Waxing and Waning

We named the cats. Gamal, Abdul, Nasser, and Frank. We're not sure which one is which but those are their names. There's a joke in there somewhere but it might not be funny. They've grown up so much. They have given up timidly crouching in the bushes next to the cafeteria and are now rather forcefully demanding to partake in my dinner. So cute. so cute.

Last night I attend a concert at the nearby Jesuit Cultural Center. Although I was not wearing socks, the concert rocked them. It was awesome. It featured a band with oud (lute in english), toubla (Middle Eastern hand drum), an upright bass, a piano, and best of all, a full blown choir. Amazing. I hardly understood a word but that was okay. Here's proof:


And the choir (although blurry in the picture, they were not blurry in real life. I promise.)


I remember hearing someone read from a guide book on Egypt that Egyptian taxis do not run on gasoline but will power. At the time, I scoffed at the comment and dismissed it has an exaggeration.

Egyptian taxis are like Yzma, the disgruntled ex-administrator/mad scientist from the Disney film, The Emperor's New Groove. I could not find a good picture so I will quote the movie and say she is "living proof dinosaurs once roamed the earth" and "scary beyond all reason." More importantly, Kuzco, the film's protagonist, asks "what is holding that woman together?" The analogy seemed logical to me. Anyway,

What is holding Egyptian taxis together? They must be the most abused automobiles on the planet. Most run at least 12 hours a day in heavy traffic and I think I had a cabbie today who was shifting without the clutch. The answer could be in the decoration. They all seem to be adorned in a Compton meets Safari meets Discotheque style. Maybe those themes combined act as a paste that makes an otherwise deteriorating automobile drivable. Who knows.

25 part harmony, bliss in a bowl, and oh right, it's in London with the rest of our national treasures.