As I type this there is a sort of "moving in/wedding party" that appears to be going on in the street below our window.  I first heard the typical jubilant squeal/wail that usually accompanies weddings...which didn't exactly makes sense because there surely aren't wedding party venues in our block.  However, once we opened the shutters (we keep the shutters to the very front sort of busy street shut since there are windows on the side rooms that we can leave open with more privacy) to peek out and realized it's a newly married couple moving into their new apartment.  The ladies and the small children are singing/clapping with one young guy banging a drum in beat, punctuated with the jubilant squeal/wail (it has a name in Arabic but I can never remember...being able to do it properly seems a sort of pride with many Egyptian women).  The men and older buys are unloading truck loads of things and having to walk through the singing/clapping/drumming women while carrying things through the doorway.  It's super fun looking, lots of smiles and laughter.  Except for litle Mustapha (our bowab's three year old son) who seems to find something to whine and throw a fit about no matter the circumstances.  This party is brightening my rather slow Friday, thus far spent reading "Purity and Exile" by Liisa Malkki for a book review next week. 

Another thing brightening my Friday?  Justin just shared some of his off-brand-nutella on aish (flat-bread) concoction with me. yummm