I'm Connected Again

While I was visiting my Illinois family dear Saeed was working hard to restore the connectivity of our home's wireless connections. Happily he was successful and yesterday I was finally able to upload the video of Cyrus eating breakfast at our house Saturday before last. Enjoy:

My Visit Home

I've just returned from a lovely visit to my mother, sister, and her husband.

I've flown to Chicago many times now, but I've never approached fully over Lake Michigan. Usually the plane approaches from the south with land on the left and water on the right. This time we must have approached from the southeast and were completely over the water. I'm glad I listened to the flight attendant describe the way to use my seat as a flotation device.

Lake Michigan or Atlantic Ocean?

Ah... there's Chicago.

When I see this plane next to us I begin to wonder if we will accidentally be sharing the runway?!? Fortunately it stayed parallel to us and landed on the other side of the control tower.

The weather is normally really gorgeous in Illinois this time of year. During my days there, however, it was in the 40's and 50's and raining - November weather. Because I wanted to buy a Chicago Bears T-shirt we went shopping, and ended up at a mall to go "mall walking." While Ken listened to his ipod Martha and I talked and walked.

The benefit of walking at the mall is lunch at Panera.

One of the other ways we avoided couch potato status while it rained was to play Wii sports. Here you can see the screen Ken has set up in their basement with the virtual bowling alley set up. See the little scoreboard in the upper right corner? The little guy on top was Ken, the cute brunette (red square) was Martha, and the dumb blond bimbo on the bottom was me. Bimbo or not, my virtual bowling skills are better than my real bowling skills, but that's not saying much.

Ken watches as Martha begins her swing.

Judging by Martha's expression she must have done well.
Judging by Ken's expression, she must have done well.

We had to laugh a lot at Ken since many of his throws were performed while he was still sitting on the stool, but here he's actually bowling on his feet. With Wii bowling it doesn't matter much!

Here you see me and my blond bimbo Wii person (she's the one in the blue dress) golfing. On one particularly hard hole (par 5) I had a score of 6... yes, it took me 11 swings to get the ball in the cup. Sigh..... We also played tennis and boxing (sorry Martha, I didn't mean to knock you out.)

Each afternoon I went to visit my mother and talk her ear off. Here you see me trying to take our picture, but a nice staff member walked by and took pity on me and offered...

... to take our picture.

I've told her many times before, but I was able to tell my mom again how much I appreciate the way she raised me and everything she did for me and how I have benefited in my life from all her efforts. I cried when I said goodbye... I always do.

Back at Martha's I told her how I always cry when I leave my parents, but she gave me a big sister hug and made me feel better. Here we are ready to leave for a night on the town: dinner at Reza's and then "Cabaret" at Drury Lane Theater.

Reza's Restaurant in Oakbrook has Persian, Middle Eastern and Meditarranean foods. Here you see Ken enjoying his salmon dish.

Martha liked her koubideh combo (one skewer of seasoned ground chicken, one of seasoned ground beef) with baghaleh polo (dill rice) and grilled vegetables.

I loved my vegetarian sampler which had hummus, tabbouli, shami (cutlets of minced vegetables and chickpeas in a pomegranate sauce with walnuts), babba ghanouj, baghaleh polo, salad shirazi, and kashk-e bademjoon. For dessert we had Persian tea and bamieh. Happily it was too much food and I took the rest home and had it for breakfast the next day!

With our tummies full of yummy food we went to see Cabaret. For anyone who hasn't seen this movie/play I have included the director's notes below. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks M & K, I had a great time.

Director's Notes

Willkommen im Kabarett. Welcome to Cabaret. Berlin, New Year's Eve 1929. The "The Golden Twenties" are plateauing. Post World War I inflation comes to a head just six years earlier when one United States dollar is worth 160 million German marks. Money is hauled around in wheelbarrows and wash baskets. Implementation of currency reform and Germany's gradual economic ascent brings about the public's taste for glitter, glamour and light entertainment; variety reviews with kick lines of topless dancing girls. The intellectual depth of the earlier cabarets, sophisticated vaudevilles devised for the aristocracy and art lovers is gone. The increasing economic necessity of appealing to the widest audience possible leads to political punches being pulled. Satire, parody and irony become suspect of an omnipresent censor. The nation's psychic escape from the politically turbulent Weimer Republic and the bloody conflicts that followed are inevitable. The escapism, the voluptuous panic of a generation of youth fueled by an insatiable appetite for drugs, alcohol and sex, sets a nervous, speed driven pace for the city. The velocity is blinding, unthinking and cruel but not without it's charms. A young writer arrives by train to the Berlin station at Friedrichstrasse and entranced, has the time of his life. His "writer's block" cured.

Happy Birthday To My Girls From Afar

I chose this picture to celebrate Shirin and Anahita's birthday because I am visiting my mom and sister this week, and this is a picture of the girls with my mom about 25 years ago. I can't believe what fantastic people they've turned out to be.

Happy Birthday Sweethearts!

My mom could sit on your laps now!

Imagine

After reading yesterday's piece I found this article titled "Better World: Be Nice To People" by Michael Bond was published in the Sept. 19th issue of NewScientist Science in Society. It begins:

It sounds kind of obvious, and a little trite: the world would be a better place to live in if we were all a bit kinder to each other. But how can we make that happen?

This is fast becoming a valid scientific question. Psychologists and neuroscientists are exploring how to increase people's capacity for empathy and compassion, with two ongoing studies claiming that meditation not only increases compassionate feelings but also improves physical and emotional health.

But you don't have to be a Buddhist monk or an expert on brain plasticity to help increase global compassion. There is evidence that altruistic acts spread through a social net. In other words, if you are kind to a friend, they are more likely to be kind to someone else they know.

If you want to read the whole article click here. Then listen to the legend sing.

I'll be out of town for a few days. "See" you when I get back.

Blueprint For Living

I loved this post by Megan Zehnder on Care2. She titled it Ten Ways to Leave the World a Little Better. Don't worry, there's nothing in it about vegetarianism or the environment. It's actually people-related and I like it a lot. Below are her ten tips.


Share. Yes, share the cookies and the toys, but also share your experiences, your fears, your accomplishments your love and your heart. Others will benefit from what you have learned.

Play Fair. Remain honest and tell the truth. Seek opportunities for mutual gain with the people in your life. Lift others up and be mindful of their needs as well as your own.

Don’t Hit. Violence and aggression are only temporary measures to get someone’s attention and obedience. True and lasting respect is earned by listening and responding appropriately. None of us have the right to force our will upon someone else’s.

Care More. Respect what belongs to others. Care for the things you have in your life and watch them continue to grow and flourish.

Make Your Own Bed. Take 100 percent responsibility for your actions. We are responsible for the decisions we make and we are accountable to our family and friends for our words and deeds.

Show Respect. Honor the boundaries set by others. Don’t claim ideas or thoughts that are not your own. Allow love to happen naturally. If it goes away, don’t grasp it so tightly you damage, or kill its spirit or potential to love again.

Say You’re Sorry. Be humble and show regret when appropriate. Ask for forgiveness and allow your soul to be cleansed by the healing it offers.

Allow Self-Care. Take good care of yourself. Fill yourself up with what gives you the most energy and the most passion. Self-care is just as important as caring for everyone else in your life — you are just as worthy to receive the warmth it provides.

Live a Balanced Life. Work hard and play hard, too. Follow your heart’s desire while you provide the basic necessities.

Stick Together. Life is meant to be shared. You have the responsibility to watch over others and to help keep them warm and safe. The human bond, the human connection, requires this from us.

Lilypad Anyone?

How cool is this?

Yes cool, but sad to think that we would ever have to leave terra firma.

"A Belgian architect, anticipating a 50cm rise in sea levels by the end of the century, has designed a floating refugee city. And it looks like a lilypad.

Vincent Callabaut’s amphibious city–bearing the name of its inspiration, lilypad– is a car-free, clean energy utopia that can support 50,000 people with no external supplies. With wind and solar power providing renewable energy, and rooftop gardens allowing for food production, it’s the most efficient, advanced, self-contained community ever imagined."

For the full article click here.

(I don't want to live there unless I can bring my cats.)

Some Pics From The Weekend

Still having computer problems so the video from yesterday is not up yet - sorry. Till my computer is given an overhaul the video will be hit or miss - I'll keep trying. It seems to be able to handle photographs though, so I will stick with the still shots.

We have enjoyed this weekend so much. It always amazes me how much Cyrus changes in just a few weeks. Right now he's naming objects like crazy, so it's the verbal changes that are most noticeable. I like to observe him for personality traits and I will say he has a great sense of humor. He loves to laugh and make others laugh. He will do something silly just for the reaction. This is common to most kids I guess but his silliness factor seems to be well developed!

This is Frosty's favorite chair but Cyrus and I borrowed it for a game of "throw the little boy into the chair from an upside down launching position." Here he is quite vertical but you can be sure he was upside down about 20 seconds later.

Mr. Silliness is making funny faces - imagine that. You may not be able to see it but he is also covered in fur by this point. Cyrus will be taking a bit of Frosty home with him.

During Cyrus' visits I often get my pantry reorganized.

After lunch Shirin washed his grubby little hands.

Cyrus had to pull his hands away to point out the kitchen window and say "bur" to remind his mommy that there are birds in the backyard.

Rinsing. He'll stay clean for about five minutes.

I told Cyrus to sit on the bike so I could take his picture, so he did...
side saddle.

Needless to say side saddle gets you nowhere. Soon he was on correctly and going places.

Brrroom, brrooom!

Here Cyrus is hiding from me. He and I always play the hide and seek game but he forgets that I can see through window panes!

Boooo Grandma!!!

When it was time to go I told Cyrus to go get his shoes. He loves to get his shoes on because that means he's going somewhere. (Not sure what Chappu was doing.) Cyrus brought me the shoes and said, "dee, dee" which is the word for shoes. I dutifully put them on but hated that he was leaving. Well, he'll be back soon to go yaya (outside) to look at the bur (birds), ree (trees), and wee (leaves.) Buh Buh Cyrus.

We Have Visitors!

How princely, to be able to eat your banana while someone carries you around as if you were royalty! Needless to say, Saeed is head over heels in love with Cyrus and has to do everything for him.

Saeed is showing Cyrus all the birds in the backyard. Cyrus is very cooperative to look at the "bur" in the "ya ya".

More later!

Sand Animation

In an article on September 30th in Christian Science Monitor Matthew Clark describes the winner of Ukraine's Got Talent, Kseniya Simonova. She represented Ukraine's recent history using sand animation "in which an artist creates a motion picture of sorts by deftly shifting sand around on a light board or overhead projector." Clark goes on to say, "And her inherent class, it must be said, shames anything shown on America’s Got Talent, where chainsaw jugglers and singing cowboys were vying for a spot as a headliner in Las Vegas." Saeed definitely agrees with that statement and wished me to share it with you.

Watch and enjoy:

Veggie Fest In DC

Ohhh.. I wish I could have gone (said with a whining nasal twang.)

Happy World Vegetarian Day!