Just studying for yet another Arabic test

Well, it's time for another weekly Arabic test. I am feeling much like the character in the drawing here to the left. By the way, for those of you who are into Project Runway, which should be, like, ALL of you, this is a cartoon by Diana Eng, who was one of my favorite contestants until she got auf-wiedersehn'ed by Heidi Klum. Sidenote: Chloe did deserve to win last night, and my favorite comment was by the uber-gay Michael Kors, who said that Daniel V's dress looked like an "80s Bitch Dress from Knot's Landing." I still think that Santino should get the heave-ho soon. His poo-brown 70s jumpsuit was incredibly ugly!! I have to say that Nick's purple sharkskin suit was pretty bad though. If I'd had my druthers as a judge, I would have gotten rid of Nick during the "garden/plant" contest, and then ditched Santino this time around. Andrae should have stuck around!

Well anyway, back to the cartoon... luckily, I don't have any real jerks in my life at the moment, but I've had my share of them over the last 10 years. Oh, well, now that I think about it, actually I was sort of hit on this morning by some unattractive painter who is painting the exterior of the new house next to my apartment complex. He asked me if I wanted to help him paint, and I told him I would help him if he paid me. So he said he'd be happy to pay me, but then I said I had to go to class. So he told me to "stop by" after class and continued hollering things out to me as I hot-footed it toward campus. Well, when I did get back from class, I was so paranoid about having another weird and awkward conversation with the guy, that I fell off my bike trying to get it up the curb, fearing that he would spot me and come out to "flirt" --- but luckily I did make it inside in the knick of time before he saw me.

On a last note, I would just like to say that I have the best and nicest friends EVER! Today I got my SECOND care package of the semester from my lovely friend, Kelley O'Connor. Check back tomorrow for the wall of fame celebrating my wonderful friends... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ME!!!!

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show... and other tidbits

Hello again,

I am going to try my best to start writing again here at least every few days (as opposed to my lazy once a week efforts of late), but it's been really hard for me to get back in the swing of things again after my delightful trip home to DC over Christmas. Sadly, I have been spending more time this semester watching TV and fooling around on the internet than I did last semester, which also means that I have been neglecting my blog. So... here is what's going on:

1. I got an A on my Islamic Law paper (written about a few entries ago), which I am thoroughly pleased about considering I have never looked at the Quran (or a Bible for that matter) in my life. Woo hoo, I guess even a God-doubting agnostic can understand something spiritual.

2. My Arabic class is rapidly getting a lot harder this semester. I got (oh horrors) an 85.7% on my first exam! No way! That stinks! I made the dumbest mistakes, but it was a really difficult test! The other new addition to Arabic class is that we have to have native speaker "conversation partners" who we have to meet with about twice a month. I got matched up with this Saudi engineer named Ammar, who is from Dammam (Eastern Province). He's in his early 20s, and I've only met him once, when all the Saudi exchange students came to meet us in class one day last week. He's a portly little guy, but he seemed the friendliest of the bunch, even though he barely speaks English (which makes setting up meeting times quite the challenge). Our first meeting is this Friday at 3pm (I think... haha) at Starbucks so I will report more later.

3. My cough is slowly diminishing although I am still hacking away every now and then. One cool thing this semester is that I am signed up in an Islamic Human Rights seminar for the next two weeks with the (2001?) Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, who is a female lawyer from Iran. Her first class started last Monday, and so far it's been really very good. We covered Iranian history on Monday and Tuesday, and today we discussed the Iranian Constitution and government structure. Very interesting. The reason I bring this up with my "cough" paragraph is that I had the worst coughing fit in class today. I tried to suppress the tickle in my throat because I had already coughed through a good bit of her lecture (the class only has 50 students in a small lecture room) so I already felt self-conscious, but then I realized that I really was going into a bit of a coughing seizure. My attempts to hold it in left me turning red in the face, watery in the eyes, and feeling as though I were about to explode. Putting my head down toward my backpack, I had no choice but to let the cough loose, and so I spazzed out coughing for about a good minute, just enough so that everyone sitting near me could not even hear her interpreter. I have no doubt that Shirin Ebadi now must think of me as "the sick girl on the side of the room" although she did keep talking as though she didn't even notice my gasps for breath and disgusting phlegm-like coughing fits. I did appreciate that greatly.

4. My yoga class went well, although I had an aforementioned coughing fit at the beginning of class on Sunday, when the teacher was chanting in Hindi and the class of 8 people was sitting Indian-style semi-meditating in what was supposed to be silence. I was definitely a bit of a mood breaker. The teacher finally asked me if I needed a drink of water (as if that would quell the virus emerging from my lungs) and I was forced to apologize repeatedly for ruining the mood of the class. Luckily, I got most of it out of my system and was able to get through class... I really enjoyed it although I feel certain I will never be able to touch my toes without bending my legs. I have the flexibility of a steel beam.

5. I also went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show on Saturday with some girls from my department. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was not overly enthused about looking at rocks and geodes for half a day, but as it turned out, the show had some really cool jewelry and TONS of beads, rocks, silver, etc etc for jewelry making. I spent oodles on supplies (mostly small rocks & beads), but I figured that in the long run, I can make lots of necklaces for friends and save myself money on gifts in the future (yes, my friends, prepare yourself for my creative efforts!!). The show is set up at about 10 budget hotels all along the frontage road of I-10. Indeed, a rather weird set-up. I thought it would be at a convention center, but instead these small hotels put tents up in their parking lots and courtyard areas, and sellers also set up booths inside the hotel rooms along the courtyards. Below are some photos of the show...


This is a typical tent at the show.



Above is an example of another type of booth. Now, listen when I say that there are ALL TYPES of people at this event, from all over the world, as this is the biggest gem show in the world, and it draws thousands of merchants and buyers. However, there is one type of person that really loves this sort of thing. This person is known as "the Cherohonkee" --- here is a quick description: "White babyboomers (male or female) who are obsessed with Native American culture. They live in the southwest or west, preferably in adobe homes. Their hobbies include hosting drum circles, making chamomile tea, and dancing with wolves. They have a unique affinity for turquoise jewelry and prefer living in the country or in a liberal-minded town that hasn't been spoiled by McDonald's, the Gap, Wal-Mart, and other scourges of the white man. Cherohonkees believe that Americans have lost their undersanding of the interconnectedness of all things. They begin emulating the traditional cultures of Native Americans in protest of the post industrial pillaging of the earth." The booth above provides an example of the ultimate Cherohonkee exhibit at the gem show (the CDs for sale are of Native American music, and speakers were playing the flute-like music a la Kevin Costner in "Dances with Wolves").



Here are the girls with who I went to the show: Alana, Shauna (my god, check out that sourpuss face... I think someone really DISLIKED the gem show and just wanted to be home snuggling with her Persian lovegod), and Rachael.


Oh and finally, here is a picture from a party I went to last Friday evening at the home of the head of the Middle Eastern Studies Department here at U of A:

I found this picture particularly amusing because Shauna a) has a giant hamburger placed before her, and b) is sandwiched between the two men of her life... Dr. Talattof, her Persian instructor, on the left, and her main squeeze, Rouzbeh, on the right. Hey, wait a minute, is that a "Members Only" jacket? :-)

Cough Cough Cough

Hello, cough, I (cough) am cough (now sans parentheses) sitting cough in front of my cough computer and I cough am coughing (cough) a lot. I must cough be driving my neighbors cough insane. Really, cough, this is how often cough I am coughing. I think cough that I must have some cough sort of cough bronchial infection. I have cough no energy at all cough. And sadly cough I must do a lot of cough homework tonight cough cough cough. I am also starting to cough notice how weird cough the word cough looks when cough you're writing it lots of cough times in a row. This coughing cough cough sucks!!!!!!!!!!!! I will write about what I have cough been doing (I PROMISE) cough when I am feeling better, but cough right now I am in recovery cough mode. I have cough been coughing for almost a full week cough non-stop. I must do my homework cough and go to bed cough before my head cough implodes. Cough cough cough cough cough.
Good(cough)night...
THE COUGHER FROM HELL, AKA Poor Little Me

Gem Show and Yoga Weekend

There are only two things going on in my life right now aside from school:

1. Spending far too much money at the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (more on this in a later entry)

and

2. I am going to my first yoga class tomorrow here in Tucson! My mom got me a gift certificate for an Iyengar yoga studio out here, and my first class starts tomorrow!

Tomorrow I will update you with a full status report on the above two items. However, tonight I must go to bed in order to wake up rested for my morning yoga class. Not to mention that I have contracted the world's most annoying and tiresome bronchial cold and have been coughing non-stop for 2 days now. My head feels as though it is about to rupture. Therefore, I just want to climb in my bed right now, put chapstick on my running nose, snuggle into my flannel sheets, and cough myself to sleep...

Until later...
Typhoid Mary

Serious Procrastination

This will be quick because I was supposed to be studying all day, and it's now 6:45pm, and I haven't cracked a book open yet. I have an Arabic test tomorrow, but I'm not overly concerned. I'm also supposed to be doing a lot of reading that I haven't done yet, but I do have the evening ahead of me. Ahh, the joys of working under pressure. (insert Freddie Mercury singing.. "under pressure... doo do do daa dee" --- a la Vanilla Ice later on).

Anyway, whatever, I am rambling. I had a good weekend. Went to a grad student happy hour on Friday night that was absolutely packed with people, to my surprise. I thought it would be dork central, but it was refreshingly decent with some fun looking people there. Lindsey and Shauna didn't have quite as much fun as me though, and they pulled me away around 8pm. So we came back to my humble abode, invited our classmate Christina over, and played my new card game from Christmas, "Pirate's Loot" and some Boggle as well. A rocking Friday night if ever there was one!

Then on Saturday, Shauna invited me on a picnic up to Mt. Lemmon with her new man "Rouzbeh" and his friends, Farauz and Farsheed (I haven't a clue how to spell these names). Farauz is a bit husky and a little older (ahem, 27) and plays classical guitar very well. Farsheed is a bit edgier, and to be frank, he's really sort of right off the boat, having arrived from Iran only 6 months ago. Interesting to say the least. It was sort of a day out of Iran except that we were still in Arizona (ie: Persian spoken about 50% of the time, Persian music in the car on the drive up the mountain, Persian singing at the picnic site). And if you've ever been to the Middle East (esp. in mountainous areas like Turkey, or Iran) you will know that picnicking is a popular weekend activity. Especially grilling. Which is exactly what we did -- a delicious mix of ground beef kebab and a steak and saffron kebab were the offerings (more red meat than I have eaten in years), and the most tasty salad ever --- known as Shirazi salad -- with the usual mix of cucumbers, red onion, tomato, and a zing of lime juice and olive oil. Ahh, delicious!

I had to do some serious laundry this morning, however, to eradicate the scent of burning pine wood from my clothes. Today, I didn't do much except hit the swimming pool (as usual). Otherwise, I have been hibernating in my studio apartment, cleaning the floors, kitchen, and bathroom, and just blathering around.

Ta-ta for now!

Sitting in my chair all day & night

Hello, lameness. I have been attached like glue to my olive green, $9.99 plastic chair from IKEA for approximately 12 hours. It looked like a beautiful day outside, from what I could see through my vertical blinds. Too bad I was fixated in front of this damn machine, reading an exceedingly long chapter of the QURAN and assessing its legal and ethical injunctions. Oh, and as my professor asked, also feeling free to comment on any verses that fell outside of that binary framework. Huh? Yeah, huh. And as an additional treat I also got to spend 2.5 hours reciting (in Arabic) on my little webcam a minute and a half monologue about some guy named Khalid who "dekheltu koolayit ettajara" -- entered business school. Thrill a minute my life is. I realized something was really wrong when I drove over to my department's building tonight to drop off my 6-page Quranic paper and couldn't find parking anywhere. Finding this odd (one can usually find parking next to the building in the evenings), I completely illegally parked in a construction zone and walked toward the building. In so doing, I ran into a number of 20-something young females all decked out in tight jeans, hoochie tops, UGG boots (frankly, the uniform around this place), and loads of make-up, and suddenly remembered that it was Saturday night. My outfit? Pajama pants, long sleeve t-shirt that I slept in last night, an old blue sweatshirt, thick navy socks with the Grinch on both sides, Speedo slide-on sandals, and no bra. Oh, and might I mention that I haven't even combed my hair today. God, I'm hot.

Don't Give Up On Me!!!

For those of you who think I've died, I just wanted to confirm to you that I am still well and breathing. I'm starting to get frantic notes in my e-mail inbox inquiring as to whether I have been kidnapped by government agents, but alas, I am alive and well and now back in Tucson. Bah humbug...

The good news? I am taking fewer credits this semester and the weather here still rocks. (I have already been swimming outside multiple days since I've been back...)

The bad news? I still don't really like anyone in my lame department, and my closest friend here (Shauna) has all but evaporated with the discovery of her new Siamese-twin boyfriend, also known as Rouzbeh (pronounced Rooz-bay... it's Persian). Miguel is now calling Shauna "Rouz-babe." Indeed.

So now it's just me, my old teddy bear, and my computer on Friday and Saturday nights. Yes, how insanely crazy and wild my college life is! I have decided to focus on getting in serious shape this semester by varying my work-out routine from just swimming. I'm adding weight-lifting and doing the eliptical trainer for at least 30 minutes as well, and so far I feel very healthy!

Miguel also bought me an MP3 player for Christmas, and I made use of it tonight at the gym. Definitely an added plus to any work-out.

I'm also seriously into watching "Project Runway" -- what a great TV show. Not only is it reality TV (my personal favorite genre... how embarrassing to admit), but it involves people with creativity and talent! How marvelous! BTW, my favorite designer is Daniel V. (with the longish hair and big nose) --- always tailored and classic. He is the best...

I used to be really into the show "Lost," but it's just really jumping the shark this year. The new characters, the opening of the hatch... all lame. My mom told me she watched an episode last week (with Mr. Eko's story) and said that his intense facial expressions through every single scene annoyed her to no end, and she said she didn't know how he didn't just burst out laughing during the filming b/c it was all so ridiculous. I had to agree in retrospect.

Nothing more to report. Just living life as a hermit... waiting for spring 2007 to arrive and my escape from Tucson...
Cheeri-o,
Kit

Check my grades...

I just got my final grades posted on U of A's website --- check it out!! I am so excited because all of my hard work paid off... ALL As!!!!!!!!

NES 595D001
MIDDLE EAST
3.00
A

NES 566 001
MIDL EAST CITY+ISLAM
3.00
A

NES 580 001
MIDDL EAST IN 20TH C
3.00
A

ARB 539A001
EGYPTIAN ARABIC
3.00
A

ARB 101 001
ELEMENTARY ARABIC I
5.00
A

Not much more to report -- I'm hanging at Miguel's today, and he's off work. We're going to go grocery shopping and last minute Christmas shopping in a little bit, and we need to eat breakfast in a minute, but I just wanted to give a quick update to say WOO-HOO!

Back in DC

I'm back in DC --- it's much colder here! I'm in a hurry because I want to go jogging then need to come back to Miguel's apartment and get ready to walk to the metro because I'm meeting my mom at the mall in a couple of hours. We're doing a little bit of last minute Christmas shopping! I feel like I'm back at "home" but it does feel strange to be back...

Going home tomorrow!

Hello and goodbye! I am now studying for my last final exam, which takes place tomorrow at 11am. Then I race to the airport to catch my 2:45pm flight home to DC. No time to write... must focus on history. Bah humbug!

Shopping and Logan's Run

For the first time since classes started, I am finding myself with too much time on my hands. What does one do in Tucson with few friends and a lot of time (normally filled with reading, homework, and studying?) --- this person shops, shops, and shops, and rents incredibly cheesy films. I have turned into a mini-mall rat. Not only did I spend quality time pilfering through the untamed madness of Ross today, but I also hit BOTH of Tucson's malls in the past three days. And of course, let us not forget the perennial favorite, Target...

Of course, my recent credit card insanity has much to do with the fact that Christmas is in a couple of weeks, and I have ALL of my Christmas shopping done now, and also due to the fact that this weekend marked Tucson's HUGE semi-annual "4th Avenue Street Fair." Imagine 2,500 tents set up along a mile of one of Tucson's downtown streets, full of all sorts of artisans, restauranteers, and random oddities. It was the largest street festival I've ever seen... even bigger than Pike Place Market, Portland's Saturday Street Fair, and DC's Eastern Market. Artisans come from all over Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to hawk their wares. Of course, a lot of it was very Southwest oriented -- such as items in turquoise, dream-catchers, and really bad t-shirts and paintings of airbrushed wolves, but there were a few fun little gems sprinkled throughout. I got a number of Christmas gifts there (will reveal these things later!) and I got myself a really cool $40 tote in a brown and teal velvet pattern with black trim. It looks better than it sounds.

On another note, I also returned a gigantic stack of books to the University library and afterwards decided to check out the DVD and VHS section near the book return. Oh ho ho, I discovered a free jackpot of completely undesireable DVD rentals, with the exception of the four DVDs I brought home: Sid & Nancy (disturbing), Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps (haven't watched yet), as well as Rear Window (which -- in perfect accordance with Murphy's Law -- got f**ed up and froze at the climax of the film, when the neighbor is coming to Jimmy Stewart's apartment to kill him so I missed about 75% of the ending), and the winner of the bunch... Logan's Run!

Logan's Run, a futuristic sci-fi film, was released in 1976, and actually won a Special Achievement Acadamy Award for Visual Effects. Hahahaha!!!! If you have never seen this movie, you really should invite some friends over, buy yourself some alcoholic beverages, and sit back for the ensuing hilarity. Here is what is so amusing:

1. The costumes look like something out of a mega-70s, bowl-cut and feathered-hair elf ballet that also features Robin Hood. (Sidenote: ALL the jocks in my junior high and high school in Maryland had this haircut back in the mid-80s... Hey Taylor, remember Robbie Ambrose and the Borowski brothers? Doesn't this guy look like them? Second sidenote: Katy P, if you're reading this... the redhead looks eerily like you, but with bad hair, of course!):



2. Michael York (from the Austin Powers movies) is so skinny it's sort of gross. Plus he wears this skin tight black leotard thing during the whole movie:



3. Michael York's character, Logan, is called a "sandman," which is more or less a cop. He shoots this modernistic handgun, which I believe might be the pre-cursor to the light saber. It shoots out green light, causing victims to become engulfed in flames, and then burn alive:



4. The funniest part of the whole movie is this "scary" robot that is supposed to freeze people that leave the domed city. It's hard to believe how much technology has advanced in 30 years --- the droid in the movie was clearly a remote-controlled little car with this big plastic box on it and a couple of flimsy limbs that could hardly hold the weapons he was supposed to shoot. I laughed out loud for about two minutes over this thing:



Moving on -- I also went swimming today OUTSIDE... sorry, you East Coasters and Seattle-ites! It wasn't really that warm and today was very cloudy, but I just HAD to get some exercise. I'm pleased to say the pool is delightfully heated, and although I had goosebumps for my first lap, I warmed up quickly and had a great swim.

Then, on my way home, I decided to stop by a famous local Mexican fast food place here in Tucson that I had never tried before called Nico's. I ordered the carne asada nachos to go (carne asada is the specialty of Mexicans in Tucson) and a carnitas taco for my lunch tomorrow. So I got home, settled on my couch and delved into the nachos. However, I could only eat about eight bites because it was just too much for me. Not only were the chips greasy, but it was covered in cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and just way too much beef that tasted, well, like a cow. Yuck! I was quite disappointed. So I unwrapped the carnitas (pork) taco to eat it instead, but the meat smell just made me feel totally ill. I had to just throw the entire thing out.

My point with this story? I think I am near vegetarian at this point in time. I only eat soy products (ie: garden burgers, soy chicken) and only drink soy milk. Even milk tastes animal-like to me now... blecch! I will still occasionally eat chicken or turkey (as long as it's free-range and not chemical infested) or baked ham and some fish, but I have no meat products in my home, and I don't believe I will be buying any more. I have just been feeling so much better with a light diet of yogurt, cereal, soy products, fruit, and salad. Oh, and my favorite Clif bars!

I also discovered a new, great, fantastic band that I randomly downloaded from a guy's music blogsite. They're called "Mew," and they're Danish but are now based out of London. They're heavier than anything I normally listen to (you all know me and my Morrissey, various electronica, and Pet Shop Boys!), but the singer has the most amazing voice. Ooo, I love them! The best song is "The Zookeeper's Boy" if you want to listen to it on their website, which is right here: http://www.mewsite.com/site_fr.html.

Tomorrow I have to pack to GO HOME!! :-) And then, sadly, actually study for my history final exam on Thursday. I almost forgot what school was for the past few days... I'm almost done, but not quite!

On the Home Stretch... with toys and cake

I can hardly believe it... I am almost finished with the semester. As if any of you really care, here is the breakdown of my past week:

Monday: Arabic 101 quiz
Tuesday: Turned in my final 26-page paper for my history class (spent the entire weekend writing it)
Wednesday: Egyptian Arabic final exam
Thursday: Did absolutely nothing all day except clean my apartment, catch up on e-mail, and go to Target
Friday: (today) Arabic 101 final exam at 2pm

Next week --- Turn in final draft of my urbanism "courtyard" paper after making corrections this weekend and then take my history final exam on Thursday. ALMOST DONE!

The true miracle in all of this? I got an "A" in Egyptian Arabic. Seriously, I'm in shock. My teacher sent us out our final grades for the semester, and I clung on with a 90.7% --- I can hardly believe it! I know I absolutely tanked on the final exam (well, she said I got an 86%) but luckily my earlier grades were better so it evened out. For me, that class was really really hard because they already expect you to know Arabic coming into it. I did the two years at State, but I wasn't anywhere near fluent or at the level of other people in the class, who were either native speakers or were in intermediate or advanced Arabic, so I am particularly proud of my grade! Yaaay!

As for my Arabic 101 final today, I'm not too worried, as my teacher said I need to get a 50% or LESS to lower my grade to a B in the class. So basically, I'm not even worried about studying. I'll just do a quick review about an hour before I leave for the exam.

Regarding other matters, I spent more than an hour in the toy section of Target yesterday looking for both a Christmas and a birthday gift for my soon-to-be 4-year old niece (poor little thing's birthday is on December 27th). Do you know how difficult a decision that is? First of all, there are about 8 aisles of things to choose from. Then, I had to get something that was light because it costs a fortune to mail anything heavy these days. Secondly, I wondered if the little figurine and Barbie doll things were too advanced for a 4-year old or if she might lose the small shoes and parts to some of these things. Then I wondered if she was getting too old for something like Dora the Explorer. I was going to get her a princess tiara set, but then I thought maybe I was contributing to negative stereotypes about women, which also completely ruled out anything with play make-up or cosmetics items. I also learned that girls' toys only come in the color pink, which I found highly disappointing. I almost got a Care Bear or a My Little Pony but then I thought, well, "these things aren't very fun after about 10 minutes. I mean, what do you do with a My Little Pony after you're done brushing that tiny mane? Nothing, it's boring." Therefore, I was literally paralyzed in the toy department. I actually got embarrassed when an employee saw me in the same section like an hour later. I almost got her a little medical kit, which was the most appealing option, but in the end, if you can believe it, I walked away with nothing, thoroughly disappointed at myself for wasting an hour of my life with no final decision -- and all over a gift for a 4-year old!

So I came home and parked myself (again) in front of my computer and revved up Amazon.com, where Miguel said I could find some good "recommended" toys from the experts, whoever they are. While this was true (ie: they recommended this really cool pretend cash register), I discovered that none of these toys qualified for the "free shipping" options because they all came from Imaginarium as opposed to the Amazon.com warehouse. So do you know what I ended up getting? -- A Disney book with six different "princess" stories (ie: Ariel, Cinderella, that genie girl, and whoever else Disney is promoting these days). Not grossly anti-feminist because I figure it will contribute to her reading skills in a couple years, but I think I might be a disappointing aunt. Shouldn't your single aunt be the one that gets you things your parents won't buy you? No, I'm the lame aunt that sends the un-fun books for Christmas because I apparently have toy issues... poor Isabella.

Moving on to other things, I got myself motivated after my Egyptian Arabic final to make my "courtyard house cake" for the dinner that my professor hosted at his house last Wednesday night for our final class. It was harder than I thought, but I was pretty happy with the results. Here are the pics:


Here is the exterior front -- please note the mashribiyya (wooden lattice) windows and lack of external lower windows... all key features of the Middle Eastern courtyard home.


Next:

Here is the inside of the courtyard house, complete with tiled fountain and abaya-clad Muslim woman (thanks to a plastic figurine I found at the dollar store). Added note: My mother commented via e-mail that the cake looked a bit "compact and dense," to which I must explain that I was working with ONE brownie pan, and one brownie pan only (all my kitchen stuff is in storage back in DC). Therefore, the woman is a bit cramped in the corner. In fact, as the "house" is two cake mixes layered on top of each other, I didn't realize how deep the courtyard pit would be. I had to use my tweezers to lower the woman into the courtyard (or what looks a bit more like a hole, I guess). As I was lowering her, she popped out of the tweezers and got covered in frosting on her backside. So she was leaning against the wall to camouflage her frosting incident. Plus, there really was no where else for her to go. Hey, a brownie pan is pretty small!


And finally:

Here are my classmates, minus one kooky girl named Eliza Dray, who didn't show up. Yes, the guy in the back is a bit strange. His name is Ron Richards, and he rides the same bicycle he's had since he was 12 years old, seriously (he told me when I asked about it). I have even seen him riding that little bike around town on the weekends. Odd indeed. Freaks really are everywhere. There is no escape. Of course, what in the hell am I talking about making a courtyard cake with figurines and spending an hour at Target staring at toys for nothing?

Crunch Time

Yuck, I wish it was some other type of crunch, like Cap'n Crunch or Crunchy Peanut Butter or Crunchy Hair Gel. But no, it's Crunch TIME. BOOOOO Crunch Time!!!! Retard me misread (or better yet, didn't read) my history syllabus, thinking that my history class's final paper was due on December 15. Ahem, no... it's due, oh wait, really? Yes, in two days. On Tuesday, December 6. Can I tell you how much this blows? This means that I have been perched in my cheap IKEA desk chair since Friday night, worried about blood clots developing in my legs as I both learn and write about (at the same time, mind you) Abd al-Aziz's rise to power in Saudi Arabia from the year 1902 until his conquering of the Hijaz in 1926. Thrilling indeed. My back is killing me because this chair absolutely sucks, and I will definitely hit Office Max at my next available free moment (maybe sometime in the year 2006?) to purchase an ergonomically structured seat.

OK, I have to go now, but I wanted you all to know why I'm not writing much lately. Oh, and I am so psyched that someone out there is as nerdy as me (sorry, I have to dime you out, KC) who actually wants to READ my paper on Middle Eastern courtyard housing. I admit, it's a fine piece of work, but I'm waiting for my professor to read over my rough draft. Once I get back any corrections, I will e-mail it to you, KC, for your reading pleasure.

The other exciting news is that I am making a courtyard house CAKE to take to my professor's potluck dinner next Wednesday night (in lieu of class). No one in the class knows it yet, but I'm going to attempt to make it to scale, and I even bought plastic figurine people at the dollar store last week to have people roaming around the interior of the courtyard. I'm also making a little fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Don't worry, pictures will be forthcoming...

Must really go now... I WILL be in touch soon!

Crazy Cat & Christmas Cheese

Hello -- I'm killing a little bit of time between two classes. Normally, I do my Egyptian Arabic homework during this downtime on Monday mornings, but miraculously we were not assigned any today. I could be finishing my other paper, but I don't really have quite enough time to make good progress, and frankly, I'd rather f**k off right now.

I've been taking care of Shauna's cats over the weekend while she's home in Iowa. Yes, that's plural because Shauna got another cat named Finn. His official name is Finnegan, but for those of you who used to work with me at State Department, you are all familiar with Mr. Finnegan. And so I just have terrible connotations with that name. Of course, if you didn't work with me at State, you don't know John Finnegan, and you can just consider yourselves lucky.

Therefore, I can't bring myself to call this new cat Finnegan (as we always called the weirdo John), but Finn suits him nicely. So anyway, Finn is rather crazy. He is NUTS about cat treats. He actually came running so fast from the bathroom to the living room that he literally plowed over the other cat, Niamh, while trying to get to the treat jar. Today, I went to check on the cats, and this little guy had figured out a way to crawl up into Shauna's loft bed (with nothing to jump up onto it from), bury himself under her comforter, and then he actually crawled down the ladder. He had knocked over half the stuff in Shauna's apartment (perfume, CDs) and had pulled several items of clothing out of her closet, such as scarves and belts, that it looked like he was playing with. Anyway, in two words: high energy.

This contrasts nicely with me, as I am losing momentum fast. I have two of my three papers pretty much finished, and I'm trying to keep my interest in my classes piqued for the next 2.5 weeks, but I keep imagining Christmas -- with no homework, no papers, and no tests, and it's almost more than I can handle!

Speaking of Christmas, what's up with the Christmas music already playing on the radio and in public places? If I owned a radio station, I would mandate "no Christmas music until December 15." I also saw some people with a Christmas tree on top of their car last Saturday (which is a bizarre sight in cacti-centric Arizona). I guess some people get into the spirit before I do, but November seems a little premature to me...

Oh, and while we're on the topic of "in the spirit," I just HAD to include this corny photo of my ex-co-worker's husband and his infant daughter. No, she does not read my blog (nor know of its existence), but for the protection of all involved, I will not divulge the source of this picture (who I believe found it as hilarious as I). However, I just had to include it because it has to be the absolute ultimate in Christmas cheese...

Lost in the Foothills

Tonight, I got seriously lost in a Tucson neighborhood. I never thought this possible, being that southern Tucson is extremely linear, but head north to the Foothills, and you might as well be in Seville, Spain. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of visiting Seville, let me tell you that it's very easy to get lost there. First of all, there are no street signs, so you have to navigate by landmarks. Secondly, for example, to go south, you first have to go east or west, then turn one direction or another, loop around, go west again, and cross the third street with the white house with the blue fence to find your way south. I've never been so frustrated with navigation in my life as I was in Seville.

And yet... oddly... Tucson appears to be more similar to Spain than first meets the eye! Take the neighborhood below (see attached map of the neighborhood I was jogging in tonight):



My car was parked where you see the red star. You will notice that unlike anywhere else in Tucson, there are no straight roads in the foothills. Many roads are dead-ends, and it's very hilly so you can't see what's coming next. I started out on Camino Arturo, hooked a right on Cotorra, another right on Culebra, a left on Isidoro, a right on Brinca, and a left on Miraval, and then ran into a major four lane road with no sidewalk (clearly it's still Tucson) so had to turn around. The problem was I couldn't remember the name of the street (Brinca) from which I had come. So I just kept going south on Miraval all the way to Calle La Cima before I realized I was seriously lost. And I kept looking for a right turn to get me back to my original parking location, but there is none! So I walked about a mile looking for a street to cut me back to the west, but the map will show that this doesn't exist. Now, in most neighborhoods, all the streets eventually intersect or circle around and get you back pretty easily to your starting spot. It's hard to get lost. But I swear that by the point I hit the southern part of Miraval, I wasn't even sure which way my car was anymore.

Thus, my memories of Seville, Spain and trying to find my hotel for about an hour, walking in a one-mile circumference to nowhere, came back to haunt me. The difference, of course, is that Seville is pretty compact, while Tucson neighborhoods are spread out and enormous (no city blocks here!). So even if you take the risk of turning right somewhere, there's no guarantee that street will link up with the one you want to find, and you will walk for a mile going no where. Not to mention all the Spanish street names in this neighborhood totally confused me, and I couldn't remember if I'd been on Culebra or Cotorra or Cabra... although I got some serious (more than one-hour) walking/running exercise trying to find my way out of Spanish street name hell.

I did view some interesting sites on my walk and learned that there are some really funky cacti to use in desert landscaping. My favorite is most definitely the lavender colored prickly pear cactus. There are also some bizarre birds in Arizona. The first one is this little grouse looking critter that I thought was carrying worms in its mouth until I realized that the little appendage dangling down was actually attached to its face. Here's a picture of the little guy that I pulled from some birdwatcher's website -- actually I've just learned that it's a Gambel's quail:



There are also these dove-looking birds that hang out in groups, and when you run past an area where they're perched, they freak out and start flying all over the place. That in turn, freaked ME out because the flap of their wings sounds EXACTLY like a horse letting air out of its mouth... that brrrrrrrhhhh sound they make. For a minute I actually stopped moving and looked around to see if someone had a horse nearby, but alas, there were none. There were lots of rabbits running around as well. Another oddity was that some woman was singing opera at the top of her lungs in her front garden, but I don't think she saw me. She was actually pretty good...

So all in all, it made an interesting desert sort of adventure. I was a bit panicked when I couldn't find my way out of the maze, and dusk was approaching (ah, no sidewalks OR street lights in Tucson either), but eventually I figured it out. Then I made my way back down to the world of southern Tucson's mini-malls and parking lots and felt a bit depressed again... such a shame that the Western US developed around the car... so many possibilities, such bad urban design. But I digress...

Another day, another paper...

Well, I just finished writing a 5-page response paper on two articles --- "Heterotopia and the Wine Poem in Early Islamic Culture" and "The Islamic Panegyric" --- for my required intro class for graduate students in Middle East Studies. Don't ask me what either of these things are... they aren't worth your time. Just some flippin' poetry crap from the year 800 that is totally and completely irrelevant to modern day society. Plus each of those damn articles was about 25 pages. And now I have to contend with reading another 50-page article on the development of Cairo so I can give a presentation to my Middle East Urbanism class on Wednesday night. The fun never ends! Oh, wait, do I have three 30-page papers due in 3 weeks? Oh my god, I do.

I better get to bed, where I won't be sleeping, I'll be reading about Cairo. Wish me luck...

Blog? What Blog?

Do I have a blog? Oh my god, I forgot about it! Hmm, seems I've been a little busy these days... maybe it's that 18-page paper on Algeria (in extreme rough draft, only partially complete format that I'd like to have finished this Thursday) that I've been swamped with in addition to about 50 other things, like craploads of Arabic homework. All I have to say is thank heaven for 3-day weekends! As a sidenote, however, the f***ing zipper bird woke me up at the crack of 6:30 in the #*(%&$* morning again today, for about the 20th day in a row. My eyes just popped right open when I heard his stupidly loud zipping whistle. I HATE THE ZIPPER BIRD!

So, in a nutshell, what have I been up to lately? Well, a whole lotta nada. This weekend was dedicated to my pursuit of my studies, and dedicated I was! With the exception of some errands I ran with Shauna on Friday morning (the usual: Target, Trader Joe's, Kinko's, and I discovered delicious sandwiches at a place here called Beyond Bread), I have been pretty well devoted to my Algeria paper. OK, I guess a repairman came by on Friday morning to replace my hideously 1980s vertical blinds and I got stuck chatting with him for about an hour, and then I did go out for a couple beers last night for Lindsey's 23rd birthday (with her and the Indian posse... and she's "dating" one of them now as well).

I also went for a "jog" in the Catalina foothills last night. I had one of my "not so Tucson" days and just needed to get out of this dustbin for a while so I drove about 20 minutes north to this really gorgeous Tucson subdivision, where all the houses are stucco and tile roofed, and they have the most amazing desert landscaping. I went at dusk, which is the best time to walk in neighborhoods (just in case someone leaves on a light with the blinds open and you can subtly peer in at their home furnishings), and I have to say the air was really pure and fresh and cool and niiice! It's in the 70s here all the time now so I was really enjoying my little jaunt. Too bad the swimming pool has caused my leg muscles to semi-atrophe... god, I had to quit running after about 15 minutes because my feet hurt (of course, this might be because I don't even own running shoes anymore and was running around in cheesy cross trainers). Anyway, the walk was good for the psyche.

I'm also babysitting Shauna's incredibly cool cat, Niamh. If you can believe this, Shauna's parents flew her to the Bahamas for the weekend so they could all celebrate her mom's 60th b-day together. Wow, I wish my parents did things like that! (Mom, mom? Dad?) Of course, since my parents are divorced and don't really like each other very much anymore, that could be tricky... OK, never mind.

So back to the cool cat, Niamh, who is sort of my own this weekend. I brought her over on Friday night while I was reading about Algeria's incredibly exciting National Liberation Front, and she just jumped right up on my lap, curled up in a ball, and fell asleep. She's too cute. Of course, she does shed a lot, which is a bit of negative since I'm mega-allergic to cats. Therefore, anything I wear when I am near her, I have to throw immediately in my laundry bin. I'm definitely contributing the rising stocks of Tide and Wisk.

Anyway, before Shauna left for the Caribbean (grrr...), leaving me stuck alone in Scragsville Tucson, we bought Niamh an outfit from the pet section of Target. Shauna decided on a black cashmere cat sweater with a string of pearls. It's hilarious. Here are the official "glamour shots" we took of her... Shauna "le Artiste" got a little creative with the sepia tone and softening capabilities of her photoshop software. Check out the final products!!! Just like a photo studio:


Young Niamh teasingly poses for the camera



With her whimsy and charm, this little cat knows how to tease her suitors!


And on a separate photo section, I finally got the pictures of the wild-n-crazy Persian dinner dance that Shauna's professor hosted at his home here in Tucson. Just so you don't forget who I am, here's one of me enjoying drinks and definitively NOT Persian dancing. (Note my new hair color please!)




And here are two photos of "the force on the dancefloor", AKA Shauna, shaking her booty to Persian tunes. For the record, I am incapable of any sort of exotic hip movement. This is not true for Shakin' Shauna... check this picture out... she's dancing with the director of our grad department, Dr. B., who does like to wear vests, and this one just happens to be leather. I don't know any more than that. Except that I think he's very Jim Henson-like... in a living sort of way:

And last but not least, here we are posing for a photo op at the party...

Last weekend's fun -- World Fair and Annie

Well, I promised to post some photos of my recent life, and here they are... I spent part of my evenings a week ago designing the Graduate Student Association's booth for a local World Fair, which took place last weekend. Here, you can see the fruits of my handiwork... note the good looking, hand painted signs, created by yours truly. This is a photo of a girl named Alana (in my program) and I hanging up the cloths that covered our bazaar tent that we designed... I have to say, it turned out pretty well!



The other exciting highlight of last weekend was the fact that I got to meet the cast of the national touring Broadway production of "Annie" that was here in Tucson. My friend Mack used to babysit this woman, Elizabeth (next to me in the photo), who is now the traveling tutor to the kids on the cast of "Annie" -- here we are posing with the orphans. Can you spot Annie? She looks just like the stereotypical Annie (she's on the left in pink & white). Elizabeth took me back to the hotel after we'd gone out to dinner, and the adult cast and crew had made this amazing haunted house in the conference area of their hotel here in Tucson. It was a GREAT haunted house, and it was actually somewhat scary, as they had completely blacked out the whole place (no light at all) so you had to feel your way through it. I did actually scream a couple of times. So this photo was taken outside the haunted house. The girls were cute but a bit precocious for their ages... they definitely grow up fast on the road. I have to say I would never let my kid travel the U.S. as a child actor. Elizabeth has confirmed that school is not exactly the kids or parents' priorities. Kind of sad. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the highlight of my night was meeting Mackenzie Philips, from "One Day at a Time" and "American Grafitti." She looked very weathered, and she definitely had a serious smoker's voice. I told Elizabeth that Mackenzie also seemed to have adult ADD as she was jumping around like a mad woman while playing with the kids. Very high energy.



This next photo was so weird, I had to include it... here is the girl that plays Annie lying on the floor pretending to be dead. Well, it was Halloween! But it was pretty realistic...


That's all for now... I'm going to a Persian dinner party with Shauna tonight. We had a good night out last night at this bar here in Tucson called "North" that is located in the La Encantada shopping center (hey, Tucson is really nothing but strip malls) --- and I was so psyched to see people over the age of 25. In fact, most people looked like 30-something professionals, which alleviates my suspicions that no one really lives here except college students and old people. We ended up giving these Canadian guys a ride back to their condo, which they rented for a weekend of golf, and they lived so freaking far away that we didn't get home till around 4am! Total insanity...

Stay tuned for tomorrow's new entry... I'm concocting a "Top 10" list for living in Tucson (although it might actually be a "Bottom 10" list). Haha.

Cheeri-o,
Kit

Tennis Mishap

It's 1240am and I have a midterm tomorrow morning at 8am, but I am feeling so tremendously guilty about not writing in this lately, that I am forcing my eyes open with toothpicks just to feel better about myself. Oh, and also because I had to mention that I got pegged in the face tonight by a high velocity tennis ball while I was playing doubles in tennis class. I got paired up with my teacher, Toby, and we were playing against this Colombian guy named Jose and this older woman named Stephanie. Well, I got up to the net to volley after Toby served, and Stephanie was on the other side of the net, and she just pummeled the ball my way at a high rate of speed. Before I could even move, I felt the ball smash into my lower left jaw, and I felt my glasses fly off my face. My glasses landed about 4 feet away (unharmed, thankfully --- I highly recommend the non-breakable Swiss-flex glasses!!), and I stood clutching my jaw with my eyes watering. I was seriously worried that I had some loose molars. Toby assured me that it takes a much harder ball than a tennis ball (ie: golfball or baseball) to knock out teeth, which made me feel better. I was also relieved when I didn't feel any teeth wiggling around in my mouth. In fact, after about 10 minutes, it didn't even really hurt any more, and I can't see a bruise so I guess it will be OK. And Toby and I ended up winning the game so I suppose it all ended well.

More this weekend... I am starting to hit final semester crunch, but I WILL spare a minute to post the much-promised pictures. Oh, and also, I am going with Shauna to her Persian professor's house for dinner on Saturday so that should be interesting. More later... ciao!

I know I suck...

For any of you who actually read this anymore, I'm sorry that I haven't written anything in ages. It's just that after spending all day writing and reading and doing Arabic, I find it hard to have anything interesting to say in my blog (or e-mail responses, although many of you have sent me GREAT e-mails to which I PROMISE to respond in the coming days). I did have a curious weekend, with photos to prove it --- but I have to get my digital camera hooked up to my computer so I can download them, and hey, that takes some effort.

Overall, I am doing OK. Busy, tired, ready for Christmas, and wishing I was Samantha on Bewitched so I could just wiggle my nose and have my three final papers finished without really doing any work. Otherwise, things are the same... swimming, Arabic recitations and tests, and craploads of reading. I am a veritable hermit these days. I literally did not leave my little apartment on Sunday. Scary.

OK, I have to go to sleep now. It's nearly 12:30am, and I have an 8:15am class tomorrow. Bleccch...

Reading About Persian Literature

That's what I'm doing tonight, the Saturday before Halloween. Yes, that blows. I've been feeling more and more negative lately about grad school, Tucson, my department, my classes, and I'm missing my friends & life in DC. Sure, it wasn't all roses in DC, but Tucson is kind of a gross city --- dry, brown, flat, dusty, weird mix of people, and thousands of strip malls only accessible by automobile. Yuck. I don't like this city. I've tried to give it a chance, but it's just not growing on me. The only thing enjoyable is the weather, and I am trying to take advantage of that every day with my swimming. It definitely beats cold Seattle rain! (although I had so much fun there with my girlfriends that I could overlook it to a point...) Anyway, my classes are pretty good overall, but I'm just getting a bit burnt out, especially with two intense Arabic classes. I really like two of my other three classes, but the third one is not so good --- it's a mandatory requirement for Near Eastern master's students, and it's a collaboration of all the professors in the department that give us an overview of the type of topics covered in our field. In theory, this is good, but some of the reading we've had to do is utterly painful (ie: Israeli women's issues). And then we have to write five-page response papers on these readings. I'm getting totally freaked out about having to write THREE final papers that all need to be finished in rough draft form by the end of November, and I haven't even started on any of them. But I'm so caught up in these little weekly assignments that I don't know how I'll find time to get it all done. Yes, I'm starting to panic a bit. That is why I'm home on Saturday night instead of enjoying myself at a Halloween party or relaxing in a jacuzzi or something.

I did have fun last night hanging out with a girl who my friend Mack used to babysit. This "girl" is 23 now and works as an on-site teacher for the traveling national Broadway production of "Annie," which is in Tucson right now. The highlight of my evening was meeting the cast, which included 80s druggie deadbeat sitcom star, Mackenzie Phillips (think "One Day at a Time" with Schneider and Valerie Bertenelli), who plays Rooster's girlfriend in the ongoing "Annie" production. My young friends here at school (Shauna & Lindsey) had never heard of her! I guess "One Day at a Time" didn't make an impact on Generation Y. Anyway, I have photos to post (tomorrow), but Mackenzie Phillips looks pretty haggard with bad skin and a deep smoker's voice (not to mention the fact that I think she's OD'ed a few times in her past). What an interesting evening it was.

More later... I know I've been negligent writing in this, but I'm just a bit overwhelmed with my life at the moment. Oh, by the way, last weekend I rented "Me and You and Everyone We Know," which I'd been dying to see, and they finally had it at the video store. If you're not into indie films or electronic music, you'll surely hate it (mom), but if you're interested in a really creative film project that looks at loneliness and isolation in modern day society and daily life, you should definitely rent it. I watched it twice I liked it so much. The characters are really interesting. I found a link for the streaming soundtrack that you can listen to... it's right here: http://www.elginpark.com/meandyousite1.html. Shauna just came over and said it sounded like a video game so it's really not for everyone, but it's a must for electronica advocates!

OK --- my study break is over... back to Persian literature.
Kit

Third -- Swimmers at the Rec Center

One great thing about swimming is that you can check out the scene underwater. While this isn't always pretty (ahem, I had to swim next to a man shaped like a potato, who was wearing a Speedo yesterday), it can be very amusing. I have noticed a few regulars that go to the pool during the times I am also there. I decided to share my views of them with you:

Number One: The Woman Fetus

When my friend, J. Mack, was pregnant with her daughter, Kate, she used to bring in the ultrasound photos to work. We could never really figure out where the baby was or why it looked so alien-like. Our favorite ultrasound was toward the end of Jennifer's pregnancy, when fetal Kate's photo made her look as though she was wearing dark little goggles in the womb. We had a good laugh over that ultrasound picture (sidenote: Kate is adorable now as an 8 month old). However, when I was swimming last week, there was a girl in the lane next to me who looked just like Kate's goggle ultrasound photo -- really, an uncanny resemblance! I'm sure she was probably attractive out of the water, but she just reminded me so much of that ultrasound photo.

Number Two: The Weirdo

This guy swam laps next to me yesterday. I think he was Indian, but he had on a very thick swim cap (made of cotton/spandex or something?) and these mask-like goggles. He would swim underwater the entire time, just skimming along the bottom of the pool with big frog strokes. Then he would come up at the end of the lane and stare at people.

Number Three: Wooden Leg Swimmer

This lady was fairly fast, but she had these dangling wood-like legs that she never bent and that hung down behind her body. It looked so strange. I don't think she was handicapped --- she just had a very odd stroke.

Second -- Ouch! My leg!

I was washing dishes this morning when my very heavy glass cutting board got off balance in the dish drying rack and came cascading down toward my kitchen's tile floor. In a moment of panic and heroism, I instinctively shot my right leg out toward the falling glass to break its fall. Well, I certainly did break its fall (with full force) and my leg is really paying the price now. It gouged the skin off the area above my ankle and has created a massive swollen bruise. It hurts like a mother even to put weight on my foot now. The only good thing is that that glass cutting board didn't break. My leg is a true hero after all...

First --- My Apartment's Exterior

Hello again --- I have lots of photos to post today so I'll start out with my apartment's exterior just so you can all stop imagining in your minds where I live --- it's not quite the ghetto, but it's not Beverly Hills either:


Here is the view of "the courtyard" from my front window.


My apartment has the big window on the left. It's literally the size of the little box you see there. It doesn't extend past where the lightbulb on the left is. In a word, TINY. That cement thing in the middle of the sidewalk is supposed to be an outdoor grill, but no one uses it. I'm thinking I should get some plants to put in front of my window so I have less exposure to the neighbors. Luckily, I have some curtains up that block out everyone's view of me and my place. Zipper bird sits in these trees every fricking morning.


Here's an up close view of my lovely little abode. The door that you can see plainly belongs to my neighbor. My front door comes off the little passageway -- you can barely see it.


Here is my antique stove, circa 1950. I have to light a match to make the gas work. Scary.

Back from the dead

This is a quick post to reaffirm my existence (barely). My brain feels like marshmallow, and I am exhausted. I have one more Arabic text to memorize tonight, and I am ready for bed (it's almost 11pm now, and I have to know the text by 8am tomorrow... blaahh). At least my big tests are finished. That was total study hell...

Just wanted to post a fun picture of my favorite person in Tucson --- my neighbor, Persian aficianado, swim partner, Cold Stone Creamery cohort, and tennis coach, Shauna (who is absolutely going to kill me for posting this post-pool photo in the U of A locker rooms... but really, Shauna, it's a cute picture of you! You look very sporty...)


I'm dead meat for posting this.

Check back later this week

I'm totally stressed out this week with two massive tests and two papers. I promise I'll be back later in the week. I'm just trying to survive right now. Ugggh. School sucks.

Zipper bird & construction sounds

Every morning for the past week, I have been awakened at the unreasonable hour of 6am by my new best friend, the zipper bird. He appears to be perched somewhere right outside my large picture window, tormenting me without pause. His call sounds something like a slide whistle, which is how I have dubbed him the zipper bird, and he goes on and on and on and on with about a 2-second pause between songs for at least a half-hour. I hate him. This morning, I contemplated waking up and yelling out my window, but this would be acknowledgement of the fact that I am awake at 6am on a Saturday. I have also contemplated going outside and flailing a rock at the tree where the zipper bird sits, but this would also force me to admit that I am awake at 6am. I am afraid such protestation might really wake me up and leave me without hope of going back to sleep again. So instead, I lie seething in my futon bed, trying to hold my ears or bury my head under my pillow. I almost got my earplugs this morning, and then the little bastard flew away. (BTW, I have no idea if the bird in this photo is the bird I hear or not, but it is what I imagine him to look like...)

In addition, they are building a new house next to my apartment building. Are you all aware of that "beep beep beep" sound that emanates from small machinery moving in reverse? Yes, well I am highly familiar with it, especially around 6:30am, which is precisely the time when zipper bird exits and beeping machinery enters. Grrrr...

So today, I get to do homework all day. Oh, the exciting Saturday of a grad student. Shauna and I were going to have drinks at a "mature" and "non-college-like" bar in the Foothills last night, but we were just too pooped to bother. So instead we made popcorn and curled up on my couch to watch an English comedian named Eddie Izzard give a stand-up routine via DVD. I don't really like stand-up comedy, but even I admit that he was very clever and pretty amusing.

This morning, I lounged around watching "Sex & the City" and then completed a writing examination that I had to do in order to be considered for possible future employment. I'm a little stressed b/c I almost ran out of time (they only give you 75-minutes) and so didn't get to read over my assessment for typos or weird sentences. Crap!

As a sidenote, I got my hair colored last night, and I am now officially auburn. She gave me a chocolate toned base color with auburn streaks. It's really pretty and good for autumn. I still think I look better with blonder rather than redder hair, but the change is good. Hell, anything is better than that paper bag brown color that I have naturally.

I'll try to get a photo of the color and post it next time... till then, ta-ta!


Now playing: "A Town Called Malice" by the Jam

Allergies and Tests

What a lovely combination. First and foremost, my allergies are killing me. Really. Who would have thought I was allergic to the desert? I was actually looking forward to a break from allergies out here, but they are almost the worst they've ever been! I woke up this morning unable to breathe out of my nose, and I will bet that I used at least 75 Kleenex today. I now have only a semblance of skin around my nostrils as most of it has peeled away, leaving me looking like W.C Fields. Fabulous...

The good news is that I made an doctor's appointment next week to get medication. The health clinic didn't have any times that would work for me until next Tuesday, but Shauna is giving me allergy meds till then, and I'm willing to take just about anything at this point to rid myself of the snuffling, sneezing, eyes burning, coughing insanity that I'm suffering right now!

On another positive note, I have three tests in the next few days! A big Arabic 101 exam tomorrow morning at the bright and shiny hour of 0815; an Egyptian Arabic exam on Monday that will completely suck; and a major history mid-term on Thursday. Oh, and I have two Arabic recitations due tomorrow and Monday, in which we have to memorize paragraphs and recite them on audio and video for our teacher to watch and grade our pronunciation. It sucks completely, especially if you're not a natural at memorization. Like me.

I had a tennis lesson tonight that was really fun --- people haven't been showing up so tonight we only had three people in my group, which gave me a lot of extra practice time. We learned volleys and practiced serves tonight (my serve is rotten, but I'm slowly improving).

Oh yes, I also ordered coffee from this awesome coffee shop in NYC called Porto Rico Imports, and it arrived today (two whole pounds of strudel cake and pumpkin spice coffee) so I'm pretty psyched. It was actually cheaper to order it from them than to buy it from Safeway, if you can believe that.

OK, I'm done rambling. Onto Arabic flashcards and text recitations. I am starting to feel like a Pakistani boy in a madrassa...

PS - Now Playing: Karma Police by Radiohead

Skipping Swimming to Do Homework

Is that sad or what? Especially since I have done nothing this evening that is related to homework... like writing this.

Therefore, this is going to be short so I don't kick myself for not swimming (although it's getting CHILLY here in the evenings which makes outdoor swimming less fun!). I am not sure if I'll have time to go tomorrow either because I'm going to a 9am meeting on study abroad programs, then hitting class at 11am, and then doing henna tattoos at a student fair from 12:30-2. Then I have class from 3:30-5 and tennis lessons from 5:30-6:30. Oh, and more homework later that evening! Insanity. Can I have my old easy life back? I had no idea how much easier it was just to work every day... who would have thought?

Nothing else going on. My levelor blinds broke today -- probably because they are at least 20 years old. I am hoping my landlord replaces them with something a bit more modern. However, I must remind myself that I am living in a studio rental apartment in Tucson and not a loft condo in Manhattan. Therefore, I am prepping myself for hideous replacement levelor blinds a la 1985 again.

OK, homework, homework, homework! Must go...

My new baby in Tucson

Look at my baby in Tucson!

This is Niamh (pronounced Neve... apparently the "mh" is really a "v" in Ireland). She belongs to Shauna, who lives across the hall from me. She is the coolest cat ever... even though I'm totally allergic, I still play around with her. She lets you do anything to her. She wasn't even fighting this blanket over her head...





Now Playing: Hanging on a Star by Nick Drake

So much for Phoenix!

I didn't go to Phoenix today. After waiting for an hour and 15 minutes for Lindsey and the three Indian guys, I got fed up and decided that leaving for Phoenix at 11:15 was simply ridiculous. It's a two-hour drive, and the thought of getting there at 1:30, going to IKEA with six people, having lunch, and then hitting Scottsdale (which is mostly what I wanted to see) would simply not allow for enough time to make the drive worth it. So I called Lindsey and bailed (as did Shauna). I think I was a bit too brisk on the phone, but I was annoyed after waiting more than hour to hit the road, knowing the day trip was getting shorter and shorter by the minute. I also should have heeded my own inner warning earlier on that getting six people coordinated for an event the night before while drinking cocktails is never a good idea. I'm also a little anal retentive about things like this and find that I don't work well in group situations b/c I always get irritated at people who are late. Plus it's hard to find consensus with more than four people -- where to eat, where to shop, how long to spend somewhere, etc. Somebody is always waiting around for the others. And it's usually me. Or I feel guilty that someone is waiting for me while I take longer to shop or eat, etc.

Note to self: Avoid group trips. You only work well with one or two other people.

So instead, Shauna and I hit Tucson Mall together. What fun! We are great shopping partners --- she is very patient, doesn't take forever to make decisions, and likes to go to all of the same stores as me. Perfect! We hit all the major stores, bought shirts, jeans, bras, and I even got Shauna to try a Mexican respado, which is a fruit ice drink that is sooo delicious. And the world's pickiest eater actually liked it! We finished up the day at Guero Canelo, which won the "Tucson's Best" awards for Best Taco Stand in Tucson. It's a trailer along the edge of a major road in town, equipped with generator power and a tarp-covered gravel patio, but wooowww, it's tasty. There is a reason they won the best taco stand award... It is GOOD! We both got tortas de pollo (grilled chicken sandwiches with tomato and avocado). Yummm...

Later, I got a haircut with my fabulous hair dresser, Janelle (love her!), who razor cuts my hair to keep it from getting choppy. She is so cool and fun. Then I hit Trader Joe's for Clif Bars (my morning meals), spinach, and chocolate covered raisins. I wanted to buy peanut oil so I can make these Chinese peanut noodles that I love, but I couldn't find it anywhere in Tucson. However, a lady at Trader Joe's told me to try this little Asian food store at this little crossroads in town, and I found it there. I met this Korean woman who works there, and she helped me pick out the right noodles and spices. She lived in NYC for 20 years and told me that she was still trying to get used to Tucson and that she really missed NYC. I can sympathize!

Well, must go b/c Shauna and I are watching a Persian movie tonight...

Big Slacker

Yes, that's me. I only have a couple of minutes to get a few thoughts down, but here's what I've been doing lately:

1. I'm going to Phoenix today with Shauna, Lindsey, and the Indian engineers. We're hitting Scottsdale, shopping at IKEA, and Shauna's chosen an Iranian restaurant where we're going to eat. (She's a little obsessed with all things Persian!)

2. Went to a terrible sports bar last night called "Risky Business," which should have been warning enough that the place was not so good. Lots of TV sets with sports games (which you all know I love so much), tables full of burly, testosterone-laden men, and a number of haggard old broads with mustachio'ed male sidekicks.

3. Contrary to alternative reporting, I was not offered a job with a government agency. However, I did interview with some reps on campus, turned in all of my requisite paperwork, and yesterday received a FedEx package from them with instructions on taking a writing test to prove my analytical prowess. After I take the online test, I'll find out if I am "chosen" within a few weeks. BTW, it's not for an undercover position --- it's for an analytical job. So I can tell you all where I work! Additional note: if I'm selected they will pay for my next year of grad school, plus I will make a regular government salary. Am I being lured in with $$? Maybe...

4. Went for a beer on Thursday night with the Indians and my lady cohorts at Frog-n-Firkin, which is a good little British pub down on University Avenue. I had a crapload of homework but decided "what the hell?" and decided to free myself from "Al-Kitaab" hell for one evening. I did the homework in class that morning and barely got it done in time by the end of the class to turn it in... whewww. Maybe I should do that more often?

5. Still swimming every day... my psychological release! However, last night I was again the victim of two hairballs in my lap lane, as well as an old band-aid at the bottom of the lane! Yuck! Usually the pool is spotless, but I must be getting in unlucky areas of the pool. The cool thing last night is that the synchronized swimming team was practicing so I could hear the music underwater while I swam. However, their music was this sort of scary "Halloween" type of song with a Jaws sounding ending. I was imagining myself in a horror film the whole time. Hmmmm. Also, the other day, I tried to emulate some of their underwater spins (where only their legs stick up) but Shauna and Lindsey said I looked more like a giant squid ungracefully falling over myself.

Time to go! Phoenix... here we come!

Now Playing: "Tiny Decision" by the Aluminum Group

All things come in threes?

Right now --- I am listening to: Turn It On by Ladytron (great band!)

Today... blah. I woke up ready to take an Arabic quiz that started at 0815. I walked out to my bike at 0810 and discovered that I had a flat tire. Totally, un-rideably flat. Shit! So I literally ran (in a skirt) all the way to class (about 7 blocks) in the heat. I was sweating, out of breath, and on the verge of a side cramp by the time I made it there, not to mention exhausted from hauling a huge back-pack with blisters on my heels from my non-running shoes. What a way to start my day.

So that means that I have had 1) a flat tire on my car two weeks ago, 2) a flat tire on my bicycle today, oh, and 3) a burned-out headlight on my car, which cost me $46 dollars to get fixed today. The car tires ran me $187, and the bike tire was $11. This is approximately $245 worth of bad luck. I really hope that bad things end in three. Especially since I no longer have an income.

I did go swimming today, which was lovely as usual. Although I think I spotted a very large floating hairball at one end of my lap lane. Last week I found a $1 bill in my lane so I guess the hairball evens out that winning.

Also, while I was swimming, I was thinking a lot. I had the strangest thought that brought me back to Doogie Howser. I started thinking that he was really the original blogger. Didn't he end his show every week with a little computer entry about his thoughts on things?

I continue to feel much older than my colleagues here. Today, I mentioned Nadia Comanici, and I was greeted with a blank stare by Lindsey (it's not her fault she was born the year that Mary Lou Retton matched Nadia's Olympic performance). Sigh...

Speaking of old, check out this photo:


My friend Jen -- who I have known since 1993 -- called me today while I was grocery shopping, and she reminded me of my "old" college days. Here I am exactly 12 years ago, partying like a crazy woman with my former KKG sorority sisters -- Sarah, Erin, Aimee, Shannon, Laura, Kai, and Danielle. My god, I even remember all of their names! I think these days were easier than grad school... am I drinking Busch beer? Eeks.