Cairo Tower

If you come to Cairo, don't bother going to the Cairo Tower. It's way more expensive (70 pounds, about $14 which is a lot by Egyptian standards) than it's worth. It's just a tower that gives you a nice view of the entire city. Save yourself the money, go to a mosque and ask to climb the minaret. I decided to go because it's close to the house (about 15 minutes in traffic, as opposed to an hour in traffic to get to most other places) and I needed to get my kids out of the house.

They loved riding the elevator up, but Booker freaked out once we got to the top and threw a nice big tantrum. Ike wandered around and posed in pictures with random Egyptians who kept plucking him off the ground. Some people ask permission to take photos but the majority just pick him up and start clicking away. I can't help but wonder why? Who wants a picture with a baby you don't know? A baby who refuses to smile but looks rather confused instead? Booker doesn't get plucked up nearly as often. I think this is because he has a grumpy air about him.

The real fun was at the bottom of the tower- a makeshift slide! We haven't seen a playground in over a week and these guys were thrilled. They spent a good hour sliding down and getting nice and dirty.

Call to Prayer

If you listen carefully, you can hear the call to prayer in the following videos. It sounds 5 times a day from thousands of mosques across the city. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on the Cairo Tower, sailing in a faluka on the Nile and a visit to Islamic Cairo (as opposed to Coptic Cairo which is also on my list of places to go).

Cairo Zoo

The Cairo Zoo is unlike any other zoo I've been to. If you have time, you ought to read this story. If not, all you really need to know is that the Cairo Zoo has been expelled from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.


I'm not even sure where to start. As soon as we walked through the gates, a guide/photographer latched onto us and asked if we wanted to hold a baby lion. Before I had time to think about it, money was exchanged and we were whisked off to a locked area behind the lion cage.


Is it just me or does that lionkeeper appear to be leaning away from the lion cub.


This lion cub was a year old. He was the saddest, sorriest looking creature around. Actually, all of the animals were pretty sorry looking- thin, bloated, missing hair/fur/feathers.


This baby chimp really liked my mom.


He was about the same age as Booker and weighed about as much as him too.


He was reaching for Ike's monkey backpack/leash here and enjoying Ike's cookie.


Booker did NOT like the chimp. After the lion and chimp experience, we dismissed our photographer but not before paying him his fee. Before he left, he insisted that we buy his photographs even though I had taken my own. He wouldn't take no for an answer.


You had to pay everywhere you went. One pound to see the elephants. A few more pounds to feed them. There was even a woman outside the bathroom. If you needed to pee, it was going to cost you. As we left the zoo, I was worried we'd have to pay the security guard to let us leave.


A few more pounds and you can hop into the elephant enclosure if you wanted.


This elephant was really bloated.


Stray cats and garbage EVERYWHERE.


More garbage. I think this is where the pelicans live.


You can feed any of the animals. Just place some food on a stick and hold it out for them.


I thought this was a cool looking tree. The entire place was crowded with families who brought blankets and picnics to eat on the ground. Several families had hopped the low fences to eat right up against the animal cages.


I found some rules posted! As far as I could tell, the only ones actually being observed were no yelling and shaking your fingers at the animals. But then again, we didn't see the whole zoo. It's pretty large. I'm sure somewhere, someone was wagging his finger and berating a llama.

The Grotto Aquarium

The other day we went to a local grotto/aquarium/park. We showed up just at closing time, but with a little baksheesh we were through the gates and even had our own personal tour guide (not that we really needed or even wanted one.)


The man on the right is one of my dad's security guards. I would tell you his name but then I'd have to kill you. Here's what you need to know about him. He's good at making sure my kids don't get squashed by Cairo traffic when they exit the car. He's good at corralling a meandering Ike (and boy, does that kid meander even with his leash on.) He's good at getting into places that are closed and negotiating away entrance fees. He's probably good at kicking butt too but I haven't seen that yet. Hopefully I never will. And lastly, he's good at looking mean and intimidating even when following around a little leashed white boy. (By the way, Egyptians think the leash is hilarious. Several people have stopped, gawked, pointed and laughed at little Ike and his monkey leash. I imagine for them it's something like seeing a hairless cat being pushed around in one of those pet strollers. I'd point and laugh too.)


Here we are inside the grotto (with bats overhead.) From what little I could understand from the guide, we saw several not-so-interesting fish. Lots of tilapia and lots of catfish.


Here are some mummified Nile crocodiles. We also saw some really creepy mummified seals and sharks.


And several of the fish weren't even fish any more. Just jars of dead fish. It's cheaper that way. We also saw lots of empty tanks with "pictures of the Red Sea" pasted on the back. I'm glad the entrance fee was only one pound (about 18 cents). The "fee" for the guide, however, was quite a bit more.


And here are the boys with our guide. At first I was worried that I hadn't brought the stroller, but it turns out this guy doubled as a stroller- carrying Ike around, pinching his cheeks and prompting lots of good stranger-danger faces.

Weekend in D.C.

I guess if there's one good thing about jet lag, it's midnight blogging. It's two a.m. and all three of us are wide awake. The boys are watching Fantastic Mr. Fox so I thought I'd get ahead on recording our travels.

Our few days in D.C. were fun even though we spent them without Clark. He had to work the entire time. I think we had one meal together on our first day there. Since I was on my own to face the crowds (it was the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the weather was nice, so the crowds were insane), we didn't do nearly as much as I wanted.

We went to the Natural History Museum, watched people fly kites on the Mall, visited the cherry trees at the tidal basin and saw the WW2 memorial. All that just about wore me out.

The White House at 10 o'clock at night. It was about a block from our hotel.

The boys on the Mall, admiring "the pencil."

Cherry blossoms. Those are people crowded on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial and the streets were just as crowded. Everyone was gathering to see the cherry blossoms and later on, the fireworks.


Booker wanted to take a picture. Not bad! This is what an exhausted, sweaty, "single" mom who's been pushing a double stroller around an unfamiliar city looks like. Frightening.


World War 2 Memorial.

It just about killed me to walk right past the National Gallery and the Freer & Sackler Galleries without going in. Instead we spent an hour throwing pennies into the reflecting pool. What joy. That's what happens when you take a 3 year old and a 1 year old to our nation's capital- all they want to do it throw coins into water. Whatever makes them happy.

We're Here!

We've been in Cairo for a few days now and I need to start blogging before I forget everything. I've kind of lost all track of time. Jet lag is brutal. The plane ride was rough but we made it along with all of our luggage. My parents' house is absolutely beautiful. It feels like a luxury hotel. For the record, we never had houses like this when I was growing up. I'm trying to figure out who all the servants are and trying to familiarize the boys with them. The important ones are Mohammed, Sayid and Su-su. Important to me because between the three of them, we've been well-fed, well-slept and well-kept. Dishes and dirty clothes disappear and then magically reappear fresh and clean. When Su-su found out that Booker has been a little sick with diarrhea and vomitting, she disappeared down the street and reappeared with two types of medicine for him (no prescription necessary and all under $3). When Booker turned his nose up at Koshary for lunch, Su-su appeared out of no where with two cooked hot dogs. I almost told her that I never actually cook his hot dogs, but I was too embarassed. It's quite strange to not think at all about cooking, cleaning and laundry. I just might get used to it :)My parents live in the neighborhood of Zamalek, which is an island in the middle of the Nile. How awesome is that? Pretty awesome. I've only been here a few days and I haven't gone too far outside of Zamalek but I've made a few observations about Cairo. It's big, it's dirty and there are no rules here. I've never been to a city so large. It frightens me a little bit. I live in a rural farming neighborhood in Southern Arizona. Cairo is twice the size of New York City. There are people and cars everywhere you go, whatever time of day or night. I've also never seen so much garbage in my life. And we haven't even been to Garbage City yet. And as for the rules, as far as I can tell, there are none. Try telling a three year old (whose entire life back home is about rules) that he doesn't have to use a carseat or even a seat belt. That he doesn't have to wait in line as long as he's got baksheesh. That he can throw his trash on the ground because there are no trash cans. It's complete madness.

So far I haven't gone anywhere without my dad and his security detail which has been quite nice. I haven't had to worry about catching a cab, paying the right person the right amount of baksheesh or trying to communicate without any Arabic. I hope I gain the confidence to start going out on my own. As soon as I figure out how to get pictures off my camera I'll blog about our trip to a local grotto/aquarium where half the fish were in bottles of formaldehyde. Also coming soon, our trip the Cairo Zoo where Booker and Ike were as interesting to the Egyptians as the animals and where I saw too many rules broken to speak of and really, the zoo should not be a place where rules are broken- Madam, want to hold a baby lion? Sure, why not!

Stay tuned.

Sham El Nessim

Since we'll be traveling, we're going to entirely miss Easter this year and I'm a little blue about it. No egg hunts, no egg dying, no delicious Easter candy. I was feeling pretty down until I talked with my dad and he informed me that the day we arrive in Cairo happens to be Egyptian Easter! Well, not really Easter but a national Egyptian holiday called Sham El Nessim (or the Smelling of the Zephyr) which celebrates the beginning of Spring.

From Wikipedia:

In his book, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, Edward William Lane wrote in 1834:

A custom termed 'Shemm en-Nessem' (or the Smelling of the Zephyr) is observed on the first day of the Khamaseen. Early in the morning of this day, many persons, especially women, break an onion, and smell it; and in the course of the forenoon many of the citizens of Cairo ride or walk a little way into the country, or go in boats, generally northward, to take the air, or, as they term it, smell the air, which on that day they believe to have a wonderfully beneficial effect. The greater number dine in the country or on the river. This year they were treated with a violent hot wind, accompanied by clouds of dust, instead of the neseem; but considerable numbers, notwithstanding, went out to 'smell' it.

Also From Wikipedia:

The modern Sham el-Nessim is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims, so it is considered a national festival, rather than a religious one. The main features of the festival are:

• People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the Nile, or at the zoo.
• Traditional food eaten on this day consists mainly of Feseekh (a salted Grey Mullet), lettuce, scallions or green onions, tirmis or Lupini Beans, and colored boiled eggs.

So while you're enjoying delicious ham and Cadbury Mini Eggs, I will be out sniffing the refreshing Cairo air and dining on salted Grey Mullet. Jealous much? Yeah, I thought so.

Wishing you a Happy Easter, a Happy Sham El Nessim, a Happy Vernal Equinox and a Happy General Conference Weekend. May your air smell beneficial and your fish taste salty!

Patently Absurd?

Last May, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation filed suit against Myriad Genetics, charging that their patent on the BRCA genes was unconstitutional. Also last May (not knowing that I do, in fact, carry the gene), I asked Clark to write a little bit about his thoughts on the case. I'll sum it up for you- patents are good, money from patents make the discovery of genes like BRCA possible and cancer is bad. Oh and this case will probably go away.

Well, it turns out the case didn't go away and yesterday a federal court nullified Myriad's patents. The whole 156-page ruling can be found here and here are some links to the analysis of the decision written by people who know more about it than me. If Clark weren't busy at trial in Washington, I'd probably bug him to write another guest post. This will have to do for now:

New York Times: Judge Invalidates Human Gene Patent

NPR: Federal Judge Rules Against Patents on Human Genes

Newsweek: In Surprise Ruling, Court Declares Two Gene Patents Invalid

Los Angeles Times: Breast Cancer Gene Can't be Patented, Federal Court Rules

I'm not going to pretend to have any understanding of the legal implications of this ruling, but I do have a few concerns as a BRCA carrier.

If the ruling stands, a lot can change. It's likely that the test will be more readily available and perhaps cheaper. Right now, Myriad holds a monopoly on testing for the deleterious mutations in these genes. If you test positive and want a second opinion, tough luck. Also, in the absence of competition, Myriad charges $3000 for the screening tests. What these articles don't mention is that insurance will often cover the cost of the test (if you have a family member who carries the gene) and often research facilities such as the Huntsman Institute in Salt Lake City and the Arizona Cancer Center will test you for free or for a much smaller fee. I haven't come across anyone who has actually paid $3000 to have the test.

I'm all for bringing the cost of the test down- it's the readily available part that scares me. Will the quality of the test go down? Will the test be made available to people who don't need it? Will women demand to be tested so "they can have insurance pay for their boob job?" (Yeah, someone actually approached me about that one. I told her I would personally pay for her boob job if it meant I didn't have to have this gene.)

Are Primary Care Providers (who might start performing the test out of their offices) qualified to prepare you for the impact of a positive result? My answer is a resounding NO. Genetic counseling is essential and ought to be required for anyone seeking to understand their genetic predisposition to a disease. I shudder to think of unqualified doctors testing women and sending them off to make important life and boob altering decisions without really knowing the facts.

It's not clear yet what effects this ruling will have on the future of genetic testing. I'm really hoping that it might open the avenues for further research on the BRCA gene and spur advancement in the prevention of hereditary cancers. One thing I repeatedly hear from my doctors is that science is always moving forward and things will be different in ten years. Whichever way the ruling eventually falls (I'm assuming that Myriad is going to appeal the decision), I really hope that's true.

**I ended up bugging Clark anyways and here are his two cents**

I would only add this link to a patent blog that I follow. It cites the most interesting language in the opinion and notes that this thing is likely to be reversed by the Federal Circuit (the appeals court for patent issues). None of the patent people I know can imagine the Federal Circuit invalidating gene patents - especially not under this kind of rationale. I can't really see the Supreme Court upholding it either. In my opinion, this is the kind of crap that gets churned out when English majors issue patent decisions. A lot of the judges on the Supreme Court are English majors, though, so we'll see what happens.

The Travel Bug

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...

I'm kind of a homebody.

I like the comfort of my own home and my own things. Life is easier when my kids can sleep in their own beds and play with their own toys. Life is easier with my car, my washing machine and my DVR. So why am I going halfway around the world to hang out in a third world country?!

Because it's going to be awesome. And because it's good to get out of your comfort zone. And because I miss my dad. And because by the time I was Booker's age, I had already lived in three countries and Booker has only ever been to Mexico (Nogales- which doesn't even count.)

And lastly because Clark has a trial in Washington D.C. which is going to take him away from us for several weeks and I don't want to sit at home without him. So off to Cairo we go.

I'm going to let you in on another little secret...

I'm terrified.

Not about being in Cairo, but about getting to Cairo. I hate traveling with my kids. My Boys + Traveling = Waves of Vomit. It's not like they're actually sick, but for some reason as soon as we cross that state line/check into that hotel/unload that luggage, they release giant waves of vomit. When faced with something unfamiliar, they always resort to the same thing- barfarama. The must get it from their mom.

And that's just domestic travel. I'm not sure how they'll react when they're faced with over 15 hours of flying and jet lag. I imagine it will involve more than just vomit. I'll be sure to pack some extra pairs of underwear. Maybe some nose plugs and ear plugs for the passengers seated next to us. And valium. For the entire plane. But not the pilot. Lots and lots of valium.

I've been so focused on getting to Cairo, that I haven't thought at all about what we want to do once we're there. We're going to stop in D.C for a few days to hang out with Clark. So dear readers, with one day in Washington D.C. and two kids under four, what should we do and see? And for those who have been to Cairo, what was your favorite thing to do and see there?

Wish us luck!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

The Tueller Sibs

I've been thinking a lot about my siblings lately. I feel really lucky to know them and I think you ought to know them too.

Marie- My older sister, more commonly known as Aunt Rie Rie. She lives in Arizona but I won't tell you where, you might try and stalk her (yes, she's that cool.) She came here by accident. Actually, she came here to get sober. She went to the same treatment center as Heather Locklear and Oprah. But she's way hotter than Heather Locklear and way cooler than Oprah (who wanted to get sober from over-eating and not drugs & alcohol.) I won't tell you much about that because that's a story you ought to hear from her. It's a good one with a happy ending. Ask her sometime, she'll tell you. She might even invite you to come to an AA meeting with her and if you do go, be prepared to be mobbed by her adoring fans. She has huge fan club all over the world. Her latest adoring fan? This tiny growing fetus...

This fetus loves my sister because she fought long and hard to make both her body and mind strong and clean. I love my sister too. Did I mention that she has a Master's degree in psychology and really good taste in music? Seriously, don't try and stalk her. She took a self-defense class last year.

David- My oldest younger brother, more commonly known as Yaya's Husband. David has made lots of really smart decisions in his life. He decided to serve a mission for his church in Nashville, TN. He decided to study Computer Engineering at my alma mater. But his best decision ever was to marry Yaya. I used to say that David was my favorite brother, but now Yaya is my favorite so I'm not sure what to say. Maybe I should stop with the favorites.

When David was younger, my mom thought he was learning disabled (she also thought Danny had rabies and I was going to be dyslexic because I went to an Arabic preschool. Let's just say, her instincts were never quite right.) David was just a quiet kid. It's pretty clear to us now that he is quite intelligent. He's learning Japanese for goodness sake so their kids can be bilingual. Plus, there's no way Yaya would settle for someone who isn't as smart as her.

Daniel- My middle younger brother, also known as the one I don't like to talk much about because it kinda hurts. Danny turned 18 one week ago. I didn't do a birthday tribute like last year because like I said, it kinda hurts. Danny has graduated from a youth program to a young adult program where he has little bit more freedom. He's interested in music and wants to put out an album. A few weeks ago, he asked me to come up with some album art. He described in detail what he wanted and this is what I came up with...

But being the lame older sister that I am, I sent him two images and told him he ought to consider this one instead...

Despite his dark exterior, Danny has a big heart and a good sense of humor. I love him immensely.

Christian- My youngest brother, also known as the baby of the family. Although he's no baby. He's endured a lot being the last one out of the nest but he's pretty well adjusted. He's my favorite. Not my favorite brother, just my favorite human being. Chris makes friends wherever he is, whether it's Cairo, Egypt (where he currently lives) or Provo, Utah (where he spent a year living with my mom while my dad was in Baghdad.) He's a global social butterfly. Want proof?

This is a random photo I stole from Chris' facebook profile from his trip to the Philippines last week. It's pretty typical of Chris- he's a ladies' man, he's a man's man. He's everybody's man because he's easy going, he's kind and he's the type of guy you want to call your friend. He'll give you the shirt off your back. He probably did in this photo. He was in the Philippines working at an orphanage. There's probably a little Filipino orphan walking around with my brother's shirt on and feeling super cool for having known Chris. For awhile there, Chris and I had a little competition going to see who could get the most facebook friends. He's blown me out of the water. In fact, if you're still reading at this point, you should facebook friend him. He'd love that. I don't care who you are, just tell him Margaret sent you.

Fighting Chance

Remember how I was concerned that cancer doctors wouldn't want to see me? Well, nothing could be father from the truth. Since starting the whole cancer screening process, I've had a WHOLE team of doctors assigned to me... a breast oncologist, a gynecological oncologist, a high risk specialist, a genetic counselor and a social worker. They tried to assign me a nutritionist too but I had to draw the line somewhere. They've poked me, prodded me (you don't want to know where), magnetized me and inquired after every little breast/ovary detail you could imagine. And still they want more! I feel like I've got a doctor's appointment every other week. And I'm a healthy person. I've got doctors clamoring over my breasts and ovaries and they're as healthy as can be (my breast and ovaries, not the doctors, although they're probably healthy too.) I can't imagine what it'd be like if I actually had cancer. Not true, I can imagine what it's like. Thanks for finding out, Mom so I don't have to.

I'm not complaining. I hope it doesn't come across that way. Just pointing out how strange it all seems. Is this a good use of time and effort for these highly specialized doctors? If I didn't have health insurance, would I be willing to pay $3000 out of pocket for an MRI that I know is going to come back clean? Every six months? Am I abusing the healthcare system? Am I crazy for wanting more kids? For keeping my ovaries for a few more years? Or am I crazy for not getting pregnant right away? As Clark put it the other day...

Clark: There's no reason to hurry. I mean, really, it's just our youth wasting away while your breasts and ovaries plot to kill you. :)

me: oh no you dih int

(Aren't you glad to know we plan for our future children over google chat?)

Or is it even worse than that? Am I crazy (selfish) for bringing my own genetically deleterious children into the world and not adopting? Is it better to just not know I carry this gene?* These are the questions that haunt me just when I begin to feel okay about everything.

Now I realize this is rather personal stuff (my grandma is probably horrified.)** On the list of things you shouldn't put on the world wide web, your baby-growing-bits and your babies probably rank pretty high. But ever since since I joined this little BRCA world, I've found great comfort in reading the blogs of other women like me. Unfortunately for me, most of them are pretty heavy on prophylactic surgery and light on preventative screening. Which isn't to say I'm not considering surgery down the road. I'm just not there yet. So in the meantime, maybe I can offer up my voice to those who have settled on screening for now, to those who still have children in their futures and to those who have a love/hate relationship with their breasts & ovaries.

And now for something completely different. Just kidding, it's related and humorous.

Check it out:

Confronting an overwhelming genetic predisposition for breast cancer, a comedy writer makes the ultimate choice. Amy Cohen is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, The Late Bloomers Revolution.

*The answer is no.

** Love you, grandma!

Old Tucson with Mama De

Sometimes I secretly rejoice when I forget my camera on family outings. Unfortunately for me, I remembered it last weekend when we took my mom to Old Tucson Studios. Which is fine, Old Tucson is basically a giant excuse to take fun, cheesy pictures. Like one of Clark, Booker and Ike posing as the Three Amigos. Classic. Or one of Booker drinking a sarsaparilla at the pulpit of the Old Chapel. Or several of Ike looking confused and/or embarrassed to be seen with us. Fun times.

Slideshow here.