Monday, November 30, 2009

My nano wrap up post



So nanowrimo is officially over, and I am still writing as of noon on the 30th, but have already validated. I am planning on finishing and re-doing the word count once I get to the actual end of the novel... Which I'm thinking needs another 3k or so words. I have learned many things in this month... Such as: the more you write the easier it is... I can actually find something to write 2000 words about every day... and the most shocking of all, DH is very supportive of my writing. You have to know DH and his snarky nature to know that he would tell me if he thought I was just a silly woman writing a silly book. He actually likes the story and has been great about pushing me to go write when I am behind on my word-count, masha'Allah. Whoda thunk it?

So here is my official synopsis and excerpt from the nano page on my novel:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Synopsis:

An American Muslim working as a teacher in an Islamic school and raising her three children is confounded when her husband's trip home to Cairo pushes her head-first into a plural marriage. Her engineer husband is as surprised as she is by this development, but a strong connection with his new neighbor in Cairo makes him take this path. The second wife is of an age where she has given up on getting married and in spite of reservations about becoming a second wife she accepts and enters into this new family.

They soon enter into a strange domestic dance that involves rivalry, pain, betrayal and eventually friendship.

Excerpt:

My body must weigh 1000 pounds. I can’t get up, I can’t speak. The cat jumps onto the couch and lays on my yarn, I just leave her. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to rip his balls off. But wait, wait. Is Kareema confused? Is she reading into this situation? Of course. She would never make that call unless she was sure. Unless he had talked to her about it specifically. Of course he talked to her about it specifically. Shit.

“Kids, just get ready for bed and go to your rooms when the movie is over, OK?” I say, and I rush upstairs to my room. Once I get there I’m not even sure if I should be angry or upset. I start crying, those horrible hiccuping sobs that catch in your throat and make your chest hurt. I feel like I am going to explode. What an asshole. The first time we are apart for more than a week and he does this? I knew he believed in polygyny, but actually marrying again? I guess he's lucky he’s across the ocean right now because if he was in the room I’d hit him square in the face.

I try to breathe deeply. I try to control the sobbing. The feeling that I’m too heavy is still there. And when I close my eyes it's like I’m on a tilt-a-whirl. Puking is a real possibility. So is setting his belongings on fire. Maybe changing the locks and sending him divorce papers via Fed-Ex. You see Muslim women don’t delude themselves about sister-wife, one big happy in the celestial kingdom… Polygyny is a man’s right and a woman’s test. In my estimation it’s also a mans test because there is such an emphasis on fairness with your wives, but that‘s another subject. And leave it to an engineer to be confident that he can do the math on fairness in marriage.

Now what am I supposed to do? Call him and get it over with, wait for him to call me, never speak to him again. All these seem like arguable options at this point. I take a few Tums from the dresser and chew them angrily. I need to take the day off tomorrow, does “just found out my husband is marrying again” fall under the family and medical leave act? I sure hope so.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

And I thought I had no traditions!


With Eid coming up it has occurred to me that I can stop complaining because I DO have Eid traditions even though I think I don't. Here they are in all thier glory:

1) The Eid "argument with my SIL about Eid activities" where I discuss the merits of "Amazing Jake's" as an appropriate Eid activity. You see, I came from a warm family time and holiday dinners background and an indoor amusement park just doesn't scream holidays to me... Not to mention it's EXPENSIVE when you have 4 kids.

2) The traditional "Denver or Laramie debate" where we decide whether or not to drive three hours to Colorado and when.

3) The ever enjoyable "rush to do all the laundry and clean the house" which is an international tradition enjoyed by all Muslimahs before Eid.

4) The traditional "What will the kids wear for Eid?" which usually means DH promising we will go to Ft Collins to shop until it is too late to do an internet order and I have to figure something out with what I already have as far as clothes.

5) My Eid "plan to cook more than humanly possible under the circumstances" where I make a menu that would require three of me to make and then shop for it, resulting in an overrun fridge and only part of my menu getting cooked.

6) The "get off your ass and get dressed for the Eid prayer" where I try to prod my DH who works nights and is usually just drifting off at that time to get dressed, shower and attend the Eid prayer with the family. I usually lose this battle and just end up making myself late.

So you see, I do have traditions! And I'm sure that just brushes the surface of the traditions I actually have! Ahhh, fun times my dears, fun times!