Summer (July)

Summer is 3/4 over, Independence Day approaches, and my summer project list is woefully underfinished!

So far completed:
Research Proposal for Spring 2010 PPRI exchange (A comparative project of the Moroccan-origin Muslim and Jewish communities of Paris exploring identity)

Yet to do:
Decide whether to submit an abstract Aug 1 for an October conference
Write paper (about the intellectual history of Tariq Ramadan?)
Review Arabic grammar and vocabulary
Clean and pack apartment (figure out clothes situation, file/discard school papers, etc)
Figure out what I'm doing after June 2010 (PhD? Work? Temp jobs?)

As usual, I have chosen procrastination. I made disastrous muffins--it was an attempt at raisin bran muffins that has a bitter, lingering aftertaste. Possible culprits: use of oat bran instead of wheat bran, expired oat bran, or cheap molasses. *sigh*
On the bright side, I made fantastic fish: rainbow trout baked on a bed of green onions, marinated in chermoula and covered in lemon slices. I went to Bob's Seafood for the fish--good choice. Next plan is to try the fish at some of the Asian supermarkets to see how it compares in quality, price, and ease.

This weekend's plan involves copious amounts of barbecue with Mark S. I want to make some sort of sumac-flavoured kebabs, steak, grilled fruit, and s'mores. Should be a delicious 4th of July weekend, then off to Minnesota where it is always delicious!

Thursday

Finals Update:

1. Monograph essay for Professor Canfield
2. Research paper on Zionism in Salafist writings for Professor Ahmed
3. Finish writing comments on undergrad papers and return them

So I've read Milestones by Sayyid Qutb, and in his worldview, there seem to be two different kinds of Jews--historical Jews of the Qu'ran and modern Zionist Jews plotting world domination. The latter picks up on cliched tropes of Jews and usury and financial control. But in reality, apart from a few asides, Jews aren't perceived as the main threat, Western Crusaders spreading Jahiliyya are. So to argue about the place of Jews in the categories constructed by Qutb (and soon to be other Salafists,) do I need to explain the other categories first? The types of Christians and Muslims, seen as individuals and groups?

First Post

I don't mean to be self-absorbed, but I thought it might be fun to start a blog.

Here goes.

The semester is wrapping up, just:

1. 600 word Arabic paper
2. Arabic presentation on ^ paper
3. Monograph essay for Professor Canfield
4. Research paper on Zionism in Salafist writings for Professor Ahmed

to go.

Made koushari for dinner, going to make zucchini risotto at some point this week.
Anyone else going to be in St. Louis this summer studying for the GRE? I feel the need to retake it since the economic crisis is going to make PhD funding more competitive and I need options.

Does anyone know someone who might want a 1 bedroom North of Delmar for the Spring semester next year? We really don't want to have to move, but our landlord only allows year-long leases.

On a different note, I'm auditioning for a local production of the musical Rent. Any suggestions for a pop/rock genre song to audition with next Monday are appreciated.