Thursday marked the start of Ramadan. As a non-Muslim this doesn’t really mean anything except that the stores are shut, so I’ve been living off of the Pringles and other snacks I bought beforehand. I already needed to eat better/more, so now it’s even more of a challenge. Of course, it’s a simple fix if I just taxi myself to Aziziyah (the Christian part of town where shops are only shut on Sundays). I’ve heard there’s a proper grocery store there, too. I’ve been to a couple of restaurants in the area. Very nice.

And for those of you who may be curious, the last time I went (maybe last Tuesday night), we ate at Wanes and I had a pizza (sausage). Aside from the sausage being slivers (like in a gyro) and not how we do it fi Amerika, it tasted the same. Very good, although I would have preferred pepperoni. Or barbeque chicken.

Ramadan is also a good time for TV. It’s the Arab equivalent of sweeps month. Every day throughout Ramadan, they’re showing Tash ma Tash (a program I first heard about last year and watched on youtube). Sadly, said program comes on at 6:40 am! Supposedly, it’s quite popular, but I don’t get how people can stay up so late to watch it unless maybe everyone’s unemployed.

Anyway, I really need to eat something proper, so I may break down and go to Aziziyah tonight. Wish me luck as I try not to lose any more weight. Allah only knows how much I lost thanks to Montezuma (the last bout of which lasted for ten days!)