dusty desert and delicious dessert

One thing about living in the desert from April to September is that there are almost always two things you can be sure of: humidity and sand storms. Fortunately, they don't come at the same time. Unfortunately, they are equally craptacular.

The humidity is really only annoying if you have to spend more than 5 minutes outside - because everything is airconditioned (even some patios!) so generally it isn't a problem. And then there's the sandstorm. Buildings are not necessarily great for being well insulated - and the dust is surprisingly fine! It sneaks into any crack or crevasse, through the fans in the bathroom or the joints in the windows. On Tuesday night we were out when a crazy wind/sandstorm blew up! It frightened Melissa who grew up in Tornado country - and it gave her that creepy feeling. But we made it home safely, and our building is still standing. The fan in my bathroom has been broken (to the point where it can't close because the string holding it shut has torn off) so the wind was forcing the blades of the fan to stop spinning! To keep the motor from burning out entirely, I turned it off. Currently my bathroom is covered in a fine dusting. But I have learned the trick to cleaning this place: everything is dusted, then sprayed with Fantastic, then cleaned. If you don't dust first, you end up wiping MUD over everything....yes, I learn from experience. Yes, I am the queen of absent-minded-ness. Hey, being ridiculous is better than being boring?

Last night we went out for dinner at Diva's, the restaurant just near our apartments. It's Ramadan, so a lot of the stores and restaurants are having promotions. They had a raffle - put your name on a ticket and if they pick it - you win! So we gave them our names without really thinking. And what do you know, I won! Nothing big, but it's cute - a new small backpack. It's red. It's a one-shoulder kind of thingy.

And to top it off, it says Virgin across the front.

Well, if I haven't been getting enough attention from the men here already, this should really set them off! Thank goodness that I no longer have blonde hair...