Today I was able to cross an item off my Bucket List:
Get a free meal from a restaurant.
Next on the list; Get a free meal from a restaurant because the guy behind the counter thinks I'm hot, not because he messed up my order.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Insomnia
Draft One
I've been trying not to see your face.
I want to seal you safely behind glass and wood.
Religate you to rainy day status like you've already done to me.
But tonight I can't sleep.
And so
I'm trapped here with your startling eyes looking into me.
And I'm not ready to see.
I've been trying not to see your face.
I want to seal you safely behind glass and wood.
Religate you to rainy day status like you've already done to me.
But tonight I can't sleep.
And so
I'm trapped here with your startling eyes looking into me.
And I'm not ready to see.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Bas-boo-sa
I had my first Arabic language and Sudanese culture class today.
It began well. We started with eating. One of my teachers, whom we call Mimi, is a beautiful Sudanese woman who is writing a cookbook containing traditional Sudanese recipes. As her students, we have the privilege of taste testing her fabulous recipes. Today she prepared Bam-Yah Okrah)for us. Bam-Yah is a deliciously spicy rice, vegetable, and beef medley that is flavored with a type of cloves I didn't know existed but could easily grow to love; cardamon. Are any of you familiar with this ingredient? If you are, do you happen to have any idea about how to use it or at least how to spell it correctly?
We also had a fantastic dessert which, predictably, turned out to be my favorite dish both because of its taste and pronunciation. Bas-boo-sa is a very sweet cake of a grainy texture that combines cream of wheat, egg, yogurt, coconut, almond flakes and a home-made syrup glaze to make a delicious and light (but filling) treat. It was the perfect finishing touch to a savory and spicy meal.
The class has promised to send us the recipes by e-mail this week. I promise to pass along my favorites as I discover them.
The second section of class involved learning sounds for the Arabic alphabet. This was quite a challenge as the most common phrase I heard from our teacher, Faisal, was some variation of, "There is no english equivalent for this sound. You do not have this sound in your language." How incredibly fascinating to try learning something new without a familiar point of reference. Struggling to learn these sounds re-awoke in me a passion for language and the miracle of the spoken word.
We followed up this verbal portion of class with what I interpreted to be a grammar and writing lesson. We practiced writing (right to left) characters and adding signs (or what I interpret to be similar to accents) to them in order to change their pronunciation. At this point my brain almost exploded. I was grateful when we moved on to the next section of class in which we learned some things about the Sudanese culture and wedding traditions. How fitting, as recently, much of my free time has been occupied with the details of planning for the multiple weddings I will be making an appearance in this spring and summer.
I was enthralled to learn that in many tribes in southern Sudan a man wishing to marry a woman must pay her family in cows. The more beautiful the woman is to him, the more cows he will offer. Can you imagine the horror of being the woman who only fetches a one cow proposal?
We also discussed the legal and religious foundations for Sudanese men being allowed up to four wives and what managing four wives might look like on a practical level. Can you imagine the stress of keeping four wives emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually satisfied while at the same time keeping them from fighting with each other? It was really interesting to hear Tarig talk about how husbands are very careful to give equal gifts to all wives and to set schedules giving a wife her own day so as to maintain harmony. What different values from ours in America must dictate a system like that.
I also learned that in the Sudanese culture it is not unusual for both single and unmarried men and women to live with their parents. In fact, what would be unusual in their culture would be for someone to leave home to live on their own. When this happens people often wonder what that person has done to offend the family and get thrown out. Another interesting idea to mull around.
Despite being outrageously difficult to learn, I am very interested in the Arabic language. It is beautiful to write and to hear spoken and I am looking forward to class next Sunday. That is, of course, assuming I can get my homework done before then.
It began well. We started with eating. One of my teachers, whom we call Mimi, is a beautiful Sudanese woman who is writing a cookbook containing traditional Sudanese recipes. As her students, we have the privilege of taste testing her fabulous recipes. Today she prepared Bam-Yah Okrah)for us. Bam-Yah is a deliciously spicy rice, vegetable, and beef medley that is flavored with a type of cloves I didn't know existed but could easily grow to love; cardamon. Are any of you familiar with this ingredient? If you are, do you happen to have any idea about how to use it or at least how to spell it correctly?
We also had a fantastic dessert which, predictably, turned out to be my favorite dish both because of its taste and pronunciation. Bas-boo-sa is a very sweet cake of a grainy texture that combines cream of wheat, egg, yogurt, coconut, almond flakes and a home-made syrup glaze to make a delicious and light (but filling) treat. It was the perfect finishing touch to a savory and spicy meal.
The class has promised to send us the recipes by e-mail this week. I promise to pass along my favorites as I discover them.
The second section of class involved learning sounds for the Arabic alphabet. This was quite a challenge as the most common phrase I heard from our teacher, Faisal, was some variation of, "There is no english equivalent for this sound. You do not have this sound in your language." How incredibly fascinating to try learning something new without a familiar point of reference. Struggling to learn these sounds re-awoke in me a passion for language and the miracle of the spoken word.
We followed up this verbal portion of class with what I interpreted to be a grammar and writing lesson. We practiced writing (right to left) characters and adding signs (or what I interpret to be similar to accents) to them in order to change their pronunciation. At this point my brain almost exploded. I was grateful when we moved on to the next section of class in which we learned some things about the Sudanese culture and wedding traditions. How fitting, as recently, much of my free time has been occupied with the details of planning for the multiple weddings I will be making an appearance in this spring and summer.
I was enthralled to learn that in many tribes in southern Sudan a man wishing to marry a woman must pay her family in cows. The more beautiful the woman is to him, the more cows he will offer. Can you imagine the horror of being the woman who only fetches a one cow proposal?
We also discussed the legal and religious foundations for Sudanese men being allowed up to four wives and what managing four wives might look like on a practical level. Can you imagine the stress of keeping four wives emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually satisfied while at the same time keeping them from fighting with each other? It was really interesting to hear Tarig talk about how husbands are very careful to give equal gifts to all wives and to set schedules giving a wife her own day so as to maintain harmony. What different values from ours in America must dictate a system like that.
I also learned that in the Sudanese culture it is not unusual for both single and unmarried men and women to live with their parents. In fact, what would be unusual in their culture would be for someone to leave home to live on their own. When this happens people often wonder what that person has done to offend the family and get thrown out. Another interesting idea to mull around.
Despite being outrageously difficult to learn, I am very interested in the Arabic language. It is beautiful to write and to hear spoken and I am looking forward to class next Sunday. That is, of course, assuming I can get my homework done before then.
How Do You Figure?
I got a nice little note in the mail from the IRS the other day informing me that I owe the government roughly $300. I'm pretty confident that they are wrong. The trick is going to be proving it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Retraction
I learned, today, that my earlier assessment of how many students missed the question regarding Rwanda was in error. Only a fourth of the population missed the question, as opposed to the 90% that I originally claimed. I apologize for the inaccurate information. However, I still hold that even 25% is too large a percentage when it comes to being unaware of racial genocide.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Best and The Brightest
Recently, our University invited its top scholars from various high schools around the NW to campus for a two day competition. This is a big deal because at the end of the weekend two full ride scholarships are awarded. Part of this competition includes a 185 question test on a variety of fun topics. Today we began grading these tests and I found myself both horrified and amused by some of the answers I read.
I was horrified to learn that only 10 out of 100 students are aware of the fact that in 1994 over 800,000 people were murdered over a 90 day stretch in the country of Rwanda. I was also upset to note that only 3 students know that (as of February 5, 2008) roughly 4,000 US soldiers have died in the war in Iraq. But what's worse is that on top of getting this question wrong, all the guesses (on a multiple choice question) were at least 1,300 less than the reality. So now students are not only uninformed about war casualties but under the false impression that the damage being done is far less than it really is.
Fortunately for me and my blood pressure there were also a fair amount of amusing answers that helped to keep me sane.
For example, I bet you didn't know...
Virgil not Homer is the author of the epic poem The Odyssey
Stalin is the current President of Russia
Red, white and blue are the colors of the German flag
Spiders, cows and elephants are some of the animals most commonly found in the Chinese calendar
The Mona Lisa is missing her teeth
Al Gore is still running for President
And November 22, 1963 is the date marking the famous US historical event of Thanksgiving; not to be confused with the JFK assassination.
I'm concerned for America's future.
I was horrified to learn that only 10 out of 100 students are aware of the fact that in 1994 over 800,000 people were murdered over a 90 day stretch in the country of Rwanda. I was also upset to note that only 3 students know that (as of February 5, 2008) roughly 4,000 US soldiers have died in the war in Iraq. But what's worse is that on top of getting this question wrong, all the guesses (on a multiple choice question) were at least 1,300 less than the reality. So now students are not only uninformed about war casualties but under the false impression that the damage being done is far less than it really is.
Fortunately for me and my blood pressure there were also a fair amount of amusing answers that helped to keep me sane.
For example, I bet you didn't know...
Virgil not Homer is the author of the epic poem The Odyssey
Stalin is the current President of Russia
Red, white and blue are the colors of the German flag
Spiders, cows and elephants are some of the animals most commonly found in the Chinese calendar
The Mona Lisa is missing her teeth
Al Gore is still running for President
And November 22, 1963 is the date marking the famous US historical event of Thanksgiving; not to be confused with the JFK assassination.
I'm concerned for America's future.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Yes, I've Been Tagged!
Multipurpose Purse Contents (in no particular order)
1. Red leather Lodis wallet stuffed with cards, receipts and some uncashed checks
2. Vaseline for protecting minor cuts, scrapes and burns
3. Razzle Dazzle Blueberry Germ Blaster hand sanitizer
4. One trail mix granola bar, two receipts, one parking stub, two sets of keys, a Faculty Scholarship Competition itinerary and a handfull of empty gum wrappers
5. My handy dandy self charging flashlight (Christmas gift from my aunt Suzy)
6. Two ChapStiks, one bubble gum Lip Smacker, one Avon Island vibe and one CO bigelow Mentha Lip Tint
7. A pen I stole from work
8. My work name tag
9. Another pen I stole from work
10. My pink monogrammed pocket knife
11. Island Punch lipstick
12. Two pairs of earrings, one bracelet, a pad and some loose change
13. Gum
14. Two more pens that I apparently also stole from work
15. Make that three more
16. Cell phone charger
17. A Band Aid
18. A thermometer
19. A Portland parking pass receipt
20. A mysterious key
21. Mints
22. An unidentifiable pill that I don't remember ascertaining
23. A hair clip
25. Blue tooth
Usually I have a pair of high heels, a water bottle and a lunch in there too but I just cleaned things out today.
I tag Christina, Elizabeth and Sharla
1. Red leather Lodis wallet stuffed with cards, receipts and some uncashed checks
2. Vaseline for protecting minor cuts, scrapes and burns
3. Razzle Dazzle Blueberry Germ Blaster hand sanitizer
4. One trail mix granola bar, two receipts, one parking stub, two sets of keys, a Faculty Scholarship Competition itinerary and a handfull of empty gum wrappers
5. My handy dandy self charging flashlight (Christmas gift from my aunt Suzy)
6. Two ChapStiks, one bubble gum Lip Smacker, one Avon Island vibe and one CO bigelow Mentha Lip Tint
7. A pen I stole from work
8. My work name tag
9. Another pen I stole from work
10. My pink monogrammed pocket knife
11. Island Punch lipstick
12. Two pairs of earrings, one bracelet, a pad and some loose change
13. Gum
14. Two more pens that I apparently also stole from work
15. Make that three more
16. Cell phone charger
17. A Band Aid
18. A thermometer
19. A Portland parking pass receipt
20. A mysterious key
21. Mints
22. An unidentifiable pill that I don't remember ascertaining
23. A hair clip
25. Blue tooth
Usually I have a pair of high heels, a water bottle and a lunch in there too but I just cleaned things out today.
I tag Christina, Elizabeth and Sharla
Fact or Fiction
"I nominally have [a place of my own] and am nominally master of the house, but things seldom go as I would have chosen. The truth is that the only alternatives are either solitude (with all it's miseries and dangers, both moral and physical) or else all the rubs and frstrations of a joint life. The second, even at its worst seems to me far the better."
C.S. Lewis
Letters to an American Lady
"[Senior devil Screwtape to junior devil Wormwood:] Humans who have not the gift of continence can be deterred from seeking marriage as a solution because they do not find themselves "in love," and, thanks to us, the idea of marrying with any other motive seems to them low and cynical. Yes, they think that. They regard the intention of loyalty to a partnership for mutual help, for the preservation for chastity, and for the transmission of life, as something lower than a storm of emotion."
C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis
Letters to an American Lady
"[Senior devil Screwtape to junior devil Wormwood:] Humans who have not the gift of continence can be deterred from seeking marriage as a solution because they do not find themselves "in love," and, thanks to us, the idea of marrying with any other motive seems to them low and cynical. Yes, they think that. They regard the intention of loyalty to a partnership for mutual help, for the preservation for chastity, and for the transmission of life, as something lower than a storm of emotion."
C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A Little Advice
If ever an attractive male should come to your house to deliver your bed and you would like to be able to flirt a little and still maintain your dignity, I suggest that you avoid leaving your copy of The Soul of Sex lying in the middle of the floor in plain sight.
While it may give your handsome delivery man cause to smirk and flirt back with comments such as "Don't get too excited, it's just a full", it will not, I repeat NOT, allow you to keep your dignity.
While it may give your handsome delivery man cause to smirk and flirt back with comments such as "Don't get too excited, it's just a full", it will not, I repeat NOT, allow you to keep your dignity.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Life in Community
It can be messy living with other people but there is something invaluable about the kind and wise words of sisters in Christ offered at just the right time that I sorely missed when I was living and traveling alone.
Thank you Jesus for the amazing way you extend grace to me in the lives of faithful believers as their paths cross mine. May I be able to offer the same gift.
Thank you Jesus for the amazing way you extend grace to me in the lives of faithful believers as their paths cross mine. May I be able to offer the same gift.
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