Ramadan mubarak to all, and to all a good night
That headline would be a good way to end the blog, I think. Perhaps one day I might use it… but in the words of the Lord Aragorn as played by Viggo Mortenson on a mysteriously disappearing horse, that is not this day.
I might, however, go on a temporary hiatus. There are several reasons: it’s Ramadan, which means I have less time to write if I’m going to be able to function normally; work is super, super busy, so I don’t have even the normal few minutes to update; and I have slim pickings for material, as the things I’d really like to write about are off-limits for the usual reasons.
Tonight Dan and AM had me over for our supposed-to-be-weekly-but-lately-bimonthly dinner. I think AM has made me an iftaar dinner at least once every year since I’ve known her, always working around my taraweeh schedule, always serving something savory and succulent. It’s one of my New Atlanta Traditions, one of those truly considerate and affectionate gestures that reminds me yet again of how amazing my friends are.
Dan has seemingly learned that when he goes up against both me and AM, he’s not going to win, and that I’m always going to take AM’s side, and AM’s going to take mine, regardless of who’s known each other longer and who’s married to whom. Tonight’s dinner conversation, then, went something like this:
Dan: Talk talky talk Dogster.
AM and Huda: (not paying full attention) Snarky comment.
Dan: (exasperated)
Huda: We’re sorry, Dan. Please continue. We promise we’ll be nice to you for the next five minutes.
Dan: No, you won’t.
Huda: It’s Ramadan. I have to keep my promises during Ramadan!
Dan: (gesticulating wildly) She doesn’t do Ramadan!
AM: Yes, but I’m a good person, dear. I’ll keep the spirit of a Ramadan promise.
Dan: (grudgingly) Okay. Talky talk talk talk bizarre email written from the perspective of a dog. Talk talky talk talk… HEY!
AM and Huda: Yes?
Dan: Didn’t we do this last year? During Ramadan? This never works!
AM and Huda: We don’t know what you’re talking about.
Dan: Last year! You promised to be nice during Ramadan!
Huda: We’re sorry. Your five minutes are up. We’ll see you again next year!