Detritus: The Waning of Summer

I haven't posted in quite a while, mainly because of the war in Lebanon. I felt, somehow, that by blathering on about life's mundane matters, I would somehow be trivializing the atrocities. A few students from our program are in Lebanon, and our Professor has a good deal of family there. As much as I try to empathize with them, I know I can't understand their torrent of emotions. I have nothing to say on the issue that holds any gravity and so I won't embarass myself by trying to discourse on a subject that I know so little about. Instead I refer you to one of my favorite blogs:
http://juancole.com/

Summer is winding down for Susu as she prepares for first grade. I still have about six weeks to go and I must use this time to prepare for my comprehensive exams. I have been reading diligently, but there's so much to cover. I find the task incredibly daunting. I will have four days of tests over a week; one is an oral exam. The review is difficult, but in some ways, it is finally all coming together.

When the girls are here, we spend most of our time outdoors. Big points for the city of Chicago. They have many well-kept pools, some replete with children's waterparks. Many of the regular parks have splash pads. They are FREE! In addition, we have been going to some of the city festivals. Last Friday we went to Kiddieland. Susu absolutely loved the rides, but Suraya would say--as the ride was in progress-- "skeweey (scarey)." I still owe Susu a trip to Great America. We were going to go on Muslim day, but I've decided to forego this after talking to some Muslims on the MSA list who affirmed that it is overwhelmingly crowded on Muslim Day. I think we'd prefer a weekday since we'd rather ride more than 3 things all day. I may go with my friend Lena in the Fall, as she suggested. The crowds and, shall I say, "those who seek hotel rooms," will have gone back to school.

Our biggest event this summer was the the acquisition of a kitten. As we were riding down the street, Susu spied a kitten outside of McDonalds. There were a number of ruffians nearby so, on instinct, I got out and fetched the cat. After returning to the car, I thought, "okay, now what, we can't keep this thing." After a little convincing from Susu, we were headed home, and shortly thereafter to the store to buy cat litter and food. That easy, huh? Not really. Two days later I thought I'd better spray the kitty down with Hartz Flea medicine sold over the counter, just in case. The next morning the cat was clearly suffering from neurological dysfunction. He couldn't walk and was barely breathing. It was horrible. At first I attributed it to some sickness that had been dormant the first two days of his stay. One hundred dollars, and two trips to the two vets later, I realized that the flea spray was the sole culprit. I cannot believe this stuff is on the market, especially since there are complete websites dedicated to the victims of Hartz; just take a look at this site if you have the stomach for it:
http://www.hartzvictims.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1087It is horrifying. After a lame experience at a local vet, we were finally able to see Dr. Shanan on the northside. He has a reputation for seeing pets peacefully through the ends of their lives. He has a thriving practice and helped us immensely. He waived the office visit fee when I told him about our lousy experience at the first vet (who urged me to put the kitten to sleep). Well, alls well that ends well. The kitten is fine, except for the daily torment he experiences at the hands of the fearless Suraya who carries him in the most unconventional ways imagainable (by the tail, etc.). Of course, I try to intercept, but I can't be with the cat and her every moment.

Anyway, here is a picture documentary of our summer: