The Coffeehouse

I'm back, and it's time to get things started up again!

But first, let's make our way over there, shall we? 

Yeah, so it's not really over construction, but it's time for a fresh-ish start :) 

I need someone tall, dark and handsome to save me from html hell...

They're red and I love them. But that's besides the point.

FG is an amazing writer. I'm always waiting for the day when some publisher discovers her blog and offers her a book deal. I remember stumbling across her blog (back when it was at blog.com) by clicking on the "Random Blog" link at the bottom of my sidebar. The blog was all a hush-hush secret back then, and look how it has blossomed and bloomed!

And well, she's given me the Thinking Blogger Award, which I humbly accept :)

The rules say I must choose 5 bloggers who make me think (I only got 2, is that okay?):

Omar 2 Cents: Your blog was one of the very first blogs I stumbled upon, and one of the few I continued reading. Maybe it was because we come from similar backgrounds. I'm pretty sure though it was also because you always brought up controversial issues that raise a lot of questions regarding religion, culture and politics. Critical thinking required!

Zahra aka Digital Nomad & Jawharah aka Digital Jewel: I usually read my daily blogs at night, after I'm done with school, work, chores. Usually, I'm pretty tired by this time, ready to give up on a bunch of things, and ready to hide under the covers from others. I love the daily reminders that tie in religion, they always ground me, and make me reassess my priorities, and sometimes my behaviour! Makes for a better next-day and I no longer want to hide under the covers. 

I would also tag Abed, but he's already received this award ;)

And now, to those I tag:

I know I asked for snow. I asked for sweaters, and mittens, and scarfs, and snowboots. But I did not, I repeat, did NOT, sign up for the cold. That wasn't part of the deal, it was just supposed to be snow. Snow and blue skies.

It's so coooooold. With the windchill, it's been below -20s, and today, I couldn't find my gloves.

My gloves.
My gloves, my gloves, my gloves,
My gloves, my gloves, my gloves,
My lovely winter gloves,
Check it out!

Here is my book tag from Abed:

The rules are: Grab the book closest to you, Open to page 123-Scroll down to the 5th sentence, post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog-Name of the book and the author, Tag 3 people.

Answer:

Although the federal EA process still has the natural environment as its primary focus, given the definition of environment in the Act, proponents are directed to consider social impacts. Environment is meant to mean 'the components of the Earth' and to include '(a) land, water and air, including all layers of the atmosphere, (b) all organic and inorganic matter and living organisms, and (c) the interacting natural systems that include components referred to in (a) and (b) while environmental effects are to include "any effect of any such change on health and socio-economic conditions"' (CEAA 1992, 2(1)).

In practice, the environmental effects of a federal project should include changes in the biophysical environment caused by the project, as well as 'certain effects that flow directly from those changes, including effects on.....

- From Kevin S. Hanna (Ed.) Environmental Impact Assessment: Practice and Participation

So technically, those weren't 3 sentences, but is it my fault I get the longest sentences in history?! The third sentence continues into a list. And Abed, I really must thank you for this tag, because honestly, this is the first time I've read anything in this book, and it's a required text for one of my classes, AND I had a test today for that course, and I just studied my notes....

And 10 Things You Didn't Know About Me from Digital Nomad:

1) I make the bestest Cherry Cheesecake ever. (It's actually Mom's recipe)

2) I was born in Kuwait.

3) I went to three different highschools.

4) I had my adenoids taken out when I was 5 years old. (You were dying to know that)

5) I hate lentil soup.

6) My two favourite childhood teddy bears were called Bunzwella and Bunny Joe (B.J. for short). Bunzwella actually went through several name changes including Sara and possibly Barbie. They're both packed somewhere in the basement.

7) I started another part-time job at Virgin Mobile. (Is this weird? An Arab guy and his friend approached me needing help sending a ringtone from one cellphone to the next via Bluetooth, and they didn't know you had to turn on Bluetooth in both phones....)

8) I ate a champagne flavoured jelly-bean when I was younger, and it said "natural flavours" on the box, and I freaked out. (Because as a Muslim, alcohol is prohibited)

9) I have an e-crush on this guy.

10) I dissected a cat in biology class.

Tagged again by DN! I must say though, this one was a hard one for me to do...eek.

 Seven Things I want to do in life:

1. Start a revolution!
   
2. Clean my room
   
3. Travel
   
4. Read the whole Qur'an
   
5. Open a coffeeshop
6. Live/work in Palestine
   
7. Learn Hebrew
   

Seven Things I can do:

1. Hold a grudge
   
2. Dabke
3. Intimidate people (so they tell me!)
4. Take decent looking photos
5. [I don't
6. know what else
   
7. I can do?]
   

Seven Things I can’t do:

1. Forgive and forget.
   
2. Figure out 12 Monkeys, I thought I understood it once, then I got confused again.
   
3. Eat "foole" (flava beans)
   
4. Eat lentil soup
   
5. Be a party to oppression (stole that from you DN, but it's very wise)
6. Study for more than 10 minutes at a time, I get so easily distracted. Or I fall asleep.
7. Throw out old magazines
   

Seven things I say the most:

1. Yallah!
2. Vayamos (Spanish for "let's go")
   
3. Niiice
4. Coffee
   
5. Oh yeaaa
   
6. [Honestly, I can't
7. think of anything else :( ]

Seven Things that attract me to the opposite sex:

My French professor actually asked me this during my French oral exam. I had to reply in French of course. Je préfère un homme... 

1. socialiste
2. religieux
3. humaniste
4. travailleur (hard-working)
5. individualiste
6. idealiste
7. drôle (funny)
   

Also, the mandatory tall, dark, and handsome!

Seven Celebrity Crushes:

1. George Clooney
2. Johnny Depp
3. Hugh Jackman
4. Matt Dillon (only when he was in The Outsiders)
5. Harrison Ford
6. Denzel Washington
7. Tom Welling

As I mentioned earlier, I can't get "real" stats out of this thing unless I'm a paid member, and I can't put one of those free counters on my blog cause it doesn't allow HTML, BUT, they show you this really simple graph...

This is as of 12:45 am today and my # of visitors is growing!

Not like it's that big of a deal...

Ok, this is SO COOL.

The other day blog.com was down for maintainance, and that usually means they're adding some different feature or changing the layout of the dashboard, etc.

BUT, they've added TAGS. AND a TAG CLOUD (look at the sidebar!)

I LOVE TAGGING THINGS.

This is probably the umpteenth time I have had the urge to switch over to Blogger, but I still don't have the guts to do it. Everything's basically set up over at The "New" Coffeehouse, yet I still have to move all my posts, which is a very big hassle, plus I lose all my beloved comments. So please guide me oh humble readers of The Coffeehouse. To move, or not to move, that is the question...