random things

LONG WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, what this actually means is that I've had to work twice as hard all week to get the work done for early deadlines, and I will have to work twice as hard for the four days of work next weeks, especially since I will be on vacation the week after.

Also, I have become obsessed with trimming all the little palm/palmetto trees in our yard. I did one this past weekend and now I keep looking at all the others in the yard and thinking about how nice they'll look once I've trimmed off all the dead/dying fronds.

Still reading VBV. The last two chapters haven't been anything to talk about. One was on hijab, and it wasn't bad, actually. Which shows you how different each article can be in a collection by different authors. The author touched briefly on the ayah that command the hijab - the one in regards to Mohammed's wives and the screen that people should speak to them through, and the one commanding the rest of the muslimah's to draw their cloaks over their chests. The main thrust of the article, though, was about how the hijab, the headcovering, has become a statement of unity for those women who choose to wear it. She mentions that while many women are forced to wear it, either by cultural/national concerns or their family, there are women who choose to wear it as a statement of their faith.

The chapter I just finished up was about some cultural hints for different Muslim nations. It's aimed at giving missionary women some idea of the culture that they'd be working in, I think. I don't know enough about the cultures of the countries mentioned to judge how well the author presented them. None of the entries was entirely negative, so I think the author at least attempted and intended to present a balanced idea of the extremes one might face and some cultural no-no's to avoid. The chapter I just started is about daughter's in Islam. The author started out talking about how baby girls were seen as ornaments and burdens in Arabia and how Mohammed commanded that the people stop murdering their infant daughters. I'll do a more detailed post later, of course.