Monday, January 29, 2007

So Glad I Called

My grandfather (dad's side) suffered a massive stroke last week and is not expected to make it through the week. He is completely paralyzed on his right side, and is unable to talk.

I never quite knew what to call him, so I just avoided calling him anything. He was my dad's stepfather, so I referred to him as J.D. if I needed to say something about him. But regardless, he was my grandfather. Even if I never quite figured out what to call him.

I wrote about him in October 2005, saying:
When my step-grandfather on my dad's side showed up at my Nikah (Muslim wedding ceremony) and gave me my grandmother's beautiful diamond ring, I was deeply moved. Here was this man, not my blood relation, hugging me and telling me that he knew he wasn't my biological grandfather, but he loved me like a granddaughter. He has many, many biological grandchildren, but he picked me for one of Granny Margrett's most precious possessions. And he will never know how much that moment inspired me to be a better stepmother to Ariana.

He heard about the post and read it. He loved it; I was glad.

In the past year or so, he started doing some rather odd things. I was kind of ticked off, and didn't return his calls.

And when my mom went to hajj, one of the things I asked her to pray was to remove grudges from my heart. And sure enough, while she was gone, one of the things I decided to do was call J.D.

I picked up the phone and talked to him earlier this month. We said how much we loved each other and talked about this and that. I am so very happy I made that call.

Because now it would be too late...and so I will always remember that time does run out, and I just barely beat it this time. Next time, I won't wait so long.

Update: He passed away early this morning, February 1.

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posted by Anisa @ 12:05 PM | 7 comments


Sunday, January 28, 2007

The Switch

Hey everyone, I switched to the New Blogger and it did something weird to my comments. Everyone' s profile pictures are gone, and it made lots of people Anonymous...even those that have other blogs. It seems you can't really get a response from Blogger on anything, so I was wondering if anyone knows what to do. Thanks!

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posted by Anisa @ 10:36 AM | 4 comments


Friday, January 26, 2007

My Greatest Work Accomplishment

Well, lately I've been having a tough time at work because of some difficult people. I've been so busy with school and work was not going well, and I have been down for about a week.

So, yesterday I went back to my desk at 4:30 pm after chatting with my friend the receptionist for a while. On my desk was a card that said "Thank You So Much" on the cover and "For Everything" on the inside. About 25 graduate students at my work had written notes in there telling me what a great job I do, and how they appreciate my attitude, etc. Out of the blue.

I was in shock. It couldn't have come at a better time, and it helped me to remember that there's always more good than bad, even if it's hard to see at the time.

There are many things I've done at work that I'm excited about and proud of, but all the web design, press releases, events, etc. that I've worked really hard to do don't even begin to compare to how I feel about this.

That card is my greatest accomplishment on the job.
posted by Anisa @ 11:42 AM | 2 comments


Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Au Revoir, Former Bloggers

When I was a kid, I LOVED watching "TGIF" on ABC. It was the best line-up of nighttime kid shows ever, especially at one particular point. I can't seem to remember every show that was on it when I considered it in its heyday, but I know it included "Full House," "Family Matters" and "Step by Step." I didn't like "Perfect Strangers," so it can't be that one. It may have been "Boy Meets World."

ANYWAY...

Those shows aren't on TGIF anymore. (I really have no clue if they do TGIF anymore either.)

The point of this is that's what's happening in the blogging world.

There was a time when my blogroll was longer and I miss some of those people. I am thankful for the blogs left over there because they're great reads, but I just had to give a shout-out to some of the dearly departed bloggers.

So, to Ginger, Lindsay, Tricia/Brighton, Kassi...and I'm sure many others...you're missed.

When Brighton announced she was closing up recently, I definitely felt sad. It's hard to see people go when you feel like you've gotten to know them. I fully understand the reasoning of those who have left, but it's still sad.

And I guess I just wanted to take a moment to thank them for sharing themselves.

And to those of you left, please stick around for a while. :)
posted by Anisa @ 12:57 PM | 2 comments


Thursday, January 18, 2007

Oh No You Di'i'nt...Drama at Kroger

About once a year, I let someone have it in public. Last night, this occurrence took place at the grocery store Kroger.

Bert and I were about to check out a bunch of groceries because inclement weather was on its way, and of course I thought we needed food in case everything iced over. Well, we had about 20 things in our buggy, and he was trying to see if an open lane was Express or not. Well, we just couldn't tell, so we went to the next aisle because we wouldn't want to go in the Express lane with too many items.

Then, out of nowhere, this fat, nasty, white trash, redneck man yells something about having to wait until we finally moved out of his way. It was loud and rude and completely uncalled for.

Oh no he di'i'nt!

When people are with Bert, they have a tendency to have a "$10 mouth and a $3 (something else)," according to him. Well, that is of course because you would not want to mess with him.

So, I start saying very loudly, "I KNOW you did not just say that to me! I suggest you shut your mouth!" etc.

Of course he and his equally lovely wife did not turn around again.

Was I being mean? Yeah, I was.

Did it feel good and make me feel as if I'd purged myself of everything I might have been carrying since I purged myself at another incident at Wal-Mart in early '06?

It felt awesome. Free therapy at Kroger, my friends. Free therapy.

Stay tuned...I'm sure I'll have another similar experience in early 2008. I only allow myself to act a fool in public once per year.
posted by Anisa @ 1:36 PM | 6 comments


Tuesday, January 16, 2007

My Favorite 6-Year Old

"Matty is so cute I just can't stand it!" - Sommer


It was absolutely wonderful to spend time with my cousin, Sommer, this weekend. She turned 6 and we had the best time together. Bert and I did all kinds of fun stuff with her like go to the zoo, the park, play with Matty, color, have birthday cake, etc. She LOVES Matty. She picked him out a new toy, and he went wild because there was catnip in there. It was hilarious.

Our time together was very special, and I hope Sommer treasures the memories of the weekend as much as I do.
posted by Anisa @ 2:01 PM | 2 comments


Thursday, January 11, 2007

Holiday Happenings

Here's our living room and Christmas tree. It's all blue, silver and white because I thought that would look wintry. I am now aware those are Hanukkah colors. Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid...I must be an equal opportunity celebrator. As Cal says in Talladega Nights, "I like to party!" I am kind of obsessed with that movie right now.


Matty got a cat condo. He loves it.


Ariana got a bike! Here's her putting on her helmet.


Daddy and me Christmas morning holding and wearing some of our gifts.


My favorite little boy in the world, my first cousin Sam. We are playing red light/green light.


My first cousin Sommer a.k.a. Huckles. I absolutely adore her. She's the best.


Me and my sister, Sara. It was so good to see her.


Me and Bert on New Year's Eve. We went to a dinner party.

It was a tough holiday season without Mama, and I am sure glad she's back home safely. Other than that, we had a great holiday and a much needed break!
posted by Anisa @ 10:20 AM | 2 comments


Thursday, January 04, 2007

Broken Resolutions Already

Geez, I can't believe I have already broken my resolutions. I've done really well working out, but the eating, praying and getting to work on time aren't going as well. When I got back to work Tuesday from the holidays, I seriously had a box of the most delicious cookies I have ever eaten waiting for me. I am a cookie connoisseur, and these were out of this world. They're called Cafe' Musica and are from Germany. I have no idea where to buy these, but I will hunt them down. And Bert is doing so great on praying, and I still am not where I want to be. And about work, I still can't manage to get here on time. And I live just five minutes away! I guess when your bosses don't care what time people get in and there's next to nothing to do before students come back, it's hard to come before 8:15 am. Ah, I suppose these things can just be considered a work in progress.

After all, that's all any of us are anyway I suppose.
posted by Anisa @ 8:53 AM | 7 comments