Hey Hey What Can I Do

And we have the radio back!

It doesn't sound like much, not being able to listen to the radio while in the car, but after eleven days of non-stop... eh... something... classical music maybe?  Arabian classical music?  The Qur'an being sung? (or in my case that CD being played in the car non-stop since it was rediscovered) I have to say it was quite nice listening to a bit of The Commodores and some Hootie & the Blowfish on the way back from school.

Eleven days ago the bodies of the Emerati soldiers that were martyred the day before were flown back to the UAE and an official three-day mourning period began.  They were killed in the line of duty during 'Operation Restore Hope', under the Saudi Arabia-led Arab alliance to support the people of Yemen and their legitimate government, when their ammunition depot was targeted by a rocket in the country's historic Marib province.  As was the case when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died back in January, the radio stations suspended normal programming for the period of the mourning.  Which is totally fair enough, except this time, normal radio didn't seem to resume.  Perhaps it was because even more bodies were returned a few days later, or maybe the tragedy in Mecca extended it, I'm not sure, but all I can say is, I'm glad the music is back now!  Joey not so much: "Me no like this! Maaamaaa!  Happy Ay!  Happy Ay!  Me no like this!  Maamaaaa!"

Today, however, saw the losing of a day's holiday as well as the gaining of popular music.

It was widely predicted that the three day Eid Al Adha holiday would begin next Wednesday 23rd September following Arafat Day (since Eid Al Adha comes one day after Muslim pilgrims stand on Mount Arafat in the outskirts of Makkah in western Saudi Arabia as part of their pilgrimmage), thereby giving us a much needed/desperately wanted five day long weekend.  But the moon-sighting committee in Saudi Arabia, being the official body to declare Islamic holidays, announced that it will actually fall on September 24th, after they detected the Dhul Hijjah crescent.  And there's no messing with them.

I mean I'm not gonna turn my nose up at two days off school and work, but still... when you had three days off in your head...