s1600/102_6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="27" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoXN8m-yYG62nJmzEApHkFBbr2azX7V_7gU6XrAHYy_cft0LD96Gt8i_WL3NiDyJx-PzdtHTHiluntD1cyh3eULNPvPGS9U1LwHzlFezGkj25tkXeZuFq_iRfHWopsshjJ-8-I8p7JRUL/s400/102_6.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">You will surely see the Hellfire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgair2VZs2lMtd9KByGWUOW42-vds8b8D75SeoshCB0Hl_kISzFyqyLiOhzfFn8I75Fj9APcce5qEwb3Ty63R5MHrsgb8OMQwouQfM2qDPas0rAbZjh8qS-lLbFoNHqw2nPgfPFkYbkOwLD/s1600/102_7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgair2VZs2lMtd9KByGWUOW42-vds8b8D75SeoshCB0Hl_kISzFyqyLiOhzfFn8I75Fj9APcce5qEwb3Ty63R5MHrsgb8OMQwouQfM2qDPas0rAbZjh8qS-lLbFoNHqw2nPgfPFkYbkOwLD/s400/102_7.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zri6BLfhJ1UFwg_gEPw2DUUsdytehif0MTv5vsCIym_slwOHuO2SKLKrtugwKOGjL8A8bDZdVqtKnVW-jQPfD8oO3dMJTCAp96pD1J913rVzh-YVSSqvxUzCsNfRD4t0VQmS3rdElldB/s1600/102_8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zri6BLfhJ1UFwg_gEPw2DUUsdytehif0MTv5vsCIym_slwOHuO2SKLKrtugwKOGjL8A8bDZdVqtKnVW-jQPfD8oO3dMJTCAp96pD1J913rVzh-YVSSqvxUzCsNfRD4t0VQmS3rdElldB/s400/102_8.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure.</td></tr>
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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:<br />
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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. <b>This life is a joke.</b> 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. <b>What's coming afterward is the real deal</b>, and it lasts forever, not 70 or so short and painful years (if you're blessed with longevity).<br />
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I hope I didn't harsh your gig here, but I'm glad I ended with this surah accidentally. <b>Ramadan is in just two days</b> Insha Allah so it's time to get serious so I can get the most from the Month of Mercy.<br />
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Thanks all for reading. <b>For those sharp enough to notice there's no exercise section today, congratulations!</b><br />
<br /></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-72623214665888709152012-07-16T18:54:00.001-05:002012-07-16T18:59:51.244-05:00Warp LevelIt seems I've sort of skipped over a few days here, kinda like when you warp in Super Mario Bros. and end up in World 4 by going through a tube. Yeah, we can just say I warped, rather than admitting I neglected to blog.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitxCOJJBkuIFMdArLmhP6QORw6j92duEz0PbQP_r4jMIJHiqq6w7Q8XZVaACl5D9HSZD9UCJL4QGXTaHaX7xWLhNUWYuOKuX5BlG1jmfU8ALKIhn-g6vEnmRRNMSyuwBO64ysrktV3U5n/s1600/SuperMarioBrosWarpZone.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitxCOJJBkuIFMdArLmhP6QORw6j92duEz0PbQP_r4jMIJHiqq6w7Q8XZVaACl5D9HSZD9UCJL4QGXTaHaX7xWLhNUWYuOKuX5BlG1jmfU8ALKIhn-g6vEnmRRNMSyuwBO64ysrktV3U5n/s400/SuperMarioBrosWarpZone.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironically, you can lose whole days in real life playing this game too.</td></tr>
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Ok, now that that's over with, on to writing the things! The things that I am thinking!!<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />
It's been between 95-100 here again for the last few days, and it's supposed to get hotter at the end of the week after some storms roll through. While I acknowledge that I do have air conditioning at home, this heat really just makes exercising like, the least attractive thing in the world. But that's the laziness talking. <b>I will commit to doing some stretching before bed</b> to help me sleep but that's it. <br />
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Speaking of sleep, <b>I have my first appointment with a specialty sleep and lung clinic tomorrow</b>. It's not going to be the actual sleep study where they hook up all of the wires and watch me roll around for 6 hours (that might come later), but it's a pre-appointment to see what's up with my insomnia. They sent me a 4-page questionnaire I have to fill out tonight. <b>I'm hoping I can get some relief not only to feel more refreshed but to also help my mood and overall health.</b><br />
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Here comes the <b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of the Day:</span></b> I was just reading in Real Simple that <b>one way to snack less during the day is to get more sleep</b>. Actually, studies have shown that people who don't get enough sleep overeat in general because they have wacky levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin (which sound like LOTR characters to me, but what do I know?) which regulate feelings of hunger and fullness, respectively.<br />
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I took the whole day off for this appointment even though it will be an hour or so (I'm guessing). Ramadan is coming and it's been insane at the office with the whole move and post-move catch-up work, so I will take it easy and probably see my QB to work on my 5th and final surah for my Ramadan goal.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>ISLAM</u></b></span><br />
In Arabic class on Sunday we went over Hadith #16 in Imam Nawawy's 40 Ahadeeth. Regular readers know all about this book and our class's memorization of the recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ</span> but just for those who may not know, it's a collection of 40 of these sayings, similar to the gospel of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) but with loads of concrete evidence to their authenticity and chains of narration all the way back to Muhammad. <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">The sunnah (or traditions of the Prophet) is a guide to our life as Muslims as much as the Quran (and sometimes more) because of what Allah says in the Quran:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6ISpQ7Nxa2oLNK5OeQ1szHnj33hAdLmfFZ8PWPXZAznLbSw6HIFKES1XB2T5iWldHZFrp_UDorx10d9pNAYbSoLW4TOpIWLMYUrOmr4bKJTCOSBeHtfjRgSp7KnQKHZCXWPo_ePG8v3m/s1600/3_132.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="31" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6ISpQ7Nxa2oLNK5OeQ1szHnj33hAdLmfFZ8PWPXZAznLbSw6HIFKES1XB2T5iWldHZFrp_UDorx10d9pNAYbSoLW4TOpIWLMYUrOmr4bKJTCOSBeHtfjRgSp7KnQKHZCXWPo_ePG8v3m/s400/3_132.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy."</td></tr>
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This commandment appears many other times in the Quran, but this is the simplest and clearest example in my opinion. Hadith #16 is one of my favorites not only for it's simplicity (it boils down to basically four words, or two in Arabic) but because of how effective it is in solving so many problems inside oneself and in society if applied correctly.<br />
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Here it goes via the wonderful YouTube:<br />
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<b>"Do not get angry"</b> or "La Taghdab". Sounds easy, right? But we all know it's an easy concept yet hard to put into practice. But that's the whole point. If you put your energy into channeling what you feel (because everyone will FEEL angry, you can't control that) into positive energy, you will save yourself and others a lot of hassle. <b>This is like free marriage counseling.</b> It's an answer to all disputes between friends, family members, political leaders, and teens worldwide.*<br />
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<b>So try it out. </b>Next time you want to slam the table and scream red-faced at your [boss/child/husband/daughter/neighbor/Post Office clerk/not-so-friendly-collections-agent] just don't get angry. <b>You have better things to do with your life, I assume.</b><br />
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Disclaimer: I am not a real counselor or conflict resolution specialist or whatever. Just passing along the wisdom of our messenger <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ</span>. I hope it helps!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-25842780669280660032012-07-10T23:28:00.001-05:002012-07-10T23:28:42.417-05:0080% ain't bad.The post title will make more sense later on but for now, I just have to say that <b>people are fun and they make life great</b>. There. Most of you who know me will read this and go, "Say, WHAT?? Who are you and what did you do to my cynical and socially isolated friend?" It's true that despite the fact that I talk a lot, I rarely actually want to talk to anyone (we'll leave that to the therapists to figure out).<br />
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However today there were lots of other-people-funnies, most of which didn't require me to be in the conversation. The boss's kids were at the office and totally cracking me up, making jokes about how <b>they're so African they play catch with an eraser</b> and other side-splitters. One of our colleagues in Ethiopia was using some hilarious broken English in an e-mail, and our Bosnian contractor screamed some super-good admonishments into the phone at one of his workers. Ok this was yesterday but it was too good to leave out. He actually used the phrase, <b>"This isn't gypsy land. This is real land!"</b> I can't believe I survived the laugh attack.<br />
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The theme here seems to be that I hang out with a lot of diverse people (true) and they are funny as a result (totally). This makes me seem slightly insensitive (guilty) but it's all in good fun and I love every one of these characters for their unique personalities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw05ml5lHH9MU3xCQKkpls9cA_9CXaEd1EgJpLHu20Kn7UWA4qXZw_CrkRvgn_PW9OD4_R2GiAH7Z75WSfT6zJZP1GrdDjTi6W3JoYacGaFeIF_RtrkuZVD46uhIHUgYdQNfxxnSe2VY2w/s1600/americans_arent_funny.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw05ml5lHH9MU3xCQKkpls9cA_9CXaEd1EgJpLHu20Kn7UWA4qXZw_CrkRvgn_PW9OD4_R2GiAH7Z75WSfT6zJZP1GrdDjTi6W3JoYacGaFeIF_RtrkuZVD46uhIHUgYdQNfxxnSe2VY2w/s400/americans_arent_funny.jpeg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got nothin' on the East Africans, let me tell you.</td></tr>
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The sweeping generalizations are over (for now).<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>ISLAM</u></span></b><br />
I did it! <b>I memorized the fourth of five surahs toward my before-Ramadan goal.</b> Alhamdulillah. It was kind of an easier one (Surat Quraysh, which I posted yesterday for you) since I hear it so often, but it's still an accomplishment that I will take this opportunity to celebrate. <b>I want to thank Allah above all</b>; my QB and her husband; and my Arabic teachers and fellow students for helping me get this far. I know this sounds like the speech I should be making when I get all five memorized, but <b>I do what I want.</b><br />
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May Allah help me fulfill this goal with one more surah and more importantly, please Him in Ramadan while improving myself at the same time.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>EXERCISE</u></span></b><br />
I started off this part of the post by saying while I didn't exercise again, I did eat pretty sensibly. Then I remembered the <b>Tater-Tot-and-Dr. Pepper-Float relapse</b> at 3:00. And the <b>two hot dogs</b> for dinner (oops!). And the <b>three</b> (Toni, I ate a third cookie when you were in the other room. I admit it!) <b>monster cookies</b> for dessert. Overall it wasn't the worst day ever since I have been known to eat those kinds of things while also having a McDonald's breakfast and a full-fat lunch of some sort. Today though I did have a bagel with neufchatel cheese and plain yogurt with fresh blueberries for breakfast, then skipped lunch, so that should count for something.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of The Day:</span></b> When running off to Sonic with a friend without telling anyone at work that you're even leaving seems like the best idea ever, just do it. <b>You need to live a little!!</b> Breaks away from your desk are mental healthcare, and that's the truth because I just said it on the Internet. There!<br />
<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-47226181254994898342012-07-09T21:31:00.000-05:002012-07-09T21:31:18.871-05:00Not the worst Monday ever.This one wasn't too shabby! We'll pretend I didn't take a really dumb way to work as I experiment with the best route to the new office which is right smack in the middle of no-highway-even-close-to-here-construction-zone. There is a Pizza Hut nearby, but who does that help? No one. Anyway even though I was a bit late, I got a ton of things accomplished, we had a reasonable staff meeting, and now I'm home with the AC on, blogging the night away with you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTna6ek9MKYW29C5AildWrhfCKda-_-_-EVk7gcHvQJS7Pon2TA3bklz3ISqWELcJyTmr2uXAo-FGWWUtFa4bNMinMDF5NufeAraHUN4CUYOGma8TbexjsBg8KTGHnjqdCHfOJ2XkLjZQM/s1600/137.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTna6ek9MKYW29C5AildWrhfCKda-_-_-EVk7gcHvQJS7Pon2TA3bklz3ISqWELcJyTmr2uXAo-FGWWUtFa4bNMinMDF5NufeAraHUN4CUYOGma8TbexjsBg8KTGHnjqdCHfOJ2XkLjZQM/s320/137.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks a little like this except I have red hair and wouldn't be caught dead in a Snuggie.</td></tr>
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Did you know there are superhero Snuggies? Sheesh.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />
I figure if I'm not going to exercise (and I'm apparently not until it gets cooler outside) I should at least watch what I'm eating. <a href="http://20littleminutes.blogspot.com/2012/07/thick-and-thin.html" target="_blank">Yesterday's post</a> went over some of my good grocery choices, and here's how I used them to make a delicious and satisfying meal for dinner:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl60REy0CIcVL0iU31iibme6KgAAusbQGLsFfw7tWnpmb9N9UKQIas8JZn-wYFawJOl37JsuTM-C__S5JspkBK3kB-lJDdLjw9NMf8K5ELNPkXLJSjvdXqXA0Vz420Yt6Ovfp36Maclds0/s1600/2012-07-09+20.50.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl60REy0CIcVL0iU31iibme6KgAAusbQGLsFfw7tWnpmb9N9UKQIas8JZn-wYFawJOl37JsuTM-C__S5JspkBK3kB-lJDdLjw9NMf8K5ELNPkXLJSjvdXqXA0Vz420Yt6Ovfp36Maclds0/s400/2012-07-09+20.50.18.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden beets make everything taste better.</td></tr>
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I had vegan <b>Split Pea with Rosemary soup</b> that I bought for $8.99 a quart. I figure I'll get four servings out of it so that's pretty reasonable considering I didn't have to buy any herbs or mess around with a blender which I somehow don't own after giving the regular and immersion versions away. Hmmm. <b>Prepared soup it is!</b> I also had a <b>light salad</b> of romaine hearts and grape tomatoes with just a squeeze of lemon juice, a drop of olive oil, and salt and pepper. <b>I nuked a golden beet</b> and sliced it up before treating it pretty much the same as the salad except I used apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice. On the side were some <b>on-sale strawberries</b>. Bonus: <b>I didn't even miss the bread</b> I would normally eat with soup. If I had to guess (and I do have to, because I'm too lazy to look it all up), this meal was probably about 400 calories or less and had almost no fat in it. SCORE!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of The Day:</span></b> See above. Eat yummy things pulled out of the ground with very little done to them and you will be happy. Especially in the summer. <br /><i>[Note regarding beets in the microwave: Cut them in half and put them cut-side down in a pyrex dish and check them with a fork every two minutes. Don't microwave whole or they will hiss and spit, which is RUDE, as Toni would say.]</i><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
I'm working on the surah I introduced the other day, Surat Quraysh. Here's the youtube video again for those who are also lazy like me and don't want to click back to another post to see/hear it:<br />
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Not much to say here. I am hoping to have this one in the bag by the end of the week so I can get one more in over the weekend/early next week. <b>Ramadan starts in about 10 days, people!!!</b><br /><br />
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-42830974694128508782012-07-08T22:22:00.002-05:002012-07-08T22:23:12.967-05:00Thick and Thin.I've decided I will once again post every single day, as I did "in the beginning", no matter what I have actually done toward my goal of 20 minutes a day of Islamic studies and exercise. I think (no, I KNOW) it helps me stay motivated when I'm accountable, and I miss writing every little thing that comes into my head, whether for your amusement or not (most probably not).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL6EiEWM8IjOzht-nJUliyKjDFHDisZXFsr9DYkUFA8CmQBrzH9vXFHV80h05Q4PJVDSDb5d_jZwwB5nsthE51Fd2KAjDYCgQ3sI8MDrQLSEFARmsi_OopLeJmtAeMdoGboaHfirrkhsM/s1600/IMG_1583_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL6EiEWM8IjOzht-nJUliyKjDFHDisZXFsr9DYkUFA8CmQBrzH9vXFHV80h05Q4PJVDSDb5d_jZwwB5nsthE51Fd2KAjDYCgQ3sI8MDrQLSEFARmsi_OopLeJmtAeMdoGboaHfirrkhsM/s320/IMG_1583_2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He seems to get the idea.</td></tr>
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Today is just a quick little post—don't worry. I know how to take 'er easy on a Sunday.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></u></b><br />
Today I had Arabic class in the morning and after an hour review session, we have somehow convinced our teacher that <b>we DO know what's going on</b>, despite all of our indications of total confusion this whole semester. He refers to the day, about 5 weeks ago, when he realized we didn't understand cases in Arabic grammar as "The Scare" and I don't blame him. We're in Arabic 8 and should have had this all down in Arabic 5 or 6. But we're back on track now and he is, and I quote, <b>"Wery happy now."</b><br />
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Today we also worked on Hadith #15 from An-Nawawi's 40 Ahadeeth. <b>This one's a classic</b> and no one, Muslim or not, can really argue with it's message. Here's the video with the Arabic audio and English text translation:<br />
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MashAllah I really love Sh. Saad al-Ghamdy's voice. It's a big reason I listen to these little videos over and over. Insha Allah (God willing) you will get something out of them too!<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />
While there was no actual exercise today, I did make some rather healthy choices at the grocery store today. They somehow resulted in a lower bill than usual as well—CHA-CHING!<br />
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Here are some things I chose over less-healthy items I might usually buy on a Sunday when I've had no lunch and just got out of a two-hour board meeting (there were some snacks) following my 3-hour class. Consider this the Health Tip of the Day:<br />
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1. <b>Organic beets, carrots, zucchini, and hearts of romaine</b> instead of conventional Doritos.<br />
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2. In-season <b>blueberries and strawberries</b> to mix into my plain yogurt instead of a <a href="http://www.snackpack.com/" target="_blank">Snack Pack</a>.<br />
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2. <b>Neufchatel cheese</b> for my bagel instead of the full-fat Philly.<br />
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3. <b>Edy's Whole Fruit Bars</b> ( in coconut, YUM!) instead of ice cream. I actually PUT BACK the Häagen Dazs single-serve cups after noting that the tiny little buggers had twice as many calories and <b>five times the fat</b> of one delicious coconut bar.<br />
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There was some other stuff in there but I am way over my personal limit of 10 minutes for blogging tonight. You get the picture—<b>I'm trying to buy more fresh foods and find healthier alternatives without eating things I hate or hating myself.</b> Both of those last things are bad.<br />
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Ok so the cat has been head-butting my arm for about 10 minutes now which is driving me bananas so I will leave you with this question: What did you do that was not-so-bad today?Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-55712355808787950892012-07-07T15:10:00.001-05:002012-07-07T15:10:31.041-05:00Digging out.It's been a while—I missed you! I just looked at the date on my last post and it was the day we started moving our office. That part went fine—the movers were super-efficient and professional—but the ensuing two weeks of nonstop hold music and frustrating, circular conversations with our phone and internet "provider" were about as unproductive as my year off from college in 1998. At least I didn't lose my driver's license for a month and my job at the grocery store forever like I did that year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRNUypDLscHmCX-VJuA7OQ9VEqxCOf_4hLoenydwcrasPeP_5An6MsDzmvIyPMXBVchNerAhJdft7HhraNsRYOhFffX6o9aAY8vRch-4SSMCZKI-bH984Uxqt6g_7IjKoRaJZxI_p_JuA/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRNUypDLscHmCX-VJuA7OQ9VEqxCOf_4hLoenydwcrasPeP_5An6MsDzmvIyPMXBVchNerAhJdft7HhraNsRYOhFffX6o9aAY8vRch-4SSMCZKI-bH984Uxqt6g_7IjKoRaJZxI_p_JuA/s400/Picture+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-v4tlVKU0c4-BmPqNlqcOBrk_9Rk8x8DsG3rIl-TLkUllkqzgMg_bga5Wi1qLh8aeReo3SMdG7CfeqS7gmDSBTr4GztqKLw7y5aJS7N1VKPqKwxE4nyvLpgzwBnhL3wZUCHwxDpwroul/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-v4tlVKU0c4-BmPqNlqcOBrk_9Rk8x8DsG3rIl-TLkUllkqzgMg_bga5Wi1qLh8aeReo3SMdG7CfeqS7gmDSBTr4GztqKLw7y5aJS7N1VKPqKwxE4nyvLpgzwBnhL3wZUCHwxDpwroul/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This creepy Monopoly Man is riding a narwahl. That's all I'm going to say about that.</td></tr>
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Maybe moving to the next part of this post will help you get your mind off that infographic nightmare.<br />
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<u><b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ISLAM</span></b></u><br />
While it's pretty pathetic to say the least, <b>I am proud to have finished memorizing Surat al-Fil</b> with my Quran Buddy (QB). I now have three out of five done for my Ramadan goal—did I mention there are roughly 12 days until Ramadan???!! But guess what? <b>I can do this with the help of Allah. </b><br />
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<b>Next up is Al-Quraysh</b>, which is a companion surah to Al-Feel. I already have the first line and a half memorized because it's read all the time and very easy. The rest I have bits and pieces of just because I have never sat down to learn it front to back. All this is to say that it shouldn't be difficult because I'm so used to hearing it and it's short, like all of the surahs I'm learning for this goal. Baby steps, people!<br />
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For these surahs, I found it's easier to get a video from YouTube so you can see the Arabic and hear it at the same time, rather than me copying and pasting from Quran.com. Working smarter, not harder!<br />
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Here you go:<br />
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I missed Arabic class last week because I was visiting my parents (an Islamic virtue above almost all others in itself) and having a great time playing with 10 new puppies, frying fishes, chatting with my mom, and watching TV with my dad. A very refreshing weekend. </div>
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I did go to the Midweek Halaqa but A) missed half of it and B) can't remember much from the other half right now so we'll just leave it at that. </div>
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<u><b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></b></u><br />
Yeah, no. It's not really happening. Here is a list of lame but not-so-terrible excuses as to why I haven't been putting in my 20 minutes of physical activity every day:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>It's been over 100 degrees (or very close to it) for about a week and a half.</b> Minnesota is that place that is totally mischaracterized by people who have never lived here year-round. Everyone is always like, "But it's so COLD there!" and I'm like, "Yeah, until it's a blast furnace when you open the door in July after sitting in the AC all day to survive while wearing any clothes at all." My air conditioner at home hasn't been able to keep up with the 90+ percent humidity and the ridiculous temps prompting everyone and their mother to take a picture of their car thermometer so inside exercise has even been daunting. </li>
<li><b>I'm truly and utterly exhausted every day after work. </b>It's not even physical exhaustion. I'm just tired from the strain of being weeks behind on my regular work while being forced to deal with the immediate messes of moving. I was in charge of pretty much the whole thing from scheduling the movers to buying the furniture to nearly carpet-bombing Comcast's headquarters and so forth.</li>
<li><b>I have the summer doldrums.</b> This is when you can't peel yourself away from Netflix long enough to put down your <strike>dinner</strike> bowl of cereal and walk to the bathroom. Everyone gets it when it's punishingly hot outside and I am the first to admit that until the storms finally rolled through last night, I had it bad. </li>
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At least I'm finally posting here after two weeks. <b>I have hope that during Ramadan my posts will be inspired, jam-packed with beautiful content with my personal reflections, and regularly loaded onto the Internets. </b>We'll see.</div>
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-70109994931793855572012-06-25T20:24:00.002-05:002012-06-25T20:24:45.277-05:00Reader's DigestThis thing has sort of turned into more of a digest than a daily blog lately, but I feel a sense of accomplishment listing out the things I've done in the last few days. So until stuff calms down at work/home (When would that be you ask? Well, NEVER!) I am going to continue to take some liberties. At least I'm not all sloth-y and avoiding you because of how ashamed I am for not doing anything. That would be worse. Right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznNNMvO0XnVUq_ZlcBrQSMvFPnEV3sisvgh3AjGuKrI11yG2hCiFm9YKRI1NFZoy6DhqEQzdxK4GPjl9xQbwMuGG41WE0QHGdQDuzfr86chYisia0V1pGCCXZMN6PHzBEBu73yIAfpaOT/s1600/babySloth1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznNNMvO0XnVUq_ZlcBrQSMvFPnEV3sisvgh3AjGuKrI11yG2hCiFm9YKRI1NFZoy6DhqEQzdxK4GPjl9xQbwMuGG41WE0QHGdQDuzfr86chYisia0V1pGCCXZMN6PHzBEBu73yIAfpaOT/s320/babySloth1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After seeing this adorable baby sloth I feel bad suggesting they're lazy. <br />In fact, they're just slow. Physically. <br />Not sure about their mental quickness. No time to do sloth research. <br />I'm not lazy, just busy. Really!</td></tr>
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Longest photo caption ever!!!<br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>EXERCISE</u></b></span><br />
My last post was heavy on the Islam with not much going on in the exercise department but this time around it's been flip-flopped. By the way, it's officially flip-flop weather here in Minnesota. Just thought I would mention that.<br />
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Here's what I did since Friday to boost my metabolism, burn calories, and get all sweaty in the face:<br />
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<b>FRIDAY:</b> The night before any housewarming party is the best time to clean your entire home from top to bottom. Preferably this is the first real cleaning it's gotten since you moved in, making it an extra-fat-burning activity. <b>I scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom down</b>, including the tub which always makes all muscles and bones feel terrible. <b>I vacuumed all the furniture and carpets</b> so you could see the real color that's usually hidden by Willy's abandoned fur. <b>I dusted everything, folded all the laundry, and hung some art </b>while futzing around with the furniture and stuff. It took three hours.<br />
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<b>SATURDAY:</b> After my party (which was in my book a huge success, especially after the rave reviews of the super-cheap grocery store brand lemonade people though was fresh-squeezed) one of my pals and <b>I took a walk in my neighborhood</b> and looked at fancy houses on a street famous for Victorian homes. It was warm but not hot and we went up <i>and</i> down small hills. Good stuff!<br />
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<b>SUNDAY: I got out of Arabic class and headed over to another friend's place</b> with my walking buddy from Saturday. After getting some bomb pizza and kebabs from the Afghani place around the corner (don't count those calories here please!) we went in <b>and deep-cleaned several rooms in her house</b>. You see, she's on vacation with her family (a husband and 5 boys!!!) and all those duders make for a messy home. It's just impossible to keep up. So we, along with her mom who has been doing a room here and there all week, went to town on the older boys' room (GROSS) kitchen, bathroom, and living room. I can't wait for her to see it. Don't worry about her reading this—her mom already told her about it. But I know she'll still be shocked. <b>And that makes me happy. </b><br />
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<b>MONDAY</b> (today): At work we did Day One of the big move to our new building. I almost ran into a pole with the U-Haul truck while trying to look all cool and back it into a loading dock to pick up furniture, but just ALMOST. While I didn't do any of the heavy lifting for the move (we have guys to carry boxes while the ladies just look pretty) <b>I did help move a ton of chairs</b> that we got for free from a contact of mine. About 30 chairs needed to go into and out of the truck and get routed to different offices so that was a small workout.<br />
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Right now I'm sitting on the couch, eating risotto because Day Two is tomorrow and we're hitting up the free furniture place again. I also had some faux chicken strips and peas, so it wasn't that bad.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Health Tip of the Day:</b> </span>Host a party. It will make you clean and that is a good way to get in shape. If you hate people or your apartment, just go to someone else's place, break in (legally) and clean it for them. They will die of gratitude and you will feel real good, both because you helped someone out and you did the equivalent of 30 lunges just getting that stuff from behind the toilet off the floor.<br />
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<b style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>ISLAM</u></b><br />
Arabic class was on Sunday, so that's the only real update since Friday when I told you about the new Surahs I've been learning. We reviewed some grammar that somehow got lost between Arabic 5 and 8 so we're no longer in the doghouse with our teacher for not knowing stuff we're supposed to know.<br />
<br />
We also went over Hadith #15 in Imam an-Nawawi's 40 Ahadith. It talks about the permissible reasons for spilling the blood of another Muslim. This hadith is really important because it educates both Muslims and non-Muslims alike about what constitutes justice in Islam.<br />
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It's important to note that these sentences can only be carried out by the ruling authority in the land (like the caliph) who has knowledge of the laws and not just any person who feels like taking revenge. <b>It's astounding to me when I hear about ignorant people who take the lives of others and claim they have a right under the Sharia. </b>They have no authority to do this, and by taking matters into their own hands, they have actually gone against the laws of Islam.<br />
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There are many conditions and provisions in these laws (such as needing four reliable witnesses who actually saw the physical act of intercourse take place in the case of adultery) that it's really only appropriate for the most knowledgeable people in positions of authority to interpret and apply them.<br />
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<b>May Allah make us among those who learn, follow, and respect His laws in a way that befits His ultimate knowledge and majesty.</b> May He make me a person who constantly strives to obey Him in everything I do while sharing the beauty of this whole-life system of Islam with the world.<br />
<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-45943622015233659732012-06-22T17:47:00.004-05:002012-06-22T17:47:53.961-05:00We don't need to talk about that.Let's not talk about how I lost another blogging week without knowing what happened. Let's gloss right over that. Good. Thanks.<br />
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Now my dear blog-ees, please know that I love you. A whole lot. I just seem to be having some trouble getting back to my routine and all these pesky things keep piling up on me. The biggest one is that the organization I work for decided to buy a building. Around the first of June. And they decided they needed to close within two weeks. I KNOW!! And THEN they decided that we need to move into it before the end of the month. OKAY.... And guess who's in charge? YUP.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP3FeX03i_tVrvjSLVVG70_bhJKqpw99bbvLTblp-OKugYnEI_Ydx_B7fqZmc4wbrpx_GDiEfrpFSE7cGk0fT58BTUdv-wDwZ3e5ZqmlDSq_6DETI7rY2qL3zh6x3pyBThiw8n-s3-mEC/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP3FeX03i_tVrvjSLVVG70_bhJKqpw99bbvLTblp-OKugYnEI_Ydx_B7fqZmc4wbrpx_GDiEfrpFSE7cGk0fT58BTUdv-wDwZ3e5ZqmlDSq_6DETI7rY2qL3zh6x3pyBThiw8n-s3-mEC/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was basically me when I got the news of my new part-time job-within-a-job.</td></tr>
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Well, we move Monday/Tuesday and despite some scares today with the phone and internet demons, I mean people, somehow things are on schedule. Alhamdulillah.<br />
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<u style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISLAM</b></u><br />
I've actually been doing a lot (relatively, compared to exercise) in this area but have pretty much neglected to tell you about it. I aim to do a better job of that soon. Real soon, since <b>Ramadan is ONE MONTH AWAY!!!</b> Breathe, Jessica. Just breathe. In and out. There you go.<br />
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Here's a quick list of stuff I did since I don't have much time right now to write but I just missed you so much I couldn't wait until after work. Plus I need a break. For reals.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I revisited <a href="http://quran.com/107" target="_blank">Surat al-Maun</a> and I have it DOWN. Big alhamdulillah.</li>
<li>I learned <a href="http://quran.com/111" target="_blank">Surat al-Masad</a> with my Quran Buddy (QB). I think I told you this but it bears repeating.</li>
<li>I attended Sh. Hatem's class on Wednesday and we talked about self-sufficiency and how to balance that with trusting Allah to provide us with everything we need. It was good stuff. </li>
<li>My QB and I started <a href="http://quran.com/105" target="_blank">Surah al-Feel</a> (the Elephant) yesterday and while we didn't finish it due to our late start and interruptions including the ishaa prayer, we got three verses out of the five memorized. I am happy with that. Next up is <a href="http://quran.com/106" target="_blank">Surat Quraysh</a>, which is like a companion chapter with al-Feel. They go together like peas and carrots. <span style="background-color: white;"><b>Once we learn these last two in full, I will only have one more to go to reach my goal of 5 new surahs by Ramadan. </b>Now that's SOMETHING. </span></li>
</ul>
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PLUS, I am getting a new Quran from my friend who went to NYC and dropped by the Darulsalaam bookstore. Good times!! May Allah bring me benefit from this study and help me put my knowledge into practice this Ramadan and beyond.</div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">*****<span style="background-color: white;">****************************</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>EXERCISE</b></u></span><br />
Not so much. I know, it's bad. It's been so hot but that's not even a real excuse because there's this stuff called air conditioning and I have it. <b>But I did run around today and pack like a million boxes</b> and carry stuff etc. I need to start at least walking 20 minutes at night again or something to reset my habit from before. I don't know what my physical fitness plan will be for Ramadan, but if there are any Muslims (or fitness experts/physicians) with any advice, I will take it right there in the comments section.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of the Day:</span></b> <b>Greek yogurt.</b> I know, everyone knows about this, it's a huge trend, and some people don't like it but if you haven't tried it please do. It's like a thick, creamy, tangy version of regular yogurt and they somehow have figured out how to make it fat free without being all sad and depressing. It has gotten me out of some serious hunger jams at work when I might have resorted to something bad at the 3:00 p.m. "feed me now or I will scream" section of the day. My favorite is Chobani but the Yoplait one isn't bad at all and they have little cups of the coconut flavor which is super-yummy.<br />
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-22673512668025693092012-06-15T14:44:00.004-05:002012-06-15T14:44:47.707-05:00Back in the saddle. For now.Wow, it's not easy to take the reins again once you bust a wheel and your wagon goes all wonky and off the trail and you lose a horse to cholera and everyone in the back of the wagon is screaming and bouncing around every time you hit a rock. That has been my experience anyway. Being sick and then going to camp and all of these other things put my Exercise/Islam/Blog schedule into the ditch and those towing people take forever, especially when you're Out West in a wagon.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExXDQVyVbRgoYo9tmDhYBDffmKA3sodnoNvOmkTOshupr0k-_8DMkfwlv2ZD_vwC8OGKHA51KoOM0c9CxaYPWEJj9LpgJyAzePYM0ofpdE8V5NMiNlivCG8NAYuWoaoslg6y3nRz-Xlv2/s1600/oregon-trail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExXDQVyVbRgoYo9tmDhYBDffmKA3sodnoNvOmkTOshupr0k-_8DMkfwlv2ZD_vwC8OGKHA51KoOM0c9CxaYPWEJj9LpgJyAzePYM0ofpdE8V5NMiNlivCG8NAYuWoaoslg6y3nRz-Xlv2/s400/oregon-trail.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I promise this was the first google result for "Oregon Trail Wagon Game". <br />
The Muslims will totally get the oddity of name #5 in this case, <br />
and the reverts around my age will be like, WHAT?! when they put it with #1.</td></tr>
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I somehow <i>didn't</i> die of dysentery in the past 30 days though, so let's get this show on the road!<br />
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<u style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><b>ISLAM</b></u><br />
My plan to memorize 5 new surahs before Ramadan almost went into the dustbin with this hiatus I've been on. But one of my best buds and I were talking and we decided that we just need some structure to get this done together. She found a <a href="http://myspiritualfix.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/quran-juzz-30-progress-tracker.pdf" target="_blank">cool chart </a>of the last "juz" or section of the Quran, which contains 30 surahs (chapters), most of which are very short.<br />
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We got to work last night and in less than an hour, we had pretty much learned Surah al-Masad. We chose it because it's short and near the end and neither of us knew it (she had the first line and a half) but looking back, it's a very intense little chapter in the Book of Allah. Here it is in Arabic and English for y'all:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ40m7QOxeaNO1Q77oZimQ8QaxDrFs8YhqLlm2KD_2aYmg9juPVHl2xx5b9JQWzLdhzQQqBdbDBgSETRc_NhdRl9trxV8FaYlY9HGH__caz1P3MnSakFrrEhw3ur4YqOxOs_fhpyB7xLK/s1600/111_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ40m7QOxeaNO1Q77oZimQ8QaxDrFs8YhqLlm2KD_2aYmg9juPVHl2xx5b9JQWzLdhzQQqBdbDBgSETRc_NhdRl9trxV8FaYlY9HGH__caz1P3MnSakFrrEhw3ur4YqOxOs_fhpyB7xLK/s640/111_1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH67pPvuNzXIBdq0A_lZ4j59hEQwxRinZr9BunHwK8-l0M8jg4_-w6uwq55gp9bbhlWL7x6kkGn5zwoy50K4hNDZbL4kjMmHJ292krdDuDQxNtgGYOfw_Y-b549P_ELrJEpzoW5BtmvYFx/s1600/111_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH67pPvuNzXIBdq0A_lZ4j59hEQwxRinZr9BunHwK8-l0M8jg4_-w6uwq55gp9bbhlWL7x6kkGn5zwoy50K4hNDZbL4kjMmHJ292krdDuDQxNtgGYOfw_Y-b549P_ELrJEpzoW5BtmvYFx/s640/111_2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;">
His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9zAdzf3szon2vvLdRx6lmR8b21xaP9sy69EJCScLt5DYmdMctqtLbYdOzXH0r33RPrBGZcyYNOL36jDL_EVKDC-Wc4bjFSMG11UcmBzxUx4ZDTC_yJ6XQCbtAfQzne2yIzlrIvji4NzW/s1600/111_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9zAdzf3szon2vvLdRx6lmR8b21xaP9sy69EJCScLt5DYmdMctqtLbYdOzXH0r33RPrBGZcyYNOL36jDL_EVKDC-Wc4bjFSMG11UcmBzxUx4ZDTC_yJ6XQCbtAfQzne2yIzlrIvji4NzW/s640/111_3.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjKip0mO0CMDSSuBuQAQCSqBhnXsXXFMXVz6WAdEKV0bsSVE8ecKboirMTpEmHqfgmMfmeOVX5cD1QaFWkynszFKML-4qLn2d-t-9RG3uZ4bJsEUq9b6pK831CTNsnyW6jYNTwYnB-0Rs/s1600/111_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjKip0mO0CMDSSuBuQAQCSqBhnXsXXFMXVz6WAdEKV0bsSVE8ecKboirMTpEmHqfgmMfmeOVX5cD1QaFWkynszFKML-4qLn2d-t-9RG3uZ4bJsEUq9b6pK831CTNsnyW6jYNTwYnB-0Rs/s640/111_4.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuHmiGR2SCQvAoy3UL8-UbIsLxS8Y4fxuVXwowIYMWzBw3omD0WtqZ0mBXZen55FxrqH_UQQF8uI5DFIPPgRJmwkZGoUirsAKMxUo_2WZKZ8WrB-h1eOIgFEtuxPQLNn4C2kCVN-SNwlM/s1600/111_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuHmiGR2SCQvAoy3UL8-UbIsLxS8Y4fxuVXwowIYMWzBw3omD0WtqZ0mBXZen55FxrqH_UQQF8uI5DFIPPgRJmwkZGoUirsAKMxUo_2WZKZ8WrB-h1eOIgFEtuxPQLNn4C2kCVN-SNwlM/s640/111_5.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Long story short, Abu Lahab was one of the uncles of the Prophet </b><span style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ </span>and pretty much Islam's biggest enemy.</b> Unlike Abu Talib, who refused to accept Islam out of pride but still supported Muhammad and helped him in many ways, Abu Lahab was bent on his destruction and that of the religion in general. <b>Ironically, he could have destroyed the credibility of the Quran by simply becoming Muslim</b> like Abu Sufyan, another uncle, which would make this surah a contradiction since saying the shahada would have saved him from eternal ruin and hellfire. <b>But Allah guides who He wills and His book contains no errors. </b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;">May Allah help us to learn from His words and recite them as reminders of His wisdom, mercy, and power over all of us. May He protect us from the fate of the vain and arrogant Abu Lahab and his wife and keep us from even being dipped for a second into the Fire.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><b>Two surahs down, three to go</b>, and we have a plan to do one per week—with the help of Allah WE CAN DO IT!!!</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">**************************</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>EXERCISE</b></u></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: right;">After our Quran study and a wonderful taco dinner, my friend and I took a night walk with her husband through her neighborhood. There were a whole bunch of planes coming in overhead, flying really low and with strange lights. I had seen a giant military plane come in right next to the airport the other day, so we thought maybe these were army planes too. My friend pointed out that it was Flag Day so that could have something to do with it. I almost called her nuts for a second because in my head, I was like, <b>"FLAG DAY?? THAT'S IN JUNE!"</b> I honestly hadn't truly realized that we were in June, that THIS IS SUMMER NOW and that Ramadan is coming in about a month. <b>May Allah help me make it to that glorious month prepared and ready to take full advantage of all of its blessings. </b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;">Anyway, we walked, I had a momentary panic attack, and then everything got better after that. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of The Day:</span></b> <b>Practice knowing what month it is by looking at a calendar.</b> Don't let your brain think it's like March when it's clearly June and you've already been to summer camp even. These realizations, when unexpected, can be a jolt to the system. Get ready for December now by counting down!</span></div>
</div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-59171721755964958922012-06-11T21:04:00.000-05:002012-06-11T21:13:20.422-05:00Camptastic!Once a year, I turn into a 17-year-old girl (which I never really was in the traditional sense...) and I go to camp. Well, at least for the past two years. I hope it's forever. This last weekend was three days of 84 girls 15-20+ and nonstop screaming for all different kinds of reasons (spiders, mosquitos, cheering competitions, being picked to line up for dinner first, you know). It was a blast.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrcmFnqjAUdS6Ete66P4V1l1TMJEzjhasiGDrDFLi2J9ke2sTCBJrkeD89pxSNUnrf2TqKLn1eyam8wKTfsLkTu4r9JajyX7Zl5IlNEaYrl1gW_T6PbxwQK_Sg7H5xLMA8H0Wkr4hLW21/s1600/noboys.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrcmFnqjAUdS6Ete66P4V1l1TMJEzjhasiGDrDFLi2J9ke2sTCBJrkeD89pxSNUnrf2TqKLn1eyam8wKTfsLkTu4r9JajyX7Zl5IlNEaYrl1gW_T6PbxwQK_Sg7H5xLMA8H0Wkr4hLW21/s400/noboys.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think if a boy somehow made it into camp, he would dissolve on impact with the girl fumes.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>ISLAM</u></b></span><br />
This was a Muslim camp for youth sisters so it was like one big Islamic halaqa (class) with activities, bonfires, and meals sprinkled in. The theme this year was "Ihdinas siraat al-mustaqeem" which means "Guide us to the straight path". This encompasses everything from staying firm in our faith and learning ways to become closer to Allah to choosing the right friends who will build you up and keep you headed in the right direction. <b>A lot of the girls coming to the camp struggle with their Muslim identity at high school or college</b> and face a lot of challenges trying to keep it all together. Culture gets in the way when their parents expect them to do things the way they did, even if it's against Islam, and peer pressure and outside influences are all over the place, making it really hard for them to practice their religion.<br />
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We talked a lot about how fears are usually based on false assumptions, and if you're worried about praying in school or talking to your mom about marriage or whatever, it's likely not going to be as bad as you think. <b>I remember agonizing over when I would start wearing hijab</b> (the Islamic head scarf) and I wasn't in high school. It had taken me two years to finally decide it was right and then the day I did it, my 29th birthday in fact (and the first day of Ramadan 2007), I was shaking as I entered the college where I worked and also had been a student. The reactions were largely neutral, and most people were supportive and kind. I was the only Muslim there so I was imagining much worse. Ok one lady—my previous supervisor—did point, cover her mouth, and laugh, but that's just because she's close-minded and doesn't know any better after sucking up all that Fox news for years. I remember my boss at the time saying, "I don't care what you do", which hadn't occurred to me. <b>Basically, the idea is that most people aren't paying attention to you nearly as much as you think. And if you stick to your principles, you will get respect.</b> Try it out!<br />
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<b>The best activity of the camp</b> (because canoeing this year was a huge windy disaster) <b>was the Night Walk.</b> It was about midnight on the first night of camp. We lined all the girls up and had them hold onto a rope. Then we walked into the woods on a path that got darker as we went. It was a simulation of the siraat that we will all have to walk on the Day of Judgement. It will be as thin as a knife blade and hellfire will be below. Some people will go easily across because of how they lived their lives here. Some will stumble and fall. And some will be pulled off by hooks and plunged into the fire. We were being told this as we walked. <b>You can see where this is going.</b> A few people started pulling girls off the rope and told them to go back. It was pitch black and they were scared, not knowing where to go. Some cried and refused to let go. When we got back, we realized that half of the camp was sitting there. They hadn't made it. <b>Many of the girls didn't even realize people were being pulled away because they were so afraid for themselves.</b> This is how it will be on that day. We had a great talk about how it felt to contemplate this event and the point really hit home for a lot of girls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We scared the silly right out of them girls.</td></tr>
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Don't worry, it wasn't a total summer bummer. We also talked about the mercy of Allah and what we can do to ensure our quick passing of the siraat. <b>And we had s'mores.</b> YUM. On Sunday we had a "Beauty Inside and Out" workshop and exfoliated each other. Everybody's fine.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br />
I'm plumb wore out from camp so I am going to bullet-point the physical activity portion of this post so I can switch the laundry and pass out. Here's what I did Friday-Sunday to burn off the Country Time Lemonade and Barq's Root Beer and all the other sugary drinks they kept putting out at meal times:<br />
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<li><b>Carried my super-heavy backpack</b>, bedroll, and other stuff back and forth from one place or bus to another.</li>
<li><b>Walked the "Night Walk".</b></li>
<li>Walked a half-mile to the lake, hauled a canoe down to the dock with one of my campers, and <b>just about died trying to paddle ourselves out of a circle</b> because of the wind. Had a mild panic attack when the boat tipped a bit and I thought we were going to get dunked into this huge patch of tall weeds covered in floating minnows. Not sure what happened to those little guys but I did not want to swim with them. We finally had to paddle backwards to shore because that's the only way it would work. </li>
<li><b>Washed about 100 cups, bowls, and plates on dish duty.</b> Once after taco night complete with greasy ground beef and guacamole and once after breakfast which featured syrup and peanut butter for the waffles. That will identify some forgotten lower back muscles.</li>
<li><b>Danced the buraanbur</b> (Somali wedding dance) in the sprinkler outside on the stone patio by the fire pit. It was about 90 degrees outside on Sunday afternoon so the water was a welcome addition. The dancing was halal (permissible) and didn't include music, just clapping, but it was loads of fun in the sun. You should try it sometime if you get a chance, just don't go to one of those mixed weddings, k?</li>
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There was a lot more but these were the exercise highlights. I probably burned 1000 calories this weekend, and I'm seriously considering crashing some women-only Somali weddings this summer so I can dance some more pounds off.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of The Day:</span></b> Shake things up a bit and get loose this summer. Hook up the Slip 'n Slide in the backyard or just run through the spray of water from the garden hose (you will need a partner who has a thumb for this activity). Jump on a neighbor's trampoline or go to the lake and run around on the beach (sand makes running challenging—this is good). <b>PRETEND YOU ARE A KID.</b><br />
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-1717114435399187802012-06-05T22:16:00.000-05:002012-06-05T22:16:39.551-05:00Doctor Day.How could it be a whole week since my last post? Being sick has totally put me out of commission in so many ways. I haven't seen friends in person either, and I've basically just gone home every night after work to try to sit still and not be dizzy with a splitting headache. So I finally made appointments with my doctor and the Target Optical eye exam guy just to rule out an old prescription causing the problems.<br />
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Today I got some answers and some pills, plus a whole lot more.<br />
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I was planning to go to work but I had a stupid fever again all night so after rolling around for 7 hours and then waking up in a splash pad of sweat that came out of my pizza oven chest, I called in sick and just went back to bed until my appointments at 3:00.<br />
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I'll try to shorten this all because I still have a splitting headache and I want to go to bed, plus you don't want to hear every last detail of my doctor bonanza today. I know! Bullet Points!<br />
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<li>Saw new doc. <b>Loved the assistant, nurse, and doctor at the Women's Health Center</b> I made my primary clinic when I got my new insurance. Doc decided headaches and dizziness were in fact from sinus infection. Also decided pain in side while breathing could be a clot in my lung but probably not (GASP! OW!!). </li>
<li>Drew blood for screening test to see if CT scan was needed for clot. Had EKG, which was all good. </li>
<li>Went to eye exam after getting temporarily stuck in the construction tumble dryer that is the Cedar/Riverside area of Minneapolis. <b>The detours go in circles!!!</b></li>
<li>Eyes look good and scrip barely changed. No emergency glasses needed but I want to replace the only pair I've ever had soon. SOON.</li>
<li>Voicemail from doc. Test was positive. GASP GASP. OUCH!! <b>It hurts to gasp, dude!</b></li>
<li><b>Drove to hospital to get CT scan. </b>Just another day, do do dooo....</li>
<li>Waited 45 minutes while receptionists talked about diaper prices at Sam's vs. Costco and their son's eye drainage habits. America's Got Talent was on the TV and I can attest that it certainly does not.</li>
<li>Kevin, an ex-con covered in tattoos finally guided me with a kind smile to the weird Ukranian basement room where they keep the giant donut-shaped scanner. </li>
<li>Had my first CT scan. <b>WEIRDEST FEELING EVER.</b> JUST BIZARRE. Most people have had one, but that was just strange. I can only compare it to a night I really don't want to remember from freshman year of college. We won't talk about that. </li>
<li>Kevin came and held my hand and told me I had no clot. Alhamdulillah. I waited around and then my doctor talked to me on the phone and we discussed some next steps. <b>Everything is good!</b></li>
<li>Started my Z-Pac of antibiotics for the sinus infection. <b>Planning to eat lots of yogurt now.</b></li>
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<b>The whole entire experience was quite surreal.</b> I was alone but that was okay for the most part. My sister and a friend offered to be there but everything happened so fast that I just went on my own. I figured the whole time it was nothing. I'm not really sure what I would have done if I had found out there was a clot while stuck at the hospital with the two coupon-clipping moms and Sharon Osborne. I suppose I would have handled it somehow but looking back it was a little scary. </div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>ISLAM</u></b></span></div>
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This is the weirdest thing. Right before Kevin finally came to get me, I was frustrated by how long I had waited, that my phone had no signal so I couldn't text anyone or look online, and that the Better Homes and Gardens with Michelle Obama on it was a total dud. So I pulled out my phone and opened the app I have for the 40 Hadith, which I admit I don't look at often because we study the book in class. </div>
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The one that was already open was this one:</div>
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<u>Hadith #19</u></div>
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On the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas, who said: One day I was behind the prophet <span style="font-size: x-small;">ﷺ</span> (on his riding animal) and he said to me:</div>
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"Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. <b><i>The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." </i></b>-Reported by Tirmidhi</div>
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My eyes welled up when I got to the end and then my friend was there telling me it was time to get my scan. I couldn't believe it. <b>The answer to my fears was right there.</b> If I had a clot, it was decided a long time ago that it was best for me and I would just need to deal with it and try to find benefit in it. Maybe it would teach me the patience I don't have when driving. Maybe it would give me some time to see my family for a while. Or make me more grateful for everything else I have. </div>
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So you see, today was a good day. I still get to go to camp, I got myself some ice cream after this long ordeal because I EARNED IT and now I get to sleep knowing that I am getting things finally figured out. </div>
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Thanks everyone for understanding about my absence lately. I do want to get back in the game but I will need some time to recoup before I will go back to daily postings. <b>Get ready for major camp updates on Monday/Tuesday though!</b></div>
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<br /></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-40071044047812779582012-05-30T23:25:00.001-05:002012-05-30T23:25:52.663-05:00SmörgåsbordToday's serving of the 20/20 Project is going to be just a mish-mash of different things I want to talk about because that's what you get to do when you have your own show.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You want chicken fingers? Ok. We have a cold shrimp salad with boiled egg.</td></tr>
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I'm going to type whatever strikes my fancy today.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>ISLAM</u></span></b><br />
First, I didn't post yesterday but there was some cool "Islam" going on so I will share now. We had our first meeting for counselors of the "2nd Annual Al-Isra Retreat Sisters' Camp organized by Building Blocks for Muslimahs". Basically it's an all-girls Islamic camp for one weekend (NEXT WEEKEND!). I was a counselor last year and had so much fun I am doing it again insha Allah (if Allah wills). I don't know what came over me during the first camp—it was oppressively hot, I barely slept, and I was in charge of 5 girls and two ladies which can be a challenge but somehow I rose to the occasion (I think) and didn't complain a bit. I should try being a counselor at work or for other events—maybe if I had it in my head that I have to always set a good example (and I should) then I would tolerate a lot more foolishness. It would only be to my benefit.<br />
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Anyway at the meeting we talked logistics but also came up with some cool ideas for activities that go along with this year's theme of "ihdinas siraat ul-mustaqeem" or "lead us to the straight path". This is something from the Quran that we say in every prayer, and 17 times a day if we just pray all 5 required prayers. I can't give the ideas away because some campers might be reading this, but lemme tell you: It's COOL. <b>I'm REALLY EXCITED for camp!</b> The other day I went shopping and got some sensible elastic waistband pants, light pastel-toned tees, and a floppy hat. <b>Basically I am packing for retirement in Florida.</b><br />
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Today there was more Islam at the Midweek Halaqa. I will just share one quote from Sh. Hatem that really stuck with me even though his whole talk on sincerity and avoiding the different types of "enslavement" in this life was really good. He said, <b>"If your prayer is not refining you, it's not working. Go and fix it."</b> So if you are praying 5 times a day but still cheating on exams, stealing money from your sister, and getting sucked into activities with others that are no good for you, then you aren't getting anything from the salat. It's like plunking a quarter into a broken vending machine every couple of hours and pushing the button, but nothing ever comes out. Insanity, right? Fixing your prayer might mean looking at the physical steps of the prayer itself, correcting your intention before you pray, or making sure you are creating an environment where you can concentrate and have quality in your prayers. One thing said by our last AlMaghrib instructor rung a bell for me. He said, <b>"Allah turns to us when we pray and even answers us back in all His Majesty. How insulting is it then when we don't even give Him our attention?"</b> So many of us get easily distracted in the prayer because we've just put down our phone after reading tweets (guilty!), or we're hungry (yep!), or we want to go back to bed (the worst!). But it's up to us to make sure we're focused and ready to pray because we are the ones in need of the prayer, not Allah.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">BREAKING NEWS AND YAY!!!</span></b><br />
My Arabic teacher and his wife had their first baby! She was having trouble last night and the baby was in distress so they did a C-section. Muminah is healthy, beautiful, and her head is covered in tons of silky black hair. This couple has gone through many years of struggles trying to start a family so we are all very excited and thankful to Allah that everyone's doing okay. Mom is still having some blood pressure issues but we're hoping that everything will calm down. Please pray for the family. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Mashood, call me when she's got the cankles and I am so there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-66018335399817416982012-05-28T20:42:00.003-05:002012-05-28T20:42:50.991-05:00Zoo DayNo really, it was Family Day at the Zoo today, an annual event put on by Building Blocks to bring any and all Muslims in the community together for food, fun, and just a little bit of depression brought on by viewing a sparse offering of sluggish animals in a pretty tight space for a "suggested donation" of $2 for adults. <b>Basically the zoo is free.</b> And if you're feeling bad for the critters, they have kept the original tiny cages on display where the animals used to be housed, so you can put that little thought away right now! A big plus is that it's just about a mile or two from my place.<br />
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More important than the zoo is the wonder of seeing hundreds of hijabs floating over the vast fields of perfect green grass made even more punchy by about two weeks straight of rain. Thankfully the clouds parted early this morning and it was PICTURESQUE to say the least. 80 degrees pretty much all day and not a drop of rain. Alhamdulillah!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the first photo uploaded to the BB facebook page today. <br />You can guess what the guys were thinking about and it wasn't hot dogs!</td></tr>
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More fun in the sun on a bun coming up!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>ISLAM</u></span></b><br />
Part of practicing our deen (religion) is building the bonds of sister/brotherhood with each other. It's really important to get out and see each other socially and enjoy ourselves once in a while, away from the board meetings and halaqas and daily prayers. Even if some of us (cough) can't sit down long enough to talk to anyone in a meaningful way because the Hi-C in the giant McDonald's cooler is leaking all over the place and turning the kids orange, or someone else showed up with a watermelon and everyone is scared to cut them, or <b>"SISTER, DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE CUPS???!!!"</b><br />
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But I digress. The truth is, I have a blast running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I love it. Sitting down is just so IMPOSSIBLE. I apologize for everyone who said they wanted to talk to me more today but didn't get to. <b>Next time, bring a big knife and meet me out back by the flies.</b><br />
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Another critical component of life as a Muslim is making Da'wah, or sharing the religion with others. Just being out in droves at a busy place like the zoo on Memorial Day exposes people to us in ways and numbers they just won't experience at home in Woodbury (big ups to my little friend named Woodbury!). We draw about 500 (I think many more this year) people to this event so we definitely took care of making da'wah today. <b>It's good to show people that we will also circle for days to park closer to the entrance</b>; we like hotdogs too (halal, of course); and we too get sick of holding a two-year-old up on the railing to see the orangutans after about 17 straight minutes of him kicking us in the stomach. We're normal!<br />
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Yes, it's hot under all the clothes. But not as hot as you think. Not having the sun beat down on your skin is a bonus. And to be brutally honest, I would be much more <i>un</i>comfortable in a stretched-until-see-thru black tube top and bike shorts and lots of people—some older than my mom—chose to wear some variation on that ensemble today. To each her own.<br /><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EXERCISE</span></u></b><br /><b>Oh, I put in my steps today!</b> I helped set up the pavilions. I staffed the food stand which meant a lot of running back and forth to get/empty/clean up/cut things. I carried ice, cases of water, and lots of watermelons. And no I didn't drop any—I got skills! I walked to the zoo (about 3-4 blocks) and back <i>twice</i> and wandered around in it 1.5 times. The second time was looking for a family I know that couldn't find the pavilions so they just got wristbands and rode the rides at the zoo. <b>That's what I love about refugees—they go with the flow because that's all they know.</b><br />
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Overall I had a great day. I got a headache toward the end because of the sun and dehydration, regardless of drinking about 3 full bottles of water. I have been getting these in the afternoons before the dizziness comes on so I took that as my cue to up and leave. Plus a lady was pining for my parking spot while I packed hula hoops and a coffin-like cooler in my car so I "made da'wah" and gave it to her.<br />
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After coming home and taking a shower, a tiny drum corps (like 3 guys) rolled through Grand Ave and I saw some kids playing soccer outside the bank across the street while people ate ice cream and watched. <b>Minnesota's capital city is pretty great.</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of The Day: </span></b>If you are part of a group or club and they hold an event (particularly outdoors), check it out! It's good to shake up your social routine, you can usually get cheap or free food, and there's always a lot of walking involved which is an obvious plus. If you have no such group, find one! Volunteer organizations, libraries, and park or city associations are great places to meet people with interests that match yours. <b>Looking in the google box is a good place to start.</b><br />
<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-74042594187915902852012-05-27T22:38:00.001-05:002012-05-27T22:38:02.382-05:00Too late? Too little??<div><p>Whatever. I am not the power-yoga core-building fat-burning machine "As Seen on TV". </p>
<p>I am also not the dedicated scholar with my nose in two books at all times while listening to a lecture and translating an article from Arabic to English (God help us if anyone ever asks me to do that). </p>
<p>I'm normal and flawed and have countracted Vertigo. I just think it sounds cool to say it that way, don't get all correct-y with me because I am aware that dizziness isn't contagious.</p>
<p>Anyway I am slow to post and when I do it can be a downer to read to the bottom and find out I didn't say anything at all. </p>
<p>Today I am determined to say at least one thing, regardless of the fact that I am using my phone to Swype this and my middle finger is getting numb. I don't know, it's the easiest one for me to use!!!</p>
<p>Anywhoodles, I did go to a youth lecture last night with a friend and her boys and we met up with another lady we hang out with a lot. The lecture will be a weekly talk on manners from an Islamic perspective. They are using a book with 100 ahadith on manners. I didn't catch the compiler/publisher but I am sure someone reading this can help us out.</p>
<p>The talk was good and the brother speaking did a good job keeping the kids in line. He talked about how in order to grow up strong and deal with real life after you leave your mom and dad you need to discipline yourself. Sit respectfully in class, even if it hurts a bit. Show attentiveness to the one speaking. And above all, show the utmost respect to the Creator of the heavens and the earth by worshipping Him alone. Tawhid, the oneness of Allah, is the first thing we need to instill in ourselves and our kids. It's part of good manners! </p>
<p>I took this very much to heart. We fall all over ourselves to talk to a celebrity (traditional or the new kind, the celebrity sheikh) or even our favorite researcher/executive/CEO of [insert company/industry]. But do we humble ourselves in prayer to Allah? Do we even acknowledge He is watching when we go to do a sin? Do we take partners with Him by asking the dead to help us (rampant overseas) or by revering another human being along with him?</p>
<p>Far above these acts is Allah. He doesn't need our worship. We do. He gave us faith as a gift and the least we can do is appreciate it. Alhamdulillah.</p>
<p>No pictures today. No silly quips. Just a reminder for those who reflect.</p>
<p>Oh, and may Allah bring refuge to the people being murdered in their homes by the Syrian government, led by a man so cowardly in the Face of Allah that he claims he isn't killing these kids in Houla and elsewhere. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raj'oon. To Allah we belong and to Allah we return. If you don't know about this crisis please look it up. It's one of the few things that everyone is in agreement upon right now, despite party lines. That the bloodshed must stop. 15 months is 15 too many.</p>
<p>Personal plea: Please don't see "The Dictator" and support the parody of what's actually happening right now at the hands of a true dictatorship. How can people laugh at such atrocities?</p>
<p>May Allah make me among those who speak out for justice and humanity. </p>
</div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-91439464285420862512012-05-25T19:15:00.000-05:002012-05-25T19:15:28.196-05:00Loose noodles.I'm having some sort of inner-ear problems. Usually this would be followed up with a joke about how dumb I am or another brain-related jab at myself, but this thing's the real deal. My good friend had similar issues a while back and is a pro in this arena because her ears have always been stupid jerks that make her sick.<br />
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<b>Basically for the last two weeks since my sinus cold (infection?) I have been ultra-dizzy, </b>mainly in the evening. It gets worse around 5:00 p.m. Maybe it's because of a long day at work looking at the computer or as my gal pal says, because I'm moving my head around all day and the infectious fluids are sloshing about, but in any case it's hard to do anything. <b>I can't walk, turn my head, or pick things up</b> without getting all "rollercoaster-y". This pretty much rules out any form of exercise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyeBbUZeKY4ZnwQzDLe3D-qurm2Jcp6MbyYvylps1xnkrPtHE5w34ZEM3d5Eyuwx_l64_3NZmONNJsKnOZReHeaAXmsRWwEuM3gJ_U6GGcV6ehcSYVUoWHibDFVtnXNeB8PRnPHKwVnnf/s1600/park-rides-2-the-scrambler-steve-ohlsen.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyeBbUZeKY4ZnwQzDLe3D-qurm2Jcp6MbyYvylps1xnkrPtHE5w34ZEM3d5Eyuwx_l64_3NZmONNJsKnOZReHeaAXmsRWwEuM3gJ_U6GGcV6ehcSYVUoWHibDFVtnXNeB8PRnPHKwVnnf/s400/park-rides-2-the-scrambler-steve-ohlsen.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No thanks.</td></tr>
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This is really bumming me out because I feel so off-the-wagon since getting sick and I want to return to my routine.<br />
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However, <b>I am not interested in feeling like I need to vomit just to burn 45 calories in 20 minutes.</b> I ain't no idjit as my dad would say. Instead I will work extra-long on my Quran memorization tonight since that has been falling off as well. I will review Surah al-Maun and work on the new one, which I have to look up here because I can't even remember which one it is!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Health Tip of the Day: </span></b>Ambitions are one thing, but limitations are always there. Push your limits until you reach the point where you are pretty sure that the activity will make you spinny or otherwise worse off than you are now. Go at it again later with more vigor when you are able!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013142950730373990.post-85762421655928787562012-05-24T23:55:00.001-05:002012-05-24T23:55:48.817-05:00Breaking News<div><p>Can someone tell my blog readers I don't feel good tonight so I won't be posting?</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
</div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10681616466415682770noreply@blogger.com0