Cooking up a storm

This weekend had me cooking up a storm. I kicked things off by heading down to the local C-Town. The owner is Palestinian and he hired mostly Bengali girls to man the cash registers (who says Muslim Unity can't happen?) Since he's the owner he has some leeway in his neck of the woods that's why he offers up halal delicacies like rotisserie chicken, ground beef, steaks, chicken and deli meats. Believe you me as a Hanafi I can really appreciate what this brother is offering. I decided to get some marinated chicken I could slice it up and use it as filling for my sandwiches, which I can easily stuff into my bag and take to work. I also loaded up on ground beef and got an Ortega Taco Dinner Kit.

After slicing up the chicken (which was fall off the bone perfection) I fixed myself a sandwich just to see what was in store for me. Pretty good if I do say so myself. Then I started working on the tacos. Nothing says prosperity more than a skillet full of meat. I can thank my new found job for that. It's been really rough but everyone has been real supportive. Something that I am very grateful for. The only thing that I can really complain about is the location. They're out in Long Island and I am in the city. With no car to speak of I am at the mercy of public transportation to get me to and from work. Which sucks because it costs a fortune. Luckily a co-worker is nice enough to pick me up and drop me off. Living in the same neighborhood helps.

But at any rate I don't like to burden others with my problems. That's why I am working on getting my driving license. I had one when i turned 18 but we left NY for good soon after. Upon my return I learned that since my license was expired for over 2 years I had to start the process all over again. It was like being in high School again as I poured over the driver manual. I briefly answered some sample questions and then went in to Jamaica's DMV.

Even if you get there early there will be a line wrapped around the block. That's because the building also houses workman's comp and a city run temp agency. So as people file in they filter off to various sections. I follow the DMV crowd which further breaks down as we reach the various queues inside the office. I got my picture taken (grizzly as usual) and then I went in to take the test. I nailed it the first time around, it mostly asked about alcohol consumption. Lucky for me the sample questions I answered were also on the test so go me!

Several weeks later with permit in hand I went to a nearby driving school and signed up for lessons. This Saturday was the first one. I came early to take the 5hr class and then went for a ride with the instructor. He was a friendly guy and bought me some tea (yes they are all desi). He was very knowledgeable and helped fine tune my skills. Hopefully I'll nail the road test when the time comes. Now all I have to do is save up for a car.

And that's how you cook up a storm.

UPDATE: Just to keep you posted about my shopping habits. I bought a bag of candy for trick or treaters. No one came yet, oh well, more for me! That's why you should by candy you like so that you can finish it. Otherwise it will get old and moldy and you have to throw it out. speaking of old and moldy i finally opened an old spice deodorant my late father gave me several years ago. It still smells fine and rolls on easily. So i use it but keep a close eye on my pits as they are very sensitive.

The secret is out

Remember I told you about a secret project I was working on? No...it's in the previous posts...I mentioned it briefly...you don't read my posts...you suck!

lol! That's my dry sense of humor at work. I've been working all afternoon and now its nighttime. You can probably see the fruits of my labor here and there. The rupee counter has been updated, I got rid of Colbert's medal, i put a post about my stats. The medal had to go because it was too cryptic for people to get. Not good when you want them to find you and fork over their money. That's why you'll notice the sidebar now has a proper image leading to my smashword profile.

So what's so special about my SW profile, you ask. Well it will soon be receiving a new addition. My secret project or should I say unsecret project (har, har har) will be making its debut there (I am #159 on queue). If you can't wait that long you can find a copy on my website. What copy? What queue? Make sense man! Oh that's right I didn't tell you what the project was. Well here is a quote from the site, it says it best:

SadiSoft to the Rescue: When word was put out that original Islamic stories were needed. The creative talent (mainly me) at SadiSoft went into action. After a week of getting up early (can't lose the day job now can we) and hitting the keyboard I give you the fruits of my labor. Read it here, it's my hope that after enjoying it you will do good.

Hope that clears things up. I'll be updating the post when, god willing, smashwords okays my word doc. As always I encourage you to support my efforts. If you are a like minded individual consider making a donation or buying one of my books. Take care for now.

UPDATE: It's up! Go buy a copy.

Smashword Link

UPDATE 2: Well a week has gone by no word from Apex yet, about 20 of you downloaded a sample of AOD all though no one bought a copy...yet. Figured I drum up some support. Plus I don't need much of an excuse to use the jump feature. Something I've been trying to figure out for the longest time.

At any rate after the jump you can see some more gloomy pictures I get of off the interweeb (hey why hire a graphic designer? Besides I don't have the money, this is a one man show for crying out loud!) That I was seriously considering. See what could have been.

I Seeeee You!

Lurkers! Lurkers! Lurkers, I know you're out there! I can see you with my magical powers, also known as google analytics here's what I dug up:

Apparently I am getting traction in South America, especially Brazil which is awesome. Brazilians are so cool. Some interesting keywords have been sending traffic my way. At number 4 we have people who want to know what hupshi means, it means African in Urdu so there you go. Still at number one we have people inquiring about religious hierarchies in Islam. For the life of me I don't know why that has been the number one keyword for the entire year.

Well if you must know there are no religious hierarchies in Islam. We are all equal in the eyes of the lord it is only our good deeds and piety that sets us apart. Also if you are thinking we have some kind of churchlike setup you're wrong. We only require an Imam to lead prayers and a Muezzin to call the Azan. Other than that we have scholars who study the Quran and Hadiths and offer guidance to the masses. Who you choose to listen to largely depends on your outlook on life and your cultural upbringing. Hope that settles it. Next?

• Also don't be a stranger decloak and leave a comment, that way i get to know you better.
• Check out the rupee/hit counter. Keep the hits coming, we are nearing a dollar!
• Lastly we got a new follower, welcome to the crew take your shoes off and grab a seat!

PS: Can you tell I turned on the "Blogger in draft" feature now I have a richer interface to work with. Who needs fat client software when we are all working the cloud?

UPDATE: I am not kidding about Brazil, revel in the awesomeness:

Oh and while I was digging in the back end I found people were mystified by the blog title. 786 represents bismillah the blessing Muslims say before starting any activity, especially eating. It means "In the name of God" so I hope that clears up the mystery. Also folks help me welcome another follower (i wish blogger would stop using that word makes me feel all weird and prophetic) and I'll be updating the rupee counter soon. Tata for now.

UPDATE 2: Wow a new follower every week? Awesome! Plus a hundred hits per week? teh awesomeness knows no bounds!