Why must college be so expensive?!?!

I'm taking 4 credit hours at my main college next semester. 1 is my co-op and the other 3 is an online elective class so I will not be on campus at all. I'm also taking 4 credit hours at a community college near me. The community college is 340 for everything except the book. My main college.... 300 in fees alone! 900+ in tuition. One credit hour is almost as much as a whole class at the other college. Then my co-op credit is 500. I don't get it. I'm not even attending college in a class but they feel they have a right to steal 700 dollars from me?! My fees are general fees, ok I don't mind that one, but it's a lot, engineering infrastructure fees-WTH? I'm not going to be in an engineering building/class next sem. Engineering technology fee-same as above..... I'm not using their. computers.

They've messed with my FASFA so that it only pays for 4 credit hrs instead of all of it since I'm considered full time and stole some of my scholarship money away. I just turned something is which I hope will fix this.

Lastly, my college makes up have healthcare-which I'm fine with. Free medical services on campus. Since I'm only enrolled in 4 credit hours they took it away from me... They can't pu it back up-I have to purchase it out of my own pocket. If they would've put it up FASFA would pay for it. Now I have to basically go broke if I want it. And my mom wonder's why I'm for national healthcare (since now it's a rip off.) It looks like I'm going to be doing something I said I'd never do-get on medicaid-madicare, which ever one is for poor people.

I have been working since Sept. I have not seen a cent of money yet, and starting to get really annoyed...

Ok I think my ranting is done.

Three C's: Cars, Co-op, College!

Wellmy breaks went out today. I was going a max of 30 in a 45 and it still look me FOREVER to stop. They just started acting up yesterday (that I noticed.) I turned into the frist mechanic I found and got lucky. They did breaks, and they were also Muslim. So I believe I got a decent discount and a free oil change. The bad thing-they were expensive, and I missed work. After sitting there for about 4 hours, they decided they couldn't finished it so they sent me home in another car.

I do have one question though. Do Afgani's hate Russians? I though the owner was Russian at first and he seemed a little offend. I know there has been issues in the past but I'm not to sure (yea American world history teaching!)

I officially have a co-op :) I got in with a Muslim on accident again. I submitted my resume without knowing he was Muslim and he offered me a job. He is also a professor at my college. (I think I may have talked about this already.)

Two more weeks and one day of college! I'm SOOOOOOOO ready for this semester to be over with, I been so busy.

Next semester I'm taking one online class and one class at a local community college-yes going to two colleges at once :) lol

No interveiw yet.

Hubbers interview hasn't been scheduled for December, I'm attempting to call the NVC but get annoyed with the BEEP BEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEP and give up and forget to call back later. I hope it's soon. I miss him soooo much :(

I'm 99.99% sure I got a co-op finally. I didn't realize the owner of the place I submitted my resume was muslim and a professor at my school.

I've been so busy with school and work I'm starting to go crazy. I've been buying stuff for my husband/apartment. I got 12 sets of pretty plates now :) Thank you Black Friday sales :D I'm thinking of getting 12 "lunchon" plates. (I eat so little that's what I use for dinner so I don't feel like too much of my plate is empty)

4 day weekend

Thank you veterans day for giving me a 4 day weekend from school. I still have to work tomorrow and Friday.

Anyhow, hubby's papers have been processed and approved, elhamdollah. They are now being sent to the embassy and he will have his interview soon, isA.

I am STILL looking for a co-op. I'm losing hope. I had an interview on Tuesday, and he would have given me a job but the job he was going to give me wasn't passed in the election on Nov 2. so therefore no job.

My sister had her health baby elhamdollah. She's also staying with us.

Co-op Update

No job yet. Three interviews no offers, losing hope. Sent out over 20 resumes to local companies 4 responded. Only one with a maybe. Should be sleeping. Good night.

Some People Should Not Be Parents!

http://www.switched.com/2010/10/28/alexandra-tobias-pleads-guilty-farmville-baby-death/

ERRRRRRRRRR. This crap just pisses me off. When ever i hear of a child being shaken, starved or killed by their parents, well lets just say my maternal instincts would go crazy on them if I was around them. How can a game be more important than the life of your child? I don't understand it. Honestly the part of the punishment should be to make these people infertile so that they never have the chance to do it again...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/05/couple-let-baby-starve-to_n_487287.html

O Tornados

This year has been crazy for tornadoes around me. I think we may have set a record for the number in one year. Once again this past week a tornado warning was issued. I happened to be in class and we just sat their talking and getting excited. Then after the alarms finished their message, class continues. We later found out if a tornado warning is issued you're supposed to stop class and go to the safe area (oops.) We were in a GREAT building for that-the engineering has a huge basement for all the kids to fit comfortably in, BUT when the alarm went of we were in the top floor of one of the buildings. Also, once class was done, we went outside to the other building, and watched the storm-this building is mostly made of glass-great place to be with a possible tornado -.- lol. But don't worry there were bathrooms close by that we would've ran to. My cousin said later after I told her this that "This doesn't put a lot of confidence in the future of engineering." I told all we needed to know was when to run.

No tornado, just a funnel cloud.

I have an interveiw tomorrow!

I have an interview for a co-op with a very good company tomorrow. I'm supper excited and really hope I get this job, isA. Please make du'a for me :)

I'm beyond annoyed!

I started a new job about a month ago. They let me work a week and a half so about 28 hrs. and then they go "oops you can't work until you get tested for TB, drugs, and all your vaccinations are up to date. And you have to go though orientation." Well I'm a federal work study and they have rules, only 4 hours of work per day and they wanted me to attend an 8 hr orientation. Also to top that, you can't go to orientation unless all the previous medical things are done.... Which you have to wait a week between TB tests (they make you do two.) Teh HR person I've been "Talking" to isn't helpful. She takes days to call you back, doesn't answer your questions. I talked to her on Thur. or Fri. about this and she said, "if we can't let you do orientation Tue. we'll set something up later in the week, I'll call you on Monday." We'll Mondays come and gone, I called her left yet another message and haven't heard anything. I'm about ready to say screw it give me my money, and I'll get a work study on campus... this is complete bullshit. When I was hired I should have been given all this information, not after I worked almost 2 weeks. Also not paying me because it was your screw up is just wrong....

Eid

Eid is coming up soon which I'm sure you all know. I'm super excited because it falls on Friday when I don't have and classes. I'm planning to attend Eid prayers isA, and maybe do something with friends afterwards.

I am making dua for Allah to protect all American Muslims just because the amount of bad publicity we have been getting at the moment and since it falls so close to 9/11-which means ignorant people might take it as us celebrating that. Also, for all Muslims to have a safe, happy Eid, isA.

OMG BEEF BACON!

If you can't tell I'm excited. The only part of pork I missed was the bacon. Most of the other products are just as good with turkey (sausage, ham) but I turkey bacon is just... yuck. (I never liked pork chops so I don't miss them, lol.) I finally found it at my local super market, and was so excited I practically ran too my sister jumping up and down, lol.

Now my bacon cooking skills are out of whack since it's been twoish years since I made it on the stove, but I didn't do too bad, almost got it the way I like it. Honestly it tasted really close, a ton better than turkey bacon. I think part of it is that it was the fat like the pork bacon does (yeah I know sounds grouse, but that's what give it the flavor.) Or it could be my mind saying, this is soo much better than turkey bacon and I forget the true taste of pork bacon. But whatever if they continue to supply it I will buy it. It's so yummy! lol.

Shopping

Well it's memorial day weekend which means HUGE SALES! I went looking for some stuff for my apartment once my hubby gets here. I was only planning on getting this dresser, which was 40 for my husband, since my current dresser is completely full with my crap lol. We were looking and I was like, I need a table and chairs. So I looked and found ...


200! A GREAT find! I couldn't pass it up lol. I didn't check with hubby to see if he'd like it but since it was originally like 1100 I figured it couldn't get much cheaper than that. I mean you might be able to find a table for that, but a table and 4 chairs? hahaaa. So all I'm thinking is elhamdollah I went and saved a ton of money on this.
We still have a long way to go on furnishing the apartment. Some cooking stuff, couch and stuff, and then TV and blue ray player.

I would love to get a couch like this

"Ground Zero Mosque"

This guy is soooooooo right!

School/Birthday

I started college today. I was supposed to go till 5 and got out at 10:10 sooo :D

My birthday is coming up in the next week, and I'm turning 21! I want o go out with friends and be like "WOOHOO, I'm 21! Can I have a virgin margarita?" I just think it would be amusing. lol. I got my new drivers license picture done today. No more hair in my picture now :) I have my pretty blue veil on in it lol. They didn't even ask about if i wore it for religious purposes or not, which was nice.

Schools about to start

I'm excited. :D FAFSA was a nice help this year and I don't have to pay for anything but books-which was ridiculous. The school wanted 600+ for USED books. So I went to Barns and Nobles and bought all used ones for a little under 400 :) I have an AMAZING schedule-My week starts out long, then gets shorter and NO FRIDAY CLASSES! finally, elhamdollah.

I'm also in Egypt right now. Saddly I'll be getting back the Sunday before school. I don't want to leave hubby, and less than 15 hrs to get adjusted to American time before school and fasting again.

I'm also excited because this is the year we start with more labs and interactive classes of civil engineering. I thoroughly enjoyed my co-op this summer-even though what I did would seem boring, I learned a lot and enjoyed myself :)

Classic Book

I posted a list of classic books a LONG time ago. I haven't looked yet but I think I can cross off two more books.

• 1984: A very good book., but depressing. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

• The Catcher in the Rye: It was an ok book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't see the point of the story.
  

I bought three new books that I'm super excited to read: A Tale of Two Cities, A Connecticut Yankee in Kind Arthur's Court, and Robinson Crusoe.

French Restaurant

I went to a French restaurant tonight for my friend's birthday. Here's the thing... French LOVE their wine, almost everything had some form of alcohol in it. Especially the few dishes I wanted to try. I did settle on this butter fried Canadian walleye, which was delicious. Now I'm home and super tired :D trying to type and making a lot of mistakes I'm sure lol.

.

This is me! lol

Aren't my work clothes just lovely. lol

What do you think you do if...

You saw a girl in a black abaya and hijab, with a reflective vest and hard hat running down the middle of the highway after a truck that;s rolling away?

Haha, I did that the other day. I got out to pound some stakes into the ground and forgot to put my truck in park (yeah, I know I'm stupid lol.) I turned back for some reason and saw my truck rolling away. Then I ran after it. It wasn't going to fast so I threw the door open and hopped in. Then hit the break and slammed it into park.

Thankfully it didn't go out into the traffic, elhamdollah.

That's my stupidity for the day :)

I'm moving to Arizonia!

I'm moving there just to get away from the humidity. It's been so hot the last two days and working out side in it means sweat party! I want dry heat so bad. I can't wait to go to Egypt for a few weeks just to get away from it. :)

I'm kidding about moving to AZ.

Approaching 1 year

I'm happy and sad about approaching our year anniversary of being married. Happy because well I love my husband and everything he does for me. Sad because we won't be together for it.

I talked to him about us both going out to pizza hut with a friend or family and ordering food since it's the nicer of the 2 restaurants that our in both of our cities. I think it would be funny, we half a world appart but still doing the same thing. He said it was stupid to go alone so I told him to take a friend or bro, since that's what I was planning.

Sooo Excited for Tomorrow, isA!

Sister swim!! Woohoo! I haven't swam in like a year. (I don't include wading in the Mediterranean as swimming.) It cost a little to get in, but I get to jump in a cold pool lol.

My other plans, isA, are to buy a new hard drive, go visit a friends garage sale, and go to an interfaith picnic.

Clean out those PC/laptops!

Well my laptop overheated again today, and fried the hard drive. I got into the fan and there was soooo much dust stuck in it, it was gross. (I'm blaming it on Egpyt since I took it there twice haha.)

So my word of advice is go into your computer and clean out the dust. If you have a laptop, you may need to remove the fan and get the dust that's hidden between the fan and vent (that's what I did.) If you're not good with computers ask someone who is :) It'll save you money.

The good news, I get to upgrade my hard drive... double the amount of gigs. Bad: it costs money, lol.

Salam!

The last few weeks have been, well, everything.

I was stuck in the office at work for 5 consecutive days staring at the wall, reading 1984, and being bored out of my mind.

1984 it's a great book so far but thoroughly depressing. It's also another great example of what a government is capable of.

Thursday and Friday, I got out of the office! I worked a 12.5 hr shift the first and a 14.5 the second. I made 11 hrs of over time! But was also exhausted. We are replacing the draining system under the roads on the job right now and one side takes about 6hrs to do. They had to dig, then put it in, and then put soil on top and my part comes in. I have to take a density test to make sure it passes. If it doesn't then they have to compact the soil some more. We don't want the road washing out :)

Yesterday, I went to the mall with a friend I haven't seen since spring break (March.) I bought a pair of jeans, some pretty stuff, and a pair of pjs for my dad for fathers day. I got to chat with my friend and catch up. I also wondered what people thought of us. A hijabi that wears abaya with a girl in a tank top and rolled up jeans. Maybe it helps people to see we have non-muslim friends, to show we really aren't bad people.

Today my parents are having a fish fry! Siblings are coming. My uncle and grandparents may come. My aunts may come. The only bad thing if they come I'll have to cover for their husbands, which would make my grandparents uncomfortable. If they don't come then I just have to worry about my sister bring her... well boy toy of the month... if she does, even if my uncles are here I'm going to be pissed. This is a family get together, she has no right to invite someone who's a "friend," especially when she's pregnant with another mans child!

If you can't tell I'm getting highly annoyed with my sister. That's only the tip of the ice burg, and I won't share the rest.

Tomorrow work again! Probably over time, since we're doing the same thing again. But over time is niiiiice, hehe.

Tornado

I drive through the town the got hit by the tornado to get to work, and sometimes to go out to my job site. You see pictures of tornado damage and what it does, but honestly, you never know how powerful it is until you see it in person.

Driving through, I saw at least 100 poles snapped a little off the ground to halfway up. The poles themselves weren't the skinny, one wire ones, but the ones that had think wires and 5+. It even took down 5 or 6of the HUGE poles that carry lines really high up to other towns.

The trees were uprooted, or snapped in half. It's crazy to see pine trees, or just huge trees with their roots sticking out of the ground. And really old tress that have been torn in multiple pieces.

The down houses, and damage to others houses was crazy too. A couple places had a huge hole in their roof, not the whole thing gone, just like it picked a spot and took that little bit. I feel so horrible for the people who lost their house and the ones who had damage. I wish I could go help clean up.

It's also crazy to see a twisted piece of metal that I assume was a roof on a garage halfway up a tree stuck there, the cart that was 5 feet off the ground in brush, a SUV that had been smashed so much everything was even with the hood, and the boat that had been smashed into the highway guard rail so hard you could barely tell what it was.

Driving through this all I could think was subhaAllah!

OMG! Elhamdollah!!!

So today was not the ideal way of waking up. Waking up around 2ish to hear what I thought was thunder. Then around 4ish (I think) and having no power, pitch black to where my eye couldn't even adjust to the darkness.

Waking up around 8 ish, and got up. Ten minutes later power comes back on so I turn on the TV. I found out that a tornado hit less than 5 miles to my north. Now I'm completely freaked for not getting up when I heard the "thunder." I now know it might have been the tornado sounds, which I guess is like deep sounds kinda like thunder.

Elhamdollah, times a million.

Hummingbirds...

are amazing/cute little birds, subhannallah.

Plane Tickets.

I'm looking for tickets, they're waaaaay too much. It seems like they want to milk you for every thing you've got.

I found this little video, kinda how I feel.




My cousin thinks that air travel is going to be a thing of the rich in a few years. I kinda have to agree.

The End of the World!!!

Everyone knows that the world is going to end 12/20/2012... According to the Mayans/Aztecs. The station I listen to in the morning was talking about how people are now making bunkers that will be like a cruise ship. Here's the best part. It'll only cost you 50,000 dollars to have it reserved.

They then started to take calls about if listeners know anyone who believes this to be true and/or is overreacting to it.

Ok... 1) Knowbody knows the end of the world, or when they will die. That's up to Allah.

2) We're all going to die sometime.

3) Do you realllly wanna be one of the few survivors? When something that's out of your capability happens, who are you going to go see to get it fixed?

4) It is based off of a calendar by one of the two groups about (I forget.) Are you really going to take advice from a civilization that died out? If they died out, then how do you know their calendar actually ended? How do you not know that the person/people just die.

One of the callers called in saying "I believe the world's going to end, we're going to be taken over by stupid people." Haha.

Zakat

Ok so I'm confused. I get the whole you must have the same (money) wealth for a year before you pay it. (I mean above the minimum for donating)

Now I read that you subtract your debt from your wealth. Now I have a "loan" from my parents. I borrowed money from them for college with the promise to pay them back, but there is no paper work to prove that. Since it is in my intention then I would still subtract the amount I owe them correct?

When is the best time to pay zakat? I've heard Ramadan.

Also, if you have enough money, do you include gold into it whether or not you have more than 85g of it?

If you have enough money, does the one year rule apply to gold too? or since you already pass the limit of money, you have to include it right off.


And over here (US) does anyone know if you can get a bank account with no interest? I know how to get rid of them interest amount, but I don't know if there's away to get the interest off.


Thanks!

Salam

My little chocolate find!

I bought these yesterday they're soooooooo yummy.




They're called Chocolate Waterfall pieces by Wonka. They have milk and while chocolate in them.

P.S. I have no idea how that first line became a link?

My life as of right now....

I started my job. I love the field work, and driving my truck. I was scared to drive a truck because they're so massive, but once I started it wasn't bad at all. The office work is sooooo boring. I have nothing to do except read a technical report and that puts you to sleep within 2 minutes. I also enjoy my co-workers. Most of us get along fine, elhamdollah.

One thing I HATE about my job, having to get up at 530. On weekends I am now "sleeping in" until 7-730... SO not sleeping in!

(In conjuncture with my lost of pregnant women around in my last post. Three of my co-workers/spouses are pregnant, out of 12 people.) (I wonder if people were aiming for 10/10/10 lol)

I'm looking for tickets to go see my hubbers in Aug., isA. Saddly they went up by almost 200 today... So I'm just waiting.

I think I'm going to start posting stupid questions about things I think about during the day. hehe.

My parents have said no to cosigning.

That's about all for right now.

What's wrong with my hometown?

I come from a small white Christian town. So you would think we all have the morals of a good small town and what not. But out of my class of 140 so 70ish girls, we've already had greater than 10% of them have kids/have an abortion/get pregnant. I'm sorry but what is wrong with all these people? Is this what our country is coming too, so loose on morals that 19-20 yr olds can get pregnant and have kids when they're not married? Granted one on the girls has gotten married since then. What's really ironic, the two people who have gotten married before getting pregnant are still childless.

My 23 yr old sister is in the same spot, a "devout" chirstian who spouted off after her divorce "I'm not going to have any more kids, or sex again until I'm married." Well, she's pregnant. The guy is 19 and they already broke up and don't even speak to each other any more.

Also, how hard is it to use birth control? I've you're going to sleep around, protect yourself? (I know sometimes it doesn't work, but in the case of my sis, she used nothing.)

It also seems like everyone around me is pregnant too. It must be a big year for kids or something. Anyone else notice a lot of pregnant girls?

Update

Well I officially have 4 weeks left of classes! Then exams, a week off, and I start my job.

I'm realllly hoping to go see my husband in Aug. I hate being away rom him, and it'll be almost 8 months at that point :(

I'm waiting for the first paper to go through to get my husband over here, that a pain in the ***. Why does the gov't have to make it soooo hard? I understand, the don't want non-citizen living off citizen benefits,they don't want to let in people in false marriages, and they don't want to let terrorists in. But honestly, why does it have to take sooo long and cost soooo much? Just make it impossible for them to get welfare and what not, also check up on them every few months or so to make sure it is a true marriage or what not...

I also found just out that I have to sponsor him. I have to make 125% over the poverty level. Since I'm a college student, I'm SOOOOO doing that... I would have to make 18-19 thousand to get him over here. I talked to my parents and they might cosign as a sponsor, isA. Once he gets ere I'll be living off what he makes, isA, so why does it have to be so much? Also, once I finish college I'll be making a lot more than the 125%... I wish they could take that into affect. 1

I also started buying stuff for our apartment. There was a huge sale so I went and saved more than i spent heehee. I got a comfitor, sheets, silverware, pillows, toaster, pans, towels, and a heated mattress pad. hehe, we'll need that... Egyptian+colder climate= me laughing my bottom off at my freezing hubby. My mom also gave me a couple pots, and storage containers. (I hope i need them within the next yr, isA.)

I also think I'm becoming lactose intolerant again. Summer's coming which means more ice cream intake. I've noticed I have certain symptoms of it after I eat ice cream or and dairy for that matter. It got better while I was in Egypt both times since I ad a decrease in dairy intake but it's starting to come back again. I don't mind it, it just means I'll have to slow my intake of ice cream which should help. To be honest I'm only wanting ice cream so much right now because it's warming up out. We've had very nice days the last 2-3 days subhannAllah.

My sister's keeper

Granted if was a very good movie, but I HATED the mother.

The movie is basically about a couple having a third child genetically matched to use as spare parts. Their first child had cancer, so they had another daughter to take marrow, and a kidney, and stuff from her. The daughter was sueing her parents for the right to say what can or cannot be taken from her body.

I'm sorry but that just pisses me off, any parent who does that is basically saying to the child born, "we don't love you, we just want you to save our true love, (insert siblings name.)" Even if they get a child that matched it's only prolonging the child's life by a few years, which makes no sense. Also while prolonging one child's life they're taking away from the other child. When you're missing parts of organs how do you expect to live a normal life? I don't know how often it happened but I'm sure it does at least once in a blue moon. You can't pro-long life, only God knows when you will die and how, when our time is up it's up, you can't change that.

I got a summer job :D

I got a mandatory job for this summer with my state's department of transportation. I will be taking concrete samples and stuff. I just have to get approval from the state.

I also am looking into tickets to go see hubbers for two weeks. Don't know yet.

I've also been super busy with school... exam tomorrow and Thursday :(

Mosque of Sheikh el-Said Ahmed el-Bedawi

This is a masjid in Tanta. From the excerpt on a tourist site.

"The town's most notable building is the 19th C. Mosque of Sheikh el-Said Ahmed el-Bedawi built by Abbas I and Ismail Pasha on the site of an earlier mosque. It stands over the tomb of a much revered and very popular Egyptian holy man, and attracts large numbers of pilgrims, particularly on his birthday in August. Ahmed el-Bedawi, born in Fez in the 12th C., settled in Tanta on his way back from a pilgrimage to Mecca. Frequent miraculous cures are said to have been wrought at his tomb. The celebration of his birthday is a lively and colorful popular festival and fair."

This guys tomb is actually in the masjid. I learned that you're not supposed to pray to the dead, like asking them for help and stuff but you can pray to Allah to help them.

My husband told me about it and that he never prays there because of the tomb. A few nights before I left, hubby took me out to the street shopping and walked around. We ended up at the masjid court yard. As we walked through it to the street my husband told me this was the place with the guy inside. He asked if I wanted to see the tomb from the window. We went up and looked and there was this one guy reading a paper and praying to the guy and then a the end he kissed the tomb.

That then started a discussion of how stupid some people are... If you are praying to someone for help wouldn't that mean they're Godlike? Which means...polytheism. I said we don't even pray to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), but to Allah to send peace and blessings upon him. My husband told me I could go up to he guy and try and explain to him that what he's doing is haram, but he wouldn't believe me cuz that's how he was raised and I'm a revert. I then compared it to Jesus. If you think that praying to a dead guy will help you, it's basically the same thing.

I'm So Tired

I just got home from Egypt sadly :( I didn't cry at all when I left hubby but I know I will soon, it's building up. The trip was fine elhamdollah. school starts on monday isA. I don't really want to go, I would much rather still be in Egypt...

ok things to blog about

• masjid in egypt
• airplane food
• my sister's keeper