Parlez-vous anglais?

Another day of waiting. Today it's the plumber. Previously it's been the internet guy, delivery guy, security guy and the repairman. As if it isn't hard enough without a car, it's even worse when you must be in the house waiting for someone to come at some unknown hour. We have an empty apartment because our stuff hasn't arrived, Ember has no friends to "have over", we really don't have much to do in the apartment besides some borrowed games and library books from the school. There are only so times I can read David gets in Trouble and so many times we can play sorry, trouble, go fish and uno. So that leaves....tv.

Ember and I have discovered Little House on the Praire in French. I figure this is educational on two levels: life of the pioneers (I'm talking before they adopted Albert and the show gets all weird because they needed to add a fresh new character to save the series) and learning French. I hope one day to be able to say useful phrases such as: Hitch up the wagon Charles, Can I stop churning the butter now mama I have blisters on my hands or the emphatic, Look mama....Mary can see! a la francais. I'm pretty sure that they will come in handy one day and Ember and I will be better people or knowing them. Or that's what I'm telling myself.


I have not ventured into the arabic chanels. I can't differentiate the sounds of the arabic language. They range from hacking up a real big phlegm ball to the more croupy cough tone and everything inbetween. Plus I don't really want to watch anyone from the Golden Girls dubbed to make any of those noises or really any noise at all. The thought makes my stomach turn. I would however watch Baywatch re-runs in Arabic to see if there is a sound that they can dub David Hasselhoff sucking his gut in. Oh my god, I have to channel surf to see if I can find that now!


There is one...yes..... one channel in english. CNN. If you have watched enough CNN, as I have recently, you know the best show on CNN is Christiane Amanpour. She's on right after the kids get tucked in bed. I look forward to watching her all day. Intelligent interviews, fascinating people and all in english. Who will she interview tonight? Desmond Tutu? Annie Lennox? That fascinating new Palestinian author? It's been the link that connects me to the rest of the world from what seems like total isolation in the apartment waiting for the plumber and pondering whether Moroccan plumbers also have plumber's crack. That was until earlier this week when Moroctelecom guy came. I could have cared less if he came when Amanpour was on, that's how happy I was!


So now with my newfound internet freedom of information, who do I find in the news today but Christiane Amanpour. ABC wants her on their morning show to replace snuffleupagus. Oh I'm sorry... I meant George Stephanopoulus. While this is all well and good for Ms. Amanpour, I DON'T GET ABC here damn it! I think I've developed an unhealthy Amanpour obsession either that or I just need to get out of this apartment, go for a walk and breathe in the 3rd world exhaust fumes! I'm sure with a little time out walking in the polluted city and I will be able to identify just the right arabic sound to convey David Hasselhoff's gut sucking in case they haven't found one yet. I'll let you know...