to Samba into ot-nine.

Gentle readers. Best wishes for all of you in 2009. We've actually embarked on a mission to change "oh-nine" to a much cooler sounding "ot-nine." Not sure on the spelling just yet, but say it like the first syllable in "otter." Which reminds me: when I was five years old, every penny I was given to throw into a fountain I used to wish that I would become a half-mermaid, half-sea otter. Every penny into every fountain for probably 3 years straight. Needless to say, regardless of my marked persistence, it never came true. Here's for hoping.

My time in America is coming to a close, I'm afraid. I think I have managed to eat bacon every single day state side, though, so I know I've used my time well. If I haven't blogged very much over my Christmas vacation, it's perhaps because I expect that my vacation at home looks remarkably similar to your respective vacations at home (no camels, no fig vendors, no screeching cats for you all, too, I suspect). Also, because everything deserves a vacation once in a while. Even a blog. And I'd hate to contribute to excessive eye strain with my infamously verbose posts. If you've ever gotten a "How are you doing, really?" email from me, you know they can clock in around 10,000 words (counted and verified). Consider it a Sabbath.

Yet my time at home has been delightfully varied, for still being refreshingly normal and fully blue-blood American. My sister and brother-in-law flew in for a few days, and then my dear friend Mandy took the train down from Michigan to spend a few days puttering with me in the great Chicagoland area. And then, of course, there was New Year's.

Fitting for a proud owner of dvds like "Bollywood Burn" and "Cardio Salsa," the lovely Mandy and I decided to samba dance our way into the New Year. Searching for New Year's Eve parties online already seemed like a risky (and pricey) proposition. Who knew that some people think a great start to the year is blowing $150 to get a hangover and a bad one-night stand? We were almost ready to give up and ring in the New Year at my kitchen table with my parents at 9:30 when we spotted a winner: $25 for samba, champagne toast, and carnival dancers. How could you go wrong? 

Ok, that could actually go wrong a few different ways. But happily, there were no Fabio figures to be seen, and no one was too fancy of a Samba dancer to make us feel stupid. We were owned by the rapid-fire hip shaking of the carnival girls, though--they even put my Tahitian Aerobics with Kalika moves to shame. Still, the Brazilians certainly know how to throw a good party, and Chicago knows how to do public transportation. New Year's Eve? Free el rides around the clock. Beat that, Seattle--oh, wait, you don't even have any kind of rail service. Just sayin'.

So now I'm packing up my bags with gifts for Egyptians and a few small comforts of home. Now, culture shock isn't always a rational creature. There are some amenities that may seem silly from the U.S., but are hugely significant when you're out of your element.  Root beer, for instance. I hardly ever drink it when I'm home, but the second I'm abroad, that's all I crave. Bacon is another one, but slightly more understandable given that Egypt is a pork-free zone. But the real one for me? Muffins. I would almost consider marriage to an Egyptian if the dower included some muffins in the mix, that's how much I love them. The trick is that muffins are fairly easy to make from scratch, and you can even find some muffin mixes in the super market. But I'll be damned if I can find a muffin tin anywhere in Egypt. And I think we'll all agree--a muffin without a muffin pan is just kind of crappy coffeecake.

I'll be traveling through Spain, Morocco, and Turkey on my way back, though, using only a backpack. It was a sad moment when I realized that a muffin tin won't actually fit. Sigh. Be sure to eat some Almond Poppyseed for me so that I can enjoy that vicariously.

For those of you so inclined, I will be in the States until Tuesday evening, and I do actually have a cellphone here. It'd be great to talk to you guys before I go back for another round of life in Cairo. Until then--take care!